The Rec Center #253
Hi folks! This week we’re just doing fanfic & art because our brains are mush.
But we can’t let this moment pass without acknowledging:
(in case you...missed it??)
xoxo, Elizabeth & Gav
fanworks
Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight by Romy Jones
Like last week, we have another batch of “fic you can get lost in”—thank you very much to our reccers!
“Casebook of Detective Timothy Drake” by chibi_nightowl. 155K words over 6 works, rated Mature.
Fandom: Batman, DC Comics; Ship: First fic is gen, Tim Drake/Jason Todd later in the series
Recced by: Madison
Backstory: Set in a canon-divergent universe where Tim Drake became a police detective instead of a vigilante, a series of murders have him teaming up with dangerous antihero Red Hood and hiding things from Batman.
Rec: I love a super-involved murder mystery, I love case fic, I love that even though these stories are very much premised on Tim rejecting the Robin role the author still incorporates the whole Batfamily. Totally understand why people might not want to read about a “good guy” cop, though.
Content warning: Violence
“Where the Light Doesn’t Reach” by rosegardenlake. 230K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Voltron Legendary Defender; Ship: Keith/Shiro
Recced by: Coyote
Backstory: This story is completely AU, so no prior knowledge of the characters or show are needed.
Rec: It’s so mysterious and spooky while also being really fluffy and sweet. Every development and reveal felt so satisfying, and it was like everything I ever wanted out of your typical high school murder mystery.
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, death
“The Roller Rink on the Edge of Forever” by deifire. 168K words (WIP), rated Explicit.
Fandom: Eerie, Indiana; Ships: Marshall Teller/Dash X, Melanie Monroe/OFC
Recced by: flashforeward
Backstory: This is set a few years after the end of the series. Weirdness investigator Marshall Teller and his friends go to investigate a haunted roller rink on the edge of town. Marshall’s sort-of-boyfriend but-mostly-enemy Dash X tags along. Things get very weird, very dangerous, and time does not make sense. There is a prequel but it’s not necessary to understand (though it is also very good).
Rec: This fic is a prime example of everything I love in fiction. It’s full of casual queerness, strange happenings, it’s an ensemble piece even though there are “main” pairings, and it’s beautifully written and very engrossing.
Content warnings: Canonical child abuse/neglect, panic attacks, knifeplay, semi-public sex, light bondage, murder
“A Change in Energy (The Force over Distance Remix Project)” by kvikindi. 458K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Stargate; Ship: Nicholas Rush/Everett Young
Recced by: anon
Backstory: “A remix of cleanwhiteroom’s Force over Distance (which it’s not necessary to have read). Rush gets psychically linked to Destiny. And to Young.” I don’t know anything about Stargate. I read a wiki summary, that’s all. The gist is: grumpy scientist genius gets psychically bonded to an alien spaceship, and it’s not great. So the grumpy military-type gets bonded to the scientist to keep him alive.
Rec: I read this on vacation and little else. Want to meditate on the mind, genetics, physics, the universe, and two weirdos making the best of an unexpected mind meld? Here’s your fic.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Spaces Between Us” by stripeypirate. 71K words, rated mature.
Fandom: Naruto; Ships: Haruno Sakura/Yamanaka Ino, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Recced by: Rythyme
Backstory: This is an AU, so no knowledge of canon is necessary. Yes, it’s a Naruto fic, but I promise it’s worth it.
Rec: The author’s eloquent prose and their concise but powerful imagery is a joy to read! They perfectly capture the ennui of a rural 1980s Oregon diner while delivering an expertly paced combination of plot and romance.
Content warnings: Period-typical homophobia, some violence, mentions of AIDS, brief infidelity, sexual themes
Wildcat’s S/U Universe series by Wildcat7898. 669K words over 30 works, various ratings (mostly Teen and Mature).
Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series mainly, with some Star Trek: Alternate Original Series; Ship: Spock/Nyota Uhura
Recced by: Snowdrop
Backstory: A long and tender love story for Spock and Uhura, spanning from the original series movies to the last of the new with Star Trek: Beyond.
Rec: From when the romance begins in “A Woman’s Touch” to Spock sorting out how he’ll spend the rest of his life once he knows it will be coming to an end. The two reboot stories include meeting that timeline’s Uhura and finding out how she and her version of Spock got together. I love the scope of this one grand story, which as a whole is a moving tribute to the ship and both characters. It’s got humor, moments of slice-of-life coziness, heartbreak, loss, old age, family, joy, and romance, above all so much joy and love. It takes my breath away and brings tears to my eyes.
Content warnings: Major character death, some discussion of how age can affect mental faculties (full disclosure: there could be more I’m not thinking of, it’s a long series)
“The Fray Will Well Become Me” by mugwort_and_myrrh. 306K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Captain America; Ship: Steve/Bucky
Recced by: anon
Backstory: MCU Captain America/Avengers canon.
Rec: This epic AU posits the idea that Steve Rogers is the magic-wielding son of Loki, providing a different explanation for his superpowers and longevity. Starting off like a normal 1940s-era Stucky fic and gradually evolving into some impressively elaborate fantasy building by the CATWS era, it’s very gripping! The latest instalment is an ongoing WIP, but previous fics are complete.
Content warning: Graphic violence
FINAL THOUGHT
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)