Hello all! Like presumably many Rec Center readers, we were very sad to learn about the deaths of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry; we’re on the lookout for fannish writing about their legacies to include in a future issue. (Our fanart this week is a tribute to Dolly!) On a personal level, it’s been a BIG week for Fansplaining…if you don’t know what I’m talking about, see below. We’ve also got articles on Miss Piggy, Darth Vader as a protest vehicle, and the queerness of Pokémon, alongside Gav’s latest Lanterns recap. Plus: multifandom summertime fic recs! — Elizabeth

new stuff

“Our Last Movie Star” by Angelica Jade Bastién at Vulture
“Like Mae West and other classic Hollywood icons, Miss Piggy plays with femininity in delightful, contradictory ways.” A fantastic piece of cultural criticism about everyone’s favorite starlet.

“The Man Behind the Anti-Flock Darth Vader Mask Wants to Know: ‘When Will This End?’” by Samantha Cole at 404 Media
Amid a ton of shallow use of fannish properties for political purposes, an interesting example of how to use a pop-culture figure in an in-character way to rouse public interest in an issue. (In this case, dressing as Darth Vader to deliver a speech in favor of Flock surveillance.)

“Pokémon Is for the Gays” by Marisa Ingemi at Coyote & Aftermath
A joint publication by indie outlets Coyote and Aftermath that investigates the important questions: “This year, the Pokémon World Championships are in San Francisco—so here are the many reasons why Pokémon is gay as hell.”

they should make a star wars 2. how about one more trip around the galaxy for old times’ sake. come on

— Jon Bois (@jonbois.bsky.social) August 9, 2026 at 7:16 PM

new stuff: fansplaining

“Lessons From a Heated Media Rivalry” by Elizabeth
On July 8th, we published a longread about AI use in Heated Rivalry fanfiction by Kayti Burt. On July 30th, the New York Times published an article on the same subject. We weren’t surprised—because a Times reporter used their work email to buy access to our story ten days prior. This piece details what happened when we confronted the Times, and contextualizes the incident within a longstanding dynamic in the media, where the big guys—and the Times in particular—take whatever they want without credit. (Seriously, you should see our Bluesky mentions right now…you would not believe some of this stuff.)

This story is in front of the paywall, and we’ve also unlocked Kayti’s original piece: “Heated Rivalry is at the Center of Fanfic’s AI Reckoning. And since I know a lot of folks have already seen this story given how far it’s traveled already, we seriously appreciate everyone’s support so far, it’s been really heartening! <3 — Elizabeth

“Lanterns: The Last Manhunter” by Gav
Episode 2 of Lanterns reveals the existence of an alien antagonist hiding in plain sight, as Hal continues his rather hamfisted investigation in Rushville. Meanwhile John accidentally proves that he may have an impressive natural talent for using the Green Lantern’s ring. However one of the most interesting scenes arrives right at the end of the episode, raising questions about what the show is doing with its main romantic subplot.

first of all, it's not "shrekking," it's "roger rabbiting," and second of all, jessica rabbit legitimately saw roger rabbit as hot and if you don't understand that, you shouldn't be writing about any of this

— Maddy Myers 🏳️‍🌈 (@midimyers.com) August 25, 2026 at 12:46 PM

older stuff

“You Can’t Even Watch A Movie Anymore Without Seeing Some Theme Explored” at The Onion
“It’s getting so I can’t take my kid to the movies without having to cover her eyes so she isn’t exposed to the eternal struggle between good and evil or the universal need for human connection.”

tumblr & beyond

Dolly Parton fanart by darktarou

welcome to Liminal Death Lake, a fixture of small-town American life.

“i will not entertain this fandombrained powerscaling foolishness”

the best star wars movie

we sense another star trek discourse cycle on the horizon

fanfiction

We’re in the final stretch of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, so we’ve got a list of summertime recs this week—perhaps a coincidence, but “teenagers” and/or “sweaty boys” seems to be a unifying theme. 😅 Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec! — Elizabeth

“June, July, August” by sophisticatedyet. 45K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Heartstopper; Ship: Nick Nelson/Charlie Spring
Recced by: kaydeefalls
Backstory: Heartstopper (in both webcomic & TV versions) is a sweet queer coming-of-age romance focused on the relationship between two teen boys, gay nerd Charlie and rugby lad Nick, as well as their broader circle of LGBTQ+ friends.
Rec: Lovely canon divergence AU set when they’re both uni-aged, in which Charlie rents a cottage by the sea for a summer in order to try to recuperate from a terrible awful no-good very bad year, and strikes up a friendship (and more, of course) with local boy Nick. Impeccable summer romance vibes, soft and sweet, and a sympathetic exploration of Charlie’s mental health.
Content warnings: Canon-typical mental health issues

“A Short History of Almost Something” by dear_monday, two_ravens. 6.6K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Dead Boy Detectives; Ship: Charles Rowland/Edwin Payne
Recced by: laiqualaurelote
Backstory: Dead Boy Detectives is a TV series about two teenage ghost detectives. In this AU (part of a longer series), Edwin and Charles are the only two people working at an arcane museum in London; they have had unresolved sexual tension brewing for decades (the museum’s employees do not age), which comes to a head one hot summer’s day when they set up an exhibition involving a Mesopotamian fertility idol.
Rec: The sultriest summer fic—museum esoterica, top-shelf pining, an irritable, antisocial narrator all but flattened by the heatwave and decades of repression, all while Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong croon Summertime in the background.
Content warnings: Sex pollen-adjacent, workplace relationship

“seven days of alien summer” by applecrumbledore. 16K words Teen.
Fandom: South Park; Ships: Kyle Broflovski/Stan Marsh, Craig Tucker/Tweek Tweak
Recced by: anon
Backstory: Aliens keep abducting Stan, Cartman, Craig and Tweek. It’s for a study.
Rec: This is my favorite SP fic by far. It manages to be super cute without sacrificing the spirit of the show—it’s also the sweetest depiction of being a sweaty, awkward teenager in love with your best friend.
Content warnings: Underage

“Skywalker Family Values” by Ariel_Sojourner. 56K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Star Wars; Ship: Gen
Recced by: izzy
Backstory: Set between the prequels and original series, Luke (raised by Darth Vader) and Leia (raised across the galaxy by Padme) are accidentally sent to the same summer camp.
Rec: This story is hilarious! Star Wars meets Addams Family meets The Parent Trap. What’s not to like!
Content warnings: Slavery, imperialism, racism (all canon typical)

“And you would be a fool” by Badbastion. 13K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Supernatural; Ship: Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester
Recced by: Dean Leetal
Backstory: Dean and Sam are monster fighting brothers who are uniquely close to each other.
Rec: Sweaty guys and lots of sunshine. Beautifully written with depth, fluff and humour. And possibly hippie feminist witches.
Content warnings: Incest, non-consensual non-sexual touching, weed use

Part of why the "become obsessed with a blorbo to improve at art" thing is true is because they'll make you do shit you normally might not even try Blorbo is a knight in a fantasy series? Welp I guess I gotta learn how to draw armor now Blorbo has a mech? Welp I guess I'm drawing a fucking mech

— Atelier Alyssa 🔜 AnimeVerse Chattanooga (@alyossan.art) May 27, 2026 at 2:31 PM

FINAL THOUGHT

That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend! — Gav