The Rec Center #45
Hi guys,
I have to start with a confession: I’m finding it pretty hard to think about fandom right now. Frankly, it’s hard for me to even care about fandom right now.
There have been a few times this year when we put out a newsletter following massive tragedy or turmoil—the Pulse nightclub shooting, the morning after Brexit, the police shootings of unarmed black men over the summer—by saying that we knew many, many people use fandom and fanfiction as a coping mechanism, a vital distraction, a way to get to the next day, and the next. We put out newsletters filled with all the joy of fandom for people who needed an escape. For everyone who couldn’t think about fandom then, we wrote that “these newsletters will still be here when you want them.”
But I can’t do that this week—I can’t think about anything else enough to cobble together a newsletter. I’m consumed by anger, grief, and fear. Judging from my dash, a lot of fandom friends are in the same place. So I suggested a simple collection of fic and art for all those who take comfort in fanworks during painful times. They’re culled from our reader submissions, and I worked to pick stories that didn’t seem too dark, so I’m crossing my fingers that these are helpful. And if you can’t read or think about fic right now...I am right there with you.
For all our American readers, especially those from marginalized groups, and everyone in the streets protesting: I love and support you, and please stay as safe as you can in the coming days. (For all our non-American readers: your support through all of this has been invaluable, especially those of you who are watching similar political forces rise in your own countries.) And like, you’re probably already doing this, but let’s continue to lean on each other. Relationships I’ve found through fandom have already proved vital in the past 72 hours, and I hope that you’ve found love and support there, too.
Love,
Elizabeth
fanfiction, fanart, and more
“And the Charged Atmosphere” by flickerface. 9K words, rated Teen.
Fandoms: The Librarians (TV 2014)/Ghostbusters (2016); Ship: Cassandra Cillian/Jillian Holtzman
Recced by: Shadaras
Backstory: Ghostbusters is well-known in this part of fandom; The Librarians are magical archivists/treasure-hunters/world-savers. The premise here is that ghost science and magic science are pretty similar, so they can easily be in the same world.
Rec: Beautiful characterization, a really delightful ship that I never would’ve considered until I read this story, and two sets of great team dynamics. Also physics. Physics and other technobabble that sounds reasonable in context.
Content warnings: N/A
“MODE: Final Issue!” by Yahtzee. 30K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Ugly Betty; Ship: Betty Suarez/Daniel Meade
Recced by: fictionality
Backstory: Ugly Betty follows Betty Suarez, a plucky Latina writer who ends up working for the fashion magazine MODE as an assistant to the rich playboy editor Daniel Meade. It's an ensemble driven show that chronicles Betty's journey to achieve her dream of having her own magazine. The show was canceled after four seasons and this fic gives every character the ending they deserve.
Rec: This fic is warm, loving, snarky, and distills everything that made the show compulsively watchable into a perfect send off of every character that orbited the drama. It feels like a natural extension of canon, and it's one of the few works I’ve read that features a loving Latino family at the center. This fic gives me the ship I always wanted from the show, and sells me on one that I had never even conceived of.
Content warnings: N/A
“Burning Bright (In The Forests of the Night)”: Hermione Granger by winterofherdiscontent
“Nightfall” by Leletha. 144K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: How To Train Your Dragon; Ship: Gen
Recced by: “forever lurker” (assuming you are a lurker and this isn’t your name!)
Backstory: One boy and his dragon. Or the other way around.
Rec: Am incoherent with love for this story. Complex worldbuilding/exploration; fascinating use of language; lyrical writing; excellent multi-pov; really interesting twist on canon.
Content warnings: Possibly squick for hivemind Toothless & Hiccup (not a true pairing but ymmv)
“The Favor of the King” by thingswithwings. 18K words, rated Explicit
Fandom: MCU; Ship: T’Challa/Sam Wilson
Recced by: Gav
Backstory: Post-Captain America: Civil War, Sam Wilson is in Wakanda.
Rec: A sweeping romance between Sam Wilson and Black Panther, exploring the extreme weirdness of their situation after Civil War: Sam as a war veteran, superhero and international fugitive, opposite T’Challa as a warrior monarch.
Content warnings: N/A
“We Live in an In-Between Universe” by renquise. 5.4K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Mamamoo (K-pop); Ships: Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul
Recced by: blindmouse
Backstory: Mamamoo are a Korean girl group known for power vocals, incredible stage presence and being super flirty with each other.
Rec: A Space AU, in which something goes wrong during a hyperdrive jump. Has just exactly enough plot to serve the emotional arc, which is believable and lovely.
Content warnings: N/A
“Keeper of the Seeds” from Mad Max: Fury Road by astrejlau
“This Is War” by squeakymonster. 11K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Firefly; Ship: Kaylee Frye/Inara Serra
Recced by: Katie
Backstory: Kaylee and Inara are just so sweet together! My favorite thing is ships who are dating but are also best friends, and Kaylee/Inara is perfect for that.
Rec: This story is a college AU that really captures the essence of who all of the Firefly characters would be if their lives weren’t as intense. The author uses Inara as an outsider perspective on the crew’s antics at the beginning but by the end, she’s become one of them. Focused on Kaylee/Inara but the rest of the crew get a good amount of screen time as well.
Content warnings: Disordered eating
“Scooby Road” by Luminosity. 42 minutes long, segmented into “chapters” by song
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Ship: Multi/canon ships
Recced by: Gav
Rec: Scooby Road is a tremendous undertaking, an entire album of fanvids set to “Abbey Road” by the Beatles. Fanlore lists it as the first ever concept vid, capturing the essence and themes of Buffy, and exploring all seven seasons of canon. Highly recommended—you can watch it all in one go, or song-by-song if you don’t have time for the whole 40 minutes in one sitting.
Content warnings: Canon violence
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