The Rec Center #248
Well! It’s been a day! It’s also been a week! If you’re looking for some distraction, we’ve got some great critical writing about anti-Blackness in a few different fandom spaces, some delightful Bill & Ted fanart, and a multi-fandom rec list of a perennial favorite trope: the fake relationship. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“Dear Tolkien Fans: Black People Exist” by Christina Warmrbrunn at The Public Medievalist
An interesting and well-researched look at anti-Black attitudes in LOTR and its fandom, intersecting with cosplay and transformative works by Black fantasy fans.
“Writing Fantasy Lets Me Show the Whole Truth of Disability” by Ross Showalter at Electric Lit
“In speculative fiction, I can center the disabled experience in a way that feels more real than realism.”
“The Life and Death of Fandom Platforms: LiveJournal, Archive of Our Own (AO3), Tumblr, and ???” by Casey Fiesler
If you’ve enjoyed Casey’s work in written form, she’s made a YouTube video breaking down some of her research around fandom platform migration.
older stuff
“The Battle Over Jane Austen’s Whiteness” by Jasmin Malik Chua at The Daily Beast
Amanda-Rae Prescott, who’s quoted in this piece about recent Austen adaptations and racism in Austen fan spaces, is one of the interviewees on Fansplaining’s double episode on race and fandom that came out this week. For more of her thoughts (plus fourteen other guests!): part 1 & part 2.
tumblr & beyond
Bill & Ted fanart by Frustration Ink
*spins wheel* Tubthumping... LOTR... tiktok?
“It seems that you’ve woke daddy, Mr. Bond.”
LOVE these Sex and the City lipsync videos where Samantha is played by a cat.
this twitter account has achieved truly terrifying levels of Super Mario trivia knowledge.
fanfiction
Fake relationships! A crowd-pleasing trope! Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec, and if you want more fake dating fic, here’s a list from a few years back. — Elizabeth
“Precautionary measures” by theremin. 24K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Succession (HBO); Ship: Tom Wambsgans/Greg Hirsch
Recced by: thehungagayums
Backstory: Tom and Greg get fake-married to avoid testifying in the Waystar Royco cruise ship scandal and set off on a fake honeymoon in Nice until the storm blows over. Bed-sharing ensues.
Rec: The dialogue is pitch-perfect, and the author really captures Tom’s neuroses and longing for intimacy, and Greg’s earnestness. (See also: Tom referring to Greg as “six feet and seven inches of uncoordinated chucklefuck,” which is possibly the cruelest and funniest piece of dialogue I’ve heard outside “Succession.”)
Content warnings: N/A
“The Best Of It” by dollsome. 73K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Gilmore Girls; Ship: Paris Geller/Rory Gilmore
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Paris outs herself and Rory during a televised argument with Michele Bachmann. Peskiest of all is the fact that Paris and Rory aren’t actually dating. A documentary crew wants to make Paris And Rory’s Modern Stars Hollow Family anyway.
Rec: Paris is the best character on Gilmore Girls, I love her dynamic with Rory, and genuinely feel she’s the only reasonable partner for Rory. dollsome NAILS everyone’s voices (this story could have (and should have!) been used in place of the revival) and the feeling of the show. The fic is true to character and sweet without being saccharine (Paris Geller would never!).
Content warnings: N/A
“Kids Who Don’t Play With Trains When They’re Young Will Never Grow Up to Become Skilled City Planners” by Game_Changer. 89K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Gintama; Ship: Hijikata Toshirou/Sakata Gintoki
Recced by: Madison
Backstory: Fic setup: An anime protagonist and his rival start dating purely to piss each other off.
Fandom background: Gintama is a farcical comedy-adventure series that takes place in an alternate version of Edo-era Japan that was invaded by aliens instead of Americans in the 1850s. Its protagonist, Gintoki, is a former rebel with a sugar problem who gets by working odd jobs with two teenagers while mayonnaise-guzzling, chain-smoking Hijikata Toshirou of the elite Shinsengumi police force is his foil and occasional ally.
Rec: Every single character in this series is some variety of dumbass and Gintoki and Hijikata’s absurdities align in the most spectacular way. Recommended if you want a good, long laugh with your romance.
Content warning: Violence
“only fools rush in” by andromeda3116. 45K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story; Ship: Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso
Recced by: jules
Backstory: To avoid the judgement of her posh extended family, Jyn enlists her best friend Cassian to be her fake boyfriend for a week over Christmas and New Years. This is a modern AU, and no knowledge of canon or Star Wars at all is necessary to read this.
Rec: This is everything I ever wanted in a drama-filled but ultimately heartwarming holiday story! It’s hilarious, sweet, full of fun and well-employed tropes (sharing a bed, mutual pining, etc.), characterization is spot on, and even the more antagonistic characters are well rounded.
Content warnings: Mentions of racism and homophobia, disparaging comments made by family members
“sharp mind (kind heart)” by varnes. 52K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: 2gether; Ships: Tine/Sarawat, Pam/Earn
Recced by: fictionalitylove
Backstory: Tine convinces the very broody and handsome Sarawat that they should be fake boyfriends for reasons, not realizing that they’ve previously met and Sarawat has been in love with him since.
Rec: The (ridiculous) premise of the show works so well in this rockstar AU that it’s criminal. I really enjoyed how the fic incorporated the friend groups of Wat and Tine and leaned into the found-family feeling of the show. It’s also laugh out loud funny!
Content warnings: N/A
“Arcadia” by Sineala. 90K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Professionals; Ship: Bodie/Doyle
Recced by: falsteloj
Backstory: To catch a would be assassin the guys have no choice but to pose as a crew member/passenger holiday romance aboard a cruise ship...
Rec: I love the spin on Bodie’s past, and the mutual pining as Doyle slowly comes to terms with the things he finds out about his partner. The emotional payoff is so perfect I keep coming back to this story again and again.
Content warnings: N/A
And a podfic!
“Something Dumb to Do” by poisonivory, read by Shmaylor. 4 hours, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Daredevil; Ship: Foggy Nelson/Matt Murdock
Recced by: Nicole
Backstory: Matt Murdock is a blind lawyer by day, and the superhero Daredevil by night. Foggy Nelson, his best friend since law school, decides that the best way to make sure he can’t accidentally betray Matt’s secret identity is to marry him.
Rec: Who doesn’t love a good fake-married story? This one captures their personalities so well, and has all of the misunderstandings you’d hope for.
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
PSA: There’s a new sequel to 17776 underway! It’s called 20020 and you can read it here.
For those who don’t know 17776, it’s a very funny and charming multimedia sci-fi project by sports writer Jon Bois, based around the (extremely abstract) concept of “what football will look like in the future.” The main characters are space satellites, and it takes place in the distant future, where humankind is obsessed with a highly evolved version of American Football.
Do I know or care about real American Football? Absolutely not. This doesn’t matter. 17776 is incredible and the sequel is equally delightful so far, with new chapters posted every Mon, Weds & Fri. And once you’re done, there’s fanfic on AO3.
xoxo 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)