The Rec Center #256
Hello everyone! I hope you’re all having a safe/restful holiday and/or a safe/restful...end of the week. We’ve got a few pieces related to the Star Wars franchise, Gav’s latest “Behind the Seams” (on Pacific Rim!), and a longer-than-usual rec list of multi-fandom slow burn fic. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“John Boyega’s Still Fighting the Good Star Wars Fight, and Kathleen Kennedy Is Listening” by Charles Pulliam-Moore at io9
An update from behind the scenes of the Star Wars franchise, following John Boyega’s decision to speak out about being sidelined in the later movies.
“#DisneyMustPay: Classic ‘Star Wars’ author accuses Disney of withholding his royalty payments” by Gav at the Daily Dot
Once again, a big media corporation is trying to screw over a creator whose work had a massive impact on a lucrative franchise. :/
older stuff
“Excerpts from my upcoming novel, Ready Player Two: Girl Stuff” by Nat Silverman at McSweeney’s
Nothing but respect for MY Ready Player Two.
tumblr & beyond
contentious times in the “are hobbits canonically stoners” side of LOTR fandom.
an iconic vintage himbo ship!!!
“There’s nothing more representative of Doctor Who than the following two facts:”
“could someone explain why this Mon Calamari is wearing a sweater from J.C. Penney’s?”
This enterprising group made a shot-for-shot remake of the baseball scene from Twilight.
“my boyfriend [41m] and i [4,000,000m] have been together for 12 years, but he will only say he loves me back in spanish. is this normal?”
fanfiction
Thanksgiving is a famously high-traffic time for the AO3, so in that spirit, we put together a longish list of slow burn fic that you can spend the whole weekend reading. Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“Love Is More Than Telling Me You Want It” by Phnelt. 100K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed/ Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù; Ship: Lan Wanji/Wei Wuxian
Recced by: J
Backstory: The Untamed is a Chinese historical fantasy show with Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji as the main characters. The fic is a canon divergent a/b/o with a stuck-in-a-cave fuck-or-die premise.
Rec: Despite the fairly tropey structure this fic is one of best uses of a/b/o to explore gender dynamics in romantic relationships I’ve ever read. Also the canon divergence is done so well, everything feels believable and not rushed
Content warnings: Dubious consent (due to fuck or die), sexism, canon-typical violence
“Find This Feeling” by gracerene. 27K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ship: Alicia Spinnet/Ginny Weasley
Recced by: writcraft
Backstory: A gorgeous story giving time and space to Ginny’s queer awakening and exploring those moments when you realise the person you always thought you were going to end up with, isn’t right for you after all.
Rec: Great pacing. A wonderful, relatable exploration of coming to understand what—and who—you want.
Content warning: Break up (Harry/Ginny)
“Dreaming” by cathlin. 131K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Brokeback Mountain; Ship: Jack/Ennis
Recced by: SJ
Backstory: Gay cowboys! Brokeback Mountain was a short story (and later movie) about Jack Twist and Ennis del Mar, two men who meet and begin an intense romantic and sexual relationship while working on a ranch in Wyoming in 1963, which continues in secret through sporadic encounters and correspondence, despite Jack’s repeated suggestion that they. In canon, Jack is killed (it’s partially implied to have been a hate crime) and Ennis spends the rest of his life alone and regretful, but in this fic, the last few months of the canon story were a dream, and Ennis seizes the opportunity to build a life with the man he loves, despite his fear of reprisal.
Rec: This is a story that does the very difficult work of showing what it would take by a character who is defined by one set of actions to choose another course of action (but at the same time, with minimal narrative intervention to the canon). It's beautifully paced and manages to do a really slow build without losing tension or getting boring.
Content warnings: Homophobic violence, internalized homophobia
“Wizardry by Consent” by Sixthlight. 62K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Rivers of London; Ship: Peter Grant/Thomas Nightingale
Recced by: liarof
Backstory: Thomas Nightingale never found a police constable talking to ghosts on a Covent Garden street. Peter Grant, in charge of community relations for the Metropolitan Police Department, has just learned that magic is real. Is this senior officer even on Nightingale’s side?
Rec: Every story should resolve its problems via climactic powerpoint presentation.
Content warnings: N/A
“Worst-Laid Plans” by Cavaticarose. 130K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Mass Effect; Ship: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Fast-paced retelling of Mass Effect 2 with some changes to canon.
Rec: This story fills in the gaps that Mass Effect 2 had with the character interactions and the choices the protagonist makes. It captures all of the angst and humor the franchise was going for, but with enough twists to feel fresh.
Content warnings: N/A
“Worldwide Lonesome” by liondexter. 40K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Bangtan Boys | BTS | 방탄소년단; Ship: Kim Seokjin / Min Yoongi
Recced by: friendsarebread
Backstory: After BTS wins two Billboard Music Awards in 2018, Yoongi starts bringing guys back to the house. Seokjin is supportive (and perhaps a little jealous).
Rec: This is one of the best coming-out stories I’ve read in fanfic, especially in the context of “when one queer person comes out, the rest start to follow” and the awkward feelings around “is this a good time? Does this steal your thunder?” The group dynamic is just *chefs kiss*, and Seokjin’s characterization is this brilliant balance between agonizingly insecure and disastrously funny.
Content warning: Implied/referenced homophobia
“Truth and Measure” by Telanu. 272K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada; Ship: Miranda Priestly/Andrea Sachs
Recced by: Lily
Backstory: Slow burn AU in which Andy didn’t quit in Paris and Miranda is pregnant with Stephen’s baby when he asks for a divorce. Step by slow step their relationship changes into a romance.
Rec: EPIC READ. Perfect understanding of characters, amazing story and progression. I’ve read this several times and I never get tired of it.
Content warnings: Pregnancy, office romance, age gap
“Mixed Signals, Lost Lines” by Cryptographic_Delurk. 731K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Pokémon; Ship: Ohkido Green/Red | Blue Oak/Red
Recced by: joethecat
Backstory: In case you don’t know Pokémon, it is a game based on a world where creatures called Pokémon live alongside humans and can be tamed and used for recreational battles. The franchise has multiple games, anime seasons, manga stories, and movies. The pairing is based on the playable character and his rival from the first game.
Rec: A strange story to explain and even to read. Following the silent protagonist (almost literally, as themes of mutism show up) through the plot of the first few Pokémon games, the reader gets to appreciate the expansive world of Pokémon and the slow burn of a strange romance.
Content warnings: References to social anxiety, bullying, and depression
FINAL THOUGHT
I’m using this week’s outro to plug my new YouTube series again, because I just posted an episode about a very fandomy movie: Pacific Rim!! It’s a video essay exploring the film’s fascinating costume design and visual storytelling—definitely some of the best I’ve seen in any mainstream blockbuster.
Every one of these costumes tells a story!
Have a great weekend, everyone! — 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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