The Rec Center #473
Hello! This week we have articles about a vintage Blake’s 7 fandom war, grieving David Lynch, and (from Elizabeth) an exhibit of “imaginary books” in NYC. Also some beautiful Star Wars fanart, a grab-bag of multifandom fic recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom” by Lena Barkin at Fansplaining
For fans of fandom history—or anyone with an interest in fan/creator interaction—Fansplaining’s first piece of 2025 is a deep dive into the “Slash Wars” that tore apart Blake’s 7 fandom in the late 80s/early 90s. Cons, zines, slash, and the limits of an extremely porous fourth wall.
“‘What Do I Do With This Grief?’” by Rachel Handler at Vulture
“Reber has become inextricable from Lynch’s fandom; her home is an emotional nexus and unofficial museum, teeming with talismans and pieces of art that patrons have left for Laura and Reber over the years.” After the death of David Lynch, a lovely interview with the woman who lives in Laura Palmer’s house.
“Inside a Collection of ‘Imaginary’ Books” by Elizabeth at Atlas Obscura
Last weekend, Elizabeth visited the wonderful “Imaginary Books” exhibition at the Grolier Club. These 3D books have all been referenced in other books: the lost, the unfinished, and the fictive (the latter category has many fandom favorites, from Sherlock Holmes to Discworld to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell). The exhibition is free to the public and open until February 15th—highly recommended for anyone in NYC in the next few weeks!
I don’t want to be one of those creators accused of inserting a thinly veiled fetish into their work. I would like to be known for my obvious, observable, unveiled fetishes.
— MC Griffin (@scrapbrainzone.bsky.social) 2025-01-22T09:26:15.749Z
older stuff
“The Judgment Of Magneto” by Asher Elbein at Defector
If you missed this piece when it was published last spring, we highly recommend giving it a read. A sharp and complex analysis of the history of Magneto over the past sixty years, and his ties to/reflections of the legacy of the Holocaust, Israel, and the Jewish diaspora.
tumblr & beyond
Star Wars: The Clone Wars fanart inspired by the fanfic “The Legend of Liob” by Taki
listen this is the compact you have entered into by using this website my friend.
an absolutely majestic take on Jason Todd.
“Do you think it’s like a rite of passage for every new generation of xmen to momentarily feel like it’s kind of fucked up to be trying to kick the shit out of a senior citizen”
ah yes, the field biologist approach to RPF.
“severance is so scary i hope jobs arent real”
fanfiction
Another grab-bag this week! Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“The Interrogation” by Magdaliny. 50K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Captain America, MCU; Ship: James “Bucky” Barnes/Steve Rogers
Recced by: 2012bookworm
Backstory: On the run after Hydra, one of Bucky’s notebooks turns into a letter for Steve.
Rec: Everything about this story is achingly beautiful—the prose, the characterizations, the journey towards healing. It’s funny and sad and hopeful and took my breath away.
Content warnings: Some mention of Winter Soldier trauma
“Transcendence” by WordsInTimeAndSpace. 2.4K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Holmwood Foundation (Podcast); Ship: Madeline Townsend & Jonathan Harker
Recced by: anon
Backstory: The Holmwood Foundation is a horror podcast that’s basically a modern day sequel to Dracula.
Rec: First of all, it’s fucking impressive to write a fic for a podcast that only has one episode out so far, so extra kudos to WordsInTimeAndSpace! And second of all, this fic is so, so sweet. Madeline Townsend, one of the main characters of The Holmwood Foundation, is a trans woman, and in this story, she is helping Jonathan Harker realize that he might be trans, too.
Content warnings: N/A
“Go Forward Slowly” by burnt_oranges. 31K words, Not Rated (est. Teen or Mature).
Fandom: 琅琊榜 | Nirvana in Fire (TV); Ship: Lin Shu | Mei Changsu | Su Zhe/Xiao Jingyan
Recced by: AirgiodSLV
Backstory: One of the strongest relationships in Nirvana in Fire is that of Xiao Jingyan, whose position is steadily rising in the capital, and Mei Changsu, the advisor who aims to put him on the throne. Jingyan has spent more than a decade mourning his childhood best friend Lin Shu, and continues to feel that loss through the series, not knowing that his friend has reappeared in disguise at his side.
Rec: This is a character study in grief that picks up post-canon, after Mei Changsu rides off into battle. Jingyan learns early on that Mei Changsu has faked his death a second time, and has to come to terms with that loss while making his way forward as emperor.
Content warnings: Gore, slow death of a wildlife animal, mention of endangerment of a dog, heavy angst, heavy grief, implied panic attack, some suicidal ideation/implicit suicidal behavior, mentions of eating difficulties, chronic illness, poison, violence, assassination attempt
“The Cost of the Crown” by Bookkbaby. 56K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ships: Dean/Castiel, Charlie/Gilda
Recced by: Susan
Backstory: Arranged marriage between kingdoms, but they don’t know each other and don’t want it—so they each run away from home, unknowingly meet each other, fall in love and learn more about the broader world in the process.
Rec: Although the main pairing (Dean/Castiel) isn’t exactly anything groundbreaking, I love the background world building brought in by Charlie/Gilda—how nontraditional pairings might work (alpha/alpha or omega/omega for example), and also a trans characters in an omegaverse world (how handle scents/mating/etc)!
Content warnings: General sexism
“The Gunslinger” by deadcowboy. 134K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types; Ships: Commander Cody/Darth Maul, Commander Cody & Captain Rex
Recced by: Bats
Backstory: This story is a canon divergence, Maul crashes on an isolated planet instead of going to Naboo. Cody and Rex are “twins” who grew up there, and have no knowledge of the GFFA. Can be read without knowing canon.
Rec: A gripping take on the space western genre. Most of the story is told in Cody’s cowboy lingo, and the worldbuilding feels very thought through, with a caste system seen through the eyes of a rejected foreigner (Maul) and a member of a segregated community (Cody).
Content warnings: Graphic depiction of violence, segregation, xenophobia and racism, animal harm
And a vid!
“samson” by the_magpie. 3:11, Not Rated.
Fandom: Black Sails; Ship: James/Thomas/Miranda
Recced by: Jenny Hamilton
Backstory: Ten years on, Black Sails remains the queer postcolonial pirate show of my heart, and the relationship among Flint, Thomas, and Miranda is one that I never ever stop thinking about.
Rec: This vid captures the mess and complexity of how these three characters relate to each other, in present-day and in memory, over the course of the series. Made me want to hurt my own feelings by rewatching the whole show.
Content warnings: N/A
everytime i see one of my favorite AO3 tags i hear the Family Feud bell sound effect go off in my head
— ColeyDoesThings (@theroleycoley.bsky.social) 2025-01-23T06:36:53.057Z
FINAL THOUGHT
As January comes to a close, we’re putting out another call for Femslash February! We have two great guest lists in the queue, but we could definitely use more one-off submissions to make a few multifandom lists. Please use our form to send in your favorites, and make sure to tag your submission “F/F” or “Femslash February” in the themes/tropes field. — Elizabeth