January 28, 2022

The Rec Center #317

Hello everyone! This week we have coverage of a truly goofy fan-led lawsuit and the first-ever Boss Baby symposium (!?!?!), some lovely Encanto fanart, and multifandom gen recs! — Elizabeth

new stuff

“4 Hours, 12 Panelists, One Baby: Inside the Inaugural Boss Baby Symposium” by Chloe Lizotte at Vulture
A report from an interdisciplinary academic conference on the Boss Baby franchise. “I remember seeing the movie for the first time and thinking, This is so inherently self-contradictory in ways that offer no hope of resolution.”

“Ana de Armas Fans Sue Because She Was Cut Out of ‘Yesterday’” by Gene Madaus at Variety
A true gem from the world of frivolous lawsuits.

older stuff

“How Indie Movies And Fanfic Helped Me Learn How To Be A Lesbian” by Nuria Perea at Buzzfeed
“When you know something inside you doesn’t agree with the world around you, fiction becomes the straw you grasp at to try to understand why—and to understand yourself.”

tumblr & beyond

Encanto fanart by brunoandthemadrigals

Werner Herzog at Comic Con.

“I don’t think there’s ever been a funnier piece of lore in a video game then the etymology of the word ‘gun’ in FFXIV”

Let Bruce Wayne be a freak!!

“reverse ‘i knew about it before it was cool’. i refuse to consume it until it is borderline irrelevant.”

liam payne roasted to a crisp on twitter.

fanfiction

Genfic this week! Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“the ship in port is the safer one (but it’s not the reason it was made)” by KiaraSayre. 43K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Star Trek (Alternate Original Series)
Recced by: Nellied
Backstory: Jim Kirk has just been given his first official mission as Captain of the USS Entreprise, after the events of the first film, and he thinks he’ll do just fine. It’s an easy mission; how hard can being Captain be?
Rec: Spot-on characterisation all round, with Jim learning how to be a good leader when it’s *not* an emergency and he actually has to deal with mundane space problems like running out of condoms, professional email etiquette and crew members feuding over toilet paper. Hilarious, but also very sweet - every time I’ve read it, I’ve binged it in one sitting.
Content warnings: Mentions of self-harm, drowning

“stained-glass variation of the truth” by silverhedges. 7.3K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Detroit: Become Human
Recced by: key
Backstory: This is a friendship fic (more or less) between two characters that Do Not Like Each Other in the game.
Rec: Gavin is an awful person and there’s no evidence in game that he’s likable, so this ended up being a really interesting exploration of his character.
Content warnings: N/A

“Jeweled World” by burglebezzlement. 11K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: The Dragon Pearl (Yoon Ha Lee)
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: The Dragon Pearl is middle-grade science fantasy that follows a young gumiho as she investigates her brother’s disappearance and the strange terraforming mystery that shaped her young life.
Rec: This is such a great example of fannish pastiche—it reads just like the book. It also has some lovely imagery and thoughtful expansion of the original premise. Just a sweet read!
Content warnings: N/A

“Carry Your Men, And Their Dead Too” by pale_and_tragid. 3.5K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Justified
Recced by: aetataureate
Backstory: Raylan, Tim, and Rachel are U.S. Marshals in the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Rec: A terrific short fic that focuses on the highly underrated Rachel Brooks. Uses a poker game simply and very effectively to get at the heart of why Rachel can’t move through the world with the same carelessness as her colleagues.
Content warnings: N/A

“Kould Ts’ens Fish and Braised Mushrooms | A Shisa Girl’s Spoon” by UrsulaKohl. 963 words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Imperial Radch
Recced by: Nem
Backstory: The Imperial Radch series by Ann Leckie (the first book is Ancillary Justice) is a highly-lauded space opera with plenty of commentary on gender and imperialism.
Rec: A recipe from an in-universe food blogger, this little fic humorously captures that Food Blogger Voice TM with a sci-fi angle.
Content warnings: N/A

“Night at the (National History) Museum” by collectivefandomstuff. 7.2K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Batman comics
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: Tim, Dick, Jason and Damian are Bruce Wayne’s kids and Batman’s sidekicks!
Rec: When Bruce forces the Robins to attend a painfully boring party for Gotham’s elite, the boys team up to sabotage the event. Very funny, with witty dialogue and a great supporting cast of ridiculous Gotham society figures!
Content warnings: N/A

And a vid!

“Fire Drills” by nu_breed. 3:16, rated Mature.
Fandom: The Untamed
Recced by: Clever Manka
Backstory: There aren’t a lot of women in The Untamed, but those that appear all have their own unique stories. This vid highlights them beautifully.
Rec: I like how nu_breed includes all the women with significant roles, regardless of how much the audience sympathizes with them.
Content warnings: Warnings for character death, blood, coercion, suicide, self-harm, canon-typical violence and some fast cuts

FINAL THOUGHT

That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend, and come back next week for the start of Femslash Feb! — Gav