The Rec Center #35
As per last week’s promise, we have crowdsourced a LONG LIST of fic about #summer. From you guys! So: thanks to everyone who contributed! :) — Gav
new stuff
“Protego Totalum: Building & Protecting Trans Safe Spaces” by Jackson Bird at the Harry Potter Alliance
HPA communications director and trans activist Jackson Bird talks about building trans-inclusive campaigns and spaces within—and beyond—fandom.
“‘My Identity Isn’t a Brand’: Nerdgasm Noire Network’s Example of Subversive Black Geek Podcasting” by Inda Lauryn at The Learned Fangirl
On the rise and mainstreaming of Black geek podcasting, and the benefits and sacrifices of taking it mainstream.
“The Dance of the Lightsabers: Duels in the Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy vs. the Prequels” by Andrew Clark and Balder & Dash
I don’t actually agree with everything in this piece, but it’s still a wonderful analysis of the meaning behind the fight choreography of the Star Wars franchise’s lightsaber battles. — Gav
And in honor of their first birthday, check out “These Curious Times,” a site that bills themselves as “a love letter to all the brilliant fan creators.”
old(er) stuff
“My Love Letter to Cosplay” by Adam Savage at TED
A beautiful talk from the Mythbusters co-host about what cosplay means to him.
tumblr & beyond
Good Omens fanart by eggstoast.
The Great British Bake Off in a nutshell.
OMFG you gotta read this Reddit Relationships thread from a dude whose girlfriend “embarrassed” him by wearing the “wrong” cosplay costume to a Star Wars party.
Harry Potter fanvid: “You Are A Runner & I Am My Father’s Son” by astolat.
fanfiction
GOODBYE SUMMER. (Like, I have to be honest here, when I learned recently that there is reverse-SAD I felt really validated.) I wanted to put together a seasonal list for the long weekend (if you have one), so last week I put out a call for summery recs, and man, you all delivered. Thank you so much to everyone who sent something in. We’ve got approximately 8,000 fics here, from a variety of fandoms (though it does lean a little heavily on SPN and Harry Potter).
One note: I took every rec you all gave me (except the few that didn’t give me enough information—sorry about that! We can put you in a future letter), including two different people who wanted to rec two different Harry/Draco stories by the same author. The more fics, the merrier, right? — Elizabeth
“The Luckiest” by wordplay. 50K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Glee; Ship: Kurt/Blaine
Backstory: In Glee, Kurt and Blaine end the series together. This fic diverges from canon at s.3 and imagines a world where they break up before the end of high school. Four years after a bad breakup, Kurt and Blaine reunite when their group of friends spend a week preparing to marry off two of their own.
Rec: This story is heartfelt, joyful, sweet, and features the most sensual description of hand holding I have ever read. What’s more, it captures the feeling of reuniting with your high school friends, when both everything and nothing at all has changed. But please, read it for the hand holding.
“Rules” by Cam. 2,268 words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Friday Night Lights; Ship: Tyra/Lyla
Recced by: Aja
Backstory: Friday Night Lights is a show about football, heartbreak, and hope in a small town.
Rec: If you’ve ever lived in a dying small town, you know just how well loneliness and immortality can collide on a hot summer night. Set before the series, Tyra’s always-defeated, always-defiant POV shows us how the rules change for Dillon's finest over the summer. Texas forever.
“What Is Bred In The Bone” by suspiciousflashlight. 91K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship(s): Dean/Castiel, Castiel/Bela
Recced by: wycliffe
Backstory: A show about two co-dependent brothers, the family “hunting” business, and the various gods, demons and sundry that try to cause the world to end. One of SPN’s most popular ships features the “profound bond” between Dean Winchester, a monster hunter who sacrifices himself and goes to Hell, and Castiel, the angel who resurrects him and consequently learns a little bit more about his own humanity.
Rec: I’m not even in Supernatural fandom, but this is one of the best fics I've ever read, hands down; the author is incredible at conveying atmosphere and everything Dean thinks and does feels real. Blending all the exuberance and awkwardness of summer vacation with (of all things) Arthurian mythology, this is the classic secretly-in-love-with-my-best-friend story trapped in an action-adventure allegory of King Arthur, and the death of summer and all it stands for.
“All Summer We Just Hurried” by Chash. 8K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice & Fire; Ship(s): Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, background Sansa Stark/Margaery Tyrell
Recced by: Kay Taylor Rea
Backstory: George RR Martin’s sword and sorcery series is loosely based on the War of the Roses. There’s a lot of violence and sex and political machinations and terrible things happening to everyone. Also dragons and ice zombies. The fic I’m reccing is a fairly fluffy modern AU and is overall far more pleasant.
Rec: Chash is one of my go-to authors for fluff and/or modern AUs with good worldbuilding, and she delivers both here. Arya Stark grew up going to Robert Baratheon’s summer Ren Faire, and now she’s spending the summer as a squire for their lady knight, Brienne. Arya befriends Gendry (Robert's illegitimate son and also the resident blacksmith/bartender/mechanic for the holy trifecta of blue collar romance hero jobs) and they have awesome banter and believable relationship development and it is a fluffy delight.
“Salt on the Western Wind” by Saras_girl. 60K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ship: Harry/Draco
Recced by: Lena (plus her TinyLetter!)
Backstory: People have been shipping Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy for what seems like time immemorial, and for good reason! J.K. Rowling sets Draco up as Harry's foil from the very beginning—their opposite personalities and “potential for character growth through partnership” has made for some amazing fic over the years.
Rec: Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco have to go to a safe house in a Muggle seaside town immediately after the Battle of Hogwarts; much bonding, maturing, and relationship-building takes place. I love this fic for its absolutely spot-on characterization and its excellent prose—I reread it often! Saras_Girl does an amazing job evoking “hazy summer days at the seaside” and she deftly weaves a quiet, unhurried tale of healing and trust.
“In The Land Of The Delta” by Seperis. 7.2K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: American Idol RPF; Ship: Adam Lambert/Kris Allen
Recced by: Vae
Backstory: “We just felt each other's energy, and it was nice”—Arkansas boy Kris Allen won season 8 of American Idol with LA’s flamboyant, out gay musical theater actor Adam Lambert as runner up. Roommates from the beginning of the season, they bonded, talked about each other in video interviews, and hugged a lot on camera (much to fandom’s delight).
Rec: This is an amazingly atmospheric fic, conjuring that slow, oppressive heaviness of unrelenting heat, the sticky sweaty restless laziness of it and the blessed relief when the breeze finally stirs in the small hours of the morning. It’s Memphis, it’s summer, the air-conditioning’s broken down, and Kris really isn’t expecting Adam to turn up.
“nothing in me wasted” by lupinely. 16K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe; Ship: Sam Wilson/Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers/Natasha Romonova
Recced by: Sulagna
Backstory: lol just watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier. According to this, Captain America: Civil War didn’t happen
Rec: Ugh, it’s great! This pairing is fun because all the characters have been shown to be comfortable with other characters, so there’s a rapport fic writers can build on. In this fic, they’re dancing the most complex pas de deux (pas de quatre?) around each other over a summer, and it takes a trip or two to the beach before the fever breaks. It can lean on the very sad and depressing, but it is also funny in a genuinely surprising way.
“Lag Time” by mlle. 50K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Les Misérables; Ship: Enjolras/Grantaire
Recced by: IrishMumbles
Backstory: Enjolras is a charismatic leader devoted to his cause, while Grantaire is described as a cynic who is only passionate about two things: Enjolras and drinking. Grantaire (R) is so dedicated that he’s quite literally willing to die for Enjolras. Much of the book (and fanfiction) center around a cadre of friends known as Les Amis de l’ABC.
Rec: This fic re-imagines Les Amis as folk singers on tour for the summer. Grantaire is a solo artist, Enjolras is part of a political-statement band called Friends! There’s plenty of friendship, angst, and misunderstandings, all set against the backdrop of warm summer evenings in the South.
“It Doesn't Mean You Can Explain the Ocean” by rageprufrock. 14.7K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Natalie
Backstory: This is an old-school SPN fic, set, I believe, before the end of season 1, perfect for a throwback to less stressful times, or for SPN fandom newbies. By most standards, it's gen, but it does include the subtlest, most one-sided Wincest hint you could possibly imagine, so a warning for that may be in order.
Rec: As Pru manages to pull off in every fandom, the voices of the characters are some of the most true to life that I've ever read, but if we're talking about the end of summer, the sense of place here is very evocative—it's August in the deep South, peach season, and Sam and Dean, still figuring each other out, are allowed a brief respite from the road in the house of three fine old lady oracles. Warm, wandering, and with a wistful kick at the end.
“ends in trouble, starts with a grin” by nahco3. 9K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Baseball RPF; Ship: Brandon Belt/Brandon Crawford
Recced by: yekoc
Backstory: I’m a baseball fan but not really a Belt or Crawford fan, but this is one of those fics where you don’t need to know the players, you only have to love the game—and the season.
Rec: This is an amazing slowburn fic, and something about it just oozes summer for me. nahco3 captures baseball in a way that makes me think of all the best sepia-toned images of boys and balls and summer sunsets, but there's also a lovely simmering romance that’s summery as all hell in its own way.
“Genius” by Kipler. 16K words, not officially rated (but no sex or violence)
Fandom: The X-Files; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Flourish
Backstory: Mulder and Scully are FBI agents who investigate paranormal cases. Mulder started doing this work because of his lifelong quest to find his sister, Samantha, who was abducted (by aliens? maybe) when they were children.
Rec: In the heat of the summer, Mulder and Scully go to Massachusetts—Mulder's home state—to investigate a little girl who keeps getting lost in the woods and coming back smarter. They don’t really solve the case, but Scully comes to a deeper understanding of what makes her partner tick. The tone of the story is an absolute dupe for the tone of the show, except better because Chris Carter isn’t putting dumb soliloquies and offensive stereotypes of Middle Eastern people in, HOORAY FOR FANFIC.
(...and when you’re done, if the story’s left you craving more summery, lemony goodness, you didn’t hear it from me, but you might want to read “Tequila and Lime” by dashakay, 2.3K words, rated Mature, Mulder/Scully PWP.)
“Not the Triumph” by Halrloprillalar. 1.7K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Prince of Tennis; Ship: Tezuka/Ryoma
Recced by: Aja
Backstory: Prince of Tennis is a popular anime/manga about a bratty tennis prodigy, Ryoma, who learns the meaning of being on a team, in large part thanks to his stoic captain, Tezuka.
Rec: Tezuka and Ryoma’s relationship is full of unspoken, deep communication. Prillalar’s tiny, perfect, devastating fic explodes that dynamic at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they face each other as opponents for the first and last time.
“Searching for a Sound We Hadn’t Heard Before” by Care. 13K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Lizzie Bennet Diaries; Ship: Lydia Bennet/Gigi Darcy
Recced by: Chestnut_filly
Backstory: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries are a (fantastic) web series adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. While the POV character is Lizzie, Genevieve “Gigi” Darcy and Lydia Bennet are to my mind the most outstanding characters with the best arcs. Gigi/Lydia as a ship is about healing, tenderness, and growing up. CW: This fic deals with the aftermath of an abusive relationship.
Rec: This is a wonderful summer road trip story about moving past trauma and into new love. It’s sweet and well-paced and respectful of its characters; a great afternoon read.
“This Summer” by Saras_girl. 39K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ships: Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione, Pansy/Padma
Recced by: Kay Taylor Rea
Backstory: A post-Deathly Hallows (but not epilogue compliant) story in which Harry’s entire peer group throw fancy dress parties and assorted get-togethers throughout the summer because they never got to have fun and be frivolous when it was slightly more age appropriate.
Rec: This fic is so appropriate for a summery rec list it’s literally called “This Summer.” Saras_Girl has written loads of great Harry/Draco fics, but this is a personal favorite. It's mostly about friendship and food and inept flirting. There’s also a bit of identity porn going on, whether that’s an enticement or warning depends on your preference. The relationships, both romantic and platonic, between characters we rarely (if ever) saw interacting in canon feel organic and nuanced. Also, Harry gets a whole new wardrobe and it’s delightful. A+, 10/10 would read on the patio with a glass of lemonade again.
“Exiles Among You” (series) by Chash. 20K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: The 100; Ship: Mostly gen, with background Bellamy/Clarke
Recced by: Sam
Backstory: The 100 is a show about 100 “delinquent” teenagers who are sent to a post-apocalyptic earth to see if it’s livable. Bellamy and Clarke are the two leaders of their people, and they argue and protect each other and it’s great.
Rec: In this AU, Octavia goes to live with her brother Bellamy, a teacher in a small town, after her (CW: referenced to be abusive) mother dies. Both fics in this series are fantastic, but the second one has wonderful summer-y feels! The author has an incredible grasp of the characters and a great way of translating the show into many different situations/settings.
“Today, your barista” verse by orange_crushed (aka robotmango). 13.6K (in four fics), rated Teen.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Dean/Castiel
Recced by: tarastarr1
Backstory: “For your drink today I recommend: giving the barista your number.” Cas is a barista, Dean *very smoothly* slides him his number. A misunderstanding blossoms from tumblr prompt to full-blown love story.
Rec: This starts off as a nice but predictable coffeeshop!au, but then expands into a really sweet story. The last time I re-read this, it made me remember all the summer feelings I love the best—sunbathing, the smell of sparklers in July, crickets on the lawn at sunset. Orange has a way of using details to transport you away.
“Reservoirs” by Rosie_Rues. 39K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ships: Remus/Sirius, James/Lily, Dumbledore/Grindelwald
Recced by: Elizabeth
Backstory: So in reality when I said I wanted to do this list, I was thinking of the R/S “Dog Days of Summer” challenge, and how many MWPP stories are set in the final weeks before the start of Hogwarts (you should browse their archives!). But as I was hunting around for old favorites, I remembered that one of my favorite R/S authors ever did one. And it’s...not terribly carefree. As I joked with a friend last night:
What she says: rec fun summer fics!!
What she recs: a fic that begins, “In 1976, everything burned.”
Rec: I love so many things about Rosie_Rues—their keen sense of place and time, the spot-on characterization, the perfect balance between well-paced action and smaller moments. This one starts in a drought-stricken Wales in the summer of 1976 but mostly takes place at a Hogwarts that’s under some kind of curse, complete with surrealist segments and hopping between paintings. And, predictably, it makes me want to read The Rising Storm series all over again.
Eh, fuck it, I’m the curator of this list, how about an actually beachy summer one, too? :-)
“June, and Other Natural Disasters” by montparnasse. 5.5K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ship: Remus/Sirius
Recced by: Elizabeth
Backstory: Here you go, a proper story set at the seaside. This one’s just Remus and Sirius, on a trip to Brighton the summer after graduation.
Rec: You’d better believe that if montparnasse writes something that fits my query, it’s going on the list. These are the sort of paragraphs that leave you coming up for air—definitely a plus in my book—and this one is quiet and perfectly atmospheric. I’d quote it, but I’d just wind up quoting the whole thing.
FINAL THOUGHT
We still have some Imzy invites left. And we’re still trying to figure out what to do with the community. Anyone can post, so if you guys wanted to share additional recs, please do! And if you’re curious and want to check out the platform, click here and we’ll send you an invite. :-) — Elizabeth
As always, we’re soliciting one-off recs! If there’s a story you love, please fill out this form. We’ve built up a good stock so far, so our first themed list wholly culled from here is on its way!
If you liked this, please share it with your friends! https://thereccenter.substack.com/. And find us on social media: Gav (twitter/tumblr) & Elizabeth (twitter/tumblr)