The Rec Center #235
Hello! This week we have yet more coverage of the current K-pop media conversation (so many great, nuanced pieces!), IT: Chapter 2 fanart, and a multifandom list of arranged marriage fic. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“The ‘K-pop Fans Will Save Us’ Narrative Misses the Bigger Social Justice Picture” by Keidra Chaney at Prism
“Not all of the fans participating in these mobilization efforts are motivated by their politics; some are simply motivated by garnering another online ‘win’ and praise for their fandom. While that motivation doesn’t make these fans harmful, it doesn’t necessarily make them allies either.”
“Julian Bashir Helped Me Make Trek My Own” by Haden Cross at StarTrek.com
An insightful Pride Month essay about the transmasculine subtext of Julian Bashir’s arc in Star Trek: Deep Space 9.
older stuff
“Why “The Walking Dead” Has Become Fanfiction’s Muse” by Bim Adewunmi at Buzzfeed
“From The Walking Dead to The Flash, fanfiction adds necessary nuance to the narratives of Black women onscreen—thanks to the Black women who are writing these stories.”
tumblr & beyond
IT: Chapter 2 fanart by @vulcains_
the iconic “Talk like Hannibal” Reddit post is BACK, baby!!
a unique fanvid crossover between Disney’s Hercules, the animated Atlantis movie, and... that sci-fi movie where everyone has a lifetime countdown clock?
“elijah wood’s calligraphy practice looks like frodo absolutely losing it over sam getting married.”
absolutely iconic Star Trek complaint letter from the 1990s. “I WANT ALIEN SEX.”
“peak obi wan is when he still argues with anakin while anakin’s currently burning to death”
Fandom POCkets: A discord community open primarily to people of color as well as allies.
fanfiction
Old fanfic stalwarts this week: arranged marriage and its close cousin, marriage of convenience. As always, please heed the tags. Thanks so much to our guest reccers. — Elizabeth
“Flying Blind” by JessamyGriffith. 101K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Cabin Pressure; Ship: Martin Crieff/Eros
Recced by: Dkwilliams
Backstory: In an alternate universe, where Gods interact with mortals in their inexplicable and sometimes humorous way, Martin Crieff is told that he’s been selected to be the consort of a God! The problem is—all Martin really wants to do is fly.
Rec: This is the gold standard of AUs, with a clever setup, witty dialog, hilarious situations, and occasionally poignant moments.
Content warning: Dubcon
“Overcoming” by purefoysgirl. 548K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Hannibal; Ship: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Recced by: emptyheart
Backstory: Victorian A/B/O romance. Will is sent to marry Hannibal in his twin sister’s place. Hannibal hates Omegas for what he believes they did to his family.
Rec: Extremely well written. In the tradition of classic ’bodice rippers’ with all our favorite tropes.
Content warning: Past child abuse
“bang bang (my baby shot me down)” by perennial. 95K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Rogue One; Ship: Jyn Erso/Orson Krennic
Recced by: Sigyyn
Backstory: Canon divergence AU—Having entered into a marriage of convenience with Orson Krennic, Jyn does her best to become a widow.
Rec: There’s a beauty to perennial’s writing that has me reading things I never would otherwise, and that’s how this story hooked me on Jynnic. That, and the fact that it’s about archenemies trying to annoy the crap out of each other before strangely, grudgingly falling in love—all while maintaining but expanding on the original characters.
Content warning: Underage marriage (but no underage sex)
“Scorched Earth, Deep Ocean” by margrave. 35K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Guardian; Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yun Lan
Recced by: KimBoo
Backstory: A Guardian AU set in a vague period in ancient China full of palace intrigue, magical realism, and hopeless pining.
Rec: Great, on-point characterizations despite the AU setting, and some awesomely rendered tropes.
Content warning: Dubcon is “heat-sex” style
“Chaos Is Come Again” by Aashby/TheaterSM. 334K words, Unrated.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ship: Snape/Hermione
Recced by: Flourish
Backstory: This is a response to the Marriage Law challenge—yes, Marriage Law fanfics all stem from a single challenge, back in the mist of time, in the SS/HG fandom—in which the Ministry for Magic forces all Muggleborns to marry purebloods (this was before we knew Snape’s family history).
Rec: It’s fairly rare to find a forced or arranged marriage fic that isn’t actually a romance. That’s what we have here. It’s a story about a real (and not very good, ultimately) relationship. There is no redemptive arc for Snape, which is often part of the pleasure of an SS/HG fic. But you can’t call it out of character, and you can’t call them unsympathetic either. Extremely cathartic, for me.
Content warnings: Dubcon, torture, graphic violence, unusually cruel portrayal of Snape
“For Peace and Zuko” by beersforqueers. 43K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender; Ship: Zuko/Sokka
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: Zuko is the heir to the throne of the Fire Kingdom, a massive and previously tyrannical empire. Sokka is the heir of the Water Tribe, their former enemies.
Rec: A lovely canon-AU romance where Iroh takes over as Firelord, avoiding the epic war we see in the show. Sokka and Zuko are betrothed to each other as young adults, leading to an unlikely alliance with plenty of chemistry and misunderstandings.
Content warning: N/A
“Like the dawn you woke the world” by feyburner. 1K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Untamed; Ship: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: The lead characters are magic-wielding aristocrats in ancient China.
Rec: A short and sweet look into an AU timeline where Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji meet for the first time at their own arranged wedding.
Content warning: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
That’s all, folks! Have 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.
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