The Rec Center #214
Hello everyone, and greetings to all our new subscribers! This week we have our usual mix of articles and tumblr posts, but more importantly, it’s the start of Femslash February!! We’ve got a multi-fandom f/f fic rec list, plus fanart for a movie that Gav apparently knows the real name of but I and the rest of Twitter are calling Carol 2: The Caroling. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“All Nerddoms Welcome: The Intergalactic Krewe Of Chewbacchus Parades In New Orleans” by Melissa Block at NPR
Even if you heard this piece about the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus’s crafting and costuming prep on the radio, the article is worth an additional look for the pictures of the interviewees and their work!
“How One Black Cosplayer Is Using Custom Wigs to Make the Scene More Inclusive” by Amanda Mitchell at Allure
“I knew at that moment in order for me to feel comfortable in my cosplay, I needed to have my hair done in a style that better suited what I wanted. So I thought, why not make my own?”
“How Do You Say ‘Quidditch’ in Yiddish?” by Yair Rosenberg at Tablet
“The work of an Indian-American Orthodox Jewish translator, and printed by a publishing house in Sweden, the story behind Harry Potter un der filosofisher shteyn is almost as remarkable as the story it tells.”
older stuff
“Is Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn the Most Divisive Character in Comic-Book History?” by Joanna Robinson in Vanity Fair
With Birds of Prey out this weekend, here’s a pre-Suicide Squad guide to Harley Quinn, and why she resonates so strongly in DC Comics fandom.
“#JusticeForHan: Does ‘Fate of the Furious’ twist betray the ‘Fast and Furious’ family?” by Jen Yamato in the LA Times
Some backstory on the greatest injustice in the Fast & Furious franchise, soon to be righted in the upcoming ninth movie this year. Han (played by Sung Kang) is a fan-favorite character who was killed off in an earlier film, and when the franchise seemingly prioritized his murderer (played by Jason Statham) with his own spinoff franchise, F&F fandom demanded #JusticeForHan.
tumblr & beyond
Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara fanart by Kurokuoska, inspired by recent photos from the set of Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming movie Nightmare Alley.
Vidders and aspiring vidders: this playlist is a great resource.
Time to celebrate the masterful dialogue of the Star Wars prequel trilogy!
Speaking of: “star wars fuckery to english glossary: the reader’s digest version”
The Untitled Goose Game fanwork of the week is a vid with the *perfect* song choice.
H/t to Rec Center reader Abigail Burman for sending us what looks like an *exquisite* coming-out informational pamphlet.
fanfiction
Welcome to Femslash February 2020! We’ll have all f/f lists for the next four issues (as well as some lady-centric fanart), as we’ve done in past Februaries. If you’d like to check out some of last year’s lists, start here. Thank you to everyone who sent in a rec so far, and please, keep them coming! — Elizabeth
“get loved, make more” by allthingsholy. 10K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Lizzie Bennet Diaries; Ship: Lydia Bennet/Gigi Darcy
Recced by: cairophoenix
Backstory: Lydia is Lizzie’s sister, Gigi is Darcy’s sister. They don’t meet in canon, but they should have, because they have a lot in common.
Rec: This fic does more in ten thousand words than some fics do in 50k. I’ve read it dozens of times and I think about it often—it captures something profoundly honest about being young and figuring out who you are and what you want. I love this fic with my entire being.
Content warnings: N/A
“Mourning Becomes Eleanor” by Raven (singlecrow). 1K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: The Good Place; Ship: Eleanor Shellstrop/Tahani Al-Jamil
Recced by: Tal
Backstory: The Good Place is about four humans navigating an afterlife in the eponymous good place, including protagonist/Arizona trash bag Eleanor Shellstrop who has been brought there by mistake, and too-perfect socialite Tahani Al-Jamil, who Eleanor is canonically attracted to.
Rec: I loved The Good Place a lot, but despite Eleanor being canonically attracted to women I don’t think the show always did a great job at addressing her bisexuality. This fic directly addresses that gap, with Eleanor realising she’s bisexual in the afterlife, featuring some experiences on earth that maybe should have made her figure that out sooner.
Content warnings: Internalised biphobia, use of slurs
“This Feeling That Remains” by khazadqueen (ama). 6K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Hobbit; Ship: Dís/Canonical Wife
Recced by: the-bookwyrm
Backstory: Bala moved to the Blue Mountains when she was a hundred, and very quickly fell beard-over-boots in love with the princess of Erebor—and was thoroughly shocked when the feeling appeared to be mutual.
Rec: Dís’s story in canon is so, so tragic, it’s really nice to read something where she’s happy. And Bala is adorable!
Content warning: Misgendering (very brief)
“yours truly” by queen_gee. 11K words, Not Rated.
Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù; Ship: Jiāng Yànlí/Luó “Mián Mián” Qīngyáng
Recced by: Forestofglory
Backstory: This m/m Chinese webnovel has some wonderful female characters who are mostly sidelined or fridged in canon, but I love them and love when people write stories about them.
Rec: Jiang Yanli’s fiancee asks his servant Mian Mian to write love letters for him, but of course they end up falling in love with each other instead. I love epistolary stories and this one is super sweet!
Content warnings: N/A
“wherever you go, there you are” by helvetica_upstart. 10K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Schitt’s Creek; Ship: Stevie Budd/Twyla Sands
Recced by: whetherwoman
Backstory: “Schitt’s Creek” follows the Rose family who lose all their money and end up in the small eponymous town. Stevie is the awkward and self-deprecating motel owner, while Twyla is the cafe waitress with constant cheerful yet hair raising stories about her extended family.
Rec: Stevie and Twyla go on a road trip, which is just as funny as you’d imagine, but also emotional, heart wrenching, and very hot. This is a deeply sweet story about discovering who you are, who you want to be, and your place in the world.
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
We’re eligible for a Hugo Award! If you’re able to nominate for the Hugos (that is, if you bought tickets for Worldcon 2019, 2020, or 2021, or if you buy a “supporting membership”), then please consider The Rec Center in the fanzine category. If we get enough nominations, we could make the shortlist (we made the longlist last year)!
If you’re looking for nomination ideas in other categories, we recommend checking out Renay’s helpful spreadsheet of eligible works and recommendation post. — 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)