November 26, 2021

The Rec Center #308

Hello all! This week we have the return of “fics you can get lost in,” some really lovely Kate Bishop fanart, and our second-ever “letter of recommendation”—our newish space for going long on a fanworks rec—from guest reccer Barrett, about the nearly half-a-million-word Thomas-centric Downtown Abbey epic “Soldier’s Heart.” — Elizabeth

new stuff

“These Portraits Show That the BTS ARMY Is Not a Monolith” by Hannah Yoon (photographs) and Kat Moon (introduction) at Time
A beautiful collection of portraits featuring BTS fans from a huge range of backgrounds.

“What If You Went Back in Time and Fucked Yourself?” by Brian VanHooker at Mel Magazine
This vitally important question has occupied fanfiction writers since time immemorial. Here, astrophysicists and psychologists weigh in on time-traveling selfcest: “You’re still going to definitely cause a paradox.”

older stuff

“‘You’re My Present This Year’: An Oral History of the Folgers Incest Ad” by Gabriella Paiella at GQ
Happy holidays from this legendarily weird TV commercial!

tumblr & beyond

Kate Bishop fanart by daisyann

“I mean it’s one prompt, how long could it get?”

Congrats to this Hannibal fanart on its arrival to the U.S. Capitol!

“that’s the fanfiction bestie”

Some thoughts on how Tolkien’s experiences with PTSD likely influenced LOTR.

“why is there NO medical privacy in Starfleet?”

letter of recommendation

Barrett is a fic writer and fanartist who watched Downton Abbey as a teen and rediscovered their love for soapy period drama nonsense during quarantine. They’re @wrishwrosh on twitter, tumblr, and ao3, where they mostly talk about hobbits and queer historical fiction.

“Soldier’s Heart” by Alex51324 is an AU of Downton Abbey seasons 1 and 2, covering WWI in the show’s timeline. The fic focuses on Thomas Barrow, Downton’s canonically gay footman and occasional scheming b-villain, whose first solution to most problems is a half-baked blackmail plot and who serves in the RAMC (British medical corps) during WWI.

“Halo Effect,” the 80K prequel to Soldier’s Heart, sets a point of canon divergence early in season 1 to ask the question, “what if a couple other characters liked Thomas a tiny bit more?” and takes off running from there to explore how Thomas’s war would have looked if he had some friends at home and coherent motivations for his actions.

In the past I’ve recommended this fic to people as a queer wartime epic, the Thomas redemption arc that Julian Fellowes doesn’t want you to see, and “ok its 450,000 words and has an EXTENSIVE subplot about organizing hospital linens but i promise you’ll like it!!” It’s truly impossible for me to overstate how much I love this fic!

Soldier’s Heart is carefully researched and full of rich detail about the daily lives of men serving in the RAMC. There’s a great cast of OCs, including Thomas’s partner, their circle of queer friends, and the RAMC higher-ups who take Thomas under their wing. It’s also a fabulous character study of a working class Edwardian gay man who’s used to existing outside of both the law and social convention.

Alex51324’s Thomas has trouble making sense of people outside of his community, and they don’t really get him either. A lot of the story’s emotion and honesty comes from the mismatch between Thomas’s instincts and the reactions of people around him. There’s a scene early on when Thomas goes looking for a patient’s lost wedding ring in a pile of recently amputated limbs so that his fellow orderlies won’t be accused of theft, and then is confused when guys in his unit lose their minds over it, and it’s a testament to the author’s grasp on tone and relationships that this genuinely comes across as a charming character moment!

[A quick note on content warnings—the fic includes very frank and graphic descriptions of wartime violence/injury/death, period-typical medical care (bad) and attitudes towards trauma and disability (worse), period-typical homophobia and transphobia, and suicide. The chapter notes contain specific warnings but the baseline level of gore is pretty high.]

I’d strongly recommend this fic to readers of queer historical fiction/lovers of found family narratives/DA fans who are dreading what the new movie is gonna do to Thomas THIS time. I’d also recommend it to anybody else who loves the specific microgenre of “long episodic story about a very efficient bureaucrat who achieves success within a complex system despite being an outsider.” For example, if you enjoyed The Goblin Emperor or Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison, Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard, or Hilary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy, you might like Soldier’s Heart.

For DA fans, the fic expands on some of the series’ more interesting b plots in order to really dig into characters’ interactions and motivations. But imo this fic is also accessible to those who have never watched the show, as both a kickass piece of historical fiction and a story about grief, trauma, and the feeling of existing a step out of sync with the rest of the world.

Anyway, read this fic! Cry for a week! Learn a lot about the history of blood transfusions and impress your uncle who really loves those War In Color documentaries with your newfound knowledge over the holidays! And then come talk to me about it!

fanfiction

Last week we put out a call to revive the theme “fics you can get lost in”, and we got a ton of responses! This is the first batch, and we’ll run another one before the end of the year. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“Cultural Exchange” by Therrae. 62K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Transformers; Ship: Gen
Recced by: WishingRoses
Backstory: The story centers an OC anthropologist who is hired by the US Government to work for (and learn about) Transformers, an alien species with a completely different culture, worldview and biology.
Rec: The worldbuilding and how it uses Transformers canon, and great research into anthropology, to explore what a robot alien species might actually be like is so immersive and really makes me wonder about alien life.
Content warnings: N/A

“Glitter is the Gold” series by x_los. 104K words over 2 works, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Blake’s 7; Ship: Blake/Avon
Recced by: luffandtoucher
Backstory: A wonderful Chrestomanci fusion (you don’t have to be familiar with that series to enjoy this one, it does a great job of explaining the situation), Blake has recently been named the next Chrestomanci in Series 12, where longstanding government employee Aven begrudgingly teaches him the essentials of the job. As Blake grows in power, he becomes more and more interested in the magical and governmental malfeasance occurring in Series 1 and against Aven’s wishes he goes to investigate.
Rec: This is such a fun examination of Blake and Avon’s characters, both in terms of what makes each of them tick but more importantly Avon’s terrible opinion of himself and how he needs Blake more than he wants to let on. The glorious empire setting of Chrestomanci meshes surprisingly well with the fascistic empire of Blake’s 7 (almost as if they shared certain core sensibilities lol) and there’s a twist that made me gasp out loud even as I was thinking I should have seen it coming.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence

“As Time Goes By” by Yahtzee. 38K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Angel: The Series; Ship: Angel/Cordelia
Recced by: casapazzo
Backstory: Take the plot of “Casablanca,” remix it for the Buffyverse. "Years in the future, the Hyperion Hotel remains the last help for the hopeless in the vast wasteland once known as L.A."
Rec: It’s a compelling story, of course; Casablanca’s a classic for a reason. The mix of characters with a multitude of motivations (not all of which are clear), some just trying to survive, some trying to fight. But it’s especially fascinating if you know the movie well, seeing which Buffy/Angel characters are mapped onto which Casablanca roles, and the fic takes the extra steps of adhering to the 1940s Hays Code and with descriptions matching black-and-white film imagery.
Content warnings: N/A

“chicago, 1920s” by birbiebi. 69K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: NCT (Band); Ship: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Recced by: anon
Backstory: The premise is fairly simple: it begins during the Spanish Influenza. Vampire-doctor John Suh saves a patient’s life by turning him into a vampire. What follows is a delicious look at the relationship between Ten, a turned-vampire, and Johnny, his sire and the way the relationship changes and how they deal with a mistake Ten makes. There’s just soooo much pining and desire packed in this story, it is incredible.
Rec: The characterisation in this fic is gorgeous. also it is a slow burn in the best sort of way. The way ao3 user birbiebi depicts desire and wanting and pining and love made me honestly tear up because it is just so good.
Content warnings: Murder, blood, implications of period-typical homophobia, referenced physical abuse, implied sexual abuse, сruelty to animals

“The Fisher King Comes Home” by wreckageofstars. 63K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005); Ship: Gen
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Set after ‘Resolution’ (S11E11), in a canon-divergent 13th Doctor adventure. The Doctor and her companions (Yaz, Ryan and Graham) find themselves captured and stranded in the midst of a war.
Rec: Such a rich and expressive rendition of the 13th Doctor, a gorgeous attention to character detail and storytelling, and a fantastically engaging narrative. Absolutely everything this author writers is wonderful, I really could recommend it all.
Content warnings: War, violence

“The Rock and the River” by Pi (Rhea). 17K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Spirited Away; Ship: Haku/Chihiro, but I mainly consider it gen
Recced by: Brennzz
Backstory: The real ship is Chihiro/her place in the world(s). Haku is lovely but he’s not the only end goal for her.
Rec: I’ve read a lot of fic after watching the movie years ago and now that journey has come to an end. This is beautiful, bittersweet, and is canon as far as I am concerned. I love how the human and spirit worlds coexisting is resolved, both physically and within Chihiro’s mind. This fic is the equivalent of a rainy day, chill music, and a comfy nook to curl up in.
Content warnings: Parental death

“The World on His Wrist” by bendingsignpost. 32K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: BBC Sherlock; Ship: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Recced by: anon
Backstory: This story is an AU where John’s life split into 4 different timelines. John has to navigate his 4 separate lives, try to keep Sherlock alive, and deal with the craziness that ensues.
Rec: This story sucked me in from the first lines and I never looked back. The characterization is spot on, John is a BAMF, and the way bendingsignpost plays with cannon is delightful!
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, PTSD

FINAL THOUGHT

That’s all for us this week! xoxo, Gav