September 2, 2022

The Rec Center #348

Hello everyone! This week we have the second half of our summer fic list, plus articles on fic authors’ right to privacy and movie fandom history, A League of Their Own fanart, and more! — Elizabeth

new stuff

“The Plight of the Former Fanfiction Author” by Casey Fiesler at Slate
“These online communities can literally save lives, but choosing to share information in a public place comes with the trade-off of privacy risks.”

“The Collectors Who Save Video-Game History from Oblivion” by Bijan Stephen at The New Yorker
A journey into the world of video-game preservationists: “The challenge isn’t just technical: it’s also about convincing the public that game history is history, and that it’s well worth saving.”

“Whatever Happened To The Male Movie Fan?” by Matthew Wills at JSTOR Daily
“In the early days of the film industry, the fanzone was full of men and boys. Then the studios chased them all away.”

older stuff

“Fandom Relics and the Enthusiastic Past” by Allegra Rosenberg at The Long Now
“But with knowledge and practices increasingly difficult to pass directly from generation to generation amongst constant platform migrations, as well as increased siloing of the older from the younger, a fan can too easily believe themselves to be a product purely of the present, and instead of a step in a chain stretching back centuries and continuing on far into the future.”

tumblr & beyond

A League of Their Own fanart by inthetemporalzone

“Tumblr folk are so patient with each other”

Impeccable accuracy here: “Some store near me has an entire window full of what appears to be Buffy the Vampire Slayer costumes.”

Some important Victorian trivia for Holmes fans.

“i love when the tumblr girlies get into a show middle aged american men like”

editor’s note: gav almost broke a rib laughing at this fake LOTR intro.

fanfiction

Last week we ran the first half of our end-of-summer rec list and asked for a few more fics to round out the second half. Instead of a few, we got A TON of submissions lol, probably enough for two additional lists. Thank you so much to everyone who sent in a rec—we’ve included some of them here, and will save the rest for next summer. :-)) — Elizabeth

“The Mechanics of Poetry” by omgericzimmermann. 66K words + 1K word prequel, rated Teen.
Fandom: Check, Please!; Ship: Derek “Nursey” Nurse/William “Dex” Poindexter
Recced by: SquidgiePDX
Backstory: From the summary: “In which Nursey doesn’t know how to drive and Dex takes it upon himself to teach him. In which Derek Nurse is a love struck fool. In which Will Poindexter’s problems have problems. And sometimes they play hockey.”
Rec: When I saw the summer theme, my mind went to this story over any other story in any other fandom because this story is how Dex and Nursey become closer over time, and how Derek (absent parents) spends his summers with Dex. This fic, among all other NurseyDex fics, is the warm hug that the fandom provides.
Content warnings: Homophobia/homophobic (Dex’s) family members

“Pull Me Under” by Oh_Hey_Tae. 23K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: BTS; Ship: Hoseok/Namjoon
Recced by: Blue
Backstory: This fic is for the K-pop group BTS and features the seven members in various roles, but it’s a fancy resort lifeguard AU and should be readable without much/any canon knowledge!
Rec: This fic is so fun; packed with humor, good friendships, carefully developed relationships and delightful plot twists, it truly embodies what I think of as a feel-good summer fic.
Content warnings: Attempted kidnapping

“the feel-good hit of the summer” by disco_vendetta (brinn). 7.6K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: The 100; Ship: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Recced by: Imaginary Landscapes
Backstory: The 100 was a show on the CW about 100 teens sent from an orbiting spaceship back to see if a radioactive post-apocalyptic Earth is still habitable. Season 1 (which this fic is based on) has a strong ensemble cast, and a strong endgame vibe for Bellamy/Clarke.
Rec: I love a band fic, and I love a fake-magazine-profile fic. The author does not disappoint! Plus, they nail the group dynamics, include tons of fun details lifted from the show, and really get that summer touring festival feeling.
Content warnings: N/A

“chasing you like a shot of whiskey, burning going down” by jvrcus. 7.4K words, Not Rated.
Fandom: Men’s Hockey RPF; Ship: Travis Konecny/Nolan Patrick
Recced by: anon
Backstory: What if Canadian hockey players were actually baseball players in the south? Travis Konecny and Nolan Patrick play for the beloved NC minor league team, the Durham Bulls. They meet, play baseball, pine, go to cookouts, and fall in love (in no particular order). No need to know anything about hockey or baseball or the American South.
Rec: The incredible writing captures both the small moments and overarching feelings of summer in the South. Window down, music on, AC cranked, driving down 15-501. You’re going to love the budding relationship and you’re going to feel the humidity on your skin and you’re going to consider buying a plane ticket. The comments are also an incredible nostalgia deep dive.
Content warnings: N/A

“where the streets have no name” by alltheseghosttowns. 8.5K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Stranger Things; Ship: Eddie Munson/Chrissy Cunningham
Recced by: evanstarff
Backstory: This takes the insane chemistry between two new characters in S4E1 of Stranger Things and imagines what could’ve happened between a metalhead and a cheerleader in the summer before college. The summary—“There’s just a golden girl and an outcast boy, and the beginning of something in the thick summer air.”
Rec: Totally heartwrenchingly good and sweet and hot, and most importantly, Chrissy choosing what she wants for once in her life after everything else in her life is chosen and decided for her. Also, roadtrip + one bed + metalhead and cheerleader couple? Please sign me up yesterday.
Content warnings: Some very mild drug use

“Sunny with a Chance of Storms” by Mysecretfanmoments and SuggestiveScribe. 19K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Persona 5; Ship: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Recced by: Macey
Backstory: Persona 5 is a video game about Japanese teens using a secret secondary-world beneath Tokyo to influence the psyches of abusive and villainous adults. Kurusu Akira is the video game’s protagonist, and in his secret identity ‘Joker’ he’s the leader of these ‘Phantom Thieves,’ while Akechi Goro is the TV-personality ‘detective prince’ set to catch them. Secret identities abound.
Rec: This fic is an ode to ill-advised summer crushes, awkward flirting, and the allure of Yearning for someone your friends would really rather you wouldn’t. Akira’s thirst and Akechi’s hapless bewilderment are beautifully rendered & the situational details are delightful.
Content warnings: Underage (high school)

“and there was only one tent” by detectorist. 21K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed/Mo dao zu shi; Ship: Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian
Recced by: Kitty Climpson
Backstory: Modern AU (Canada) where young Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji go canoeing in Algonquin Provincial Park at the end of a Summer being science camp counsellors together.
Rec: Beautiful, wistful end of summer vibes, just really evocative of golden light and pretty boys and last chances that may or may not be realised.
Content warnings: N/A

FINAL THOUGHT

Happy Lord of the Rings weekend! I’m curious to see whether The Rings of Power attracts ~a fandom~ in the fanfic sense of the term. My suspicion is “probably not,” but it’s certainly pretty to look at. Here’s my review of the first two eps! — Gav