A Saturday special

I thought I’d do a recs list this week because it’s been a while since I’ve done one, and it’d be a nice way to usher in the weekend.

I’m writing this just a week after I attended one of my favorite pop groups’ concerts. It was BINI at the Philippine Arena, the country’s biggest indoor stadium, and it was the first time that a Filipino act performed in the venue and sold out the show. That this happened to a girl group makes me so happy, because women in music and entertainment can find themselves on such a steep climb to the top.

I was never a concertgoer until last year (I kid you not, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was the first concert I went to) and thanks to my favorite pop artists, I just went to one and I’m planning to go to a music festival close to the middle of the year.

One of my favorite things about going to live music events is the fan support. I’ve been able to get banners, photocards, stickers, keychains, friendship bracelets, and even snacks from fellow fans at the concerts I’ve been to. I’ve kept my friendship bracelets from the Eras Tour and when I go out, I like to put on one (or more) that would match my outfit. It’s a nice way to keep the spirit of that whole evening with me.

It’s such a joyous display of friendship and creativity, and I think I’m getting hooked on the feeling.

🗞️ A couple of articles that made me think

I caught up on my Fansplaining reading recently, and I enjoyed Abby Kirby’s Bringing Fanfiction Into the Classroom. I’ve included one of my favorite quotes from this essay below because it’s a great reminder of why I enjoy consuming, no devouring, fanwork and popular culture. I believe that there’s so much to learn from fandom, fanwork, and fan culture (including but not limited to agency, play, and collaboration) and that we could gain so much from trying to introduce it into different aspects of our lives. What better way to get people curious and into learning than by tapping something that already resonates with them or something that they’re already interested in?

There’s so much to be learned from pop culture, despite people dinging it for its humble or ‘lowbrow’ beginnings.

I feel like pop culture can actually show us where the zeitgeist is headed, just as more meaningful signals present themselves. I think of how the Barbie movie revealed the darker underbelly of the progress of the 2010s and how the unabashed love for Top Gun: Maverick spoke to this desire for a show of strength. These are just two examples that show us where things were headed pre-2024, and it would do us some good to try to listen to what pop culture might be telling us.

(On that note, it might be worth revisiting the internet’s current fascination with Severance alongside other works like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or even Downsizing, which talk about people being forced into artificial binaries, the withholding of critical resources essential to our humanity, economic anxiety, and the stress that us vs. them mentalities wreck on us and our community.)

Another article that grabbed my attention was this news that Amazon has reached a deal with the rights holders of the Bond franchise to secure creative control. I grew up on the Bond movies—to be honest, I think I was too young when I started watching them (and my dad would cover our eyes multiple times while watching VHS tapes)—and so I have some fond memories attached to it.

I am wary about this latest development because up until recently the Bond movies were in the hands of people who were protective of its history and legacy and who didn’t want it to become a universe of content. I think it was probably one of the few franchises left that hadn’t been sold to a conglomerate. It’s been a while since I’ve given this franchise some thought, but it still makes me sad as we might be saying goodbye to an era, or at least to a version of Bond that a lot of us grew up with.

I’m of the ‘Christopher Nolan should probably take a stab at Bond’ camp, only because his work in the action genre has been interesting and his filmography has been in line with the current tone of the Bond movies.

This is definitely a ‘wait and see’ situation, and while I have some positive memories attached to Bond, I’m still far more interested in seeing if studios will take risks with more original content and give opportunities to new storytellers.

🐦 A social media post I resonated with

I’ve been frustrated with fandom etiquette (or the lack of) over the last few months.

I’ve been trying to figure out why ‘don’t be an asshole’ felt so natural to learn as a teenager in fandom spaces and now, it seems like it’s just taken for granted. It made me wonder, are there ‘rules’ to fandom and are we actually talking about these rules?

I stumbled upon this Tumblr post that summarizes what I think are three handy rules to remember while in fandom. The rules are basically different variations of ‘make this fun for everyone’ but anybody who’s been in fandom spaces lately would know that there are days when these ‘rules’ feel like such a high bar to clear. It’s nice to have a reminder that one can share. (And I’m thinking of maybe doing a short-form video series on fandom etiquette, especially since there will always be folks joining fandoms.)

🎶 Music I’ve been enjoying lately

BREEZE by Miki Ikhifa is the first track on a new instrumental jazz playlist that I put together. I’m a vibes-based kind of music listener, and listening to BREEZE makes me feel like I’m at a grown-up, slightly late dinner by the sea.

You know how TikTok songs sometimes creep into your brain and you listen to the whole thing and realize the clip was not enough? That’s how I feel about Love Hangover. At first, I was like, “Oh this is a pretty groovy track,” and then before I knew it I was just swaying along to it while working.

Love Is… a song that comes from alternative-folk band The Ridleys, one of my favorite discoveries from 2024. I thought it was fitting to round out this music recs section with a love song. This song always makes me smile, and I hope it makes you think of slow weekend mornings with the people you love.

📚 Fic Recs

Remember, don’t yuck someone’s yum!

things keep getting better (Ted Lasso). I come back to this fic when I need a dose of found family shenanigans and the early season Queer Eye feels. I’m still struck by how well the Queer Eye gang was incorporated into the world of Ted Lasso and that it reads as a good character study as much as it does a fictional Queer Eye episode.

Big Smile for the Camera (Once Upon A Time). I love a good miscommunication fic with a little bit of underhandedness in it. This is a read I revisited a few months back because I missed Swan Queen a little bit. This piece manages to capture their early seasons frenemies vibe, Storybrooke’s gossipy townspeople, and the tension that naturally emerges when two people decide to start sneaking around.

not today, maybe tomorrow (House of the Dragon). I love when a modern alternate universe fic is able to transport me into its world and make me forget the source material’s actual period and setting, or settings in this case. I love how the author transposed dragon rider Rhaenyra into an F1 driver (because of course!) and Alicent into a lawyer (highlighting how she’s one of the few people in the HOTD who understands the written and unwritten rules of that universe). Their characters have amazing chemistry, and there’s just enough slow burn that the payoff is delicious.

I’d love to hear from you! Do you have prompts, fic recs, or articles that you’d like to share? Things that are happening in your fandom that are worth a deep dive? Send me an email by replying to this newsletter, and I’ll make sure to give it a look. 

Happy weekend, folks!