The Rec Center #336
Hi all! This week we have articles about deepfakes and Ms. Marvel, His Dark Materials fanart, and a multifandom rec list of various ~career AUs~. (Spies! Beekeepers! “Working in an office”!) — Elizabeth
new stuff
“What the deepfake controversy about this Chinese actor says about conspiratorial thinking” by Aja Romano at Vox
On the evolving dynamics of fandom conspiracy theories: “Perhaps this was the real dystopian impact of deepfakes—not that the deepfakes themselves would distort reality, but that their mere existence now allows people an excuse to distort reality all by themselves.”
“A Bloop and a Blast” by LIndsay Zoladz at Bookforum
“Sports fandom is mysterious, mercurial, and a lot more like religious belief than a lapsed Catholic such as myself wants to admit.”
“Brown girls from Jersey City save the world in my new favourite TV show
” by Malala Yousafzai at Podium
A glowing article about the new Ms Marvel TV show, by none other than Malala Yousafzai.
The What We Do in the Shadows press conference has suffered a zoom error so every reporter in the zoom is named “Stephen” and there’s no way to change it so they have to just keep calling out “Stephen” and hope someone answers this is the best thing that’s happened in weeks
— AVC (@annevclark) June 6, 2022
older stuff
“I Wasn’t a Fan of BTS. And Then I Was.” by Lenika Cruz at The Atlantic
“I’ve learned, though, that being a fan of BTS means becoming intimately familiar with the many prejudices and hierarchies of taste that casually belittle the thing you love—and then deciding that none of it has any real power over you.”
tumblr & beyond
His Dark Materials fanart by killianart
captain flint..... we salute you.
cannot begin to fathom why this fanvid shipping the Green Goblin with Niles from Frasier exists. however...
“No matter how much Osmosis Jones yaoi you draw it still takes place inside Bill Murray.”
we regret to inform you that there is in fact a canon DC/Gotham villain named the Weather Witch. also Balloonman.
fanfiction
Using coffeeshop AUs as a starting point (sidenote: for all the talk of their ubiquity in fandom, we have very few in our submissions inbox!), this week we have assorted career AUs. Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“I’ve Got Nothing To Do Today But Smile (The Only Living Boy in New York)” by gyzym. 20K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Inception; Ship: Arthur/Eames
Recced by: earlgreytea68
Backstory: Inception, the 2010 Christopher Nolan dream-heist movie, has a very enthusiastic fandom, many of whom ship the characters of Arthur (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Eames (played by Tom Hardy) because at one point Eames calls Arthur “darling” (I say this from a place of love, but that’s basically the heart of the matter).
Rec: If you like coffee shop AUs, this is the story for you. My favorite coffee shop AU of all time, and also a fic that totally nails what it’s like to be a law firm lawyer. The characterizations in this fic are so vivid and fully drawn that it reduces me to tears every time I read it, while being a story all about how to find love through stress baking.
Content warnings: Not a healthy relationship to work
“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” by laiqualaurelote. 19K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries; Ship: Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Recced by: OzQueen
Backstory: The AU in which Phryne is a secret agent and Jack is her long-suffering handler.
Rec: I have rec’d one of laiqualaurelote’s Miss Fisher fics before, and they are ALL fantastic, but this one is a particular standout. It’s full of competence, banter, tension and fun just like the canon series is. Nothing is lost by bringing Phryne, Jack and their friends into the modern world.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence
“Covered in Bees” by ScarlettStorm. 8.5K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Untamed, Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù; Ship: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (Lan Zhan/Wei Ying)
Recced by: Swords and Spindles
Backstory: Lan Zhan is a beekeeper, Wei Ying is besieged by thirty thousand bees, cue a rescue, flirting and an unholy amount of bee puns.
Rec: This short and sweet AU meet-cute is delightful and plays the characters of stoic Lan Zhan and flirty, instantly besotted Wei Ying beautifully out against each other. Plus you’ll learn a lot about bees!
Content warnings: Detailed descriptions of bees and bee behaviour
“Slow Show” by mia_ugly. 96K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Good Omens; Ship: Aziraphale/Crowley
Recced by: Mlle Kurtz
Backstory: This is a showmance AU in which Aziraphale (Avery Fell, here) is a successful but closeted gay actor and Crowley is a former superstar who has fallen from grace following a scandal. They are both cast in the TV show “Warlock” and fall in love.
Rec: This fic has quickly become a staple in the fandom, and as a seminal work it has developed its own extended universe, with fics and fake RPFs. It’s deeply touching and very funny, the narrator’s voice is unique and fascinating, and the fic is ultimately a study into what it means to be fearlessly queer and in love in today’s world.
Content warnings: Internalized homophobia; past drug addiction and self harm are mentioned
“With Reverence, With Regard” by coffeflavoredwhiskey (doccanary). 4K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Cookie Run (Video Game); Ship: Lilac Cookie/Licorice Cookie
Recced by: bruisedbytheleaderinred
Backstory: A convenience store AU. Lilac Cookie is the dedicated but tired employee of the store. Licorice Cookie is heartbroken and trying to shoplift.
Rec: It’s funny and meaningful in an unexpected way. You wouldn’t expect cookies to be so moving.
Content warnings: Mentions of cheating
“Signed, ‘Best’ as in ‘I am the best’” by breadlamps. 4K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Haiyuu!!; Ship: Kuroo Tetsurou/Sawamura Daichi
Recced by: sweetpollyolliver
Backstory: Haiyuu!! is a shounen sports manga about high school volleyball. It’s known for its ensemble cast and warm-hearted affectionate humour. This office AU is set out as a series of emails between Kuroo and Daichi, team captains in canon, who are departments leads in a deadlock.
Rec: For anyone who has ever worked in an office, the passive aggression in these emails will be familiar and also look like deeply satisfying wish fulfilment. The back and forth is hilarious, vicious but also good hearted and the fic is improved by all the colleagues who are accidentally copied in to the whole email chain.
Content warnings: N/A
A kid in my son’s preschool bragged about reading Marvel Comics but he also pushed my son off the top of the slide, so I told my son to tell him that if that happens again, I’m going to kill Iron Man in the next issue and have him say as he’s dying “This is because of Ryan”
— Christopher Cantwell (@ifyoucantwell) June 8, 2022
FINAL THOUGHT
Are you in the fandom for a Netflix original action movie (OTHER than The Old Guard)? If so, I’d like to speak with you for an article I’m writing! Basically I’m interested in learning about the cultural impact and fanbase for Netflix’s blockbusters. Please get in touch with me at gavia@dailydot.com!
Have a great weekend, folks! — Gav