The Rec Center #236
Hello all! This week we have our usual mix of fandomy articles (yes, big sexy videogame lady arms seem perfectly fandomy to us), Animorphs fanart, and a multifandom list of hurt/comfort fic. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“Anyone could have big arms like Abby in The Last of Us: Part II” by Casey Johnston at Vice
A bunch of sexist gamers were mad that a female character in the new Last of Us game had big, muscular arms, and this article turns the tables in a constructive manner, explaining a) why the character design was perfectly realistic, and b) how you can get those arms yourself.
“My Chemical Hormone Therapy Romance” by Lio Min at Catapult
The latest in “Formation Jukebox,” “a column by Lio Min on being in transition and the music that helps them make sense of it all.”
older stuff
“An exclusive interview with TOS legend The Horta” by StarTrek.com staff
A wonderful parody interview with an iconic character from Star Trek’s original series: the Horta, an alien blob that appears in one episode.
tumblr & beyond
Andalite (Animorphs) fanart by Monarobot
what is “good” media exactly?
some wonderful Pixar-style Alien fanart
it’s a brave new era for INCREDIBLE Hannibal parodies
this skateboarding Yiling Laozu cosplayer...... an artistic icon!!
in some alternate timeline, Darth Maul looks SO MUCH scarier.
fanfiction
Along with slow burn, hurt/comfort is one of the two tropes that are completely overrepresented amongst our submissions. You all clearly love it, so hopefully you’ll love some of these (and if you want more, here’s another h/c list from about a year ago). Thank you very much to our guest reccers. — Elizabeth
“We’re never done with killing time” by flonkertons. 62K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The 100; Ship: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Set after Season 5, this fic gives Bellamy and Clarke a chance to actually talk to each other, heal, and and dig into her emotions in a way that canon skipped over.
Rec: Canon isolated Clarke intensely and then never grappled with what that meant or allowed for healing. This fic is extremely cathartic in that it actually does all that.
Content warnings: N/A
“Ichigo” by morrezela. 27K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Overwatch; Ship: Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada
Recced by: Delia
Backstory: Overwatch is a popular PvP video game, but the majority of its worldbuilding canon exists in outside comics, short films, and backstory. Jesse/Hanzo are the inexplicable fandom favorite OTP despite them having zero canon interactions.
Rec: There are few stories I come back to as often as this one—it takes the breakup/make-up trope and turns it into a warm-and-slightly-painful hug, and explores Hanzo’s developing friendships with the other members of Overwatch (his bonding with Bastion, in particular, is super sweet).
Content warnings: N/A
“Tap Out” by WithTheKeyIsKing. 4.9K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Batman (comics); Ship: Gen
Recced by: Jules
Backstory: Focused around a simple training precaution that connects all of Batman’s former Robins together, this fic explores why each Robin initially struggled to tap out during training, alongside the surprising places where they used the gesture. Told mainly through Dick Grayson’s eyes, formerly the first Robin and now the hero Nightwing.
Rec: With a mantle like Robin, there’s been so many dramatically different characters who have passed through the role that it can be hard to find what ties them altogether. This story manages to show one particular connection among the Boys Wonder over the years in both a moving and heart wrenching way.
Content warnings: References to rape, graphic violence, major character death
“Crisis” by femslashfatale (mikans_elbow). 5K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Revolutionary Girl Utena; Ship: Utena/Anthy
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Takes place post-series.
Rec: This story has the same experimental and traumatic vibe of the original show. It’s so visceral and visual, you can easily imagine reading it in a manga.
Content warning: References to abuse
“Anthology” by irisbleufic. 153K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Pacific Rim; Ship: Newt/Hermann
Recced by: Galia
Backstory: Newt and Hermann have a long history—10 years—and lots of experiences between them. When they finally click and admit their love for each other, there is a lot of processing to do, a lot of joy to celebrate, and a future to build together.
Rec: The emotionality of their pairing is honestly gorgeous to watch—Hermann thrives on caring for Newt/bossing him around, and Newt is so powerful yet fragile in their partnership. Plus, the myriad OCs are *fantastic* and rich.
Content warnings: Anxiety attacks, explicit descriptions of tattooing
“hunters seeking solid ground” by Attilla. 24K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed/MDZS; Ship: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: Set after the end of the show, Wei Wuxian is traveling the countryside, pining for Lan Wangji from afar. Meanwhile Lan Wangji is back at home in Gusu... pining for Wei Wuxian from afar.
Rec: The Untamed is the absolute pinnacle of “Character A thinks he’s a burden/Character B just wants to help” media, and this fic doubles down on that idea by extending the angst even further after the canonical happy ending. Suffering from debilitating nightmares, Wei Wuxian can only sleep if he’s in close proximity to Lan Wangji, but doesn’t want to “bother” him so he keeps this problem secret until he reaches breaking point. Very! Romantic!!
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
Voting for the Hugo Awards is now open! If you’re a Hugo voter, please consider choosing the Rec Center in the Best Fanzine category—we’re on the shortlist! — 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)