Newsletter Archive
We didn’t start our newsletter until September 2026, so unfortunately the majority of our back catalog episodes do not have accompanying newsletter features (yet?). We will update their episode pages and their pages here when, and if, they get back-written expanded material. All episode pages feature the original show notes, including sources cited.
Carry On, Fandom’s Wayward Sons
Hunters, get your salt! This week, V and Emily are joined by friend-of-the-pod Heidi Tandy, who calls in from San Diego Comic-Con 2026 to discuss the fandom that spells SDCC for her, and thousands of others in the fannish community: Supernatural. The premiere of the show on the WB (progenitor of The CW) in 2005 changed fandom permanently, in more ways than could possibly be discussed in one hour. But SPN also changed fandom for Heidi, personally, in ways big and small, and we’re delighted to hear all about them from the room where it happened. We dish about LiveJournal’s early rush to create communities, the prevalence of Wincest fanfiction, and how Supernatural’s relationship to its fans evolved over its long run. Supernatural, like the other S-named fandoms before it (Star Trek, Star Wars, and Sherlock Holmes, natch) is a Fandom Of All Time. How many seasons have you watched?
Xena Fandom? Alts and Ubers and Vids, Oh My!
Aiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiyiiii! This week, Emily and V head back to the mid‑90s — the era of dial‑up internet and aggressively pointy shoulderpads — to revisit the rise of Xena: Warrior Princess. It’s hard to overstate how much this show reshaped the fandom landscape: a morally complicated heroine, a narrative built on redemption… and a relationship between two women that sparked decades of essays, fanfic, fanvids, and lovingly chaotic forum debates. The Xenites weren’t just early adopters of online fandom. They were architects of it. Come wander the hills of ancient Greece (New Zealand) with us as we look at how one warrior princess carved out a space that still echoes today.