The Rec Center #142
Hi folks! This week we’re here with video game fanfic recs, a coming-out story, some beautiful Black Sails fanart, and more. — Gav
new stuff
“How Fanfiction Helped Me Come Out” by Briana Lawrence at SyFyWire
“I didn't really have many examples of queer content in 2001—especially as a black woman. But when it came to fanfiction? Queerness was everywhere around me.”
“‘Control Your Emotions, Potter’: An Analysis of Grief Policing on Facebook in Response to Celebrity Death” by Katie Z. Gach
An excerpt from a paper on social media grief in celebrity fandom that will be given at an upcoming academic conference. Especially if you’re interested in the way social media platforms themselves mediate and shape fandom.
older stuff
“The Promise and Potential of Fan Fiction” by Stephanie Burt at The New Yorker
“No clearer path from new writers to potentially interested readers has existed in the history of civilization.”
tumblr & beyond
Gorgeous Black Sails fanart by liviladoodles
“Last night my friends threw another party where everyone had to prepare a 3 minute lecture on something they were passionate about.”
Party Rock Anthem has the same BPM as the Evangelion Opening :(
Please treasure this photo of Mads Mikkelsen meeting C-3PO.
extremely cursed TV Tropes detail.
fanfiction
This past month we’ve been asking for volunteers to write explainers and rec lists for video game fandoms, something we’ve long wanted more of in The Rec Center. We got a great response—we’ll have several in the coming weeks—and in the meantime, we’ve got a multi-fandom games rec list! Thank you to everyone who sent in a rec. <3 — Elizabeth
“and all their leaves will wither” by Ravensta. 9K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Detroit: Become Human; Ship: Gen
Recced by: key
Backstory: The game follows three different main characters: Connor, Markus, and Kara. But the most interesting story is Connor’s, an android made to hunt other androids who has been assigned a human partner, Hank, who is kind of a disaster of a person but ends up invested in Connor despite himself.
Rec: This is a really good exploration of the potential relationship between Hank and Connor both during the game and in its aftermath.
Content warnings: N/A
“It Could Be Worse” by AnonymousTF2er. 59K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Team Fortress 2; Ship: Sniper/Spy
Recced by: anon
Backstory: There’s always been an obvious pairing in Sniper and Spy, being so opposite in personality and methods, and opposites attract. ;)
Rec: Sniper/Spy is my jam, and I saved this especially to read again and again, as I love their banter and I feel it got their personalities quite right.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Soul Has Bandaged Moments” by insideofadog. 151K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition; Ship: Female Inquisitor/Cullen Rutherford
Recced by: knowallthethings
Backstory: One of the ongoing antagonisms in the Dragon Age universe is the conflict between mages—those who are born with magic, which is Bad—and templars—those who guard, imprison, and sometimes kill magic users who are seen as a threat. This story follows a romance between a mage who has suffered at the hands of templars for most of her adult life, and a templar trying to atone for the past wrongs he has committed against mages.
Rec: First of all, it's told in epistolary format, using letters and journal entries from the two romantic leads as well as journal entries from other characters to flesh out how the relationship looks from the outside. The two characters start out as civil, both hyper-aware of how mage/templar relationships almost never end well, and the way they work through the inherent conflict in their relationship to become closer is well-done and swoon-worthy.
Content warnings: Some (canon-typical) descriptions of past violence and torture
“The Virulent” by fadeaccompli. 34K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Sunless Sea; Ship: Gen
Recced by: shadowkeeper
Backstory: A game where you play a zee(sea) captain exploring the underzee, uncovering beguiling islands, encountering zee monsters, and meeting new characters, all of whom have mysterious histories.
Rec: This is an absolutely amazing choose-your-own adventure fic where you, a zee captain, set out on your ship to explore. You don’t even have to play the game to appreciate the gorgeous moody unrolling world the story presents.
Content warnings: N/A
“Pull Up, Pick Up” by tanyart. 2K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Assassin’s Creed; Ship: Altair/Malik
Recced by: Brig
Backstory: Malik and Altair don't get much interaction together in canon aside from snarky banter, but they have one of those “we're the only two that survived this traumatic event” bonds. Altair is an overconfident protagonist who unintentionally caused extreme personal harm to Malik and his family, and while Malik is still his ally, they have a complicated relationship. Malik is the intelligent one and the strategist, Altair is the ‘let’s jump off a high rooftop’ guy.
Rec: A short and adorable modern AU about McDonalds drive-thru adventures. Yes, that's right.
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
Have a great weekend! And thanks again to our video game fandom guest reccers!
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.
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