May 20, 2022

The Rec Center #333

Hi folks! This week we’ve got articles about anti-fandom and fannish responses to the Depp/Heard trial, some cute fanart for Doctor Who and She-Hulk, and a letter of recommendation for some Star Trek fanvids, written by fernybranca! — Gav

new stuff

“Why the internet hates Amber Heard” by Kaitlyn Tiffany at The Atlantic
The Depp/Heard trial is ubiquitous in the media, but only recently have mainstream outlets begun to analyze the toxicity of Depp’s fanbase, and the reason why so much misinformation is spreading online. This thoughtful piece interviews current and former Depp fans and discusses the psychology of anti-fandom, drawing links between the Depp trial phenomenon and the misogynist elements of other male celebrity fandoms.

“Influencers and Anti-Fans” by Brooke Erin Duffy and Kate M. Miltner at Real Life
Speaking of anti-fandom, this piece digs deep into the classic media studies definition of the term, with a focus on the anti-fans of influencers on Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms—fandoms formed by a desire to deconstruct and take down the personalities they hate.

“BTS, Twice, Ateez and other K-pop groups are back on tour two years into the pandemic. Their fans talk about Covid fears, and seeing their idols” by Tamar Herman at South China Morning Post
“Once I realised I could correctly identify all 23 members of NCT, I knew I had got in way too deep.” A notable number of fans got into K-pop when the pandemic pushed everything online—how are they navigating their fandom now that groups are touring again?

older stuff

“Star Trek at 50: So how did they Boldly get there?” at GIS Blog
From a blog dedicated to geographic information system mapping, we bring you: A short but smart guide to the galactic geography of Star Trek, including real and fictional galactic maps, and a discussion of how Star Trek’s navigational technobabble might actually work.

tumblr & beyond

Fourteenth Doctor fanart by roguerigatoni

If you want a fanart template for She-Hulk carrying your fave character, Jen Bartel has you covered.

this thread of Glee performance clips will cause major psychic damage, you have been warned.

pour one out for this person’s 15-second LOTR cameo.

a reminder that fandom backlash has barely changed in decades lmao

X-Files fans! Submit your video reflections in honor of the show’s 25th anniversary at The X-Files Fan Retrospective.

Ice T discovers shipping; immediately un-discovers it again.

letter of recommendation

fernybranca has been in various fandoms since the late 90s, under various names. Find them on the ao3 at fernybranca.

“Blame It on the Stardust,” a Star Trek vid album by BeatriceEagle

Really good fanvids are astonishing works of creativity. They require complete visual and thematic mastery of the source text, video editing and its trends, music, and of course, an interesting point of view—something to say. It gets harder and harder to make a great fanvid the more hours of video you’re pulling from. And it gets harder and harder the longer of a fanvid you’re trying to make. So the “vid album,” fanvids for every song in a concept album, is the ultimate project for any vidder.

There have been several great vid albums in the past—“Live Through This” by sisabet and sweetestdrain for Supernatural and “Scooby Road” by Luminosity for BtVS are probably the best-known—but BeatriceEagle’s recent album “Blame It on the Stardust,” combining Kesha’s album Rainbow with the entire Star Trek canon, is mindblowing. There are 651 hours of Star Trek (that’s over 27 complete days!), and BeatriceEagle mines them all for gold, then works that gold into amazing sculpture. (Look, just go with the metaphor.) The album is even in conversation with another classic Star Trek fanvid: “Tik Tok” by MissSheenie (also highly recommended).

The first two vids of the album are fairly straightforward: a celebration of Starfleet and a rebuttal from the perspective of anti-Starfleet characters. They’re technically accomplished and deeply pleasurable, but it was the third vid, “Mostly Tame,” that made me sit up and take notice. BeatriceEagle matches a cutesy, throwaway song with Garak and Bashir’s stymied love story (the actors were in on it and would have loved to make it happen on-screen; the network was not) with such funny fidelity that I laughed out loud.

Other vids, like “Everything Stops,” show BeatriceEagle’s commitment to the deep lore, highlighting less well-known, one-off stories. There are also some gorgeous character studies and meditations on particular moments in Trek: “Praying,” set to the famous eponymous track from the Kesha album, is a searing meditation on the history between Kira Nerys and Gul Dukat, and “They’re Coming Back for Me” tackles the question of whether the Prime Directive is even a good idea. “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down” enumerates the ways that Star Trek screwed women and minority characters, and ends with a very satisfying rallying cry: “Fuck you, Rick Berman.”

Serious Trek fans will find all of “Blame It on the Stardust” a delight. But if you haven’t drunk deep from the Pierian spring of Star Trek lore, there’s one vid that I would recommend to almost anyone: “Finding You.” It visually chases Kirk and Spock through every universe that they’ve ever appeared in, including the animated ones, and while it’s deeply enjoyable for people who will recognize every one of its references, its propulsive energy will carry anyone along.

In short—if you’re interested in the art of fanvidding at all, check this one out. You won’t be sorry.

fanfiction

A multifandom grab-bag this week! Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“(Newly Uncannily Astonishing) X-Treme Avenging X-Men Verse” by ELG. 117K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: Marvel Comics, X-Men Comics, Avengers Comics; Ships: Howlett/Hercules, Howlett/Hercules/Cyclops, Cyclops/Logan
Recced by: cactusboyband
Backstory: Scott goes with Howlett to rescue Hercules from Hades, has a lot of sex, gets back and is captured by the Avengers, accidentally telepathically violates them, has complicated feelings about Logan.
Rec: This story perfectly captures the Scott/Logan dynamic post AvX, they care so much but it was never going to be easy. Also I adore the inclusion of the X-Treme characters, who really should come back more.
Content warnings: Non-consensual telepathic sex, references to child abuse

“splash;;” by defractum. 11K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: MDZS; Ship: (F/F) Lan Zhan/Wei Ying
Recced by: phnelt
Backstory: This is a modern with cultivation AU for MDZS where cultivator Lan Zhan finds mermaid Wei Ying and helps her get back to her patch of sea.
Rec: Lesbian mermaids!! This fic is funny and sexy and fantastic monsterfucking and body discovery as Wei Ying figures out what it means to have legs.
Content warnings: N/A

“Gods of the Soil” by Mad_Lori. 17K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Schitt’s Creek; Ships: Patrick Brewer/David Rose, Patrick Brewer/Stevie Budd/David Rose
Recced by: Abbieprime
Backstory: After David’s accidental and untimely death, Stevie is given the opportunity to make things right, and in the process becomes far more than she could ever imagine, both regarding her relationship with David and Patrick and her own very existence.
Rec: This story starts with a major character death, takes a hard right turn, and reverses it in a way that builds an entire mythology for Schitt’s Creek that fits so well into the canon that you’ll wonder why it isn’t, in fact, canon. Come for the unexpected deities, stay for Lori’s gorgeously crafted prose and depiction of a loving, cherished triad.
Content warnings: Major character death

“Citation Flirtation” by scioscribe. 3K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Black Panther; Ship: Shuri/Original Female Character
Recced by: mlraven
Backstory: From the description: “Shuri’s paper is refuted in a subclause of a footnote. This means war. (And somehow eventually takeout and fully-funded projects and kissing.)”
Rec: Funny and sweet and totally realistic academic rivalries! Great Wakanda worldbuilding, too.
Content warnings: N/A

“the imperfect reality of eddie kaspbrak” by questionablemorals. 29K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: It (Movies - Muschietti); Ship: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Recced by: ang!
Backstory: This story takes all of the distinct personalities of the Losers’ Club and places them in the setting of the reality dating show Are You The One?. The fic’s notes do a great job at explaining the show’s set-up, but basically: 16 people in a house, everyone has a perfect match.
Rec: I love this story because the AU really compliments the strong personalities. I also love the way the story is structured: part flashback, part real time, and the side pairings are JUST as enthralling as the main one!
Content warnings: N/A

“Now, Here and in England” by kvikindi. 20K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Lewis; Ship: Gen
Recced by: luffandtoucher
Backstory: A Fire and Hemlock fusion (which is itself a modern retelling of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer), this story supposes a more sinister explanation for Hathaway’s mysteriously unhappy childhood. But why, exactly, can’t he talk about it? Takes place some time after the events of Dead of Winter and The Gift of Promise, at the end of summer.
Rec: Kvikindi is a gorgeous writer who so well captures Hathaway’s deep ambivalence and frustrations with not only his life but his place in other people’s lives and affections. The way that his interest in art in all forms is woven into the story is very rewarding, as is the way the kvikindi draws on a variety of characters from throughout the show and puts Hathaway in their orbit.
Content warnings: Coded references to child abuse

FINAL THOUGHT

Last week we shared this Jolene spreadsheet and said it was the first CSV fanwork we’d encountered, but Rec Center reader hipposandstuff wrote in to say it’s not the first she’s seen—she recommends Unpretty’s Batman fic “Nominal,” which is mostly told through Excel! — Elizabeth