The Rec Center #354
Hi all! This week we've got articles on Anne Rice fanfic and the unique magic of Riverdale, along with Star Trek and Batman fanart, multifandom canon-divergent AU fic recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“New Interview With The Vampire Show Encourages Fanfic, Anne Rice’s Spirit Likely Furious” by Sisi Jiang at Kotaku
Though we can’t imagine a lot of people will want to post their IwtV fic on this FanLib-esque app, the fact that there is now a sanctioned space for Anne Rice fanworks given *gestures at past* is objectively very funny.
“My Harry Potter Podcast Made Me a Better Scholar” by Hannah McGregor at The Walrus
“I was taught to separate my feelings from my work. Making Witch, Please showed me the value of opening up.”
“A celebration of the incredible fake names on Riverdale” by Bec Shaw at Gawker
HILARIOUS.
https://twitter.com/ImSmilingRn/status/1579308063596498944
older stuff
A thread of fascinating articles about fandom and pop culture by journalist Gita Jackson.
tumblr & beyond
Star Trek fanart by ronsalas
A dazzlingly earnest interview clip from a VERY invested Maria Callas stan.
wuxia/xianxia Batman AU fanart.
A Rec Center first: (romance novel) fanart painted on seashells.
“aldis hodge should have won an award...”
An impressive fanmade animated trailer for His Dark Materials.
fanfiction
This week we’ve got one of my all-time favorites, the canon-divergent AU. Thank you very much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“Broken Road” by thegeminisage. 109K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Dean Winchester/Castiel
Recced by: Ellie
Backstory: In season 14, Sam and Dean’s father comes back from the dead for a day, and... none of the abuse he put his sons through is addressed. In this fic, he is alive longer, and issues are actually addressed.
Rec: This fic has some of THE best analysis of Dean, John and Sam’s characters—their pasts, their traumas, and how they handle them—that I’ve ever seen. It’s dark, but also cathartic—and makes great use of the Michael arc.
Content warnings: References to past abuse and non-con
“we are a woven thread, find the strand” by averita. 1.4K words, rated Teen.
Fandoms: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars TFA; Ship: Primarily Gen, mild Leia Organa/Han Solo
Recced by: seralica
Backstory: This fic was written after SW:TFA was released, and is an exploration of Leia's potential. It focuses on five different AU scenarios/"what-ifs", and what these would have meant for Leia and the SW universe.
Rec: A hauntingly beautiful fic with really masterful writing. Each snippet is so perfectly written that it simultaneously leaves you wanting more, but also satisfied. And also has some nice fix-it ideas!
Content warnings: N/A
“Ten of Swords” by unrivaled_tapestry. 20K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses; Ship: Claude von Riegen/Hubert von Vestra
Recced by: Fanny
Backstory: Canon divergence post-the battle of Gronder Field. Everyone but Claude and Hubert die awful, bloody deaths. Though they barely interact in canon, these two schemers decide to pair up and kill off everyone responsible for the massacre. Both violence and love bloom in the gory aftermath.
Rec: Incredibly well written. Both Hubert and Claude had lovers die in the battle—their getting-together speaks of their shared trauma but also of hope beyond what was lost in the massacre.
Content warnings: Graphic violence, gore, suicidal thoughts
“I’ll build a house inside of you” by magdaliny. 19K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Marvel; Ship: Mostly Gen, some Kate Bishop/Natasha Romanov
Recced by: Blythe
Backstory: The Red Room has the Winter Soldier teach their young students, and he becomes like a father to them, especially Natalia. (This changes up timelines somewhat, hence the Kate Bishop/Natasha Romanov ship—Nat’s younger.)
Rec: I looove found family and the dynamic between Bucky and Nat is so sweet.
Content warnings: The usual sort of thing you get with hydra/the red room
“Tilt-Shift” by foxghost. 57K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Finder (manga); Ships: Takaba Akihito/Liu Fei Long, Takaba Akihito/Yoh, Takaba Akihito/Asami Ryuichi
Recced by: jess
Backstory: “Akihito meets Feilong first, three years before the events of Viewfinder.”
Rec: So much of the action in Finder hinges on Akihito’s relationships to other characters, and this story is a fascinating (and excellently written) exploration of how events might change if he ended up connected to the criminal world through Fei Long instead of Asami.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence
“Model Village” by Basingstoke. 1.2K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Hot Fuzz; Ship: Gen
Recced by: phonecallfromgod
Backstory: Hot Fuzz is a buddy cop (rom-com) where uptight city office Nicholas Angel finding out the small village he’s been transferred to is actually being run by the cutthroat Neighbourhood Watch Alliance who are using murder to maintain the illusion of a perfect village. This fic is an alternate ending au where Angel is taken down by the NWA who continue their reign of terror.
Rec: This fic is like a punch to the gut in the best way possible. Basingstoke manages to pack in so much and really balances showing and not showing just enough for that perfect creep factor.
Content warnings: Major character death, referenced suicide, surveillance
https://twitter.com/kendrawcandraw/status/1579526034286088192
FINAL THOUGHT
It’s a big week for fair use: on Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, a case about an original photograph of Prince by rock photographer Lynn Goldsmith that was then modified and reproduced by Warhol. NPR had a rundown of the ~lively exchange~ in the courtroom, but to understand what this case could mean for transformative works on a whole (including, of course, fanworks), I recommend reading the amicus brief filed by the OTW and the EFF. While we won’t know the outcome until next spring, hopefully we’ll be able to share any analysis about what this could mean for fandom then. — Elizabeth