February 17, 2023

The Rec Center #372

Welcome to week three of Femslash February! We’ve got articles about fandom after death and vintage Darth Vader zines, along with several fandom-related essays published by Catapult (which is unfortunately shuttering), plus some cool Janeway fanart, femslash fic recs and more! — Gav

new stuff

“What Web3 can learn from Archive of Our Own” by Elizabeth at Wired
Elizabeth’s first piece for Wired is about, amongst other things, the AO3’s Fannish Next-of-Kin feature, which lets you designate a fellow fan to take control of your works after you die.

“What is subtle merch? Cracking the coded messages of fandom that are all over TikTok” by Elena Cavender at Mashable
Like its cousin “stealth cosplay,” subtle merch or “coded” items are things fans buy and sell to each that are recognizable within fandom but wouldn’t be meaningful to outsiders.

“Darth Vader, the problematic fanzine fave of 1977” by Jay Castello at Polygon
A fascinating look back at the very earliest days of Star Wars fandom, when fans built their own lore around Darth Vader—long before George Lucas had revealed his backstory, or the worldbuilding around the Sith. (Also: Absolutely tremendous to watch a movie and then immediately form a fanclub titled “the First Terran Enclave of Jedi Knights.”)

older stuff

Earlier this week, Catapult announced they’re shutting their publication (and writing classes), which is a huge blow to the literary world. We’ve shared many of Catapult essays here over the years, so we thought we’d highlight a few of our favorites:

“Learning to Take Risks Like the Queer Pirates in ‘Our Flag Means Death’” by Hope Rehak
“Love and connection require emotional risk. After the harrowing nature of the last three years, I needed ‘Our Flag Means Death’ to remind me.”

“Kamala Khan, Ms. Marvel, and Me” by Gabrielle Bellot
“I’m still drawn to stories about teenage girls’ lives, real or fantastical, and a part of it is trying to glimpse a world I never fully got to walk in.”

“Through Fanfiction, I Learned the Machinery of My Mind” by Yasmin Roshanian
“When I first began writing, I always wrote myself into the story. On the page, I was intact. I was smart and forceful. I had a comeback for every spar.”

“Where the Stars Are Strange: J. R. R. Tolkien and Me” by Austin Gilkeson
“The best books show us who we were when we first read them, who we are now, and who we may yet become.”

tumblr & beyond

Janeway fanart by dhllarts

the original poor little meow meow.

“Sonic the Hedgehog (sustained speed of 767 MPH) could have made the journey from the Shire to Mount Doom (1718.5 miles)in just over two hours.”

a reminder to use AO3 as an archive for your older fanworks!

“tuvok’s pussy game is by far the strongest in all of trek”

thanks john boyega.

fanfiction

Femslash February continues! This week we have a multi-fandom F/F grab-bag. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“pick up a pencil” by hacf. 2K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Abbott Elementary; Ship: Melissa Schemmenti/Barbara Howard
Recced by: ninamonday
Backstory: Abbott Elementary is a perfect sitcom about Philadelphia elementary school teachers, and Melissa and Barbara are two senior teachers with a charming friendship.
Rec: A quick, funny, and very sweet fic that really feels like an episode of the show, with great sketches of all the characters and Janine up to all kinds of scheming to figure out something that isn’t secret.
Content warnings: N/A

“balancing act” by hyunnies. 2.5K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Stray Kids; Ship: Hab Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Recced by: bun
Backstory: Jisu (Jisung) is in love with her best friend Minhee (Minho). While getting ready for a party, things get heated.
Rec: It’s a very cute and hot short fic, I like it because the lesbian sex is well written and their dynamic is fun!
Content warnings: N/A

“The End of All Things” by Telanu. 35K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: The Devil Wears Prada (2006); Ship: Miranda Priestly/Andy Sachs
Recced by: hownowredclown
Backstory: The Devil Wears Prada is about a thinly-veiled version of Anna Wintour from the point of view of her 20-something assistant. All you need to know for this story is that Miranda was incredibly difficult and withholding, but also very efficient, and Andy ended up quitting because she felt like she was becoming her.
Rec: This fic is set 10-15 years after canon, in a world where a far-right party has overtaken the United States, a la Handmaid’s Tale. In what is functionally an apocalypse, the distance between the two characters narrows until they are on equal footing, and the way they survive together is fascinating, occasionally heartbreaking, and eventually romantic.
Content warnings: Violence against women, institutional violence against women, survival sex work, death, starvation

“airen, airen” by hyalinos. 9K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE, THE9 (Band); Ship: Song Yuqi/Lu Keran
Recced by: ninamonday
Backstory: Yuqi and Keran are Chinese idols from different groups. Keran’s group are known for their androgynous gender presentation. The fic includes a primer about the characters, but you don’t really need to be familiar with their work to enjoy the story.
Rec: A beautiful, sweet, and very sexy exploration of new romance, push-and-pull power dynamics, and gender euphoria.
Content warnings: N/A

“it moves when her body does” by kathryn. 26K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Wheel of Time (TV); Ship: Moiraine Damodred/Siuan Sanche
Recced by: anon
Backstory: The story explores Moiraine and Siuan’s years at the White Tower before the series starts, exploring their friendship and secret relationship. The fic focuses on the characters from the TV show with no book spoilers, but it does take some details from the books.
Rec: Absolutely lovely study of these two characters and how they mature and their relationship develops. The author seems to have a very good grasp on who these women are, and how they relate to each other.
Content warnings: N/A

And a vid!

“Bechloe - Red Lights [Pitch Perfect 1 & 2] HD” by jigglejuice-47. 3:17, Not Rated.
Fandom: Pitch Perfect; Ship: Becca/Chloe
Recced by: Ingwer
Backstory: Pitch Perfect I and II follow the competitive all-women’s a capella group the bellas. Grumpy freshman Becca joins the group as a singer although she would rather do “serious music producing”, senior member sweetheart Chloe soon wins her over. A wonderful non-canon femslash ship.
Rec: Besotted looks, chemistry off the hook, meet cute feelings, falling in love, sexy meetings and couple vibes all in one vid, editing rhythmically on point.
Content warnings: N/A

FINAL THOUGHT

A reminder: creator sign-ups for the 2023 Fandom Trumps Hate fanworks auction close at the end of this weekend. Check out their Tumblr for a full event schedule, the currently listed fandoms, and information about this year’s charities. — Elizabeth