The Rec Center #115
Hello! This week we have some Ready Player One ~commentary (/roasting), info about both the Hugos (we’re eligible) and our recent Black Sails podcast, and a multi-fandom list of canon-divergent AUs, a true fanfiction staple. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“Reddit and the Struggle to Detoxify the Internet” by Andrew Marantz at The New Yorker
This isn’t specifically about fandom, but many of us lead most of our fandom lives on these platforms—and problems we have in fandom can be partly due to their dynamics and structure. A must-read not just about Reddit, but about social media on a whole.
“Why the internet is so ready to hate ‘Ready Player One’” by Gav at the Daily Dot
A look at the pre-emptive backlash toward Ready Player One, and how the book and film have come to represent toxic fanboy culture.
“Survey Results: Fan Platform Use over Time” by Casey Fiesler
If you participated in Casey Fiesler and Brianna Dym’s survey about fandom platform use over time that we advertised last week, you were lucky to get in in time—they got so many responses that they had to halt data collection! They’ve published some of the initial results, hopefully with more to come.
older stuff
“What TV Can Learn From ‘The 100’ Mess” by Mo Ryan at Variety
This week marks two years since this piece; h/t to Ryan herself: the Variety TV critic who has tirelessly covered the topic highlighted this a few days ago.
tumblr & beyond
Erik Killmonger gif art by Dri.
‘The only Tolkien spin-off I want now is an Uruk-Hai who had a religious experience when he saw the Ents marching on Isengard, lived through the fight, and threw himself at Treebeard’s feet crying “TEACH ME TO BE A TREE!”’
If you’re interested in fan studies, be sure to check out the Society for Cinema and Media Studies’ annual conference hashtag from the past few days.
“Is Mamma Mia! is a lost Shakespeare comedy/romance?”
Some very important thoughts on Carmen Sandiego/Where’s Waldo shipping, by spatscolombo.
fanfiction
This week we have a hallmark of fanfiction (and one of my favorite tropes, by far): canon-divergent AUs. Thanks, as always, to all of our guest reccers. — Elizabeth
“Just Between Series” by G.L.Dartt: Author’s website // links to epub and mobi versions of the collected series. Unknown length (the ebook is around 2M words, but also includes stories from a related series), rated Explicit.
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager; Ship: Janeway/Seven
Recced by: AurumCalendula
Backstory: Epic canon-divergent series focusing on Janeway and Seven’s relationship. It consists of 50 stories and is divided into five virtual seasons.
Rec: I love watching Janeway and Seven’s relationship develop, and I love epic stories (which seems to more difficult to find with femslash).
Content warnings: N/A
“this ain’t a love song” by museaway. 33K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Dean/Castiel
Recced by: Sallylockharts
Backstory: An end!verse story, set in the post-apocalyptic AU world introduced in episode 5x04, “The End.” Instead of dying like in the episode, Sam, Cas, and Dean survive and kill the devil. Now what? This story is written from Cas’ pov as he struggles with addiction, his messed up relationship with Dean, and how to live in a world that’s largely been destroyed.
Rec: Even though it’s incredibly angsty, I have a real weak spot for end!verse Dean/Castiel stories, and this is the best one out there. It takes all the pain and horror the episode sets up, and tries to make a happy ending for the characters we love despite it all.
Content warnings: Drug addiction (as seen in the episode), canon type violence
“He Who Pours Out Vengeance” by Underground. 148K words, rated Teen/Mature.
Fandom: Hannibal; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Aasta
Backstory: So this was written way back in the hiatus between S1 and S2 as a sort of what-if imagining of what S2. So now it’s a canon divergent AU of S2 where Will didn’t get out of the mental hospital quite as ~easily~ as he does in canon.
Rec: I first read this fic way back in 2013 when it was first published during the hiatus and it still sticks with me all these years later. I am really picky with Hannibal fic because the show is SO GOOD that I find it really difficult to find good fanfic that keeps the general tone and feel of the show. This fic meets all of my standards, it’s beautifully written and captures everything I love about Hannibal, especially the terrible codependent and mutually destructive relationship between Will and Hannibal. It’s a fic I read a lot when I’m feeling depressed about the fact there is no more Hannibal, because it captures the show so well.
Content warnings: Standard Hannibal Warnings: cannibalism, graphic violence, murder, a lot of emotional manipulation, non-consensual drug use
“In Good Company” by weialala. 199K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Naruto; Ship: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Recced by: clearlykero
Backstory: If you’re into anime at all, you probably know at least the premise of Naruto and its ninja villages via fandom osmosis. This is a fic exploring an alternate path where Sasuke goes back to Konoha of his own volition, Orochimaru’s dead body in tow. Also, he can suddenly see dead people.
Rec: I come back to this story over and over, even though series is a WIP and I usually don’t read those. As it is right now, it stops at a good enough place that you can leave it at that and not read future updates. But I adore Sasuke in this, and how achingly spot-on weialala is with their portrayal of his depression. Particularly lovely is his relationship with Kakashi, which is oddly enough something I miss in other Naruto fiction.
Content warnings: Depression, canon-typical violence
“Maggie Fitzgerald and the Saltwater Drip” by antistar_e (kaikamahine). 80K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Amazing Spiderman; Ship: Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy
Recced by: anon
Backstory: “Google politely tells her there are no poisonous spiders in Manhattan. Judging by her symptoms—fever, superstrength, newfound desire to shove herself into small dark spaces, and sudden reputation as a masked vigilante—Gwen would beg to differ.” [Spider!Gwen AU.]
Rec: Give this author the next Spiderman screenplay, because I would have loved to have seen this story—a genuinely original take on the Spiderman mythos—explored on screen. Well written and laugh-out-loud funny at parts, this remains my absolute favourite fic in the whole fandom.
Content warnings: N/A
“A Store of Happiness” by coyotesuspect.10K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ship: Remus/Sirius
Recced by: Elizabeth
Backstory: Set immediately post-POA, Sirius gets a trial, Peter is sent to Azkaban, and Harry spends the summer at Remus’s cottage. Like the books, it’s told through Harry’s limited-POV.
Rec: Very grateful to have new R/S here in the Year of our Lord 2K18. This story’s totally lovely, hits a lot of classic notes, and combines a few things I’m into: outsider-perspective, ship-wise, plus Harry’s relative myopathy about the interpersonal relationships of those around him. (I especially love the logical knots he ties himself in when he’s wondering if they’re together, it’s peak Well-Meaning 13-Year-Old Trying to Figure Things Out.)
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
We’re eligible for a Hugo Award in the Fanzine category! If you’re able to nominate us, we’d be honored. :) Nominations close tonight (Friday) at 11.59pm PST, and anyone who bought a ticket or a supporting membership for Worldcon 2017/18/19 can attend.
I’m also eligible in the Fan Writer category, and both of our podcasts (Fansplaining and Overinvested) are eligible for Best Fancast.
If you still have gaps in your nomination form (or know someone who needs recommendations, there’s a public Google spreadsheet of eligible people/works in every category. — Gav
FINAL FINAL THOUGHT
Our friend Natasha and I recently came on Overinvested to talk about the most important possible thing, BLACK SAILS!!! Specifically, and perhaps even more importantly, THOMAS HAMILTON!!! Our TH discourse was so passionate that listener fivefingons was inspired to draw fanart afterwards!
You can listen here, and if you, too, feel inspired to draw Thomas Hamilton fanart, I will be eternally grateful. — Elizabeth
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)