The Rec Center #498
Hello everyone! Gav is on a (magical-sounding??) remote island right now and I’m about to head off to California for San Diego Comic-Con, so as we’ve done in the past, we’re just sharing fic and fanart this week. Thanks so much to everyone who sent in these recs! And we’ll be back next week with our usual mix of articles, Tumblr posts, etc. <3 — Elizabeth
fanfiction + fanart
Due South fanart by otpin-arts
“Black Market Baby” by K_dAzrael. 36K words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: Yakuza | Ryuu ga Gotoku; Ship: Kiryu Kazuma/Majima Goro | Goromi
Recced by: lacksley
Backstory: Ex-yakuza Kazuma Kiryu is released from prison, and Goro Majima constantly fights Kiryu in increasingly bizarre ways to get him into fighting shape. One of these fights begins with Majima dressing as “Goromi,” a hostess, in a wig and dress, in order to provoke Kiryu into fighting. In the fic, Kiryu becomes enamored with Goromi and wants to see her again.
Rec: The way K_dAzrael infuses the characters with so much personality, humor, and heart is so captivating. Kiryu instantly falls for Goromi, and it’s clear that she didn’t expect him to take her seriously. Something that is just a gag in the original game is expanded on very thoughtfully, with humor and sex perfectly woven into the narrative.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence
“Consequence of Action” by kasey8473. 98K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Castiel/Jo Harvelle
Recced by: KelseyF
Backstory: AU from the SPN episode The End where things aren’t as hopeless as it appears in the episode. Jo and her group arrive at a place where they heard it is a safe haven and is suprised to meet Castiel.
Rec: As a shipper of this extreme rarepair, I often have to take what I can find, but this fic is great. It takes a very bleak episode and really runs with it and even makes it hopeful.
Content warnings: Slight noncon in agreed-upon roleplay
“Dirty Fire” by Themanofmanyhats. 4.5K words, rated Gen.
Fandom: The Legend of Korra; Ship: Gen, Mako & Bolin, Mako & His Family
Recced by: Rosemarycat5
Backstory: “Dirty Fire” explores the fact that Mako and Bolin are biracial from the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, but Mako is the only firebender in the family and looks out of place in the Earth Kingdom, especially in a world only a few decades out from a world war against the Fire Nation.
Rec: Absolutely masterful in terms of characterization, featuring really subtle emotional beats, and really fleshing out the society of the worldbuilding.
Content warnings: Racism towards biracial people (focus of story)
“Oddbodies” by toffeecape. 72K words, rated Explicit .
Fandom: Hannibal (TV); Ship: Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham
Recced by: halotolerant
Backstory: Hannibal S1 charted the relationship between a serial killer and the detective hunting him, who was also his psychiatry patient, as they fell into mutual obsession. This fic takes that journey into a universe of Sentinels and Guides, which makes key differences to the way events unfold.
Rec: This is so true to canon in tone and style, with the Sentinel/Guide dynamic immaculately woven in (Hannibal’s ethics aren’t any better as a Guide than as a psychiatrist), BUT key events are altered in a way that brings Hannibal and Will together sooner, in fascinating, sizzling love story where fewer things hurt.
Content warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, canon-typical cannibalism, manipulation
“Mistakes Worth Sharing” by Kei. 6K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Mass Effect; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Kaleb
Backstory: The Mass Effect trilogy tells the story of Commander Shepard and the crew of the spaceship Normandy who learn of a grave extragalactic threat. The Reapers have been to the Milky Way before, thousands of times, in fact, and every time they wipe out all sentient life so Shepard’s goal is simple: win the coming war.
Rec: One very interesting factor is that the whole piece is written as a commencement address Shepard’s friend Garrus Vakarian gives to a military academy after the war. It captures Garrus’s voice perfectly, and allows us to see some of the other characters and situations from his eyes when normally we are stuck with Shepard’s viewpoint.
Content warnings: N/A
“The Soul Remains” by Cataclysmic_Calamity. 448K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 二哈和他的白猫师尊 - 肉包不吃肉 | The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Meatbun Doesn’t Eat Meat, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù; Ships: Hua Cheng/Xie Lian (Tian Guan Ci Fu), Chu Wanning/Mo Ran | Mo Weiyu, Lan Zhan | Lan Wangji/Wei Ying | Wei Wuxian, He Xuan/Shi Wudu
Recced by: BlackSkyFan15
Backstory: No god has answered a prayer in centuries. A reincarnated Hua Cheng discovers the ancient god Xie Lian sealed in a temple.
Rec: The relationships between characters and how the storylines intersect are absolutely amazing. Somehow they made me root for the toxic mess that is He Xuan/Shi Wudu.
Content warnings: N/A
And a vid!
“[vid] I Got Love” by thingswithwings. 2:53, rated Teen.
Fandom: Sort Of; Ship: Gen/various
Recced by: Alex
Backstory: From thingswithwings: “The show is Sort Of, which is a sitcom about a twenty-something non-binary Pakistani-Canadian, Sabi Mehboob, who is essentially a grumpy one surrounded by a variety of sunshine ones (and a couple other grumpy ones, to be fair).”
Rec: The song and clips pair so delightfully, I can’t get enough of this vid! Sabi’s relationships with friends and family are really the heart of the whole show, and this vid showcases it all SO well.
Content warnings: From thingswithwings: “Vid contains funeral scenes related to the death of a parent (hence the warning). One line of the song, near the beginning, references body dysphoria. I’ve vidded that bit with visuals of a trans non-binary person being afraid of not being accepted by a parent. The vid is not about dysphoria or family rejection and doesn’t feature it at any length.”
FINAL THOUGHT
Speaking of San Diego Comic-Con! If you, too, are headed to the Goofiest Place on Earth, please come to the panel I’m hosting on Saturday:
Here’s the full description:
Creativity. Collaboration. Thinking about The Character in way too much detail. Fandom gives you a unique set of skills for creating things future fans will connect with. These award-winning creators got their start (and are still spending time) in fan spaces. How did that translate to professional success—and how does fandom shape their work? With Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Witcher, Lost), Daphne Olive (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Old Man), Lin Codega (Motheater, Interview with the Vampire), Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Tim Drake: Robin), Tessa Gratton (The Mercy Makers, Star Wars: The High Republic), and Brent Lambert (Tordotcom, FIYAH Literary Magazine). Moderated by Elizabeth Minkel (Fansplaining).
The logistical details:
- Saturday July 26, 2025
- 12:00pm - 1:00pm PDT
- Neil Morgan Auditorium, San Diego Central Library
If you’re headed to the con, please come!! These panelists are so talented, and I think it’s going to be an incredible conversation. — Elizabeth