The Rec Center #8
Hi everyone! This week’s guest reccer is Lauren, who’s sent us some “Check, Please!” recs that we decided to run—BY CHANCE—during a big week for the fandom. If you’re unfamiliar with the beloved hockey webcomic, start with Gav’s 2015 interview with creator Ngozi Ukazu before you dive into the comic and then the fic. We’ve also got links about old-school fandom platforms, the true meaning of Star Wars, and the guy you didn’t know you’d miss so much, Jeb!™ — Elizabeth
new stuff
“Growing Up and Role-Playing on Xanga, the Proto-Tumblr” by Danielle Corcione at Motherboard
Revisiting the role-playing community on Xanga where the author spent her adolescence—and where she learned to craft narratives.
“It’s Stan Lee’s Universe” by Abraham Riesman at Vulture
A massive and fantastic profile of the (co) creator Marvel Comics.
“Teen readers aren't in crisis, they're just making their own rules” by Elizabeth at The Guardian
Elizabeth just loves writing about ~teens, that’s all. On book fandom, and why, against all odds, the kids these days still love reading.
GAV RECOMMENDS: John Boyega’s Snapchat. This man is a human sunbeam. He will bring joy and beauty into your life. If you have Snapchat, add the account jboyega and experience pure happiness in 10-second social media video format.
(gif via x)
old(er) stuff
“In Celebration of Old-School LiveJournal” by Lindsey Gates-Markel at The Toast
Not fandom focussed, but while you’re getting nostalgic for Xanga, you may as well get nostalgic for LJ, too.
tumblr and beyond
“did somebody say mad max/star wars crossovers because...” Yes, yes we did. Fantastic fanart by eelpeel.
“Toastystats: F/F Stats (Femslash February, 2016)” by destinationtoast
Toasty breaks down some femslash numbers on AO3, where f/f stories are being posted at an increasingly quick pace.
Tumblr user reyton breaks down the true meaning of Star Wars. At the risk of giving away too much of this text post, it’s worth quoting the first sentence in full. “Luke Skywalker (the lgbt community) initiates a plan to rescue Han Solo (socialism) from the crime lord Jabba the Hutt (capitalism) with the help of Princess Leia (the feminist movement) and Lando Calrissian (the black community).” A masterpiece.
[bonus: not about fandom at all, but it's important that you know just how many Floridians think Ted Cruz could be the Zodiac Killer]
fanfiction
Our Check, Please! reccer is Lauren, who found fandom in One Tree Hill message boards and has since read millions of words of delightfully tropey fanfiction. She key-smashes about stories as youngadultescent.
Check, Please! is a webcomic about a guy named Eric Bittle and his hockey team. Eric is a gay, and he used to be a figure-skater, but he got into a fictional college on a hockey scholarship. He vlogs and bakes and dances to Beyoncé. His amused and supportive teammates fill out the rest of the characters in the comic: the captain, Jack. has a dark past and is a living redemption arc, and their best buds are named Lardo, Shitty, Random, and Holster. You don't need to know anything about hockey to understand the story, but the author/artist does include mini-comics that explain rules and terminology. Both the comic and the fic explore gender roles and sexuality through the lens of college sports in a way that feels really fresh and earnest. You can read it from the beginning here. — Lauren
“The Messes of Men” (series) by jackzimmermann. Eric/Jack. 55K words, stories ranging from Gen to Mature.
Jack gets drafted by an NHL team while Bittle is still in college. The fics move through the beginning stages of their relationship until they’re settled together in Jack’s house. It talks about Jack being an openly gay professional hockey player and how the team relates to Bittle.
“Exeunt, Pursued by Heteronormativity” by psocoptera. Lardo/Shitty, Eric/Jack. 35K words, rated Mature.
Jack and Shitty graduate, so the group decides to go on a post-grad road-trip. Lardo and Bittle have a tiny freakout about being left behind, and it’s the catalyst for the two couples admitting their feelings.
“on the sidelines wishing for right now” by defcontwo. Eric/Jack. 2.6K words, rated Gen.
Eric Bittle bonds with Jack’s dad, who’s a hockey legend, but he's also real chill.
“not funny” by applecrumbledore. Ransom/Holster. 9.7K words, rated Teen.
Random and Holster are best bros who fall in love.
“Au pays qui te ressemble” by tropes. Eric/Jack. 15K words, rated Explicit.
Jack gives Bitty a new oven. There’s texting and pining and resolved UST.
“Best Laid Plans” by Euphorion. Lardo/Shitty, Eric/Jack. 18K words, rated Explicit.
Lardo and Shitty and the rest of the team try trick Jack into dating Bitty, turns out they don’t need to try very hard.
FINAL THOUGHT by Gav, on...
Jeb!
Since we began this newsletter, I’ve been beseeching Elizabeth to let me do a bit on Jeb Bush anti-fandom, but she spurned me on the grounds that the US election is soul-destroying (correct) and most people probably don’t want to be reminded of it in a fanfiction newsletter (also correct).
HOWEVER, now Jeb! is out of the race, it’s time for a quick rundown of why he was the most mesmerizing candidate in this election. Starting with this Vine of him being Very Normal.
After he dropped out, there was a surprising amount of commentary about Jeb! being the “honorable,” “reasonable,” or even sympathetic alternative to the GOP frontrunners. Obviously this is is bullshit, because Jeb Bush is the poster child for unearned dynastic privilege—which is why I’m perfectly happy to mock him forever. Unlike with Donald Trump (who is joke-proof and should be taken very seriously), making fun of Jeb! is practically a public service.
Remember the “America.” gun tweet? The fact that the gave out tiny toy turtles on the campaign trail because “slow and steady wins the race”? “Please Clap”? This vine of him chest-bumping George W. Bush like a tweenager who is desperately trying to make friends with bros before they beat him up?
While most of the other GOP candidates are either trainwrecks or downright terrifying, I found Jeb Bush weirdly fascinating to watch. His personality can roughly be described as the craven, disappointing second son of an evil Game of Thrones family, and his vulnerabilities were always so painfully, bizarrely close to the surface. You almost pity him for being so overshadowed by the “achievements” of his cheerfully amoral jock brother, until you remember that people spent millions upon millions of dollars trying to buy him into power. Laughing at Jeb Bush is comedic “punching up” in its purest and truest form.
And so I leave you with this, our fanvid recommendation for the week. Please clap.
P.S. One final fic rec from Gav: “Short Street to Kicklebury,” by notbecauseofvictories. A short, delightful Discworld AU where Sam Vimes is a lesbian. YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU.
If you liked this, please share it with your friends! https://thereccenter.substack.com/. And find us on social media: Gav (twitter/tumblr) & Elizabeth (twitter/tumblr)