The Rec Center #247
Hello, all! This week we have coverage of fandom nostalgia, Sesame Street fanart, and a multi-fandom list of slow burn fic with a gloriously wide range of “slow” (fans of six-figure wordcounts: get ready). — Elizabeth
new stuff
“The Future of Film Talk Is on Letterboxd” by Scott Tobias at The Ringer
A thoughtful look at the role of Letterboxd on modern film fandom.
“Top Dog: An Oral History of ‘Wishbone’” by Christian Wallace and Cat Cardenas at Texas Monthly
“In the latter part of ’93, I had this idea: there’s this little dog in a mundane situation, but he could imagine himself being a hero, like a big hero, in a big story.”
“Why is Everyone Getting Back into their Teenage Fandoms?” by Hannah Ewens at Nylon
Elizabeth is quoted in this piece about pandemic-fueled fandom nostalgia— and learning to navigate with the stuff you used to love that you find you can’t love anymore.
older stuff
“How a Fake Baby Is Born” by Kaitlyn Tiffany at The Atlantic
“‘Even if it’s only on Tumblr, I want her to know that she’s not getting away with it,’ she says warmly, as if sharing a family recipe. ‘I want her to know that somebody knows what she’s doing.’”
tumblr & beyond
Utahraptor Big Bird by Detective Brony
Back in 2005, World of Warcraft accidentally simulated a very realistic pandemic scenario...
“me? opening a 100k+ fic to avoid the crushing weight of existence?”
the Sherlock Holmes alignment chart
“sith wayfinder”? oh please.
“Booty shorts that say ‘you have already left kudos here’ on the ass”
fanfiction
All tropes are in the eye of the beholder but I find “slow burn” the most hilarious on this front, because some people tag a 10K fic that way, and other people cross the 100K threshold and they’re still slowly teasing the ship together. Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“Be My End” by brasspetal. 93K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Black Sails; Ship: Captain Flint/John Silver
Recced by: vands88
Backstory: A (mostly) canon-compliant Treasure Island story in which Flint and Silver are reunited and have to Deal.
Rec: This is a beautifully written, heart wrenchingly painful, gritty and well-plotted story that reads more like a novel than a fic. Full of the twists and turns that you’d expect from an adventure story while also being incredibly emotionally complex and compelling.
Content warnings: N/A
“Casual Interference” by AttilaTheHun. 90K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: BTS; Ship: Yoongi/Taehyung
Recced by: Persimmon
Backstory: BTS are the biggest boyband in the world. Yoongi is the quiet, acerbic but sweet second oldest member, while Taehyung is the bubbly, whimsical second youngest member.
Rec: It’s a modern Emma AU with Taehyung as Emma and Yoongi as Mr Knightly. Not necessarily a popular pairing in this fandom, but the perfect casting in these roles from the novel will sell the reader regardless.
Content warnings: N/A
“Warp Trails and Fairy Tales” by PsiCygni. 79K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Star Trek Reboot; Ship: Spock/Uhura with a side of family fic
Recced by: Taylor
Backstory: Spock had very specific plans for the break between semesters, none of which involved looking after his younger sister.
Rec: A fic that perfectly encapsulates Spock’s cultural anxiety, the beauty and the horror of eight year olds, and a really lovely slow start to Spock & Uhura’s relationship. Features guest appearances from Gaila, Amanda and Sarek. Also a cat.
Content warnings: N/A
“a city built on water” by Deputychairman. 14K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Star Wars Sequels; Ship: Finn/Poe
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: A canon-divergence in which the galaxy settles into a peace without a victory, except the hard kind that takes place over negotiating tables. Ex-Stormtrooper Finn comes into his political own.
Rec: This story falls into a new genre I like to call “hopefulsad,” which is like hopepunk but, uh, sad, and like bittersweet, but more hopeful and happier! It’s a whole mood! Strangely but truly fulfilling! Great Finn-and-Leia dynamic that I wish I saw more of in the fandom at large! Lovely scenery!
Content warning: The characters drink alcohol
“May The Sunrise Bring Hope Where It Was Once Forgotten” by deathmallow. 814K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Red Dead Redemption; Ship: Sadie Adler/Arthur Morgan
Backstory: What happens after Arthur’s final confrontation with Dutch and Micah, and how he comes to terms with the fact that he’s going to live.
Rec: It’s a fix-it fic where Arthur doesn’t die at the first end of the game (spoilers for a game that came out over a year ago at this point, lol).
Content warning: It’s Red Dead Redemption, which is basically Grand Theft Auto but set in the Old West, so expect violence of all types
“crossfire” by kittebasu (chanyeol). 523K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: ダイヤのA | Daiya no A | Ace of Diamond; Ship: Miyuki Kazuya/Sawamura Eijun
Recced by: JaneBuzJane
Backstory: After high school, catcher Miyuki Kazuya thinks he’s seen the last of the pitcher Sawamura Eijun. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, just like Sawamura, and it won’t let Miyuki get away with staying stagnant forever.
Rec: A wonderful story that encompasses hopes, wishes, dreams, angst, and ties it all up in a SWEET bow at the end. I cried a little while reading this fic, but only because every bad situation turned out well in the end and I felt so validated—like I’d been through the experiences, too, and I turned out fine!
Content warnings: Minor character death (non-canon character), unplanned pregnancy (minor character)
FINAL THOUGHT
Taking a moment to plug this week’s ep of my podcast Overinvested, because it’s all about the first Lord of the Rings movie! My co-host Morgan & I were both obsessed with LOTR as kids, and it was super interesting to re-examine these movies as critics.
We’re doing one ep for each of the three films, and the first instalment covers (among other things): Tolkein’s academic work & experiences in WWI, the films’ incredible casting, LOTR’s mythological roots, race & gender in Middle Earth, and why The Fellowship of the Ring is still better than most modern blockbusters.
Have a great 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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