Fansplaining

In Episode 147, Elizabeth and Flourish talk with Anisa Khalifa, cultural critic and co-host of the K-drama podcast “Dramas Over Flowers.” Topics covered include K-dramas’ structural and emotional characteristics, the way these shows’ export...

In Episode 146, “If You Give a Fan a Cookie,” Flourish and Elizabeth consider the Snyder Cut: What happens when fans demand something…and they get it? Topics discussed include the inherent conservatism of (some parts of) fandom, whether the...

In Episode 145, “The Fic and the Source Material,” Flourish and Elizabeth review the results of the “Fanfiction & Source Material Mini-Survey,” in which 6,744 respondents shared their preferences on whether they need to know the canon to...

In Episode 144, “Writing Women,” Elizabeth and Flourish celebrate Femslash February by talking to breathedout, a longtime f/f fic and meta writer. They discuss her route into fandom through queer female erotica, fandom’s longstanding biases...

In Episode 143, “Ask Fansplaining Anything: Part 9,” Elizabeth and Flourish read a fresh batch of listener letters. Topics covered include age and fandom, fanfics of fanfics, pop culture’s role in protest movements, and a trio of letters about...

In Episode 142, “Copyright Brainworms,” Elizabeth and Flourish try to get at the diseased intersection of creativity and the law in the U.S.: our broken copyright system. Spurred by conversation around The Great Gatsby coming out of copyright,...

In Episode 141, Elizabeth and Flourish end a very unusual year in a very ordinary way: revisiting big fandom trends from the past 12 months. What happened in 2020? (What didn’t happen in 2020?) Topics covered include J. K. Rowling’s continued...

In Episode 140, Flourish and Elizabeth interview Miranda Larsen, a media studies scholar who focuses on K-pop, anime, and horror. They dig into the 2020 spotlight on K-pop in Anglophone spaces, the concept of “affective hoarding,” and her essay in...

In Episode 139, “The ‘Q’ is for ‘Queerbaiting,’” Elizabeth and Flourish dig into the thorny concept of “queerbaiting”—when creators tease at queer relationships in their shows and films but fail to follow through. Topics covered...

Nearing the end of a very strange year, Flourish and Elizabeth sit down with fandom stats whiz Destination Toast to dig into recent fanfiction trends on the Archive of Our Own. Topics covered include the massive uptick in fic production (that predated...