Episode 125 of The Geek Saga Podcast is a HOLIDAY SPECIAL edition of our 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor series, in which we dig into the ultimate thread-weaving Christmas movie…2003’s Love Actually!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes, Media That Made Us, and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor are back for yet another Cringe Factor installment, in which we watch, dissect, and discuss the most popular teen movies and rom coms of the 90s and early 2000s! This holiday special episode is another wine-and-White-Claw infused diatribe, this time focusing on the 10 Things We Hate about Love Actually…as well as the “These’re All That” things that we actually enjoyed about this movie, and our final 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor rating of it on a scale of 1 to 10 Zach Morrises!

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Links of note:
“Love Actually” Love Connections Flow Chart
Love Actually: The ultimate movie Advent calendar (wayback machine version)

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Episode 124 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our Media That Made Us discussion about Battlestar Galactica‘s “New Caprica Arc”, encompassing season 2 episodes 18-20 and season 3 episodes 1-3.

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor continue their “Media that Made Us” series – in which we’ll watch and reminisce about shows, movies, other media we come up with that has had a strong influence on us over the years.

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 124: The Media That Made Us – Battlestar Galactica “New Caprica Arc” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 123 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our Media That Made Us discussion about the Battlestar Galactica TV movie Razor.

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor continue their “Media that Made Us” series – in which we’ll watch and reminisce about shows, movies, other media we come up with that has had a strong influence on us over the years.

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 123: The Media That Made Us – Battlestar Galactica “Razor” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 122 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Red Rising Saga fan panel at Dragon Con 2024.

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Moderated by Chelsea Darouse and featuring myself, Marcie Aaron, and Marisa Wolf, this panel was a general fan discussion of the Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown. We talked fave characters, fave book in the series so far, whether we prefer Victra over Mustang, and of course, how much MOST of us hate EFFING LYSANDER.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

If you’re interested in more Red Rising discussion, please check out the Sagas & Sass podcast, which features *51* episodes on the series, covering all 6 published novels, the Sons of Ares comics, and our “Mars Madness” brackets to determine the sh*ttiest character in the solar system. Additionally, visit our Summaries page for links to our usually thorough and sometimes hilarious summaries of the series!

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 122: Red Rising Saga Panel at Dragon Con 2024 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 121 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our Media That Made Us discussion about season 2, episodes 13-17, of Battlestar Galactica – what we’re calling “The Perfidy Arc”!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor continue their “Media that Made Us” series – in which we’ll watch and reminisce about shows, movies, other media we come up with that has had a strong influence on us over the years.

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 121: The Media That Made Us – Battlestar Galactica Season 2 “The Perfidy Arc” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 120 of The Geek Saga Podcast is the 6th episode in my “Impulsive Hyperfocus” series, and my first ever solo episode that’s “all Halloween, all the time”!

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Including stories from friends and family (thanks to Bekah, Jeff, Danni, Christy, and Chris!) interspersed with my own Halloween reminiscences, this episode takes you through some fave childhood memories, some amusing costume thoughts from early adulthood, topped off by some Halloween tales from New Orleans (spending it there, that is).

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

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Episode 119 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our Media That Made Us discussion about season 2, episodes 10-12, of Battlestar Galactica – what we’re calling “The Pegasus Arc”!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor continue their “Media that Made Us” series – in which we’ll watch and reminisce about shows, movies, other media we come up with that has had a strong influence on us over the years.

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

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Episode 118 of The Geek Saga Podcast is the 5th episode in my “Impulsive Hyperfocus” series, and includes a brief ‘day in the life’ recording that I made earlier this month!

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Along with the day in the life portion of this episode (which includes mention of bras, BLTs, and butter), the introduction mentions four organizations from Western North Carolina/Upstate South Carolina that I suggest donating to in the wake of Hurricane Helene:

• Brother Wolf Animal Rescue out of Asheville NC: Venmo @brotherwolfanimalrescueinc
• Lucky Pup Rescue out of upstate SC: Venmo @luckypuprescueSC , Cashapp $luckypuprescueSC , PayPal luckypuprescueSC
• WNC Rural Organizing and Resilience aka ROAR: PayPal ruralorganizingandresilience@gmail.com
• Appalachian Medical Solidarity: Venmo @AppMedSolid

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

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Episode 117 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Aegon’s Conquest panel at Dragon Con 2024.

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Moderated by myself and featuring High Fantasy track director Jennifer Liang, Courtenay Cody, and Rebecca Fant, this panel explored the events that united Westeros under the Targaryen banner.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 117: Aegon’s Conquest Panel at Dragon Con 2024 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 116 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our Media That Made Us discussion about season 2, episodes 1-9, of Battlestar Galactica – what we’re calling “The Aftermath Arc”!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor continue their “Media that Made Us” series – in which we’ll watch and reminisce about shows, movies, and any other media we come up with that has had a strong influence on us over the years.

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 116: The Media That Made Us – Battlestar Galactica Season 2 “The Aftermath Arc” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 115 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Worst Person in Westeros panel at Dragon Con 2024.

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Moderated by High Fantasy track director Jennifer Liang and featuring myself, Hanako M. Ricks of the Fandom Hybrid podcast, Billy Todd, and Seth Lockhart, this panel began with 8 House of the Dragon characters and narrowed them down via brackets until we named the Worst (HotD) person in Westeros!

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

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Episode 114 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Walking Dead Universe panel at Dragon Con 2024.

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Moderated by Michael Frost and featuring myself, Hanako M. Ricks of the Fandom Hybrid podcast, and Doug Burbey, this panel focused on the past, present, and future of the Walking Dead universe!

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

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Episode 113 of The Geek Saga Podcast originally aired as a live webcast, “Drinkin’ Con 2024: The Hangover” on September 14th, 2024.

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Join myself and some other Dragon Con-loving friends as we discuss what we did, what we missed, what we loved and what we didn’t, at Dragon Con 2024!

Click below to watch in webcast form!

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Episode 112 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the House of the Dragon Season 2 panel at Dragon Con 2024.

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Moderated by myself and featuring Courtenay Cody, Ryan Cahill, and Billy Todd, this panel focused on season 2 of House of the Dragon as well as how we feel about the future of the show!

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 112: House of the Dragon Season 2 Panel at Dragon Con 2024 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 111 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Stormlight Archive Speculation panel at Dragon Con 2024.

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Moderated by Billy Todd and featuring myself, Christina Goodman, and Kevin A. Davis, this panel featured speculation on what’s to come in book 5 of Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive!

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 111: Stormlight Archive Speculation Panel at Dragon Con 2024 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Ma Chère Marmalade, or Mermalerms, Marms, Mumsiekwims, KiT-Ten,

My beautiful, sweet, perfect kitten-cat…where to even begin, with these 14 years, 9 months, and 26 days of memories that I have of, and with, you?

I suppose it’s best to begin at the beginning, despite the cliché…

Thank you for choosing Steve and I all those years ago*. While you had a home on my family farm after being abandoned elsewhere (and by the way, HUGE loss to whoever abandoned a perfect princess such as yourself)…from early on you knew what you wanted, and you were never shy about asserting yourself…which was one of the innumerable amazing things about you. Because when Steve and I arrived for a short stay on the farm while waiting to close on a house, you had already decided you were a house cat, not a barn cat, and I’m not ashamed to admit that we were easy targets. I mean, how could ANYONE say no to that face?

I remember my mom telling us “If you let that cat inside, she’s going to want to stay inside”. You’d already been trying your best with my parents and Jenni (who saved you in the first place), but mom & dad’s dogs were NOT cat friendly, and Jenni already had five indoor/indoor-outdoor cats. So there we were, your new marks, with one dog (at the time) who LOVED cats…and “only” three cats of our own. Did you know that we couldn’t refuse a kitty in…well, if not need, then certainly ‘want’? Did you sense that our ‘third wheel’ cat Ducky wanted a buddy of his own?

Either way, of course we couldn’t see you constantly trying to sneak inside, or sitting outside the kitchen window with Ducky sitting on the inside windowsill and OBVIOUSLY interested in meeting you, and simply spurn your advances!

And so we invited you inside…and even if we hadn’t been told, in no uncertain terms, that if we did so you’d end up being OUR cat…it was immediately clear that you fit in perfectly with our menagerie…and again, we simply couldn’t say no to your always assertive, entirely sweet, sometimes clarw-y self

Truly, you were The Real Lady, and as effuse in my praise as I want to be, I’m not sure it would or could ever be as much as you deserve. So I will simply say:

Thank you for being one of the most loving and friendly cats alive – for making every person who met you feel as if they were special, as if they were chosen, even if some of that was just because you were a perfect little princess who loved attention from pretty much any and everyone.

Thank you, most of all, for being exactly the cat I needed after we lost your “brother” Stitch. I loved you to the moon and back, exactly as you were, when he was alive…but when he was gone I wasn’t sure what I would do without my “empath kitty” who knew exactly how to console me, often before I knew what I needed – or even that I was about to need consolation at all.

Of course you didn’t ‘replace’ him, or become him – you were, I think, always that kitty too. And so you seamlessly blended your own personality into what had primarily been his role. In a way I wonder if I should apologize for not recognizing that you were an ’empath kitty’ too, back when our boy was still alive…something I probably should have seen, based on how you made yourself memorable to and beloved by so many, from cuddling my friend Laura’s pregnant belly to attaching yourself to one of your ultimate faves, Ren, because I believe you sensed they needed a kitty in their life.

I loved how, despite your idyllic small size, you never ceased to stick up for yourself when necessary…whether Ducky (or later, Appa) was bugging you to play or just simply messing with you and you told him what’s what…or when one of the dogs (who you were generally chill with, because again, you were the best) was a bit too ‘up in your face’ and needed to be, shall we say, taken down a peg.

That said, I do apologize for every foster – cat or dog – that I brought into our home who stressed you out…and I’m as much – if not more – sorry for displacing you so many times.

From one Greenville house to another…to Florida, and then from one house to another while we were there…back to Greenville (but to the same previous house, at least?)…and then all the way to California, where yes, you met new family and friends, but then, sadly, were here too long to see all of the east coast people you loved before you had to leave us.

But there again, I have to thank you. For being such a trooper, even through flying cross country, and for showing the immense amount of love you had to give to Dean and the kiddos (especially Cam), and to our friends out here who probably never would have met you otherwise.

Still…your being here and my frequent lengthy trips back east lead to my final apology – the one that, no matter what I say or how much I try to forgive myself, will haunt me for some time to come. That being: I am so sorry I had such awful timing. Sorry that I didn’t see how you were likely suffering more than you let on, sorry that I was perhaps so afraid of letting go TOO soon that I almost certainly waited too long.

And above all, I am so, so, so very, deeply, heart-wrenchingly sorry that I left you for 12 days and only had hours with you before having to let you go. I know you had the kids here the whole time I was away, and Dean for part of it too, and I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you waited for me – even if it wasn’t a ‘conscious’ choice to wait, thank you. Thank you for holding on, despite everything, so that I could at the very least have that small catharsis of being with you at the end. That we could cuddle and sleep together for a bit, and even watch some Jane the Virgin, because I know how you always heard the narrator’s voice and were suddenly interested in being directly in front of whatever I was watching it on.

I am doing my best to take solace in the idea that you are healthy again, safe and happy with a never-ending supply of cups that are completely full of just-poured water, and all of the fresh boiled chicken and stinky seafood flavored cat food you can eat, cuddling up to Wendy and Stitch and trying to boss Lilo, Rigby, Ducky, and Stubbs around.

Like those who went before you, you will be forever loved. You will never be forgotten. You are another perfect pet of legend, and like your sisters and brothers who you’ve joined on the other side of the rainbow bridge, a part of my heart will always, always belong to you.

“i can’t wait to see you again
it’s only a matter of time…”

*Marmalade was born sometime around January 2009, and rescued by my youngest sister Jenni sometime in the spring of 2009. My now-ex (but still best friend) Steve and I officially brought her into our home on November 10, 2009. She lived a wonderful life, including living approximately 2 years and 4 months past being given a “level 3 or 4” CKD diagnosis.

If you are reading this and are at all able/inclined to do so, donations in remembrance of Marmalade should be made to Odd Paws Rescue in Georgia.

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Episode 110 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our HOTTEST HotD Takes from House of the Dragon season 2!

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – are joined by Seth (season 1, episode 4) for this HotD season 2 summary episode that covers our favorite hot takes, moments, characters, episode, and more!

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

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Episode 109 of The Geek Saga Podcast was originally aired as a live webcast, “Drinkin’ Con v8.0: A Pre-Dragon Con [2024] Webcast”, on August 17th, 2024.

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Join myself and some other Dragon Con-loving friends as we talk all things Dragon Con 2024…and have…well…a lot of drinks!

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Click below to watch in webcast form!

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So while the crack “legal team” from the Axanar camp might be talking about an entirely different made up conspiracy theory from the ones I’m about to get into, I figured it was past time for me to resurrect this series – and this post draft that I’ve had sitting around since late March 2023 – to reiterate that no matter what Alec and his flunkeys say, I have never been party to ANY made up/invented/fabricated “conspiracy” surrounding…well, literally any of them or anything they do or say.

(Seriously though, who even has that much time on their hands? Certainly not someone with a bicoastal existence who has a full-time job, a family, four pets, two podcasts, etc. etc. etc…lol)

Anyway, I decided that it would be prurient to touch on two issues that have been brought up more times than I can actually count, let alone believe, because while I was not directly involved in the original event that triggered these issues – or in any of that event’s fallback – Alec and his creepily devoted followers have tried their damndest to make it seem as if I was.

This *particular* faux conspiracy theory began after an incident at Dragon Con 2021- one which I have stated – numerous times – never should have happened. That being, Shawn O’Halloran confronting Alec at the Axanar (/Ares Studios/whatever TF business name they were operating under at that time) vendor booth.

Let me kick this off by saying that while Dean went to the vendor room with Shawn, and did in fact film the altercation, all he knew was that Shawn was going to sing happy birthday and show Alec the print out of the ’10 rounds’ post that Alec had made. He had no idea how far it would go, and he, and ONLY he, was involved in that situation. I was not, nor was – as they continually insist – Paul Jenkins. (Who, by the way, ALEC sued and has been saying increasingly disgusting things about over the years despite Paul being a stand-up person with a family and friends who vouch for him at every turn.)

There are several YouTube and TikTok videos of this altercation (YouTube videos linked below; for TikTok just search ‘axanar’ and enjoy yourself lol):

Dragon Con Raw Footage 1
Dragon Con Raw Footage 3 (might be mislabeled, no ‘2’ is available)
Dragon Con Raw Video 4 (again, might be mislabeled as no ‘2’ is available)
Dragon Con Altercation
Altercation in Atlanta
Exclusive New Bodycam Vision: Altercation in Atlanta

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Shawn never should have wasted his time confronting Alec at Dragon Con. There’s a small part of me that understands WHY he did it, considering Alec’s blatant offer (/threat?) to “go ten rounds with any of those fat fucks”, compounded by Alec’s comment’s regarding Shawn’s children being “Hitler youth”…but a confrontation of this manner, happening in a public vendor room at a convention, is still NEVER cool. It ends up roping in hard-working people (paid employees and/or volunteers) who then have to spend their valuable time dealing with nonsense, and they really shouldn’t have to do ::gestures:: aaaany of that.

Meanwhile, I was completely ignorant of anything that was going on until well after it happened. My partner Dean and I had kissed each other goodbye earlier that day, as I was speaking on a couple of panels for fandoms he’s not really into; and also, we don’t have to know where each other is 24/7. On top of that, as previously mentioned, he only knew that Shawn was going to Alec’s booth to sing happy birthday and confront him with a printed out copy of the “ten rounds” post – BUT! just to be clear – he didn’t even know THOSE details until after we’d parted ways for the afternoon.

My panel schedule that day consisted of one that lasted from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM and another that took place from 2:30-3:30 PM. Yet according to Alec Peters, I “lied about” my “part” in the “assault” on HIM (lolol) at Dragon Con 2021:

Let me reiterate: I do not at ALL agree with what Shawn did here. But that does NOT change the fact that ALEC was the one who in fact physically assaulted Shawn (see video links above for proof of this), took his phone, and would not return it until Shawn pushed his way into the booth to take it back.

I really can’t say this enough – this whole situation was absolute ridiculous nonsense and never should have happened, but it bears repeating that ALEC is the one who hit Shawn, ALEC is the one who was refusing to return Shawn’s personal property to him, and ALEC is the one who was not only escorted out by the police but then – hilariously – tried to get a selfie with one of them (presumably to enforce his “I was in fact the victim here” narrative) and was, of course, turned down.

After one of Alec’s flunkeys tried to assert that that Shawn himself said I was part of the situation, Shawn of course called that out:

Granted, that didn’t deter them from insisting that I was part of some completely made up conspiracy theory! Because if they couldn’t prove that I was involved in the Dragon Con 2021 altercation, there was always Dragon Con 2022, right?!

Admittedly, there was conflicting information about Alec Peters being allowed at Dragon Con 2022. Based on what had happened in 2021, Alec – who assaulted Shawn after Shawn sang ‘happy birthday’ and showed him a copy of the ‘ten rounds’ post that Alec himself had made – was removed from the convention. He also had his vendor badge taken away, BUT he had his own personal “eternal” badge…and used that to get back into the vendor room the very next day! (Because rules don’t apply to him, of course!) However, he was once again removed from the convention on Monday of Dragon Con 2021, presumably for using a secondary badge to get back in in the first place.

In most cases, this would/could/should have led to a permanent ban from the event. Unfortunately, as Alec had long ago purchased the aforementioned “eternal badge”, he was able to pick up his Dragon Con 2022 pass the next year.

We reserve the right to ask you to leave the Convention and refuse to refund your membership money if you are behaving – in technical terms – like a jerk.  Harassment of any kind, including physically or verbally threatening, annoying, unwelcoming attentions, stalking, pushing, shoving or use of physical force; which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive or dangerous, as well as any boisterous, lewd, or generally offensive behavior or language, using sexually explicit or offensive language or conduct, or profanity, obscene gestures or racial, religious or ethnic slurs will be considered harassment.  If people tell you “NO,” your business with them is done. If you continue to attempt to have contact with those people, you may be removed from the premises and your membership revoked.  – Dragon Con Policies

Regrettably, despite their own rules regarding ‘behaving like a jerk’, ‘physically or verbally threatening’, ‘pushing, shoving, or use of physical force which in any way creates a disturbance that is disruptive or dangerous’…and despite him being reported to security under the assumption that he would have been banned based on these rules…Dragon Con did in fact allow Alec Peters to attend in 2022 (and presumably for all future Dragon Cons that he wants to attend).

I am not directly affiliated with Dragon Con and therefore cannot comment on why they would allow someone with his history to continue to not just attend, but apparently attend “eternally” based on his long-ago badge purchase. I am not here to question their decision at all, but merely to speak MY truth regarding the supposed “conspiracy theory[/theories]” surrounding his attendance *in 2022 only*.

Unfortunately, there were some posts and comments in Axamonitor that included incorrect information. Thus is the rub with a public Facebook group that – at the time – didn’t have the moderation rules in place that kept it from occasionally being a nonsensical free-for-all. (Trust me, I know, I was added as a moderator in late 2021 and still had very little actual moderation capability)

The following was originally posted on or before September 2nd, 2022:

Full disclosure: On that same day, I – obviously happy about the fact that this person who had stalked and harassed (and had his flunkeys stalk and harass) me for over a year at this point – posted the following:

Unfortunately, it was made clear very soon after this that if Alec Peters had ever been banned from Dragon Con, that action was undone – and from what we were told, it was because he has an “eternal badge”…so of course I followed my original post up with this comment:

Listen, I LOVE Dragon Con. I think they go above and beyond to give attendees the best experience ever, and to make those attendees feel safe. But that doesn’t discount the fact that I believe they made a bad decision here. If any other vendor/attendee who didn’t hold an “eternal badge” had been involved in an altercation where they physically assaulted another person – regardless of the provocation – would that vendor/attendee have been allowed to return to the event the next year as if nothing had happened?

Either way, I had no idea that someone was going to flag Alec for being in attendance, and that person assumed – rightfully so, based on Dragon Con’s own rules – that he shouldn’t be allowed to attend.

Did I enjoy the idea that he might have actually been banned? Absolutely, and why shouldn’t I have?! This was a person who had stalked, harassed, misgendered, and lied about me for well over a year at this point, and as far as I can tell this was all because I was a “woman” (in his mind; again, I go by they/them) who wouldn’t back down when he spouted bullshit at/about me.

Unfortunately, after Alec apparently talked with security (pretty sure he bragged about “knowing people” who run the event), he was, as previously mentioned, allowed to attend Dragon Con 2022. That year, and last year, and surely he will be back this year. He has an eternal badge, after all! (::eyeroll::)

The problem is that there were a lot of posts happening about his supposedly not being allowed to attend Dragon Con 2022, including some where people were comparing photos of what he was wearing and saying they proved he wasn’t actually there. And sure, even after the event, there were people who were insisting he hadn’t been allowed despite being shown proof that he was.

Side note: hilariously, Dean, who WASN’T EVEN AT Dragon Con 2022, was also implicated in this so-called “conspiracy” to get Alec removed from the event.

It’s very obvious that most if not all of this can be chalked up to people hoping for one thing and refusing to believe what actually happened.

That said, all I know is that I personally was not involved in ANY of it – not in Alec purportedly having to deal with security in the first place, not in some “conspiracy theory” about him being banned from Dragon Con, not in ::gestures:: whatever else they have tried to claim I took part in over the years.

In fact, as is evidenced above, I was told one thing, shared that information ONLY WITH MY FRIENDS, and WITHIN THE SAME DAY corrected what I had said based on actual factual information.

But hey, what do Alec and his flunkeys care? In their minds, one person acting on their own because they reported someone who they [again, RIGHTFULLY, based on Dragon Con’s policies] assumed was banned from the event for being in attendance = equals = conspiracy!

Regardless of what anyone else might have assumed/posted/etc…I was told a thing, I retracted it as soon as I was informed otherwise, and again…I wasn’t any more a part of this so-called “conspiracy” about Alec getting banned from Dragon Con than I was about the so-called “conspiracy” to “assault” him at Dragon Con 2021. (Which, just to be clear, was a situation that involved ONE PERSON getting charged with ANYTHING – originally Disorderly Conduct, which was upgraded to Simple Assault – and that person was, in fact, Alec Peters.)

Perhaps Axanar’s “legal team” has “investigated” some sort of “conspiracy” that will somehow have NOTHING to do with these previous “conspiracies” that they claim to have “uncovered”. Perhaps they have “uncovered” some other “conspiracy” that they will purportedly unveil in a “press release”* next week. (Note: Excessive use of quotations is because whether they’ve got some new nonsense to spew or are just going to rehash old nonsense, I can’t imagine any of it being anything but, well, nonsense.)

I guess we’l find out! In the meantime, I highly suggest you check out the most recent issues with Alec Peters, including:

The not-surprisingly TOTALLY messed-up so-called “Axanar Pet Rescue”
Follow-up to my 1st Axanar TikTok (from 10/24/23)
AP vs CBS/P and how offensive AP is to marginalized peoples (from 2/8/24)
“I did not release short film” Axanar vs CBS again (from 4/9/24)
“Paramount works with a ‘hate group'” claim (from 4/10/24)
Alec Peters’ Bad Fanfic of this Whole Situation (from 4/13/24)

Previous Installments:
Part 1: I’m Not a Star Trek Fan
Interlude: Proving My Point
Part 2: I’m Not an “Axanar Hater”
Part 3: I’m Not Perfect
Interlude 2: Too Little, Too Late?
Part 4: I’m Not Required to Ignore Attacks Against Me
Part 5: I’m Going to Protect My Family
Interlude 3: The Aftermath of an Interview

The post I’m Not Part of Some Made Up Conspiracy Theory: Alec Peters & Bullying, Part 6 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

However, first things first – this year’s annual Drinkin’ Con webcast – Drinkin’ Con v7.0 – will be livestreaming THIS Saturday, August 17th, at 7 PM Eastern! Join myself and some friends for this pre-Dragon Con webcast for newbies & oldtimers alike

That said, I hope to see you around at Dragon Con this year…

Friday 8/30
@ 11:30 AM PANEL: The Walking Dead Universe (Westin Chastain F-G)
@ 4 PM PANEL: Aegon’s Conquest (Marriott L401-403)
@ 10 PM PANEL: The Rogue Prince (Marriott L401-403)

Saturday 8/31
@ 11:30 AM PANEL: Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (Marriott L401-403)
@ 7 PM PANEL: Stormlight Speculation Hour (Marriott L401-403)
@ 10 PM PANEL: The Worst Person in Westeros (Marriott L401-403)

Sunday 9/1
@ 1 PM PANEL: House of the Dragon Season 1 (Hilton Crystal Ballroom)

Monday 9/2
@ 1 PM PANEL: Red Rising Discussion (Hyatt Embassy AB)

Now, while I’m not revealing my exact Saturday secret cosplays, I will say that my daytime one is Barbie themed Otherwise, you might see me out and about in the following…

WEDNESDAY
Find me in my Gang Goes to Dragon Con shirt!

THURSDAY
Day: Find me in my Drinkin’ Con shirt!
Evening/Night: Super [Workout] Girl

FRIDAY
Afternoon/Night: Beth Dutton (from Yellowstone)

SATURDAY
Day: Workout Barbie
Evening/Night: Secret Cosplay

SUNDAY
Day: D’arcy Bloom (from Resident Alien)
Night: Dapper Hyatt HOA Board Member

The post Dragon Con 2024: 2 Weeks To Go! appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 108 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon season 2 finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a GoT/HotD fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – are joined by guests Patrick and Alex discuss how the season 2 finale was basically just one long trailer for season 3.

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Episode 107 of The Geek Saga Podcast – an interview with Red Dead’s History author Tore C. Olsson – originally aired as a live webcast on August 2, 2024.

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Join me for this interview with Tore C. Olsson, the award-winning historian and University of Tennessee professor whose book “Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, An Obsession, and America’s Violent Past” – the audiobook for which is narrated by Roger Clark (aka ARTHUR MORGAN himself) – will be released on August 7th!!!

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Click below to watch in webcast form!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 107: Red Dead Redemption Series 4, Red Dead’s History Interview appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 106 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7, “The Red Sowing”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a GoT/HotD fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – discuss Oscar Tully as the HotD version of Lyanna Mormont, the Sowing of the Seeds, and more from this week’s House of the Dragon episode!

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Episode 105 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6, “Smallfolk”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – discuss the “return” of OUR KING, Team Black Propaganda Boats, and more, from this week’s HotD episode!

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Episode 104 of The Geek Saga Podcast is the fourth episode in my “Impulsive Hyperfocus” series, and features me doing a short but actually pretty focused ramble about Red Dead Online!

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I definitely have quite a bit more to say about Red Dead, but before I got into my cosplay, travel, and event experiences, I wanted to do a quick jaunt into my feelings about Red Dead Online, including reminiscing about its glitches…the “good” and the not-so-good…

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The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 104: Impulsive Hyperfocus “Red Dead Reflections (Part 2)” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 103 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5, “Regent”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – discuss Aemond’s rise, Daemon’s downfall, and more from this week’s episode.

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Episode 102 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon season 2 episode 4, “The Red Dragon and the Gold”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – are joined by Tommy of the TKOK Podcast Network (also a lover of ASOIAF literature) to discuss “The Red Dragon and the Gold”.

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The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 102: Hot D Takes on “The Red Dragon and the Gold” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 101 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon season 2 episode 3, “The Burning Mill”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – are happy to announce that the Team Green Propaganda train really lost some steam in “The Burning Mill”!

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Episode 100 (!!!) of The Geek Saga Podcast is the third episode in my new “Impulsive Hyperfocus” series, in which I’ll pick a different subject for each episode – one that I can connect to personal experiences I’ve had – and, well, try to stay on topic as I rant and/or ramble about it for a while!

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This being a somewhat momentous episode (can’t believe I finally made it to 100!!!), I chose a subject near and dear to me: the Red Dead Redemption video game series!

I’ll definitely have to do at least one more Red Dead-focused episode because in this one, I only had time to discuss how I got into the games (around 14 years ago, WOW), some of my basic thoughts on Red Dead Revolver, RDR, and Undead Nightmare, and then a sometimes funny and sometimes emotional read through of the twitter thread I used to keep a running commentary during my first RDR2 playthrough. Hope you enjoy!

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The post The Geek Saga Podcast EPISODE 100: Impulsive Hyperfocus “Red Dead Reflections (Part 1)” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 99 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon season 2 episode 2, “Rhaenyra the Cruel”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – are back to call out more Team Green Propaganda in their discussion of “Rhaenyra the Cruel”.

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Episode 98 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on House of the Dragon‘s season 2 premiere, “A Son for a Son”.

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF – and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) – are joined by Patrick (also Unsullied) to discuss “A Son for a Son”.

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

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Episode 97 of The Geek Saga Podcast is the second episode in my new “Impulsive Hyperfocus” series, in which I’ll pick a different subject for each episode – one that I can connect to personal experiences I’ve had – and, well, try to stay on topic as I rant and/or ramble about it for a while!

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I gave my friends a list of three topics I was thinking about covering in this second “Impulsive Hyperfocus” episode and, kind of surprisingly, they chose CEREAL! So here’s me rambling on about my love for cereal – going through cereal phases, discontinued cereals I may or may not miss, and more!

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The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 97: Impulsive Hyperfocus “Part of This Complete Breakfast” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 96 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our Media That Made Us discussion about season 1 of a show we love – and that essentially inspired us to start this series – Battlestar Galactica!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor continue their “Media that Made Us” series – in which we’ll watch and reminisce about shows, movies, and any other media we come up with that has had a strong influence on us over the years.

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Episode 95 of The Geek Saga Podcast is my very first solo podcast and the first episode in my new “Impulsive Hyperfocus” series, in which I’ll pick a different subject for each episode – one that I can connect to personal experiences I’ve had – and, well, try to stay on topic as I rant and/or ramble about it for a while!

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The timing of my deciding to try my hand at a shorter-form solo podcast series aligned perfectly with my younger step kid’s high school graduation, so this episode features a comparison between that and my own high school graduation.

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The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 95: Impulsive Hyperfocus “Graduation Song” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 94 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our first Media That Made Us discussion about a show we love – and that essentially inspired us to start this series – Battlestar Galactica! (Specifically, the miniseries.)

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor kick off this new “Media that Made Us” series – in which we’ll watch and reminisce about shows, movies, and any other media we come up with that has had a strong influence on us over the years.

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 94: The Media That Made Us – Battlestar Galactica Miniseries appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 93 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our fifth 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor discussion about what is possibly the “Big Boss” of 90s & Noughties Cringe – 1999’s American Pie!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor are back for yet another Cringe Factor installment, in which we watch, dissect, and discuss the most popular teen movies and rom coms of the 90s and early 2000s! Our 5th episode is a wine-and-White-Claw infused diatribe regarding the 10 Things We Hate About American Pie…as well as the “These’re All That” things that we actually enjoyed about this movie, and our final 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor rating of it on a scale of 1 to 10 Zach Morrises!

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The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 93: 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor on “American Pie” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 92 of The Geek Saga Podcast features our Hot D Takes on the recent Team Black vs. Team Green trailers for House of the Dragon season 2!

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Hosts Tara – an avid reader of all things ASOIAF and Manny, a Game of Thrones fan who is Unsullied (aka has never read the books) break down the newest trailers for season 2 of House of the Dragon, including their Hot (aka First) Reactions, new characters/dragons/locations they spied, and more.

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Episode 91 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our fourth 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor discussion about the ‘new classic’ 2004 film Mean Girls!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes and 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor are back for yet another Cringe Factor installment, in which we watch, dissect, and discuss the most popular “teen movies” of the 90s and early 2000s! Our fourth episode is a thoughtful discussion regarding the 10 Things We […uhh…] Hate(?) About Mean Girls…as well as the “These’re All That” things that we actually enjoyed about this movie, and our final 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor rating of it on a scale of 1 to 10 Zach Morrises!

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The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 91: 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor on “Mean Girls” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Normally I would would write up a story version of ::gestures:: alll of this, but I have a LOT to say about my first RunDisney experience at Disneyland, so this time I’m going with pro and con lists

BIB PICK-UP & FITNESS EXPO

PROS:

• Because this is a much smaller race numbers-wise, check-in/bib pick-up and the fitness expo were all in the same building – the little convention center attached to the Disneyland Hotel. This made the process very quick, and it was neat that we were able to walk right over to Downtown Disney from there.
• That said, if I had known how quick it would be and how small the expo was, I would have checked into our hotel (the Camelot Inn & Suites right across the street from the main park entrances) first and therefore only had to pay THEIR parking fee instead of also coughing up the money to park in the Disneyland garages. True, it was a reduced rate of $10 (from I think $35?!), but it’s $10 I didn’t really *need* to spend, and only did so because we arrived in Anaheim at about 2:45 PM and I was worried about having enough time to both pick up my bib and wander the expo.

CONS:

• The expo was tiny and pretty lame compared to the one at WDW – and therefore not really worth spending more than 15 minutes checking out. I knew it would be smaller, but the only really neat thing about it was the Percy Jackson photo op…and that only because my younger step kid was with us and is obsessed with that series.

HOTEL – CAMELOT INN & SUITES

NOTE: We did NOT stay at an official Disneyland hotel, so what I have to say here – the good and the not-so-good – obviously isn’t a reflection on Disney or RunDisney.

PROS:

• This hotel is SUPER convenient if you are ever going to Disneyland and don’t want to cough up an additional $100+ more per night to stay at a Disneyland hotel – it’s literally across the street from the main park entrances.
• Furthermore, I got very lucky, having booked this hotel right after I registered for the race and then finding out right before race weekend that it was at most a 5 minute walk to the corral staging area for the half marathon.
• The room itself was spacious and the beds weren’t completely uncomfortable, at least.

CONS:

• We were ‘upgraded’ to a room on the 4th floor over Harbor Boulevard so while we had a view of the fireworks, the glass on the windows was weirdly cloudy or warped or something and it wasn’t exactly a great one, heh. Admittedly those aren’t really cons because it was a free ‘upgrade’, but I wouldn’t want to stay in one of those ‘park view’ rooms again. The noise from the road (and possibly the stairwell right by our room) was so bad that I barely got any sleep at all…which would be frustrating just about any time, but even more so when I only had about 6 hours TO sleep before getting up a little before 4 AM for the race.
• Granted, some of this was surely a problem of thin walls/improper window sealings/etc. But I’m pretty sure that if we’d been staying at the back of the hotel we at least wouldn’t have experienced the noisiness of Harbor Boulevard [being right outside our window].
• While the parking fee wasn’t too terrible, I don’t like that I had to hand over my keys in a valet-type situation for a parking situation where I could see my car in the lot. It was inconvenient, especially when we were putting stuff in the car for check-out purposes prior to heading over to Disneyland after I finished the race.

HALF MARATHON START

PROS:

• Many [non-Disney-owned and therefore somewhat cheaper] hotels were within <10 minutes walking distance of the half marathon corral staging area, including (as mentioned above} my own! So I was actually able to get at least 45 minutes’ more sleep
• Because there were fewer people running the race as a whole, the corrals were of course smaller (numbers-wise) which meant that despite being in corral E *and* them starting about 5 minutes late, I crossed the start line at 5:33 AM. (Meaning even if they had started on time, I would have only waited 33 minutes instead of the 45 I waited the last time I was in corral E for a RunDisney half marathon…seemingly a million years ago, ha)

CONS:

• This might have been better served in a “pre-race planning” section, but as most of the info for that is never available until the race guide comes out fairly soon before the event, it seems a bit silly to separate it out. Essentially, they needed better-labeled maps in the race guide for where you could enter the staging areas. I had to compare (1) my pinpointed location in the maps app on my phone to (2) the map my partner brought up in Google maps to (3) the graphic in the race guide that only had the cross streets labeled just to figure out APPROXIMATELY how I could walk over to the staging area…and even then was [granted, pleasantly] surprised to walk out of my hotel on race morning and realize that the entry (which at this point had an A-frame sign pointing where to go) was between my hotel and the Tropicana hotel next door. So yeah, the ‘where to go’ maps for pre- and post-race were terrible, haha.
• *If* there were any pre-race photo ops or anything of the sort, they weren’t at all visible from where I entered the staging area, and as cast members were very pointedly directing everyone right to the corrals I didn’t feel comfortable wandering around to try to find any pre-race photo ops etc. that might exist :-/
• I will say that I saw posts in the big RunDisney Facebook group that the security lines to get into the staging area were terrible for the 10k. One person said they got in line for security at about 4:15 AM and I believe claimed they didn’t get through it until around 4:45 AM. Whatever the issues were for the 10K, they were either (a) for another entrance, (b) they fixed them before the half, OR (c) the security lines were just cleared out if you arrived a bit later, because I walked right through when I arrived at about 4:35 AM through the entrance between the Camelot and Tropicana on Harbor.

THE RACE ITSELF

PROS:

• Having experienced 4 previous RunDisney half marathons at WDW, the park portions of the course I ran often left a lot to be desired – the Princess Half is my personal least favorite course, because while sure! you get to run around Magic Kingdom!…the only other park (at least for the two I ran) was EPCOT and then only the front portion of it. So while there’s a lot to be said about the ‘meh’ organization of the Disneyland half marathon course, at the very least you got to run through a huge portion of both parks
• As for the rest of the course, in this section I’ll just say: hey it was kinda neat to run by the Ducks arena and Angels stadium?
• One thing I noticed that was really great was the number of spectators. I’m guessing the frequency of spectator groups along the course was due to so much of the course being on [fairly] easily accessible public property, versus at WDW where you can tell it’s really difficult for spectators to get to most portions of the course due to it all being on Disney roads and there not being publicly accessible side roads and parking lots. So as far as I can tell, if you want to cheer on a RunDisney racer, Disneyland is THE place for this! My amazing partner was even able to take a brief walk from our hotel to a spot on the last 0.1 mile of the course to support me

CONS: (Ohhh where to start.)

• While I admit that the logistics of a half marathon where most of the race has to be on public roads – meaning Disney has to work with the city of Anaheim, which was the reason the Disneyland races were put on hold from 2017 until now – have to be really difficult, the fact that most of the first mile of the race was on city streets, followed by miles 2, 3, and 4 in the parks, then hitting 5 as you exited Disneyland and spending the rest of the time on Anaheim roads…I don’t know, I expected it to be something like this, but it was still disappointing ::shrug::
• Despite being warned of the problems with bottlenecking, I don’t know that any number of warnings could have truly prepared me for how often they happened and how bad they really were. The absolute worst was at the first water station – I came around a corner at a run, in that ‘dodge and weave’ zone as I tried to keep the pace I wanted to keep (but was of course having trouble with because I was randomly placed in corral E after having not seen a corral below C for any Disney race since the WDW Marathon Weekend half in 2019)…and then BAM! had to quite literally skid to a stop because there was a dozens-of-people-deep crowd shuffling along as they tried to make it through an already narrow path made even more narrow – and slow! – by the fact that THIS was where they chose to place a water station?! Argh. And there was at least one other in-park water station placed about as terribly after that!
• I haven’t bothered to stop for a character photo op during a race for a long time. I don’t want to eat into my time by waiting in long lines, and the last time I stopped for a character that didn’t have much of a line the photopass person took two extremely blurry and unusable photos so it was a wash, anyway. Still, even I recognized that the character stops were often in odd places and badly lit to boot, making them really hard to notice – in fact, I ran by all but two of them and the rest of the ones that I DID see, I only realized after the fact that I had actually passed them by. While this might not be a big deal for ME, I’m frustrated on behalf of those who DO want to pause for photo ops.
• And it wasn’t just the character photo ops! The only race photogs who had their places well-lit and obvious were the ones shooting people coming out of the castle. Granted, these were for sure the most important ones, but yet again I ran by the rest of them and only realized was doing so when I saw that the people I was passing were hamming it up for a camera. And while this might have caused me to miss some of the photogs along the course, I still doubt there were many more than a half dozen of them total. In fact, there are just 8 total photos in my photopass account, and only TWO of them are actually from the course itself.
• Once we were out of the parks, no character stops, no course photogs, and I saw at least one person eat it BAD when they tripped over the white pavement markers in the center of the roads…not to mention reading numerous comments in the RunDisney Facebook group about others falling because of those, potholes, or railroad tracks. Thankfully for me the rest of the course was whatever because I was just trying to make up some of the time I’d lost in the park bottlenecks and while pausing for more photos than usual, and as previously mentioned the spectators were numerous and GREAT…plus it was neat to run by the Ducks arena and Angels stadium. But otherwise, meh, because at least with even the worst WDW courses, you get at least a bit of time in a park before that last tenth of a mile or so to the finish line.
• Some of the mile markers in the parks (including the much-panned mile 3 marker) were in bad places, for sure, but the mile 13 marker was an effing TRAVESTY. As awesome as the spectator situation was for the rest of the race, the fact that they didn’t block off an area around THE FINAL MILE MARKER was *terrible* planning/a really bad decision…and also really disappointing.

THE END/POST-RACE SITUATION

PROS:

• I was able to get back to my hotel room to get warm (because wow we had a cold snap here in CA and this was in the top 3 coldest RunDisney races I’ve ever run, of 11 total) in just a few minutes after exiting the post-race staging area…though let’s be real, this was entirely by chance, as I had no idea when I booked it that my hotel would be that close to the start/end point of the race. Sad to say, I legitimately have zero other pros for the post-race situation. So much so that I’m calling it a “situation” rather than an “experience”, ha.

CONS:

• Maybe other people have better photos, but I don’t have a single finish line picture that shows the finish arch.
• No merch tents. No food/drink options other than the Powerade, water bottle, banana, and snack box they hand out (WDW has food and drink carts). No character photo ops that I could find (this is the time I usually stop for them ) Not even the little “I did it” signs to hold in front of the RunDisney backdrops. I felt bad that my partner got up to meet me at the end of the race because if I had known the post-race staging area would be this lame, I would have told him to stay in bed, heh. (Note: I do understand that the area they use for post-race staging is much smaller than what is available at WDW, but at least when I was there it wasn’t really crowded at all and it looked to me as if they definitely COULD have had some of the aforementioned things available.)

IN CONCLUSION…

My official time was 2:39:19 – my third best half marathon time (again, out of five half marathons, and by about 5 minutes, to boot)…which to be honest isn’t bad considering the bottlenecks and my extra photo stops. And this race did teach me something – to allow myself some grace: by actually stopping for some photos (since I had obviously never run through the Disneyland parks before), and by listening to my body, including making a restroom stop but even more importantly, pausing for some additional stretching when my left hip started feeling tight at around the 11.5 mile mark. These things all served as reminders that no race is ever the same, and no matter what, I’m still proud AF of what I accomplished – including finishing 2,959th of 11,186 runners

Would I do another RunDisney Disneyland race? Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not entirely ruling it out, but I do feel for the people who traveled from afar (vs. my 50-ish minute drive to Anaheim and one night in a hotel that, with parking, cost $300). I think that if you’re a HUGE RunDisney fan and you’ve never experienced a Disneyland race, it’s…let’s say mostly worth it. But to be completely honest, if I had been on the east coast and paid not just the race registration fee + 60 miles roundtrip in gas + one night at a hotel, but instead, the current insane flight prices + rental car or rideshare fees from an airport + more than one night in a hotel…I would have been less in the “I’m glad I had this experience” boat and more in the “why did I do this to myself” boat, heh.

The post Disneyland Half Marathon: My 5th RunDisney Half Marathon Experience! appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 90 of The Geek Saga Podcast originally aired as a live webcast, “When Fandom Goes Too Far Part 2: The #StopToxicFandom Movement” on December 30th, 2023.

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Join myself and special guests Paul Jenkins, Mary Anne Butler, and Bill Watters as we discuss the #StopToxicFandom movement, featuring an in-depth look at our experiences with “The Axanar Problem”, a toxic situation that has run rampant in the Star Trek fandom for far too long.

A note on this episode’s length: The live webcast from which this audio was pulled ran approximately 3 hours, 10 minutes. While this podcast version is approximately 27 minutes shorter, I did not remove anything that was imperative to the discussion. With one minor exception (a portion of a sentence that I spoke *about myself* between approximately the 2:44:20-2:44:35 mark in the webcast), the only things removed from the original recording were pauses/periods of silence punctuated by unnecessary words (‘umm’, ‘like’, ‘right’, ‘you know’). Therefore, this episode is a lot more raw than most of my recent podcast episodes. Apologies to my regular listeners for that, but I knew that if I cut out anything other than what I listed above, I would likely be subject to accusations of trying to hide/erase “bad things that were said” (or some other such nonsense phrasing along those lines).

Additionally, I would like to give a trigger warning for a brief mention of SA, which takes place between the 2:16-2:23 time stamps in this podcast episode.

• Please consider supporting Paul’s GoFundMe as he attempts to get Alec Peters into a courtroom: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-my-friend-paul-jenkins
  – Check out http://stoptoxicfandom.com/ for details on the Axanar bank accounts (find the ‘donors click here’ link toward the bottom of the page)
• Find MAB online: https://nerdbot.com/author/mab/
• Find Bill online: Insta – https://www.instagram.com/billrw3 & Twitter – https://twitter.com/billrw3
• For a deeper look into my personal experiences with “The Axanar Problem”, begin reading with my blog entry “I’m Not a Star Trek Fan: Alec Peters & Bullying in Fandom, Part 1” (subsequent entries are all linked at the bottom of each installment)

And of course don’t forget to check out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and consider supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 90: When Fandom Goes Too Far Part 2 – The #StopToxicFandom Movement appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

The year isn’t quite over yet, but my list of books that I could actually finish reading before 2023 wraps up is DEFINITELY complete While Light Bringer by Pierce Brown absolutely won the top spot, the ones pictured above were my favorite reads/re-reads of 2023!

I was able to knock out *40* books this year – here’s the full list, with three stars marking my 12 faves and one star denoting the reads that I enjoyed but that didn’t quite make it into the top 12…

New Orleans Carnival Krewes by Rosary O’Neill
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
Martin Eden by Jack London
Iron Gold by Pierce Brown***
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
The Waste Lands by Stephen King
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree***
Our Hawaii by Charmian London*
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington***
Dark Age by Pierce Brown***
Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson***
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins*
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins*
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Light Bringer by Pierce Brown***
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins*
The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook by Brandon Sanderson
The Battle Drum by Saara el-Arifi***
Seven Devils by Elizabeth May & L.R. Lam***
Sons of Ares vol. 1 by Pierce Brown
Sons of Ares vol. 2 by Pierce Brown
Sons of Ares vol. 3 by Pierce Brown
Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins*
Light Bringer by Pierce Brown (yes, again, no shame lol)
Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig
Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson***
Seven Mercies by Elizabeth May and L.R. Lam***
Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon*
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King*
The Sunlit King by Brandon Sanderson*
Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree***
Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King*
The Woman in Me by Britney Spears
I’m Glad by Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy***
Wool by Hugh Howey*
Spare by Prince Harry*
Song of Susannah by Stephen King
Shift by Hugh Howey*
The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Note: I did in fact keep a list of the books I read in 2022 and shared my top 12 (of the 37 that I read) on social media, but as the end of last year was a crazy whirlwind (ha, as if this year has been/is going to be any different) I didn’t think to post that list here on my blog. So here’s last year’s list, ya know, for posterity’s sake and all

Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe
Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft***
Creatures of Want and Ruin by Molly Tanzer
The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft***
Dawnshard by Brandon Sanderson*
Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin*
Lonely Planet Maui Guidebook
The Fall of Babel by Josiah Bancroft***
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin*
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin*
Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin*
The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi*
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton*
The Lost World by Michael Crichton*
Congo by Michael Crichton*
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi*
Sword & Citadel by Gene Wolfe
The Shadow of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee
The Bronzed Beasts by Roshani Chokshi*
Zero Repeat Forever by G.S. Prendergast***
Malice by Heather Walter
Cold Falling White by G.S. Prendergast***
The Final Strife by Saara el-Arifi***
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott*
Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink*
The Naming by Alison Croggon
Red Rising by Pierce Brown***
Golden Son by Pierce Brown***
Morning Star by Pierce Brown***
Demon in the Wood by Leigh Bardugo
Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin***
Tuf Voyaging by George R.R. Martin
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid***
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Jack London: An American Live by Earle Labor*
The Gunslinger by Stephen King
The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King*

The post My 2023 in BOOKS! appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 89 of The Geek Saga Podcast is our third 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor discussion about 1999’s Never Been Kissed, starring Drew Barrymore!

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Hosts Tara and Manny from the Geek Saga Podcast series Hot D Takes are back for the next episode in our Cringe Factor podcast series, in which we watch, dissect, and discuss the most popular “teen movies” of the 90s and early 2000s! Our third episode is a diatribe that features the 10 Things We Hate About Never Been Kissed…as well as the “These’re All That” things that we actually, err, “liked” (?) about this movie, and our final 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor rating of it on a scale of 1 to 10 Zach Morrises!

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 89: 90s & Noughties Cringe Factor on “Never Been Kissed” appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 88 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the House of the Dragon panel at Dragon Con 2023.

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Moderated by myself and featuring Violette L. Meier, Rebecca Fant, and Seth Lockhart, this panel focused on the first season of HBO’s House of the Dragon.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 88: House of the Dragon Panel at Dragon Con 2023 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 87 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Princess and the Queen panel at Dragon Con 2023.

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Moderated by Rebecca Fant and featuring myself, High Fantasy track director Jennifer Liang, and Nami Sparrow, this panel focused on the relationship between Alicent and Rhaenyra in HBO’s House of the Dragon.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 87: The Princess & The Queen Panel at Dragon Con 2023 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 86 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Madness of the King panel at Dragon Con 2023.

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Moderated by myself and featuring Brian D. Anderson, Ryan Cahill, Dakota Krout, and K.N. Lee, this panel discussed how, as society’s understanding of mental health and neurodivergence has evolved, so have the depictions of mental health and neurodivergencies in high fantasy.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 86: Madness of the King Panel at Dragon Con 2023 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 85 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Shadow & Bone Season 2 panel at Dragon Con 2023.

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Moderated by myself with assistance from my fellow Sagas & Sass cohost Nami, and also featuring Kevin Davis, this panel was all about season 2 of Netflix’s Shadow & Bone, based on Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 85: Shadow & Bone Panel at Dragon Con 2023 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 84 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Loner vs. Community panel at Dragon Con 2023.

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Moderated by myself and featuring Jay Boyce, JF Brink, Gail Z. Martin, Frank Morin, and William Joseph Roberts, this panel focused on why most post-apocalypse stories are about loners and the factors that can drive loners to become pillars of societies they aren’t really a part of.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 84: Loner vs. Community Panel at Dragon Con 2023 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 83 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Tress of the Emerald Sea panel at Dragon Con 2023.

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Moderated by Christina Goodman and featuring myself, John G. Hartness, Frank Morin, and Kevin Davis, this panel focused on Brandon Sanderson’s novel Tress of the Emerald Sea and its place in the Cosmere as a whole.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 83: Tress of the Emerald Sea Panel at Dragon Con 2023 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 82 of The Geek Saga Podcast originally aired as a live webcast, “Drinkin’ Con 2023: The Hangover” on September 16th, 2023.

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Join myself and some other Dragon Con-loving friends as we discuss what we did, what we missed, what we loved and what we didn’t, at Dragon Con 2023!

Click below to watch in webcast form!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 82: Drinkin’ Con 2023 – The Hangover appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.

Episode 81 of The Geek Saga Podcast features live audio from the Please Adapt This panel at Dragon Con 2023.

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Moderated by myself and featuring Milton J. Davis, JM Paquette, Andrea Stewart, and Tao Wong, this panel focused on the books we want to see made into shows or movies and what we think keeps certain stories from being adapted for these mediums.

(While some minor sound editing was done to make the original recording somewhat easier on the ears, please keep in mind that this was recorded live and therefore the sound quality is uneven at best.)

Please consider checking out the Geek Saga Entertainment Patreon and supporting us for early access to our episodes & some other great perks!

The post The Geek Saga Podcast Episode 81: Please Adapt This Panel at Dragon Con 2023 appeared first on Geek Saga Entertainment.