Before the dawn of the internet, fanfiction could only be found in the small corners of your local 'nerd' spots. Women were mocked for the art and you had to hope there was another group of fans for you to engage with or you were just going to be alone in your obsession. The internet brought good and bad. Suddenly, there were more access to fanfiction on Geocities and Angelfire sites, but there was still something missing. Something like one hub for every fanfiction writer to write for any fandom for everyone to read. That was until 1998 when Xing Li released FanFiction.Net. Join us on the journey of the biggest breakthrough in the early 2000s fanfiction history, and how it crashed and burned to the ground while their users fled to AO3. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Thank you to our Patreon, AutumnalRiver, for your continued support!

Like us and what we do? Donate to help us do more fun things at ko-fi.com/canonicallyincorrect or join our Patreon for bonus episodes, access to our community discord, and a chance to choose what we feature on the show! Patreon.com/canonicallyincorrect

Sara from Talkin' Fanfic joins Sydney and Maya to talk about how fans are the backbone of the television, movies, books, and video games that we love, why Talkin' Fanfic went from a Cobra Kai-centric podcast to one that includes multiple fandoms, why there are so many podcasts who talk negatively about fanfiction, and the reason why she is so proud to be an amateur. Plus, Maya and Sara talk about the differences in fandom experiences between generations. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Check out and follow Sara everywhere! Listen to Talkin' Fanfic on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr!

Thank you to our Patreon, AutumnalRiver, for your continued support!

Like us and what we do? Donate to help us do more fun things at ko-fi.com/canonicallyincorrect or join our Patreon for bonus episodes, access to our community discord, and a chance to choose what we feature on the show! Patreon.com/canonicallyincorrect

Welcome one, welcome all, to the first annual Canonically Incorrect Hunger Games! In tonight's epic showdown, 24 contestants who Sydney and Maya have talked about during the run of the show will go head to head in a bloody duel for the public's utmost love and affection! In all seriousness, Maya has taken 24 beloved characters that we have read fanfiction for over the past year and a half, put them through a randomized Hunger Games generator, and see who comes out a victor. Will it be your favorite character, or will it be a white wolf that you've forgotten about completely? There are twists and turns, betrayal and loss, drama so grand that you have to hear it yourself to believe it. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Want to host your own fanfiction Hunger Games? You can! Go to BrantSteele.net and watch your beloved characters die one-by-one.

Thank you to our Patreon, AutumnalRiver for your continued support!

Like us and what we do? Donate to help us do more fun things at ko-fi.com/canonicallyincorrect or join our Patreon for bonus episodes, access to our community discord, and a chance to choose what we feature on the show! Patreon.com/canonicallyincorrect

Normally, we would wait until a fanfiction is finished before rambling on and on about it in an episode. Normally, fanfictions aren't 1.3 million words long. But not all fics are A Thing Of Vikings by athingofvikings. Starting today, we give you part one to a special multi-part series that Sydney could not be more excited to share with you all. The Viking Age meets Game of Thrones (at least that's what Sydney's getting the vibe of from the first six chapters) in this all-consuming, incredible tale about how dragons changed our world as we know it. If you like dark, medieval stories, learning about the past, dragons or just How To Train Your Dragon, then we know you will love this retelling. We hope you will join along with us, or read ahead on your own, because we know that this is a story you will not want to miss. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Read along with us (or read ahead): A Thing Of Vikings by athingofvikings Like the episode? 

Like us and what we do? Donate to help us do more fun things at ko-fi.com/canonicallyincorrect or join our Patreon for bonus episodes, access to our community discord, and a chance to choose what we feature on the show! Patreon.com/canonicallyincorrect

Jasper and Jordan from On The Road With Supernatural joins Sydney and Maya to talk about the burning pile of shit the last two episodes of Supernatural are, why individuals are still drawn to the show and the ship even after years of queerbaiting and misogyny, what made them return to the show even after they turned their backs on it, and the reason why they champion small podcasts ran by fans rather than by celebrities. Plus, Jasper and Sydney contemplate if they trust Jensen Ackles with the prequel, The Winchesters. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Check out and follow Jasper and Jordan everywhere! Listen to On The Road With Supernatural on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr!

Like the episode? Like us and what we do? Donate to help us do more fun things at ko-fi.com/canonicallyincorrect

DISCLAIMER: This episode contains many sensitive topics. If you are easily trigger by or are uncomfortable listening to topics including child sexual abuse, self harm, suicide, domestic abuse, stalking, kidnapping, and torture, please do not listen to this episode and we will see you next week. If you have stuck around, welcome to this week's episode, where Maya explores the violent and disturbing world of Yandere. The Yandere derives from a portmanteau of two Japanese words; yanderu, which means “to be sick,” and deredere, meaning “lovestruck.” Beginning as a character archetype in Japanese anime, the Yandere character has crawled its way into the crevices of fanfiction. This character whose love, admiration, and devotion are so strong that they can and will express it with excessive obsession and possessiveness have now slithered its way into your favorite characters and stories. Why do so many people like writing their favorite characters as deranged, lovestruck homicides? And on the other side of the coin, why are there groups of people who love reading from the point of view of someone so clingy and jealous that their delusions lead them to criminal acts such as stalking, kidnapping, maiming, and even murder? Maybe we'll find our answers today. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Citations used in this episode: Dictionary.com's definition of Yandere, and Fandom.com's Dere Types and Yandere Archetype

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May is a lot of things; Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, and very importantly to the illustration and animation communities, MerMay. Started in 2016 by Tom Bancroft, MerMay has become the highlight for many artists to create art of mermaids in different styles, situations, shapes, and sizes all month long. And the visual artists aren't the only ones who get to have fun this month. In the month of May, this is the time for fanfiction authors to get as close as they can to that wedding scene in Pirates of the Caribbean 3. We're talking pirate, we're talking mermaids, we're talking 'I'll cut off your hands if you touch her,' we're talking 'I finally understand why men write poetry of beautiful sea monsters.' Join us today as we take everyone's favorite ladybug and black cat and throw them into the world of sea monsters, pirate ships, and sacrificing your soul for the love of your life. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Go support the author and give them a kudos over on AO3: Turn Loose the Mermaids by bookskitten

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Fanfiction author Aralis, a.k.a. punto_y_coma (Then When I Met You My Virtues Uncounted and Holding Tight As The Dancers Whirl), joins Sydney and Maya to talk about how coming across Jasper and Alice fanart set her on her fandom journey, writing in a fandom with only 600 fanfics, why some characters just shouldn't have children, and the differences of writing in English versus writing in your native language. Plus, Aralis tells Sydney and Maya about her time reading Coco fanfiction and how she had to stop because of the incorrect use of the Spanish language. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected].

Check out Holding Tight as the Dancers Twirl, I Said "Baby, You're Not Lost", and Resigned to Fate (fading away), as well as all of Aralis' other fics on Archive of Our Own.

Listen to Sydney's retelling of Holding Tight as the Dancers Twirl!

Fic Recommendations: i'll be your man if you got love to get done by mygalfriday, never look away by konahau, and After Derry by pineapplecrushface

Like the episode? Like us and what we do? Donate to help us do more fun things at ko-fi.com/canonicallyincorrect

It should be no surprise to anyone that we love fanfiction on this podcast. I mean, it is all about fanfiction after all. But when talking about fanfiction, we tend to spotlight the intricate, the detailed, the loooooong multi-chapter fics. While these fics deserve all the love and care in the world, they tend to shine over the one-shot. And where would we be without the one-shot? Fandom would be left without it's backbone for sure, and these two readers would be without a fluffy dose of sunshine to get them through their days. So today, we are honoring the one-shot fanfiction writer. The tiresome writers that constantly keep producing content while the multi-chapter writers haven't posted in months due to burnout. The consistent writers that keep the fandom entertained while the multi-chapter writers try to figure out where the hell the plot is going. In this special, bonus April episode, Sydney and Maya are diving into some one-shots they found to comfort you in your sickest days as these characters would take care of the other half of your OTP. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Go support the authors of these one-shots and give them a kudos over on AO3: tempurpedic deathbed by mihaly and I Need You by Wisteria_Mutterings

Passerine - One Year Later on Twitter

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We all need a little TLC, we know Maya surely needs a bit more tender, love, and care than the average Joe right about now. After an entire semester of 21 credit hours, recitals and practices, a first run through being a double major, and keeping up with her part-time job, this podcast, and social life, this is as good a time as any to hit the brakes. There are many forms of TLC a person can take, but our favorite form here is scrolling through a little known website, Archive of Our Own. And this scroll too Maya through the tags of a beloved farming simulator, Stardew Valley, and between two boys Maya never saw coming. So come along, as she retells the story of one former high school jock and his sensitive and caring writer by the sea. As always, send us your fic recommendations, or reach out if you are a fic author who would like to be interviewed in the future, at [email protected]

Go support the author and give them a kudos over on AO3: The Wind that Cuts the Night by thespectaclesofthor

Like the episode? Like us and what we do? Donate to help us do more fun things at ko-fi.com/canonicallyincorrect