The Rec Center #488
Hello all! This week we have the latest updates on the Worldcon ChatGPT situation, anti-Blackness in Kpop, and Andor’s story inspiration. Plus some gorgeous Sinners fanart and a multifandom rec list of character study fic! — Elizabeth
new stuff
“Seattle Worldcon’s Chair Clarifies Use of ChatGPT and Offers Another Apology” by Cheryl Eddy at Gizmodo
The Worldcon AI debacle continued this week: the Hugo administrators resigned, and the con’s chair released a detailed statement about how exactly ChatGPT was used in the vetting process, which you can read via this piece. It’s…not…great……
“I Was a Black K-pop Fan For 2 Decades—After Endless Cultural Appropriation & Racial Slurs, I’m Letting Go” by Tabby Kibugi at Teen Vogue
“Loving K-pop has meant balancing joy and erosion—the thrill of the music against the heartbreak of watching the industry exploit Blackness while fans like me carry the weight. After nearly two decades, the joy the music brings me isn’t enough to keep me in the fandom anymore.”
“The Roots of ‘Andor’ Lore Run Deep” by Ben Lindbergh at The Ringer
An interesting piece that delves into some of the inspiration within the franchise—especially a Star Wars RPG from more than three decades ago—and the real-world history that inspired those earlier creators.
Andor is a story about how a thousand nameless and unremembered people will have to sacrifice everything so a gay kid who left his home in Space Idaho four days ago can close his eyes and Fuck It We Ball the most important shot in galactic history on the advice of a ghost
— michael busuttil (@mbusuttil.bsky.social) 2025-05-08T14:23:15.054Z
older stuff
“Before ‘Fans,’ There Were ‘Kranks,’ ‘Longhairs,’ and ‘Lions’” by Elizabeth at Atlas Obscura
“How can we use instances of enthusiastic behavior in the past? … How do we point to all of those and say, ‘This is connected to what we consider fandom today?’” On the work of searching for fannish behavior—and especially fandoms, aka groups of fans—before the word “fan” entered the lexicon.
tumblr & beyond
Sinners fanart by ijlii
An unexpected type of shipping discourse.
“Learning a new language by watching period dramas”
“some of you need to realize that your faves would be having unsafe bdsm sex”
damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
ok that undeniably is what that little fella from The Pitt looks like.
fanfiction
We’ve got character studies this week! Thanks so much to everyone who answered our call for recs. (And if we didn’t include yours in this batch, it’ll be in a future issue!) — Elizabeth
“Endlings” by criminalapple. 10K words, Not Rated.
Fandom: Succession; Ship: Gen
Recced by: anon
Backstory: One-shot describing how each Roy family member is going to die across the next four decades.
Rec: Devastatingly funny, melancholic, and often meta. It really nails the tone for each one of the characters, from Kerry’s fetus (!) to the last Roy sibling left alive. Connor’s segment had me BAWLING.
Content warnings: Death, assassination, miscarriage, accidental death of a child, and Succession-style incest jokes
“a second skeleton” by mysteriesofloves. 8.7K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Gossip Girl; Ships: Blair Waldorf/Dan Humphrey, Blair Waldorf/Serena van der Woodsen
Recced by: Sofia
Backstory: Gossip Girl is a show about rich teens having intense interpersonal dramas. Blair is the main mean girl/de facto protagonist/fandom fave, and this fic reimagines season 1 from the point of view of her future romance with Dan and her past relationship with Serena.
Rec: The tag “alternatively titled: Welcome to Blair Waldorf’s Twisted Mind” really sells it for me. It’s a gorgeously written, unflinching look at what goes on inside Blair’s thoughts throughout the highs and lows of the first season.
Content warnings: Eating disorders, drug use, internalized misogyny (all canon typical)
“Last Train Home” by valleykey. 27K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: 文豪ストレイドッグス| Bungou Stray Dogs; Ship: Gen
Recced by: whywasmaddie
Backstory: After the Decay’s aftermath, Chuuya helps Sigma pick up their pieces. // A character study of Bungou Stray Dog’s Sigma, non-chronological and a fix-it of sorts.
Rec: I love the way this explores Sigma having been created from the book and expands on their story in a really faithful way. Nikolai’s characterisation in this also feels so perfect and so loyal to canon that I’ll always think of this fic when I see him, and how the author depicts Sigma’s relationship to the casino and Fyodor is incredible.
Content warnings: References to suicide, alcohol, very brief references to rape
“in cayenne and honey, in vinegar and lime” by alby_mangroves, Nonymos. 27K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Avengers; Ships: M’Baku/Bucky, Steve/Bucky, M’Baku/Okoye
Recced by: Nicole
Backstory: After the events of Black Panther, Jabari lord M’Baku is in a reluctant alliance with T’Challa, but that peace is threatened when he stumbles upon the white man T’Challa and Shuri are hiding in Wakanda.
Rec: This beautifully written story is an amazing character study of M’Baku, and made me love him more. It’s slightly bittersweet, but is a story about two hurt people finding comfort and strength from each other.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, bittersweet ending
“Heart, Temper, Touch” by snowdarkred. 5.1K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The West Wing; Ship: Multiple, but not the focus of the fic
Recced by: mischief
Backstory: The West Wing follows a fictional American presidential administration in the late 90s and early 2000s. This fic reimagines one of the main characters, Sam Seaborn, as a lesbian.
Rec: I love a genderbend that follows through on the ways being a different gender would change a character while also making them feel just like they do in canon. Frankly, I like this version of Sam better.
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence
“listen, there’s a hell of a universe next door” by storm_petrel. 13K words, rated Mature.
Fandoms: Star Wars, The Mandalorian; Ship: Luke Skywalker/Din Djarin (with a big focus on Luke)
Recced by: burntheedges
Backstory: The premise is that Luke happens to also be on the prison ship Grogu is on when the Mandalorian comes to rescue him... and we go from there. With so, so much thoughtfulness and insight into Luke himself. Or as the author says, “Or: Luke Skywalker solves a number of life-or-death problems, makes some new friends, falls abruptly in love, and gets shot into space, all in the same day.”
Rec: I think of character studies as stories that teach me something new about a character or help me understand them in a new way. This fic is now the cornerstone of my understanding of Luke Skywalker.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, Luke gets spaced, prosthetic limb damage
do you think Superman ever like. pulls up to a drive-through, has to lean over into the passenger seat to root around for something, and then the cashier hangs up the phone and he and his superhearing instantly hear "why is this guy like if Mr. Rogers had a fat ass"
— @souridealist.bsky.social 2025-05-07T20:03:49.544Z
FINAL THOUGHT
Before we wrap up, we’d like to signal-boost this post from beloved sci-fi/fantasy author Diane Duane, best known for writing the Young Wizards series and many iconic Star Trek novels. Her husband Peter Morwood died unexpectedly this week, and she is fundraising for funeral expenses during a period of financial hardship. Please donate or spread the word if you can! — Gavia