The Rec Center #109
Hello! Welcome to FEMSLASH FEBRUARY. This week we have our first f/f list of the month: fic, vids, and podfic from our submissions. Plus articles on ‘toxic fandom,’ some beautiful Dragon Age fanart, and big developments in Gav’s podcast, “Overinvested.” :-))) — Elizabeth
new stuff
“In 2018, let’s stop pretending abusive fans are ‘passionate’” by Katherine Cross at The Verge
“This C-suite impulse—to never draw a line in the sand and to let the ugliest and loudest voices dictate what fandom should look like—inevitably privileges the bottom line over the more vulnerable people who are harmed by the colliding forces of technology and toxic fandom.”
“Man Prefers Comic Books That Don’t Insert Politics Into Stories About Government-Engineered Agents Of War” The Onion
“I’m tired of simply trying to enjoy escapist stories in which people are tortured and experimented upon at black sites run by authoritarian governments, only to have the creators cram political messages down my throat.” TOO. REAL.
older stuff
“The Harry Potter universe still can’t translate its gay subtext to text. It’s a problem” by Aja Romano at Vox
Why yes, there is a subhead entitled “Dumbledore and the curse of offscreen homosexuality.”
tumblr & beyond
Lavellan/Josephine Dragon Age fanart by rhodaperdition
“everyone on earth gets to stan 1 irredeemable fictional murderboy”
Tolkien’s self-given nickname was.... Jirt?
“can tongues in fanfiction stop fighting each other for dominance, let them come home from war”
fanfiction
Welcome to The Rec Center’s Femslash February 2.0!! If you were a subscriber at this time last year, you’ll remember a full month of f/f lists (if you want to revisit them, week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4). We’re participating in Femslash February again this year, and we need your help! Please send your favorite f/f our way, and if you want to do a whole list, you are STRONGLY encouraged to get in touch. In the meantime, we’ll start things off with a multi-fandom list from our submissions. Thanks to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth
“You can’t put back a petal when it falls from a flower” by zvi. 2.6K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy; Ship: Christina Yang/Meredith Grey
Recced by: fredfinch
Backstory: Grey’s Anatomy is a medical drama that’s been ongoing since 2005. Meredith Grey is a surgical intern at Seattle Grace hospital along with Christina Yang, a prodigy when it comes to heart surgery. They refer to each other as “their person” and are close friends. This fic was actually written for Femslash08! “Cristina gets a haircut. Meredith gets a revelation.”
Rec: Firstly, the idea of Christina Yang with a short haircut is HOT. Secondly, this fic is fluffy and funny! This is such a comfort read for me because it’s so sweet and happy.
Content warnings: N/A
“be yourself my ally” by imperfectcircle. 15K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Wonder Woman; Ship: Etta Candy/Diana (Wonder Woman)
Recced by: Antediluvian
Backstory: Diana invites Etta on a diplomatic mission to Themyscira and on the way they adopt a kitten and fall in love.
Rec: This is a lovely fic full of warmth and wit and accidental animal acquisition and beautifully characterised.
Content warnings: N/A
“i pity the fool (that falls in love with you)” by randomrubix. 11K words, not rated (estimated Teen).
Fandom: Riverdale (CW); Ships: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz (main); Kevin Keller/Fangs Fogarty (minor); Betty Cooper/Archie Andrews (minor); Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge (minor)
Recced by: Pri
Backstory: The fic takes place after the events of episode 2x10 of Riverdale (CW), and explores Cheryl coming to terms with her sexuality and her crush on Toni Topaz, a girl from the Southside with whom she’s shared a pretty antagonistic relationship so far.
Rec: In most fandoms, including ones helmed by a female character (like Buffy), there is rarely any well or even decently-written fanfic exploring a legitimate romantic or sexual relationship between two women. These two characters also have great chemistry and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that whatever’s happened/been hinted at on the show isn’t just queer-baiting.
Content warnings: Alcohol abuse, underage drinking
“Chrysalis” by yuuago. 1.7K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Ex Machina (2015); Ship: Ava/Kyoko
Recced by: antediluvian
Backstory: Kyoko survives. She and Ava find a way to live happily ever after.
Rec: Beautiful prose and lovely hopeful narrative arc.
Content warnings: N/A
Plus a vid!
“Going Down for Real” by Anoel. 2:18, (rated Teen and Up but I’d say higher)
Fandoms: Many; Ships: Also many!
Recced by: yunitsa/pamphilia
Backstory: A multifandom vid featuring a wide spectrum of recent canonical femslash pairings.
Rec: This vid is the perfect starting-point for Femslash February with its exuberant naughtiness and the double/triple entendre of the title: no subtext needed! it’s (and they’re) going down for real!
Content warnings: possible epilepsy triggers (stuttery cuts)
And speaking of multi-fandom femslash...
We got an anon rec for the “Awesome Ladies Podfic Anthology,” and our reccer writes, “This is not a single fic rec but a rec for eight years’ worth of female-centric podfic. Each anthology is something like 10 hours long and the current one is open for submissions. There’s tons of femslash in here. You’re bound to find something you like.”
FINAL THOUGHT
Morgan & I launched a Patreon for our pop culture podcast, Overinvested! We’re offering a bunch of cool rewards like bonus minisodes and the ability to choose future episode topics, for as little as $1 or $3 per month.
The podcast will still be available for free—our Patreon is just a new way to cover production costs. If you haven’t listened before, we discuss a different ~pop culture obsession~ each week, ranging from new movie releases to classics like Casablanca, and the occasional non-movie topic like the Olympics. I recommend new listeners start with our Avatar episode, because What The Fuck is up with that movie?? — Gav
Have a favorite one-off rec? Please send it our way! We’ll use it in a future list. Other fanworks—comics, vids, etc—are strongly encouraged as well. And if you have any interest in doing an entire rec list or explainer, please get in touch! elizabethandgav at gmail dot com.
If you liked this, please share it with your friends! https://thereccenter.substack.com/. And find us on social media: Gav (twitter/tumblr) & Elizabeth (twitter/tumblr)