Fic Clique

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.  

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 

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.

Minisode: Books & Fanfiction

In this minisode, your fearless hosts reflect on our own personal reading trends, books that may have started as fics, and offer some bespoke book recommendations for lovers of certain fics we've brought to the pod! Let's read, baby!

97: “Schrodinger's Happiness”

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Upside Down," by redbrickrose (Inside Out) @16:07, "Thick as Thieves," by robotboy (Black Sails) @42:21, and "sinking/synching," by radicchio (SVT RPF) @1:07:40.

Reflections on personhood are at the core of this episode, with fics that consider what it means to be at the wheel of your own identity, how far you can or cannot stray from a predestined narrative, and refractions of ambition as a means of character work. 

96: “Two Flesh, One End”

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "the goosekeeper game," by offlight (The Untamed) @18:19, "Mercy and Augustine's Cake Simulator!," by reconditarmonia (The Locked Tomb) @47:39, and "suppose you are returning," by desmodus (Fire Emblem Three Houses) @1:16:18.

Grab your controllers and get ready to lock in because Reid's birthday episode this year is all about video games. In the intersection of interactive fiction and video game canon itself, we found rich narratives that traverse genres and create potential for some true magic.

95: “The Connections are Connecting”

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Wittenberg Days," by norah (Hamlet) @14:08, "bend and sway," by tciddaemina (Legend of Zelda) @41:33, and "Empress of Sand and Water," by Sheeana (Dune) @1:09:17.

Ficlets, we heard your delight at our previous Dune June episode and your clamors for more, and we are here to deliver! This time around we tried to pick fics a little more connected to our source material, with overlapping themes of destiny, power, and the role of fate.

94: “We Understand Media in a Way You Never Could”

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "And Harder Still to Make Noise," by sophiahelix (The Office) @18:13, "Death Insurance," by Nimori (Discworld) @47:45, and "a romantic fool," by spqr (Challengers Movie) @1:11:09.

The sun is out, summer is here, and Fic Clique pod is bringing you three hot and fresh fic discussions to enjoy. The relationships in these stories encompass a wide array of dynamics; from quiet loneliness, to mutually beneficial gain, to something both sexy and a little messed up.

93: There Was Only One Fandom: The Untamed

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "most times a wish," by impossibletruths (The Untamed) @17:41, "the red dark shifting," by typefortydeductions (The Untamed) @45:38, and "蓝色生死恋; a blue love (to live and to die for)," by yiqie (The Untamed) @1:14:01.

We are once again introducing a new series to the pod, and as you may have realized it involves bringing three fics for the same fandom! We're starting this series with a focus on The Untamed. In these works we found common throughlines of grief, the things you can no longer hide from one another, and the infallible truth that Wangxian invented love.

Alternate titles include: "Whoops! All Wangxian," "Repression and Undying Devotion," and "Rolling in the Mud For 1,000 Years"

92: “That Man is a Killer! ... UwU”

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "take the hidden paths that run (towards the moon or to the sun)," by erroneous_hedgehog (Wayward Children Series, Chronicles of Narnia) @ 8:43, "we could jump the state lines (we only get the one life)," by notcaycepollard (Captain America) @ 35:14, and "home is an anchor," by Marks (Sk8 the Infinity) @ 1:08:09.

Travel with us along the many varied paths of fanfiction, as we voyage through discussions of the things you lose in childhood, avenues for characterization from fragmented canon, and setting as a means to reframe interpersonal dynamics.