Fic Clique

By Fic CliqueSociety & Culture

Fic Clique episodes

March 01, 2025 103: “She's All Ten Sickos at Once”
In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "give me your hand, darling," by Omcree (Critical Role) @12:51, "Competition," by astolat (Game of Thrones) @42:28, and "The Downsides to a Secret Identity," by liodain (DCEU) @1:11:02.

In this (slightly belated) Valentine's Day episode, we got granular with our focus and narrowed in on three variations of one romance trope-- [blank] to lovers. Looking at the different permutations let us identify some of the key elements we love most in these types of fics, and what draws us in as individuals. Be you a friend, an enemy, or something in between, there's a path towards love for you in this episode.
1 hr 42 min
February 07, 2025 102: “Baby Yoda Doesn't Have Daddy Issues”
In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "The fox who can never be caught," by ionthesparrow (Top Gun Movies) @16:41, "Ammurapi, King of Ugarit," by the_alchemist (Late Bronze Age Collapse RPF, Hamlet) @46:32, and "Homecoming," by jellyfisheries (Ocean's Echo) @1:15:16.

In this episode, your hosts explore how to navigate complex family relationships, the synchronicty of two tragedies coming together, and what expressions of vulnerability and trust can look like.
1 hr 46 min
January 24, 2025 101: “My Inner Child is Damaged”
In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "The One Coming Back for You," by orphan_account (Teen Wolf) @15:41, "Blue on Blue," by Lindentreeisle (Sherlock) @42:05, and "all the world's a stage," by Abagail_Snow (Hunger Games) @1:13:23.

Ficlets, did you keep your party hats on from last episode in anticipation of Nic's birthday? Well take them off, this is a solemn affair. In true Host Nic fashion, all three fics this week shared common themes of grief, trauma, and a home that will never be the same.
1 hr 43 min
January 10, 2025 100: “I Was One of Those Tumblrinas”
In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "5:35 pm" by belldamn (White Collar) @13:13, "Tintagel," by seperis (BBC Merlin) @43:18, and "The Curious Incident of Eduardo in the Night-Time," by jibrailis (The Social Network) @1:09:07.

In this special birthday edition of Fic Clique, we're kicking off the year by celebrating Brenna & her fandoms of yore! We also perform a roast, talk about the urge to recreate a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, and do some investigative journalism into the prevalence of Tuesday time loops.
1 hr 43 min
December 27, 2024 Minisode: 2024 Year in Review
It's the end of another turn around the sun! As we come to the end of 2024, it's time for yet another minisode during which we can look both backward and forward (much like owls). Ficlets, join us as we review our years as well as our bingo cards, discuss our favorite fics of the year that didn't make it to the pod, and make grand and perhaps impossible plans to take over the world in the months to come.
Alternate titles include: “Mantra: I’m So There,” “Who Even is Joshua?” and “The Platonic Ideal of Fandom”
1 hr 9 min
December 13, 2024 Minisode: Host Rec Exchange 2024
In this episode-turned-minisode-turned new format, your hosts revisit their annual rec exchange with a new twist. Focusing in on the tropes of our respective gifted fics, we examined the optics of being a professional shipper, keeping your cards close to your chest, and the inevitability of fanfiction itself.
Alternate titles include: "The Chef's Special," "The Plate Tectonics of Fandom," and "I Only Know the Way of the Chalant"

1 hr 2 min
November 22, 2024 Minisode: Mapping Fannish Migrations (Geek Girl Con 2024 Panel)
In this minisode, your hosts reprise their award-winning (citation needed) panel at Geek Girl Con 2024, wherein they discussed patterns of fannish migration and many of the factors that cause, influence, and direct these migratory paths. Come for the semiotics and reflections on what makes certain fandoms so compelling, stay for the discussions of Young Sheldon and the close encounters with various squares on the 2024 Fic Clique bingo card.
1 hr 6 min
November 08, 2024 99: “We Knew Each Other in That Kudos Section”
In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss “kintsukuroi,” by tomorrowsrain (Naruto) @21:55, “freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose,” by synecdochic (Stargate Atlantis) @53:00, and “The Fisher-Prince,” by roachpatrol & urbanAnchorite (Homestuck) @1:22:49.
It's No Knowledge November! This themed episode your hosts forayed into three popular fandoms we all were unfamiliar with it. Through this uncertain territory we found familiar themes of mentoring the next generation, holding grief for your past life, and navigating foreign ways of relating to one another.
1 hr 56 min
October 31, 2024 Horror Special II
In this episode of Fic Clique, it's once again Halloween! For this horror special, we've decided to mix things up, so prepare to expect the unexpected and navigate some treacherous, touching, and nightmarish stories alongside your hosts.
Join us for a thrilling chat that covers topics such as: where to find custom embroidered robes, how to muster the courage to ask about the contents of a punch bowl, and when it's a bad idea to kick rocks.
Sfx sourced from Pixabay. "Baroque Noble Party" music is by @MichaelGhelfiStudios
1 hr 22 min
October 12, 2024 98: “Retroactive Catfishing”
In this episode, your hosts discuss "You have [1] New Message," by torikabori (Star Trek AOS).

Happy fifth anniversary to you all and to us, ficlets! Thank you as ever for joining us on this journey. This anniversary episode contains both fic discussion and reflections on the state of the show, as well as a dad of the pod lore drop, pitch for a new fannish term, and return to our roots.
1 hr 23 min