The Rec Center #349

Hi all! This week we have some cool Hades fanart, articles on topics such as Lord of the Rings and royal fandom (NO COMMENT!!!!), multifandom hurt/comfort fanfic recs, and more! — Gav

new stuff

“How to Cook a Direwolf” by Rachel P. Kreiter at Eater
Though we might push back against framing cooking meals as fanfiction (“fanwork” is a perfectly good term!), a really interesting longread about a chef who cooks fannish meals as a transformative response to Game of Thrones, LotR, and more.

“‘There Will Always Be K-Pop’: Tracing the Legacy of KCON and the Industry’s Big Boom” by Kate Halliwell at The Ringer
“Ten years ago, a humble convention on the outskirts of Los Angeles tapped into growing demand for K-pop and its surrounding culture. Today, the event is bigger, bolder, and no longer an underdog—just like the music it celebrates.”

“‘Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power’ Star Ismael Cruz Córdova Is Shifting the Narrative” by Stitch at Teen Vogue
An in-depth interview with the actor behind TRoP’s Arondir, discussing his personal background, his experiences with Tolkien fandom, and his hopes for this high-profile role.

https://twitter.com/sh44sti/status/1566103956484415489

older stuff

“Inside the secret world of royal superfans... and toxic trolls” by Jennifer Savin at Cosmopolitan
What’s up with British royal family stans? You might well ask.

tumblr & beyond

Hades fanart by Kenny MacAlister

“starting to see why so many of y’all romance garrus”

“in case you’re wondering, the DC version of ao3 is called Tales of Our Own”

“am i (500m) the asshole for telling my friend (???m) that he was lonely during our once in a century reunion”

“looking at you tom and jerry fandom”

“did queen elizabeth did something problematic recently”

fanfiction

It is once again time for one of our most-submitted tropes, hurt/comfort. If you’re a big h/c fan, here’s the batch we ran this past spring. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth

“Sanctuary” by DiscontentedWinter. 57K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Teen Wolf; Ship: Peter/Stiles
Recced by: Gryvon
Backstory: The Hale Wolf Sanctuary isn’t just for wolves. It turns out it’s for Stilinskis as well.
Rec: This fic is Hurt/Comfort central, including full-shift wolves and lots of sass.
Content warnings: Past torture/violence, PTSD, panic attacks

“How to Fight Loneliness” by MadLori. Emily Prentiss/Spencer Reid
Fandom: Criminal Minds; Ship: 147K words, rated Mature.
Recced by: Mariana
Backstory: Reid and Prentiss have been together for two years, married for one, when a case in Texas puts them through the wringer. The story of their relationship told through flashbacks alongside the main plot where a kidnapping shows Reid and Prentiss exactly how important they are to each other.
Rec: The characters have incredibly clear voices, and the plot is so well-told, it really feels like it could be an episode of the TV show. I love the way their relationship develops and how the background characters also help tell the story of Reid/Prentiss.
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, major character death, sex scenes, threat of sexual violence

“Of Cold Hands Reaching” by UncannyCookie. 17K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Mob Psycho 100; Ship: Hanazawa Teruki/Kageyama “Mob” Shigeo
Recced by: Astrid
Backstory: Mob deals with the after-effects of being trapped in Mogami’s mind world.
Rec: Deals with trauma and contains no sex. Intense and sometimes tear-prompting.
Content warnings: PTSD, flashbacks

“This Scarlet Witch” by arimabat. 4.1K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: MCU, Captain America; Ship: Wanda Maximoff & Sam Wilson (gen)
Recced by: tinysnapdragon9
Backstory: Post-Civil War fic that explores how ‘Scarlet Witch’ as an insulting media nickname for Wanda and how Sam talks to her about it, featuring a lesser explored MCU friendship.
Rec: There’s not enough fic exploring the weird politics of Civil War from Wanda’s perspective, even though she’s fairly centric to the conflict. Also Sam is great.
Content warnings: N/A

“Converse Symmetry” by Terrie H. Drummonds. 80K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Ship: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir
Recced by: Chloe
Backstory: The Federation is on the brink of all out war with the Dominion when suddenly a rift in time and space deposits another Defiant and is very familiar crew at Deep Space Nine.
Rec: So, ever since I got into ds9 I’ve been seeking out the ancient texts and this GORGEOUS novel-length fic is such a joy. The OCs are fully fleshed out, the relationships are believable, and the plot is expansive and engaging. I love reccing old lost gems like this! They deserve all the love in the world.
Content warnings: Canon typical violence, unsettled but hopeful ending for the main ’ship

“Head In The Lion’s Mouth” by renwhit. 158K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: The Magnus Archives (Podcast); Ship: Gen
Recced by: the knave
Backstory: Danny Stoker died in the hands of the Circus of the Other, who steals people’s skins. But he did not die and was put to use by the Circus as its ringmaster, but now, he encounters someone from his past, his brother Tim (a name he remembers), and everything changes for him.
Rec: This fic is so beyond fantastic writing. It has an incredibly visual style that completely immerses the reader into the story, seeing the beautiful dance of the ringmaster and contortionist, the colorblur of a reality that never was. It has absolutely fantastic characters and character arcs, creating a wonderful story of pain and recovery.
Content warnings: CWs are given for each chapter. Graphic depictions of violence, dissociation, derealization, depictions of captivity (of humans), abuse (physical, emotional), indoctrination, gaslighting, panic attacks, flashbacks, death, torture, identity issues, unreality, brief homophobia in a skippable scene.

https://twitter.com/jplarocque/status/1563979289921478659

FINAL THOUGHT

After being inundated with summer recs, we’re now soliciting….autumnal recs! (Apologies once again to Southern Hemisphere folks…hopefully these are still enjoyable and/or will be enjoyable during your summer and fall). If you have a favorite, please use our submission form, and include autumn/fall in the themes field. — Elizabeth