The Rec Center #483
Hi all! This week we have articles about the Rachel Zegler/Snow White controversy, AI-generated movie trailers, and a Jonas Brothers fan event. Also: a grab-bag of multifandom fic recs, some cool fanart for the videogame Dredge, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“Snow White’s Failure Has Turned Rachel Zegler Into a Scapegoat—and an Icon” by Chris Murphy at Vanity Fair
A good overview of the recent drama around actor Rachel Zegler, who’s been fielding vitriol from reactionary right-wing types and getting thrown under the bus by Disney/Snow White’s producers for her steadfast support of Palestine.
“Teenage Dream at the American Dream” by Nadira Goffe at Slate
A longtime Jonas Brothers fan reports from JonasCon: “But what actually happened on that Sunday in March, at the behemoth that is the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, wasn’t the reincarnation of Fyre Fest that everyone was expecting. It was something else entirely.”
“Inside YouTube’s Weird World Of Fake Movie Trailers—And How Studios Are Secretly Cashing In On The AI-Fueled Videos” by Jake Kanter at Deadline
At this point you’ve probably come across one or two terrible AI-generated movie trailers on YouTube. They’re purposefully misleading, but as this article reveals, some Hollywood studios are earning ad revenue from them, adding a bizarre new dimension to the phenomenon of fanmade “concept trailers.”
i should be in charge of the marvel movies. i will cast mark rylance, jared harris, mark strong, paul dano, and paul giamatti as the avengers. their headquarters are the municipal planning office of a midsize american city. the supervillain they defeat will be various challenges to zoning reform
— lauren (@lauren.rotatingsandwiches.com) 2025-04-04T00:43:06.124Z
older stuff
“The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom” by Lena Barkin at Fansplaining
“Blake’s 7 fans and actors mixed regularly at cons and on the pages of zines—until an anonymous letter changed everything.”
tumblr & beyond
Dredge fanart by izartela
we will die on the hill of sherlock holmes being a surprisingly good boyfriend
“free my girl she did the same things as the celebrated male protagonists but the fandom has labeled her irredeemable”
please remember that you are King Big Dick of Fanfic Mountain.
a succinct summary of what’s up with each of the three Star Wars trilogies.
James T. Kirk: Philosopher.
fanfiction
We’ve got another grab-bag this week! Thanks to everyone who sent in a rec!
Also: we got a few submissions for our spring call (fics set in spring, or that evoke springy themes like growth and renewal) but not enough for a full list, so if you’d been meaning to send one in, please do! You can use this form. — Elizabeth
“smoke in every lane” by fireinmywoods. 88K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series; Ship: Jim Kirk/Leonard McCoy
Recced by: Danielle
Backstory: When an away mission goes horrifically wrong, Leonard is left searching for answers though all is not as it seems. What does it mean to live in the moment, how much is yours to keep?
Rec: An absolutely stunning exploration of love and grief, of memory, of what it means to hold on and to let go. It asks you what it means to have faith when the universe says there is none. And a happy ending to soothe the ache of the journey.
Content warnings: Major character death
“Lean In” by comradeocean. 3.6K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Social Network; Ship: Genderbent!Mark/Eduardo
Recced by: Phonecallfromgod
Backstory: A genderbent Harvard-era Mark/Eduardo fic, largely focused on the two characters interacting with the Harvard Final Clubs in an au where neither of them are eligible for them.
Rec: A really cool non-linear exploration of what Mark & Eduardo’s relationship, and especially their relationship to Final Clubs, would look like as young women. I really love how this fic manages to tackle a lot of the same themes of masculinity, exclusion, and privilege that the film does, just from a slightly different vantage point.
Content warnings: N/A
“I Wish You Were My Husband” by Feynite. 110K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System; Ship: Luo Binghe/Shen Yuan | Shen Qingqiu
Recced by: midnightbex
Backstory: Scum Villain is a Chinese web novel about a man, Shen Yuan, who dies in our world and wakes up in the body of main villain Shen Qingqiu in a stallion harem web novel he’d been reading. His only goal is to treat the protagonist Luo Binghe well in order to get a better ending, but he ends up becoming the main love interest instead. This is an AU of Scum Villain in which the novel Shen Yuan wakes up in is a harem intrigues romance novel. In this world Shen Qingqiu is the ill fated first husband pushed aside in favor of who he believes is the novel’s protagonist and Luo Binghe is his servant and student.
Rec: This fic is so well written and engaging. It’s got a completely different set up that changes characters and world building in interesting ways, but still stays true to relationships and characters from the original novel. This is the fic I always rec to people getting into the fandom, it’s a can’t miss.
Content warnings: N/A
“Dear John” by wendymarlowe. 23K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Sherlock; Ship: John Watson/ Sherlock Holmes
Recced by: Kari2171
Backstory: Starts after the Fall—with Sherlock dead, John eventually (under duress) makes a profile on an online dating site, and falls into a long-distance relationship with an enigmatic partner who reminds him of Sherlock in all the right ways.
Rec: I love the set up, and the way this author interprets Sherlock.
Content warnings: Canonical pretend major character death
“The Heart of the Mountain” by Sunfreckle. 4.6K words, rated Teen.
Fandoms: Discworld, The Hobbit gen; Ship: Gen
Recced by: myrmidryad
Backstory: What if Granny Weatherwax was there the night Bilbo gave the Arkenstone to Bard and Thranduil, and stepped in to do a little headology on Thorin?
Rec: Pratchett and Tolkien’s respective styles are so specific and so very different, but this little crossover blends them absolutely perfectly, especially in Granny’s voice and no-nonsense approach to the situation.
Content warnings: N/A
And a vid!
“Carry You | Phryne / Jack” by Ellie. 4:15, Not Rated.
Fandom: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries; Ship: Phryne Fisher/Jack Robinson
Recced by: mischiefseven
Backstory: Phryne Fisher is a lady detective in Melbourne, Australia in the 1920’s, Jack Robinson is a police officer with whom she frequently collaborates on cases. They spend most of the series in unresolved romantic tension.
Rec: As much as I adore Jack and Phryne’s fun, flirty moments, this vid captures the heart of their relationship: a profound tenderness and affection that inspires them both to be better.
Content warnings: N/A
Oh god, my less than zero interest in Dune means that I thought when you all said "Butlerian jihad" you were talking about some aspect of Judith Butler's writing that I was unfamiliar with.
— Kristen Hanley Cardozo (@khandozo.bsky.social) 2025-03-30T23:11:19.401Z
FINAL THOUGHT
Have a lovely weekend, everyone! — Elizabeth