The Rec Center #227
Hello! One more week completed! This week we have writing about missing the communal elements of music fandom, some gorgeous Hannibal fanart, and the first batch of fic readers sent in around the relatively subjective but hopefully enjoyable theme of “catharsis.” — Elizabeth
lockdown stuff
Do you know of any fandomy online events coming up soon? Fests, challenges, virtual cons—please send them our way! Elizabethandgav at gmail dot com. <3
Feminist sci-fi/fantasy convention WisCon is going online this year, held from May 22-25. Guests include novelists Yoon Ha Lee and Rebecca Roanhorse. They just opened up registration—check out the tiers here.
There’s a free online anime convention called On-Con happening on Saturday, featuring livestreamed panels and viewing parties.
new stuff
“Life Without Live” by Rob Sheffield at Rolling Stone
“What does music fandom mean at a time when we can’t gather together to celebrate, discover, experiment?” A beautiful essay about being a music fan right now.
“A Swarm of New Stay-at-Home Cyclists Is Ruining a Virtual Biking Utopia” by Steve Rousseau at OneZero
“As we flee to digital fantasy lands to escape the pandemic—finding that they’re crowded, straining under the load of so many trying to do the same—we’re forced to confront an unsettling truth: There is no escape from this.”
older stuff
“How fangirls changed the future of publishing” by Aja Romano at The Kernel
With Twilight back in the news this week, it’s worth looking back at some of the legacies of the franchise—or more specifically, its fandom.
tumblr & beyond
Hannibal fanart by niewaniliowa
“a friend asked me if I thought they had given Elsa a female love interest in Frozen 2”
onion headlines but make them lord of the rings: a thread
Zuko from ATLA’s YouTube channel.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Animal Crossing edition.
“All of the orgasms in fic are so violent.”
Times have changed A LOT since David Tennant wistfully dreamed of landing a role in Doctor Who back in 2003.
fanfiction
A few weeks back we put out a call for fics around the theme of “catharsis,” and we got enough for several lists, so this is the first in a series. “Cathartic fic” is kind of a squishy label—verrrry subjective—so this is a bit of an experiment, but if you’re looking for this kind of reading experience, hopefully some of this resonates with you the way it did with the reccers. As always, please heed the content warnings, and thank you to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth
“getting used to letting go” by jennycaakes. 38K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Check, Please!; Ship: William Poindexter/Derek Nurse
Recced by: Ang
Backstory: This fic follows Dex and Nursey over the summer after their graduation, as they fix up a house that Dex inherited from his late uncle. The story deals with Dex processing his uncle’s passing with Nursey and some other friends helping him through it.
Rec: I love this story partly because I found it at a time when I really needed it. The processing and moving on not only from grief, but from graduating and figuring out that next step was something I found incredibly relatable and particularly moving.
Content warnings: A few prolonged discussions about grief, homophobia from an off-screen character
“All Roads Lead To You” by CyPanache. 6.7K, rated Teen.
Fandom: Parks and Recreation; Ship: Leslie Knope/Ben Wyatt
Recced by: Orangistae
Backstory: A series of vignettes exploring Ben and Leslie’s backstories and the experiences that shaped them.
Rec: This fic digs into Ben’s post-mayoral disillusionment and Leslie’s frustration with a world that rarely lives up to her expectations, and brings them together in a really sweet way. I’ve come back to it several times over the years, and it always makes me cry, but in a way that makes me feel more hopeful about the world.
Content warning: Panic attacks
“I’ve Got Nothing to Do Today But Smile (The Only Living Boy in New York)” by gyzym. 20K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Inception; Ship: Arthur/Eames
Recced by: earlgreytea68
Backstory: A coffee shop AU in which Arthur is a miserable big-firm lawyer and Eames owns the coffee shop across the street.
Rec: As a recovering big-firm lawyer myself, I almost never read lawyer stories because they infuriate me. This one nails how it feels, though: the isolation, the guilt, the depression, the gaslighting by partners, oh, and the way that revelation that *not everyone feels like this* can be the impetus for changing your whole life. The first time I read this story, I wept over how Arthur’s journey mirrored my own.
Content warning: Situational workplace-triggered depression
“Unending Song” by AuroraNova. 2.8K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Ship: Worf/Jadzia Dax
Recced by: CRaktajino
Backstory: Jadzia Dax is sent to Sto’Vo’Kor, the Klingon afterlife. Also useful to know: She’s a Trill (not a Klingon) and has a symbiotic life form living inside her who has lived through many other hosts, including huge Klingon fan Curzon.
Rec: This gave me more closure to the canon death than the entire 7th season.
Content warning: Character death
“Five Stages of Grief” by thememoriesfire. 37K words (series is 250K), rated Mature.
Fandom: Glee; Ship: Gen (for the first fic in the series), previous/one-sided Brittana
Recced by: Mykdyk
Backstory: Diverges from canon during season 2, this fic is mostly a character study of a gay and intensely repressed Santana navigating high school life while coming to terms with herself. This is the first part of a long series that follows Santana (and others) through high school and beyond and eventually has a femslash ship, but the first fic is post-breakup with Brittany and is gen.
Rec: As a fellow repressed lesbian who was intensely self-conscious in high school, this fix articulates things that most queer fiction and fic misses, even if Santana and I couldn’t be more different. This isn’t quarantine-specific, but since I’ve found myself re-reading old favourite coming-of-age stories in these trying times, maybe this will help take you back to when your biggest problem was coming out.
Content warnings: Underage, alcohol, bullying, homophobia
“Flyboys” by aeriallon. 100K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: Stargate Atlantis, Captain America (Movies); Ship: John Sheppard/Sam Wilson
Recced by: ExpatGirl
Backstory: A crossover you didn’t know you needed. John Sheppard and Sam Wilson work so well together as sub and Dom, respectively.
Rec: The BDSM is masterfully written, and is the lens through which we explore John’s catharsis while dealing with PTSD, and Sam’s while learning to trust.
Content warnings: BDSM, suicidal ideation, alcohol abuse
FINAL THOUGHT
Wishing you all a good weekend! — 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)