Fanpals

Mel, Liz, and Lauren share some of their plotbunnies and WIP premises in this week's episode. And they're up for adoption! From Supernatural gen to hockey porn, our bunnies land anywhere on the spectrum from G- to X-rated.

And like regular bunnies, they breed! The more we talk about ideas in different fandoms, the more ideas we come up with.

Do any of our bunnies sound interesting to you? Feel free to write the fic and link us.

Go to keysmashblog.com and comment on the supplemental post if you have any plot bunnies available for adoption. We're calling it the Plot Bunny Farm, and we'd love to read about your bunnies. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Liz FINALLY gets her wish of interviewing fan families. The first Fan Families guests are fanmom Leiah and her mini-me Lily. They talk Harry Potter (with bonus strong opinion eyebrows), conventions, and BTS.

Are we introverted because we're fanpeople or are we fanpeople because we're introverted? The Fanpals discuss all this and more with Leiah and Lily. Listen until the end to hear Lily's excellent explanation of being a fan.

Listen all the way to very end to hear Leiah mildly horrify her daughter with HP fic talk. Heh.

WE FINALLY HAVE SUPPLEMENTAL POSTS AGAIN. Go to keysmashblog.com to see some adorable visual aides to this week's episode. You can also go to iTunes and rate and review the podcast. Follow us on Twitter @fanpalspodcast, and if you have feedback or a topic request, or you'd like to be a guest on the podcast, you can let us know by emailing [email protected]. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

In last week's episode Lauren stated that one of her 2019 goals is to watch a television show. Yes, just one. Listen in as Mel and Liz try to convince her to watch one of their shows.

Will Lauren actually watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Doubtful. But Liz had to try.

Mel also has a great list of "honorable mentions" shows that don't meet Lauren's criteria. No ongoing shows, what?????

Do you have any suggestions for TV Lauren - or Liz, or Mel - should get into? Let us know! You can email [email protected] or tweet us @fanpalspodcast. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

HAPPY NEW YEAR. Your Fanpals have some goals and resolutions for 2019 that they'd like to share with you. Some are fannish, some are more geared towards real life, but they're all important and hopefully achievable.

Do you set goals or resolutions or the symbolic clean slate of the calendar flipping to a new year? Share with us!

Cheers to you, dears, and to a new year that is hopefully better but at least not any shittier than the one before.

<3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

P.S. We'd love for you to follow us on Twitter @fanpalspodcast! You can join in the conversation using the tag #Fanpals or by coming on the show! Just email us at [email protected] to express your interest, we'd love to have you.

It's finally time for your Fanpals to talk about their favorite fic. Listen in for a discussion of their go-to stories for laughing, crying, feeling good, and Feeling Good (if you catch our totally subtle drift).

Links included here because there's no supplemental post this week (Keysmash is on holiday hiatus). Enjoy!

http://keiramarcos.com/fan-fiction/stargate-atlantis-fan-fiction/ties-that-bind-sga-au/

https://archiveofourown.org/works/829356

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3551783

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20449

https://kyliselle.livejournal.com/4014.html

https://archiveofourown.org/series/211

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6031117/1/Raw-and-Rosy

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9639062

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3252782

http://austeninterlude.com/paula/gm.html

https://archiveofourown.org/works/538425

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9406391

https://archiveofourown.org/works/487739

https://archiveofourown.org/series/13631

https://archiveofourown.org/works/330890

https://archiveofourown.org/series/21308

https://archiveofourown.org/works/617850

If you'd like to be a guest on Fanpals, or you have a topic you'd like us to discuss, please email [email protected]. You can also tweet us @fanpalspodcast, or use #Fanpals to join in the conversation! <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren0

Mel, Liz, and Lauren talk about the fictional events they want to attend, and then Liz interviews two women who have organized a super awesome Yule Ball in Milwaukee. Hear all about how they went from "we should have a real Harry Potter event for adults" to throwing what has basically become wizard prom.

Rough timestamps for topic changes (note that we go on a lot of tangents, so these aren't terribly specific):

1:20 - Host intros

1:37 - Theme discussion

3:30 - The fictional events we would want to attend

12:15 - Interview with Lynn Richter and Lisa Romella, organizers of the Yule Ball

Also, do you think they reuse the stands for the Quidditch World Cup?

Don't forget to head to keysmashblog.com for the supplemental post. If you want to be a guest on the podcast, or have an idea for a topic you'd like to hear us chat about, please email [email protected]. Feel free to tweet us @fanpalspodcast with comments or questions about the episode as well. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

We couldn't help ourselves. We had to talk about that "Harry Potter hills to die on" tweet. You know the one. (If you don't, go to keysmashblog.com and check out the supplemental post!)

Lauren, Liz, and Mel welcome back guest Renee to talk about their unpopular HP opinions, and share some headcanons as well.

Rough timestamps for topic changes (note that we go on a lot of tangents, so these aren't terribly specific):

0:30 - Host and guest intros

3:15 - Fandom Confession

7:00 - Explanation of theme and discussion of original tweet

19:05 - Our personal HP hills to die on

55:40 - HP HCs

Also, learn why Gryffindor is known as the House of Hold My Beer, and why Zuko from ATLA is basically Draco.

If you want to be a guest on the podcast, or have an idea for a topic you'd like to hear us chat about, please email [email protected]. Feel free to tweet us @fanpalspodcast with comments or questions about the episode as well. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

For the first time ever, Fanpals welcomes a pal that was an RL pal first. Lauren and Liz get to meet Mel's coworker Leah, who is a role player. She presents Roleplaying 101, covering everything from creating an original character to what tense to play in. (Third person! We love this.)

Rough timestamps for topic changes (note that we go on a lot of tangents, so these aren't terribly specific):

1:45 - Guest intro and fandom history (Star Wars, X-Men, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and more!)

12:00 - Mel's glasses tangent

15:30 - Liz's PVMNTS tangent

19:00 - Roleplaying

27:00 - Lauren's fic tangent

29:00 - Back to roleplaying

33:00 - Negative connotations of Mary Sue

35:00 - Ageism in roleplaying

36:00 - How roleplaying happens on tumblr

51:00 - Don't age shame people for their fannish activities!

57:00 - tumblr -> Pillowfort

1:00:00 - Best fandom confession ever!

1:04:00 - Spread The Love reminder

We also discuss the advantages of roleplaying versus fic, and Liz promises she'll watch Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Check out the supplemental post on keysmashblog.com! If you want to be a guest on the podcast, or have an idea for a topic you'd like to hear us chat about, please email [email protected]. Feel free to tweet us @fanpalspodcast with comments or questions about the episode as well. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Mel, Lauren, and a heavily medicated Liz host guest Jess to talk about her multi-layered sportsiness. From being a fan of the sport, to being a fan of the fic, and even to working in the industry, this conversation covers many aspect of sports fandom.

Rough timestamps for topic changes (note that we go on a lot of tangents, so these aren't terribly specific):

2:30 - Guest intro & how Jess got into sports

9:30 - The transition from RL sports fan to transformative works sports fan

16:40 - Why is hockey so homoerotic?

25:30 - Hockey is violent ... and that can be hot

28:45 - Minor league beer fight tangent

32:45 - Getting into baseball fandom

36:30 - Other sports fandoms

38:15 - Real life sports fans, they're just like us

40:00 - Mel shows off her sports knowledge

41:05 - Why do sports lend themselves to transformative works?

42:50 - Our favorite tropes in sports fandoms

50:00 - How sports fic makes you want to learn more about the actual sport

There may or may not be a moment in which Liz cannot figure out what the opening play of a football is called. *face palm*

Check out the supplemental post on keysmashblog.com! If you want to be a guest on the podcast, or have an idea for a topic you'd like to hear us chat about, please email [email protected]. Feel free to tweet us @fanpalspodcast with comments or questions about the episode as well. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren

Your fave fanpals are getting into the holiday spirit with a couple of games involving holiday movies.

Rough timestamps for topic changes (note that we go on a lot of tangents, so these aren't terribly specific):

2:30 - Our first fandom confession, and it's a doozy!

6:30 - Call for Fleet Week submissions (it starts Nov. 19th, but we're happy to take late posts!)

7:15 - Spread the Love reminder

11:30 - Why we're getting into the holiday spirit early(ish)

17:00 - This, That, Or the Other: Holiday Movie Edition

32:45 - Snog/Marry/BFF: Holiday Movie Edition

52:30 - Reminder that we'll be your family if yours bums you out during the holidays (or year round, really) because WE LOVE YOU.

Weigh in on the hot topic of whether Kevin McAllister becomes a sociopath or a tech bro (not that the two are mutually exclusive), and whether or not Liz has a daddy kink. (She doesn't. Probably.)

For visual aids for the games, check out the supplemental post on keysmashblog.com. If you want to be a guest on the podcast, or have an idea for a topic you'd like to hear us chat about, please email [email protected]. Feel free to tweet us @fanpalspodcast with comments or questions about the episode as well. <3, Mel, Liz, and Lauren