Fansplaining
@fansplaining.bsky.social
The podcast—and publication!—by, for, and about fandom. Writing on fan culture published once a month, with 250+ eps of the podcast (currently on hiatus) in our back catalog!
fansplaining.com // patreon.com/fansplaining // https://ko-fi.com/fansplaining
fansplaining.com // patreon.com/fansplaining // https://ko-fi.com/fansplaining
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Reclaiming the Mary Sue — Fansplaining
Mary Sues are literary tools like any other. My new comic, Mary Sue, interrogates the continued bias against these characters—and brings one life.
www.fansplaining.com
Our October piece is live! 💞 @megfitz89.bsky.social writes about MARY SUE, her indie comic about a fanfic writer for a CWesque vampire show whose Mary Sue character comes to life.
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
Reposted by Fansplaining
hehehe ☺️
We're putting the finishing touches on our November piece: @mossheadlives.bsky.social on fandom text-based roleplaying and gender exploration! ✨ (Plus: Here's a sneak peak of the gorgeous art we commissioned for the piece by @thebeanbaguette.bsky.social.) Out this coming Wednesday!
November 18, 2025 at 1:05 AM
hehehe ☺️
Reposted by Fansplaining
being illustrated for rocks. so excited for this piece to meet the world!!! <3
We're putting the finishing touches on our November piece: @mossheadlives.bsky.social on fandom text-based roleplaying and gender exploration! ✨ (Plus: Here's a sneak peak of the gorgeous art we commissioned for the piece by @thebeanbaguette.bsky.social.) Out this coming Wednesday!
November 17, 2025 at 6:59 PM
being illustrated for rocks. so excited for this piece to meet the world!!! <3
We're putting the finishing touches on our November piece: @mossheadlives.bsky.social on fandom text-based roleplaying and gender exploration! ✨ (Plus: Here's a sneak peak of the gorgeous art we commissioned for the piece by @thebeanbaguette.bsky.social.) Out this coming Wednesday!
November 17, 2025 at 6:58 PM
We're putting the finishing touches on our November piece: @mossheadlives.bsky.social on fandom text-based roleplaying and gender exploration! ✨ (Plus: Here's a sneak peak of the gorgeous art we commissioned for the piece by @thebeanbaguette.bsky.social.) Out this coming Wednesday!
In our latest piece, @megfitz89.bsky.social discusses her new indie comic, MARY SUE, and the evolving conversation around the Mary Sues more broadly.
Read the essay or listen to an audio version—and check out a sneak peak of the first issue of the comic: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
Read the essay or listen to an audio version—and check out a sneak peak of the first issue of the comic: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
November 3, 2025 at 6:26 PM
In our latest piece, @megfitz89.bsky.social discusses her new indie comic, MARY SUE, and the evolving conversation around the Mary Sues more broadly.
Read the essay or listen to an audio version—and check out a sneak peak of the first issue of the comic: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
Read the essay or listen to an audio version—and check out a sneak peak of the first issue of the comic: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
Reposted by Fansplaining
(absolutely obsessed with issue 1 of this and i'm not even a real comics person, highly recommended)
“I found writing Mary Sues a way to give me the courage I needed to tell a story, to explore themes I was working through, in the safe space of a fictional world I loved.”
@megfitz89.bsky.social writes about her new comic, MARY SUE, “a love letter to fandom”: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
@megfitz89.bsky.social writes about her new comic, MARY SUE, “a love letter to fandom”: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
October 31, 2025 at 9:01 PM
(absolutely obsessed with issue 1 of this and i'm not even a real comics person, highly recommended)
“I found writing Mary Sues a way to give me the courage I needed to tell a story, to explore themes I was working through, in the safe space of a fictional world I loved.”
@megfitz89.bsky.social writes about her new comic, MARY SUE, “a love letter to fandom”: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
@megfitz89.bsky.social writes about her new comic, MARY SUE, “a love letter to fandom”: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
October 30, 2025 at 3:07 PM
“I found writing Mary Sues a way to give me the courage I needed to tell a story, to explore themes I was working through, in the safe space of a fictional world I loved.”
@megfitz89.bsky.social writes about her new comic, MARY SUE, “a love letter to fandom”: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
@megfitz89.bsky.social writes about her new comic, MARY SUE, “a love letter to fandom”: www.fansplaining.com/articles/rec...
Reposted by Fansplaining
When I initially talked to @megfitz89.bsky.social at SDCC about promoting Mary Sue when it came out, I thought, "You are going to write something for me." 😈 I'm so pleased to be able to run this essay & excerpts from the (fantastic!!) first issue. A work about fic fandom from a fic fandom person!!
Our October piece is live! 💞 @megfitz89.bsky.social writes about MARY SUE, her indie comic about a fanfic writer for a CWesque vampire show whose Mary Sue character comes to life.
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
Reclaiming the Mary Sue — Fansplaining
Mary Sues are literary tools like any other. My new comic, Mary Sue, interrogates the continued bias against these characters—and brings one life.
www.fansplaining.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
When I initially talked to @megfitz89.bsky.social at SDCC about promoting Mary Sue when it came out, I thought, "You are going to write something for me." 😈 I'm so pleased to be able to run this essay & excerpts from the (fantastic!!) first issue. A work about fic fandom from a fic fandom person!!
Reposted by Fansplaining
Trigger warning -- I talk about some of the death threats I've gotten in the past, and how those death threats led to writing Mary Sue. (starting with the death threat I tell at parties bc it makes me laugh)
ALSO, if you haven't read it yet, the end of the piece links to an extended preview!
ALSO, if you haven't read it yet, the end of the piece links to an extended preview!
Our October piece is live! 💞 @megfitz89.bsky.social writes about MARY SUE, her indie comic about a fanfic writer for a CWesque vampire show whose Mary Sue character comes to life.
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
Reclaiming the Mary Sue — Fansplaining
Mary Sues are literary tools like any other. My new comic, Mary Sue, interrogates the continued bias against these characters—and brings one life.
www.fansplaining.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Trigger warning -- I talk about some of the death threats I've gotten in the past, and how those death threats led to writing Mary Sue. (starting with the death threat I tell at parties bc it makes me laugh)
ALSO, if you haven't read it yet, the end of the piece links to an extended preview!
ALSO, if you haven't read it yet, the end of the piece links to an extended preview!
Our October piece is live! 💞 @megfitz89.bsky.social writes about MARY SUE, her indie comic about a fanfic writer for a CWesque vampire show whose Mary Sue character comes to life.
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
Reclaiming the Mary Sue — Fansplaining
Mary Sues are literary tools like any other. My new comic, Mary Sue, interrogates the continued bias against these characters—and brings one life.
www.fansplaining.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Our October piece is live! 💞 @megfitz89.bsky.social writes about MARY SUE, her indie comic about a fanfic writer for a CWesque vampire show whose Mary Sue character comes to life.
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
This piece is part essay about Mary Sues, part excerpt from the first issue. Read or listen to a full audio version:
Reposted by Fansplaining
when someone gives you the chance to actually make good on your IN THIS ESSAY I WILL threat, you take them up on it.
We're putting the finishing touches on our October piece, an essay from @megfitz89.bsky.social (who's written for DC Comics, Supernatural, and many other fan-favorite properties) about her new indie comic, Mary Sue, which is—you guessed it—about a fic writer! It'll be out on Wednesday! ✨
October 27, 2025 at 7:06 PM
when someone gives you the chance to actually make good on your IN THIS ESSAY I WILL threat, you take them up on it.
We're putting the finishing touches on our October piece, an essay from @megfitz89.bsky.social (who's written for DC Comics, Supernatural, and many other fan-favorite properties) about her new indie comic, Mary Sue, which is—you guessed it—about a fic writer! It'll be out on Wednesday! ✨
October 27, 2025 at 6:56 PM
We're putting the finishing touches on our October piece, an essay from @megfitz89.bsky.social (who's written for DC Comics, Supernatural, and many other fan-favorite properties) about her new indie comic, Mary Sue, which is—you guessed it—about a fic writer! It'll be out on Wednesday! ✨
Reposted by Fansplaining
This is today! ✨
It's been FOREVER since I've been to New York Comic-Con, so I was very pleased when I was asked to be on a panel this year! If you'll be there, please put this one on your calendar. 🥰
October 12, 2025 at 1:51 PM
This is today! ✨
Congratulations!! 😍😍😍
(Meghan was a Fansplaining SDCC 2025 panelist—and she’s the author of our October piece! She’ll be diving into her experience writing Mary Sue in an essay with excerpted images, though don’t wait til that’s out to get yourself a copy!)
(Meghan was a Fansplaining SDCC 2025 panelist—and she’s the author of our October piece! She’ll be diving into her experience writing Mary Sue in an essay with excerpted images, though don’t wait til that’s out to get yourself a copy!)
💗 Happy Mary Sue Day 🧛🏻♀️
This is a love letter to fandom, to those who stay up late reading fic, who still argue for your favorite ship, who found themselves in stories.
Art: @lisasterle.bsky.social
Colors: @dearbhlala.bsky.social + @angienessyo.bsky.social
Letters: @longtalljodie.com
This is a love letter to fandom, to those who stay up late reading fic, who still argue for your favorite ship, who found themselves in stories.
Art: @lisasterle.bsky.social
Colors: @dearbhlala.bsky.social + @angienessyo.bsky.social
Letters: @longtalljodie.com
October 8, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Congratulations!! 😍😍😍
(Meghan was a Fansplaining SDCC 2025 panelist—and she’s the author of our October piece! She’ll be diving into her experience writing Mary Sue in an essay with excerpted images, though don’t wait til that’s out to get yourself a copy!)
(Meghan was a Fansplaining SDCC 2025 panelist—and she’s the author of our October piece! She’ll be diving into her experience writing Mary Sue in an essay with excerpted images, though don’t wait til that’s out to get yourself a copy!)
Reposted by Fansplaining
Yes! I recorded the article too which was a lot of fun (in between my cat trying to sabotage the project)
Your weekend read! 💓 @bookshop.bsky.social digs into the complicated intersections between the skyrocketing Kpop Demon Hunters fandom vs the (real) K-pop industry & fans.
As always, if you prefer listening, we've got a full audio version along with the text! www.fansplaining.com/articles/kpo...
As always, if you prefer listening, we've got a full audio version along with the text! www.fansplaining.com/articles/kpo...
September 26, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Yes! I recorded the article too which was a lot of fun (in between my cat trying to sabotage the project)
Your weekend read! 💓 @bookshop.bsky.social digs into the complicated intersections between the skyrocketing Kpop Demon Hunters fandom vs the (real) K-pop industry & fans.
As always, if you prefer listening, we've got a full audio version along with the text! www.fansplaining.com/articles/kpo...
As always, if you prefer listening, we've got a full audio version along with the text! www.fansplaining.com/articles/kpo...
September 26, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Your weekend read! 💓 @bookshop.bsky.social digs into the complicated intersections between the skyrocketing Kpop Demon Hunters fandom vs the (real) K-pop industry & fans.
As always, if you prefer listening, we've got a full audio version along with the text! www.fansplaining.com/articles/kpo...
As always, if you prefer listening, we've got a full audio version along with the text! www.fansplaining.com/articles/kpo...
Reposted by Fansplaining
It's been FOREVER since I've been to New York Comic-Con, so I was very pleased when I was asked to be on a panel this year! If you'll be there, please put this one on your calendar. 🥰
September 25, 2025 at 3:48 PM
It's been FOREVER since I've been to New York Comic-Con, so I was very pleased when I was asked to be on a panel this year! If you'll be there, please put this one on your calendar. 🥰
"If no one expected KPDH to take over the latter half of 2025, does that mean it’s a game-changer for K-pop as a whole, or a fluke that has nothing to do with the broader K-pop fandom?"
In our latest, @bookshop.bsky.social explores the wild success of Kpop Demon Hunters—and what it means for K-pop:
In our latest, @bookshop.bsky.social explores the wild success of Kpop Demon Hunters—and what it means for K-pop:
K-Pop’s Demons, Real and Fictional — Fansplaining
Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters has seen massive mainstream success in the U.S. What does that mean for real K-pop artists and their fans?
www.fansplaining.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:13 PM
"If no one expected KPDH to take over the latter half of 2025, does that mean it’s a game-changer for K-pop as a whole, or a fluke that has nothing to do with the broader K-pop fandom?"
In our latest, @bookshop.bsky.social explores the wild success of Kpop Demon Hunters—and what it means for K-pop:
In our latest, @bookshop.bsky.social explores the wild success of Kpop Demon Hunters—and what it means for K-pop:
Reposted by Fansplaining
Why yes, I did respond to @bookshop.bsky.social's news about no longer being at Vox with a) a great deal of sympathy and support b) a very loud WOULD YOU WRITE FOR ME. 😅 I'm thrilled to publish such sharp reporting on these complicated fandom intersections—all editors should do the same!
Our September piece is live! 💞 @bookshop.bsky.social digs into the smash success of Kpop Demon Hunters, the complicated state of the K-pop industry, and why, despite media narratives, the fictional and real streams of K-pop might not actually be crossing.
Read or listen to a full audio version:
Read or listen to a full audio version:
K-Pop’s Demons, Real and Fictional — Fansplaining
Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters has seen massive mainstream success in the U.S. What does that mean for real K-pop artists and their fans?
www.fansplaining.com
September 24, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Why yes, I did respond to @bookshop.bsky.social's news about no longer being at Vox with a) a great deal of sympathy and support b) a very loud WOULD YOU WRITE FOR ME. 😅 I'm thrilled to publish such sharp reporting on these complicated fandom intersections—all editors should do the same!
Reposted by Fansplaining
it was so nice to write about K-pop and about fandom again! 🩷
Our September piece is live! 💞 @bookshop.bsky.social digs into the smash success of Kpop Demon Hunters, the complicated state of the K-pop industry, and why, despite media narratives, the fictional and real streams of K-pop might not actually be crossing.
Read or listen to a full audio version:
Read or listen to a full audio version:
K-Pop’s Demons, Real and Fictional — Fansplaining
Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters has seen massive mainstream success in the U.S. What does that mean for real K-pop artists and their fans?
www.fansplaining.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:50 PM
it was so nice to write about K-pop and about fandom again! 🩷
Our September piece is live! 💞 @bookshop.bsky.social digs into the smash success of Kpop Demon Hunters, the complicated state of the K-pop industry, and why, despite media narratives, the fictional and real streams of K-pop might not actually be crossing.
Read or listen to a full audio version:
Read or listen to a full audio version:
K-Pop’s Demons, Real and Fictional — Fansplaining
Netflix's KPop Demon Hunters has seen massive mainstream success in the U.S. What does that mean for real K-pop artists and their fans?
www.fansplaining.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Our September piece is live! 💞 @bookshop.bsky.social digs into the smash success of Kpop Demon Hunters, the complicated state of the K-pop industry, and why, despite media narratives, the fictional and real streams of K-pop might not actually be crossing.
Read or listen to a full audio version:
Read or listen to a full audio version:
Reposted by Fansplaining
everyone should read Tessa's @fansplaining.bsky.social essay! It's so so so so good and gets deeply into the nitty-gritty of writing original fiction and IP fiction and fanfiction. You will love it.
Since quotes are going around from @readingtheend.bsky.social's excellent @reactorsff.bsky.social piece today, here's the full essay I wrote last month on fandom, trad publishing, IP, and navigating it all from a more personal perspective:
"Power doesn’t care about joy. Ultimately, it only cares about value, which means money. Trad publishing loves fanfic right now because it sees dollar signs instead of kudos."
In our new piece, @tessagratton.bsky.social tackles the messy intersections between pro entertainment and fans right now:
In our new piece, @tessagratton.bsky.social tackles the messy intersections between pro entertainment and fans right now:
September 23, 2025 at 9:04 PM
everyone should read Tessa's @fansplaining.bsky.social essay! It's so so so so good and gets deeply into the nitty-gritty of writing original fiction and IP fiction and fanfiction. You will love it.
Reposted by Fansplaining
Since quotes are going around from @readingtheend.bsky.social's excellent @reactorsff.bsky.social piece today, here's the full essay I wrote last month on fandom, trad publishing, IP, and navigating it all from a more personal perspective:
"Power doesn’t care about joy. Ultimately, it only cares about value, which means money. Trad publishing loves fanfic right now because it sees dollar signs instead of kudos."
In our new piece, @tessagratton.bsky.social tackles the messy intersections between pro entertainment and fans right now:
In our new piece, @tessagratton.bsky.social tackles the messy intersections between pro entertainment and fans right now:
The Fan, the Pro, and the Spaces In Between — Fansplaining
Writing for Star Wars challenges me to interrogate fandom power dynamics—and figure out where I fall in a rapidly shifting landscape.
www.fansplaining.com
September 23, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Since quotes are going around from @readingtheend.bsky.social's excellent @reactorsff.bsky.social piece today, here's the full essay I wrote last month on fandom, trad publishing, IP, and navigating it all from a more personal perspective:
Reposted by Fansplaining
Yaaaay! (Free agent sounds so sexy lol) (hire me)
We're putting the finishing touches on our September piece, which is out tomorrow from (now free agent!!! hire them!!!) @bookshop.bsky.social on....you guessed it: K-Pop Demon Hunters!* And its intersections (or lack thereof) with K-pop fandom itself.
September 23, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Yaaaay! (Free agent sounds so sexy lol) (hire me)
We're putting the finishing touches on our September piece, which is out tomorrow from (now free agent!!! hire them!!!) @bookshop.bsky.social on....you guessed it: K-Pop Demon Hunters!* And its intersections (or lack thereof) with K-pop fandom itself.
September 23, 2025 at 3:58 PM
We're putting the finishing touches on our September piece, which is out tomorrow from (now free agent!!! hire them!!!) @bookshop.bsky.social on....you guessed it: K-Pop Demon Hunters!* And its intersections (or lack thereof) with K-pop fandom itself.
Reposted by Fansplaining
"In the case of several recent and forthcoming trad published books openly connected to the Dramione fandom, it reasserts the value of canon created by a heinous TERF, directly funding an anti-trans agenda that gets real kids killed."
PREACH
PREACH
"Power doesn’t care about joy. Ultimately, it only cares about value, which means money. Trad publishing loves fanfic right now because it sees dollar signs instead of kudos."
In our new piece, @tessagratton.bsky.social tackles the messy intersections between pro entertainment and fans right now:
In our new piece, @tessagratton.bsky.social tackles the messy intersections between pro entertainment and fans right now:
The Fan, the Pro, and the Spaces In Between — Fansplaining
Writing for Star Wars challenges me to interrogate fandom power dynamics—and figure out where I fall in a rapidly shifting landscape.
www.fansplaining.com
August 29, 2025 at 6:34 PM
"In the case of several recent and forthcoming trad published books openly connected to the Dramione fandom, it reasserts the value of canon created by a heinous TERF, directly funding an anti-trans agenda that gets real kids killed."
PREACH
PREACH