The Rec Center #268
Hi everyone! This week we’ve got an article about a queer movie subtitling community in China, a delightful Star Trek DS9 fancomic, another set of Femslash February fic recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“China's subtitle army” by Zeyi Yang and Meaghan Tobin at rest of world.
A look at how a Chinese Queer as Folk messageboard evolved into a thriving community for fanmade subtitles, bringing queer-themed media to Chinese audiences.
“The Crushing Disappointment of Fandom” by Angela Watercutter at Wired
Following the scandals surrounding Gina Carano and Joss Whedon, a critical look at parasocial relationships with fandom idols.
“Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, and Me” by Gabrielle Bellot at Catapult
“I’m still drawn to stories about teenage girls’ lives, real or fantastical, and a part of it is trying to glimpse a world I never fully got to walk in.” A beautiful essay by a trans author about teenage girlhood and Ms. Marvel.
older stuff
“How VHS Tapes and Bootleg Translations Started an Anime Fan War in the 90s” by Marc Shaw at Vice
Back in the day, the only way to watch anime in English was via legally murky VHS tapes, translated and subtitled by fans. This article looks back on some scandalous feuds between factions of fan-subbers—and how fan communities came together to solve some niche technical problems.
tumblr & beyond
Catradora fanart by 5hio
"i am going to create the worst lotr fancast”
Star Trek DS9 fan comic: “I like to think the longer garashir goes on their argument topics get stupider.”
The two most valid Ursula K. Le Guin quotes.
someone has thought long & hard about the logistics of Gimli canonically being a flat-earther in LOTR.
Hannibal screencaps vs Andrew Wyeth paintings.
“This is literally how all fandom discourse on here sounds like.”
fanfiction
Femslash February continues! For more recs, see week 1 and week 2. And thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth
“illuminate a little space” by zozo. 2K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Star Trek: Discovery; Ship: Michael Burnham/Sylvia Tilly
Recced by: E
Backstory: Five times fic where Tilly didn't realize Michael was trying to date her (and one time she did).
Rec: Love a friends to lovers and love this ship. It’s the softest in the fandom.
Content warnings: N/A
“Persephone’s Waltz” by ErinPtah. 70K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika; Ships: Kaname Madoka/Miki Sayaki, Akemi Homura/Kaname Madoka
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Spoilers for the entire anime. The more times she fails to save Madoka, the more desperate Homura gets...until kidnapping her and locking her in a basement until Walpurgisnacht is over stops sounding like such a crazy idea.
Rec: Everyone is so in-character and the writing is so serious that it makes the whole scenario seem very believable and heart-wrenchingly tragic.
Content warnings: Kidnapping, Stockholm syndrome, graphic depictions of violence, language, self-harm/suicide references, teenage sexuality, character death
“After the Applause” by tartanfics. 1.9K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Agent Carter; Ship: Peggy Carter/Angie Martinelli
Recced by: grey-sleipnir
Backstory: This fic is set after the episode A Sin to Err, when Peggy is arrested. The fic covers Angie and Peggy’s reunion.
Rec: This is a very sweet story that describes Angie’s understanding of herself, and her interest in Peggy.
Content warnings: N/A
“hush now” by astronicht. 12K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed/Módào Zǔshī; Ship: F/F Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Recced by: juliethegay
Backstory: Gorgeous always a different sex modern au, “In a quiet college town in upstate New York, seven years since the last time Wei Ying stepped foot in America, or a doctoral program, she finds Lan Zhan.”
Rec: It’s stunningly crafted and it’s portrayal of their love and mental health and motherhood and all they have now even with their history is so wonderful.
Content warnings: Some gently implied mental health (anxiety/depression) issues, being managed
“One woman. She had an orange miniature poodle with her.” by yujacheong. 352 words, rated Mature.
Fandom: “Inventory” by Carmen Maria Machado; Ship: Narrator/Original Female Apocalypse Survivor
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: “Inventory” is a short story by Carmen Maria Machado set, and this is important, in and after a pandemic-related apocalypse. The structure of the story, we come to find, is one of many lists the narrator is making to cope with the loss of her world, this one listing all the people she has had sex with.
Rec: This is an outtake/pastiche fic with the same blend of nostalgia, longing, and humor as the original. Reading pandemic fiction has been one way I’ve been dealing with… everything… over the last year, and it was great to find a fic for one of CMM’s lovely stories.
Content warnings: Pandemic, and the original short story, should you choose to read it too, contains more of that, death, intoxication, and sexual assault
“don’t tip the boat over (love and devotion)” by merriweather. 15K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Derry Girls; Ship: Clare/Michelle
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Derry Girls is a comedy about a group of friends in Northern Ireland at the end of the Troubles. This fic expands on Clare’s coming out storyline from season one to show how she and Michelle could accidentally catch feelings.
Rec: This fic made me believe in Clare/Michelle as a ship, it’s so wonderful. Derry Girls has a tricky tone but the author captures the humor and the characterization perfectly.
Content warnings: N/A
FINAL THOUGHT
Furthering the Femslash February theme, I wanted to plug this week’s Fansplaining, a conversation about f/f fic with breathedout (whose fic “How the mouth changes its shape” is one of the most-submitted fics in our submission form, fyi!). The episode—with a full transcript and links to more of her writing—is here. — Elizabeth
FINAL FINAL THOUGHT
SPEAKING OF PODCASTS: Hugo voters! While you’re finalizing your nominations (and keeping us in mind for Best Fanzine), we also wanted to point you towards the eligibility posts for our respective podcasts, which are both eligible for Best Fancast:
Fansplaining (co-hosted by Elizabeth)
Overinvested (co-hosted by Gav)
Yes, we are aware that we are ~rivals~ 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)