The Rec Center #211
Hello, all! This week we have some interesting research on fic writing cultures, our usual mix of tumblr & twitter stuff, and Gav has blessed me by including a photo of my OTP proposing on the red carpet (I mean, also giving us a deeply embargo-compliant statement about the upcoming Star Trek series Picard). — Elizabeth
new stuff
“What I learned from studying billions of words of online fan fiction” by Cecilia Aragon at MIT Technology Review
Researchers at the University of Washington have been doing really interesting work analyzing commenting culture and the way fic writers learn from each other on fanfiction.net.
“Why fans are so obsessed with finding conspiratorial explanations for bad movies” by Gav at the Daily Dot
An early draft of The Rise of Skywalker leaked online this week, prompting fans to wonder if that version would’ve been “better” than the final cut. This post explains why the situation is much more complicated than that, examining why fandom is so determined to believe there’s some secret masterpiece hiding inside every blockbuster mess.
older stuff
“Star Trek, transgender & the Final Frontier” in Transgender Tapestry magazine, Summer 1997
Found via Isaac R. Fellman on Twitter, this article (written by influential Star Trek fan Bjo Trimble) is a great look at how certain fandom conversations—for instance, about trans themes in Star Trek—have been been happening for much longer than some younger fans may think. Jadzia Dax from Star Trek: Deep Space 9 was the cover model for this transgender magazine more than 20 years ago.
tumblr & beyond
“when i was 12 i made flyers for my fanfiction and handed them out at a train station”
Anakin vs Obi-Wan: the earbuds vs airpods debate.
Yes hello? This is the fanfic trope helpline.
Gotta respect this kind of Dad Tweet from a legend like Billie Dee Williams.
Since the new Batman is filming in Glasgow….
Please enjoy this compendium of pulp sci-fi novels written (or co-written) by vintage Star Trek actors. Some real winners in here, folks!
fanfiction
We have a grab-bag of multi-fandom fic this week—and thanks, as always, to our guest reccers! — Elizabeth
“Zucchini” by betts. 11K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: The 100; Ship: Bellamy/Clarke
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Bellamy and Clarke are one of the most common pairings, as the ultimate friends to lovers ship. This fic uses their dynamic to tenderly and sensitively explore a queerplatonic relationship and coming to terms with asexuality.
Rec: This is a nuanced, well written exploration of asexuality and different kinds of love, using one of the most popular friends to lovers ships
Content warning: Body image issues
“Don’t Tell Me There’s No Hope At All/ Together We Stand, Divided We Fall” by Straight_Outta_Hobbiton. 60K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Stranger Things; Ship: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Recced by: Nicole
Backstory: In between seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things, the fandom wrote dozens of fic redeeming Billy Hargrove, the town’s resident bad boy. This fic does it the best.
Rec: This story does a beautiful job of showing Billy’s anger and the ways that a real support system can change someone (featuring all of the show’s great side characters.) The romance between Billy and Steve is slow and sweet, and takes the backseat to Billy finding a new family.
Content warnings: Recreational drug use, underage prostitution, child abuse, domestic violence
“Life in the Twenty-First Century” by aces. 4K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Leverage; Ship: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Recced by: Shortylaw
Backstory: Leverage is about a team—a thief, a grifter, a hacker, a hitter and a mastermind—who use their skills to fight corporate and governmental injustice inflicted on ordinary citizens. It subverts all the stereotypes about these characters, and is some of the best fun you can have with your clothes on.
Rec: This fic is about the hacker (geek), Hardison, his adventures in fandom and how they made him the man he is today. Leverage finishes with a canon OT3—Hardison/Parker/Eliot—and this fic is a lovely exploration of how this came to pass.
Content warnings: N/A
“shameless” by y02mustang. 5K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Kim Possible; Ship: Kim Possible/Shego
Recced by: Katrina
Backstory: This is a take on the show where Kim’s kinda sorta been crushing on Shego the whole team, and the whole gang is very supportive of it.
Rec: This story’s really cute and endearing, and the voices of each character feel really authentic. There’s also some pretty funny jokes scattered throughout.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Lost Kings” series by bomberqueen17. 174K words across 12 works, WIP for the series, but not ending on a cliffhanger, rated Mature/Explicit.
Fandom: Star Wars; Ship: Shara Bey/Kes Dameron
Recced by: gloriousclio
Backstory: This is the first ~year or so~ in the relationship between Kes Dameron and Shara Bey, how they met, how Poe came to be.
Rec: The love story is incredible, but the worldbuilding is what really knocked me over. The backstory that was created for Kes is honestly some of the best work I’ve seen in a long time.
Content warnings: She’s good about tags, but torture/ptsd, a lot of violence (Kes is a Pathfinder in the Rebellion, and is tortured by the Empire), there’s some very realistic farm stuff too
And a vid!
“Do My Thing” by absternr. 3:13, rated Gen.
Fandom: Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Clever Manka
Backstory: Character explorations of Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy.
Rec: Fantastic song choice and perfect beats/timing.
Content warnings: Please be aware of flashing lights and colors
FINAL THOUGHT
Sending my love and support to all the Star Trek fans this week, as we wait with baited breath for Star Trek: Picard! I’ll be reviewing & recapping it for the Daily Dot, but it’s currently under embargo so I’m afraid I can’t so much as give you all a meaningful hand signal. However: STAR TREK!! A uniquely exciting revival!! The series premieres next Thursday, so in the meantime here’s a very sweet photo of Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (who isn’t actually in the show) at London’s Picard premiere. — 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.
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