The Rec Center #134
Hi folks! With Elizabeth back from her arduous Comic-Con adventures, we’re here with multifandom fanfic recs, some articles about Fortnite and vintage Sailor Moon, and a new AU concept that’s sure to catch on. — Gav
new stuff
“When Anthony Bourdain Went to Narnia” by Helen Rosner at The New Yorker
If you’re a fan of the classic fic “No Reservations: Narnia,” apparently so was Anthony Bourdain! (He was shown the story with the permission of the author) H/t to Andrea!
“The Most Important Video Game on the Planet” by Brian Feldman at NY Mag
A long and v interesting look at how Fortnite became a massive cultural phenomenon.
“We Tried To Uncover The Long-Lost ‘American Sailor Moon’ And Found Something Incredible” by Cecilia D’Anastasio at Kotaku
“After speaking with the dead show’s creator, animator, biggest fans, and haters, I think I have finally uncovered the full history of anime’s white whale.” Another reader h/t: thank you, Orangistae!
“You’re Gonna Love This Franchise” by Elizabeth at Fansplaining
Elizabeth’s dispatches on how corporate media views fandom from San Diego Comic-Con 2K18.
older stuff
“How Fanfiction Makes Us Poor” by cupids bow at The Fan Meta Reader
A provocative piece about women’s art, labor, and capitalism, first published in 2007, republished by the “Fan Meta Reader” in 2014, and very interesting to read more than a decade after it was first written.
tumblr & beyond
The Expanse fanart by tabbystardust
“I can’t believe Mozart died in Infinity War”
“flower shop/tattoo parlor AUs are out and THIS as an AU is in.”
Today in “that’s not how canon works.”
“While leaving SDCC today I witnessed a Mercy rescuing a Reaper who got his cloak caught in the escalator”
fanfiction
Another grab-bag of multifandom fic recs this week! :) — Gav
“Again Again Again” by mnsg. 7.6K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: BTS; Ship: Yoongi/Namjoon
Recced by: blindmouse
Backstory: BTS are a kpop idol group! Yoongi and Namjoon were the first two members to join the group, so their history goes back the longest. This is an AU in which they made a marriage pact when they were young and weird and lonely, and Namjoon drunk-calls Yoongi to bring it up years later.
Rec: This has such lovely characterisation, especially for Namjoon: awkwardly soft and earnest and straightforward. It also has that perfect unspoken kind of pining that reveals itself over the course of the fic.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Changeling” by Annerb. 180K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ship: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley
Recced by: Runawaymarbles
Backstory: Ginny is sorted into Slytherin.
Rec: Incredible universe expansion into Slytherin house, and how Ginny learns to lead others with a slightly more pragmatic/darker edge, becoming a lot more of a strategist and willing to make harder calls. Also a lot of women supporting women in a great way. (This fic changed my life, guys).
Content warnings: Carrows-era torture
“dear true love” by cityboys. 72K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Yuri!!! on Ice; Ship: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Recced by: Sierra
Backstory: Victor is a writer pretending to be on a break; Yuuri is a pianist pretending to not be on a break. They meet, somehow, in the backwaters of Saga Prefecture, Japan.
Rec: I love this AU as I think it perfectly captures the endless frustrations and anxieties that comes with looking at your life (both the good and the bad) and figuring out what to do/where to go next. Repeatedly, I found myself floored at how much some of the author’s lines hit me personally and can only hope that it connects with others just as much.
Content warnings: N/A
“so does this make us both the other woman?” by coalitiongirl. 98K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Once Upon a Time; Ship: SwanQueen (Regina/Emma)
Recced by: Kelsey
Backstory: Once Upon a Time is a fairy tale reimagining where the Evil Queen trapped a bunch of fairy tale people under a curse in a timeless town, destined to be broken by Prince Charming and Snow White’s adult daughter, Emma. SwanQueen is a major pairing in the fandom—they’re enemies who become allies and who are raising a kid together.
Rec: The co-parenting and relationship-building are just wonderful, and the story never forgets the complicated pasts between all the characters.
Content warnings: N/A
“sweet to mouth and low to sigh” by blindmadness. 10K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Demon’s Lexicon - Sarah Rees Brennan; Ships: Mae Crawford/Cynthia "Sin" Davies, Mae Crawford/Nicholas "Nick" Ryves | Hnikarr, Cynthia "Sin" Davies/Alan Ryves
Recced by: Antediluvian
Backstory: Beautiful polyamorous AU epilogue to the trilogy where Mae and Sin end up getting married partly for political reasons and partly because of FEELINGS.
Rec: Funny and sweet and good weight given to each pairing in it.
Content warnings: N/A
And a vid rec!
“Never Wanted To Dance” by Studio Sagittarius. 2:40, rated Teen.
Fandom: Gotham; Ship: Jim Gordon/Everyone
Recced by: falsteloj
Rec: This masterfully edited vid pokes fun at the big overarching theme of the series—nobody can come into contact with Jim Gordon without falling desperately in love (lust...) with him.
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
Thank you to everyone at SDCC who came to the HP panel and/or our Fansplaining meetup last week! It was wonderful to meet everyone, and if we didn’t actually get to say hi, I am a failure and to be fair the line at that bar was very, very long. <3 — 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, explainer, or ship manifesto, 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)