The Rec Center #9
We’ve got some multifandom recs for you this week, all OT3s! Also Ghostbusters discourse, shipping wars, awesome fanart, and more. — Gav
new stuff
“The ship wars: what it means when fans don’t agree who belongs together” by Elizabeth at the New Statesman
Following on from this piece about shipping vs queer representation, this one talks about shipping itself as a political act, regardless of the ship itself. With bonus Anne Jamison!
“An English Prof’s Deep Dive into Fanfiction” by Claire M. Class at the Center for the Humanities, Washington University in St. Louis
If you like bonus Anne Jamison, you will love this interview, as she goes deeper into talking about character, critique around fic, and, perhaps most importantly, pleasure.
The dance sequence from last week’s Agent Carter is a must-watch. Season 2 was somewhat flawed towards the end, but this show is still one of the most interesting and original things in the MCU. It’s just too bad that no one... is watching it. (P.S. Gav actually interviewed Hayley Atwell this week, very exciting!!)
“So … Why Is Patty the Only Non-Scientist in the New Ghostbusters?” by Maddy Myers at The Mary Sue
Actress Leslie Jones has already defended her role in the new Ghostbusters movie, but a lot of people are concerned that Patty will follow the same stereotypical tropes as Ernie Hudson’s character in the original Ghostbusters. Here’s some more commentary from Akilah Hughes.
CLANDESTINE GLOVE LUNCHES. (full video here)
(Someday this newsletter will be only Carol #content and literally none of you will complain.)
old(er) stuff
“There Is Only One Direction” by Samantha Hunt at The Cut
Revisiting this wonderful article about 1D, Elizabeth learned that this is the same Samantha Hunt who wrote one of the most incredible books she’s read in a while, Mr. Splitfoot—it has nothing to do with fandom but you should all read it NOW.
tumblr and beyond
Gorgeous Hannibal fanart: “Memory Palace” by xiaopa25
toxicsemicolon gives us the Check, Please! fancast we didn’t even know we needed.
We know this election is no laughing matter but some of the fandom-related Chris Christie memes this week have been GOLD:
fanfiction
This week’s list began when I told Gav I wanted to rec one specific story—a Torchwood AU that I love so much that I made a powerpoint about it once:
You know when you’re trying to rec an AU and you try to explain the entire backstory just so the other person can see JUST HOW AMAZING all the differences are between the story and the source material and the other person’s just looking at you blankly and you think, “Hmmm, I should’ve just led with ‘really incredible OT3,’ eh?” ANYWAY. I had the one story and somehow that turned into Gav writing the entire rest of the list, because she is a champion. So here we present you with a multi-fandom three-person relationship rec list: the first is mine, and the rest are Gav’s. — Elizabeth
“We held gold dust in our hands” by amand_r. 63K words, rated NC-17.
Torchwood fandom: Jack/Ianto/Lisa
This fic is big and beautiful and about the messiness of life and even though I keep trying to rec it I can never really seem to do it justice. How about I just say it’s a long-term relationship between a black Englishwoman in a wheelchair, a working-class bisexual Welshman, and an immortal pansexual time-travelling con-man from some random planet in the 51st century? :-)
“Come At Me” by Closer. 27K words, rated Mature.
MCU fandom: Steve Rogers/Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
A classic post-Avengers fic about Steve acclimatizing to the 21st century. And with some great Pepper Potts, who gets far too little screentime in MCU fanfic, IMO!
“Always Starts the Same, with a Boy and a Girl” by lightgetsin. 21K words, rated Explicit.
White Collar fandom: Neal/Peter/Elizabeth
White Collar is basically the ultimate OT3 fandom for me, because the Neal/Peter/Elizabeth relationship is so close to the surface in canon. This particular fic is a slight AU where Elizabeth started dating Neal in her 20s (instead of Elizabeth and Peter being married already), and Peter ends up investigating Neal and Elizabeth together—and being gradually seduced by their charm and intelligence along the way. A really smart idea for an AU, and the tone is a perfect fit for the show.
OT3 culture clashes, short Tumblr fic by polytropic-liar
Star Wars: The Force Awakens fandom: Finn/Rey/Poe
A sweet ficlet where Finn, Rey and Poe negotiate their shared living space on D’Qar.
“something good can work (and it can work for you)” by queenklu. 9K words, rated Explicit
Leverage fandom: Alex Hardison/Parker/Eliot Spencer
Cute and in-character story where Hardison and Parker come to the obvious conclusion that they ought to be dating Eliot Spencer.
“In Defiance of all Geometry” by idiopathicsmile. 51K words, rated Teen.
Les Misérables fandom: Combeferre/Enjolras/Grantaire
I’m generally a die-hard Enjolras/Grantaire shipper, but this fic is the exception that proves the rule. A modern-day AU set in a student co-op, it’s a deliciously tormented love story between Combeferre, Enjolras and Grantaire, rife with all the pining and misunderstandings you could possibly hope for. [N.B. You don’t need to know anything about Les Mis to enjoy this one!]
FINAL THOUGHT
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