The Rec Center #162
Hello Rec Center readers! Femslash February continues this week with our first guest list, GingerTodgers with an excellent-looking selection of Harry Potter f/f. We also have some great new fandom articles, including Gav reporting on the return of the citrus fic-rating system, which….is not something I’d been waiting for the return of, but here we are. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“What It Feels Like for a Fangirl in the Age of Late Capitalism” by Keidra Chaney at Uncanny Magazine
On fan/creator interaction, capitalism, marginalized communities, and the evolving relationship between fans and their objects of fandom.
“Tumblr users are tagging their porn with the Citrus Scale” by Gav at the Daily Dot
Back in the 2000s, “lemon” was a slang term for adult-rated fanfic. Now, thanks to Tumblr’s porn ban, the citrus rating system is back, baby!!
older stuff
“The War Against Fandom” by Steve Silberman at Wired
In her Uncanny Magazine essay, Keidra Chaney highlights this piece, more than two decades old now, about the relationships between corporations and fans in the early days of the web. (We last shared it on the 10th anniversary of the OTW, in 2017—not a coincidental choice!)
tumblr & beyond
If you haven’t the joy of learning about why Georgia politician Stacey Abrams is the greatest ever, she:
Watched Doctor Who to unwind before giving the official Democratic response to the State of the Union (and is clearly a fan)
This is what ships who never interacted look like.
Check out the 28 Days of Black Cosplay hashtag here.
“one thing i love about queen is that 80% of the time, they never look like they’re dressed for the same event”
This hand-stitched Dune fanart is incredible.
Pour one out for all the polar researchers whose social media tags are now spammed with Mads Mikkelsen content.
fanfiction
GingerTodgers writes fanfic on AO3, compares Harry Potter characters to condiments on Tumblr, and delivers quality banter on discord.
The Harry Potter fandom still can't get enough of the Boy Who Lived (also know as the Bi Who Lived) but we’re also quite fond of Hermione, Parvati, Lavender, Ginny, Pansy, Fleur, Tonks, Cho, Mcgonagall, Pomfrey, and all the other badass witches J.K. Rowling dreamt up. HP wlw shippers often move between ships and no pairing dominates, though Ginny/Luna and Lavender/Parvati tend to get the most fic.
Art by Banana-ge-ge, commissioned for HP WLW Big Bang 2019
There are regular pushes for more femslash fanworks with fests like Femmefest, HP Femslash minifest, Flonks fest (Fleur/Tonks), and this year we're getting an HP WLW Big Bang! Whittling this list down to only six fics has been torture and I strongly recommend everyone check out the pairings already mentioned (especially Pavender!). These ships aren’t the most popular in the fandom, however all the stories are brilliant and feel like a natural extension of the Harry Potter universe. — GingerTodgers
“Obscure Topography” by montparnasse. 4.8K words, rated Mature.
Ship: Fleur/Tonks
Backstory: Sometimes, Tonks realizes, coming at each other from awkward angles makes you stick, elbows and all.
Rec: This fic does a glorious job of setting up the dynamic between Fleur and Tonks, while keeping their canon characters intact, delivering A+ banter, gorgeous storytelling and gifting us with some background Sirius/Remus.
Content warnings: N/A
“Trust A Few” by violetclarity. 13.2K words, rated Teen.
Ship: Hermione/Pansy
Backstory: Hermione has a pregnant adopted sister, parents who don’t believe she’s bisexual, and a crush the size of the Great Lake on Pansy Parkinson. Taking Pansy up on her offer to be Hermione’s fake date to her parents’ Christmas dinner could solve at least one of those problems...but it could also make everything worse.
Rec: Faking dating! Most femslash fics focus on fleshing out the characters, exploring new dynamics, etc and this fic does do all that but then it does _more_ by serving up an excellent twist on a familiar trope.
Content warnings: bi-erasure, biphobia
“your story's all wrong” by Attila. 5.2K words, rated Teen.
Ship: Cho/Hermione
Backstory: “Well,” Cho says, “my first name’s Ermintrude, so.” “Right,” Hermione says again. “Well, that explains that, then.”
Rec: This was the first femslash fic I read and I reread it at least once a year. Cho was such an interesting character and Attila takes it to another level by giving her a much better Gryffindor love interest and a brilliant backstory.
Content warnings: N/A
“Independent Love Song” by Writcraft. 6.2K words, rated Explicit.
Ship: Ginny/Millicent
Backstory: Millicent Bulstrode is a tailor and Ginny is losing her mind over a woman in a tweed blazer and burgundy brogues.
Rec: Everything Writcraft writes is beautiful fire and this is honestly the most relatable thing I’ve ever read. Ginny decides to wear a suit to Hermione and Ron's wedding, Millicent is a tailor, there’s oodles of sexual tension and this has ended up being one of my favourite Gryffindor/Slytherin ships.
Content warnings: N/A.
“Catching the Snitch” by abluestocking. 5.5K words, rated Gen.
Ship: Ginny/Padma
Backstory: In which a Ministry dinner, a sibling rivalry, and a Quidditch tournament changed the course of Padma Patil's life in a way she never expected.
Rec: A very rare pair fic that made me think about Padma’s character in a whole new way. Ginny as a professional Quidditch player is always a lot of fun and Padma's relationship with her sister makes me wish that they'd at least got more pages in the series, if not their own book.
Content warnings: N/A
“Prepare for the Worst” by aibidil. 1.7K words, rated Teen.
Ship: Minerva McGonagall/Rolanda Hooch
Backstory: The war is in full force, and Minerva McGonagall knows it’s coming for Hogwarts. She’ll be ready.
Rec: The mature female characters in Harry Potter were a complete joy and I love stories that look at what their life might have been like during the war. Here you have McGonagall realising that she needs to get in shape if she's going to kick Death Eater arse, and Hooch cheering her on <3
Content warnings: N/A.
FINAL THOUGHT
I’m taking over both the start and end of this week’s newsletter to do a little self-promotion: Fansplaining, the podcast I host with Flourish Klink, has a brand-new website! All of our 100+ episodes—with audio, transcripts, and show notes—are there, as well as our articles, projects, and various ways to listen to the podcast. Flourish did a ton of work getting it set up, so if you’re a fan of the show, please check it out! — Elizabeth
Have a favorite one-off rec? Please send it our way! We’ll use it in a future list. Other fanworks—comics, vids, zines, 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)