The Rec Center #172
Happy Friday! This week we have multifandom fanfic, Gritty fanart (!!), Game of Thrones fandom coverage, an excellent fan theory about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more. — Gav
new stuff
“How black ‘Game of Thrones’ fans made #DemThrones more than a hashtag” by Antonia Hylton and Steven Roberts at Vice
“Thrones’ final season is often called the last great communal TV moment, but it’s actually the sum of a lot of communities.” A video story about black GoT fans, from livetweeting to podcasts to IRL meetups.
“The Archive of Our Own is now a Hugo nominee. That’s huge for fanfiction.” by Aja Romano at Vox
“4.7 million fanfics are now Hugo nominees, thanks to AO3 and the transformative culture that built it.”
“Star Wars Celebration is a reminder that fandom is far healthier and more positive than the internet would lead you to believe” by Caroline Cao at Slashfilm
A con report from the latest Star Wars Celebration, highlighting the fact that SW fandom’s infighting is more of a “vocal online minority” problem than a widespread IRL issue.
older stuff
“A 50-year Trekkie bestows Star Trek history upon the next generation: How fandom and fanfiction sparked the galaxy’s most controversial romance” by Alissa Smith at the Colorado Springs Independent
“YOU are the ones shaping the traditions of fandom. You have inherited the kingdom. Bless you for keeping it vibrant, growing, alive. In fifty years, you will be the ones who are remembered for molding it and handing it down to the future. It probably doesn’t feel like [it] now, but you are making history.”
tumblr & beyond
If Catra and Adora from She-Ra had Twitter, by Murrum.
No badfic descriptor can possibly top this.
“what if the teenage mutant ninja turtles exist in the mcu.”
ASTOUNDING fanart of Gritty as My Neighbor Totoro
How the Doctor and the Master from Doctor Who respond to ~gender.
It’s been the week of the Ship Dynamic, and some of these are *chef’s kiss*.
fanfiction
Multi-fandom recs this week! Thank you, as always, to our guest reccers. — Elizabeth
“Tightrope” by YaYaSestrahood. 7.7K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Orphan Black; Ship: M.K./Krystal
Recced by: Nicole
Backstory: Orphan Black is a brilliant show about a group of clones who find each other and then take back their freedom from the organization that created them. This fic is a love story between two of the most unlikely clones—the traumatized hacker and the ditzy manicurist.
Rec: SPOILERS—M.K. does not get a happy ending in the show, and this fic explores a way she could have been happy. The author captures all of the clones perfectly.
Content warning: Clonecest
“Fire in the Mountains” by EllaBesmirched. 167K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia; Ship: Bakugou Katsuki/Todoroki Shouto
Recced by: lishiyo
Backstory: Arranged marriage fic in which the outcast son of King Endeavor, Prince Shouto, volunteers to take his sister’s place as the hostage-bride for a name that is beginning to be whispered far and wide—Bakugou Katsuki, king of the savages, the Barbarian King.
Rec: This is a *beautiful* slow-burn fic that nails Katsuki’s character in a way that doesn’t excuse his bad traits—the violence, the arrogance, the emotional constipation—while showing exactly why people might still like him: because he really, really gives a shit about the shit that matters, like his people. His family. Shouto does tick off some of the “pampered princeling who’s also badass enough to impress the barbarians, if only he weren’t so stuck-up” trope, but underlying all that is the very real trauma of his upbringing, which makes you root for every step he takes out of himself. There’s an ongoing mystery/suspense/political plot and the most satisfying depiction of a poly/harem/multiship I’ve read in fanfic (multiship’s not usually my thing, but the relationships here are so healthy and carefully drawn in the way each pair plays off each other in different ways) and the sexual tension between this rather, uh, emotionally-resistant pair is just *glorious*.
Content warnings: N/A
“Absolute Beginners” by adreadfulidea. 5K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Archie Comics; Ship: Jughead/Reggie
Recced by: R
Backstory: Enjoyable university-set futurefic; the gang’s all graduated, and Jughead and Reggie end up at the same college.
Rec: Funny, clever, moving without being soppy, short without being insubstantial. You really do end up shipping this unlikely pair. The characterisation is all great although Jughead isn’t asexual in this story (I think it predates his establishment as an asexual character in the comics). This is a fanfic based on the comic book series, not the TV show, so those characterisations will not be evident here.
Content warning: Some off-page violence
“10 People Who are Definitely Not Superman” by orphan_account. 9K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Superman; Ship: Lois Lane/Clark Kent
Recced by: NoirShip
Backstory: Buzzfeed AU where Clark is a bumbling intern.
Rec: Answers the age-old question “Seriously? How did no one put that together?” But with 1000% more Twitter.
Content warnings: N/A
“Marry Me a Little” by celaenos. 109K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Jane the Virgin; Ship: Petra Solano/Jane Villanueva
Recced by: poisedtoleap
Backstory: Jane and Petra are often foes and have only recently struck up a friendship based on having the same baby daddy. This story re-imagines canon events if Jane and Petra were in a marriage of convenience that turns into something more.
Rec: I love that this story stays so true to canon while giving a little twist that allows all my dreams to come true. At its heart, it’s about building a family and learning to allow yourself to love and be loved. I also just love the image of Petra and Jane raising their children together.
Content warnings: Some discussion of miscarriages, a character is threatened by an abusive partner
FINAL THOUGHT
One more final thought devoted to the Fansplaining shipping survey, which we closed earlier this week and are now furiously analyzing. The final count: 17,415 responses!!!!! Thank you so much to everyone who took it and shared it, and stay tuned for both the raw data and a lot of analysis. :-D — 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.
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