Mind the Tags

By mindthetagsofficialTV & Film Leisure Fiction Hobbies

Mind the Tags episodes

December 08, 2025Interview with Lauren Rouse: Fandom Researcher
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Dr. Lauren Rouse, fandom researcher and co-author of "Quantifying fandom: Identity, romance, and platform preferences on archive of our own." Dr. Rouse discusses the findings from the article, their research interests around disability and fandom, and how fanfiction and fandom have inspired their scholarship journey.
Sources from this episode:
Quantifying fandom: Identity, romance, and platform preferences on archive of our own by Lauren Rouse and Mel Stanfill
Texts and Technology program at the University of Central Florida
Transformative Works and Cultures journal
Survey Results: Demographics by centreoftheselights
Disability, Literature, Genre: Representation and Affect in Contemporary Fiction by Ria Cheyne
The Paratext of Fan Fiction by Maria Lindgren Leavenworth
Dr. Sami Schalk's website
Check out Dr. Rouse's bio here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
30 min
November 13, 2025Trope There It Is: Story Themes in Fic and Beyond
Join Emily and Vee as they open the freezer to uncover the origins of "dead dove, do not eat" and embark on a journey through tropes old and new. Plus, what is "whump," and why did Emily think it was spelled with an "f" at the end until looking it up for the purposes of this episode?
Topics include: Tropes, literatures, movies, stories
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Sources from today's ep:
Dead Dove, Do Not Eat on Fanlore
Trope on Wikipedia
TVTropes.org
The Princess Bride on TV Tropes
Will You Make a Suitable Bride for Oscar Isaac on Clickhole
The Kissing Game by veeagainst
Whump on Fanlore
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
45 min
October 27, 2025 Interview with TJ Klune: NYT Bestselling Author and Fanfic Stan
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview author TJ Klune. We chat with TJ about his fanfiction journey, the power of fiction to change our world, and his fervent love of the "only one bed" trope.

Sources from this episode:
TJ's books
Cackling "only one bed" goats

Check out TJ's bio here.
50 min
October 09, 2025Got Filk? The Wondrous World of Fandom Music
Join Emily and Vee as they explore filk (you read that right!) and the limitless possibilities of fandom music. Be sure to listen to the end of the episode for a filk by the hosts themselves!
Topics include: Filk, music, folk music, sci-fi, fantasy
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Sources from today's ep:
Meta on Fanlore
What is Filk? on Interfilk
What is Filk? Panel Discussion from DragonCon
The Pegasus Awards website
Wizard Rock on Fanlore
Monsterfuckers AƧSEMBLE: an AᗺBA tribute album
Fable Fiesta writing prompt generator
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
50 min
September 22, 2025 Interview with Freya Marske: Romance and Fantasy Author
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview author Freya Marske. We chat with Freya about her history of writing fanfiction, the fandoms that shaped her, and the emerging popularity of sapphic romance and fantasy.

Sources from this episode:
Freya's Ao3
A Marvellous Light by Freya Marske (first in the Last Binding trilogy)
Gaywyck by Vincent Virga
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden
All Fours by Miranda July
Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Check out Freya's bio here.
55 min
September 02, 2025I Want to Believe: The Limitless Possibilities of Fanon
Join Emily and Vee as they dive into the world of fanon and the ways in which fans interpret and transform the stories they love. Vee describes their three categories of fanon, and Emily climbs up on her perennial soapbox about her OTP. Both hosts challenge JJ Abrams to join the pod and DEFEND HIS HONOR.
Topics include: Fanon, Star Wars, Star Trek, shipping, yaoi, yuri
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Sources from today's ep:
Yaoi on Fanlore
Yuri on Fanlore
Why Magic, Dragons and Explicit Sex Are in Bookstores Everywhere by Alexandra Alter
Fanon on Fanlore
The Flop House podcast
New essay on midrash and fanworks by Velveteen Rabbi
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
52 min
August 06, 2025Interview with Marc Greenberg, Esq.: Fandom Law Scholar
On this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Marc Greenberg, Esq., a practicing attorney with an expertise in intellectual property and entertainment law. We discuss Marc's experience representing creators and researching the legal implications of fanworks in the United States, the ongoing challenge of AI in the creative space, and his surprising rendezvous with Carlos Santana.
Sources from this episode:
Acafan on Fanlore
Copyright on Fanlore
Copyright registration portal
Ao3 Terms of Service
Fair Use on Fanlore
Cariou vs. Prince case
Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith:
Axanar has settled its lawsuit with Paramount over its Star Trek fan film by Andrew Liptak
'Monkey Selfie' Lawsuit Ends With Settlement Between PETA, Photographer by Jason Slotkin
Marc's books:
Fandom and the Law
Comic Art, Creativity and the Law
Copyright Termination and Recapture Laws: Good Intentions Gone Awry
Check out Marc's bio here.
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
Check out the Mind the Tags Patreon here.
1 hr 1 min
July 10, 2025Ready or Knot: Our Deep Dive into the Omegaverse
Join Emily and Vee as they explore the fascinating world of the omegaverse, including its common tropes and origin in Supernatural real person fanfiction (RPF). Emily discusses some of the motivations authors have shared for writing omegaverse fics, and both Emily and Vee wax poetic about the magical time that was 2010.
Topics include: Omegaverse, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, Supernatural, inaccurate wolf science
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Sources from today's ep:
[Data] The 100 most popular tags on AO3 in 2024 by batcat229
Alpha/Beta/Omega on Fanlore
a (very necessary) deep dive into the omegaverse by Rowan Ellis
The Unofficial Guide to the Omegaverse by Velvelyami
Starbucks Slick Recipe
Who Invented the Omegaverse Anyway? by Cherry
Supernatural kink meme from 2010
I ain't no lady, but you'd be the tramp. by tehdirtiestsock (thatotherperv)
Omegaverse Litigation on Fanlore
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
50 min
June 17, 2025Interview with Tara: Novelist and Fanfic Author
In this episode of Mind the Tags, Vee and Emily interview Tara, a novelist and fanfiction writer. In this interview, we discuss similarities and differences between writing for traditional publication and for fandom. We also chat with Tara about their fandom journey, including their entree into fanfic-writing through Our Flag Means Death.
Fics mentioned in this episode:
Prove It by KnivesInFeet
Old Bae Season by nomadsland
not pickles by smallestchurch
In Favor with their Stars by mxmollusca
fast car by smallestchurch
Books mentioned in this episode:
The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow
The Favorites by Layne Fargo
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
50 min
May 30, 2025The Hippogriff in the Room: The Harry Potter Problem
Join Emily and Vee as they tackle how Harry Potter fic writers have responded to J.K. Rowling's public shift to transphobia in recent years. Vee shares their own experiences as a Harry Potter fic writer, and Emily adds some unasked-for attacks on long-dead composer Richard Wagner.
Topics include: Orphaning fics, the relationship between creators and fic, and fond memories of wizarding childhoods
Want to support Mind the Tags? Sign up for our Patreon!
Content warning: this episode discusses transphobia
Sources from today's ep:
Emily's Gritty/Phanatic slash fic
Guide to Beta Reading by theirprofoundbond
A timeline of JK Rowling's anti-trans shift by Brendan Morrow
Top UK court says definition of woman based on biological sex, excludes transgender people by Brian Melley, Jill Lawless, and Sylvia Hui
Transmissions: JK Rowling and the outdated, dangerous trope by Gwendolyn Ann Smith
Thank you to Erik Potteiger for producing our song and Haflacky for our logo design. Thank you Ollie for editing our sound!
51 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.