Hello all! This week we have articles about Coyote vs. Acme, the tumultuous rise of Katseye, and the art of videogame writing, along with Fansplaining coverage of Killing Eve and Lanterns. Also some beautiful Bridgerton fanart, multifandom job-specific AU fic recs, and more! — Gav

new stuff

“How Katseye became the world’s biggest girl group—while falling apart” by Erica Russell at the Guardian
Katseye found international success by taking cues from the K-pop industry and its particular model of stardom, but as they reach new heights of fame, the band are facing harassment and toxic fan behavior, with two members already choosing to step away from the lineup.

“What makes good video game writing? I asked the writers.” by Gene Park at the Washington Post
“Understanding good game writing might be key to understanding games as an art form.”

“Keep Chasing That Bird: The Oral History of ‘Coyote vs. Acme’” by Alan Siegel at The Ringer
From being shelved for a David Zaslav tax write-off to finally hitting theaters and delighting audiences over the past week, Coyote vs. Acme has gone on a wild ride. This oral history chronicles how the film “got out from under the anvil.”

HBO just released a new trailer for counting to 100. I know I'm supposed to have outgrown it, but it feels so magical to see all my old friends again: 7, 20, 5, and this time they even managed to include 22.

— Mike.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ (@dumbmike.bsky.social) September 2, 2026 at 11:52 AM

new stuff: fansplaining

“The Queer-Normative World of Killing Eve” by Clare Sears
Fansplaining’s latest is an excerpt from Sociology and Sexuality Studies professor Clare Sears’ new book about Killing Eve, with analysis of the show alongside interviews with Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sally Woodward Gentle. “Unlike previous shows that required queer characters to assimilate into a heteronormative world, Killing Eve flips the script by rewriting the world as deeply queer.” (As always, Fansplaining’s excerpts are in front of the paywall!)

“Lanterns: Raised To Be Fearless” by Gav
Shedding light on John Stewart’s childhood, episode 3 offers an intriguing twist on our expectations for a superhero origin story, foregrounding the show’s exploration of race in America—and John’s legacy as one of DC’s first Black heroes.

ao3 e-mails are the only e-mails that find me well

— moonie 🌌🎡🩱 (@moonix.bsky.social) January 25, 2025 at 2:36 AM

older stuff

“There is no ethical consumption of HBO’s Harry Potter series” by Charles Pulliam-Moore at The Verge
“HBO does not want you to think about how it is platforming a known bigot and making it easier for her to spread patently hateful, harmful messaging that can endanger people.” A new trailer for the Harry Potter series means a fresh opportunity to re-share this incisive piece by Charles Pulliam-Moore.

tumblr & beyond

Bridgerton fanart by green-moonie

“coffee shop au with canon-typical violence”

a cool fanmade design for Nightwing’s gloves!

maybe there’s no such thing as an overdone trope...?

a beautiful moment from a star trek tie-in novel

some VERY valid points about AU worldbuilding logistics.

fanfiction

It’s Labor Day weekend in the U.S., and somewhat coincidentally, we’ve got a list of job-specific AUs, with careers ranging from “concert violinist” to “member of the UK Parliament” to “eel biologist.” Thanks so much to everyone who sent in a rec. — Elizabeth

“String Theory: A Concerto for Violin in D Minor” by Toft. 12K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis; Ship: Rodney McKay/John Sheppard
Recced by: burntheedges
Backstory: In canon, Rodney (scientist) and John (soldier) are on a team exploring a different galaxy and fighting bad guys. They have wild chemistry and get on each other’s nerves and bring out the best in each other.
Rec: In this fic Rodney is a composer and John is a violinist. Rodney has severe agoraphobia and is looking for someone to star in his new concerto and John is amazing but living in the shadow of his violinist father. It’s perfect.
Content warnings: Agoraphobia, mental breakdown descriptions

“Two houses, alike in indignity” by anactoriatalksback. 64K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: The Terror; Ship: Captain Francis Crozier/Commander James Fitzjames
Recced by: anon
Backstory: The Terror is historical fiction based on the doomed Franklin Expedition of the 1840s. The show has body horror, colonialism, repression, cannibalism, and magical realist elements ... maybe (?) not an easy sell, but the fandom is top tier.
Rec: 2010s UK politics AU: James is the Tory whip, Francis is Labour’s. The Fitzier dynamic (enemies to lovers, class conflict, obsessed with each other to an embarrassing degree) but .... no one dies.
Content warnings: Politics, addiction/recovery

“Private Room” by ScarlettStorm. 34K words, rated Explicit.
Fandoms: 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭| Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, 陈情令| The Untamed (TV); Ship: Wei Ying|Wei Wuxian / Lan Zhan|Lan Wangji
Recced by: chalionkat
Backstory: Modern AU where LWJ is a pole dancer in a strip club and WWX is looking for someone. To critique his standup comedy routine, obviously.
Rec: This is a comfort fic for me. LWJ is comfortable in himself, just annoyed that he’s falling for a customer. WWX is super cute and respectful, their developing relationship is very sweet and hot.
Content warnings: Mentions of anti-sex work prejudice (background only)

“Resurgam” by HolRose. 13K words, rated Teen.
Fandom: Good Omens; Ship: Aziraphale/Crowley
Recced by: kingstoken
Backstory: In canon Aziraphale and Crowley are an angel and a demon who are hereditary enemies (and secretly friends) that have been pining for each other for 6000 years.
Rec: This is a human WWII AU, and the author has obviously done their research about the blitz and what the war was like for those in London. In this story Aziraphale and Crowley are two lonely, older men who meet volunteering for the fire brigade, and how their relationship unfolds is lovely.
Content warnings: War, the Blitz

“When you care enough to send the very best” by yourbuttervoicedbeau (kiwiana). 4.3K words, rated Teen Fandom: Schitt’s Creek; Ship: David/Patrick
Recced by: Penna Nomen
Backstory: Hilarious AU in which Patrick works for Hallmark and fields a long series of complaints from David about their cards.
Rec: It’s a snarky romance. Told in emails and texts, the characters’ voices are true to canon—but it’s also easy to follow even if you haven’t seen the show. And how can you resist this opening: “I’m writing to complain about your appallingly heteronormative greeting card selection.”
Content warnings: N/A

“Okay eel man” by Ampersand24spqr. 11K words, rated Mature.
Fandom: Heated Rivalry; Ship: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov
Recced by: burntheedges
Backstory: Ilya and Shane are professional hockey players in canon, but in this fic only Ilya is still in his canon profession. Shane is a marine biologist who specializes in American eels.
Rec: I love how much the author clearly knows about eels! And it’s a text fic, which I love. There are tons of eel pictures and eel facts, and Ilya and Shane still fall in love. It’s perfect, you can see Ilya falling in love with Shane’s nerdy self the whole time.
Content warnings: Eels (pictures and descriptions), some misunderstandings but it’s short

They call him Batman Beyond because he's made entirely of plant proteins

— Ben (Bee) Kahn (@benkahncomics.bsky.social) September 2, 2026 at 1:00 PM

FINAL THOUGHT

That’s all for this week! If you’re lucky to have a three-day weekend ahead, enjoy! — Elizabeth