The Rec Center #328
Hello all! This week we have articles about Club Penguin Rewritten and Gossip Girl, some lovely Star Trek fanart, and multifandom poly fic recs. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“Cops arrest 3 people for running ‘Club Penguin Rewritten’ beloved by millions” by Joseph Cox at Vice
Disney shut down the family-friendly MMO Club Penguin in 2017, but apparently some people have been running a counterfeit version with more than 10 million registered accounts???
“You Know You Love Me: ‘Gossip Girl’ and the Tween YA Explosion of the 2000s” by Alison Herman at The Ringer
On the 20th anniversary of the first Gossip Girl book, a deep dive on the franchise and other properties within Alloy Entertainment, and their resulting fans/fandoms.
“Killing Eve fans hated the finale—but they’re taking the final word for themselves” by Jennifer Still at Vanity Fair
If any Killing Eve fans actually liked the series finale, we’re yet to encounter them. This overview puts a positive spin on the situation, discussing how fans are using transformative works to rewrite the show’s ending—but let’s be real, a lot of people are just straight-up mad right now.
https://twitter.com/vinn_ayy/status/1513950465590923268
older stuff
“The Subversive Sexual Power Found in Erotic Fandom Forums” by Rebecca Liu at Vice
“For young women on fandom forums, the freedom to profess subversive attractions online means becoming agents of their own sexual journeys.” (Note that this was published the summer before Tumblr’s adult content ban, so an obvious caveat that some (but not all!) of the communities described here have moved elsewhere.)
tumblr & beyond
Kira/Jadzia fanart by kseniayahz
Perfect marriage of subject and medium here. <3
predictions from a long-dead era of tumblr history
who wants some fanmade early-2000s obi-wan kenobi desktop backgrounds?
Incredible—and literal—Frasier Easter Egg content.
i sense that Succession fandom is rapidly careening out of control.
fanfiction
Poly fic this week! Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“More of an Aminta” by ConvenientAlias. 46K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Phantom of the Opera; Ship: Christine Daae/Raoul de Chagny/Erik (Phantom)
Recced by: Madison
Backstory: Phantom of the Opera is peak straight nonsense in all senses, but what if Monsieur Fantôme was maybe a bit attracted to Raoul as well as Christine? The Phantom’s forces Raoul to perform as his Don Juan alongside Christine in his opera.
Rec: All PotO shipping involving Erik works on the same premise: we’ve all agreed that the stalking and murder can’t keep us from thinking the Phantom is hot. That initial barrier ignored, we can now say “Yes, we like when the Phantom and Christine kiss, and Raoul’s not half bad—why can’t they work something out?” Here, they do.
Content warnings: Stalking behaviour
“a moveable feast” by automaticshine. 14K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS / NCT; Ships: Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin, Jeon Jungkook/Park Jimin/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten
Recced by: stormduck
Backstory: This is an AU where none of them are famous. Jimin is in love with Jungkook and asks him to be in a threesome with him and Ten.
Rec: I love the depiction of a sex-favorable asexual character. It’s not something you see often in fic and it’s done very well here.
Content warnings: N/A
“Every Longitude Leads” by Acephalous. 34K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Terror; Ship: Sophia Cracroft/Francis Crozier/James Fitzjames
Recced by: greysleipnir
Backstory: After being rescued, Francis, James and their men return to London, where the Admiralty promptly refuses to recognize the sacrifice or compensate the men who weren’t officers in the expedition. Sophia, Francis and James do their utmost to be a thorn in the Admiralty’s side.
Rec: This is a lovely story that interweaves the plot of James, Francis and Sophia trying to convince the Admiralty and society to give the men of the expedition the support they deserve, and the blossoming and discovery of their feelings for one another. It’s thoughtful and soft and incredibly rewarding.
Content warnings: Internalized homophobia
“Let’s Make The Most of this Beautiful Day (Since We’re Together We Might As Well)” by br0ken_hands and jpnadia. 124K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Locked Tomb Trilogy | Gideon the Ninth Series - Tamsyn Muir; Ships: Several (eventually) poly f/f connections, Camilla Hect/Coronabeth Tridentarius, Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Camilla Hect/Gideon Nav/Harrowhark, Nonagesimus/Coronabeth Tridentarius, Camilla Hect/Palamedes Sextus
Recced by: RadixDaisy
Backstory: Tamsyn Muir’s novel Gideon the Ninth features a cast of memorable characters in a story that happily incorporates memes and fanfiction tropes. Here, those characters in turn are adopted into an AU tale of good neighbors and found family.
Rec: Muir’s Gideon is a very welcome slice of butch representation and it’s lovely to spend some more time with her. There’s a lot of heartwarming scenes in the story as the characters learn how to support their loved ones when the going gets tough.
Content warnings: N/A
“taking everyone for a ride” by Nonymos. 49K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Venom (Movie 2018); Ship: Eddie Brock/Dan Lewis/Venom Symbiote/Anne Weying
Recced by: Alana
Backstory: This is a funny, shocking, absorbing part 1 of a 6-part series about Venom and Eddie forming a polyamorous relationship with Anne and Dan after the events of the first movie.
Rec: The characterization is so good it ruined me for Carnage, and the sex, while often extreme, is rooted in an emotionally nuanced and fascinating exploration of exposure, vulnerability, and what it means to be Really Really Seen, down to your soul (or in this case sometimes your literally flayed-open heart). Also, best Dan of all time.
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, tentacle stuff, medical stuff, body horror, dubious consent
“Tender Pink” by 99_9. 15K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed; Ship: Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan/Nie Huaisang
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan are a couple in canon; a pair of young aristocrats in an arranged marriage. Nie Huaisang belongs to the same generation of young heirs; a lazy and spoiled young man with a secret talent for strategy and manipulation.
Rec: This fandom offers such a wealth of rarepairs that you might never consider in canon—or in this case, a rare throuple. In this sweet, lower-stakes canon AU, Nie Huaisang and Jin Zixuan were casual lovers during their youth—and after JZ’s marriage, Nie Huaisang begins to fall for Jiang Yanli too. I liked this fic’s take on a potential friendship between NHS and JYL during the Sunshot Campaign, fleshing out NHS’s role as a non-combatant!
Content warnings: N/A
https://twitter.com/javito_vp/status/1514235914398150658
FINAL THOUGHT
Wishing you all a relaxing weekend! — Gav