The Rec Center #492
Hello everyone! This week we’ve got coverage of the cancelled Black Panther game, Roblox gardening, and AI in fanfiction fandom. Plus some gorgeous Deep Space 9 fanart, and our first batch of queer and trans-focused fic for Pride Month! — Elizabeth
new stuff
“‘Black Panther’ and Its Team Deserved Better Than This” by Justin Carter at Gizmodo
EA just cancelled its plans to make a Black Panther game, and in this critic’s words: “It speaks volumes that an attempted game of this caliber starring a character from one of the biggest media franchises around right now can’t get off the ground.”
“‘Grow a Garden’ Is Growing Like a Weed on Roblox. I Tried It.” by Katie Notopoulos at Business Insider
Right now, the hottest game in Roblox is a gardening simulator created by a 16 year old.
“Fan Fiction is About Community. Could AI Ruin That?” by CT Jones at Rolling Stone
“Fanfiction is connection and creativity. AI is just words on a page.”
Dr. Who is a terrifying premise. Don't like the idea of an alien that can go any where any time but still chooses to mostly hang out with the British.
— Haus of Decline (@hausofdecline.bsky.social) June 1, 2025 at 8:56 AM
older stuff
“An Insurance Agent Explains How Insurance Would Work in Superhero Movies” by Brian VanHooker at Mel
“The first time a superhero event caused damage, the insurance company would likely pay out, but after that, you’d start seeing exclusions for superhero events.”
tumblr & beyond
Deep Space 9 fanart by onetobeamupart
“Tumblr attempted to change my ‘The Trouble With Tribbles’ tag to ‘The Troubles’...”
okay op you’re so correct... mr milchik from Severance would indeed be a great DM.
“I hate that the ao3 tag says ‘Elim Garak’. I am not on a first name basis with that man.”
“our spiritually elevated rejection of canon vs their intellectually dishonest refusal to engage with the text”
actually the jury’s still out on whether dr octavius wants to be called that.
fanfiction
Now that June has begun, we’ve got our first batch of queer and trans-centered fic. We got a whole lot of submissions, so there will be at least one more list this month—but we’d take even more, so please keep sending them in! Thanks to all of this week’s reccers. — Elizabeth
“Jester’s Hymn to Gender” by Minutia_R. 94 words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Critical Role; Ship: Gen
Recced by: mlraven
Backstory: Critical Role is a D&D actual-play show, and Jester Lavorre is a cleric of the Traveler, whose symbol is a dick and balls. No additional knowledge of canon required!
Rec: This poem resonates with my experience of transness in the real world, in a wonderful combination with the magical elements of D&D.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Impossible Cost of Happiness” by Syvaysae. 4K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Little Women; Ship: Jo March/Friedrich Bhaer
Recced by: gem
Backstory: This fic uses an aroace lens to explore Jo’s feelings about love, intimacy, and marriage, stemming from her line from the 2019 film: “I’m sick of being told that love is all a woman is fit for. But... I am so lonely.”
Rec: A-spec Jo March has my heart!! I adore the way that Jo comes to her identify despite not having the modern words for it, and that she so fiercely advocates for herself and what a marriage with her would look like.
Content warnings: N/A
“Baby Blues” by Wolfsbanesparks. 105K words, rated Teen.
Fandomw: Shazam! | Captain Marvel (Comics), Harley Quinn (Comics), DCU (Comics); Ships: Billy Batson & Harleen Quinzel, Joker (DCU)/Harleen Quinzel, Pamela Isely/Harleen Quinzel
Recced by: zorilleerrant
Backstory: Harley Quinn and Billy Batson develop a classic queer friendship as she becomes like a mentor to him. They learn to reach out for help the same way they give it.
Rec: This is a great character driven story about navigating the bounds of family, and learning to have confidence in one’s own self-concept, even if one needs to find a new family to do that. It’s so much fun to watch bi Harley and trans Billy make explicit the queer subtext of superhero identities!
Content warnings: Harley is escaping a history of abuse by the Joker, sexual assault, police violence, homelessness, implied child abuse, unplanned pregnancy and difficulty with adoption, canon-typical violence, Captain Nazi (gets his ass kicked)
“Idiot (derek nurse, spoken word, 2016)” by Euphorion. 24K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Check Please!; Ship: Derek Nurse/William Poindexter
Recced by: gem
Backstory: Nursey and Dex are college hockey players with a somewhat prickly friendship. In this fic Dex, a trans man who isn't out to his family, brings Nursey home as his fake “straight” boyfriend for Thanksgiving.
Rec: Nursey and Dex are side characters in canon and this fic truly defined them for me. The characters get such specific and thoughtful backstories, and it’s just plain beautifully written. (Plus the other fics in the series are great!)
Content warnings: Misgendering, some body dysphoria
“stays in vegas” by go_gentle. 30K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: ATEEZ (Band); Ship: Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi
Recced by: honeyedsea
Backstory: Ateez are an eight member k-pop group. This fic takes place during their recent US tour. The two members in the ship have been friends since high school, later joining the same k-pop company and debuting as part of Ateez.
Rec: I think this story is a fairly realistic take on the accidental marriage trope. It examines the unique pressures of being closeted as an idol in the k-pop industry and the way those pressures might affect a group as a whole, especially if multiple members are closeted. I think it’s also an interesting take on a kind of unreliable narrator whose unreliability stems from his own unawareness of his motivations and feelings.
Content warnings: Mild homophobia, potential for being outed
“Choosing” by iliveatlast. 4.5K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Astronomy_Kudos
Backstory: After the Protector of the Small series ended, Tamora Pierce revealed via the FAQs on her website that Kel is both asexual and aromantic, which was very exciting! However, this sort of after-the-fact Word of God reveal isn’t always supported by the text. This piece takes a moment from the third book, Squire, and explores what an asexual Kel may have been thinking and feeling during those moments.
Rec: This feels like slipping inside Kel’s skin and seeing how Kel being aroace can actually work with the text, even though the text itself may not have been originally intended to be read that way. (With fantastic Raoul of Goldenlake and Ilane and Mindelan rep, too!)
Content warnings: N/A
batman kicked my ass for calling his cave a grotto
— ceej (@ceej.online) May 30, 2025 at 9:09 PM
FINAL THOUGHT
That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend! — Gav