The Rec Center #495
Hello all! This week we have articles about Starsky & Hutch fandom, AI fanfic conflicts, and zombie genitalia in 28 Years Later. Also some evocative Discworld fanart, our final list of Pride Month fic recs, and more! — Gav
new stuff
“How Friendships Onscreen and Off Fueled Half a Century of Fandom” by Jay Castello at Fansplaining
Fansplaining’s June piece is about the admins of the Starsky & Hutch Fiction Archive, and their decades-long dedication to preserving fanworks—and fandom community.
“Fanfiction writers battle AI, one scrape at a time” by Decca Muldowney at The Verge
“It’s theft at its core. There’s no ethical use of something that’s built on stolen labor.’” On the recent fic scraping, including on-the-record comments from the very unrepentant person who uploaded most of the AO3 to Hugging Face a few months ago.
“We Need to Talk About the Massively Hung Zombie in 28 Years Later” by Louis Peitzman at Vulture
“The penis is a signal that, zombies aside, 28 Days Later is in large part about regression to a more primitive state.”
Notice how Super Mario and all his supposed “enemies” are happy to get together and go go-kart racing? Wake up. It’s all kayfabe
— pixelatedboat aka “mr bluesky” (@pixelatedboat.bsky.social) June 6, 2025 at 12:11 AM
older stuff
“I Was a K-Pop Fan in the ‘90s. Here’s How Online Fandom Has Changed” by Giaae Kwon at Teen Vogue
“I learned how to be both a human and a writer through these spaces on the Internet, throwing my obsessions out into what felt like a void and hoping someone would see something I had written and think, Oh, hey, I like this, too!”
tumblr & beyond
Discworld fanart by hoerrrru
unfortunately there’s no cure.
“i dont want to be the person to tell you this, but not every character is going to be a dom or a sub.”
“reblog if you’re a sick fuck”
new trope just dropped.
fanfiction
We’ve got our second batch of Pride Month fics this week (stories that focus on queer and trans themes, beyond just featuring queer and trans characters). If you missed the first batch at the start of the month, that’s here. Thanks to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth
“장마 (jangma, the rainy season)” by uneasymist. 10K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: ATEEZ (Band); Ship: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung
Recced by: honeyedsea
Backstory: Ateez are a K-pop boy group with eight members. This is an AU though, so you don’t really need to know anything about the group going in. This fic switches around the genders of some members to make them cis girls and one of them a trans boy.
Rec: This story is so atmospheric, you can feel the sticky summer heat coming off of it. I think that hazy feeling is perfect for the fic’s exploration of the confusion and discomfort of being a closeted trans teen trying to figure out how to put words to what you’re feeling.
Content warnings: Unintentional misgendering and deadnaming due to being closeted, allusions to gender dysphoria
“Expectations of a Marriage” by baegin_ae. 2.9K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Emma (Jane Austen); Ship: Emma Woodhouse/George Knightley
Recced by: gem
Backstory: This fic is set just before and after Emma and Knightley are married, and explores Emma’s feelings on sex and what Knightley might expect from their relationship.
Rec: This was one of the first ace character fics I ever read, when I was still accepting my identity, and it really touched me. Emma’s internal monologue, her analytical view of kissing and intimacy, and Knightley’s gentle support are so real and lovely to read.
Content warnings: N/A
“Be As You’ve Always Been” by gyzym. 58K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: Good Omens; Ship: Aziraphale/Crowley
Recced by: not_a_tardis
Backstory: Aziraphale is an angel of the Lord, Crowley is a demon from Hell. However when you’ve been co-workers with someone for upwards of 6 millennia, the difference between the two starts to blur.
Rec: I pretty much always reread this during pride month because of how gently and lovingly the story walks the characters through the revelations that come with questioning what you’ve always been told (and have always believed) about yourself.
Content warnings: N/A
“oh, you kissed me just to kiss me” by natigail. 91K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Stray Kids (Band); Ship: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Strays Kids are an 8-member K-pop band. As this is an AU, you don’t really need to know anything going into this fic.
Rec: I found this story to be an interesting look at someone figuring out their asexuality. I think it does a good job at portraying the confusion that comes with that and the complicated journey that it can take.
Content warnings: Internalised acephobia, some mentions of sexual assault but no actual assaults take place on or off screen
“the results were...inclusive” by BubblesKat, podded by ShakespeareStoleMyURL. 3.8K words or 29 minutes, rated Gen.
Fandoms: Ancient Greek Mythology, EPIC: the musical; Ship: Penelope/Odysseus
Recced by: korechthonia
Backstory: It takes 10 years after the Battle of Troy and many adventures and trials (including being Nobody to fight a Cyclops) and Athena’s support for Odysseus to make it home to Ithaca and his love. This is the end of that journey.
Rec: Odysseus is so, so in love that he’s stupid with it and misses the fact that his love is now Elopen, but once he figures it out he is just as head over heels. Athena and Odysseus wordplay and dudebro suitors make it funny, and the podfic amps up the emotions and the crack-y elements.
Content warnings: N/A
“Break Through Everything” by aceaceaceace. 12K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: SHINee; Ship: Choi Minho/Kim Kibum
Recced by: anon
Backstory: This fic is set in the real world and takes on the question of imagining what would happen if dozens of senior K-pop idols decided to come out at once.
Rec: Characterization is always on point with this author, and they deal with the complexities of fame and queerness in a sensitive, thoughtful way that rings true to heart. Okay, I cried.
Content warnings: Realistic (but relatively gentle) portrayal of homophobia
“A Fair Return” by thingswithwings. 237K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Schitt’s Creek; Ship: Patrick Brewer/David Rose
Recced by: Phoebe
Backstory: Schitt’s Creek is fairly tightly focused on the down-on-their-luck Rose family, so there’s plenty of other characters to flesh out and town goings-on to explore in a mostly canon-compliant epic about Patrick Brewer coming to terms with his sexuality, finding a community, and finding love.
Rec: If you want really excellent fics exploring queer themes, thingswithwings is a good place to start. In this one, Patrick’s romance with David is still delightful, but what really shines is his developing friendships with the other queer characters of Schitt’s Creek.
Content warnings: N/A
Rewatched terminator 2 last night. Fun movie about AI leading to nuclear war and how the easiest way to kill someone is to dress up like a cop. Can't say its themes resonate today.
— Chris Person (@papapishu.bsky.social) June 22, 2025 at 5:54 PM
FINAL THOUGHT
That’s all, folks! And if you’re partying and/or protesting this weekend, stay safe! — Elizabeth