The Rec Center #506
Hello all! This week we have articles on how the Trump administration’s tariffs have impacted fan culture, along with coverage of the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finale, and the controversial cancellation of a new DC comic. Also some cute Superman fanart, and a grab bag of multifandom fic recs! — Gav
new stuff
“‘It’s Just a Mess:’ 23 People Explain How Tariffs Have Suddenly Ruined Their Hobby” by Jason Koebler at 404 Media
The Trump administration recently ended the “de minimis” rule, which exempted international packages valued under $800 from tariffs. This has been a disaster for small business owners—and a huge range of hobbyists. This piece talks to nearly two dozen of the latter, including folks involved in fandom practices like cosplay, manga, and collecting.
“Horror ‘It Girl’ Gretchen Felker-Martin on DC Pulling Red Hood After Charlie Kirk Comments: ‘I Had No Regrets’” by Zach Rabiroff at The Comics Journal
Yesterday, DC announced they were canceling beloved indie author Gretchen Felker-Martin’s run of Red Hood after her posts about the Charlie Kirk shooting. Alongside an interview with Felker-Martin about the fallout, this piece contextualizes the events within Comicsgate, too.
“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has an evil alien problem” by Gav at TV Guide
With season 3 ending this week, Gav dug into Strange New Worlds’ persistent interest in inherently “evil” alien races—a sci-fi/fantasy concept with troubling political subtext. Following the controversial Vulcan transformation episode last month, the finale doubles down with a story whose heroes and villains are literally determined by genetics.
mario whispering "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" as he slips through the tenuous fabric between worlds
— 🐔 Brian Bucklew 🐔 ₑͤ＞∿＜ₑͤ ∞🌮 (@unormal.bsky.social) August 26, 2025 at 9:41 PM
older stuff
“I Came to Ruin You: The Collecting Practices of K-Pop Fandoms” by Rea McNamara and Bo Shin at Publication
The curators of an art show about K-pop fan collectors lead a virtual tour through the exhibition. “Their collecting practices intersect with and challenge traditional art forms, transforming what might otherwise be considered ephemeral or niche into meaningful cultural expressions.”
tumblr & beyond
Superman fanart by gracelynox
some amazing Game Changer fanart, with video context.
a graph about how many fics on AO3 have Postal Service song lyrics in their titles.
ok yes, Daft Punk SHOULD be in Pacific Rim.
“Your WIP is a sourdough starter.”
Actor Kyle MacLachlan has posted Letterboxd lists for each of his most famous characters’ fav movies!
fanfiction
We’ve got a grab-bag this week! Thanks to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth
“Save Us, Michael Bolton” by Knivesinfeet. 9.6K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: RPF, Our Flag Means Death-adjacent; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Ghostalservice
Backstory: OFMD was unexpectedly cancelled, and the fandom mourned—and then just got weirder.
Rec: A perfect example of the beautiful weirdness fandom can create, and the unexpectedly hilarious and lovely results. Michael Bolton, OFMD fan, tries to find a way to bring his show back.
Content warnings: N/A
“one way trip to the sun” by newtkelly. 21,500 words, rated Explicit.
Fandom: 9-1-1; Ship: Evan “Buck” Buckley/Tommy Kinard
Recced by: stars-inthe-sky
Backstory: 9-1-1 is a network procedural drama about first responders (mostly firefighters) in contemporary Los Angeles. Buck speedruns his bisexual awakening after meeting helicopter pilot Tommy, who has some history (some of it unkind and most of it closeted) with Buck’s station “family.”
Rec: I still haven’t actually watched this show, but this story draws an incredible throughline across its themes and characters that makes me seriously consider it. The author has such a brilliant take on Tommy as he contends with his own mistakes and luck and tries to reconcile his often-unhappy history with his burgeoning relationship with Buck.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence/gore, childhood trauma
“The Part of Her Hair” by scioscribe. 11K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Pride & Prejudice; Ship: Mary Bennet/OFC
Recced by: hownowredclown
Backstory: Mary Bennet is the prosy middle sister in Pride & Prejudice, the one who would ruin a party by playing the piano badly and getting mad that no one liked it. This fic takes place after the end of the book, when three of four of her sisters are married, and she is sent to live with her youngest and silliest sister in London.
Rec: I love fics that flesh out the side characters of a world and Mary Bennet is the most side character in the world. Here, she gets her own happy ending, in a way no one expected for her, but which is nonetheless perfect. historical attitudes about female homosexuality, canon-appropriate unstable relations
Content warnings: N/A
“A Song in the Shadows” by AlyaKtheDorkLord. 211K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师- 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù; Ships: Lan Yuan | Lan Sizhui & Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, A-Qing/Ouyang Zizhen
Recced by: BlackSkyFan15
Backstory: Wei Wuxian and Nie Mingjue, fierce ghosts cursed to silence, team up to expose their murderer. Lan Sizhui and friends keep misinterpreting the clues.
Rec: The author’s take on a Demonic Cultivation sect is masterful and blends the novelization and the TV show’s worldbuilding splendidly.
Content warnings: Rape/non-con
“The god of scraped knees.” by spqr. 8.3K words, rated, Mature.
Fandom: The Witcher; Ship: Jaskier/Geralt
Recced by: burntheedges
Backstory: An AU where Jaskier is an immortal sorcerer who has left that behind and has long been pretending to be human before he meets Geralt. He wants to do good and there are priests who want something very different.
Rec: This is THE Jaskier fic in my head, the one that taught me so much about who this character is even though he’s also an immortal sorcerer in it. Jaskier, god of small things, who wants to be small himself. I love it so much.
Content warnings: Canon-typical violence, some religious trauma (from those priests)
“The Second Job” by Josselin, phoenixflight. 11K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: White Collar, Ocean’s Eleven trilogy; Ships: Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey/Elizabeth Burke, minor Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan/Neal Caffrey, Danny Ocean/Rusty Ryan
Recced by: alasse
Backstory: White Collar is about an amazing forger and con-man, Neal, who gets caught by an FBI agent, Peter, and agrees to be a CI to get out of jail - the best part of this set-up is the INSANE chemistry between the Neal, Peter, and Peter’s wife Elizabeth who is amazing. Ocean’s Eleven is a pretty smooth Vegas heist trilogy with a lot of pretty people where Danny Ocean is the leader and Rusty Ryan his trusty second in command who is always, always, always eating something.
Rec: White Collar and Ocean’s Eleven are a perfect cross-over, because there is no way you can imagine the Ocean crew NOT knowing Neal Caffrey through various less than legal means. This story is perfectly achieved - sexy, funny, exactly as sweet as it has to be, and every beat of it just WORKS.
Content warnings: N/A
And a vid!
“The pretty lies, the ugly truth” by Eminemgirl814. 2:30, rated Teen.
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer; Ship: Gen
Recced by: Rebecca
Backstory: Buffy Summers is the one mystically chosen to fight vampires (and demons, and the forces of darkness) but she’s also a 16-23 year old girl. Her life sucks beyond the telling of it.
Rec: This video may be more than a decade old, but it’s still one of my all-time favorite fanvids. It’s one thing to know the song is perfect for Buffy; seeing it perfectly illustrated here hurts! (In a good way.)
Content warnings: N/A
The eye exam is the perfect game design. That big E is a great tutorial that teaches you the basic mechanic. But it doesn't baby you and quickly gets hard as they introduce the small and blurry enemies.
— Criag (@craigpsutton.bsky.social) September 7, 2025 at 3:12 PM
FINAL THOUGHT
OFMD fans! The folks behind the OFMD Craft Fair are doing another charity fundraiser (this one will benefit the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights). “You Wrote Me A Lovely Postcard, featuring more than 100 pieces of postcard art, is running through the end of the weekend—check it out! — Elizabeth