We return to Australia after many a year as Darvily joins me for this episode! I had stumbled across her on Threads and loved the fandoms she was into, and we get to jump into a few of them for this episode.

Darvily and I kick things off with talking about the broad topic of video games. We talk about the first games that she experienced, starting with Spyro. We focus on a few games that Darvily specifically was into over the years, including Animal Crossing, Pokemon, and Skyrim. Darvily also talks about some of her favorite indie games that she likes and recommends. Want the recommendations? Listen!

From video games, we make our way into the realm of Fantasy Fandom. We talk about Darvily's love of How To Train Your Dragon, books like Lord of the Rings, Fourth Wing, and A Court of Thorns and Roses, to name a few. We also bundle in talk about Renfaires in Australia, as well as Darvily's experience with Dungeons and Dragons.

We then wrap up with a conversation about Cosplay. Darvily talks about getting into Cosplay, along with some of the character she does. From Spider suits to Renfaire looks, Sailor Umbreon, and more. We talk about how she decides and chooses her looks and what she's working on for this year.

You can find Darvily at:

https://www.instagram.com/darvilyyy/

https://linktr.ee/darvily

https://www.tiktok.com/@darvilyy

https://www.twitch.tv/darvily

https://www.youtube.com/@darvilyy

I stumbled across Stacy on Threads back in early 2025 when she posted about who she was hoping the algorithim would bring to her account. I followed Stacy for awhile and then realized "I bet she has an Instagram page" and followed her work there too. One of my favorite things about Stacy is that she wants to build and engage with those who do follow her on her platforms. I love that, and it's one of the things I enjoyed as I got to know her.

This episode is split in half! The first half we're talking about Fantasy and Romantasy books. Stacy talks about what she looks for in a book, and what she's drawn to in the Romantasy sphere. We cover a number of different books including Cruel Prince, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and more. Stacy's full list of recommended titles is at the bottom of the show notes including links to purchase!

The second half of the episode features Stacy talking about what she creates! From her fantasy inspired costumes to the photography that goes along with it - including great behind the scenes stories on some of her iconic shots from her instagram. Stacy gives us the inside scoop and I am absolutely here for it. We also talk about renaissance faires and fantasy balls, including Stacy's upcoming appearance at FrostFire Ball by Storybook Soirees (link in the notes for ticket info!)

Books that Stacy recommended are:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - https://amzn.to/3LkH4gd

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/4qNzFoG

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/454cG0d

The Assassin's Blade novella by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/3LumYQH

The Rogue King by Abigail Owen - https://amzn.to/4svVQS5

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - https://amzn.to/4sz7UC1

Quicksilver by Callie Hart - https://amzn.to/4jxcX1C

You can find more info about FrostFire Ball at: https://www.storybooksoirees.com/frostfire-ball

You can find Stacy at:

https://www.instagram.com/stacylkellam/

https://www.threads.com/@stacylkellam

https://www.tiktok.com/@stacylkellam

https://linktr.ee/stacylkellam

As 2025 ended, I kept stumbling across this really wonderful reels on Instagram that kept going into the lore of The Lord of the Rings fandom. After being shown these several times and being captivated, I followed Kaia on Instagram. After a little bit more, I knew I wanted to have her as a guest and delve into Middle Earth lore.

Kaia and I talk about everything The Lord of the Rings that we can fit into one non-extended edition podcast episode! From how she got interested in this fandom to start with, to how she continued her journey and where it has taken her today.

We cover everything. From The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, to The Silmarillion. From the animated movies to the Peter Jackson trilogy, The Hobbit movies, Rings of Power TV series, and War of the Rohirrim.

And yes, we talk about Tom Bombadil, The Eagles (not the band), Viggo Mortensen breaking his toe, and sadly, the toxic side of the fandom.

This is a great time to learn about The Lord of the Rings, dive into some deeper lore like an audio version of Wikipedia, and learn about what challenge I'm taking in 2026 when it comes to this fandom.

You can find Kaia at:

https://www.instagram.com/kaiakayy/

https://www.tiktok.com/@kaiakays

https://www.youtube.com/@kaiakayy

https://www.threads.com/@kaiakayy

https://substack.com/@measse

https://linktr.ee/kaiakay