The Rec Center #474
Hello all! This week we have articles about Emilia Pérez, Neil Gaiman fandom, and videogame archiving, along with an interview with our very own Elizabeth. Plus some cool Witcher fanart, multifandom hurt/comfort fic recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“Across social platforms, Neil Gaiman’s fans are struggling: ‘People are grieving in a very public way’” by Kayti Burt at Polygon
In the wake of the NYMag piece about Gaiman’s abuse allegations, some very thoughtful reporting about the complicated dynamics within the various fandoms for him and his work.
“Forget ‘Emilia Pérez.’ Its parody, ‘Johanne Sacreblu,’ is the real work of art” by JP Brammer at the LA Times
Musical drama Emilia Pérez is one of this year’s Oscar frontrunners—and also one of the season’s most controversial movies. This amusing yet informative piece explains the backlash, covering a viral parody film that skewers Emilia Pérez’s much-criticized depiction of trans people and Mexican culture.
“Interview with Elizabeth Minkel: Fandom Journalist” at the Mind the Tags Podcast
Elizabeth was a guest on the fanfiction podcast “Mind the Tags” and it was a wonderful conversation! Highly recommended for anyone interested/concerned about the issues from this essay.
fuck section 31, i want a project runway-style reality show set in the high-pressure world of starfleet's uniform design division
— Josh Fruhlinger (@jfruh.bsky.social) January 24, 2025 at 1:18 AM
older stuff
“The Collectors Who Save Video-Game History from Oblivion” by Bijan Stephen at The New Yorker
The long-awaited Video Game History Foundation Library opened to the public this week! Definitely worth checking out if you’re a games person, as is this piece from a few years back, with interviews from some of the people working to preserve this history.
tumblr & beyond
The Witcher fanart by ilmarisart
“off to my job as a speech therapist hope i don’t get musically tortured by two tap dancing homosexuals”
fanmade Gideon the Ninth anime opening!
“Oh what’s that? You only read books with lots of ‘spice’ in them?”
the saga of Sasuke Penis Costume.
Since this newsletter is the project of two cellists, you can imagine that we were chilled to the bone to learn of this uniquely terrible type of fanfic lube.
fanfiction
This week we’ve pulled a fresh batch of our most-submitted tag, “hurt/comfort”. As always with this general realm, heed the content warnings! Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. <3 — Elizabeth
“Cartography by Touch” by Rageprufrock. 13K words (and there’s a Rodney POV sequel), rated Mature.
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis; Ship: John Sheppard/Rodney McKay
Recced by: Mific
Backstory: John is raped by an enemy ruler off-world and the fic’s about him recovering, and having therapy with Heightmeyer. The relationship with Rodney’s damaged by what he goes through, but they finally start to work it out.
Rec: The best depiction of psychotherapy I ever read in fiction. A realistic portrayal of the aftermath of sexual assault for John, and for Rodney, with whom he had a pre-existing relationship. I like that the therapy’s crucial, but that John also heals in other ways, like by hanging out with the marine biologists. Therapy forces him to confront things that happened in his youth, and isn’t a quick fix. Lovely use of metaphor and imagery as well.
Content warnings: Rape is warned for; past underage sex with a teacher surfaces in therapy.
“The Retrieval Job” by bemusedlybespectacled. 20K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Leverage; Ships: Alec Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer, Sophie Devereaux/Nathan Ford, Alec Hardison/Parker
Recced by: robynlynn
Backstory: To save the Team during the Big Bang Job, Elliot offers himself up to his previous employer: Damien Moreau. The Team runs a con to steal him back.
Rec: I love any Leverage story where Elliot is the one that has to be saved and, boy, does this one deliver. Not only does the author create a con with twists and turns worthy of the show, but they also delve into Elliot's guilt and trauma and allow him to lean on his misfit family.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence
“Baba” by Crownofpins. 201K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Castlevania (Cartoon); Ship: Alucard/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades
Recced by: ij
Backstory: This fic takes place post s1 and pre s2 of the Netflix adaptation of Castlevania. While looking for Dracula’s castle, the trio comes across another Balkanian myth.
Rec: I read this fic when I was still in high school and, three years later, it’s still on my mind. The author fleshed both the trio and their relationship out amazingly. The fic’s comprised of a wonderful mix of romance, thriller, fairy-tale elements, and Castlevania’s classic brand of humor and darkness.
Content warnings: Mention of sexual assault, graphic violence, mild alcohol abuse (only one instance, I believe)
“Long December” by Arsenic. 17K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Suits; Ship: Mike/Harvey
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Harvey Ross is a shark-like lawyer, the youngest to make partner at his firm. When forced to hire a new law grad, he hires Mike Ross, a wunderkind with an eidetic memory and no actual college degree. This fic presumes that Mike is outed as a college dropout just after the S1 finale.
Rec: This fic has everything for winter: bad luck, bad weather, a cozy Grandma, and accidental cat acquisition.
Content warnings: N/A
“all the love you leave (carries on)” by everythingeverything (yiqie). 19K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII (tagged as Remake and Rebirth, but really knowledge of the original and a vague understanding of Advent Children should more than suffice); Ship: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Recced by: monsterbookworm
Backstory: Final Fantasy VII has, since its original release in 1997, expanded into a multimedia franchise with a Lot Of Lore. This story draws on a very small slice of it, being set after Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, dealing with Cloud and Tifa grappling with their extensive trauma(s), stemming from events both before and during the events of the original game.
Rec: Even though my only knowledge of Advent Children is a quick skim of the Wikipedia article 5 years ago, I found this fic immensely readable and understandable because of how well the author establishes the world the story takes place in and because what matters most is not the events themselves but the impact on the characters. This is a truly stunning portrayal of grief and trauma, the impact it has on people who have in many ways healed and moved on from the worst of it, and a beautiful depiction of the Cloud/Tifa ship.
Content warnings: Imagery of blood and death, unreality
“Half Lost, Half Found” by takadainmate. 24K words (WIP), rated Teen.
Fandoms: Batman, Nightwing; Ship: Gen - Bruce Wayne & Dick Grayson
Recced by: procrastinatingplatypus
Backstory: Driven underground after a fight in which Dick was gravely injured, Batman searches for a way out while trying to keep Nightwing alive.
Rec: The alternating POV is used here to highlight the ways in which Dick and Bruce talk past and misunderstand each other; how they both love the other but still there are distinct cracks in their relationship.
Content warnings: Violence typical to the fandom and serious injury
“The Great American Novel” series by Arsenic. 201K words over 5 works, rated Mature to Explicit.
Fandoms: Bandom - MCR, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco; Ships: Mikey Way/Frank Iero, Gerard Way/Frank Iero, Bob Bryar/Spencer Smith, Brendan Urie/Ryan Ross, Jon Walker/Pete Wentz, Gerard Way/JC Chasez
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Takes place during the height of the Warped Tour era, this RPF series is a favorite I’ve gone back to again and again. Even though the characters are based on real people, they feel like characters—gorgeous, raw, messy, inhabited characters that are based on canon but yet feel separate and non-invasive (at least to me). It’s a really cool behind the scenes look at what relationships could have been going on while the boys were taking off musically.
Rec: It’s just so intense, and raw, and full of emotion—joy, rage, despair, hurt, healing, passion, love, friendship, brotherhood. It’s probably one of the most cathartic series I’ve ever read, but one of my favorite authors.
Content warnings: Dub-con/non-con moments, infidelity, drug abuse/alcohol abuse, moments of domestic violence (inspired by the latter), and probably some more that I can’t think of at the moment. These all usually scare me away, but no one stays here—there’s so much healing that the characters go through individually and interpersonally that to me, the payoff is worth it.
A car passed me on 96 this morning with some Star Wars “family” decals and the lineup was Vader/Leia as the adult partners and Yoda/an Ewok/ a small stormtrooper as the kids and all I could think was “dude, your fanfiction must be WILD.”
— Katie Cook (@katiecandraw.bsky.social) January 31, 2025 at 11:35 AM
FINAL THOUGHT
It’s that time of year again! The 2025 Fandom Trumps Hate charity fanworks auction is underway, and you’ve got two more days to sign up as a creator (which, as always, means far more than “fic writer” or “fanartist”—you can offer services as a beta or sensitivity reader, make fandom crafts, and a host of other things). See this post full details, including information about how the event works, deadlines, and more! — Elizabeth
FINAL FINAL THOUGHT
This week Overinvested published its Best Movies of 2024 episode! While only loosely fandom-adjacent, I’m sharing it here because our annual list episodes are always popular, and we put a lot of work into selecting a wide array of international recommendations—some of which definitely qualify as hidden gems. — Gav