The Rec Center #455
Hello all! This week we have articles on the Harry Potter baking show (🫠), stan migration to Bluesky, and Murderbot author Martha Wells. Plus Fionna and Cake fanart and a multifandom list of extra-long fic for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. — Elizabeth
new stuff
“We Don’t Have to Do a Harry Potter Baking Show” by Jaya Saxena at Eater
Food writer Jaya Saxena criticizes Warner Bros.’ latest cynical appeal to Harry Potter nostalgia, a Food Network show that—like every other Potter-branded product—puts more money into the pockets of notorious transphobe JK Rowling.
“Can stan Twitter be recreated on Bluesky? Swifties think so.” by Elena Cavender at Mashable
It remains to be seen whether Bluesky, with its minimal algorithmic amplification compared to most of the big social platforms, will be able to sustain Twitter-style stan culture. (Possibly…a good thing if it cannot?) This piece features Taylor Swift fans who’ve migrated to Bluesky recently about what they’re hoping to do differently on the platform.
“Murderbot, She Wrote” by Meghan Herbst at WIRED
We KNOW there are a lot of Murderbot fans amongst our readership, so we wanted to include this fantastic profile of author Martha Wells for anyone who hasn’t encountered it yet.
@skullmandible.bsky.social on Bluesky
JIGSAW: all your life you've really drowned people to death in urine by being late all the time VICTIM: boy I don't like where this is going
older stuff
“The Traumatized Gatekeepers of Broadway” by Laura Wheatman Hill at Fansplaining
“Why are theatre fans like this? As the industry struggles to survive amidst economic changes over the last few years, a huge online fandom not limited by physical proximity should be a boon. But are theatre fans actually destroying the thing they love from the inside?”
tumblr & beyond
Fionna and Cake fanart by gtoeve
huge respect to the 19th century Polish historical fiction fans who attended requiem masses for their fav character.
“I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. However.”
apparently tumblr is sexualizing tetris this month?
honestly a proud legacy for iconic literary masterwork Les Miserables.
if you haven’t already read this modern-day pitch for a House MD ep about an Onlyfans creator, now’s your chance.
“you think this is bucky barnes coded? bucky barnes from the american imperialism movies?”
fanfiction
The long Thanksgiving weekend is famously a time of high traffic on the AO3—and as we’ve done in years past, we’ve got a long list of long fic for the occasion. From million-word series to lengthy standalones, everything here is at least 100K words (most way more). Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth
“Easier Done Than Said” by COMPACFLT. 333K words over 3 works, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Top Gun Movies; Ship: Tom “Iceman” Kazansky/Pete “Maverick” Mitchell
Recced by: Izzy
Backstory: Maverick and Iceman, trying to maintain a relationship while becoming big names in the Navy and having big emotions. This series covers the time between Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, plus all of Top Gun: Maverick and afterwards, but, as the tags say, it’s “canon adjacent until top gun maverick 0:54:20.”
Rec: Maybe the most incredible thing I’ve ever read? Mav and Ice’s forty year relationship is dissected in intimate detail. It’s agonizing and beautiful.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, homophobia
“Mortified” by Marsalias. 703K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Danny Phantom; Ship: Gen
Recced by: thebookwyrm
Backstory: Danny had actually been looking forward to Casper High’s ghost safety assembly, but, between a ghost attack and his parents’ newest weapon, things go wrong very quickly. Now Danny will have to fight not only ghosts and hunters but his own instincts to get everyone back home safely. If at all.
Rec: This is THE best example of the ‘Danny’s class gets stuck in the Ghost Zone’ that there is. The world building in this is fucking fantastic, and the characters are so well-fleshed out it’s amazing!
Content warnings: Graphic descriptions of violence
“if living can be this” by leosbunny, Lise. 198K words over 16 works, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Untamed; Ship: Song Lan/Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen
Recced by: starknjarvis
Backstory: In canon, criminal Xue Yang is saved from near-death by his long-time cat-and-mouse hero Xiao Xingchen—who, now blind due to Xue Yang, doesn’t know Xue Yang’s identity. Xue Yang unexpectedly finds happiness living with Xingchen, until Xingchen’s old partner Song Lan shows up and all the revealed secrets lead to a tragic ending. This fic asks: What if Song Lan helped Xue Yang keep his identity a secret?
Rec: This series rewrites one of the most tragic subplots of The Untamed into a sprawling, emotional epic about forgiveness and redemption and healing. Xue Yang and Song Lan have to work through so many assumptions and baggage to start to really see each other.
Content warnings: N/A
“Canucks” by GreaterGoodIreland. 353K words (WIP), rated Mature.
Fandom: A Song of Ice and Fire; Ship: Gen, with slight Ygritte/OC
Recced by: anon
Backstory: A small group of Canadian soldiers are transported to Westeros beyond the Wall, without knowledge of the books/series. Sounds like a crack fic but it is played completely straight, with them trying to get home by searching out any magic that can help.
Rec: Very well written, with lots of politicking and juggling modern values against their new reality. These four OCs are believable and engaging, and it’s so much fun seeing everyone being in awe of them because of their modern weapons. 😄 Still in progress but regularly updates.
Content warnings: No more than for the rest of ASoIaF/Game of Thrones, so mentions or features rape, dead, violence, undead zombies, incest, swearing and more
“Sorcerer’s Bane” by BeautifulFiction. 265K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Merlin (TV); Ship: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon
Recced by: vel0cipede
Backstory: Merlin is a TV show that’s inspired by Arthurian legends. It’s set in a Camelot where magic is a crime punishable by death and Merlin must try to fulfill his destiny by protecting Arthur and co. from their misadventures while keeping his magic a secret.
Rec: The way that BeautifulFiction writes magic and how it affects Merlin’s relationships is what inspired me to finally watch the show. The world-building, slow-burn romance, and the fact that this fic is sort of a fix-it for the miscommunication inspired plot contrivances of the source material make it a must read.
Content warnings: Abduction, branding, character death, mentions of slavery
“Tales From the Tower” series by NyxEtoile, OlivesAwl. 932K words over 23 works, rated Gen to Explicit.
Fandom: Avengers; Ship: Each story has a pairing, most with a familiar face/OC
Recced by: kari2171
Backstory: Avengers finding lives (and loves) around superheroing.
Rec: I’m normally not a fan of OCs but these are so well done. I am a big fan of seeing the movies through a different lens.
Content warnings: N/A
“ANBU Legacy” (also on AO3) by Nezu, Ki, Saunter; previously GM and Zuul. 1.3 million words as a series, individual shorter (100K) arcs mostly complete and current arc ongoing, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Naruto; Ships: Largely gen for the first 500K; Namiashi Raidou/Shiranui Genma/Yuuhi Kurenai; Hatake Kakashi/OMC; brief Namiashi Raidou/OMC
Recced by: mojen
Backstory: ANBU Legacy follows an alternate timeline, taking place in a Konoha where the fourth Hokage defeated the Kyuubi—and lived. Follows Kakashi on his foray into ANBU, along with the people he meets there.
Rec: Incredibly good worldbuilding; excellent character work. Digs into the mentality of signing up for black ops; expands the magic (sorry jutsu) systems from canon. Also a five year old Naruto who is the sweetest, best written child character I’ve ever encountered in fandom.
Content warnings: Incredibly violent
“Buffy Season Noir” by Anna S (eliade). 321K words (permanent WIP but marked complete), rated Explicit.
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Ships: Spike/Buffy, Willow/Tara, Spike & Xander, plus full ensemble cast
Recced by: avidrosette
Backstory: A virtual season of Buffy, branching off from canon after s06e11 Gone, with each chapter an episode. From the author’s summary: the veils between dimensions collapse, and a season-long darkness falls over the earth, making Sunnyhell a place of noir chaos, with a Casablanca feel to everything, perpetually dark and misty, a Naziesque regime, a human collaborative government a la Vichy France, and a human Underground, with some demon friendlies aiding their cause. Spike, of course, is a dark and gallant spy, working for the Underground while putting on a demonic facade for the Nazi bastards.
Rec: This fic is actually as fabulous as the summary makes it sound. The author has an uncanny ability to capture the voices and characterization of the canon characters, and an equal talent for building tense, atmospheric plot. She might not have been able to complete an entire season, but 17 episodes of this fandom classic await your delectation.
Content warnings: N/A
@ceej.online on Bluesky
INTERVIEWER: What is most important to you when considering a new position? ME: (recently transformed back into a human after ten years of living as a sentient toilet in a French castle because my boss finally found true love) Work-life balance
FINAL THOUGHT
That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend! — Gav