The Rec Center #34
STAR TREK RECS!!!!!!!!!! Undoubtedly the first of many, because I have no chill when it comes to Star Trek. No chill whatsoever. This week’s batch are all TOS (the original series) and the recent reboot movies, but you can read them with minimal knowledge of Star Trek canon. We also have a varied selection of news articles on topics like the Beyhive, and as always, some Cool Shit From Tumblr. — Gav
new stuff
“Fanworks, Transformative Fandom, and Copyright” by Paula DuPont at Medium
“A look at Axanar and the implications of Paramount/CBS v. Axanar Productions.”
“When Hollywood Needs A Made-Up Language, They Come To Us” by Cezary Jan Strusiewicz at Cracked
An interview with colangers (people who invent languages) David Peterson and Dr. Paul Frommer about creating Dothraki, Valyrian, Na’vi, and more.
“The Reality Of Teen-Run Stan Accounts” by Laur M. Jackson at Fader
On teens in celebrity fandom: “Stans are the best historians, critics, and marketers an artist could ever hope for.”
old(er) stuff
“African American Acafandom and Other Strangers” by Rebecca Wanzo at Transformative Works and Cultures
If you listened to this week’s Fansplaining episode on shipping and activism, this is the piece on Black fans and scholars that Lori Morimoto references.
imzy
Imzy! We haven’t quite figured out how this new social network works but we do know that they are very fandom-friendly and very focused on community building. (And mindful of community respect, which is great to hear at a time when it feels like some of our popular social media platforms only pay lip service to the idea.) So we’ve created a Rec Center Imzy community for anyone who’s checking out the platform and wants to join. Maybe it can be a space to talk about the week’s newsletter, or to share additional fic recs? We’ll see! As community leaders they’ve given us a whole ton of invites to hand out, so if you want to check out the platform, just request an invite through that same link! — Elizabeth
tumblr & beyond
“Upside Down”: Stranger Things fanart by sabotensan.
How Star Trek: TOS inspired like every fanfic trope.
A Science Explanation for dratini and magikarp evolution arcs in Pokemon games.
A brief history of how sexism shaped the gaming industry’s view of point-and-click adventure games.
fanfiction
“Leave No Soul Behind” by whochick. 258K words, rated Mature.
Ship: Kirk/Spock
This fic blew my fucking mind. It’s a canon AU that combines aspects of the original series with the first reboot movie, beginning with Nero’s destruction of Vulcan. Even if you have no knowledge of Star Trek whatsoever, I strongly recommend this fic as a sci-fi novel in its own right.
“Leave No Soul Behind” sees reboot-era Kirk quit Starfleet and join EPAS, the Federation’s emergency rescue service, which sends ships to retrieve survivors from space battles and other disasters. This all takes place during a time of tremendous political upheaval, with Starfleet floundering to deal with Nero (who is still trying to destroy as many planets as possible) and the potential threat of the Klingon empire.
In EPAS, Kirk meets Spock, who is one of the service’s most respected officers. Whochick’s writing is incredibly engrossing, providing lots of technical (and tactical) detail during the action scenes. It’s a lot more plotty than many fanfics, but the Federation politics and sci-fi action are balanced wonderfully with an intense, passionate slow-build romance between Kirk and Spock. There are also plenty of integral roles for other Star Trek characters like McCoy, Uhura, and Pike.
“Switch” by Ceres_Libera. 230K words, rated Mature.
Ship: Kirk/McCoy
Another genuine epic. This is one of the many reboot fics set during Kirk’s time at Starfleet academy, exploring Kirk’s fucked up youth. Told mostly from McCoy’s perspective, it provides one of my favorite interpretations of Kirk’s rather douchey characterization in the J.J. Abrams’ movies: sexy, obnoxious, shockingly intelligent, and secretly dealing with deep wounds from his childhood. He’s admirable and clever and heroic, but you can also understand the reason why he sometimes fucks up on an emotional level.
A must-read even if you don’t consider yourself to be a Kirk/McCoy shipper. The central relationship is really compelling, and it’s bolstered by a strong story outside of the romance. Instead of framing their Starfleet Academy years like a typical college fic, you get a real sense of the political, social and academic achievements of the other students, along with the way Kirk influences the world through his charisma and intelligence. It’s also a great example of how reboot fic can update Kirk’s sexuality from the way he was portrayed in the original series.
“Doubt The Stars” by notfreya and Straight_Outta_Hobbiton. 55K words, rated Gen to Mature.
Ship: Kirk/Spock
An ongoing canon AU (updating very regularly) where Kirk and Spock meet as children. The tone is more lighthearted than the first two recs on this list, mostly focusing on Kirk’s childhood onboard a Starfleet ship with his mother, Captain Pike, and Number One (two characters who appeared in Star Trek’s original unaired pilot, and remain very popular in fanfic due to Pike’s role in the reboot movie.)
Using elements from TOS and the reboot movies, this series characterizes Kirk as a precociously smart and often annoying kid, who forms a Vulcan bond with Spock without realizing it. They become best friends and pen pals, and later fall in love.
“loud and pulsing” by OwlinAMinor. 2.3K words, rated Teen. Genfic.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised to see several good stories about Jaylah, the new character introduced in Star Trek Beyond this year. This is another lovely and thoughtful shortfic about her life after the movie, learning to live on Earth.
“The Test” by heresluck. Fanvid.
A constructed reality fanvid, mashing up the first reboot movie with the original series, inspired by reboot!Kirk’s mindmeld with Spock Prime. An interesting crossover between the two canons, viewed through the lens of Kirk and Spock’s relationship. (I also recommend its commentary on Fanlore!)
Will Graham by nim-lock.
FINAL THOUGHT
So! We’re approaching the last week of summer? (um, if you’re American and observe Labor Day, I guess—when I lived in England I got to wear black tights and boots all through August so who knows where summer ends in the UK, honestly, it was such a gift, why did they make me leave, I love black tights so much, maybe Gav is wearing black tights right now...)
For next week’s newsletter, I’m interested in putting together a big summery multi-fandom list to round out the season. I’d love it to be REALLY multi-fandom-y, so I’m soliciting guest recs from The Rec Center ~community~. If you know of a story that really evokes a summer feeling (especially the end of summer!) please get in touch, either replying here, tweeting at me, messaging me on Tumblr, or at elizabethandgav at gmail dot com.
As always, we’re accepting one-off recs with any themes or tropes via this form. You guys have sent some great ones over so far—THANK YOU—and I can’t wait to start putting together lists with them this fall! — Elizabeth
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