The Rec Center #329
Hi everyone! This week we have articles on the Sims 2 and Filipino fans + politics, some lovely Bridgerton fanart, and a multifandom grab-bag fic rec list. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“The young Filipinos using music and fandom in the elections” by Purple Romero at Vice
We don’t often include articles that conflate political movements with “fandom,” but in this case there seems to be a genuine overlap, as Filipino pop music fans pivot to electoral campaigning.
“18 years later, The Sims 2 fandom is thriving on TikTok” by Petrana Radulovic at Polygon
Despite the fact that vintage Sims games are well-nigh inaccessible on modern computers, there’s still an active transformative fandom celebrating The Sims 2. Who knew??
“‘When Do I Get to See Mr. Wolf’s Cock?’: Why Some Furries Are Losing It For ‘The Bad Guys’” by EJ Dickson at Rolling Stone
“Within the fandom, there is an open question as to how aware DreamWorks and other film companies are of the fact that they have such a large furry audience—or whether they’re implicitly trying to target furries in the first place.”
https://twitter.com/evilghostchild/status/1510734119638126595
older stuff
“Man On Internet Almost Falls Into World Of DIY Mustard Enthusiasts” at The Onion
This is a satire of online extremism, but also...............
tumblr & beyond
Kate Sharma from Bridgerton by evcynica
Tumblr’s new pay-to-promote-your-posts function is A GIFT.
“what if at the end of succession Logan just bursts into worms”
Supernatural: Not even once.
#youve done it #youve boiled whump down to the essentials
one for the wlw Captain Flint stans.
fanfiction
Just a grab-bag this week! Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. <3 — Elizabeth
“Confluence” by captain_apostrophe. 122K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: MDZS/The Untamed; Ship: Jiang Wanyin/Nie Huaisang
Recced by: Petirrojo57
Backstory: Every 100 years, Jiang Wanyin sees Nie Huaisang reincarnated. Every 100 years he relives his fate of being the cause of Huaisang’s death. The details vary but the outcome has never changed. Never, that is, until this time.
Rec: Tense, moody, this atmospheric story of immortals and reincarnated characters lets the reader consider how coping with never-dying and seeing loved ones always dying can affect a cultivator. It’s a great blend of spooky and poignant too.
Content warnings: Mental health issues, alcohol abuse, suicide, self-harm
“The Days Are The Hardest” by rokosourobouros. 1K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Inheritance Trilogy (N.K. Jemisin); Ship: Zhakkarn-centric gen
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: Jemisin’s Inheritance books are about the *extremely* messy ways gods and mortals might relate to one another as they seek shared humanity and stability.
Rec: This is a spare little gap-filler focusing on an important but somewhat opaque secondary character whose star turn is in the first book. It manages to evoke so much of the grief and rage that the protagonist and reader are not privy to for most of the narrative, highlight the true horror of imperialist domination, and illuminate the slow process of coming to grips with a world that has changed. In about a thousand words.
Content warnings: Mention of torture, reference to sexual abuse of a different character, magical fantasy slavery
“Fate Throws a Dagger” by Tyellas. 40K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Terminator: Dark Fate; Ship: Grace/Dani Ramos, Grace/Dani Ramos/Sarah Connor
Recced by: qkat
Backstory: Terminator: Dark Fate was a fun action movie whose main protagonists were all women. Grace, a cyborg from the future, travels back in time to save her mentor, Dani Ramos, from an android assassin.
Rec: The author’s summary tldr of: “a close-to-canon AU with tangled timelines, femslash, tequila, and mediocre biohacking“ nails it. Also, this invokes A Lot of Feelings, especially about women overcoming trauma, and legacy.
Content warnings: Descriptions of medical imagery/violence/gore, alcohol, bad coping mechanisms, racism, mentions of rape
“you’re my favorite” by uniqueusernamegenerator. 2.3K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Squid Game; Ship: Ji-yeong/Kang Sae-byeok
Recced by: Orangistae
Backstory: Sae-byeok and Ji-yeong deal with their trauma and get to know each other in the outside world (canon-divergent AU, obvs).
Rec: A perfect palate-cleanser for the actual show, very sweet and low-key and beautifully written.
Content warnings: References to blood and violence, PTSD
“A Wolf Amongst Lions” by Kallypso. 444K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Game Of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin; Ship: Gen
Recced by: saltkettle
Backstory: In canon Arya manages to escape the main events by disguising herself as a boy and wandering around learning to fight. In this fic, Tywin Lannister recognizes her despite her disguise and decides what he really needs is an extremely hostile, belligerent protégé.
Rec: This fic takes a very action oriented character and teaches her the importance of politics and big picture thinking. It also makes you emotionally invested in Tywin without redeeming him, which is absolutely agonizing.
Content warnings: N/A
“divorce club” by wellprince. 7.4K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Ted Lasso; Ship: Trent Crimm/Ted Lasso
Recced by: laiqualaurelote
Backstory: American football coach inadvertently causes British journalist to torpedo not just his career but also his marriage. Picks up after Trent has written the expose on Ted’s mental health; in this version he is married to a Shakespearean actor, but is oblivious to the fact that his marriage is on the rocks for most of the fic.
Rec: Probably the most enjoyable fic about divorce I have ever read. A fantastically mordant Trent voice, written with extraordinary control and an utterly deadpan quality, featuring lines like, “It turned out Ted did like Indian food when it wasn’t trying to kill him. Which, in a certain sense, was how Trent felt about Ted Lasso.” Trent’s husband is an OC who manages to both be sympathetic and frustrating at once. Thoroughly charmed by the ending.
Content warnings: Divorce (but no infidelity)
And a vid!
“Take Me To Church” by momosansovino. 3:57 minutes, rated Teen.
Fandom: Smallville; Ship: Clark Kent/Lex Luthor
Recced by: tunglo
Backstory: Classic early Clex, complete with longing looks and parental disapproval.
Rec: Stunningly gorgeous editing, saturated in the tragedy of what should have been.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence
https://twitter.com/proletarat/status/1516610924387442693
FINAL THOUGHT
Do you love Our Flag Means Death? Or are you wondering what all the fuss is about? If your answer to either of these questions is “yes,” you may enjoy this week’s episode of Overinvested!
We discuss the show in depth, covering Taika Waititi’s brilliant performance, the writers’ nuanced attitude to queer representation, the show’s complicated relationship with real pirate history, and more. OFMD: A well-deserved hit! I could talk about it for hours, but we heroically kept this episode to a sensible length. Give it a listen! — Gav