April 8, 2022

The Rec Center #327

Hi all! This week we’ve got articles about Benedict Cumberbatch fandom and Dune, some gorgeous Our Flag Means Death fanart, multifandom established relationship fic recs, and more! — Gav

new stuff

“Dune: we simulated the desert planet of Arrakis to see if humans could survive there” by Alex Farnsworth, Michael Farnsworth, and Sebastian Steinig at The Conversation
A rather different kind of fanwork than what we typically feature on The Rec Center, but fascinating nonetheless.

“A decade ago, Benedict Cumberbatch’s ‘Cumberbitches’ ruled the internet. Where are they now?” by Palmer Haasch at Insider
A trip down memory lane for Cumberbatch fandom, which dominated Tumblr in the mid-2010s—but waned as Cumberbatch’s star rose in Hollywood.

“Archives of Our Own: A Reading List on Fandom and Community” at Longreads
A list of articles within our list of articles! A variety of fandom pieces from mainstream outlets, going back as far as 2011.

older stuff

“When ‘Cancel Culture’ Means Letting Go” by Andrea Grimes at Dame
“Cancel culture’s critics make bad-faith arguments about censorship and worry about artists’ ability to rehabilitate their careers. But what about their fans, who are grappling with the grief of relinquishing a beloved relationship with their work?”

tumblr & beyond

Our Flag Means Death fanart by sei_bark

Some beautiful Star Trek OT3 fanart from the 1970s.

the TRUE meaning of star wars fandom.

gaze upon this Izzy Hands fancam!!!

“say what you like about the Doctor Who fan wiki having a Penis article...”

Did you know that in 2003, Star Wars fans could pay to just... watch Revenge of the Sith be filmed live via webcam?

Sailor Moon Knight!

fanfiction

With so much shippy fic focused on various getting-together scenarios, this week we’re featuring something I wish I encountered more in fandom: established relationship fic! Thank you so much to everyone who sent in a rec. <3 — Elizabeth

“how long to stay and when to go” by Sister. 6K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Batman (comics); Ship: Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Recced by: SJ
Backstory: This fic is situated in the pre-52 era of DC Comics, and begins with Jason and Tim in an established relationship. It follows Jason as he freaks out when he realizes he’s more committed than he thought.
Rec: This author is certainly a favorite for me in the fandom, but this fic in particular is really something. The characters in this fic are so tangible and alive. The prose here is also incredible—it’s different, but not in a way you should be scared of.
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence

“The Measure of the World” by Adavellis. 662K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Warcraft; Ship: Sylvanas Windrunner/Jaina Proudmoore
Recced by: Steffy Lee
Backstory: The two characters in canon are a bloodthirsty elf queen (Sylvanas) and an angry, traumatized sorceress (Jaina), who are on opposing sides of a war. The fic setup starts with Jaina imprisoning Sylvanas to force an end to the war, and the two grow closer and eventually Jaina breaks Sylvanas out, and they try to deal with the terrible things they’ve done in their pasts.
Rec: Such a fascinating mixture of fantasy and romance (I didn’t know canon much but it still worked). Incredible exploration of how trauma can lead to aggression, paranoia, and bad behaviour; and of the struggle to get from there to healing and justice; and so much family drama.
Content warnings: Captivity, references to past suicide attempts, side character death, parental abuse

“Wartime verse” by Tabi_essentially. 347K words over 11 works, mostly rated Mature, with one Explicit.
Fandom: Inception (2010); Ship: Arthur/Eames
Recced by: vargs
Backstory: The flagship of the Inception fandom that you’ve probably heard about. I think what makes them appealing is how easy it is to wrap your head around their characters and the premise, but how far you can run just what’s presented in canon.
Rec: This verse made and destroyed me because I felt like I’d watched these two people meet each other as young men (‘A Soul Awake’) and go on adventure after adventure, until they become inseparable at the end of the road (‘Autumn Road’). Their relationship is the constant across these amazingly-crafted, cross-genre stories, not so much ‘falling in love’ as sinking into it over the course of saving each others’ lives over and over. (Psst! Check out Tabi-essentially’s other Inception fic series after this one if you still feel raw afterwards, because... spoilers.)
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, dire situations of life and death, some scenes of torture, use of questionable substances, realistic depictions of PTSD and death. (please see individual tags for each fic!)

“The Peaceable Kingdom” by kvikindi. 6K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Black Sails; Ship: James Flint/Thomas Hamilton
Recced by: Elizabeth
Backstory: [Spoiler warning for the Black Sails finale!] This fic is the second in a series following the extraordinary “Unaccommodated Man,” which, amongst other things, depicts Thomas and James’s reunion at the end of the show. Much of this fic, set six years later, is from the perspective of Billy Bones, who arrives at the farm (now a commune, not a prison), looking for Captain Flint.
Rec: On a sentence level and a story level, kvikindi is a remarkable writer, no matter the fandom. But this story has a lot of specific elements I love: while much of “Unaccommodated Man” is about Thomas and James (re)learning how to be together, this story shows that hard-won intimacy, mostly from Billy’s (somewhat baffled) perspective. Plus a whole lot of moral philosophy! You know I wouldn’t rec a Black Sails fic without it. :-))
Content warnings: N/A

“Blue Water” by huxiyi. 25k words, rated Explicit
Fandom: MDZS; Ship: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: Set post-canon, Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian are a married couple living their happily-ever-after in a xianxia setting.
Rec: This amnesia fic sees LWJ lose all memories of his relationship with WWX. The twist is, he must still “pretend” to be WWX’s husband to avoid suspicion while they investigate his memory loss! A great twist on amnesia/established relationship tropes - and with clever characterization, given that LWJ is so strongly defined by his love for WWX.
Content warnings: N/A

FINAL THOUGHT

Have a great weekend, everyone! — Elizabeth