Fanpals

WE'RE BACK! Your Fanpals decided to go guestless to catch up on all the new stuff they're into, or old stuff that they've been going back to. It's a Fanpals State of Fandom, so to speak.

Here are the rough time stamps for the episode, in case you want to only listen to one part:

14:00 - Theme intro (everything before that is catching up on life and talking about the weather)

16:05 - Endgame chat, because we never got to talk about it together

31:20 - What Mel is reading & watching (Dramione, SG1, Longmire, Black Summer)

36:00 - Lauren's grandma tangent

41:00 - The state of gardening fandom

48:30 - Lauren watched a TV show! (Or tried to.)

51:00 - Liz's Schitt's Creek spiral timeline

59:50 - RuPaul's Drag Race

Seriously though, we do so much bitching about the weather. And this was pre-terrible tornadoes that devastated so much of the Midwest.

If you want to be a guest on Fanpals, you can let us know at @fanpalspodcast or at [email protected]. You can also use that contact info to share your thoughts on the episode with us. We'd love to hear them, because we love you! <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

In this week's episode, Liz drags guests Meg and Renee to therapy because EVERYTHING IS ENDING. We watched the Supernatural finale (the penultimate finale!) AND Avengers: Endgame this weekend, and we needed to talk about it. Like, a lot. Like, a lot a lot.

THERE ARE SPOILERS ALL OVER THIS EPISODE. From basically moment one. So if you do not want to be spoiled for the season finale of Supernatural or Avengers: Endgame, then give this one a miss pals.

Here are the rough time stamps for the episode, in case you want to only listen to one part:

4:40 - We start talking about the Supernatural finale

14:00 - VERY BRIEF GAME OF THRONES INTERLUDE (like, super brief, and I don't think we spoile anything)

23:50 - VERY BRIEF CHRISTOPHER PIKE INTERLUDE (spoilers for a 30 year old book, omggggg)

47:15 - This is when the Endgame chat starts, and it doesn't end. Like, ever.

We also have a lovely introspective discussion of canon ending and what that means for a fandom, and there's also a beautiful little mutual admiration society moment at the end that very nearly uncorked the feelings Liz has been SQUASHING since about noon on Friday.

All your Fanpals hosts will be back together in the next episode, so if you missed Mel and Lauren as much as Liz did, don't fret. You only have a week to wait.

If you want to be a guest on Fanpals, you can let us know at @fanpalspodcast or at [email protected]. PLEASE share your thoughts on these two momentous endings with us as well. WE LOVE YOU! <3, Liz (and Mel and Lauren too)

Last month Lauren went to her first big convention with Liz, so the Fanpals talk about that and other things this week. Here are some rough timestamps for topic changes (though remember we love a good tangent):

2:45 - Intro and random real life chat

10:00 - Segue to topic and Lauren's visit with Liz's cat

13:30 - Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo

24:30 - Lauren's con newb insights

27:00 - Twisted Toonz and John Barrowman

34:45 - Kids in cosplay

41:15 - Fandom confession

44:00 - Tyler Hoechlin, Dylan O'Brien's #1 fan

51:45 - Clueless panel; Paul Rudd is a good egg

1:05:00 - Artist Alley

1:10:45 - Sissy tangent

1:12:30 - Most Likely To, Con Edition

Also, we learn that Liz is terrible at keg stands.

You should totally send us a fandom confession! You should also come on the podcast. Just email [email protected], or tweet us @fanpalspodcast. We love you! <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Fanpals do memes! We've always wondered what our house elf names would be.

Memes start at 11:30, before that we do a fandom confession and just a little bit of yelling about Gritty. As we do.

If you want to be a guest on Fanpals, let us know! You can email us at [email protected], or tweet us @fanpalspodcast. And join in the conversation online with the hashtag #Fanpals. WE LOVE YOU. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Finally, the kdrama episode! You may not know this, but this episode has been almost four months in the making. Partlygood joins the Fanpals for the third time (though this is the first you're hearing her) to talk about Hindi films, kdramas, and so much more.

Rough time stops for topic changes (though these don't account for each and every tangent, that would be impossible):

1:15 - guest intro (re-intro?)

3:30 - potions chat

6:00 - My Little Pony, Quantum Leap, and Star Trek: The Next Generation

12:15 - What would we do if we lost AO3?

16:00 - Hindi movies

37:30 - Twilight

46:30 - Teen Wolf and Hawaii Five-0

47:45 - Kdramas, how and what to watch

Also, we want to commit to bringing back the zine. Who's with us?

If you want to be a guest on the show - and honestly, why wouldn't you? - you should email [email protected] or tweet @fanpalspodcast. You should also subscribe, rate, and review. Please and thank you! <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

From a Dallas Stars initiation in a San Diego hotel room to learning the sport and applying that knowledge to a Supernatural hockey AU, Renee Hess's hockey fandom has been a whirlwind that led her to starting the Black Girl Hockey Club. Learn more about the creation of the BGHC (more than she's shared with all the real professionals she's had interviews with) and the future of the organization as Renee tries to get a word in edgewise with the giddy cohosts of Fanpals.

We talk creating community and making space in an otherwise cis white male world, how maritime folk music really is the perfect soundtrack for hockey fandom, and sadly not at all about dicks, despite what the opening of the show might lead you to believe. (There is some conversation about butts though!)

No time stamps despite this being a longer episode, because there was SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT with Renee, and y'all should really just listen to all of it, okay?

You should also then listen to this: https://youtu.be/UU9HGvfXJkc Just trust us on this one.

If you want to be a guest on Fanpals, let us know! We want to branch out in our fandoms, and we love chatting about the cool projects that stem from those fandoms, so hit us up. Email [email protected], tweet us @fanpalspodcast, or just use the hashtag #Fanpals so we can find you and coerce you into coming on the show.

<3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Content/trigger warnings: death, suicide

After Luke Perry died suddenly this past week, Liz needed to talk through her feelings about him, and celebrity deaths in general. Thank goodness for the Fanpals, including recurring guest Meg, who stepped in to talk things through.

Don't worry, the episode isn't a total downer. We tried to end with a little lighthearted conversation about the parents we love on teenage shows (and other shows as well). But mostly this episode is therapy.

If you're looking for someone to talk to, we're here for you. But there are also trained professionals who are there for you. One of our favorite organizations To Write Love On Her Arms has an awesome resource search tool here: https://twloha.com/find-help/

We love you.

<3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

DID YOU MISS US? One of Liz's Queer as Folk fanpals joins us this week, and Liz made it all the way through the episode without having a breakdown! Granted, we talked about more than just QaF. Aimee is a fan of boy bands, theater, and so much more.

Time stamps for topic changes (though these are pretty rough, since we don't stick to one thing for too long):

1:10 - Days of Our Wives

2:00 - Guest intro

2:45 - Fandom confession

8:30 - Aimee's fandom history (starting with Hanson and The Moffatts)

18:15 - 98 Degrees tangent

21:45 - Queer as Folk

23:00 - One off fandoms and discovering slash fic

34:45 - The great LJ vs. bjfic.net war, and hosting our own fic sites

45:00 - As The World Turns

48:30 - Seeing QaF castmembers in live shows

53:30 - The NSync Walk of Fame star ceremony

1:01:00 - Not so live Rent

1:08:00 - Panic! at the Disco hearts

1:10:00 - Grofflesauce

Pay close attention so you don't miss Mel's terrible Nancy Kerrigan impression.

To join in the conversation, you can tweet us @fanpalspodcast, or just use the #Fanpals tag so we can see what you're saying about us. <.< You can also email [email protected] if you want to chat, whether on air or not. WE LOVE YOU! <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Liz got to interview Mike Kingston of Headlocked Comics about his comic and other projects, as well as the state of wrestling as a whole. There's a lot of overlap between comic book fandom and wrestling fandom, which makes sense if you look at the storytelling techniques of both forms of entertainment.

The interview starts at 31:00, and it's a good conversation even if you aren't into wrestling. And who knows, maybe you'll listen to it and decide to give sports entertainment a shot!

Before the interview, the Fanpals start talking about the kind of stories they wish were being told, which kind of devolves into talking shit about jobs and family ... not that this show is known for tangents or anything. <.<

If you have a fandom interest you want to talk about with us, PLEASE let us know, we'd love to have you on as a guest. You can tweet us @fanpalspodcast or email us at [email protected]. Thanks for listening! <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Fanpals' guest this week is Lyn, who was one of the founders of Keysmash. She talks about her various fannish interests, and only prompts a few tangents from the Fanpals along the way.

Time stamps for topic changes (though these are pretty rough, since we don't stick to one thing for too long):

1:15 - Guest intro

3:50 - Blackhawks conventions

8:05 - The Robert Buckley story (sorry, Steph)

11:30 - Lyn's fandom history, and the brief backstory of lemons and limes

15:30 - Gritty tangent (because what episode is complete without one)

16:30 - How Lyn fandoms

21:00 - Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren and Mel's rant about villains

23:00 - Twilight fandom

24:55 - One Direction fandom

43:45 - Post-1D fandom drifting

49:00 - The Magicians

54:45 - Liz's Tom Ellis story

Also, listen for Lauren likening Mel to a WalMart greeter, and talk about how winter has made a sudden and awful appearance in the Midwest.

To join in the conversation, you can tweet us @fanpalspodcast, or just use the #Fanpals tag so we can see what you're saying about us. <.< You can also email [email protected] if you want to chat, whether on air or not. WE LOVE YOU! <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren