The Rec Center #266
Hi folks! Today marks our first week of Femslash February, aka a month of multifandom f/f recs! We’ve also got some articles about space opera and knitting (separately), a lovely fan comic about Luke Skywalker, some very cute She-Ra fanart, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“The Space Opera Was Dying. Then The Expanse Transformed the Genre For a New Generation.” by Charlie Jane Anders at Esquire
“Once known for themes of imperialism and colonialism, these stories are now defined by underdog characters, realism, and a bit of weirdness.”
“How Harry Potter Fans Are Coping With J.K. Rowling” by Joshua Yehl at IGN
A reported piece about fans struggling with their relationship to Harry Potter in 2021.
“How knitters are making their favorite garments from pop culture” by Michelle Jaworski at the Daily Dot
A look inside knitting fandom, from Bernie Sanders’ mittens to Chris Evans’ Knives Out sweaters, to the long history of that iconic Doctor Who scarf.
older stuff
“From BTS fandom to video games: How 4 new friendships formed during lockdown” by Rachel Ramirez at Vox
“It never would have happened if it weren’t for the pandemic.”
tumblr & beyond
She-Ra fanart by Nina Karena
“Luke Skywalker is gay,” a comic by Ashley R. Guillory.
The #28DaysofBlackCosplay hashtag is back for Black History Month and is, as always, a delight.
Infographic: “Stages of a Blaseball season.”
Tall Vampire Lady vs 12-foot Home Depot skeleton.
“been seeing this tag on ao3 called “mutually unrequited”...”
in the interests of Femslash February... please enjoy this makeup commercial, which is an entire f/f reincarnation AU in 30 seconds.
fanfiction
Femslash February 2021 has begun! Thank you to everyone who’s sent in a rec so far! For more Femslash February, you can check out our archives. — Elizabeth
Heart to Hand” by andre_windrag. 1.9K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Circle of Magic (Tamora Pierce); Ship: Daja/Sandry
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: The COM books follow a quartet of young mages through various adventures, but the heart of the books is the growth and change of relationships between the four main characters as they grow up and find their place in the world.
Rec: This story is set early on and contains so much of the place-based atmosphere that I love the books for, as well as an adorable scene of young love. It’s short and charming and uplifting.
Content warnings: N/A
“resonance (of one’s song)” by Wino. 11K words, rated Teen.
Fandoms: MCU, Thor; Ship: Natasha Romanoff/ Darcy Lewis
Recced by: Jera349
Backstory: The satisfying part about speaking her language, Darcy knew, was that no one could understand it. Why hide it when you can insult people to their face? And accidentally take down Hydra at the same time.
Rec: I would recommend any of Wino stories but especially the Natasha/Darcy ones. The author often uses older folklore as a base for characterization in many of her stories and does it well. In this case she uses a language that only Darcy and 300 in the world speak.
Content warnings: N/A
“Love Series” by shopfront. 1.6K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: The Half of It; Ship: Ellie Chu/Aster Flores
Recced by: Lamia
Backstory: Ellie attends Aster's new art exhibition. It's the first time they've seen each other since the end of the movie, and the subject of Aster's art is more personal than Ellie expects.
Rec: It perfectly captures the tone of the movie, and the fraught but tender relationship between Ellie and Aster. This fic is a sweet new beginning for the two, without being saccharine.
Content warnings: N/A
“another girl in another time” by cityboys. 11K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Yuri!!! On Ice; Ship: Mila Babicheva/Sara Crispino
Recced by: Fei
Backstory: In the Yuri!!! On Ice anime, Mila and Sara are competitive figure skaters from Russia and Italy respectively, facing off at the Grand Prix Final; here, they’re just Mila and Sara, high school students stuck in detention together, who talk about multiverses, and go prom dress shopping together, and (maybe) fall in love with each other.
Rec: My favourite part about this fic is definitely the introspective mood, which helps the reader understand Sara with more nuance. She’s very closely associated with her brother in canon, so it was interesting to see her as a stand-alone character (along with how she deals with general high school shenanigans). The prose is quite simple, but it’s a quiet, warm story that pulls the reader in and makes high school romance seem like not such a bad thing after all.
Content warnings: N/A
“Ice-cream” by BurningTea. 1.6K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Leverage; Ship: Mikel Dayan/Aimee Martin
Recced by: ExpatGirl
Backstory: Mikel takes Aimee away to the seaside.
Rec: A real rare pair for those who love that rarefied taste. A sweet, fluffy little treat.
Content warnings: N/A
“Myrtle and Roses” by Zdenka. 1.9K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Giselle; Ship: Bathilde/Giselle
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: Giselle is a Romantic ballet in which an eponymous young girl who loves to dance is betrayed by her fiancé, a Secret Prince. She dies (versions differ as to how) and finds herself a Wili, a wraith of a woman jilted before her wedding day whose purpose is to deal dancey death to dudes out in the woods at night. The other woman who is betrayed by the prince, his noble fiancée, vanishes after the first act.
Rec: The fic brings Bathilde, the fiancée, back in, addressing her own claim to anger and her potential relationship with Giselle. The eerie atmosphere and imagery in the dream sequences are transported so smoothly from the ballet, and I love that dance is still such an important part of the narrative without the story being a step-for-step balletic interpretation.
Content warnings: Most everyone is dead, depictions of serious illness
“And I Wondered If I Could Come Home” by semperpugnandi. 211K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Supergirl; Ship: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Recced by: inamamagic
Backstory: Lily and Liza Danvers arrive at camp, only to realise that they look identical and have more in common than they think. A Supercorp Parent Trap AU.
Rec: It’s spectacular and hilarious and full of big emotions, and everything’s resolved in an extremely satisfying way. This take on The Parent Trap makes the “take one twin and separate” plotline feel justifiable.
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
Putting out one more call for:
Femslash February submissions, either individual stories through our form, or for anyone interested in doing a whole list, by writing us at elizabethadgav at gmail
Fic that centers nonbinary/genderqueer characters for a post-February list(s)
For both requests, please use the “themes” section to mention what you’re submitting for—it really helps me sort through our submissions! <3 — Elizabeth
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)