April 19, 2024

The Rec Center #433

Hi all! This week we have articles about the inescapability of Taylor Swift fandom and the unfortunate demise of the Yuri on Ice movie, along with some cool Tortall fanart, multifandom AU fic recs, and more! — Gav

 

new stuff

“MAPPA Faces More Criticism Over Yuri On Ice Movie Cancellation” by Francesco Cacciatore at Screen Rant
If you haven’t been on social media today, you may not have seen that the YOI movie announced seven years ago has been officially canceled—and people are not happy with the studio.

“The Life and Death of Hollywood” by Daniel Bessner at Harper’s Magazine
Your big, depressing read of the week: a deeply reported piece about the current state of Hollywood. “‘The industry is in a deep and existential crisis,’ the head of a midsize studio told me in early August…. ‘It is probably the deepest and most existential crisis it’s ever been in.’”

“Ending a Friendship Over Taylor Swift” by Laura Pitcher at The Cut
While we strongly disagree with the suggestion here that “there seems to be no in-between” re: Swift lovers vs haters (some people truly do not care about her at all!), an interesting piece on fandom creating rifts between friends that will likely resonate far beyond Swifties.

 

 

older stuff

“Fan Fiction vs. Fanfiction” by Flourish Klink at Fansplaining
If you’ve ever wondered why publications stick a space between “fan” and “fiction” while most fans do not, this is the piece for you! Also note that this was written in 2017, so the problem Flourish outlines has only gotten (way) worse in the years since.

 

tumblr & beyond

Alanna the Lioness fanart by nightmaskart

a fresh twist on a beloved trope

“podcast character body pillow”

“There should be a fanfic writing game called the showrunners challenge”

a truly stunning selection of descriptors for timothee chalamet.

regrettably accurate take on fandom beef

some advice on how to comment on fanfic, as modeled by Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

fanfiction

Last week we ran canon-divergent AUs, so this week, we’ve got the other kind of AUs! Spies, royals, perfume thieves, etc. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“Business in a Bloodstained Dress” by darkmagicalgirl. 12K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Haikyuu!!; Ship: Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka
Recced by: masha
Backstory: Haikyuu!! is an animanga franchise about a short guy who can jump becoming one of the greatest volleyball players of all time, but none of that matters in this fic because this is a spy/handler AU for the two managers of the protagonist volleyball team. Knowledge of canon will enhance the story, but is not necessary to enjoy it.
Rec: Insanely well written, and hot. The characters feel like their canon selves if they existed in a very different world. Rearranged my atoms. In the back of my mind I am always thinking about this fic at all times.
Content warnings: Voyeurism

“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by perkynurples. 296K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Hobbit (Jackson films); Ship: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Recced by: Cindy
Backstory: Bilbo Baggins is hired to become a tutor for the royal princes of a small country named Erebor. Plot and romance ensues.
Rec: Hobbit fandom has a lot of royalty themes and a lot of modern day AUs, but none quite like this. It’s a modern, royal romance with a heavy dose of political thriller, which makes for a winning combo.
Content warnings: Some, but not all, canonical character death, serious injuries

“come as you are” by liraels. 28K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Killing Eve (TV 2018); Ship: Eve Polastri/Villanelle | Oksana Astankova
Recced by: Nat
Backstory: “‘But she never wears them, the perfumes. They aren’t for her. They aren’t for anyone in particular, anyone at all. Or –– perhaps she’s wrong. There is a someone in particular, Eve dares to think in the brief moments before the night rises up again. There is someone she hasn’t yet met.’ Eve makes perfumes. Villanelle steals them.”
Rec: Magical realism, lovely worldbuilding, a bit of mystique surrounding the perfume thefts. It’s such a creative AU from an incredibly talented author.
Content warnings: N/A

“Catholic!Frank and Artist!Gerard Not!Fic” by Sena. 21K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: My Chemical Romance; Ship: Frank Iero/Gerard Way
Recced by: Melissa
Backstory: This not!fic is a modern-setting alternate universe in which Frank Iero (MCR’s rhythm guitarist) is a vegan chef and a very religious Catholic struggling to be the kind of person the church approves of, while Gerard Way (MCR’s lead singer) is an artist (a very hot artist) who moves in to the house next door to Frank’s mother. What follows is Frank’s crisis of faith as they fall in love with each other.
Rec: Despite this fic’s status as a not!fic, it reads absolutely gloriously (in fact, I don’t think I would have this fic any other way). It’s definitely heavy on the Catholicism, as any good MCR fic is, but it also includes major Jewish themes which resonates for me so much as a Jew and it is SO well done.
Content warnings: Religious conflict

“Rest Easy” by Ghostcat. 168K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: SKAM (Norway); Ship: Isak Valtersen/Even Bech Næsheim
Recced by: merthegurl
Backstory: SKAM (Norway) was an innovative drama about an interconnected group of teens at Nissen School in Oslo. Each season explored a new main character and Isak Valtersen’s season 3 dealt with first love, coming out, science vs religion, and mental health. Rest Easy is a Scandinavian Noir AU where an older Isak is an insomniac detective investigating a murder in the Arctic Circle. Even is a possible suspect and, as in the show, love interest.
Rec: I love Scandinavian mysteries and SKAM’s Evak, and never thought I’d get a combination of the two. Disorienting and dream-like, Rest Easy showcases an Isak and Even that are older, much weirder, but as drawn to each other as ever. Perhaps that’s the most startling aspect of this story, that despite the mounting dread, their love story remains believable, hot, and unexpectedly tender.
Content warnings: Graphic description of an autopsy, minor character death, genre-typical violence

“Men to the Moon and Rockets to Russia” by robotboy. 10K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Good Omens; Ship: Aziraphale/Crowley
Recced by: queuest
Backstory: Set in the tense atmosphere of the Cold War, Crowley and Aziraphale are both professors at university. Their relationship develops as they increasingly turn to each other for safety and comfort in a time of societal persecution.
Rec: This story beautifully covers the fanfic meta theme of characters finding each other over and over in every life. This story is amazing standing on its own, but with the reader’s intimate knowledge of the characters and their relationship another layer of meaning is added. It’s an exemplary piece of the genre of fanfiction.
Content warnings: Post-war PTSD, period-typical homophobia

 

 

FINAL THOUGHT

If you follow Fansplaining on social media, you may have seen that we put up a call for pitches yesterday. The podcast is (temporarily) transitioning to a written publication only in a few weeks, after my co-host Flourish records their final episode, and I’m hoping to publish 1-2 articles a month starting in June.

If you’re a fandom journalist, academic, or just someone interested in writing a substantive article about fan culture, please check the doc and send me a pitch! And as I say in the doc, the number of articles I can commission and the rate I can pay is dependent on the current amount we bring in on Patreon. If you have a desire to advertise/sponsor with this kind of audience—or like, a deep love of fandom journalism and a bunch of cash burning a hole in your pocket lol—please get in touch! — Elizabeth