The Rec Center #462
Well. (The emoji I’ve been hauling out most often these past few days is 😑, which just about sums it up imo.)
We’d already planned to do a fanworks-only newsletter this week regardless of the election outcome, so we’ve got an extra-long list of fic recs, plus some fanart. As always, thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
fanfiction + fanart
Baldur’s Gate 3 fanart fanart by madbalalaika
“death trembles to take us” by theputterer. 89K words, rated Mature.
Fandoms: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Old Guard; Ships: Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso, Chirrut Îmwe/Baze Malbus
Recced by: stars-inthe-sky
Backstory: This story imagines the Rogue One crew as the Old Guard—a small, diverse group of extremely long-lived immortals contending with both a newcomer to their family and the threat of discovery.
Rec: This story is a fantastically crafted fusion that understands what makes both individual movies and their casts of characters so compelling—and it’s willing to detour from both canons to tell the right tale here. It’s also deeply researched in the best way; I think I learn something new every time I reread it.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, offscreen psychological trauma
“she’s a hot knife” by timkon. 4.4K words, rated Teen.
Fandoms: Clueless, Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Ship: Cher Horowitz/Josh Lucas
Recced by: thelittlestbird
Backstory: A young blonde woman living in southern California in the mid-90s with killer fashion sense who’s constantly being underestimated—no, not that one. The other one. (In which Cher gets called as the next Slayer, and Tai learns magic, and they both have to come to the rescue when Josh gets captured by vampires.)
Rec: It’s full of snappy dialogue in the best spirit of both of the original canons! And I love how it shows Cher’s particular style of competence, and takes her seriously as someone who can get things done. Best of all is the genuinely sweet conversation between Cher and Josh when they finally talk about everything that she’s been hiding from him.
Content warnings: Kidnapping and tying up, and threats of violence, but no actual fighting or blood onscreen
“Wild and Wired” by lettered. 19K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Schitt’s Creek; Ship: David Rose/Patrick Brewer
Recced by: merthegurl
Backstory: David Rose is a formerly rich city boy forced to move to middle-of-nowhere Schitt’s Creek and rebuild his life. In aid of that, he plans to open a (not-so) general store and this is how he meets the love of his life, Patrick Brewer. Wild and Wired is a canon-retelling of David’s growing fascination with Patrick leading up to their first kiss.
Rec: Funny and sweet, Wild and Wired is one of those stories you read with a big goofy smile on your face. David’s voice is dead on, alternating between arch, bruised, and suspicious. His vulnerability in the face of straightforward courtship with actual nice guy Patrick generates perfect romantic comedy tension. Wild and Wired is the first story in a five-fic series, but hits the spot as a one-shot.
Content warnings: Canon-typical references to past underaged sex
“Ticket to Murder” by hyunglinetrash. 36K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS; Ship: Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Yoongi is secretly a successful author floundering to find happiness. His best friend sets him up at a gay mixer/murder mystery party. What starts as a cheesy (and kind of cringy) ordeal takes an unexpected turn for the worse, or better. This is fully AU so readers don’t need to be familiar with BTS to enjoy.
Rec: The creepy silly romcom vibes of this are spectacular. Friends try to help one another in the worst ways and cause mayhem, leading to emotional turmoil, secrets unveiled, and healing, all while Yoongi finds new love for himself, his family, and the newly acquainted Jung Hoseok.
Content warnings: Murder mystery-related fear
“Voice and Heart” by EternalLibrary and lc2l. 3.2K words/24 minutes, rated Gen.
Fandom: The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells; Ship: Gen
Recced by: AirgiodSLV
Backstory: The Murderbot Diaries exist in a universe where artificial intelligences are frequently exploited by corporations and overlooked by the human population. One of the major themes of the series is just how ‘human’ those artificial intelligences are and who they can be when given freedom.
Rec: This was created for Pod-Together, an annual festival where writers and podficcers work together to create a fanwork that’s specifically intended to be experienced through audio. The format is fantastic for a radio drama/podcast-length story, and the subtle horror of what’s happening on and to the space station is beautifully delivered by both the writing and narration.
Content warnings: N/A
“Mustardseed” by merelydovely. 14K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Les Miserables; Ship: Enjolras/Grantaire
Recced by: Gin / myrmidryad
Backstory: Modern AU where Enjolras and Grantaire bump into each other at San Francisco Pride and have a fun time and also hook up.
Rec: It’s so joyous, and very sweet, and very hot.
Content warnings: A little internalised biphobia, some people being small-minded at a queer event
Interview with the Vampire fanart by beelze0-0
“At Least There’s the Football” series by sheffiesharpe. 193K words over 15 works, rated Gen through Explicit.
Fandom: Sherlock (TV); Ship: Mycroft Holmes/Inspector Lestrade
Recced by: Esther M
Backstory: Lestrade does, in fact, have a life outside of Sherlock Holmes. Mycroft wants to be a part of that life.
Rec: This series has a...loose relationship with canon, but that lets Mycroft, Lestrade, and Anthea be compelling characters independent of Sherlock, and it’s a really lovely slowly unfolding romance besides. It’s also the rare fic with OCs that feel like they really add something to the story.
Content warnings: Graphic violence in two (flashback) stories, “gratuitous harry potter references” (I really wish I was including that as a joke but it’s a major plot element and the only thing I like less now than when I first read these in 2012)
“a deep but dazzling darkness” by lizrael. 5.9K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Vast of Night; Ship: Fay Crocker/Everett Sloan
Recced by: buginateacup
Backstory: The Vast of Night is a fantastic suspenseful sci-fi movie that is so perfectly contained that the number of fanworks are microscopic. Fay and Everett are returned home and try to pick up the pieces after the lights in the sky.
Rec: This fic is the perfect continuation of what happens in canon with a beautiful understanding of dealing with the fallout of an impossible experience. The relationship between Fay and Everett is wonderfully realised and feels very true to their characters and story.
Content warnings: Mentions of trauma
“Samsara / 輪迴” by Potatoesgonnapotate. 5.2K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù陈情令 | The Untamed (TV); Ship: Xue Yang/Xiao Xingchen
Recced by: Dori
Backstory: Xue Yang, professional murderer and necromancer, is reborn at the start and has the opportunity to make things right with the one man he ever apparently treated like a human being worthy of respect: the saintly Daoist Xiao Xingchen. If Xue Yang plays his cards right, he can avoid ruining Xiao Xingchen’s life, and maybe even get a romantic happy ending!
Rec: I feel like the author understands Xue Yang on a spiritual level and that level is in a circle of Hell. Some authors try to fix Xue Yang as a person and make him capable of growth and kindness. This author gives him a lighter and a can of motor oil then passes around popcorn and melon seeds.
Content warnings: Rape, murder, corpse desecration
“After the Storm” by somehowunbroken and ariadne83. 48K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: DCU (comics); Ship: Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Recced by: mlraven
Backstory: Pre-Red Hood’s debut, Jason discovers Talia’s pregnant and drops everything. He’s perfectly content raising Damian as a single dad in a small town until Tim Drake-Wayne shows up and things get complicated.
Rec: Healthy communication between partners, sweet father/son interactions, and Damian’s love of animals! I especially appreciate Damian’s incredibly realistic language development.
Content warnings: N/A
“let the rock roll” by chuffystilton. 68K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Interview with the Vampire; Ship: Daniel Malloy/Armand
Recced by: Sylvie
Backstory: This is a post-season 2 AU where the vampire Armand (a 500 year old immortal being) gets turned back into a human and decides to keep living in secret as a normal millennial guy. Daniel, the human journalist who was turned into a vampire by Armand, finds him and tries to figure out why.
Rec: For all the IWTV fans, this fic is like if you put the canon Devils Minion short story into a blender and made a deranged smoothie. For everyone else it’s a heart-wrenching romance with top-notch gothy vampiric sex scenes, but still manages to be hysterically funny.
Content warnings: Dub con, blood and gore, drug use
“Turn Your Back on Mother Nature” by ftmsteverogers. 54K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Captain America; Ship: Steve/Bucky
Recced by: Izzy
Backstory: Mostly canon-compliant, the main difference being that Bucky is a trans man. ftmsteverogers expertly follows Bucky from 1930s Brooklyn to war and Hydra and home again in a story split into two parts: the first starting in 1943 and the second picking up in 2016. The scenes with Peggy and the Howling Commandos are fantastic!
Rec: For me, catharsis is best served with a couple tears and this fic does not disappoint! I love a Bucky-centric story, and the second half does an amazing job of showing him figuring out where he fits in the twenty-first century. It gets intense at times, but the pay off is so worth it.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence and torture, transphobia; mention of misgendering and deadnaming, non-consensual medical procedures, outing. Detailed content warnings are also listed at the bottom of each chapter.
FINAL THOUGHT
We’ll be back next week with our regular format. In the meantime, please do your best to stay hydrated and get some sleep! — Gav