The Rec Center #311
Hi folks! This week we’ve got articles about Wattpad and safe spaces for trans VTubers, along with some cool Mario fanart, posts about The Witcher and Tumblr culture, and a multifandom rec list of enemies-to-lovers fanfic! — Gav
new stuff
“How trans women are finding safe spaces on Twitch and YouTube” by Jessica Lucas at Input
“VTubing—vlogging using virtual avatars—can make the difficult process of transitioning easier.”
“The Spectacular Vindication of BTS” by Lenika Cruz at The Atlantic
“None of us could stop time, but we didn’t need to. The performances that BTS delivered, and the community with whom I shared those experiences, made me less afraid of holding moments of joy gently, and then letting them go. They reminded me that the future would bring joy again.”
“ViacomCBS announces partnership with Wattpad to adapt originals” by Katie Ceck at The Verge
We’ve seen a lot of misinformation about the recent Viacom-Wattpad deal, so we wanted to include this straightforward reported piece to help clear up some of the confusion. As far as we can tell, the only real thing changing is the specific deal with Viacom—Wattpad has been very public (for years!) about how they use machine learning to look for potential hits and then work with writers to develop them for various studios. (This piece, from 2018, has helpful context.)
https://twitter.com/_lizbarr/status/1471339666620043266
older stuff
“Fans Are Better Than Tech at Organizing Information Online” by Gretchen McCulloch at Wired
“The wrangler system is one where ordinary user behavior can be successful, a system which accepts that users periodically need help from someone with a bird’s-eye view of the larger picture.”
tumblr & beyond
Princess Plum fanart by washimbembe
TikTok: The REAL Spider-Verse.
What if Geralt of Rivia’s horse Roach is... always the same horse? If you know, you know.
A thread of audio pronunciation clips for MXTX-related words, following the recent release of her novels in English.
Twitter, I’m just sure that isn’t the actual trending topic...
https://twitter.com/astrobassball/status/1469482125770604549?t=JliskrIZyHHx8s4fhsx8gg&s=19
fanfiction
One of my favorites this week: enemies to lovers! Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“how river learned to stop worrying and love the moon” by oriflamme. 18K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Books of the Raksura - Martha Wells; Ships: Moon/River, Chime/Moon, Moon/Chime/River
Recced by: AirgiodSLV
Backstory: Moon, first consort of the Indigo Cloud court, hasn’t learned to care about his appearance when he represents the court. River, a warrior who was formerly the lover of the reigning queen, decides to care for him.
Rec: The emotional arc of the protagonist wanting to prove himself, wanting to keep busy and be useful, and gradually realizing that it’s more complicated than that was so deftly done, it made me laugh and ache by turns.
Content warnings: N/A
“Come With Me Now (I’m Going to Take You Down)” by scrhaiser. 37K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians; Ship: Annabeth Chase/Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Recced by: tinystreetlamp
Backstory: Space pirates AU, enemies to lovers, demigods.
Rec: Literally the best fanfic ever, I love it so much. has my entire heart. I read it 8 years ago for the first time and I still think about it.
Content warnings: N/A
“Face Turn” by schmerzerling. 12K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Dean/Cas
Recced by: Alex
Backstory: Dean Winchester—successful business owner, wrestling enthusiast, and all-around nice guy—is out and proud. Only he doesn’t know it yet. And neither does the newest (hottest) guy this side of bumfuck Kansas.
Rec: A really funny, feel good read. This fic has everything: fumbling, awkward flirting, gratuitous use of wrestling, drag, and a healthy dose of humor heaped atop clueless!Dean.
Content warnings: N/A
“Hotel Heart” by Laughsalot3412. 45K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Leverage; Ship: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Recced by: Rachel
Backstory: Leverage AU wherein pre-series Eliot meets season 5 Parker and Hardison. In a world where there are people with psychic powers (telekinesis, telepathy, empathy), Eliot is hired to assassinate Hardison and Parker, but soon falls in with them.
Rec: The disparate elements of the AU just blend together so seamlessly that it fully immerses you in the world of the characters. It both feels like a love letter to canon and like the premise of a really good sci-fi novel.
Content warnings: Rape/Non-con, mostly to describe the violation of someone’s mind, but also allusions to off-screen assault
“Remember This Cold” series by Lise. 865K words over 77 works, rated Gen to Explicit.
Fandom: MCU; Ship: Starts out gen, then slow-burn Loki/Steve Rogers
Recced by: Lina
Backstory: While this sounds like a weird pairing, the author does a truly brilliant job setting it up and it ends up being extremely persuasive. It also goes AU right after Avengers, which means it can be nearly canon compliant with a starting point at Loki’s part in Endgame.
Rec: The writing and characterization is brilliant and the author has a really thorough knowledge and respect for canon, but also takes the ’verse in its own direction as it proceeds through the rest of the Marvel movies. Currently it goes up through Thor: Ragnarok, but the author is in the process of writing Infinity War and Endgame stories now, I think. Lots of beautiful one-shots, also.
Content warnings: Fairly graphic violence in some stories
“Vengeance” by rainhat. 76K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The King: Eternal Monarch (TV, Korean); Ship: Jo Yeong/ Koo Seo-Ryeong
Recced by: drivingsideways
Backstory: The King: Eternal Monarch is a 2020 romance/fantasy drama set in two parallel contemporary worlds: the modern day South Korea, and the fictional (united) Kingdom of Corea, which is a constitutional monarchy. Time travel, star crossed lovers, villainous uncles, "bromance"- the plot features all of that and more, resolved in a happy-ending for most of the characters, though with some notable exceptions. This story though, is about two of the "side" characters- Jo Yeong, Captain of the Royal Guard, the king’s best friend, knight and brother-in-all-but-blood; and the Kingdom of Corea’s Prime Minister, Koo Seo-Ryeong, whose ambition, smarts and extraordinary beauty are enough to make her one of the "villains" of the canon.
Rec: The author takes the canon as a bad suggestion, and then kicks it off the cliff, while they soar into the sky with ambitious world-building, sparkling humour, exciting action and a truly cinematic style. This is Classic High Romance (though never feeling dated). Tropes aplenty: two people who were never meant to be and are yet clearly Fated (TM); enemies-to-lovers, with all the misunderstandings and pining that involves; a brilliant cast of characters, including original characters whose introduction enriches the story-world so meaningfully- the entire thing is an achievement. Since the whole thing is practically an AU, suggest reading the wiki of the show and then jumping right into this- you won’t regret it.
Content warnings: Some low-key violence, gaslighting
“The Red Country” by jibrailis. 49K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll; Ship: Queen of Hearts/White Queen
Recced by: inamamagic
Backstory: Two girls at an English boarding school find Wonderland and become the Queen of Hearts and the Red Queen respectively. An Alice in Wonderland prequel.
Rec: This story is so beautifully told! It’s aching and heart wrenching in places but it’s also so deeply hopeful, and it serves as a fantastic prequel to the canonical events of Alice in Wonderland, reading almost as an original work of sorts
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence
https://twitter.com/sweetalysssum/status/1470964616117112835
FINAL THOUGHT
Wrapping up this week by sharing a new project that looks really interesting—OFIC Magazine. From their site:
OFIC Magazine is a quarterly publication with a simple goal: to promote the original work of fanauthors whose aesthetics and interests may not align with the genres of traditional publishing, but whose work still aspires to literary aims—work that may be dark or grotesque, unabashedly joyful, or just too filthy for the general population. We publish work that can’t fit anywhere else.
I’m very excited to watch this publication take shape in the coming year. And if you’re a writer, consider submitting! — Elizabeth