The Rec Center #424
Hi all! This week we have articles about romance bookstores and the Hugo Awards censorship debacle, along with some Star Wars fanart, multifandom Femslash February recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“Glasgow Worldcon Apologizes for ‘Damage’ Caused by 2023 Hugo Awards Controversy” by Cheryl Eddy at Gizmodo
This week Chris M. Barkley and Jason Sanford published a report revealing censorship perpetrated by the organizers of last year's Hugo Awards, which were held in China. It’s a scandalous story resulting in several high-profile nominees being excluded from the awards process, and the full report is pretty long and detailed. This Gizmodo article lays out the basic facts—along with how next year’s WorldCon/Hugo organizers are dealing with the fallout.
“Why Do Racebent Castings Make Everyone So Angry?” by Kathryn Porter at Paste
It’s been a full decade since Candice Patton first faced racist backlash when she was cast as Iris West in The Flash, and unfortunately, we keep seeing the same awful pattern for Black actresses again and again.
“Sexily ever after: how romance bookstores took over America” by Lois Beckett at The Guardian
“I think we’re undoing generations of guilt and shame.” For romance fans, a lovely piece about romance-specific bookstores that have opened across the U.S. in the past few years.
I have never watched The Gilded Age but judging by twitter I believe it to be about a really hairy sexy nightmare man and his deranged obsession with his wife who is like an evil but cool queen in a story about some kind of fae court.
— Charlotte Stein (@Charlotte_Stein) January 20, 2024
older stuff
“How Ash Ketchum finally became a Pokémon master” by Jason Krell at SB Nation
“A competitive Pokémon expert’s serious critique of Ash Ketchum’s career as a Pokémon trainer.” This piece goes *deep*.
tumblr & beyond
Star Wars fanart by sankt-jesper
“Can I speak my truth. I don’t think Brienne is even a little gay.”
ah yes a foundational aspect of fandom friendship.
“when i wake up the drunkest i’ve ever been”
an intriguing take on the tim drake and bruce wayne dynamic.
“Harrison Ford hating playing Han Solo made him better at playing Han Solo”
boat.
fanfiction
Femslash February continues! If you missed the first two 2024 installments: Week 1 and Week 2. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in the recs in this week’s batch! — Elizabeth
“a much better dream” by rain_sleet_snow. 3.4K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy; Ship: Zorii Bliss/Rose
Recced by: seralica
Backstory: Set post Rise of Skywalker, this short fic follows Zorii Bliss (spice runner and former friend of Poe’s) as she joins the Resistance in the aftermath of Exegol. Includes references to Reset, a ceremony rain_sleet_snow created in memoriam of Alderaan and celebration of the Death Star blowing up (completely great).
Rec: I love the voices of both Zorii and Rose here, they’re so fully realized and just... fun to read. I also love all of rain_sleet_snow’s stuff involving Reset, so if the glimpse here is intriguing, go read their other SW:OT and SW:ST works!
Content warnings: N/A
“Office Meeting” by Unpretty. 1.9K words, rated Teen.
Fandoms: Batman, Harley Quinn; Ship: Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy
Recced by: Charley
Backstory: Harley and Poison Ivy have broken into Bruce Wayne’s office for information/revenge on a building construction on endangered plant life.
Rec: This fic is a charming mix of Harley and Ivy’s relationship (and their ruthlessness which is expressed in very different ways) and an outsider POV of them together (via Bruce Wayne, aka Batman’s daylight alter ego)!
Content warnings: N/A
“borrow tomorrow, today” by notspring. 4.5K words, rated Teen.
Fandoms: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)/Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries; Ship: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kang Seulgi
Recced by: ninamonday
Backstory: Red Velvet is a Kpop girl group that often uses horror/surrealist/sexy murder aesthetics, which integrate well with the stylish vintage crime-fighting of the TV show Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries in this fusion.
Rec: This is a quick and sharp mystery that is less about the mechanics of the crime and investigation than about style, tension, and the boundaries of femininity. It makes for a really entertaining and sexy read.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Bronze Age” by astraea215, sassy_wartime_nun. 25K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Old Guard; Ship: Andy | Andromache of Scythia/Quynh | Noriko
Recced by: stars-inthe-sky
Backstory: The Old Guard features a found family of extremely long-lived immortals, including Andromache (the 7000-year-old leader) and Quynh, who are strongly implied to have been romantically and sexually involved in the past.
Rec: It’s a lighter historical story in a fandom and for a pairing that can often concern heavier matters, and the research and range of 5+1 stories are great.
Content warnings: N/A
“Invariant Factors” by Liviapenn. 20K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: The Sentinel; Ship: f/f Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg (Jen/Bayle)
Recced by: kormantic
Backstory: Per Liv’s summary: So, yeah, it’s basically The Sentinel pilot episode "Switchman," except Jim and Blair are women. (And they have sex.)
Rec: Liv does a masterful job translating the characters from Jim and Blair to Jen and Bayle. If you know anything about the series, you will not be surprised at how seamless the Blair to Bayle translation is. If you loved buddy action cop shows from the 90s with a car chase and an explosion in every episode, or you’re just there for the Tough One being Soft for the Sunshine One, this will be right up your alley.
Content warnings: N/A
“A Country Mile” by bropunzeling. 16K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: England Series - KJ Charles; Ship: Fenella Carruth/Patricia Merton
Recced by: thelittlestbird
Backstory: Fen and Pat are the central couple in ‘Perfect English’ by KJ Charles, an Edwardian country-house murder mystery, and side characters in ‘Think of England’. In this post-canon story, Fen takes center stage as the pair is sent to another country house to deal with intrigue, poison-pen letters, and actual poison.
Rec: This was my Yuletide gift two years ago :) KJ Charles is a genius at creating characters who really see each other, and this author follows that example beautifully, showing how Pat and Fen appreciate the best things about each other even when society dismisses those same traits. Even better, this story gives a wonderfully nuanced depiction of how Fen’s confidence has grown post-canon, and how her emotional intelligence not only enables her to connect with the other women around her, but is also instrumental in solving the case.
Content warnings: Attempted murder by poison, references to period-typical sexism
People get mad af when you tell them you think Bert and Ernie are gay... Brother wait till you hear about the other Muppets I think are gay
— ✡︎Shira!🇵🇷 (@jewtinaxtreme) January 24, 2024
FINAL THOUGHT
It’s that time again: the charity fanworks auction Fandom Trumps Hate is back for its eighth year! There are just a few more days to sign up as a creator, and as a reminder, that doesn’t just mean fic writers and fanartists: you can offer your services as a beta or sensitivity reader, or a whole host of other things. (We’ll also remind folks when bidding is open!) — Elizabeth