21: RPF (with I Met You On LJ)

This episode is for anyone who fancies a fine fabric. Cecelia Grey aka Ceceliaisgray joins me in trying to be normal about Our Flag Means Death. We discuss the explosion of its fandom (which she has been tracking through the Archive of Our Own), incredible fanfiction tags, the season 2 renewal, and the Snapeification of Israel Hands, among other things. In her own words: “I’ve just never seen a fandom like this before.”

Cecelia's TikTok: @ceceliaisgray

Allison's twitter: @allyspock

The show's twitter: @itsallfandom

Without romanticizing the crime and violence inherent to a life of piracy, the liberation from societal expectations is not unique to pirate narratives. At its core, Black Sails is a show about myth and story. Television writer Daphne Olive joins me to discuss the way different ways people perceive art, and how such things are expressed in online communities. We also discuss the benefits of taking media at face value, the value of ambiguity in storytelling, and what it's like to engage with an online fandom for the first time.

(featuring audio from Black Sails and music by Bear McCreary)

Daphne's Twitter: @daphneolive

Fathoms Deep: A Black Sails Podcast

Allison's twitter: @allyspock

The show's twitter: @itsallfandom

After Ladyknightthebrave released a wonderful video essay all about Pacific Rim (that movie where they fight monsters with the power of friendship), I wanted nothing more than to talk with her about it here, too. I also wanted to excavate some shared memories and spill some tea about a strange fandom situation we both experienced in different ways. We discuss queer coding, science boyfriends, trigger warnings, the dangerous cult of personality inherent to the BNF archetype, and of course a bit of Star Trek.

(featuring music by the superconducting supercolliders)

LK's youtube channel: Ladyknightthebrave

LK's twitter: @BatyaLewbel

Allison's twitter: @allyspock

The show's twitter: @itsallfandom

With The Matrix Resurrections' release date fast approaching, I spoke with writer Tilly Bridges about lipstick, the spinny dress phenomenon, and about the inherent transness of these very trans films. We barely scratch the surface of it all, so check out her #TransTuesday threads on twitter for a lot more nuance! 

Tilly's twitter: @tillybridges

Allison's twitter: @allyspock

The show's twitter: @itsallfandom

From the president of his high school anime club to working for Discotek, Shaybs knows a thing or two about anime. I spoke with him about his all time favorite series, Ashita no Joe, an underdog story that revolutionized the anime industry and is still being referenced in modern anime to this day, 52 years after it started airing. We talk about boxing, the anime industry, burning out until all that's left is pure white ash, and a Chorus Line!

Shaybs on youtube: Caribou-kun

Shaybs on twitter: @CaribouCoon

Allison's twitter: @allyspock

The show's twitter: @itsallfandom

As you might have guessed from the title of their podcast, Maggie and V met on Livejournal, but after their first initial fandom brought them together, they haven't shared a fandom since. Their first fandom, and some of their subsequent fandoms as well, have fallen under the category of RPF (Real Person Fiction). While writing RPF is a fairly common practice, it is also rather controversial. The three of us discuss bandom, performative fan service, the downsides of a universal internet, the pitfalls of breaking the fourth wall, and ask if it's even possible to write RPF in an ethical way.

I Met You On LJ: website

IMYOLJ twitter: @imetyouonljpod

allison's twitter: @allyspock

the show's twitter: @itsallfandom

Anyone who follows Shannon Strucci on twitter might have noticed how deep she's gotten into Lupin III, the anime series about a womanizing gentleman thief and his gang of pals! I know I just spoke with her in my last episode, but I couldn't resist bringing Shannon back. Lupin III is goofy like a kid’s show, but its deep and complicated themes have it primed for a more mature audience. It is also rife with sexism, racism, and other dated tropes. But at the end of the day, this weird horny gremlin with silly little noodle legs has become an icon of the anime genre.

Shannon and I discuss what makes Lupin great, why people keep watching, and how has the show adapted to the modern day? We also chat about competency porn, misogyny, character archetypes and of course, the fanfiction.

shannon's channel: StrucciMovies

shannon's twitter: @plentyofalcoves

allison's twitter: @allyspock

the show's twitter: @itsallfandom

After recording my previous episode with Shannon Strucci (talking about Neopets) I found myself feeling nostalgic for the Y2K-era online roleplaying of my childhood. I asked you for your own stories, and here they are! 9 unique perspectives on the highs and lows of online roleplay, featuring cliques, wrestling, revolution, and more!

This episode features submissions from: Blushippi, The Sin Squad, Ange de Sang, User Cannot Be Found, Charlotte Raines, Teo, Quickfire, CzarovskiKristal, and Chris Sims.

Back when the only form of security the internet had against predators was to tell you to just assume that everyone you talk to is a 40 year old man, Neopets capitalized on the concept of a click-through adventure site and became a worldwide phenomenon. It was a fun website slash ad-revenue trap that taught children about luck, inflation, gambling, and the stock market. Shannon Strucci joins me to explore the underlying darkness of the site, contemplate the exhausting nature of social media, and try to answer the question: has the internet gotten weirder, or has it just gotten worse?

[content warning: this episode includes discussions on grooming and inappropriate parasocial behaviors.]

shannon's channel: StrucciMovies

shannon's twitter: @plentyofalcoves

allison's twitter: @allyspock

the show's twitter: @itsallfandom

As fandom shifted from analog to digital, we have seen a seemingly endless stream of platforms through which to engage. But even now, there is no one way to engage that is more worthy than any other. In a break with tradition of this podcast, Elizabeth Minkel, "the world's loudest lurker," inspires a new topic: instead of discussing a specific fandom, we challenge a statement made in a previous episode. 

In order to define lurking, we must first define engagement. But what is the difference between tweeting about shipping and chatting about it with a friend over drinks. We’ve come a long way from cutting out pictures of our fandoms and glueing it into binders and notebooks, but fandom is still as difficult to pin down as it's ever been. But the real question is: will Elizabeth still need to wear a facemask and stay 6 feet away when she comes to fight me in person?

Music featured in this episode is by Caveboy, Deb Talan, and R.E.M.

elizabeth's twitter: @elizabethminkel

allison's twitter: @allyspock

the show's twitter: @itsallfandom