The Rec Center #270
Hello all! Don’t worry, no spoilers for WandaVision here, though we do have Gav’s most recent piece on the show, an analysis of the expectation gap between different types of viewers! We’ve also got some stunning Gwendoline Christie fanart and a multifandom list of gen fic including everything from LotR to Seinfeld. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“With WandaVision, Marvel fans and casual viewers seem to be watching totally different shows” by Gav at the Daily Dot
This was written the day before the WandaVision finale, so it’s both spoiler-free and already out of date. But still relevant, we think! Reactions to this show have been oddly divided, with die-hard Marvel fans expressing a very different experience to mainstream viewers. This post looks at how Marvel tries to cater to both camps—and rarely succeeds.
“I Can’t Defeat My Grief, But I’m Learning to Carry It” by Matt Ortile at Catapult
“In video games, dead parent storylines give a character depth. Their grief becomes a plot point, something to overcome.”
“‘I call it a mutual break-up’: When stars ‘disappear’ on their fandoms” by Adam White at The Independent
When celebrities pivot away from or withdraw from the public eye entirely, what happens to their fans?
older stuff
“The Digimon Die-Hards Keeping the Fading Fandom Alive” by Quinn Myers at Mel
“So what’s it like to be the last of a dying breed? I talked to a few more Digimon die-hards about being a dedicated fan of a franchise that’s quickly fading from the public sphere—as its rival title continues world domination.”
tumblr & beyond
Gwendoline Christie as Lucifer Morningstar by duncantarth
“you kinda do give off onceler kin vibes”
Who can say “fuck” in Doctor Who? A very scientific poll.
a refreshing new angle on the end of the Twilight Saga.
Fanart: The bimbofication of Star Trek men.
“so nasa opened up applications to be an astronaut”
fanfiction
Gen fic! Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. For previous gen lists, see here and here. — Elizabeth
“Foreign Object” by audreycritter. 86K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Batman
Recced by: Nicole
Backstory: I went into this only knowing Batman from the movies (rich man from Gotham with a cool butler), and left with a thorough and obsessive knowledge of every Robin and Batfam affiliate. It helps to know that Bruce Wayne has brought in a flock of sidekicks over the years, all of which have complicated relationships with him and each other.
Rec: This fic is what introduced me to the Batfam fandom. It’s a beautiful, heart-wrenching exploration of how Batman and his family would cope—or fail to cope, because some of them are terrible at emotions—if Bruce Wayne was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It’s a gorgeous look at a dysfunctional found family.
Content warnings: Illness, suicidal thoughts
“A Strange Adventure with Mrs. Nakamura the Safety Consultant” by shiplizard. 6K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Spirited Away
Recced by: Blythe
Backstory: Chihiro from Spirited Away grows up and goes to work for some kind of energy company. An assignment goes wrong, and her assistant gets dragged along into the spirit world.
Rec: I love outsider POV and post-canon.
Content warnings: N/A
“Amateur Theatrics” by galaxysoup . 27K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Avengers
Recced by: jules
Backstory: Set an indeterminate time after The Avengers, the Avengers are once again fighting Thor’s magical trickster brother Loki when a magic artifact causes havoc among the team.
Rec: Hilarious, sad, sweet, and a little bit of mystery all in one! Also the characterization of Clint—a mess but also smart and capable—is spot-on as he takes care of Kid!Loki (different from comics Kid Loki, fyi).
Content warnings: N/A
“Hogyoku Ex Machina” by Mac Ceallach. 173K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Bleach
Recced by: Caps
Backstory: A Bleach time-travel story, wherein both the main character and the main antagonist get transported back in time. In the final battle with Aizen, a different choice is made, and now Ichigo and his greatest enemy have gone back to the beginning. His best friends are powerless, his allies don't know him, and everything he loves is in danger.
Rec: One of the most iconic Bleach fics, the author accurately captures the personalities of all the characters (and there are a LOT) while also giving them all a depth they lack in the original manga/anime. Despite the time-travel premise, the main character is never omniscient, as things change because of his arrival. The story is exciting and engaging and lets the reader explore potential answers to unresolved threads from the original material.
Content warnings: N/A
“Call of the Running Tide” by StarSpray. 2.1K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: Frodo Baggins is descended from a line of (relatively) adventurous hobbits not limited to Bilbo, and happens to live near the point of departure for Elves leaving Middle Earth.
Rec: The distaff side of Frodo’s genealogy gets a chance to shine in this story. The most wonderful thing about this story are the questions it asks about Middle Earth that it doesn’t answer, that lead one familiar with the canon to rush to explain—and then come up against some mystery or contradiction. It’s an incredibly effective way of communicating that very Tolkieny sense of wonder, scale, and enigma that I love so much in the books.
Content warnings: N/A
And a vid rec (FYI, from a different Elizabeth!):
“Seinfeld: The Return” by filminick. 11:19, rated Gen.
Fandoms: Seinfeld, Twin Peaks
Recced by: Elizabeth
Backstory: Seinfeld is an iconic 90s sitcom about four friends living in New York; Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s equally iconic 90s noir about an FBI agent investigating a murder. This vid perfectly reimagines Seinfeld in Lynch’s distinct style.
Rec: Spouse turned this on in the other room and two minutes in I asked, “Did someone make a David Lynch-Seinfeld fanvid?” It’s that perfect blend of hilarious and horrifying.
Content warning: Lynch-typical weirdness
FINAL THOUGHT
Have a good 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.
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)