Strikes Our Fancy

A dusty figure emerges from beyond a crest of sand, do you dare to hope? Is it the sleeper, awakened once more to lead you on the Golden Path? The silhouette approaches you until you can peek under a tattered hood. The wizened face of an old friend peers at you and whispers, "Welcome back to Strikes Our Fancy"

The boys are back, as this week Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat about Dune Part 2. Craig is far too excited to share his thoughts on the 2nd installation of the Dune series. Listen in as they discuss popcorn buckets, fanaticism, fandom, ecology, and anything else that struck their fancy, about Dune Part 2.

And they're back. Sorry about the unplanned hiatus, Craig took a bit of a mental health break during November, but now they are back in business. This week, Caleb is mysteriously missing as Craig and Rob chat with returning guest Mike about Toxic Masculinity.

A bit more serious of a topic than compared to normal, but listen in as they discuss what it means to be a toxic dude, why some men seem to behave this way, and what they think can be done about it.

This week, the final bout between DC's Dark Defender, Caleb and Marvel's Guardian, Mike. They are joined by innocent bystanders Craig and Rob as they hash out their thoughts on "All-Star Superman" and "Secret Invasion".

Listen in as the winner for this battle, and thus the war, is decided!

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig are joined by Mike to continue the bloody battle between the major comic houses, DC and Marvel. Listen in as they discuss round 2 of the fight. As Mike brings us Secret Wars to dissect from the Marvel side, and Caleb brings Batman Vol 1: The Court of Owls for DC. Who will win this round? Who will win the war?

This week, we start Season 3 off with our most ambitious project to date. Long time listener and sometimes guest, Mike made some bold claims about the Marvel comic universe being better than the DC comic universe. And that meant only 1 thing. Caleb, as champion of the DC-verse held up 3 runs of comics as the pinnacle of the printing house. Not to be outdone, Mike has done the same for Marvel.

Listen in as they, along with Rob and Craig breakdown, build up, and break apart over these best of house. In a 3 part serious, Comic Clash!

We had a snag with the recording, so instead, listen to Rob rambling about the past year of podcasting, and about what the future holds!

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig have a chat about Body Augmentations. What constitutes augmentation? Do we already have some? Which would we like to have? Where is this industry headed? Drop in and listen in, this week on Strikes Our Fancy.

This week, Rob and Craig team up against Caleb to argue that Superman is one of the worst things a super-hero can be, boring. Listen in as they dissect different iterations of Superman, what he stands for, and how he could be more engaging.

Sorry about the late release and that it isn't maybe the episode you were expecting. We're taking a small break this week, but we will be back to normal in a couple weeks. We will see you then!

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig sit down with special guest Martin to share some of their thoughts on music. What are some of their favorite genres? What makes for good music in general? How many instruments does Martin really need? All this, and more, this week on Strikes Our Fancy.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig get to the bottom of some science based mysteries. Come listen in as each of the boys presents one of their favorite unsolved scientific anomalies. Feel free to join in the conversation and speculate wildly about things we know almost nothing about!

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig have a very casual chat at the end of the world. Listen in as they discuss some of their favorite types of apocalypse in media, what skills they bring to a society in a post-apocalyptic environment, and how do they really want it all to end?

This week, Caleb and Rob are back to chat with Craig about Board Games! Listen in as the gents talk about some of their favorite games, favorite mechanics, their history with board games, and an extra special "Craig's Quiz".

This week Craig is all by his lonesome. But, that's OK as he takes the opportunity to dive into the nature of loneliness. Listen in as he shares some of his thoughts about being alone in general, how it can feel, how do we talk about it, and how he's personally dealt with it in the past.

This week, Caleb sits down with two special guests, Carrie and Dani as they chat about their thoughts on the 1985 movie, "The Color Purple". The group talks about which parts resonated with them most and why? The importance of representation and diverse storytelling, as well as Caleb's need to feed off the sadness of others.

Ashley tells the boys what it takes to cast a spell like a big girl. How do you cast a genuine, real life, spell? Can you enact your Will onto the universe using nothing but some Yankee candles? Come find out this week with Caleb, Rob, and Craig as they dive into the witchy and wizardly on 'Strikes Our Fancy.

Magic? Barbarians? A Quest? Betrayal? AN OWLBEAR!!?!

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig, review the latest installment of the Dungeons & Dragons Cinematic Universe, 'Honor Among Thieves'. Listen in to this spoiler riddled episode about plot, music, adaptation, and just plain old fun.

By the way, do you think Hugh Grant is reaching that age where he looks like someone's aunt?

What makes something authentic? Does authorial intent matter? Does the lens, through which you consume media, enhance or detract from the experience? Can you lie to drive home an idea or is that insincere?

This week, special guest Stacy brings some deep questions. As the regular crew, Caleb, Rob, and Craig pepper her with questions and their thoughts.

What's that hill you are willing to die on, even if you know it's trivial. This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig have special guest Jody on to chat about the things that get them riled. We know it doesn't matter, they know it doesn't matter, but they will fight you on it anyway! Driving, washing machines, teeth, and Oscars. This episode has it all.

And just to prove Rob wrong: https://itisscience.wordpress.com/2011/01/23/toaster-v-toaster-oven/

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig are joined by the once and future guest, Mike. Listen in as they discuss all things time travel. What are some of the best tropes in time travel sci-fi? When would you travel to if you could? Which Back to the Future is best?

We promise it's worth your time, or your time back!

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig are joined once again by special guest, Robert to talk about extra terrestrials. Listen in, as they wildly speculate about the latest incidents in US airspace, ponder over some of their favorite UFO incidents in history, and share their thoughts on what might really be out there among the stars. 

This week Caleb, Rob, and Craig are joined by special guest James to talk philosophy. Specifically, what are the ethical ramifications of 'The Prime Directive' from Star Trek. Is it right and proper policy? How stringent are Star Fleet when enforcing this rule? Why even bother? Feel free to join in the conversation, this week on Strikes Our Fancy!

This week, Caleb and Rob have a chat about the hardest boss in D&D, the scheduling. Why is it so difficult to get people around the table consistently? What is making them show up in the first place? How do you balance passion for the game with life responsibilities? Listen in, and give us your thoughts; This week on Strikes Our Fancy!

Production note: Craig was unexpectedly ill and the usual recording space was unavailable. This is the cause of any audio quality differences.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig review a very particular episode of 'Buffy' with special guest Dani! Season 6 Episode 7 'Once More With Feeling' a rather catchy episode, it features original music written by show runner Joss Whedon, performed by the main cast. Listen in as we chat immediately after viewing the episode and share out thoughts and critiques of what we experienced.

Music contained in this episode is not owned by "Strikes Our Fancy" All rights and credits go directly to the rightful owners.
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976,  allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism or comment.

Apologies everyone, this episode should have gone out before Christmas, but you all know how the holidays are.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat with special guest, Robert about the Ghost of Christmas Past! What were the holidays like for each of them growing up?
What traditions live on or have been made anew now that they're adults? What makes a true stinker of a gift? Listen in, for all this and more and Happy Holidays from Strikes Our Fancy!

This week, Rob was unfortunately unavailable and so the discussion turned to movies Caleb made Craig watch. Come listen in as the two of them discuss 2015's "Spotlight" and 1998's "Smoke Signals". What made these movies great? What did our hosts take away from them? Are there any parallels to make between the 2 movies or is it literally just the movies that were watched most recently?

A mild warning - this episode is a bit more somber than the usual 'Strikes Our Fancy' episode. Based on the subject matter of the movies in question, there is talk of abuse throughout the episode. Listener discretion advised.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat with special guest, Eric. Listen in as they share their thoughts on how music creation has changed over the past 30 years. How has tech changed the process? When you can listen to pretty much anything, made by anyone, what's worth your time? 

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat with special guest Mike about thoughts on the state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Given where we have been and where we are going, should anyone give a damn? How do we feel about super heros almost 15 years later? Can Caleb find a kindred spirit? Listen in as they chat about the MCU past, present, and future.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig have a chat with a very special guest, Ashley! Come listen in as they give a peak behind their Dungeon Master screens and chat about all things DM'ing. How do they handle their players? What have been some of their favorite moments? How do they balance narrative and player agency? 

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig have a little chat about mysterious monsters. Come listen in as the gents share their knowledge on Cryptids. Each of them bring a different creature of lore to the table to delve into and theory-craft on. 

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig are joined by Carrie to start off season 2 and chat about Halloweens gone by. What was Halloween like when they grew up, what traditions have carried on, and what's different now that they are all grown up?

Side note: Craig is not pleased with the audio quality for the kick-off of season 2 and promises to do better in the future.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig celebrate their anniversary! It has been a year since the launch of 'Strikes Our Fancy' and the gents take a little time to chat about how the journey has gone so far. At the end of Season 1: What have they learned? Would they do anything differently? Drop in and listen as they highlight some of their favorite moments, and talk about the future. 

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig each make the other two watch a particular movie for review. The picks are Caleb: 'Thunderheart', Rob: 'The Man From Earth', Craig: 'Gattaca'. Come listen in as they chat about if these movies are any good? What the movies meant to them? And what are the greater implications of these stories?

An unfortunate reschedule of our 5th One Movie Review. We'll chat with you next week when things are back to normal!

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig sit down and chat about all things cartoons: Why do we watch them? What are some of our favorites? Are tropes good or bad for the industry? What are some of the differences between western cartoons and Anime? 

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat about video games. Why do we play them? What do we hope to accomplish when we play them? And what are some of our favorite games?

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat about comic books. More specifically, is the future of the comic book industry to be found in the indie world or big publishing houses? Does working with established characters stifle creativity? 

A correction: Rob kept talking about "Keen Zone", but really he meant "Keenspot".

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig get spooky in June. Drop in and listen as they chat about their beliefs and experiences with the paranormal. And even maybe make some misguided boasts against some certain entities.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat about Spelljammer! A simultaneously old and new piece of content for the classic tabletop RPG Dungeons & Dragons. Come join the chat as they discuss the history of Spelljammer, and their ideas for adventures on the high seas of Wildspace. 

This week, something a little different. Caleb and Rob provide some conversation for 'The Fifth One'. Our new bonus episode format for when a month has 5 Tuesdays. In this episode, they review Star Trek: The Next Generation 'The Inner Light', a quintessential Star Trek experience. 

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig have a chat about Artificial Intelligence. From the evil HAL, the snarky GLaDOS, and the benevolent GAIA, what makes AI so creepy? And this week, we share a little bit of actual knowledge as we dive into how AI behaves in real life.

Please forgive some of the bumps in this episode, there were some difficulties....

And partway through the episode, Rob references the following short video https://youtu.be/-JlxuQ7tPgQ

This week Caleb, Rob, and Craig really take the show's namesake to heart while chatting about the inevitable: endings. What are some of the best/worst endings in media? Do you like your endings medium rare or well done? And introducing a new segment! 

This week Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat about crowdfunding. While specifically a good amount around Brandon Sanderson and his record-breaking Kickstarter project. They dive a bit into crowdfunding as a whole: some of the pitfalls, concerns, and benefits of sourcing money for large scale or small scale projects. In the end, what are we left with? Feel free to reach out and tell us what you think on what struck our fancy this week at strikesourfancy@gmail.com or on our website ourfancy.site 

Mentioned in this episode is a local artist: Galacia Barton. You can find some of their awesome content here: https://www.behance.net/galaciabarton

This week, a bonus! Since March has 5 Tuesdays, we thought we'd put out something a little extra. Craig has a special guest, Robert (not Rob) on to talk about the Halo franchise. They discuss their histories with the series, what was impactful to them, and why they keep coming back. Also, they take some digs on the current state of Halo Infinite.


Music credit: "Finish The Fight", "Luck", "This Is The Hour" - O'Donnell/Salvatori; Used following Microsoft's Content Usage Rules https://www.xbox.com/en-US/developers/rules

A snapshot of what to expect from Caleb, Rob, and Craig with Strikes Our Fancy. Join us every first and third Tuesday of the month, as we ask inane questions and chat about frivolous things. 

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig chat about Reboots. Can a franchise be reborn lovingly or is it always a soulless cash grab? What makes a good retelling of a known story? What's really going on in the Sarlacc? All this and more if you care to listen, so come on in and join the conversation on whatever strikes our fancy.

This week, Caleb, Rob, and Craig take some time to talk about what makes a good pilot episode. What defines a pilot? What are the goals of a pilot? And what have been some great and awful pilots, in our considered opinions.