This Week In Fandom History

Welcome to another episode of the TWIFH special miniseries podcast, CONstruction: How to Throw A Fan Convention. Each month, V will catch up with John @jarrow, the logistics guy with all the spreadsheets and contracts for TGI Femslash, about, well, how to throw a successful fan convention. If you've ever thought, "It sure would be fun to spend the weekend with other people talking about my blorbo" but didn't know where to start, John has the knowledge and is willing to share it. This month, we're 6 months away from the next TGI Femslash in-person con, ONE WEEK AWAY from the very first TGIF/F Virtual Con -- make sure you get your passes! -- and only ONE DAY away from the Faberrycon Reunion!
If you have any questions for John about TGI Femslash or about the logistics behind planning a convention, you can send them to him via the TWIFH inbox on our Tumblr!
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

No pithy exclamation this week, because we are too angry. While #Gamergate easily warrants an entire long-form investigative podcast all on its own, Emily did a fantastic job condensing it down to one infuriating hour for V. We look at both the surface and underlying reasons behind the reactionary far-right gamer movement, as well as its continuing fallout and the ways that it has irrevocably changed the entire modern world. For the worse. It's a bummer episode, folks. (Head over to the new CONstruction if you want an uplift after listening!)
On a happier note, we're starting a newsletter! Head over to http://www.thisweekinfandomhistory.com to sign up for behind-the-scenes content, episode-thematic fic recs, and extended show notes every Monday starting August 31, 2026! (And send us your fic recs for Xena, Supernatural, Dan & Phil, and Mean Girls!)
Sources
Fanlore: Gamergate
History of Gamergate: Death of a Gamer
TIME
Substack: plaguearist Does Gamergate
CNN
NY Times
GameDeveloper.com
Promo
Virtual TGIF/F - Our friends at TGI Femslash have just announced a brand-new, online fan con happening this summer. On August 29–30, Virtual TGIF/F will bring femslash fans from around the world together for discussion panels, online events, and more. Registration opens June 1st. Find out more at tgifemslash.com/virtualcon
Two Thousand and Late - TWO THOUSAND AND LATE is a new fiction podcast from the creator of ​​The Bright Sessions - a dark comedy that grapples with the havoc of our current moment and tries to find the hope inside of it. In the 10-episode first season, we follow Harper, a thirty-six year old nihilist whose life is upended when she’s possessed by a demon hell-bent on bringing about the apocalypse. Harper doesn’t want to end the world, but the demon gives her more power than she’s had in her life in a long time. In a world where so many people abuse their power, will Harper be any different? Blending sharp satire with genre flair and wickedly lovable antiheroes, Two Thousand and Late is ideal for fans of Fleabag, Killing Eve, The Craft, Jennifer’s Body, Yellowjackets, True Blood, and Venom. It’s a potent cocktail of feminist rage, queer power, and supernatural mischief. It’s unapologetically angry, surprisingly tender, and deeply entertaining. For more information, visit http://www.harperandhavoc.com.
Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.

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What happened to your shirt?! This week, V and Emily indulge in talking about one of their favorite MCU films -- and the most handsome star of the Marvel Cinematic Universe -- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and its star, Simu Liu. Did you know that this film/character does not even have a Fanlore page, which is a TRAVESTY? Listen as we make a case for everyone to hop on board the Shang-Chi train and start including Shang-Chi, Katy, and Xialing in their fanworks before Doomsday comes to doom us all. Plus, critiques of the handling of the "Multiverse Saga" (or lack thereof) and our case for Kevin Feige to guest on TWIFH. #kevinfeigeontwifh2026
Sources
i got a past, but it's present tense by paperclipbitch
Wikipedia: MCU
Wikipedia: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Fanlore: MCU
Simu Liu on Dish Granted
Promo
Virtual TGIF/F - Our friends at TGI Femslash have just announced a brand-new, online fan con happening this summer. On August 29–30, Virtual TGIF/F will bring femslash fans from around the world together for discussion panels, online events, and more. Registration opens June 1st. Find out more at tgifemslash.com/virtualcon
Dragons in the Details - Dragons in the Details is the podcast that helps YOU better understand your favorite books. We never recap chapters—we find new insights, make new connections, and give you those WOW moments you love. WARNING: Once you hear these theories, you can't unhear them. Join Abby and Ronnie as we laugh, cry, and lose our minds diving deep into the internet's favorite stories!
Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.
This Week In Fandom History is a fandom-centric podcast that tells you… what happened this week in fandom history!
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Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead! This week, TWIFH is delighted to bring you a special preview episode of Lez Hang Out, the #1 lesbian hangout podcast and a super-fun listen for fans of fandom. Our good friend -- and CONstruction co-host, @jarrow from TGIF/F! -- is their expert guest on this episode, a deep dive into the batshittery of Pretty Little Liars. Check out what they have to say, and listen to our episode over on the Lez Hang Out feed, too!
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This week, Leigh (@lshfoster) and Ellie (@elliebrigida) hang out with return guest and founder of TGI Femslash, John Arrow (@jarrow272), to talk about the 7 season teen mystery drama, Pretty Little Liars, for this Lez-ssentials episode, a recurring segment on the essential movies and TV shows in the lesbian canon.
Come with us on a journey back to 2010, when television seasons were 26 episodes long and showrunners were just starting to figure out how to harness the power of social media to engage with fandoms in a big way. Pretty Little Liars itself does not age all that well in many ways, especially in the treatment of their one and only trans character; but back in the 2010s it was actually considered pretty progressive for having several queer characters and a lesbian showrunner.
If you were queer or questioning in the early aughts you 1000% knew about Shay Mitchell as sporty lesbian Emily Fields who seemingly turned every woman within a 5 mile radius of her gay. If you are a lesbian of a certain age, Emily likely played a role in your own coming out journey too.
For those of you who were part of the #BooRadleyVanCullen (like Leigh), you may recall more of the social fandom experience than you do the plot. Before Twitter became the cesspool it is today, there were the golden days of weekly live tweeted episodes of PLL with the cast members, the showrunner and the writers. The extremely unhinged plot made it the perfect group-viewing show and we highly recommend that if you have never watched PLL, you watch with a friend or three. While we do talk about a lot of the major plot points, the whole series is just too convoluted for us to really spoil anything for you. Even hardcore fans like John find something new in each rewatch.
At the end of the episode, stick around to hear our original song based on PLL, titled “A Liar”, written by Leigh Holmes Foster and produced by Ellie Brigida.
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#StreamBTSDynamiteNewSong! This week, V and Emily head back to the days of quarantine to look at an event that is... sigh. It showcases the culture differences between pre-2020 fandom and post-2020 fandom, Twitter fandom and the lineage of Livejournal-originated fandom, and corporate internet versus free internet. When fans take it upon themselves to become de facto employees for their blorbos, are they still acting out of fandom or does it become purely parasocial? Is there a difference? What is the line between self-interested fandom and selfish fandom? Plus, why -- yet again -- AO3 is different from other sites, and why those differences matter. We're very nervous putting this episode out. We've been told repeatedly not to cover BTS or we'll get yelled at. Please don't yell at us, we did our best!!1! #JIMIN!
Sources
Fanlore: BTS vs. AO3
Fanlore: Kpop Stan Twitter
Kpop Army Battle Royale by Geoff Golberg
Fanlore: BTS ARMY
Fanlore: How BTS Became...
Fanlore: BTS
Time Magazine
Fandom Exile
Reading the Room: The Magicians, BTS, and the Responsibility of Creating Popular Culture
Promo
Virtual TGIF/F - Our friends at TGI Femslash have just announced a brand-new, online fan con happening this summer. On August 29–30, Virtual TGIF/F will bring femslash fans from around the world together for discussion panels, online events, and more. Registration opens June 1st. Find out more at tgifemslash.com/virtualcon
Dragons in the Details - Dragons in the Details is the podcast that helps YOU better understand your favorite books. We never recap chapters—we find new insights, make new connections, and give you those WOW moments you love. WARNING: Once you hear these theories, you can't unhear them. Join Abby and Ronnie as we laugh, cry, and lose our minds diving deep into the internet's favorite stories!
Aim High Brooch Designs - For 25% off any order on Aim High Brooch Designs on Etsy, including a custom brooch, bag charm, keychain, or magnet design, use the promo code TWIFH.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.