The Rec Center #37
Welcome to our first ever newsletter featuring an article about a 65-year-old British radio play about farmers. (We also have some Harry Potter recs, though! Lily/James classics from ppyajunebug.) — Gav
new stuff
“BBC Soap ‘The Archers,’ Pushing 70, Generates New Buzz With Abuse Thread” by Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura at the New York Times
The Archers is a (very) long-running British radio soap opera about life in a farming town, and it’s still going strong. This year the show introduced a domestic abuse storyline, kicking off a national conversation about the issue.
“How Trans Players Find Support from the Gaming Community” by Matt Baume at Vice
“Monday through Friday I tried to figure out the song and dance [with physicians and insurance companies] to make it all work, but on Saturday nights, I let the dice work it out. It helps unwind the stress when you’re a werewolf barbarian plowing through dragon cultists.”
“The New Powers That Be” by Laura Miller at Slate
“Harry Potter, the triumph of fandom, and the future of creativity.” Featuring interviews with friends-of-this-newsletter, including Flourish Klink and Heidi Tandy, on early HP fandom.
old(er) stuff
“C.S. Lewis’ Greatest Fiction: Convincing American Kids That They Would Like Turkish Delight” by Jess Zimmerman at Atlas Obscura
According to the Narnia books, Turkish Delight is the most delicious thing in the world. According to most American kids... not so much.
(We were inspired to include this article thanks to... none other than Katy Perry?)
tumblr & beyond
“Star Wars bitches get shit done.” Vid rec: “Star Work” by Grammarwoman
“call me out scotty”
Fanart: the Stranger Things kids as D&D characters.
“what is max so mad about”
fanfiction
ppyajunebug has been in the HP fandom since 2004, when she realized people on the Internet were writing stories that could tide her over between books. You can discuss HP and fandom with her on Twitter!
These are all stories that were written around the time I entered fandom in 2005 (11 years ago, holy crap). This is back when FanFiction.net was still king and Marauders-era fic was HOT. Order of the Phoenix had just been published, and the fact that James and Lily Potter had hated each other until seventh year was the catalyst for a sheer tonnage of Lily/James stories...and I read them like a fiend. Lily/James stories have become steadily less popular over the years, but I knew there was buried treasure from the good old days that not many people remember. Sadly, a lot of those stores have either A) disappeared from the Internet or B) turned out to be not nearly as good as I remembered. However, here are 5 stories from the Pit of Voles era that hold up in a post-AO3 world. — ppyajunebug
“Commentarius” by Beedaily. 740K words and counting, rated PG-13.
If you’ve read any old-school Lily/James story, it’s this one. This is the story I use to convert people into enjoying fanfic. What makes it so stellar is how realistic all the characters feel—these are real teenagers dealing with classes and crushes and friendships with Voldemort’s rise in the background. And it’s really, REALLY funny. Maybe by the time you finish reading it we’ll finally have the next chapter...
“Beautiful Addiction” by Autumn_Amethyst. Rated PG-13.
This is a very early fanfic (first published in 2002) that was revised and rewritten post-OotP. It’s very AU and marries the basic Lily/James dynamic with a heaping of Romeo and Juliet. The premise: Voldemort’s rise split the wizarding world in two...but not how you think. Hogwarts split into two factions: whether to sit back and consider the options before dealing with him or immediately take action, called the Auscultos and the Cavillors. Now Lily (an Ausculto) and James (a Cavillor) have been named Head Girl and Boy. No one is pleased about it. Technically this fic is abandoned (like so many others from this era), but it's still worth a read!
“Lust...or Love?” by Sarinileni. Rated NC-17/Explicit.
Some of these stories are hosted at a mostly-defunct site called the Unknowable Room, which was started when this story was repeatedly removed from FF.net for explicit content. The plot: when Lily’s boyfriend accuses her of being a prudish virgin for not wanting to sleep with him, panics and says she slept with James Potter. This immediately backfires when he asks James for confirmation and James plays along, assuring him that Lily is great in bed. Freaking out over the fact that she now has to gain sexual experience, Lily approaches James with a proposition—to make the lie she told the truth. It’s angsty, sexy, and a classic of the fandom.
“Prelude to Destiny” by brainchild/AnotherDreamer. Rated PG.
Oh man, I can't count how many times I’ve read this story—it’s easily one of the best of its time. The plot is good and the characters are great, but it’s the writing that really sets this story apart: “But you knew the moment this story began how it was destined to end, how every story from this era ended: with a bite from a werewolf; a fall behind a veil; betrayal of a brother; a heroic last stand with a straight back; Unforgivable attacks after they thought they were safe; a room in St. Mungo’s with too many gum wrappers to count; or death, accepted, to save a son.” Do yourself a favor and read it.
“A Keen Observer” by DeepDownSlytherin. Rated K+.
This isn’t actually a Lily/James story, though they do make appearances—it’s about Andromeda Black and how she ended up blasted off that tapestry at 12 Grimmauld Place. I credit this story for making me think more deeply about the characters outside of the Gryffindors we see so often—it had never occurred to me before reading this that the peripheral characters might have their own rich histories to explore. This story beautifully explores Andromeda and Ted’s relationship, from first meeting to marriage, and how a member of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black ended up married to a cheerful Muggleborn Ravenclaw. Highly, highly recommended.
FINAL THOUGHT
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 culled from here is on its way!
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