In our second two-host episode of 2026, hosts Nic and Brenna join forces to discuss the current landscape of the fandom and fanfiction for hit HBO MAX medical drama The Pitt. From major ships to the fragmentation of fandom across different forms of social media to fandom-savvy actors and writers, our conversation covers a lot of ground, including touching on a wide variety of fics! Some of the fics we discuss or just bring up/reference include: 2:00 AM by orphan_account and yet i fight, and yet i fight by a_gathering_of_flowers A Case of the Mondays by SkiLift new dog old tricks by overnights don't call it a comeback by overnights Two-Player by avocadomoon Rejected episode titles (since it IS a minisode and thus has a specific title format) include: Reid's Fired, The Hot Doctor Show, The People Want Blood and Bruises, Pitt Stop, and A Hell Yeah For Toxic Yuri.

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss “and so my heart beats wildly,” by lily_winterwood (MDZS).  You thought Olympics season was over? Think again. We're always ready to talk about sports narratives on the pod and boy do we dig into some meaty ones here. Are you interested in how sports can be akin to martyrdom, and how an athlete's responsibility is not to their body but to the game? What about how fiction allows for tidy narrative arcs of redemption that aren't possible with real people? Perhaps how a family's legacy in sport puts the burdensome expectation of perfect representation onto those who follow in its wake? All that and more awaits you in this episode. 

Happy Valentine's Day ficlets! Love is in the air, but perhaps the journey to a happily ever after isn't as straightforward as it seems. As we put some beloved characters through twists and turns on classic tropes, we also examine what it means to bridge the distance between your perception of someone and the reality of them, how sense of place can connect to moments of tension, and our lack of knowledge about the court system. Fics discussed in this episode: "One Last Time," by ElAurian (Ace Attorney), "No Retreat, Baby, No Surrender," by itsnotbleak (Captain America Movies), and "loving this body" by beetlesandstars & kryptonian (Heated Rivalry).  H/N (Host note): Reid's mic was experiencing some difficulties this episode, we apologize for the occasional impact that had on the audio quality.

Fic Clique goes TTRPG in Nic's 2026 birthday episode! Join us as our GM (Nic) leads two intrepid warriors (played by Brenna and Reid) through a variety of settings and tropes on a quest to save AO3 from bad actors and maintain the integrity of fanfiction as a vehicle for even the most unlikely characters to fall in love. We're playing a system so simple it feels wrong to say it's heavily adapted from D&D, but that's technically what's happening here! So whether you're a seasoned TTRPG fan or dipping your toe in for the first time, anyone should be able to jump in, get oriented, and enjoy the hijinks.

All roads lead back to Sidney Crosby in host Brenna's 2026 birthday episode, where we discuss all things hockey! Guest of the pod Em joins us and provides vital information about the current state of hockey — thank you, Em! — as we dive into: material-discursive analysis of masculinity in men's hockey, internalized homophobia, relative degrees of emotional safety as a fan engaging with different iterations on the same sport, generational talent and failure, and what gives rpf the sauce. It's a meaty one, y'all. Fics discussed in this episode: Yekaterinburg Standard Time by sevenfists (Hockey RPF), the art of staying by nightswatch (Check Please!), and love takes miles by corsi (Game Changers Series / Heated Rivalry) We also reference the academic article "What a bust": Character selection and the possibilities of failure in hockey RPF, by Júlia Zen Dariva  and Natália Brauns Cazelgrandi Ferreira, which is open source on the OTW's journal of transformative works and cultures.

Another journey around the sun is coming to a close, and that means Fic Clique is taking a look at the year on a grand scale. Join us as we make predictions for hot 2026 fandoms, list some of our "best of"s, and manifest greatness for the pod in the year to come. Alternate titles for this episode include: "Paid Dust but the Dust Is Delicious," "My Crying Levels Are on the Decline," and "Your Algorithm Terrifies Me."

In 2025's last full-length episode, your hosts brought some hot fics and even hotter takes to the table as we discussed our perspective on what fandoms "hit (or remained in) the zeitgeist" this year. From The Pitt to Arcane to Interview With the Vampire, our conversation led us to discuss topics such as: humor as a cultural indicator the impact of big media companies in an increasingly siloed media landscape the risks of creating progressive media and science fiction as a reflection of social anxieties The fics we discussed this episode were the fifth element (series) by copycat_punisher (The Pitt), love, letting go by theroyalsavage (Arcane), and Cunk on Fangs by beemovieerotica (Cunk on Earth, Interview With the Vampire).  

Welcome one and all to a rousing discussion of a long awaited topic: reader insert fanfiction! In our first ever two-host minisode, Nic and Reid get into the beautiful weeds of different fanfic traditions, degrees of closeness and how POV can mediate your self-concept as a reader, fantasy and (dis)comfort, and communal fic reading experiences that will have you gathering hands with your friends and declaring: We are All Y/N. Alternate titles for this episode include: Put Up Your Messy Buns The Cringe Among the Cringe People Want to Fuck That Skeleton Man My Lesbian Hall Pass

Today's very exciting episode of Fic Clique welcomes author Meghan Fitzmartin as a guest! Listen to us discuss Meghan's upcoming comic, delve into her fandom history and her work as an author, and discuss "Search for the Lost Ones (Guardians of Light)" by fanfiction.net user Jensfire. This was a super fun episode to record with our first guest that wasn't already our friend, and we dove deep into sexism and misogyny in fandom/fanfiction, the stories and fandoms that shaped us in our teenage years, and the importance of horniness in our stories. Meghan's comic Mary Sue is out now in comic book stores and you can find her on Bluesky at megfitz89.bsky.social and on Tumblr at megfitz89.

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Where the Dead Live" by mirabella on dreamwidth (Inception), "three's a crowd" by ctimene (Formula 1 RPF),  "The Seal Song" by Blackeyed_blackeyed (Original Fiction), and "A Cabin in the Woods" by Nightwalker (The Avengers). Four for the price of one! Happy Halloween, Ficlets! Put on your witch hats and Hamlet costumes, because each of these fics is on theme! In this episode we do our best to dissect the question: Why is horror so wildly popular in media as a whole but disproportionately underrepresented in fanfiction? We also explore what makes horror so beloved as a genre in the first place, diving into horror as parable, subversion of expectations, catharsis, social and moral commentary, response to global crisis, queer allegory, and more. 

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Blood in the Moonlight," by rosemeister (Baldur's Gate III).  With one long fic guiding our discussion this episode we packed in everything a person could want: academic texts as references, discussions of the queer as monstrous, breaking of cycles to forge your own path, and a whole lot of extoling the joys of femslash. 

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Dust," by levelone (TAZ Balance) @06:38, "A Game of Two Halves," by stickmarionette (FE3H) @34:32, and "the most remarkable thing about you standing in the doorway is that it’s you," by greatunironic (Stranger Things) @1:00:55.  Ficlets we are so back! Season two of Fic Clique kicks off with us honoring our long journey as a podcast alongside you the listeners, specifically by picking fic recommendations from three different eras of the pod. We dig in to what it is we love about fanfiction that has kept it so near and dear to our hearts for all these years, with some classic tropes to guide our way. 

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "it was dark when i found you," by whimsicalimages (Skyfall) @14:01, "Because it is bitter, and because it is my heart," by kaydeefalls (Inception) @40:30, and "Situation Normal: All Fucked Up," by gyzym (MCU) @1:09:24.  It's another blast from the past as we round out this year's birthday episodes, and this time we examine fandom-wide trends of breaking characters away from their archetypes, raising the stakes in opposite ways to canon, and the tropes we always return home to. 

Summer is soon upon us, and with it comes something new for the pod; your hosts are taking a hiatus beyond our normal summer break. Though we will be leaving for a few months, like any good teacher we've assigned you all some homework in the interim! We promise it's all in good fun though, and we're also leaving you with some media reccomendations, activities, and thoughts about the future of the pod. We'll see you all in the fall with a fresh, fun, and updated version of Fic Clique podcast. 

In our 107th episode, your hosts are back to talk about three baller fics: "primped and polished till you glow with pride" by VagabondDawn (Mulan) @17:30, "A to Z (of the Universe)" by Nope (NASA Visions of the Future Posters) @42:21, and "i'll tell them put me back in it" by yeahitshowed (Agatha All Along) @1:12:36. While this episode has no formal theme, it sure does celebrate women and feminine expressions of desire! Come listen to this femslash-heavy episode as we discuss filial duty, unexpected genre fusions, and fiction as a site for the unveiling of subconscious needs and desires.

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts (re)discuss "The End of All Things," by Telanu (The Devil Wears Prada) @12:15, "Worldwide Lonesome," by loindexter (BTS) @45:42, and "A Cornstalk Fiddle," by notbecauseofvictories (Devil Went Down to Georgia @1:22:09. We are constantly talking about the cyclical nature of things on the podcast, a phenomenon of life from which we are not exempt! Our passion for previous fics discussed on the pod has us re-examining some old favorites in a new light. With distance and some new perspectives we were able to find commonalities through all three fics of sacrifice, inversions of tropes, and expectations of who you're supposed to be.

In today's episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Astronauts" by HawkinsLocal (The Bear) @16:33, "Harder for You, of Course" by pendrecarc (Think of England by KJ Charles) @44:09, and "Hero of Another Story" by Banhus (D&D Honor Among Thieves) @1:12:11. This classic three-fic format episode has no formal theme. It does, however, contain lots of informal passion as we create a beautiful and unique collaborative narrative, debate the mystery genre, and consider diction and detail as functions of POV.

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "Live From New York," by varnes (The Untamed/MDZS). We are back with another longer fic discussion, Ficlets! For your consideration, we present a Saturday Night Live AU full of laughs, heart, petty revenge, and sketches with multiple meanings. Join us as our discussion meanders from considering the premise and casting of each character to an iconic central slowburn romance and beyond. Alternate titles include: "His Angry Eyebrows Bring Flavor," "Gross, Charming, Wonderful, and Disgusting!" "I'm the Anti-Macklemore," and "She Learns How to be Bacon."

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "give me your hand, darling," by Omcree (Critical Role) @12:51, "Competition," by astolat (Game of Thrones) @42:28, and "The Downsides to a Secret Identity," by liodain (DCEU) @1:11:02. In this (slightly belated) Valentine's Day episode, we got granular with our focus and narrowed in on three variations of one romance trope-- [blank] to lovers. Looking at the different permutations let us identify some of the key elements we love most in these types of fics, and what draws us in as individuals. Be you a friend, an enemy, or something in between, there's a path towards love for you in this episode.

In this episode of Fic Clique, your hosts discuss "The fox who can never be caught," by ionthesparrow (Top Gun Movies) @16:41, "Ammurapi, King of Ugarit," by the_alchemist (Late Bronze Age Collapse RPF, Hamlet) @46:32, and "Homecoming," by jellyfisheries (Ocean's Echo) @1:15:16. In this episode, your hosts explore how to navigate complex family relationships, the synchronicty of two tragedies coming together, and what expressions of vulnerability and trust can look like.