The Rec Center #411
This week we have articles about Tumblr, Pokemon, and a unique book club, along with some Magnus Archives fanart, multifandom arranged marriage fic recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“Tumblr Is Always Dying” by Elizabeth at WIRED
As promised last week, Elizabeth wrote about the recent Tumblr downscaling announcement—and the way both the site’s current owners and the broader internet have misunderstood the platform in recent years.
“‘It never ends’: the book club that spent 28 years reading Finnegans Wake” by Lois Beckett at The Guardian
“Fialka, who started the group in his early 40s, is now 70. ‘I don’t want to lie, it wasn’t like I saw God,’ Fialka said, of reaching the book’s end. ‘It wasn’t a big deal.’”
“An Ode To Raichu, The Best Pokémon Who Can’t Get Any Respect” by Kenneth Shepard at Kotaku
This loyal raichu fan has a bone to pick with the Pokemon Company’s (apparently unfair?) treatment of pikachu’s less-famous evolved form. Love to hear about a new niche pet peeve!
how do i explain to gringas that brazilian swifties are trying to get junior jewels projected onto christ the redeemer but the priest (?) that controls the projections is an arianator and is deleting the comments asking for it
— alex 🦷 (@moonlitaqmrine) November 13, 2023
older stuff
“Internet Explorers: The Curious Case of Radiohead’s Online Fandom” by Jeremy Gordon at Pitchfork
An interesting piece about the 90s-era web fandom (complete with delightful throwback images of Ye Olde Fansites) for Radiohead.
tumblr & beyond
Magnus Archives fanart by dcartcorner
the magic of episodic television tbh!!!
“thank you all gif makers everywhere, yes i WOULD like to live inside that half a second when my otp looked at each other forever on repeat”
an extremely impressive Seinfeld dance edit.
“remember when queerbaiting was done with a passion for the craft”
hope you enjoyed your meal, zack & cody!!
fanfiction
This week we’ve got a venerable old trope: arranged marriage. Perhaps not surprisingly since our guest submissions skew heavily M/M, this also means the list has a lot of omegaverse, so if you’re into that, you’re in luck! Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“still here (still high)” by serinesaccade. 31K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Les Miserables; Ship: Enjolras/Grantaire
Recced by: Rare
Backstory: At 18, Grantaire and Enjolras were subject to an arranged marriage, and Enjolras assumed Grantaire would go live in luxury on the family money and that would be that. At 22, when Grantaire shows up at Enjolras’ political club at university, he assumes it’s some sort of plot by their families to drag him back into “respectable behavior.” Turns out it’s anything but.
Rec: Arranged marriage! Misunderstandings! Deftly woven in details about how the omegaverse affects social dynamics! Dealing with the consequences of under-informed choices you made at 18! This fic has it all, and it is so well done and well handled, and a fascinating exploration of how society might be different (and the same) if the omegaverse existed.
Content warnings: Gender stereotypes, structural gender-based violence
“our footsteps sing a reckless serenade” by ThirtySixSaveFiles. 46K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed/MDZS; Ships: Jiāng Chéng/Niè Huáisāng, background: Jiāng Yànlí/Jīn Zixuān, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian
Recced by: Sychaeus
Backstory: A modern-but-still-magic AU in a City where cultivation exists and the sects are still dramatic AF, angriest boy Jiāng Chéng enters into an arranged marriage with Niè Huáisāng. Some timeline shenanigans mean that while the plot is similar, we’re in almost-everybody-lives territory.
Rec: A great fic that combines personal dramas (hello arranged marriage AU) with a fun mystery and world-building. I love fics born of the more, ah... sometimes depressing fandoms, that balance characters’ personalities with the need to give them nice things.
Content warnings: Canon-typical threats of violence, minor character death
“Celestial Navigation” by sabremc. 211K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Avengers; Ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Recced by: Gryvon
Backstory: Omega Tony Stark is sent to live in a remote cabin with the mysterious Alpha Captain Rogers. Tony has no idea why everyone treats Steve like he’s so special or what classified work Steve disappears for days to do for SHIELD.
Rec: Steve is perfect in this: damaged from losing everyone he knew yet so willing to set the world on fire to make Tony’s life better.
Content warnings: Implied/referenced child abuse, attempted rape/non-con, omegas as second-class citizens
“A Royal Arrangement” by Kyele. 92K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Kingsman (Movies); Ship: Harry Hart/Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Recced by: mlraven
Backstory: “A Royal Arrangement” is a Regency omegaverse AU where Valentine’s virus decimated both the population and the survivors’ fertility. Harry Hart is now the King of England, and the line of succession must be assured...
Rec: I love the ensemble cast and their pre- and post-V-Day relationships. I love the layered worldbuilding, especially the allusions to Harry’s (and others’) time in the war, and the way that Kyele writes about class, fertility, and status in pre- and post-V-Day society. And of course, I love Merlin whacking Harry on the head when he’s being a fool :D
Content warnings: (in)fertility issues, miscarriage feature heavily
“An Elegant Solution” by giraffeter 205K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: MDZS/The Untamed; Ship: Lan Zhan/Wei Ying/Nie Mingjue
Recced by: anon
Backstory: An epic canon AU where Wei Ying enters into an arranged marriage with Nie Mingjue to save the Wen refugees and rehabilitate his reputation as the Yiling Patriarch.
Rec: Rather than replacing the canon relationship between Lan Zhan and Wei Ying, this fantastic AU remixes the more standard arranged marriage tropes to build a beautiful romance between the new betrothed couple and Lan Zhan—who initially assumed he’d lose his soulmate to his new husband. Wonderfully written with a thoughtful subplot for Jin Guangyao, and a very romantic take on the threeway betrothal dynamic!
Content warnings: N/A
when people are like "i can't believe i ventured into fandom, a subculture for freaks, and found freaks there" like i'm really sorry that you were led to think that shipping was a cool and normal activity that cool people do. leave
— heartspocky (@heartsalty) November 13, 2023
FINAL THOUGHT
As we approach the final weeks of the year (how???), a few calls for recs:
- As we’ve done in years past, we’ll be running a list of extra-long fic over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend (that’s next week, for non-Americans). Super long solo fics as well as long series are welcome!
- We’ll likely be running at least one holiday list in December. “Holiday” is extremely broad, encompassing any religious or non-religious holidays from this time of year, or anything that feels ~seasonal~. But speaking of which….
- Per a suggestion from a reader last year, we’d specifically love to run a list of holiday season fic set in warm places!
Please use our handy one-off submission form, and make sure to write what you’re submitting for in the themes/tropes field, otherwise I may not be able to tell. — Elizabeth