The Rec Center #234
Hi everyone! We’ve got an unusually long newsletter for you today, for no other reason than the fact that there’s A Lot Going On. Among other things, we have extensive K-pop coverage, an update from the Sherlock Holmes estate (lol), a wonderful piece of Hannibal fanart, and a multifandom rec list of short fic. — Gav
new stuff
“Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate sues Netflix for giving Sherlock Holmes too many feelings” by Adi Robertson at The Verge
Netflix is releasing a teen girl Sherlock Holmes spinoff movie, and the overly-litigious Arthur Conan Doyle estate has some complaints that will seem, uh... rather amusing to many Holmes fans.
“The comic book industry is facing another wave of sexual abuse allegations” by Gav at the Daily Dot
Numerous comicbook creators and publishers (including the well-known writer Warren Ellis) have been accused of sexual assault or abusive behavior this week, revealing a pattern of behavior across the industry. This is an overview of those allegations, and their impact on the community.
“My Little Pony Fans Are Ready to Admit They Have a Nazi Problem” by Kaitlyn Tiffany at The Atlantic
A niche fandom grapples with racism in its community. "Many fans who specifically support Black Lives Matter, for example, are also fans of Aryanne, a fan-invented Nazi pony with a pink swastika on her hip.”
“Paper Faces on Parade” by Anthony Oliveira at Hazlitt
“The revolution, when it comes, must be opulent.” A beautiful meditation on queerness, camp, and the work of Joel Schumacher, who died earlier this week.
new stuff: k-pop
K-pop continues to dominate writing about fandom this week. There are too many good pieces to include in a roundup, but here are a few:
“How Media Shapes Perceptions of K-pop Fans” by Crystal S. Anderson at K-pop Kollective
“Whether K-pop fans are praised political activists or denigrated as delusional enthusiasts, both characterizations reduce K-pop fans, especially Black fans, and fail to recognize their value beyond politics.”
“TikTok teens and K-pop stans don’t belong to the ‘resistance’” by Abby Ohlheiser at the MIT Technology Review
After a few weeks of bad, broad generalizations about K-pop stans’ involvement in current political action, the Trump Tulsa rally debacle sent this story into overdrive. This piece does a great summary of breaking down the past week’s bad narratives.
“On K-Pop Fans, Political Activism, and the Necessity of Nuance” by P. Claire Dodson at Teen Vogue
“But in creating a monolith out of K-pop fans, the conversation has pivoted to just another way to not take them seriously.”
“The Joy & Rage of Being Black In Fandom Right Now" by Elizabeth de Luna at Refinery29
Like the title suggests, this piece isn’t exclusively about K-pop fans, but of the many Black fans quoted, a good portion are at least partly involved with K-pop.
older stuff
“Black Teens Are Breaking The Internet And Seeing None Of The Profits” by Doreen St. Felix at Fader
“Young creatives are using social media to shape the culture we consume. But what happens when they don’t own their work?” This piece, written in 2015, unfortunately continues to be extremely relevant today.
tumblr & beyond
Sleepwalking Will Graham fanart by ravenhairedguy
ah yes, the famous “greg weasley.”
it’s a very specific subcategory of actor!
this tumblr thread kicks off with “watching steven universe is the polar opposite of eating pussy” and descends into the actual depths of hell.
Some excellent CQL/The Untamed meta about name and title translations.
How often do we get a chance to share Anne Carson fanart??
fanfiction
Shortfic, week 2! You can check out the first list here. As a reminder, this is fic under a completely arbitrary “short” limit of 2K words (and once again this list is longer than normal, because to give you lots of words to read). Thank you to everyone who sent in a rec. <3 — Elizabeth
“Remains” by Basingstoke. 1.4K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Rogue One; Ship: Chirrut/Baze
Recced by: Macey
Backstory: Rogue One is a war movie, and one that rips your heart out by showing the more intimate, human cost of the grand battles and prophecies of the Star Wars canon. This fic pulls in even tighter to the things which were lost on Jedha, by Death Star or by Imperial troops before.
Rec; This fic is a gorgeous compact gut-punch of a story, and it makes me tear up every time—not just from the grief which it portrays, but from the unflinching chaser of hope. It reminds us that planting seeds is never in vain.
Content warning: character death as per canon
“Scenes from a Dojo” by Angel_Negra. 1.5K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Leverage; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Summerfly
Backstory: Eliot found a way to make his style work at Dalton Academy.
Rec: Totally my headcanon for life after “The Fairy Godparents Job.” I love that Eliot continues to lead self-defense classes after the con is over.
Content warnings: N/A
“Commanders” thesometimeswarrior. 1.1K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender; Ship: Sokka/Suki
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: ATLA is a beautiful story about, essentially, child soldiers, and it knows it. This fic explores some of the older characters’ thoughts on their own childhoods and why they fight.
Rec: This is a gorgeously written, solemn story with great respect for all the characters. It is deeply thought-provoking and feels like it adds a layer to the already complex narrative of the original series.
Content warnings: Discussion of war and children in it
“Informed Consent and Other Cosmic Ironies” by KiaraSayre. 527 words, Not Rated.
Fandom: The Magnus Archives; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Maria
Backstory: A (hilarious) attempt at ethical review paperwork when your organization is pretty much an extension of an evil fear entity. Contains spoilers up through mid-season 3.
Rec: This story is the funniest Magnus Archives fic I’ve come across. Poor Tim, but I would read his paperwork any day!
Content warnings: N/A
“Buoyed” by Robocryptid. 1.1K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Overwatch; Ship: Sombra/Widowmaker
Recced by: Tacticalgrandma
Backstory: Spiderbyte morning sex and morning convos.
Rec: Great blend off inherent angst and hopeful fluff.
Content warnings: N/A
“Ascendant” by Synergic. 1.5K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: The Broken Earth (N.K. Jemisin); Ship: Gen
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: N.K. Jemisin’s The Broken Earth is the best fantasy series ever written (facts only). It takes place in a world where the malevolent earth periodically unleashes geologic devastation upon its human inhabitants, harnessed only by a despised class called orogenes, who can manipulate and control geologic forces.
Rec: This story takes place immediately post-canon, following Nassun, Essun’s daughter, as she tries to come to grips with her mother’s many identities and her own in the shadow of them. It’s a beautiful meditation on the power of story and how mothers and daughters give each other meaning.
Content warning: Amputation
“Long Term” by idiopathicsmile. 1.7K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Good Omens; Ship: Aziraphale/Crowley
Recced by: galia
Backstory: Aziraphale is (was?) and angel, and Crowley is (was?) a demon. They’ve been nemeses and colleagues and in love for absolute millenia.
Rec: The external POV sees things in them that they don’t even see about themselves, and the narration is giggle-inducing! I love the idea of an agnostic minister chatting about the wedding of two literally divine creatures.
Content warnings: N/A
“For you to say it all again” by Neuqe. 1.9K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy; Ship: Finn/Poe
Recced by: glorious_clio
Backstory: “Finn apologizes for the fight. ‘You’re not Leia,’ he says, gently, ‘but that’s okay because you’re Poe. And that’s more than enough for me and the whole resistance.’”
Rec: The Rise of Skywalker had very fast pacing (duh, Star Wars) but this fic addresses the fight Finn and Poe had, while also fixing the “spice runner” misstep that I hated so much. Good work here, short and sweet.
Content warnings: N/A
“Mess me up (no one does it better)” by extasiswings. 1.3K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Red White and Royal Blue; Ship: Alex Claremont-Diaz/Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor
Recced by: layangabi
Backstory: Alex Claremont-Diaz is the First Son of the US. Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor is the younger prince of the Royal Family. After they’re forced to pretend friendship to save face for both their countries, they fall in love for real.
Rec: Incredibly sweet, loving D/S dynamic while Henry and Alex are still learning who and what they are to each other. Captures both characters beautifully-Alex’s frenetic energy and Henry’s courtly calm.
Content warnings: N/A
And a bonus fic that is longer than 2K words:
P.S. Gav finished watching The Untamed, and wrote some Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian fanfic! 6K words, post-series, pure ~romance. There’s also a podfic version available.
FINAL THOUGHT
Following up from last week’s final thought, if you haven’t seen it yet, the OTW released a statement in response to recent conversations about Black Lives Matter, racism in fandom, and the OTW’s role in the longstanding concerns of fans of color. Basically restating what I’ve said elsewhere: as a white person, I don’t want to take up a lot of space with my feelings about the statement’s contents, but I am glad to see it, as a start of what will hopefully be an open and productive conversation in the coming months. — 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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