The Rec Center #39
Welcome to Luke Cage Weekend! We’ve got a whole Luke Cage section in celebration, but for folks who aren’t so interested in superhero franchises, we have multifandom recs from the ~slow burn romance~ genre. — Gav
new stuff
“Stars Getting Rich Off Fan Conventions: How to Take Home ‘Garbage Bags Full of $20s’” by Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter
If you haven’t seen this widely-shared piece, a long exploration into actors’ fees—and feelings about—cons big and small.
“Netflix Unveils When Global Fandom Begins for The Get Down, Narcos, Stranger Things and more” at Below the Line
Netflix releases data for how many episodes into a series viewers get “hooked.”
“The Secret Pleasures of Solitary Fandom” by Keidra Chaney and “Where Solidarity about Solitary Fandom Got Me” by Raizel Liebler at The Learned Fangirl
The first two pieces in a series about solitary fandom that we are excited to keep an eye on!
old(er) stuff
“Why do we mock teenage girls who love One Direction when Top Gear fans are just the same?” by Elizabeth at the New Statesman
In honor of this tweet
(and all of Anna’s great work about 1D and fandom/pop culture at large), I wanted to share this piece from last year, even as I dive to blacklist “Harry Styles” on my dash. (I love you guys, keep being excited, this is what blacklists are for) — Elizabeth
luke cage!
Lightning-fast primer: Introduced to Marvel comics in the 1970s, Luke Cage was partly inspired by blaxploitation media, a former criminal who gains superstrength and bulletproof skin after volunteering for medical experiments in jail. (I recommend reading the first-ever Luke Cage comic, which sets out a lot of the political subtext of his role in just one issue.)
He later sets himself up as a “hero for hire” in Harlem, fighting street-level crime before joining superhero teams like the Avengers. He’s married to Jessica Jones in the comics, and is often partnered with Iron Fist, who will get his own Netflix series next year. (Luke had a guest role in the Jessica Jones show, but you don’t need to watch JJ to understand LC.)
Netflix’s Luke Cage is a crime drama set in present-day Harlem, with Luke going up against local gangsters and corrupt politicians. It’s a similar premise to Daredevil, but it feels more authentic and meaningful due to the level of detail given to the setting and supporting cast. For a superhero show, it incorporates some pretty complex discussions of racial politics, and the showrunners put a lot of thought into their choices of political/pop-culture references. — Gav
“Luke Cage comics reading guide” by Gav at the Daily Dot
I went through Luke Cage’s comic book history, from his excellent introductory issue in 1972, to some of the later comics that are best left forgotten.
“Real Life Proves Why Luke Cage Endures” by Joseph P. Illidge at Comic Book Resources
This piece was written in 2014, just after the Netflix series was greenlit, and discusses the political importance of Luke Cage as a Black hero.
“Black Girl Nerds” and “This Week In Marvel” both did spoiler-free podcast interviews with Luke Cage’s cast and crew.
Luke Cage Spotify playlist by Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest, who worked on the show’s soundtrack with composer Adrian Younge.
“Bulletproof Soul: Ali Shaheed & Adrian Younge On Scoring Marvel’s ‘Luke Cage’” at Watchloud
More on Luke Cage’s soundtrack.
“Review: Luke Cage is a smart and refreshing addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe” by Gav at the Daily Dot
My non-spoilery thoughts on Luke Cage’s pilot episode, including the way it weaves cultural references into the story.
“How Luke Cage Got Marvel to Say the N-Word” by Abraham Reisman at New York Magazine
Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker shares his thoughts on using the N-word in the show.
“Luke Cage premiere recap” by Angelica Jade Bastién at New York Magazine
A more critical view of Luke Cage’s first episode.
tumblr & beyond
Treasure Planet Voltron AU by Little_Luxray
Supergirl 2x01 sneak peak with John Williams’ Superman theme music as the soundtrack. I’M SO READY TO SEE TYLER HOECHLIN AS SUPERMAN, this is so fun omg.
“Everybody Wants To Rule The World” Legend of Korra fanvid by mkatwood.
fanfiction
So! This is the first multi-fandom list I’ve put together purely from our fic rec submission form. I’ve been transferring your recs (more than 100 submitted so far—THANK YOU!!!) to a shiny new spreadsheet, and I made this list by searching “slow burn.” There were more than a dozen on the list, so don’t worry—there’s plenty more slow burning to come. — Elizabeth
“The Valley of the Shadow” by FabulaRasa. 51K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: DCU; Ship: Bruce Wayne/Clark Kent
Recced by: Kat
Backstory: Batman is a deeply troubled individual, and Superman is much more complex than a nice farm boy from Kansas. But they’re still the World’s Finest.
Rec: I CRY EVERY TIME. The depth of feeling is immense, although the prose is relatively understated. Characterizations are A+ and the exploration of illness and relationships (esp. batfamily!) is great.
Content warnings: Suicidal ideation, discussion of mental illness, death, terminal illness
“have you heard” by peradi. 42K words, not rated (I’d put it at Mature).
Fandom: Star Wars: The Force Awakens; Ships: Poe/Finn, Poe/Finn/Rey
Recced by: halfeatenmoon
Backstory: The Force Awakens is the newest film in the Star Wars franchise. This fic mainly focuses on Finn, formerly FN-2187, who was raised as a stormtrooper but decided to defect, even though doing so put himself in danger.
Rec: This is about Finn being an inspiration to other stormtroopers who want to rebel, and how he, Poe and Rey slowly build a resistance force out of other defecting stormtroopers, and how different ex-troopers build new lives from themselves. It’s plot-driven but deeply emotional and I love the themes of what people can become and how they take a hold of their own lives after escaping.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, injury, and death (though no major character death). There is also an OC whose backstory includes sexual assault, although this is only referred to and not graphically depicted.
“Flora and Fauna” by swtalmnd. 74K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Harry Potter; Ships: Neville Longbottom/Remus Lupin, background Snape/Harry (everyone’s adult and consenting!)
Recced by: Erica
Backstory: Total rarepair, but trust me! Two quiet, mature, and lonely men settle into a relationship first as business partners, then as friends, and finally as happy lovers.
Rec: I love fics that explore the HP universe outside of Hogwarts, especially vocations that aren’t Ministry of Magic-related. In this fic, Neville is newly graduated and accepts an offer to work with Lupin gathering exotic plants as potions ingredients. Ensemble cast and fabulous world-building fleshes out this wonderful, feel-good fic. Gives me that sated, happy glow every time I re-read it.
“The Price of War” by shuofthewind. 284K words, rated Mature.
Fandoms: Daredevil, Thor, Marvel Comics; Ship: Matt Murdock/Darcy Lewis
Recced by: Kaleb
Backstory: Daredevil (aka Matthew Murdock) is a vigilante and not particularly nice; he’s violent and mean but often overly self-flagellating about his work. In comes Darcy Lewis who seems like a moderating influence but has darkness in her own past as well.
Rec: Fact one: shuofthewind does her homework fastidiously and this feels not only like a believable combination of the MCU worlds with borrowing from Marvel Comics, but also a believable world where our imported characters feel right at home. Fact two: Despite being (in essence) a retelling of Daredevil Season One, it sets itself apart by digging deep into realism and diverging just enough from canon in just the right places to not feel wasted.
Content warnings: Torture, graphic violence, references to rape
“A Brand of Gold” by aquabelacqua. 13K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: BBC Sherlock; Ship: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Recced by: Sadie
Backstory: You know it, you love it; it’s a classic pairing. But you’ve never seen characterization so dead-on and yet so brand new. See these two idiots fall in love in a slow-ish burn, smoking hot, all-virtual way.
Rec: Exquisite, precise language, hot as hell, and just the right balance of smutty, and funny with a pining chaser. All her stories are amazing but this is the one that's most “fandom famous”—also available in a killer PODFIC version :)
Content warnings: Mentions of alcohol consumption, alcoholism
“The Student Prince” by FayJay. 145K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Merlin (TV): Ship: Arthur/Merlin
Recced by: Mischief
Backstory: Although technically in the Merlin TV show fandom, this fic is easily accessible to someone with only the barest knowledge of Arthurian legend. One of the earlier modern AUs in the fandom, and definitely one of the best.
Rec: It’s a modernization that rings true to the characters, even the ones that got barely a few minutes of screentime on the actual show. The love story at the heart of it is sweet, tender, and full of banter, which is just how I like it.
Content warnings: Some sexual content between two consenting university-aged men, non-explicit references to homophobia and gay-bashing
FINAL THOUGHT
First of all, have you seen the Fansplaining Fanfiction Tropes Survey? I know there’s a lot of overlap between my podcast’s audience and this newsletter’s audience, but on the off-chance that you haven’t filled it out yet, PLEASE DO. As of this afternoon we’ve had about 4,400 respondents (!!!!!!!), but we want as many as possible, so if you have fic-loving friends, please share it with them as well!
And just quickly, for the readers + reccers among us, a quick note on the one-off reccing form. As I said, Rec Center readers have sent in more than 100 recs so far, which is AMAZING, and thank you again. Since I’ve been going through them, I just wanted to make a couple of general observations and suggestions so we’ll be able to run as many of your recs as possible without having to chase dozens of you down for follow-ups. :-)
We are not reading these recs. I repeat, WE ARE NOT READING THESE RECS. More than a few people have sent us just links and titles, and I can only assume people think we will read the stories? Without backstory and at least a sentence about why it’s good, we can’t use your rec—and we want to use all of them!
I think I scared people with the “SHORT” in “1-2 SHORT sentences about…” This was just to keep people from writing treatises about their fave fic. Because these recs won’t really have much context for who you are, just saying, “I love this, it’s a classic” is hard for readers to go on. Why do YOU like it? For insights into why people rec what they do, can I recommend Fansplaining’s conversation with Gav? :-D
When we ask about tropes, you don’t have to include your fandom-specific tropes—these are just to make multi-fandom lists like this one, so things like “slow burn,” “hurt/comfort,” all the things you find on the Fansplaining survey, yes, of course I’m still plugging it.
This isn’t any individual’s fault—it reflects a systemic problem—but looking at these 100+ recs, there are A LOT of white dudes. I know from our survey a few months back that lots of you want more femslash and more non-Western fandoms, so please consider reccing! We would love to hear from you/see your recs. <3
On a whole, though, we are so, so grateful for these recs, and for everyone who’s written (or will write!) a guest list. If this was just us, well, I can’t speak for Gav, but I’d just give you endless Harry Potter lists with the occasional Torchwood masterpiece. :-) Our reader recs are integral to making these recs as varied as possible, and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. — Elizabeth
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)