Episode 466: Dr. Anna Eskamani talks Star Wars and Politics
Release Date: 07/06/2026
Episode 474: Serenity aka Seriniteacup talks Superheroes, Book Recommendations, Project Gateway to Reading, and Cosplay
Tales from the Fandom
I've been following Serenity aka Seriniteacup for over two years and was drawn to their cosplay work and creative style. After getting to know them, I was happy when they said yes to coming on the podcast. We have a great conversation about things they love. We kick things off by talking about their love of Superheroes and how they got into the Marvel and DC superheroes. We focus particularly on Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), and Moon Knight on the Marvel side of things, and we talk about Jason Todd (The Red Hood) and Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle) on the DC side of things. We talk about what these...
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Episode 473: Carolina Cardona aka TheTropicalEccentric Returns and talks about her work as an author
Tales from the Fandom
A little over 2 years have passed, and author Carolina Cardona returns to the podcast. It doesn't feel that long, as its been a pleasure seeing what Carolina had been doing since we last talked. We get to catch up and talk about what the past 2 years have looked like for Carolina. From her novel, Andujar: The Robot Gentleman of San Juan being translated into Spanish, as well as being taught as part of the curriculum in a course at the University of Puerto Rico. Imagine my surprise when the person who loves robots drops a bombshell that she was working on a novel set in the 14th century...
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Episode 472: Pluribus Season 1 Discussion with Phil Rood
Tales from the Fandom
Artist and Podcaster Phil Rood returns for his 3rd episode as we talk about Vince Gilligan's latest TV series, Pluribus. The show that we had no idea what it really was about until we watched the show. Spoilers abound, so if you haven't watched the series, you may want to skip this episode. Both Phil and I enjoy Gilligan's previous shows, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. We also championed the wonderful Rhea Seehorn from Better Call Saul and were psyched to see her cast in this latest series. Phil and I talk about the whole series, from the story, to the respective main and supporting...
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Episode 471: Jo aka MsArtsyAce talks FIFA World Cup & Football, House of the Dragon, and Cosplay
Tales from the Fandom
After stumbling across Jo aka MsArtsyAce on Threads back in December of 2025 and falling in love with her cosplay work, she joins me as a guest. This episode was recorded during the FIFA World Cup, and there are references to the game happening at the time (Mexico vs Ecuador) throughout the episode. With that in mind, we kicked things off by talking about the FIFA World Cup, and Football in general. We both talked about tuning in to the various matches throughout the month at the time, and what draws us in. Jo and I talk about what teams we were rooting for, some of the history of the world...
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Episode 470: Ten Year Anniversary Special with Joshua aka HylianDescent of Hyrule Gaming Group
Tales from the Fandom
Joshua aka HylianDescent of Hyrule Gaming Group returns for his 6th episode as guest host for our 10 Year Anniversary Special. I join him as the guest, as we get into the 10 years of Tales from the Fandom. We talk about the eras of the podcast, from its early episodes to its COVID years, along with some memorable guests. We both talk about how much work content creation is, and the behind the scenes of the podcast (and my continued dislike of editing). One of the big things is a discussion about my personal cornerstones/pillars of fandom that I'll always come back to - even if I'm not in them...
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Episode 469: Reina Valentine returns and talks Fandom and Cosplay
Tales from the Fandom
Reina Valentine returns to the podcast for her 6th episode as we get to catch up and talk fandom. In the title, you'd normally see the fandoms we'd be talking about. Funny (or unfunny) thing is, Reina has said that she's not currently a part of any fandom - and that is what we are discussing on the episode. We talk about how Reina pulling back from fandoms happened, with shows like Game of Thrones, The Acolyte, and Shadow and Bone, and the reasoning for each is different - but heavy is the heart that throws down for fandoms like Reina did. So she made that decision to step back from that...
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Episode 468: Selena aka itsselenachea returns and talks Spider-Man, Bridgerton, Cosplay, and more!
Tales from the Fandom
Selena aka itsselenachea on socials returns to the podcast after 4 years as we get to catch up and talk about old and new fandoms! We start things off by talking about the Spider-Man fandom. This episode releases one week before Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and we discuss potential things that may or may not happen in the movie. We also talk about Tom Holland and how many movies he may still do as the beloved Peter Parker. We also talk about the animated side of things with talk about Spider-Man: Beyond the Spiderverse, releasing (potentially) in June 2027. Selena and I also discuss Cindy Moon,...
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Episode 467: Becca Bix of WomenPlayDND talks Romantasy Books, and Dungeons & Dragons
Tales from the Fandom
I had stumbled across Becca's Threads account, WomenPlayDND, awhile back. I loved what she was doing with getting new players into Dungeons and Dragons and breaking people out of the rule book and getting them to the table. It was a pleasure having her join me on the podcast to talk about this, and more! We start things off by talking about the Romantasy book genre. We talk about some of her early reads, and what draws her to the Romantasy genre. Becca also talks about how characters are portrayed, storylines, and more. I recommended previous guest, Gabriella Buba's "Saints of...
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Episode 466: Dr. Anna Eskamani talks Star Wars and Politics
Tales from the Fandom
Dr. Anna Eskamani, Florida native, and current Florida House of Representatives member for District 42 (in Orange County, as of release in July of 2026 - her term expires in November 2026), and currently running for Mayor of Orlando (election in 2027) joins me to talk about one of her favorite fandoms. We split the episode in two. We focus first on Star Wars. Dr. Eskamani talks about how she got interested in the franchise. From the movies to TV shows, books, video games, and more. We talk about how she watched her older brother play Star Wars video games, and how she's love to revisit the...
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Episode 465: Hazel the Writer returns and talks Live Action Roleplaying, Game of Thrones, and Cosplay
Tales from the Fandom
Hazel aka HazeltheWriter on social media returns to the podcast after 5 years as we get to catch up and talk about some new fandoms! After recording 5 years ago, Hazel moved to England for some time, and has now moved back stateside. While over in England, she got interested in Live Action Roleplaying. If you're thinking of boffer style games, then you're about to learn what kind of games Hazel found herself in. First swept up into Lord of the Rings / Hobbit style games, Hazel branched off into Game of Thrones themed games. We talked about her weekend adventures, overnighting at these events,...
info_outlineDr. Anna Eskamani, Florida native, and current Florida House of Representatives member for District 42 (in Orange County, as of release in July of 2026 - her term expires in November 2026), and currently running for Mayor of Orlando (election in 2027) joins me to talk about one of her favorite fandoms.
We split the episode in two. We focus first on Star Wars. Dr. Eskamani talks about how she got interested in the franchise. From the movies to TV shows, books, video games, and more. We talk about how she watched her older brother play Star Wars video games, and how she's love to revisit the Knights of the Old Republic games if she had time. We talk about the themes of Andor, meeting Diego Luna at MegaCon in Orlando, and reflect on the messages that Star Wars has. Plus we even talk about her current (and future) Star Wars tattoo's!
The theme of Star Wars leads us into talking about politics, and Dr. Eskamani's time in Florida politics. We talk about how she first got into advocacy and activism. From her work with Planned Parenthood after graduating from the University of Central Florida, to then being elected to the Florida House of Representatives and her work in that chamber. We talk about supporting local businesses, and why she's decided to run for Mayor of Orlando after working 8 years in the House (with term limits).
Throughout this episode, you'll find themes of family, passion, and of hope.
You can find Dr. Eskamani at:
https://www.instagram.com/annafororlando/
https://www.instagram.com/annaforflorida/