This Week In Fandom History

Latest Episodes:

CONstruction || Episode #003: Nine Months Out May 14, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to another episode of the TWIFH special miniseries podcast, CONstruction: How to Throw A Fan Convention. Each month, V will catch up with John @jarrow, the logistics guy with all the spreadsheets and contracts for TGI Femslash, about, well, how to throw a successful fan convention. If you've ever thought, "It sure would be fun to spend the weekend with other people talking about my blorbo" but didn't know where to start, John has the knowledge and is willing to share it. This month, we're 9 months away from the next TGI Femslash in-person con, and we look at a recent celebrity con that got all the wrong kind of buzz on social media. The keyword of a successful event is "ecosystem," and John sings the ballad of treating vendors with respect.

If you have any questions for John about TGI Femslash or about the logistics behind planning a convention, you can send them to him via the TWIFH inbox on our Tumblr!

Promotions

Virtual TGIF/F - Our friends at TGI Femslash have just announced a brand-new, online fan con happening this summer. On August 29–30, Virtual TGIF/F will bring femslash fans from around the world together for discussion panels, online events, and more. Registration opens June 1st. Find out more at tgifemslash.com/virtualcon

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 12, 2008: The Bench: Fan Feud Is Our First Sign JK Rowling Has Done A Heel-Turn May 10, 2026

Show notes

Accio legal system? This week, Emily and V look into the super-bummer that was a harbinger of even worse super-bummers to come: the time JK Rowling sued her biggest fan for basically knowing more about Harry Potter than she did. And everyone in the whole world sided with her, because it was 2008 and the deification of that woman was REAL. Fortunately, it's 2026, the scales have fallen from our eyes, we've already covered Lindaaaaa for precedence, and we can have a real discussion about what the ruling meant for fandom, fanworks, and poor Steven Vander Ark.

Sources

Fanlore

Promo

Check out our new pod-friends STAN! You really think you could be besties with Hailey Bieber? That's cute. A podcast dedicated to exploring parasociality, celebrity worship and digital intimacy. We explore digital media through the lens of girlhood, constructed intimacy, and pop culture. Each episode centres on a cultural icon or phenomenon—ranging from The Hunger Games, erotic fiction, 2010s YouTubers and (of course) Taylor Swift—to unpack how the media we consumed, particularly during our formative years, shaped our desires, ideals, and sense of self.

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

May 4, 2012: Check the Vents, The Avengers Are In The Tower May 03, 2026

Show notes

To the Common Room! This week, V and Emily look with such fondness at the best era of fic since the internet began: the 2012 Avengers Tower era. This requested episode features Clint in the vents, Thor eating Pop-Tarts, a surprising number of penguins, Darcy Lewis, and genuine softness towards Tony Stark. Also, we have a pitch for Disney+ and a new drinking game for all you listeners. Journey back with us to a time and a place where everyone had their own apartment in the tallest skyscraper in New York City, movie nights were interrupted by galactic-level stakes that turned out okay, and every robot had a name and personality. Are you a fan of 2012 Avengers Tower fic? Which of the most popular ships is your OTP? Let us know on Tumblr or in the comments wherever you're listening!

Sources

Fanlore: Toasterverse brown-betty on LJ Fanlore: The Avengers Movieverse mcufandomhatespeopleofcolor

Promo

Check out our new pod-friends Normal Curves! If you've ever seen a study headline and thought, "wait… is that actually true?" then you might like Normal Curves. It's a podcast where two statisticians – Regina Nuzzo and Kristin Sainani – take big claims about things like sex, health, and human behavior and figure out what the research actually shows… and where it gets a little shaky.

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

April 1988: Late For Breakfast Letterzine Begins Cooking Apr 26, 2026

Show notes

And print! This week, Emily and V learn what a letterzine was as they look at one of the biggest of its kind from the 1980s and well into the '90s: multifandom slash zine, Late For Breakfast. They also discuss the now-mysterious biggest slash fandoms covered in the zine, from Bodie/Doyle to Blake's 7 and TWIFH nemesis, due South, as well as some shallow-dive biographies on the two fans who spearheaded Late For Breakfast over its lengthy tenure, Sue Jenkins AKA The Android and Carla Selvetta. Plus, the first-ever fight between Emily and V is caught LIVE ON TAPE! (It's about whether tea tastes good.) Are you Sue or Carla? Have you ever written for a zine? Do you like tea? Can you Britpick for us?? Let us know in the comments on Tumblr or wherever you are listening!

Sources

Fanlore: Late for Breakfast Fanlore: Sue AKA The Android The Android's Dungeon Slashfic.co.uk: This Android

Promo

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

April 21, 2008: The Open-Source Boob Project Grosses Us Out Apr 19, 2026

Show notes

Gross! This week, V and Emily are balls of white-hot rage as they discuss the very 2008 debacle that was the Open-Source Boob Project at Penguicon '08. The originator of the project -- the same dude who created the Purity Test that everyone in the late aughts took in college, because of course he was -- tried to defend his lechery with a veneer of "social science experiment," and as usual, it did not work and just remained totally gross. The bright side of this requested episode? It really highlights a positive culture shift that has occurred in con spaces, and in wider culture (kind of), since 2008. Do you feel safe and supported at conventions? Let us know in the comments where you're listening or on our Tumblr!

Sources

Fanlore Wikipedia

Promo

Check out our new pod-friends Normal Curves! If you've ever seen a study headline and thought, "wait . . . is that actually true?" then you might like Normal Curves. It's a podcast where two statisticians – Regina Nuzzo and Kristin Sainani – take big claims about things like sex, health, and human behavior and figure out what the research actually shows . . . and where it gets a little shaky. That can mean digging into messy data . . . or breaking down a truly bizarre study, like what happens when someone dressed as Batman shows up on a subway. It's smart, funny, and will absolutely change how you hear science headlines. That's Normal Curves, wherever you're listening.

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

CONstruction || Episode #002: Ten Months Out Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to another episode of the TWIFH special miniseries podcast, CONstruction: How to Throw A Fan Convention. Each month, V will catch up with John @jarrow, the logistics guy with all the spreadsheets and contracts for TGI Femslash, about, well, how to throw a successful fan convention. If you've ever thought, "It sure would be fun to spend the weekend with other people talking about my blorbo" but didn't know where to start, John has the knowledge and is willing to share it. This month, we're 10 months away from the next TGI Femslash in-person con, and the code words of the month are "agency" and "stewardship" as conversation turns towards building a successful community, and how that's the most important aspect of a fan con's success.

If you have any questions for John about TGI Femslash or about the logistics behind planning a convention, you can send them to him via the TWIFH inbox on our Tumblr!

Promo Codes

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

April 13, 2013: A BNF of Ice & Fire, Or: Lindaaaa, GRRM, and Racism (TW Misogyny, Racism, Terrible Language) Apr 12, 2026

Show notes

Yikes, Scoob! This week, Emily and V hold their noses and sink into the cesspit that is the Tumblr blog of ASOIAF BNF and certified GOT Hater, Lindaaaa (Linda Antonsson). We literally can't use any of the words that Lindaaaa uses to refer to fellow A Song of Ice & Fire/Game of Thrones fans and still have this episode be SEO-searchable and able to show up on your podcatcher, so, uh, make sure you're wearing headphones if you plan to listen around other people. Of any age. She's a peach. But also, we learn about a type of fanfiction -- BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS, LINDA -- that we'd never encountered before: the MUSH.

Sources

A Storm of Hate (Link now defunct) Beximilian: The Ballad of Lindaaaa (Wayback Machine)

Promo

Check out our new pod-friends That Aged Well! Feel conflicted about the movies you loved as a kid? Let Paul and Erika guide you through all that beloved garbage we watched… after all, nostalgia is more fun when you aren't the only one embarrassed by it. Come dive into yesterday's pop culture today!

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

March 30, 1981: An Obsessed Jodie Foster Fan Gives Fans A Bad Name Apr 05, 2026

Show notes

Yikes. This week, V and Emily try their best to be Carefully Neutral (well, V does) as they delve into the sordid, obsession-fueled assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley, Jr, who wanted very badly to impress child actress Jodie Foster. After the event, though, came the fallout: the idea of "the obsessed fan" became a cultural boogeyman of the early '80s. So what was fandom supposed to do if not write scathing LOCs in Star Trek zines? We look at how the demonization of "fans" played out in the dialogue of actual fans in fannish spaces, and really, we did our best to be classy. Well. V did.

Sources

Wikipedia Fanlore: I'd like to comment, yet again... Fanlore: So many topics in the past few months... Fanlore: Interstat Fanlore: Public Image

Promo

Check out our new pod-friends That Aged Well! Feel conflicted about the movies you loved as a kid? Let Paul and Erika guide you through all that beloved garbage we watched... after all, nostalgia is more fun when you aren't the only one embarrassed by it. Come dive into yesterday's pop culture today!

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

April 4, 2024: BiBuck on The Weewoo Show (Evan "Buck" Buckley Comes Out On 9-1-1) Mar 29, 2026

Show notes

Weewoo! This week, Emily and V talk about not Steve and Bucky, nor Steve and Eddie, nor Edward and Stede, but the FOURTH slash pairing with the same names: Buck and Eddie from 9-1-1. Specifically, the glorious handling of Buck's realization of his bisexuality and the awesome way his actor, Oliver Stark, is stewarding his role and the storyline. Of course, not everyone loved Buck's coming out -- either because of biphobia specifically, homophobia generally, or being a dick about shipping -- but Oliver Stark seems to love BiBuck enough to make up for that. Also: V comes up with some really great new nicknames for Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny.

Sources

Fanlore: 9-1-1

Fanlore: Evan "Buck" Buckley

Promo Codes

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

March 23, 2025: JonasCon Is Burnin' Up Mar 22, 2026

Show notes

SOS! This week, V and Emily talk about the fandom for one of V's favorite bands, although sadly she was not in attendance at this legendary event: JonasCon. We discuss nostalgia, cringe culture, TWO new kinds of fanfiction that we'd never heard of before in our lives, pairing preferences differentiated by fic platform, the Taylor Swift of it all, and millennials' dreams of living in the mall.

Were you a Jonas Brothers fan? Did you, like V, have only one possession to your name in 2009 and that possession was a Jonas Brothers poster? Let us know in the comments on Tumblr, Instagram, or Spotify!

Sources

Slate Jonas Fanfiction Archive via Wayback Machine Fanlore

Promo Codes

Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!

Follow This Week in Fandom History on Tumblr at @thisweekinfandomhistory
We're now on Instagram! @/thisweekinfandomhistory
Check out our Fandom Primer playlist via linktr.ee/twifh
You can support the show via our Patreon at http://www.patreon.com/thisweekinfandomhistory.
If you have a fannish company, event, or service and would like to sponsor or partner with TWIFH, please contact us via our website.
Please remember to rate the show 5 stars on your listening platform of choice!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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