In Episode 158, “Ask Fansplaining Anything: Part 11,” Elizabeth and Flourish read and respond to a new batch of listener questions. Topics covered include the primacy of shipping in fanfic culture, the ethics of pirating Chinese novels, how to organize your fic collection, and how worried we should be that the entertainment industry is spying on fandom.

In Episode 157, Flourish and Elizabeth interview Nichole Perkins, host of the podcasts This Is Good For You and Thirst Aid Kit and author of her recently released memoir, Sometimes I Trip On How Happy We Could Be. Topics discussed include her history with romance novels, the importance of pleasure in her work and life, the philosophy behind Thirst Aid Kit, and Elizabeth and Nichole’s shared fandom, Frasier.

In Episode 156, “The Exit Interview,” Fansplaining marks the end of Flourish’s time in the entertainment industry (!) with a conversation about what they’ve observed over thirteen years working on fan-related projects in Hollywood. Topics covered include the rise of streaming services, the fall of transmedia storytelling, executives’ attitudes towards fans of their properties, and why, after more than a decade, fandom’s vibes often seem worse than ever—and whether the entertainment industry is responsible for that.

Flourish and Elizabeth celebrate their sixth anniversary in the traditional fashion: inviting back guests from the past year to talk about changes they’ve observed in fandom, from the global to the personal. Topics covered include the uncertain future of some fanfiction platforms, growing more protective of your fannish spaces, the ever-growing influence of purity culture, and the year’s racial reckonings (and whether anything has really changed).

In Episode 154, “Fans are Discussing…” Elizabeth and Flourish...discuss (heh) the way Twitter’s trending topics reflect—and fail to reflect—what fans are actually talking about. The conversation touches on the platform’s editorial decisions, how Twitter trends are interpreted by both Hollywood and the press, and the way fan speculation fuels the geek media ecosystem. They also respond to a teen listener’s letter on a recent discussion about age and fandom.

In Episode 153, “The Productive Fan,” Elizabeth and Flourish respond to a listener letter about some fic authors’ tendencies to see themselves as ‘bad’ if they aren’t producing written work. Topics covered include the perils of prescriptive writing advice, the Protestant work ethic, Flourish and Elizabeth’s personal writing habits, and the impact of professional authors’ conversations on fanfic authors’ discourse.

In Episode 152, “Ask Fansplaining Anything: Part 10,” Flourish and Elizabeth tackle a new batch of listener questions that all center on the theme: “free your mind by cleansing your timeline.” Topics discussed include mismatched expectations on Tumblr, monetizing Twitter stan accounts, ageism in fandom, and the growing trend of pro publishers using AO3-style tags in book marketing. 

In Episode 151, “Teaching Fanfiction,” Flourish and Elizabeth talk to Dr. Anne Jamison and PhD candidate Maria Alberto about teaching college courses on fanfiction. Topics discussed include how they approach fic in the classroom, the ethics of including fic in syllabi, and the difference between just enjoying fic and studying it from a critical perspective—and they also give advice for people who want to study fandom-related topics in academia.

In Episode 150, “Post-Pandemic Fandom,” Flourish and Elizabeth reflect on the way the pandemic has changed fandom in the past 18 months—and speculate about what that might mean for fans in the coming months and years. Topics discussed include delayed film and television production and release dates, potentially returning to tours and cons, changes in fandom participation and fanfic habits, and the way the global nature of both the pandemic and of fandom means fans will continue to have very different experiences depending on their life circumstances.

In Episode 149, “The Real Character,” Flourish and Elizabeth examine the rhetorical phenomenon of framing fictional characters as real, living people, independent of the texts in which they were created. Topics covered include Plato’s allegory of the cave, “comfort characters,” bad writing advice, and how people choose to externalize their emotions.