Fantasy

Blog Posts

Confessions of a Comics Junkie: Rooting for the Underdog (or, Characters Marvel Forgot to Love)

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Readers of my personal blog will recall that I recently got back into comic books.  And by “got back into” I mean “I now have almost three long boxes full of comics.”[1]  It’s an obsession.  So sue me. One of the things that has been most interesting to me on this journey back into comics is discovering how much has changed since I was a lax reader in the 90s.  I don’t mean in terms of the narratives, mind you (though those have changed, too), but rather in terms of the characters who have stuck around, moved to the background, or (supposedly) left us for good.[2]  Things have really changed. The most alarming change for me was the realization that some of the characters I loved as a kid have since taken a sideline to more “popular” folks.  Oh, hell, let’s face it.  The characters I liked as a kid, and the characters I have since started to cling to in the now, will never be as popular as Wolverine or Batman or Captain America or Iron Man or most of the folks gracing our movie screens these days.  They are, and probably always have been or will be, the underdogs.  But they’re also the characters for which I can’t help rooting.

Blog Posts

This Katamari Feels Cleaningsish — Magical Cleaning Methods!

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(That’s probably because you rolled up nothing but magical cleaning techniques.) I know that common wisdom says spring is the season for cleaning, but for me this autumn is setting off my cleaning impulse. The last week has seen me taking every spare moment to do things that are usually completely out of character, like taking a damp cloth to the miniblinds. It’s quite lovely to fall asleep secure in the knowledge that all the crevices under and around the bed have been swept, dusted, and heartily scrubbed, but at the same time, the more I clean, the more it feels like the house will never ever actually be free of dust. For some people, like maybe Martha Stewart, or Tony Stark, I bet this leads to inventing newer, scarier, more efficient cleaning tools and methods. Alas, I am not a ginormously wealthy businessperson, so it just makes me daydream about all the ways I could clean if only I had access to magic. Seriously, have you ever stopped to think about all the magical ways to clean things? Here are a few:

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

167. Worldcon Walkby Session #2: WSFS, Cross-species Romance, and Science Fiction

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode167WorldconWalkbySession2/SandF%20–%20Episode%20167%20–%20Worldcon%20Walkby%20Session%20%232.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSCross-species romance, science fiction, and WSFS followups, oh my!  Rachael Acks joins us once again at Worldcon to talk about the second stage of the WSFS meetings, romantic SF, movies, fans, and much more. We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 167 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 40:18) Rachael Acks’ Page Rachael’s posts on the WSFS meetings can be found here. Rachael Acks’ Twitter “The Preservation of White Male Privilege at WSFS” by Endorphin Junkie Alien Nation (IMDB) You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible.  Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Blog Posts

My Superpower: Stina Leicht

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My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome Stina Leicht to talk about how being meticulous, overly analytical, and sensitive relates to her work. —————————————————————————————— There should probably be a sign hung over this post that reads, Don’t Try This At Home, Kids… Frankly, I’m not sure I’d call any quality I have a ‘super power.’ (Well, other than the ability to find a goth outfit in any store.) I’m a ball of positive and negative traits that constantly war with one another–in short, I’m a human being. As luck would have it, that happens to work in my favor from time to time. My husband loves to call me a ‘method writer.’ He does this primarily when I rush outside after an ice storm[1] and tramp around in the thin layer of snow with my head tilted like the Victor dog, Nipper. Dane loves to shout, “Remember your coat!” because half the time I’m so wrapped up in capturing the experience that I forget silly little things like self-preservation. It’s why, when I took rally racing lessons as part of my research for Of Blood and Honey and its sequel And Blue Skies from Pain, he made me promise not to race on the track with other drivers.[2] When I broke my arm in Kung Fu class last summer, my biggest thought was, So, this is what it feels like. How much does it hurt? What can’t I do? What can I do? Why do I know something is wrong? How long does it take for the

The Skiffy and Fanty Show Podcasts

166. Kaiju Rising w/ Nick Sharps (An Interview, Kickstarter-style)

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http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode166KaijuRising/SandF%20–%20Episode%20166%20–%20Kaiju%20Rising.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSGiant monsters, city busting, and Kickstarter, oh my!  Nick Sharps and David Annandale join us to talk about Kaiju Rising, a new giant monster anthology on Kickstarter.  What more do you need to know? We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode 166 — Download (MP3) Intro and Discussion (0:00 – 42:54) Kaiju Rising (Kickstarter)(Shaun has backed this project…because it is awesome!) Ragnarok Publishing Go buy her books!  Seriously! You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible.  Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks!  Thanks for listening.  See you next week.

Announcements and Errata

Announcement: Skiffy and Fanty 3.0 Begins Now!

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A lot of things are happening around the Skiffy and Fanty compound.  Big things.  You’ve already heard about Stina Leicht joining the crew and the World SF Tour.  Now it’s time to announce the next big step for the show:  the 3.0 Upgrade. What is it? 3.0 is the next phase of The Skiffy and Fanty Show.  It will involve a slightly revamped audio program and a complete content overhaul on the blog.  We decided it was time to take this venture to the next level, and everyone who has contributed to this show in recent weeks jumped on board without much hesitation.  When you have that many people enthusiastically jumping into the mixer, you just can’t ignore it! Here’s what you can expect from the podcast for the next few months (before the World SF Tour kicks off): 3-4 discussion/interview episodes of the podcast, including our Worldcon interviews and new interviews with Nick Mamatas, Emma Newman, Ann Leckie, Doug Lain, and more. The continuation of the Torture Cinema feature:  September (Sharknado — recorded at Worldcon), October (The Gate — the Halloween Special), November (listener’s choice), and December (listener’s choice — the Christmas and Winter Holiday Special) 1-2 episodes of Shoot the WISB, featuring reviews of new movies and/or re-watches of movies (coming soon:  The World’s End, the Riddick Trilogy, and a Babylon 5 re-watch) And here’s what you can expect from the blog: Almost daily posts, each one written by an S&F crew member.  These will include discussions about recent SF/F-related events and reflections about genre fiction, geek parenting, the business world of SF/F, the wonders of horror, and much more. Our new “My Superpower” guest posts (Stina Leicht is the first victim)(authors are welcome to email us if they’d like to write one) A new monthly post:  Recommend Reads (self-explanatory, I hope) A maybe, just maybe, a few more things! This is just the beginning for 3.0. Who is involved? The Skiffy and Fanty Crew’s contributions will be made by our regulars — Shaun Duke, Julia Rios, Paul Weimer, Jen Zink, and Adam Callaway — and by a whole bunch of new folks, including David Annandale, Stina Leicht, Mike R. Underwood, and Keffy Kehrli.  Basically, Jen decided five people wasn’t enough for a single podcast, so she went ahead and added four more, bringing our total up to nine.  We’re pretty sure it’ll turn out OK. How can you get involved?   Join the Discussion!  Leave a comment, email us your opinions about an episode, or share our stuff on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and wherever else you feel like.  S&F is an open door.  If you’ve got something to say, then say it.  And if you want to help contribute to the show or the blog, let us know.  Nothing like a crowd to make a blog and a show, wouldn’t you say? There may be more announcements in the future.  For now, enjoy the beginning of what we hope will be a really good thing indeed!

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