Mind the Tags

By mindthetagsofficialTV & Film Leisure Fiction Hobbies

Mind the Tags episodes

May 13Alexandra Romanoff mmmbopped her way through fandom and you can too
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Emily is joined by author and fandom journalist Alexandra Romanoff. Zan discusses her recent article about fanfiction in Vogue and her favorite things about writing in fandom communities. Plus, Emily and Zan take a trip to AO3land!
Sources from today's ep:
The Fan Fiction That Made Me a Writer by Alexandra Romanoff
Devil Angel from the The Hanson Fan Fiction Archive
Vacation Self by Alexandra Romanoff
Zan's website
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
58 min
April 29Be the fanfic reader you want to see in the world
Join Emily and Vee as they take a trip on a magic carpet through comments, kudos, and all the things that make up the fanfic reading rainbow. They also dive into some of the ways readers can help keep fanfic spaces like AO3 safe and fun for readers and writers alike.
Topics include: Fanfic, TikTok, Wattpad, The Pitt, Heated Rivalry
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon! Have ideas for the pod? Email us at [email protected].
Sources from today's ep:
The sex ed bakeshop
I am in your walls on Reddit
Our episode on writing fanfiction
a guide to fanfictions: where and how to find good fanfics — by i read this and that
How to find and read Fanfiction: Beginner Tips for navigating Archive of Our Own (AO3) by AliceTheGamedev
Fan Fiction: How to (and why you SHOULD) read fan fic by Johanna Draper Carlso
An AO3 Algorithm Would be Horrible, Actually by Kelly Martinez
How fan fiction went mainstream by Danielle Hewitt and Noel King
The Rec Center
Someone keeps accusing fanfiction authors of writing their fic with AI, and nobody knows why by Adi Robertson
The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction by Elizabeth Minkel
OFMD Rareships Bluesky
Vee's fic reader flowchart and tips from listeners on Bluesky
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
55 min
April 15The One Direction to hockey RPF pipeline with Sacha Judd
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily discuss all things RPF with fandom writer and researcher Sacha Judd. Sacha talks about her journey across fandoms and the inherent eroticism of smashing your paper dolls together. Plus, Vee and Emily put out an official call for cohost RPF (which Emily may or may not start writing).
Sources from today's ep:
Our RPF episode
The RPF Question by Sacha Judd
Tinhat on Fanlore
Lucy Dacus on Las Culturistas
Everyone is wrong about M/M except me by Allegra Rosenberg
Formula 1: Drive to Survive on Wikipedia
The Seattle Kraken embraced thirsty ‘BookTok’ hockey romance videos. It backfired. by Daysia Tolentino
Everything Breaks at Scale - Beyond Tellerrand May '22 by Sacha Judd
You can find out more about Sacha here.

Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
55 min
April 01This podcast ep was inspired by [insert Hozier lyric here]
Join Emily and Vee as they discuss all the ways the music inspires and influences fanfiction, from authors incorporating lyrics into their stories to titles inspired by Hozier and Taylor Swift. Plus, Vee introduces their idea for a Jurassic Park drag number, and Emily begs the listeners to help make it happen.
Topics include: Songfic, music, playlists, 8tracks
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon! Have ideas for the pod? Email us at [email protected].
Sources from today's ep:
Rule 63 on Wikipedia
4chan on Wikipedia
Our episode on Filk
Songfic on Fanlore
Our episode with Freya Marske
8tracks on Wikipedia
Social Media AU on Fanlore
Parallel Lines by Kings of Convenience
I Believe by Caroline Polachek
What songs have the biggest grip on AO3 writers? by Josepthunder on the AO3 subreddit
I found AO3 fic titles for every lyric of Sugar, We're Goin' Down by Fall Out Boy by Red the Mudkip on Youtube
The Postal Service Songs & Fic Titles by sprinklecipher on Tumblr
My Immortal (Harry Potter story) on Fanlore
Get Him Back ★ Edward Teach (+ Stede Bonnet) | OFMD by mxltinfinityx on Youtube
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
53 min
March 18WTF is up with ATYD and other hot takes with Elizabeth Minkel
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily chat with returning guest Elizabeth Minkel about the latest trends in fanfiction, including the book deal for "All the Young Dudes," the Heated Rivalry of it all, and Fansplaining's new look.
Sources from today's ep:
"All The Young Dudes getting published?" from the Harry Potter fanfiction subreddit
Remus/Sirius on Fanlore
Marauders on Fanlore
Our interview with fandom law scholar Marc Greenberg, Esq.
"Agents Are Looking for the Next Heated Rivalry on Fanfic Sites" by Jasmine Vojdani
"The Endless Appetite for Fanfiction" by Elizabeth Minkel
"Heated Rivalry's Author Clears Up The Claim It Started As Marvel Fanfic" by Dylan Kickham
"Girls Who Love Boys Who Love Boys: When did everyone start fujoing out?" by E. Alex Jung
Fansplaining.com
The Rec Center
You can find out about Elizabeth's projects here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
1 hr
March 04Into the Pit: SuperWhoLock's Lasting Influence on Transformative Fandom
Join Emily and Vee as they plumb the depths of SuperWhoLock, the infamous fandom phenomenon that still strikes fear into the hearts of Tumblr users far and wide. They discuss the great convergence of Supernatural, Dr. Who, and Sherlock fans and the effect each show had on transformative fan works. Plus, Emily delivers another report from the Supernatural trenches.
Topics include: SuperWhoLock, Supernatural, Dr. Who, Sherlock
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon! Have ideas for the pod? Email us at [email protected].
Sources from today's ep:
Dead batteries on urban dictionary
I'll be in my bunk on TV Tropes
SuperWhoLock on Fanlore
Tumblr creation date finder by Tumblr memories
SuperWhoLock generator by lokilover1578
Queerbaiting on Fanlore
[Sherlock Fandom] A Not-So-Short History of #TJLC, the Conspiracy Theory That Divided a Fandom from the r/HobbyDrama subreddit
The Johnlock Conspiracy on Fanlore
Johnlock meta and authorial intent in Sherlock fandom: Affirmational or transformational? by Melissa A. Hofmann
11 Years Ago, BBC's Sherlock Betrayed Fans With An Infamous Decision That Killed The Show by Adrienne Tyler
Mishapocalypse on Fanlore
DashCon on Wikipedia
An Ode to Ten Years of Superwholock by Maddie Agne
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
1 hr 1 min
February 18Interview with Carley: Fanfic Author and Translator
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Carley, a member of the Our Flag Means Death fandom who both writes their own fanfiction and translates works to and from Chinese. Carley discusses their approach to translation, cultural differences in fandom, and the inherent badassery of cursing in Chinese.
Sources from this episode:
Simplified Chinese on Wikipedia
Blocking of AO3 in China on Fanlore
Lofter on Fanlore
Weibo on Fanlore
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
47 min
February 04What Were YOU Doing at the Devil's Sacrament: Real Person Fiction
Join Emily and Vee as they tackle real person fiction (RPF) and all that it entails, from fanfiction to biopics. Plus, Vee creates a new evidence-based RPF chart for your everyday use.
Topics include: Celebrities, real person fiction
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon! Have ideas for the pod? Email us at [email protected].
Sources from today's ep:
Lemon on Fanlore
The Citrus Scale by imetyouonljpodcast
RPF on Fanlore
"This is a deepfake!": Celebrity scandals, parodic deepfakes, and a critically speculative ethics of care for fandom research in the age of artificial intelligence by Eva Cheuk-Yin Li and Ka-Wei Pang
Vee's RPF Acuity Scale
The Seattle Kraken embraced thirsty ‘BookTok’ hockey romance videos. It backfired. by Daysia Tolentino
Parasocial interaction on Wikipedia
Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity, from Bronze Age to Silver Screen by Greg Jenner
Why one small American town won’t stop stoning its residents to death by Charlotte_Stant
Paul McCartney Said He Once Masturbated with John Lennon: "It Was Good Harmless Fun" by Starr Bowenbank
Emily's mom reacting to the Paul McCartney news
Grandma Heated Rivalry gift by margarettiktokgod
Bandom (Decaydance+, My Chemical Romance) on Fanlore
Stephen Colbert King of Glory dance
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
55 min
January 21Interview with Sex Educator Rae and Data Scientist Makenzie
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Rae and Makenzie about their research into kink representation in enemies-to-lovers Harry Potter fanfiction. Rae and Makenzie describe their process for reviewing millions of words of fic (for science!) and how fanfiction can help educate and inspire readers.
Sources from this episode:
Hogwarts After Dark: Consent, Kink, and Queerness in Harry Potter Fanfiction
Recording
Resources
The annotated spreadsheet
Rae's website
smitten's a bad look on me by arrowsandbows
stuck in the seams by spudcity
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
42 min
January 07So You Wanna Write a Fanfic: Tips and Tricks for Getting Started
Join Emily and Vee as they discuss the ins and outs of writing fanfic, including coming up with ideas, choosing a writing platform, and sharing your work online. Plus, Emily shares her latest fandom adventures in a little show called Supernatural.
Topics include: Writing, publishing, editing
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon! Have ideas for the pod? Email us at [email protected].
Sources from today's ep:
Literotica
No beta we die like men on Fanlore
Perchance generators
PWP on Fanlore
Drabble on Fanlore
Longfic on Fanlore
Work in Progress on Fanlore
Scrivener
Ellipsus
Proton
Beta on Fanlore
Formatting on Ao3
Tagging guide by mostlyinthemorning
Congressional Candidate Kat Abughazaleh on Parable of the Sower, and Her Love of Sci-Fi by James Folta
We asked listeners on Bluesky for their suggestions about starting to write fic. You can find those here!
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design.
1 hr 4 min

About Mind the Tags

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to Mind the Tags, where we talk about the history and evolution of fanfiction. Join Emily and Vee as they dive into a new fanfiction topic each episode and interview authors, researchers, journalists, and fans.