June 24, 2022

The Rec Center #338

Well. There’s not much I can write that hasn’t already been said. Like we usually do in moments when things are Pretty Fucking Grim, we’re offering up the regular newsletter in the hopes that people who need a break can find that here. We’ve got articles about Romancelandia and disability and fanfiction, Lisa Frank-inspired Babylon 5 fanart, and a second week of ace & aro fic. — Elizabeth

new stuff

“Bridgerton Gave Romance Its Very Own Marvel Cinematic Universe. Uh Oh.” by Vanessa Zoltan at Slate
On Romancelandia and the mainstreaming of romance: “I can suddenly understand how comic book nerds became gatekeepers. I know what it’s like to be a fan of something that has traditionally been maligned.”

“​​How ‘Disney Adults’ Became the Most Hated Group on the Internet” by EJ Dickson at Rolling Stone
A deconstruction of adult Disney fans—and the scorn they inspire.

“Through Fanfiction, I Learned the Machinery of My Mind” by Yasmin Roshanian at Catapult
“When I first began writing, I always wrote myself into the story. On the page, I was intact. I was smart and forceful. I had a comeback for every spar. In other stories, even if I was absent, I latched myself onto the characters who were intricately weird or inward, providing an access point into understanding.”

older stuff

“Gays in Space: How an Archive of Star Wars Fanzines Helped this Queer Woman Live Her Best Life” by Sarah Calise at Nursing Clio
An academic researcher discusses her experience of visiting an archive of vintage Star Wars fanzines, connecting with fandom history and queer communities from an earlier (and more censored) era.

tumblr & beyond

Babylon 5 fanart by ladyyatexel

“Ayo I can get a gf just by writing fics???”

“happy 30th anniversary to Batman Returns and the time this kid absolutely roasted it”

An explanation for Dracula’s bizarrely terrible Shakespeare references.

The ONLY Stranger Things reaction you need to read.

untaggable Joker post

fanfiction

More ace/aro recs this week! If you missed round one from the last newsletter, you can find them here. Thank you to everyone who sent in a rec, and if we haven’t run yours yet, don’t worry—there will be even more lists in the future. — Elizabeth

“you can hear it in the silence” by AppleJuiz. 15K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Leverage; Ship: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Recced by: Jenny Hamilton
Backstory: One of many wonderful OT3 get-together fics in the Leverage fandom, this one featuring Ace!Parker and a Hardison POV.
Rec: This fic has a marvelous grip on what makes the characters special and—more importantly, probably!—what makes them special to each other.
Content warnings: N/A

“bloom” by automaticshine. 15K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS; Ships: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V/Park Jimin, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga
Recced by: Kayti
Backstory: Jungkook realizes he’s ace, and works through what that means for his relationship with himself and for his relationships with the other members—especially Taehyung and Jimin. Or, Jungkook struggles with internalized acephobia and Yoongi, Taehyung, and Jimin say: “Not on our watch!”
Rec: This fic is so very affirming, as the brilliant author explores the expansiveness of intimacy for both its asexual and allosexual characters. A favorite quote, from ace Jungkook’s perspective: “It’s as though a door has opened into a new world, but not the world he expected—he’d been so terrified of his hyungs leaving him behind that he’d forgotten, somehow, that he could move forward himself, and ask them to come with him.”
Content warnings: Panic Attacks; As the author wrote: “Warning for on-screen depiction of an ace character trying to have sex despite not enjoying it—this is not healthy!”

“One Night” by story_monger. 56K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Gen: Sam Winchester & Castiel
Recced by: Cess
Backstory: AU where Cas is an aroace museum curator who just wants his family to accept him for who he is, and Sam is a law student who does sex work to make ends meet without worrying his protective older brother.
Rec: Wonderful story about identity affirmation and finding someone who will love you as you are, in any way that means.
Content warnings: Aro and acephobia, references to drug addiction

“Down to Earth” by Alsike. 11K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Supergirl; Ships: Alex Danvers/Kara Danvers, Alex Danvers/Maggie Sawyer
Recced by: queersintherain
Backstory: Kara (Supergirl) gets hit with mind-altering Red Kryptonite and goes after Alex and Maggie, revealing how not okay she is with Alex coming out and dating. After that, no one’s okay—and the only way out is through. Alex and Kara find their way back to each other with non-sexual kink.
Rec: It is not an exaggeration when I say this fic changed my life. It features ace and demi characters exploring non-sexual kink, which wasn’t something I knew was a thing before this, and it’s just so well done here. Characters who love each other desperately finding their way back to each other after trauma and miscommunication, also featuring wonderful stuff like, arousal doesn’t mean you want to have sex, and, you can have important physical relationships that aren’t necessarily sexual.
Content warnings: Non-con and physical assault by a character under mind-altering substances, self-harm, vomiting, non-sexual kink relationship between adult foster siblings

“mine is yours” by Cartographies. 35K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Magicians; Ship: Margo/Eliot/Quentin (sort of)
Recced by: Poetry
Backstory: One of many fix-its of the S4 finale in which Quentin is resurrected. He and Eliot and Margo heal together from the trauma of losing him.
Rec: As an aromantic-spectrum allosexual, this is the only fic I have ever encountered that does a good job depicting that identity, via the character of Margo negotiating her position as a queerplatonic third to a romantic relationship.
Content warnings: Depression, grief

“my hands, your heart” by ZainClaw. 3.7K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: 9-1-1; Ship: Buck/Eddie
Recced by: Jenny Hamilton
Backstory: 9-1-1 is a procedural about fire-and-ambulance guys performing rescues in a series of sometimes comically insane scenarios. Buck and Eddie are the two daredevil fireman guys who are almost-canonically in love and almost-canonically have a kid together.
Rec: The author mentions in notes that they’re writing from their personal experience of being ace, which I always love! Buck/Eddie fics tend to feature the leads trying to work through their self-worth issues, and this one has that plus negotiations between an ace and a non-ace partner.
Content warnings: N/A

And a rec for a collection!

“Ace Danmei Week 2021” by various authors. Most under 10K, some under 1K, one over 15K words, 2 marked as WIPs, all ratings.
Fandom: 5 fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī; 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú; 人渣反派自救系统- 墨香铜臭| The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System; 天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers; 山河令 | Word of Honor; Ship: Various
Recced by: LivingMeatloaf
Backstory: A community event collection exploring aceness within danmei, or Chinese BL, fandoms. All based on fantasy versions of China where people can use magic they cultivate within themselves, though there are some AUs in there.
Rec: I love seeing all different flavors of aceness and takes on characters, and community events are a great way to find more voices! I did not participate or run this event, and though I haven’t read all the stories collected here, I enjoyed the ones I have!
Content warnings: Acephobia or homophobia in some. Each story has its own tags, but most are tame. A lot of them feature heart-to-heart conversations that can get emotionally fraught .

FINAL THOUGHT

Try to take a break from doomscrolling and get some rest this weekend! And stay safe if protesting in-person! — Gav