This Week In Fandom History

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November 8, 2010: The Omegaverse Is Born Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

Chomp! This week, V and Emily get deep into them guts of the omegaverse to take a long, hard look at where it came from, why it spread so quickly throughout fandom-at-large, and how it's been adapted differently in Western versus Eastern fandoms. With Emily as a noted omegaverse Li'l Hater and V as a noted Buzzfeed-approved omegaverse aficionado, all perspectives are represented (from Alpha to omega, one might say) on this heated journey. Do you omegaverse? What was the first fandom where you encountered it?

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October 29, 2002: The Firefly Immediate Assistance Campaign Takes Flight Nov 10, 2023

Show notes

They attempted the impossible, and that makes them mighty! This week, Emily and V jump into the Firefly 'verse, and the Whedonverse at large, to take a look at the 2002 Firefly Immediate Assistance Campaign. They look at all of the odds stacked against Firefly by the Fox Network, and how so many of those marketing woes made the show catnip for fandom. Plus, the Jossification of scifi in the 2000s, silliness about Nathan Fillion and Jewel Staite, and why Firefly (gulp) might not hold up in 2023. Are you a Firefly fan? What are your Whedon thoughts?

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October 26, 2017: The Hamilton Cannibal Mermaid HIVliving Wank Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

What an amazing bowl of word salad! Yes, those words are all in the right order, and this week, V and Emily explain how, why, and who the culprits were in this fandom wank of epic proportions. It's got everything. Cannibal mermaids. Chinese-Pakistani sex trafficking survivors. Politician RPF writers. Lin... Manuel... Miranda. This is truly one of the fannish implosions of all time. Were you involved in Hamilton fandom? Did you read either of the fics in this tale?

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October 16, 2019: Yahoo! Groups Purge Announced Nov 07, 2023

Show notes

Another week, another purge... this week, Emily and V take a stroll back to Yahoo! Groups for a crash course on what they were, how they worked, and why they mattered. The episode takes a surprisingly sad turn as they consider how draining it is to constantly report on purges of huge portions of fannish history and what it really means when a company axes a huge repository of people's hard work, creativity, and passion. Then of course it gets a bit silly again at the end. Join us -- group pun! -- won't you?

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October 12, 2002: RPF is Purged from Fanfiction.net, Alexandria Burns Oct 30, 2023

Show notes

Not the popslash! This week, V and Emily revisit one of their favorite topics -- "let teenage girls create bad art because it deserves to exist" -- as they recall one of several big Fanfiction.net content purges. This time, it was the total destruction of the RPF section, a loss of tens of thousands of stories in one fell swoop. Yes, V talks about Dream Street again. Yes, Emily talks about Backstreet Boys. Yes, there's a list of all of the fandoms that were murdered, and it's a total time capsule to the autumn of 2002.

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October 1976: The First Slash Fic Is Released And We All Benefit Oct 23, 2023

Show notes

Live long and prosper! It's another Star Trek episode as this week, Emily and V venture into an alien cave to learn about "Shelter" by Leslie Fish and Joanne Agostino, AKA, the first Kirk/Spock slash fic. Fellas, is it gay to confess your love to your commanding officer in an alien cave and consummate your relationship with tender, tender sex? And fellas, is it problematic that Bones was also there?

(Side note, apologies for the late releases of episodes this month. We're working hard to get back on track. Life happened.)

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September 26, 1975: Rocky Horror Picture Show Premieres Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

It's just a jump to the left, and a step to the ri-i-i-ght... into fandom history! This week, thanks to a timely fan suggestion from Tumblr, V and Emily delve into the surprisingly adorable and totes emosh world of Rocky Horror Picture Show fandom. With tons of recollections from in-person fans of the '70s and '80s, this OG cosplay fandom surprised and delighted us with its creative, devoted following and super fun sense of camaraderie. Have you done a midnight showing? What movie would you "Rocky Horrorize"?

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September 18, 2008: Castiel First Appears on Supernatural and Destiel is Born Sep 25, 2023

Show notes

TEARFULLY: We love you.

STOICALLY: This week's episode is about the introduction of Castiel and the birth of Destiel (plus the 2007 WGA strike).

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August-November 1988: "A Death in the Family" Divides Batman Fandom Sep 17, 2023

Show notes

POW! This week, V and Emily venture to the DC side of comics fandom as they learn about "A Death in the Family" and the poll to kill off, or save, Batman's Robin at the time, Jason Todd. From the involvement of grandmothers trying to soothe weeping children who loved Robin to utterly bananas racism in the comic itself, "A Death in the Family" changed the course of Batman comics for decades and still affects stories today as Jason Todd has had a resurgence of popularity as the Red Hood (voiced, because of course he is, by one Jensen Ackles). This episode goes out to TWIFH supporter Jess, who schooled V in all things Jason Todd! Do you Batman fandom? Would you have voted to kill or save Robin?

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September 5, 2007: The Organization for Transformative Works is Filed as a Nonprofit (TW Racism, TW CSAM, TW Antisemitism) Sep 10, 2023

Show notes

All hail (but thoughtfully)! This week, Emily's fluffy episode praising the OTW took a slight detour as this summer revealed some very ugly spots on the underbelly of the Org we all love, support, and depend on. She and V talk through their feelings about some of the things we've all learned about the OTW that are less than utopian in an episode that is... pretty fucking heavy, actually. But we still DO LOVE AND SUPPORT THE OTW AND AO3, AND SO SHOULD YOU. There are just cracks in the foundation that *must* be patched to protect fan culture and fannish lives.

NOTE: We recorded this episode in July 2023, and some of the issues mentioned may have evolved or been solved since recording. Neither of us are Volunteers with the Org, but we support Volunteers and the aims of the OTW. Please support the OTW with your dollars and use the opportunity that being a donor gives you to VOTE to help create a Board that aligns with fannish ideals and protection for Volunteers.

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