The Rec Center #167
Happy Omegaverse Lawsuit Week, everyone! (If you haven’t been blessed with the knowledge of this case, please see the links below, and enjoy). We’ve got some great fandomy articles, our regular batch of Tumblr & Twitter posts, plus a grab-bag of fics from Star Wars, Alien, the MCU, Elementary, and more. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“How an App for Gamers Went Mainstream” by Taylor Lorenz at The Atlantic
On Discord, and fan/creator interaction on the platform.
“Fantasy’s Widow: The Fight Over The Legacy Of Dungeons & Dragons” by Cecilia D’Anastasio at Kotaku
A fantastic longread on Gail Gygax, the widow of Gary Gygax, who created D&D.
“Why Netflix’s One Day at a Time Cancellation Feels Like a Betrayal” by Kathryn VanArendonk at Vulture
“This was the all but inevitable result of a social media strategy aimed at turning a multi-billion-dollar media company into your Online Friend.”
The Omegaverse lawsuit
This week’s wildest fandom news story has GOT to be the Omegaverse lawsuit, which involves a romance novelist (kind of) claiming to have invented the A/B/O genre, in order to level a copyright claim at another romance writer. Courtney Milan’s Twitter thread is a quick intro to this mesmerizing scenario (can you imagine explaining A/B/O to your lawyer in this level of detail??), and there’s a whole website dedicated to the case, plus with a great long legal analysis from Earlgreytea68.
In other news, we wanted to include a ~thematic rec list of Omegaverse fic this week, but despite the fact that you guys send in an AMAZING volume of recommendations, there is... a mysterious lack of A/B/O fic. We assume this is because everyone is just too embarrassed to rec it, even though it’s clearly a phenomenally popular subgenre. So if anyone wants to step up to the plate and do a rec list of their own, please feel free! — Gav
older stuff
“Barthes, Austen and the internet” by Michael Saler at The TLS
On the history of literary fandom, and when characters began to supplant their authors in the minds of readers: “authors began to relate to their fans not as demigods but as first among equals.”
tumblr & beyond
The only good use for Trello, ever: mapping out Starfleet Command’s schedule.
Lord of the Rings is a v realistic depiction of a group project.
Luv this behind-the-scenes clip of Skrulls dancing on the Captain Marvel set.
fanfiction
A multi-fandom grab-bag this week! Thank you to all of our guest reccers. — Elizabeth
“Team The Best Team” by neveralarch. 5.7K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Elementary; Ship: Marcus/Alfredo/Ms. Hudson
Recced by: Blythe
Backstory: The entire setup is that Sherlock has hot friends and introducing them to each other means they end up dating.
Rec: It’s very cute and funny and in-character. (At least in-character for the time that I watched Elementary.)
Content warnings: They’re in the note at the beginning
“Ghost in the Wires” by sororexitium. 48K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: MCU; Ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Recced by: Gryvon
Backstory: When Steve moves into Avengers mansion he is caught up in strange coincidences. He walks behind an unseen ghost, who leaves empty spaces all around the manor. It doesn’t make sense until he meets Anthony, a computer simulation programmed by Anthony Stark—who died two years ago.
Rec: I love this take on what could have happened to Tony after he was kidnapped. I’m a sucker for Tony as the damsel in distress.
Content warnings: N/A
“World Enough and Time” by Avelera. 10K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: The Expanse; Ship: Julie Mao/Joe Miller
Recced by: Kate
Backstory: The Expanse is a TV series set in a future where humanity has colonised the Solar System. Julie and Miller are two people who come from vastly different backgrounds but end up connected in some way; this fic imagines what life could have been like for them on different worlds.
Rec: Julie and Miller didn’t really get a chance in the show canon, and I think this is a beautifully bittersweet exploration of how things could have worked out for them if the Universe had just been a little kinder.
Content warnings: N/A
“Killing Elvis” by David Hines (hradzka). 8K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Alien; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Greywatch
Backstory: The scientists at Weyland-Yutani exchange emails about the xenomorph. They have to figure out how to do taxidermy on a species with acid blood—shenanigans ensue.
Rec: It’s really funny, and I didn’t think I would be roaring at a couple of OCs trying to science-talk their way through how to mount and stuff a xenomorph, but it surprised me!
Content warning: Non-graphic descriptions of animal death/dismemberment
“Berries and Cream and Gavin’s Grace” by Kyriadamorte. 1K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Star Wars; Ship: Leia Organa/Amilyn Holdo
Recced by: fredfinch
Backstory: Last Jedi compliant.
Rec: Coming out of The Last Jedi, I just wanted some good Leia/Holdo. What can I say, I’m a sucker for a tragic romance! This is my favourite so far. I found myself in tears at the ending—Kyriadamorte used wonderful phrasing that really makes the loss feel real. Their friendship, the support, and the strength of these two comes through so well.
Content warnings: N/A
“you’re my cherry pie” by novembersmith. 9.3K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Venom; Ship: Eddie Brock/Venom Symbiote
Recced by: Clever Manka
Backstory: Venom is confused about Eddie’s suggestion that they have sex.
Rec: Any story that makes me honestly-for-real laugh out loud *and* delivers the hot sex needs to be seen by as many people as possible. I really appreciated the author’s take on Venom’s personality, too.
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
If you would like to hear both of us speak at the same time—on Captain Marvel, the MCU, the film industry’s relationship with the U.S. Department of Defense, audience expectations around franchises, and a film none of us have seen in full in which Cameron Diaz is...intimate with a car—you’re in luck, because Gav joined Flourish and I for our most recent patrons-only Fansplaining episode. If you’re an Overinvested patron, you are ALSO in luck, because they’ve made it available on their feed as well. :-) — Elizabeth
FINAL FINAL THOUGHT
Hugo nominations close today! If you’re able to nominate (ie. if you’re a Worldcon attendee) then please consider nominating the Rec Center in the fanzine category. Both of our podcasts (Overinvested and Fansplaining) are also eligible for Fancast, and I’m eligible for Fan Writer.
If you’re stuck on what to nominate in other categories, I highly recommend Renay’s annual spreadsheet of eligible works and creators. — Gav
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)