Fanthropological

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, there's no need to use a Phoenix Down because we are ALIVE, and talking about the fans of the Final Fantasy series! The iconic music, characters, stories, costumes... whatever it may be, it has left a lasting mark on the RPG and video game worlds for the decades since its introductions, and we get into all of that with some special guest friends of ours, Dan and Ari! Next week, just in time for [Anime North](http://animenorth.com/), we're talking about fans of Boys' Love with Sarah of the [Feminist Fujoshi](https://feministfujoshi.wordpress.com/)! ## Where can I learn more about Dan and Ari? You might remember Dan and Ari from our [super-cut of Super MAGFest 2018](https://youtu.be/DiJt-4m6qKE?t=4m8s) and his panel on [the music of Final Fantasy](https://youtu.be/sEPn75v-L3M). You can check out more of their work online: _Ari_ - Instagram: [@totallytoastyari](http://instagram.com/totallytoastyari) - F

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # > Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle...and wonder if we'll ever get the chance to kill him. > > — Nier: Automata Uh... we're talking about Nier this week, and hopefully we don't dive too far down the existentialist rabbithole. Plus, we've got special guest Sarah (aka SMZeldaRules) as our resident Nier-ologist to get us through it all. Next week, we'll dive into that long-running and epic fandom: Final Fantasy fans (with special guests, Dan and Ari)! ## Where can I learn more about SMZeldaRules? Do you like Cosplay? Perhaps Video Games? Good news! SMZeldaRules is a huge fan of both! If you want to follow her work, you can find her on... - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smzeldarulesartandcosplay - Instagram: https:/

What if you were listening to the latest episode in Dolby Surround 11.1 (that's right, this one goes to 11.1)!? Well, probably nothing, but we're sure someone out there would care. This week, we're talking about ~~the highest~~ super high definition displays, and unearthing why folks care so much about 4k resolution! All this in 20 minutes or less! **Sources** - Opening music, ["Diggin' til the Very End"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) - Ending music, ["Bounty Hunter"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com ]: # This week's episode will be interrupted by a number of spectacular, linear tracking shots, all filmed with a delightful sepia-esque duotone filter. Oh, and Bill Murray will be there... probably? That's right, we're talking about the works of Wes Anderson (and fans of his work)! Expecting LEGO? There was a bit of a scheduling mixup. Try again later. Next week, we have special guest, SMZeldaRules to talk about the complex and fascinating world of the _Nier_ games! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Wes Anderson is an American film director, producer, screen writer and actor known for his peculiar visual and narrative style. His films and himself have been nominated for (and have won) many different awards. He has directed 9 feature length films since 1996. > Anderson is regarded by many as a modern-day example of the auteur. He has received consistent praise from critics for his work,

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, we're talking about the who, what, and why of Chiptunes! A few parts music theory, a few parts video games, and a lot of speculation! Next week, Nier, far, wherever you are, we know that your heart will be... drifting out in space, ready to take down aliens? We'll be talking about the Nier series! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Chiptune (also known as chip music or 8-bit music) is a style of synthesized electronic music which is made for a programmable sound generator (PSG) though the term is also often used for music made in the _tracker_ format, which is intended to sound like PSG-created music. This music is often composed from 'simple' wave forms such as pulse waves, square waves, triangle waves, and sawtooth waves. Although real-time synthesized has been possible since as early as 1951, it wasn't until the golden age of video arcade games (late 70s and early 80s) t

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, we don't want to hold down the B button as we talk about fans of retrogaming with special guest, Mike, from Lost Without Translation! Next week, we'll be continuing the feel-good beeps and boops to talk about Chiptunes! ## Where can I learn more about Mike? Mike is an avid collector, but _also_ part of a YouTube channel that reviews and runs retrospectives on games... without an English translation. If you want to check out their work, visit [YouTube.com/lostwithouttranslation](http://youtube.com/lostwithouttranslation)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Retrogaming is the playing or collecting of PC, console, and arcade video games; usually these games are for systems that are obsolete or have been discontinued. To make a distinction, it can broadly be broken into vintage retrogaming (i.e. on the original hardware), emulation retrogaming, and ported retrogaming. Whether

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # "I come from the Nickscast. Through conventions, people, and cities, to this place - Fanthropological. My format, Co-host: To state and investigate. To learn about my new found friends, their hopes and dreams, and to defend them from their enemies. ... They say _the chat_ lives outside the podcast and inputs text for pleasure. No one knows for sure, but I intend to find out!" Uh... yeah. We're talking about fans of ReBoot (the animated series). Next week? Retrogaming! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > ReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure television series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications and BLT Productions. The series follows the adventures of a Guardian named Bob and his companions Enzo and Dot Matrix as they work to keep the computer system of Mainframe saf

Out of all the games on all the consoles in all the world, this one walked onto mine. This week, we're talking about the re-release of the remastered _Secret of Mana_! Why did Square Enix release it over its contemporaries? And what's the deal with video game re-releases anyway? All this in 20 minutes or less! **Sources** - ["Ringing Phone Sound"](http://soundbible.com/1868-Ringing-Phone.html) by Mike Koenig used under [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) - Opening music, ["Diggin' til the Very End"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) - Ending music, ["Bounty Hunter"](http://music.djcutman.com/album/volume-iv) by Dj CUTMAN used under [CC BY-NC-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/)

This week, we make sure that everything is cleared by the ethics committee before we talk about SCP-001. That's right we're talking about fans of the SCP Foundation! ...And that's it for this season! Main episodes will be back in two weeks, but stay tuned because next week we have a special introduction to the podcast, our first regular minisode! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** The SCP Foundation (Secure, Contain, Protect) is a fictional organization launched in 2008 that is the subject of web-based collaborative writing project of the same name. Stories from the project often describe situations that violate natural law, and are written in an academic, scientific writing style. The series of stories started with SCP-173 on 4chan's paranormal _/x/_ board. The SCP Foundation has hundreds of different stories about various SCPs and the SCP Foundation itself, and has also inspired many spin-off works such as _SCP - Containment Breach_. **Search Data:** Interest in the SCP Fou

For a limited time only\*, you can check out this week's episode IN SMELL-O-VISION as we talk about fans of fad foods! Plus, we've got a special guest: Nick H of the Epic Film Guys and RestauRant podcast! Next week, we're closing out the season with a callback to the first episode. We'll be getting our D-4 classification to learn about the world of the SCP Foundation! \* Only at participating locations ## Where can I learn more about EFG Nick and the Epic Film Guys? > **Epic Film Guy Nick** has been in love with film and filming for as long as he can remember. When he’s not listening to Justin’s lisp, he is focused on his two sons, fiancee, and working on his own screenplays. Other interests include beer and playing music. > > — [Epic Film Guys - About Us](https://epicfilmguys.wordpress.com/about-us/) To find out more, check out: - The [Epic Film Guys podcast](http://www.epicfilmguys.com/) - The [RestauRant podcast](http://restaurantpod.podbean.com/) - The Epic Film Guys on [Twitter](https://twitt

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week's episode is gr-r-reat, probably because we can see why kids love the swirl of Nicks in every bit of this week's episode... on Breakfast Cereal fans! Next week, we'll have special guest friend, [EFG Nick](http://www.epicfilmguys.com/), to talk about fans of fad foods! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Breakfast cereal is a type of food, often made of grains and eaten as the first meal of the day (in Western society, at least). Cereals are often fortified with vitamins, lack the vitamins needed for a healthy breakfast, _and_ are often high in sugar. In 1970, there were only 160 different kinds of cereal in the US; in 2012, there were almost 5000. [//Apparently, breakfast cereal has profit margins of 40-50%? That's a lot ]: # Breakfast cereal actually shares its history _way_ back with indigenous North Americans who had found a way to make ground corn palatable (later, calle

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, in honour of International Women's Day, we're talking about an important fandom in the DC Comics universe. We're talking about that founding member of the Justice League, goddess, and Ambassador-at-Large of the Amazon people: Wonder Woman! And can you spot the swirls of cinnamon and sugar in every minute of next week's podcast? We'll be talking about fans of ... Breakfast Cereal? ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Wonder Woman is a character in the DC Comics universe and is a founding member of the Justice League. Her official title is Princess Diana of Themyscira, Daughter of Hippolyta but when blending into society outside of her homeland, she adopts the identity _Diana Prince_. She has several heroic abilities including superhuman strength, speed, durability, and longevity, accelerated healing factor, flight, and possesses a variety of interesting technology such as the L

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # We've no room for dead parrots, flying circus, silly walks, or arguments... or do we? This week, we're talking about fans of that iconic English comedy group that are definitely not snakes: Monty Python! Next week, we'll be travelling to Themyscira to learn about fans... of Wonder Woman! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Monty Python (or _The Pythons_) were a group of British comedians for formed a surreal comedy group and created their own sketch comedy show, _Monty Python's Flying Circus_ which first aired on the BBC in 1969. The group consisted of six members, who you may know from many different works: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. As a group responsible for their own comedy writing and performances, they went on to create many different work including at least three movies (_Holy Grail_, _Life of Brian_, _The Meaning of Lif

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, are we getting Rick-ity wrecked in order to learn about Rick and Morty fandom? Not exactly, but I guess that's the waaaaaaaay the news goes. We ARE chatting with Tyler Marchant (host of the [Cynical Cartoons Podcast](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/)) to learn more about the fandom and the appeal of Rick and Morty! Next week, we'll be visiting the Ministry of Silly Walks to learn more about fans of Monty Python! ## Where can I learn more about Tyler Marchant? The best way to learn more about Tyler are to check out his podcasts, [Cynical Cartoons](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/category/cynical-cartoons/) or [Tynami](http://www.futurehorsepod.com/category/tynami/). You can also [support him on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Futurehorse)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > Rick and Morty is an American adult animated science-fiction sitcom created by Justin Roiland and Dan

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, T is Tanking, G and Z take Offense as they all push the payload towards the goal: Discovering what is the appeal of Overwatch, and what makes people a fan of it. Are there fans that try to embody characters when they play? Why is Hanzo maining a bad thing? How did fan's react to Tracer's girlfriend? All this and more as we dig into the fandom! Next week, SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT: We'll be talking about fans of Rick and Morty (with a special guest)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Overwatch is a class-based, online first-person shooter (FPS) developed by Blizzard Entertainment released in May 2016. Mechanically, the game consists of two teams of six "heroes" each working towards some objective depending on the game mode. There are over twenty heroes, each with their own unique abilities and skills broadly grouped into "offense", "defense", "tank", and "support" roles. As far

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, we're going to be... skiing and shooting targets? That's a real thing? In the Olympics?! ANYWAY, we're talking about fans about all the Olympics: Winter, Summer, Para- you name it! Next week, the cavalry's here! We'll be talking about fans... of Overwatch! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** > The modern Olympic Games or Olympics ... are leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart. > > Their creation was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # This week, we _better_ not be a afraid of no ghost, because we've got the Ontario Ghostbusters helping us to get into the spirit of Ghostbusters fandom (and bustin' makes us feel good)! Next week, we'll be honing our routine in preparation to talk about fans... of the Olympics! ## Where can I learn more about Adrianna and Brily? Adrianna and Brily are co-presidents of the [Ontario Ghostbusters](http://www.ontarioghostbusters.ca/). If you want to learn more about them, check out the Ontario Ghostbusters on social media: - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OntarioGhostbusters - Twitter: https://twitter.com/ON_Ghostbusters - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ontarioghostbusters/ - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/OntarioGhostbusters ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** _Ghostbusters_ is a supernatural comedy franchise created in 1984 by Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroy

[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: # What's 6 foot tall, has no face, an is RIGHT BEHIND YOU?! We don't know, but we heard a story from a friend of a friend of ours... but that doesn't matter because this week, we're talking about fans of that unique online horror phenomenon, Creepypasta (and hopefully, we don't get too scared)! Next week, we take on a definitely less creepy fandom (with special guests from the [Ontario Ghostbusters](http://ontarioghostbusters.ca)), Ghostbusters fans! Share this week's episode: ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **History and Origins:** Creepypasta is a kind of online horror fiction that crosses over many different fandoms, and takes its name from the internet term "copypasta" (where something would be copy-pasted from website to website). Creepypasta comes in many different forms from lost episode myths (for example, the Simpsons "Dead Bart" episode) or urban legends like Slender Man or Polybius. Creepypasta li

*\*various grunting / shouting sounds\** That's right, this week, we're talking about fans of that long-running much beloved Nintendo series: *The Legend of Zelda*! Why are fans so fixated on the timeline, and what is it exactly that reels in fans both new and old? All that and more with this week's special guest, Andy Spiteri of [Zelda Informer](http://www.zeldainformer.com) / [Zelda Dungeon](https://www.zeldadungeon.net)! ...And that's it for this season! We'll be taking a brief holiday break and come back in the new year with all new, exciting episodes about fans and fandoms you've probably never even heard of! Thanks for listening and stay tuned! ## Where can I learn more about Andy? You can learn more about Andy Spiteri through his work at [Zelda Informer](http://www.zeldainformer.com) / [Zelda Dungeon](https://www.zeldadungeon.net)! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **Origins:** > The Legend of Zelda is a high-fantasy action-adventure video game series created by Japanese game designers Shiger

What if you only had 60 minutes to _escape from this podcast_? To unravel the puzzles of _Crimson Room_ or the (surprisingly) lucrative business of locking people in a room? Well, you'd probably fail (but so would we). Listen in as we talk about fans of an even more puzzling experience: Escape Rooms! Next week, we wrap up the season with a Nickscast favourite (and a special guest) as we talk about fans... of the _Legend of Zelda_ series! ## Episode outline ### Fandom Facts **Origins and history:** Escape rooms, also known as _room escape_, _escape games_, _escape the room_, and so on, are physical adventure games where participants are required to solve a variety of puzzles using riddles, clues, and hints contained in the room within a fixed time limit. Sometimes, the rooms are thematically linked (e.g. a museum heist) or they can be a series of abstract puzzles with no linking theme. The concept of an escape room is heavily inspired by the similarly named video game genre where players are required t