Fansplaining

In Episode 77, "The Truth About Toxic Fandom," Elizabeth and Flourish examine a few widely-held conceptions about "toxic fandom," also known as "broken" or "entitled" fandom. They explore whether these behaviors are inherent to being a fan, the culpability of both social media platforms and the producers and creators of source material, and how abusive fan behavior looks depending on the demographics of a fan community.

In episode 76, "Camp Austen," Flourish and Elizabeth talk to with Ted Scheinman, the author of Camp Austen, a book about his experiences at an Austen con attended by academics and fans (and academic/fans, too!). They also read a trio of listener letters: two on redemption and antiheroes and one on AUs and reading fanfiction by trope.

In Episode 75, "Bad Fans," Elizabeth and Flourish discuss Emily Nussbaum's concept of the "bad fan": people who read against the expectations of the source material to celebrate the bad behavior of characters, from anti-heroes to villains. They then discuss a listener letter about the concept of redemption: what makes a character redeemable? Do all characters deserve to be redeemed? How does fandom grant redemption? Finally, they discuss alternate universes—yes, again.

In Episode 74, "Ask Fansplaining Anything: Part 1," Flourish and Elizabeth answer a pile of listener letters from the past few months. Some touch on recent episodes, from more observations about fan tourism to critique of the discussion on alternate universe fic. Others pose new questions, on topics including the Society for Creative Anachronism, aging into or out of fandom, fic-searching and tagging methods, how to make fandom friends, and ways to help your family understand why fandom is so important to you.

In Episode 73, "Ship It," Flourish and Elizabeth welcome back Britta Lundin, writer on the CW's Riverdale, to discuss her debut YA novel, Ship It. Topics covered include writing craft, fannish interpretations versus production realities, drawing lines on RPF, how much fans should care about canon, and how to explain shipping to someone who doesn't understand it—whether that's your mother or the editor of your book.

In Episode 72, Flourish always knew that someday she'd hear the words written on her wrist—

In Episode 72, Elizabeth is a florist. Every day Flourish walks past her flower shop and—

In Episode 72, "Alternate Universes," Elizabeth and Flourish are joined by Morgan Leigh Davies, co-host of the "Overinvested" podcast, to discuss alternate universe fanfiction. Topics covered include the relationship between canon and fanon, the "any two guys" trope, how AUs can raise or lower stakes, and the true nature of teens.

In Episode 71, Elizabeth and Flourish welcome back fan-scholar Dr. Lori Morimoto, who was last on the podcast in 2016 to talk about shipping and activism with Rukmini Pande. This time, she digs into transcultural fandom, including concepts like "contact zones" and "ontological security," and how fan communities define themselves by what they include—and what they exclude. They also discuss the current state of fan studies, from its boundaries as a discipline to advice for current students interested in the field.

In Episode 70, "Our Most Passionate Fans," Elizabeth and Flourish discuss the ways that corporate America interacts with fandom—especially when fandom behaves badly—through the lens of the Rick and Morty/McDonalds Szechuan Sauce debacle. (Spoiler: corporate America does not do well.) They also continue to discuss fan tourism and read a listener letter about what happens when your own fandom descends on your town.

In Episode 69, "Fan Tourism," Elizabeth and Flourish consider the different ways that people travel to experience their fandom, settling on a spectrum of fan tourism, spanning immersion into a fictional place to craft-focused television set visits. They also discuss being a fan of a source material set in a culture or time period other than your own, the differences between Disney and Universal Studios, breaking the (traditional theater sense of) the fourth wall, and whether Elizabeth is a teaboo.

In Episode 68, "Stephanie Burt: Part 2," Elizabeth and Flourish wrap up their conversation with poet, professor, and X-fan Stephanie Burt, covering topics from transitioning in public view to allegorical versus literal representation to queer themes in superhero comics. They also discuss a pair of listener letters: one on fandom, capitalism, and ethical behavior, and one on fanfiction's prominence on both the podcast and within the sphere of fandom commentary at large.