Fuel Your Fandom

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TVTropes.com defines a trope as, "a storytelling device a creator can assume is already present in the mind of the audience without needing to be explained." In other words, not a cliché, but more a narrative precept we've already seen before, and intrinsically understand the meaning of. Still, while it's a slightly sticky thing to define, it's an immediate thing to understand. In this episode, Saint and Jim spend some time kicking around their favorite tropes from modern entertainment. They're joined by astronomer, astrophysicist, and friend of fandom Dr. Robert Morehead, who kindly brings a truly universal perspective to an idea that's well beneath his education level. So give us your earholes...we want 'em.

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Hollywood is having a really difficult time as of late. It seems as tough for every "Barbie" or "Super Mario" that makes literally a billion dollars, there are a dozen flicks like "Furiosa" and "Garfield" that fall severely short in terms of critical reception and box office take. Movie theatres are suffering, studios are scrambling, and ultimately, it's the fans who pay the price. But what's causing it? COVID hangover? Sequel fatigue? Ticket prices? All of that and then some? On this episode, Saint and Jim take a look at some of the possible reasons behind the downward trends in the movie industry, and what might be done to address them. Of course, there's also more nerd news than you can shake a popcorn bucket at.

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When it comes to digital entertainment, Saint and Jim have been eyebrow-deep in pixels since LONG before it was even called that. Videogaming is one of the biggest bricks that forms the foundation of fandom for each of them. But, just like movies, TV and comics, videogames are constantly evolving – and so are the people who are playing them. So in this edition of FYF, your intrepid co-hosts take a look at how games are changing, how the fandom is adapting, and what that means for the state of the hobby. Plus, Comic-Con happened. And there was no notable news there. So there's no reason to discuss any of THAT, or anything, right? Ooof.

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Hey, Friends of Fuel. Saint and Jim are back from their summer vacation, and they're kicking off the second half of the season with a bang. As promised, FYF welcomes a very special guest for the first post-hiatus show. Jenny Stiven may well be the ultimate ascended fan. After growing up geek playing D&D, reading comics and watching Star Trek, Jenny eventually went to work as a marketer within some of the biggest nerd media that's ever hit pop culture — creating award-winning campaigns for titanic entities like 20th Century Fox, MGM, Star Trek, James Bond, Star Wars, DC, Stargate, Predator, Alien, Buffy, and tons more we just don't have the space to discuss. For the last decade, she's worked as a consultant liaison helping to build and manage relationships between content creators and their fandoms. As such, her insight on the state and nature of these communities is second-to-none. You do NOT want to miss the wisdom she drops about toxic fandoms, creator accountability, fan responsibility, and how it all comes together. So earhole it up with a quickness.

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Wow. Episode #200 already?!? What else is there to say but "Thank You"? You the listener have helped the humble Fuel Your Fandom podcast reach this major milestone, and the gratitude on our side is truly massive. For their part, Saint and Jim kicked around a whole lot of ideas on possible ways to commemorate this benchmark...and then promptly chucked 'em all right straight out the window since SO MUCH HAPPENED THIS WEEK, and we had to get to it all. So earhole up for the triumphant return of the Nerd News Nexus — now with a snappy new theme song!