The Rec Center #340
Hi all! This week we have pieces on the Lilith Fair and streaming service viewership numbers, some gorgeous Severance fanart, and a fic rec list from guest reccer Ingwer, featuring stories about houses and the people who live in them. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“Building a Mystery: An Oral History of Lilith Fair” by Jessica Hopper, Sasha Geffen, and Jenn Pelly at Vanity Fair
On the 25th anniversary of the Lilith Fair, first-hand accounts from the organizers and performers, including Sarah McLachlan, Liz Phair, Paula Cole, India.Arie, Jewel, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers (the Indigo Girls), and more.
“My Poison Snake: Erika Kobayashi on Growing Up in a Household of Sherlock Translators” by Erika Kobayashi at CrimeReads
“Slurping up ramen from the shop down the street, Papa and Mama would debate endlessly the best way to transliterate ‘Watson’ into Japanese—as Wat-SOHN? Or Wat-SUN? Meanwhile, my sisters and I would discuss various ways to die.”
“‘I Don’t Know How My Show Is Doing’ Streamers run on data, but that doesn’t mean they’re sharing it with showrunners.” by Kathryn VanArendonk and Josef Adalian at Vulture
This article isn’t as fandom-centric as most things we include here, but it’s relevant if you have any interest in streaming media. Here, Vulture interviews a series of anonymous TV creators who work with streaming services like Netflix, exposing the total opacity of the ratings process, where showrunners frequently have no idea why their shows get canceled.
https://twitter.com/meakoopa/status/1541906419158482944
older stuff
“How furries are making virtual reality actually worth visiting” by Matt Baume at Input
“The community is at the vanguard of VR—from world design to teledildonic orgies.”
tumblr & beyond
Severance fanart by chickpeamcb
Congrats (?) to the straight men of reddit on discovering Jensen Ackles.
“If I had a nickel for every big name Harry Potter fanfic writer who started their own cult,...”
TREASURING this vintage 1967 Star Trek playing card.
fanfiction
You can find Ingwer on tumblr at gingerbreadingwer.tumblr.com (these days she is good for Fall Out Boy interview recs).
Haunted houses, shopping lists and rooftops—this is a rec list for fics about houses and the people that live in them. It came to be because I read fanfic in a few different fandoms and over time found several stories where houses played an important role. This element is one of my favourite aspects about these stories, and maybe you might enjoy them for that as well. Most of the stories on this list should be well understood and enjoyed without knowing the source material. — Ingwer
“Stately Homes of Wiltshire” by waspabi. 58K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ship: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Backstory: Malfoy Manor has mould, dry rot and an infestation of unusually historical poltergeists. Harry Potter is on the case.
Rec: The first story that gave me the idea about a rec list for “Houses, the way we live and who we want to be intertwined with” plus a lovely, somehow uncomplicated love story. And my entry into Harry Potter fanfic fandom because I discovered the awkward mess that is this version of Draco Malfoy.
Content warnings: Author choose no warnings apply from AO3, but it is a mystery story.
“Bound” by Jain. 11K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Eagle | The Eagle of the Ninth (2011) (movie and book); Ship: Marcus Flavius Aquila/Esca Mac Cunoval
Backstory: A Roman soldier and his Celtic slave, Marcus and Esca, go behind Hadrian's wall to get a Roman eagle standard back, kill unnecessarily many people, and fall in love (strong subtext). The story is set after they get back. Esca and Marcus have been given land for their achievements and now have to face life together. This fanvid gives some background.
Rec: Like the film, it has a sparse atmosphere. At the same time, it has an eye for everyday life's details. Here the first two sentences: “The first problem was the house. Esca had thought that he and Marcus would build it, perhaps with the assistance of some of Marcus's uncle’s slaves: a small house not too big for the two of them, with thick, clay walls and a thatched roof.”
Content warnings: N/A
“Apocalypse Song” by waspabi. 50K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: Radio 1 RPF, One Direction (Band); Ships: Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles, Liam Payne/Louis Tomlinson
Backstory: A group of young people has to cope with living and surviving in a terrace house in London after an apocalypse. There are no public services whatsoever but there is friendship, chores and music.
Rec: Waspabi’s writing is poetic, straightforward, and humorous. You get the inner workings of relationships, evocative landscapes, interest in the details of everyday life, and a rich understanding of what life is made out of.
Content warnings: Author chose no archive warnings apply from AO3 but gives a description of what might be difficult/triggering to read in the notes.
“In Defiance of all Geometry” by idiopathicsmile. 51K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Les Misérables; Ships: Combeferre/Enjolras, Combeferre/Grantaire, Enjolras/Grantaire, Combeferre/Enjolras/Grantaire, background Cosette/Marius
Backstory: Modern AU centering around the student group Les Amis de l’ABC, fierce friendships partnered with deep political thinking and feeling, good food and exploding boilers.
Rec: Iditopathicsmile has a profound understanding of relationships and characters in all their varieties, writes very funny (characters, plot, dialogue). While being a wonderful story about love and friendship and views on life it also describes the intricacies of communal living: chores, broken appliances, room sizes… And this story made several people want to join a co-op which is lovely, I think.
Content warnings: N/A
“What We Pretend We Can’t See” by gyzym. 131K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Harry Potter ; Ships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Ginny Weasley
Backstory: Set after the books. Harry Potter sells Grimauld Place. Years later he finds out it was turned into a museum.
Rec: I like gyzym’s writing any day. The idea of centering a story around a museum appealed to me on its own. The love for history, people's everyday lives that speaks through “house museums” coupled with a mystery plot (again).
Content warnings: Author chose no warnings apply from AO3, but it is a mystery. The author gives trigger warnings in the notes.
https://twitter.com/thebeespatella_/status/1543989798783918080
FINAL THOUGHT
Have a relaxing weekend, everyone! And probably don’t bother going to see Thor: Love and Thunder (in my humble opinion). — Gav