August 19, 2022

The Rec Center #346

Hello all! This week we have articles on fans of Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal and an NBA star (and Naruto fan) at Comic-Con, some beautiful Sandman fanart, and a multifandom rec list of genfic. — Elizabeth

new stuff

“‘Rehearsal’ Fans Are Rehearsing Their Reddit ‘Rehearsal’ Posts On Reddit” by Gita Jackson at Vice
2022’s weirdest and most ambitious TV show has inspired some predictably absurd fan activity.

“How Naruto Helped Zion Williamson Through the Toughest Year of His Career” by Tres Dean at GQ
A fascinating profile that sits at the intersection of multiple fan cultures: Dean accompanies NBA star Zion Williamson around San Diego Comic-Con, talking about his personal fandom and the broader interest in anime amongst his fellow players.

“Moon Bumps and Real Dolls: The celebrity fake baby conspiracy that’s taken over fandom” by Keyleigh Donaldson at Pajiba
“For these conspiracists, there’s no way to do pregnancy right, which isn’t all that different from the media attitudes towards celebrities. The fake baby cycle is just the most heightened version of this furore.”

older stuff

“30 Years On, the ‘Worst Car Ever Built‘ Has a Fervent Fan Club” by Laura Kiniry at Atlas Obscura
“Made in the former East Germany, Trabants have inspired many a mean joke—and a devoted community.”

tumblr & beyond

Sandman fanart by hedonistbyheart

some lovely vintage Star Trek cosplay pics from 1960s conventions

“sandman dropped at the exact right time for tumblr, since we’ve largely moved past having sexymen and are now exclusively into affectionately roasting men who are Pathetic™”

shout out to this supportive mom...she’s trying! ;__;

a short history of the fanfic term “whump”

fanfiction

We’ve got genfic this week! If you’re a big gen fan, here’s another list from earlier this year. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“Discordant Rhapsody” by nirejseki. 49K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Modao Zushi
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: This is a canon-divergent fix-it fic where Wei Wuxian is saved from the Burial Mounds by Lan Qiren, who attempts to rehabilitate Wei Wuxian’s image by adopting him as an apprentice.
Rec: nirejseki has a wonderful way of writing Lan Qiren—a strict father-figure who is often framed as controlling or even villainous. nirejseki portrays him as persnickety, determined and ultimately well-meaning (and in many fics, explicitly autistic), standing apart from the more conventional leaders of the cultivation world. Here, we see Lan Qiren utilize his own strict rulebook to help the scandalous Wei Wuxian, resulting in an amusing, unpredictable and satisfying twist on the canon timeline.
Content warnings: N/A

“play the goddamn part” by hardscrabble. 101K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Inception
Recced by: Bethany the Martian
Backstory: Ariadne isn’t who we think she is, she’s much more interesting. Told from her POV.
Rec: It completely reframes Inception and adds to it in a way that the movie failed to. Deepens an understanding of the movie and fills in where the movie should have.
Content warnings: Torture, gore, mentions of self-harm (within dreamshare, where death is a way back to reality), canon-typical violence

The “Captain Crowley” series by Daegaer. 21K words over 12 works, rated Teen.
Fandom: Good Omens
Recced by: sainatsukino
Backstory: Good Omens is a (serious ish) comedy about the apocalypse. Crowley and Aziraphale are a demon and an angel working together to stop the end of the world from happening.
Rec: I love how Crowley is just “fuck this shit, there is nothing i can do to these soldiers than can be worse than war itself, lemme just try to save as many as I can.–
Content warnings: Violence, war

“soon, they said, if not today” by Ariaste. 44K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: The Hands of the Emperor is a fantasy novel about a civil servant (Cliopher Mdang) who wants to make the world a better place, and his friendship with the god-emperor he works for—a man who is supposedly all-powerful, but is actually trapped by the magical laws of his role.
Rec: This canon-divergent AU really captures the more comedic side of the novel, envisioning a scenario where Cliopher meets the emperor much earlier than in canon. They quickly realize they’re (platonic) soulmates, but there’s only one way they can stay together without breaking social taboos: Fake dating. (Yes this is a genfic!)
Content warnings: N/A

“Killing Elvis” by Hradzka. 8K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Aliens series
Recced by: Stephanie
Backstory: A team of scientists at Wayland-Yutani fall afoul of office politics, and now the chair wants them to euthanize and taxidermy their research xenomorph.
Rec: This is the best story I’ve ever seen told entirely through work emails, texts, and a news ticker.
Content warnings: Animal deaths (deer and cow, offscreen but discussed), drunk-driving car accident, canon-typical violence implied

And a vid!

“Harbor” by cosmic_llin. 4:26, rated Gen.
Fandom: Star Trek
Recced by: Cathostage
Backstory: Star Trek and its many series follow the adventures of members of Starfleet as they boldly go where no one has gone before. This video is a tribute to the female friendships among its crew members.
Rec: It’s a sweet, gentle video that highlights the many wonderful female characters on Star Trek and how they support each other. The video does a good job of showing how exploring space can be hard but is doable when you have friends to support you.
Content warnings: N/A

FINAL THOUGHT

That’s all, folks! Have a relaxing weekend! — Gav