The Rec Center #267
Hi folks! This week we’ve got an article about neo-Myspace, some depressing but necessary coverage of the Joss Whedon scandal, some cute San Junipero fanart, and week two of Femslash February fanfic recs! — Gav
new stuff
“The complicated history of Marvel whitewashing Scarlet Witch” by Gav at the Daily Dot
WandaVision puts Scarlet Witch in the limelight, building on a rather two-dimension role in the MCU movies. This article goes into her canon backstory as a Jewish/Romani character, and how Disney erased that heritage.
“A Teenager Has Remade Myspace and Everyone Is Loving It” by Laura Holliday at Vice
“Coded entirely by 18-year-old An from Germany, the site looks almost identical to how Myspace did in its heyday—complete with blogs, bulletins, an old school IM function and, most importantly, the ability to use HTML and CSS to fully customise your profile with cute layouts, pictures and music.”
“How Ben Sisko Wrestled With American History” by Robert Greene at Startrek.com
“DS9's captain, and the actor who played him, never shied away from shining a light on American racism.”
“Buffy stars weigh in on Charisma Carpenter’s Joss Whedon allegations” by Gav at the Daily Dot
Buffy and Angel star Charisma Carpenter came forward with some disturbing allegations about how Joss Whedon treated her while working on those shows. Her co-stars soon came forward to pledge their support—and in some cases, share experiences of their own. This post collates those responses, along with further context about Whedon’s behavior.
older stuff
“How Indie Movies And Fanfic Helped Me Learn How To Be A Lesbian” by Nuria Perea at Buzzfeed
“When you know something inside you doesn’t agree with the world around you, fiction becomes the straw you grasp at to try to understand why—and to understand yourself.”
tumblr & beyond
San Junipero fanart by Minima
“Ah yes, I’ve always wanted a trading card of *checks notes* Odo’s first time.”
“This 1993 promo for a Quantum Leap convention feels like an important historical document.”
A truly iconic LOTR moment.
“Will Graham’s batshit leaps in deduction are so much more valid and interesting than BBC Sherlock’s so called reasoning.”
“that trope where the villain says to the hero ‘we’re not so different, you know’”
fanfiction
Femslash February continues! Last week’s list is here. Thank you very much to all of our guest reccers. — Elizabeth
“Two-Toned, Bittersweet” by searchforthescars. 18K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Locked Tomb Trilogy; Ship: Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus
Recced by: Jenny Hamilton
Backstory: The Locked Tomb Trilogy is about lesbians doing swords and necromancies in space. Gideon is a smartass jock; Harrow is an angry overachiever. Together, they fight terrifying bone constructs!
Rec: Gideon discovers Harrow’s profile on Tinder and swipes right, to screw with her. I’m a sucker for a college AU, and this one features all the best characters from the Locked Tomb trilogy doing found family vibes all over campus.
Content warnings: N/A
“Somebody’s Done For” by explosionshark. 6.6K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Oxenfree; Ship: Alex/Nona
Recced by: grey-sleipnir
Backstory: The story is set a few days after the end of the game and the horrors the characters experience in that story. Ren and Nona break up and Alex somehow ends up at Nona's birthday party.
Rec: This fic deals so well with the trauma these characters endure due to their experiences on the island, and it is a very delicate portrayal of something that is still so raw. Nona and Alex are very in-character, and the story’s progression is very enjoyable.
Content warnings: N/A
“You Can’t Put Back A Petal When It Falls From A Flower” by zvi. 2.5K words, Not Rated.
Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy; Ship: Cristina/Meredith
Recced by: anna
Backstory: Cristina gets a haircut. Meredith gets a revelation.
Rec: It captures their dynamic as well as any fic I’ve ever read in the fandom.
Content warnings: N/A
“On the Edge of Summer” by Solanaceae. 766 words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Lord of the Rings; Ship: Unnamed Daughter of Arwen and Aragorn/Original Princess of Near Harad
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: So Aragorn and Arwen had at least two daughters Tolkien did not bother to name, because sexism. And Middle Earth had a country down south named Harad, with a long history of tension with Gondor and a people related to the Númenoreans whose history and culture is hardly described except for Gross Things, because racism.
Rec: I know I pitched that so well, but perhaps I can offer you a corrective! This little fic features gruff soldier princess/ladylike scientist princess slice-of-life romance (swoon) that offers far greater nuance, context, and humanity to the Haradrim in 766 words than Tolkien managed in his entire Legendarium. It’s also EXTREMELY cute.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Neon Bible” by tactfulGnostalgic. 124K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Homestuck; Ship: Jane Crocker/Roxy Lalonde
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Homestuck is cult sci-fi webcomic with a famously complicated plot but knowledge of canon is not required for this story. This is set in a cyberpunk au where trolls rule human society, orphan Roxy Lalonde is mysteriously hired to be the bodyguard of Jane Crocker, heiress to the Crockercorp fortune.
Rec: I love the romance but honestly the mystery plot is captivating by itself, and the writing is really funny. I also really recommend checking out the fanart of the fic.
Content warnings: Body horror, graphic violence
“seventeen minutes in heaven” by aeriallon. 2.5K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Riverdale (TV series); Ship: Betty Cooper/Veronica Lodge
Recced by: ExpatGirl
Backstory: Betty and Veronica, a game of spin the bottle, and one tight closet make for a fun party.
Rec: It’s very hot, kinda kinky, with a good sprinkling of sweet. Everything I want out of femslash, tbh.
Content warning: Implied self harm
FINAL THOUGHT
The Fandom Trumps Hate fanworks auction is current in between creator sign-ups and the bidding period, but in the interim, they’ve launched a different project: The Fandom Covid Memorial, a Dreamwidth community where people can share stories with other fandom folks about loved ones they’ve lost to or experiences having Covid. You can read more about the project here. — 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)