Minisode 32: Xena Fanfiction

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, it’s a bard’s tale! Vera, Katie, and Livy have their quills out and ready for Minisode 32: Xena Fanfiction. First we discuss our own fanfic histories as both readers and writers, and unpack the vital role fanfiction plays in fandom. Then we dive into Xena fic: its evolution as the show aired; its many genres and subgenres including alt, gen, Uber, Conqueror, and FIN fix-its, and the profound effects fanfic had on the TV show’s production, the lesbian erotica publishing industry, and on the Xena fan community itself. Plus: Vera doesn’t read, the fourth wall, why long fics are so popular, femslash vs. male/male slash, Livy’s sandcastle, Vivian Darkbloom’s sense of humor, and Missy Good’s fadeouts!

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Minisode 31: Coming Out of the Corset

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, care to join us for a Clandestine Glove Lunch? Vera, Katie, and Livy are pining and yearning in Minisode 31: Coming Out of the Corset, a discussion of Hollywood’s hottest new genre: Lesbian Period Dramas! We take five recent examples: The Handmaiden, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Ammonite, The Favourite, and Carol, and explore their similarities in structure, tone, symbols, and themes, as we wrestle with some burning questions like, why are these women always so sad and cold? Plus: the provocative sex scene setpieces that have become a genre staple, the female gaze and how it shifts when queer women are involved in front of and behind the camera, and the failures of this new genre to depict a full range of historial lesbian experiences. Plus: squid sex, the gift of Rachel Weisz, and Patricia Highsmith’s snail collection!

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Minisode 30: Whoosh.org!

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, what’s that sound? It’s Minisode 30: Whoosh.org! Vera, Katie, and Livy talk about the sprawling Xena website central to the fandom when the show was airing, and which continues to be an information hub today for fans both old and new. We discuss our own experiences using Whoosh.org to research our podcasts, and we also share the experiences of Whoosh webmistress Kym Taborn, who has seen everything there is to see in Xena fandom! Plus: the breadth and balance of the articles in the Journal of the International Association of Xena Studies, the cast and crew’s reaction to Whoosh.org, the website’s legacy, and how fandom has changed since the days of centralized fan communities. Where would we be without Whoosh?!

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Minisode 29: Wonder Woman

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, the world of men do not deserve her! Break out your Lasso of Truth for Minisode 29: Wonder Woman. Vera, Katie, and Livy are talking about both of director Patty Jenkins’s big screen takes: Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. We discuss the original film’s unique WWI setting, its mythic depiction of Amazons and their secret island of Themyscira, and the character-driven storytelling so rare in a superhero film. Then we move on to WW84, debating whether its about-face into ‘80s romp was the right play, just how creepy was that Steve Trevor plot, and oh what could have been with Barbara Minerva. Plus: wedge heels nooooo, horse stunts yessss, the femslash vibes of early dinner, American-issued bag!, Vera always wants more Athena, and just what is with these movies’ obsession with Elf?

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Minisode 28: Sorry Buffy, Xena Did It First!

This week on XENA: WARRIOR PODCAST, she saved the (known) world a lot! This week, Vera, Katie, and Livy return to Sunnydale in Minisode 28: Sorry Buffy, Xena Did It First! We explore the many thematic elements shared by these two series in an attempt to solve the ultimate mystery: was Joss Whedon watching Xena and just how much stuff did he steal from it? Our evidence includes: Faith as Buffy’s dark mirror much like Callisto is Xena’s, Ares and Spike as reformed baddies in leather pants, shockingly dark musical episodes!, body swapping with your nemesis resulting in your nemesis having an identity crisis, It’s a Wonderful Life AUs, many years ago flashbacks with a morally dubious ex, deaths and resurrections, Sapphic body art, Sapphic levitation, just Sappho in general. Also: doppelgangers? fandom drama?? and character development??? Look, we know some of these are reaching, but hear us out!

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