May 24, 2024

The Rec Center #438

Hello all! This week we have articles on price of concert tickets, Magic: The Gathering, and yes, the four-hour Star Wars Hotel video everyone is talking about, plus some gorgeous IWTV fanart (Armand, my beloved) and a multifandom rec list of sports AUs! — Elizabeth

 

new stuff

“The real reason it costs so much to go to a concert” by Whizy Kim​ at Vox
This week, the U.S. DOJ announced it would be bringing an antitrust case against Live Nation, the company that owns Ticketmaster. This piece breaks down all the factors that have led to concerts being wildly unaffordable in recent years.

“The Creator Of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Knows Exactly Where It All Went Wrong” by Nick Zarzycki at Defector
An interesting longread about Magic: The Gathering designer Richard Garfield and his “disillusionment with the current state of the game he created.”

“The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel” by Jenny Nicholson
Jenny Nicholson’s four-hour YouTube takedown of Disney’s Star Wars hotel is EVERYWHERE this week, and for good reason. We’ve only watched the first hour so far, but it’s easy to see why it went viral, providing a detailed and damning explanation for why this wildly overpriced “immersive experience” was a catastrophic flop.

 

 

older stuff

“Sentiment Albums Hold the Seeds of Modern Fandom” by Elizabeth at Atlas Obscura
“What I was doing in the binder and on Tumblr, what millions today do across the internet in all these various forms, is a practice with deep roots. The desire to collect, compile, and share the things you love stretches back centuries.”

 

tumblr & beyond

Interview with the Vampire fanart by emilyrosecreatives

Data and his pet cat WOULD kill it on spacetok!!

“tricking the police sketch artist into drawing fanart of the character i like”

ok sounds like this person has a point actually.

“Had a dream this morning that Archive of our Own had a Random button which would simply take you to a random fanfic”

another win for the writers of tv’s 9-1-1.

 

fanfiction

Last week we solicited a bunch of different themes/tropes, and you delivered! (If you missed it, you can see the list in the final thought here—more recs are extremely welcome!) We decided to start with sports AUs, with submissions ranging from baseball to F1 to professional rock climbing. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth

“I’ve been lost before (and I’m lost again, I guess)” by toneofjoy. 165K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Critical Role; Ship: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast
Recced by: mllekurtz
Backstory: In canon, Essek and Caleb are wizards from rival countries who develop a tense allyship based on common goals and a shared love for magic, overcome many odds, and are now canonically in a relationship. This fic is a complete departure from the D&D canon and reimagines them as sport climbers and professional athletes.
Rec: I had only a passing knowledge of climbing when I started reading this story, but the author's passion, enthusiasm, and knowledge seep through in such an engaging and convincing way that I am now an avid climbing fan. While the setting is great, the fic shines when it focuses on character dynamics, and it also has a compelling portrayal of demisexuality, PTSD, and chronic illness.
Content warnings: N/A

“Unforced Error” by ninepiecesofcrait. 119K words, rated Explicit. Fandom: Star Wars; Ship: Rey/Ben Solo
Recced by: elle
Backstory: Star Wars Reylo BASEBALL AU: Ben is a major league baseball pitcher recently signed on with the Rebel team. He has a history of anger and outbursts, so he has been assigned a minder—Rey, child social worker with a focus on emotional dysregulation. Poe Dameron is his catcher with golden retriever energy. Rec: So much baseball. If you've ever been curious about baseball terminology, the end notes that ninepiecesofcrait includes has so much detail and it is chef kiss on top of a really layered approach to Ben Solo and a fascinating ethics story that mirrors a recent real life baseball scandal. Also great poly representation. Content warnings: Some homophobia, mentions of canon-typical child abuse

“Coanda Effect” by bunniehoney. 237K words, (WIP), rated Mature. Fandom: Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime/Manga); Ship: Getou Suguru/Gojo Satoru
Recced by: Theloudestnoise
Backstory: Gojo and Getou are childhood friends and elite racing drivers, until Getou suddenly quits right after winning his first championship title. Seven years later, Gojo is a seven-time world champion and Getou is back to the sport as the team principal of a rival team.
Rec: This fic hits the unhinged vibe of F1 SO SO SO WELL. It's dramatic and exciting and extremely well characterized. You don't have to know much about F1 (or JJK, for that matter) to enjoy this, in fact it actually got a friend of mine who knew nothing about F1 into the sport.
Content warnings: Discussion of eating disorders, minor character death

“Run at the Cup” by TheHomelyBadger. 337K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends; Ship: F/F, Caitlyn/Vi
Recced by: CompassRose
Backstory: Arcane: League of Legends is an animated adventure series about the escalating conflict between the wealthy city of Piltover and its poor, rough neighbour Zaun. This hockey AU chronicles the rise of the Zaun Sumprats, a brand-new expansion team in the Runeterra Hockey League. Manager Mel Medarda drafts longtime rivals Violet Wickett and Caitlyn Kiramman to the starting roster.
Rec: This fic made me a rabid fan of a sports team that doesn't exist in the space of a day. It's got personal growth, political and financial machinations, professional sports scandal, and a long-haul enemies to lovers, all in a documentary frame. The many game descriptions are almost cinematically vivid, as well as being load-bearing parts of the narrative, and the ensemble cast is deftly handled.
Content warnings: Sports violence, bullying and assault, abuse and manipulation

“Got a Heart in Me, I Swear” by thepartyresponsible. 36K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Marvel; Ship: Clint Barton/Bucky Barnes
Recced by: Rachael
Backstory: Winterhawk is a niche Marvel ship but it has some real fic gems; this is a fantastic one. When photos from an old relationship are leaked to the press, New York Mets pitcher Clint Barton is traded across the country and has to start rebuilding his life while settling into his new team.
Rec: Don’t be fooled by the baseball AU set up (you can read this with zero sports knowledge). This is a beautiful, and beautifully written, story of found family with a slow burn romance that manages to be both realistic and hopeful.
Content warnings: Internalised homophobia

“Local Hero” by BasicBathsheba and breadofgod. 52K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell; Ship: Simon/Baz
Recced by: kittysorceress
Backstory: Carry On is the Harry-Potter-stand-in series in Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, which she then ended up publishing separately as an exploration of the British magic school trope. Simon and Baz (definitely not Harry and Draco) are rivals and roommates and fall in love throughout the adventures of the first book.
Rec: In this football (aka soccer) AU, a celebrity footballer (Baz) comes to hide in a small town and falls for with the owner of the pub and former schoolmate (Simon) who runs a fan club for the team. It is extremely charming while getting to the heart of the characters’ canon characterisation.
Content warnings: N/A

 

 

FINAL THOUGHT

Okay everyone, have a relaxing weekend! And if you’re not watching Interview with the Vampire yet... you should be!! — Gav