The Rec Center #301
Hello! This week our October paranormal fic series continues with a GHOST-specific list (key quote from this batch of recs: “I was hesitant about the premise but gave the story a try because I like the author’s other work, and now I am a ghostfucking believer.”). We also have some beautiful—and somewhat spooky!—Hannibal fanart, plus writing about gaming, writing IP, and more. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“So You Want Gong Yoo to Slap You. Now What?” by Amanda Rosenberg at Vulture
Written by a longtime fan, this post celebrates Gong Yoo’s unforgettable cameo role in Squid Game—and introduces new viewers to his illustrious career.
“I Refuse to Feel Guilt for My Guilty Pleasures” by Vivian Manning-Schaffel at Catapult
“The invisible fence that divides highbrow and lowbrow is largely imposed by money, those we admire, and our own social conditioning.”
“Deeper Than Pixels: A Reading List on Video Games” by Peter Rubin at Longreads
A collection of longform writing on gaming from the past decade: “...if we’re not thinking about games as a valid muse for joyous, staggering, important writing, then it’s no one’s fault but our own.”
https://twitter.com/sfeertheorist/status/1433929725295083520
older stuff
“Toy Stories” by Gwenda Bond at Uncanny Magazine
Gwenda was this week’s Fansplaining guest, where she talked about her (v interesting imo!) article outlining what it’s like to write IP—intellectual property, which in this case means licensed novels for big franchises—versus fanfiction and original fiction.
tumblr & beyond
Hannibal fanart by hannigram-house
An etymological history of why you find exclamation points in fanfic tags.
“should you forgive this fictional character“s evil deeds?” a helpful chart.
we got a fax at work from ‘Omega OBGYN’ and for a moment, i was living in a parallel universe
a warm hello to Gong Yoo’s Squid Game cameo.
Frankenstein: the college AU remix.
some cute fanart for everyone’s favorite Halloween season cartoon, Over The Garden Wall!
fanfiction
If you missed last week’s newsletter, we’re dedicating the entire month of October to the many, many paranormal recs you sent in (and probably only about half of them, since you sent so many—there will be future lists). This week’s theme: ghosts! Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“on the very verge” by attheborder. 40K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Terror (2018); Ships: Cornelius Hickey/Lt John Irving, Lt John Irving/Sgt Solomon Tozer, Cornelius Hickey/Sgt Solomon Tozer
Recced by: Kate
Backstory: The Terror is about doomed Victorian explorers. This AU imagines that most of the characters are modern Londoners, and one is a very unethical ghost.
Rec: The writing, pacing, and plot of this story are all delightful, and it’s full of humour and clever callbacks to the source material. I was hesitant about the premise but gave the story a try because I like the author’s other work, and now I am a ghostfucking believer.
Content warnings: Sexual harassment by a ghost, internalised homophobia
“Hunger” by Sath. 1.5K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: LOTR/The Silmarillion; Ship: Éowyn/Tar-Míriel
Recced by: Chestnut_pod
Backstory: Éowyn famously kills the Witch King of Angmar (But no living man am I!), an excellent fill-in-the-blank villain. In this story, Sath has filled the Witch King in with tragic would-be Queen of Númenor Míriel, who perished in the drowning of her country despite all her efforts to save it from itself and the Powers.
Rec: This fic is appropriately haunting, in many senses, and lays out with clean precision the cruelty of the gender expectations placed upon women in Tolkien’s world and in his narratives. It’s gorgeous and it stings.
Content warnings: Suicidal thoughts, misogyny internalized and otherwise
“Ghost Story” by clevermanka. 90K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: 镇魂 | Guardian (TV); Ship: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan
Recced by: qkat
Backstory: Shen Wei is a 10,000-year-old ghost king (read: alien, due to the TV show being sci-fi) and Zhao Yunlan is a paranormal (read: alien) police detective. They have history due to time travel and are incredibly, completely devoted to each other.
Rec: This is a modern-day college AU with GHOSTS. The feels are intense, the writing is subtly meta, and the smut, when present, is absolutely scorching.
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, major character death, rape/non-con
“The Aftershocks Remain” by pdameron. 31K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Black Sails; Ship: John Silver & Miranda Barlow, John Silver/James Flint
Recced by: Caitlin
Backstory: In this story, Silver has the ability to see and speak to ghosts. After the events of Charlestown, he and Miranda form a close friendship as she helps him navigate the changes in his life.
Rec: I don’t normally read stories with supernatural elements but it feels so natural in this one. It’s a great read for anyone who might normally shy away from things with ghosts and such. While the story is Silver-centric, it has some great Miranda content as well and we get to see her interact with a character she never met in the show.
Content warnings: Child abuse, referenced child sexual abuse, internalized ableism
“All Along the Watchtower” by TheLionInMyBed. 1.9K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: The Silmarillion; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Chestnut_pod
Backstory: The Silmarillion, the sprawling, semi-mythical backstory to the Lord of the Rings, takes place on a continent called Beleriand, which meets its watery demise after the endless wars of the First Age—but for one or two high spots. A visitor comes to one of those desolate remains of a drowned continent, and meets a strange figure.
Rec: I love stories whose characters are entirely secondary to grand narratives, who provide perspective on large events from a great distance in time, space, or social station. This main character is charming and matter-of-fact, and her story says a great deal about history and its ghosts.
Content warnings: Mild body horror
“$499,000 - 4bd, 3ba, 2,940 sqft” by seabass. 16K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: IT - Stephen King; Ship: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Recced by: Celine
Backstory: AU where Eddie moves to a house by the sea. A very strange house indeed.
Rec: Absolutely impeccable spooky vibes. Not your average ghost story.
Content warnings: Drug use
https://twitter.com/serenityfails/status/1445747616772362243
FINAL THOUGHT
That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend! — Gav