The Rec Center #380
Hi all! This week we have articles about AO3 spam comments and Pedro Pascal fandom, along with some cool Zelda fanart, multifandom omegaverse fic recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“Someone keeps accusing fanfiction authors of writing their fic with AI, and nobody knows why” by Adi Robertson at The Verge
You may have seen—or even received—spammy AI comments on AO3 recently. This piece breaks down what’s been going on and what the AO3 can (and can’t) do about it.
“The Latin Lover and the fetishization of Pedro Pascal” by Aiko Hilkinger at Screen Speck
An excellent piece exploring the complicated nature of Pedro Pascal’s status as a sex symbol, covering the history of “Latin Lover” stereotypes in Hollywood, the ethics of the “daddy” meme, and the racialized nature of Pascal’s thirst fandom.
“Bookbinders are turning fanfiction into hardcover masterpieces” by Ana Diaz at Polygon
“I worry that one day the archives that house my favorite fanfictions may cease to exist”: an interview with Amanda Johnston, who runs Instagram and TikTok accounts with how-tos on fanbinding.
you might think “oh, John Wick is reloading, now’s my chance”. but he is so good at reloading dude
— three coffees and a nap guy (@AynRandy) November 24, 2022
older stuff
“On Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Grief, and Reality in the Afrofuturist Fantasy” by Stitch at Teen Vogue
“One possibility that Black Panther: Wakanda Forever reminds us of? The role of collective mourning in our communities and the presence of loved ones when we need them the most.”
tumblr & beyond
Ganondorf fanart by lirhyapetitpain
“#this is what you all sound like talking about succession”
check out this *strictly* chronological star trek viewing guide.
incredible summary of The Destiel Situation.
“this character has more than 7000 fanfics on ao3”
fanfiction
This week we have a multifandom list of omegaverse fic; if you want even more, you can check out the pair of lists we did last year, too. Thanks to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth
“Oistros” by arriviste. 42K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Les Miserables; Ship: Enjolras/Grantaire
Recced by: tristecoteuse
Backstory: Les Mis is a novel/musical (partly) about the 1832 June Rebellion in France, but the fandom largely focuses on the student activists Les Amis, particularly Enjolras, the idealistic, principled, golden boy leader of the group, and Grantaire, resident emo fuck up and sceptic.
Rec: This was the first omegaverse fic I ever read and really captures what I
find engaging about the trope—characters questioning assumptions about sex/gender categories in their world, demonstrating both their oppression and their commitment to fighting it, plus, of course, sex pollen. The Enjolras/Grantaire dynamic is fantastic here, but also the political hijinks and the banter of the entire Les Amis friend group.
Content warnings: N/A
“that’s the alphabet” by Did. 2.5K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Magnus Archives; Ships: Martin Blackwood/Sasha James/Jonathan “Jon” Sims | The Archivist/Tim Stoker
Recced by: Beatrice-Babe
Backstory: An imbalance of alphas, betas, and omegas can cause someone to flip type. Martin, previously a beta and surrounded by a workplace of alphas, is suddenly googling very interesting questions about exactly what the heck is happening.
Rec: I appreciate the bit of omegaverse worldbuilding regarding type-flipping. Additionally, one of the characters is canonically asexual, and I appreciate how that is handled.
Content warnings: Breeding kink
“The Sun beneath the Clouds” by MB1000. 172K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: BTS; Ships: Namjoon/Hoseok, Yoongi/Jimin, Jeon Jungkook/Taehyung
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Hoseok lived the first 20 years of his life believing he was a beta, until his world is turned upside-down when he presents late as an omega. Through challenges, hijinx, therapy, and a little bit of academic help from a tall, blond alpha, Hoseok finds a better life filled with love and friendship.
Rec: This story is incredibly touching and a great pick if you enjoy found family friendship dynamics. The romance is sweet, well paced for a slow burn, and well balanced with the development of the friendships. This also dives a lot into omegaverse tropes as problematic cultural norms and how they can be confronted and overcome.
Content warnings: Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, homophobia, omegaverse-specific bigotry
“I Want That Quiet Rapture Again” series by lalazee. 348K words over 4 works (WIP), rated Explicit.
Fandom: My Hero Academia; Ships: Bakugo/Midoriya
Recced by: oberstein
Backstory: From the author: “That [omegaverse] fic where cocky Alpha Bakugou falls in mate-love at first scent, while Midoriya is just a poor bookstore-owning Omega who got his nose punched in is a kid and can’t smell a damn thing. Also known as: That time an Alpha had to use his actual personality to woo his mate instead of relying on his scent.”
Rec: I precisely like it because it’s the omegaverse fic that asks: sure, they’re meant to be, but WHY?
Content warnings: Mentions unhealthy lifestyle/relationship/life choices (mostly in the past)
“oh don’t you dare look back, just keep your eyes on me” by suzukiblu. 187K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: MCU; Ships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Darcy Lewis
Recced by: Summerfly
Backstory: “Darcy is thirty feet out of Stark-cum-Avengers Tower when she starts craving cinnamon rolls—the sticky-sweet iced-up old-fashioned kind, yummy and messy and dripping gooshy icing all over your mouth and hands and down your yuuuup, yup, that is a super, super fertile omega that she is smelling, holy shit is it ever.” Alpha Darcy helps out Omega Bucky in heat and then deals with the consequences.
Rec: This has a fantastic Darcy voice! The author does a great job showing how the omegaverse instincts/characteristics affect people regardless of gender.
Content warnings: References to past rape, discussions of abortion, references to past forced abortion
“seven moons” by ladyflowdi. 66K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Sherlock (TV); Ships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Recced by: Asheru
Backstory: “‘This is happiness?’ John asks, utterly heartsick, holding up his wrists and rattling the chains. ‘You’ve sold me for six gold mines and protection along the northern border.’” An omegaverse arranged marriage historical AU, omega John to alpha Sherlock set against an epic backdrop of historical intrigue and war, with magical elements. Spell-binding!
Rec: A real page turner, totally immersive, wonderful character development and story arc, turning into a heart-stopping romance.
Content warnings: Do read the tags—includes mpreg, slavery, war, threat of possible miscarriage, graphic descriptions of birth
Cnovel fans asking u to read their favorite book cuz its “just 200 chapters” is like when ppl go “this is my favorite lazy day recipe” and then start it by caramelizing onions
— an indeterminiable amount of forks (@rifflexielian) April 1, 2023
FINAL THOUGHT
We just wanted to express our support for everyone in the Writers Guild of America voting to authorize a strike—you deserve to be fairly compensated for your work!! — Elizabeth