2020 Yuletide Fandom Promo Post

[crantz]

Welcome to the Fandom Promo post, everyone!

Here's where you get those eyes on your fandoms for sign ups!

Share what makes your Yuletide fandoms the shiniest and why you love them. A big part of Yuletide is how small our fandoms can be, and this is a good way to make sure other people know what gems there are out there!

Suggested form to use:

<b>FANDOM NAME</b>:
<b>WHAT MAKES IT GREAT</b>:
<b>WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional)</b>:


For reference, last year's promo post!


This post on LJ

Comments

[moon_custafer]

FANDOM NAME:The Outsider (TV, 2020)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Limited-series adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Come for Ben Mendelsohn (as Ralph Anderson, the small-town detective investigating a horrific child murder while grieving his own son), stay for Cynthia Erivo (as Holly Gibney, neuroatypical private investigator who turns up evidence the killer may be supernatural). Actually, everybody is great.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: HBO

FANDOM NAME: Perry Mason (TV, 2020)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Noir atmosphere and colourful characters! Gritty prequel to the well-known 1950s series, more in line with the 1930s books. If you liked Boardwalk Empire, you’ll probably enjoy Matthew Rhys and a great ensemble cast including the always-amazing Tatiana Maslany. The case is nasty (a Lindbergh-baby-style kidnapping-turned-killing) but relieved by wry dialogue and more LGBT representation than you might expect from the first few episodes.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT? : HBO

FANDOM NAME: Homecoming (TV, 2018-19)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Near-future SFnal thriller involving a conspiracy around the privately-run hospice Homecoming, which ostensibly treats young military veterans with PTSD. First season stars Julia Roberts, second stars Janelle Monae. S1 directed by Same Esmail (Mr. Robot) and shot in an atmospheric Alfred Hitchcock/Douglas Sirk style.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Amazon Prime, iTunes

[tjs_whatnot]

I am listening to Stephen King's book now and had NO IDEA it had been made into a series. Now I got to hurry up and finish reading/listening so I can watch. ♥

On a Sunbeam (Graphic Novel/Webcomic)

[shadaras]

FANDOM NAME:
On a Sunbeam - Tillie Walden

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
On a Sunbeam is a queer space fantasy webcomic about a girl who joins a spaceship crew doing restoration jobs on weird old ruins. She's doing this because she wants to find the mysterious girl she dated once during high school (I think?), and the story is a lovely combination of found family, queer romance, and beautiful art and worldbuilding.

I love it because it's completely unapologetic about being space fantasy (all the spaceships look like fish! there are weird spirit foxes!), has a lot of unexplored bits of mentioned worldbuilding (sci-fi school sports! VR tabletop games! those foxes!), and the characters are generally all positive and kind to each other.

Tillie Walden says, in the 'About', "My initial goal with Sunbeam was to create a version of outer space that I would want to live in. So of course that includes tons of queer people, no men (did you notice?), trees, old buildings, and endless constellations.", and honestly all of this is very fair and a lot of what I love about it myself. (Walden also makes an effort to have characters who are clearly diverse as far as racial background goes, which also makes me like it.)

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional):
Freely available online here; also available as a print book.

Re: On a Sunbeam (Graphic Novel/Webcomic)

[(Anonymous)]

Ditto this! On a Sunbeam is great and the art is beautiful!

Growing Things by Paul Tremblay -- SciFi Horror Short Story

[jalu2]

FANDOM NAME: Growing Things -- Paul Tremblay (short story)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The titular story of Paul Tremblay's anthology, this short story is a prequel (or sequel? AU?) to Tremblay's best selling novel A Head Full of Ghosts. It tells the story of 14 and 8 year old sisters, Marjorie and Merry, and their father who disappears one day in search of food in what may be a post apocalyptic world. The story leaves plenty up to interpretation, from the setting (is it present day? post-apoc?) to the 'growing thing' (a plant? father's science experiment gone wrong? figment of imagination?), and explores the imagination of two children. I'd recommend this to fans of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle which seemed to be a heavy inspiration for Tremblay.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Booksellers, libraries, etc. It's ~$8 on Kindle. HERE.

Re: Growing Things by Paul Tremblay -- SciFi Horror Short Story

[snickfic]

It sounds like in order to request or write it, I shoud also read the novel? Would you say that's true?

[doranwen]

FANDOM NAME: Cybergeddon (Webseries)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It stars Missy Peregrym in a short webseries (total time ~90 minutes) that's like The Fugitive with hacking. There's action, reasonably-interesting plot, and a tough & competent female lead, all in a relatively short length that's easily consumable - and which provides plenty of possibilities for fic. Watch the trailer and see.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: here at Vimeo combined into a single film-length video or Amazon, and I hear it might also be on Netflix; send me a PM if you're having trouble getting to see it!


FANDOM NAME: Women's Murder Club (TV)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: FOUR female leads, one of which is a PoC, all of which are competent in their own areas, and who work together to solve murders. If you liked Rizzoli & Isles (or if you like competent women and case shows), you'll probably enjoy this - it also stars Angie Harmon in a very similar role. It's also only a single season so it doesn't take all that long to watch the 13 episodes and get into it.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: here on Youtube (Amazon sells a DVD-R of the season, but it's not commercial DVD quality)


FANDOM NAME: Worldweavers - Alma Alexander
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's a fantasy book series set in a version of our world and time where there's a Federal Bureau of Magic and everyone takes classes in Ars Magica in school. There are also non-human species which are somewhat recognizable but also uniquely developed here, and the books have major doses of Native American mythology (Grandmother Spider, the Trickster) as well as an Anasazi mage and time travel, and feature Nikola Tesla as a major character. The main character is Thea, who is unable to do any magic instead of the extra special magic she should have been born with as the seventh child of seventh children, and her coming-of-age story over the four books is full of intriguing worldbuilding and details that beg for fic.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: the author's website links to the four books on Amazon or you can buy the ebooks on Smashwords

Greater Boston podcast!

[eccentric_hat]

FANDOM NAME: Greater Boston

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This is an audio drama about intersecting stories in a version of Boston a little to the left of our reality. With a large cast, ambitious storytelling scope, and multitude of POVs, it's nevertheless got a clear and continuous storyline throughout. It engages with issues of racism, urban planning, and mortality (not necessarily in that order). Sound kinda serious? It also has people living in an abandoned theme park, a campaign for a subway line to declare itself an independent city, use of pneumatic tubes for divination purposes, an Olive Garden food truck, and Atlantis. You know, the lost city of Atlantis. The cast is ethnically diverse and has more LGBTQ characters than I can count. And it has three seasons, which is enough story to sink your teeth into but short enough that it'd be easy to get through in time for Yuletide.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Anywhere you get podcasts, or at greaterbostonshow.com!

Re: Greater Boston podcast!

[marginaliana]

So thrilled that there's a weird Boston podcast! Very much going to check this out.

Peerless

[qikiqtarjuaq]

FANDOM NAME: Peerless | 无双

WHAT'S IT ABOUT: A historical wuxia novel about two rivals working under the Emperor & Empress who work together to solve a grand political conspiracy to overthrow the dynasty.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

• Canon m/m with a rivals-to-lovers dynamic! The development of their relationship from torture-at-first-sight to trust and devoted protectiveness is wonderful, and through it all, they never stop bickering or trying to pit each other in petty schemes.


• Fake marriage, fake dating, fake make-outs, cross-dressing, all in the name of undercover mystery solving.


• Both characters are ruthless, competent, and amoral with very equal power dynamics despite their differences. I love that while Cui Buqu is physically frail, he's still intelligent enough to go head-to-head with Feng Xiao, who's an excellent fighter. They both succeed & fail in equal measures when scheming against each other & they'll save each other as well (despite being in denial).

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Translation | Original Chinese

Female General & Eldest Princess

[qikiqtarjuaq]

FANDOM NAME: Female General & Eldest Princess

WHAT'S IT ABOUT: A novel set in ancient China about a young girl named Lin Wanyue who takes over her dead brother's identity to avenge her slaughtered family & village, eventually growing up to become a general. At the front lines, she meets a beautiful but ruthless and scheming princess named Li Xian, who she falls in love with.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

• Lin Wanyue is a super fun main character who wears her heart and emotions on her sleeve. She's a very competent general and war strategist, but is terrible at reading other people or dealing with hidden political schemes. Her character arc going from blood-thirsty vengeance to a more nuanced look at the price of war is great.


• Li Xian is a lonely Machiavellian figure who's willing to do anything to protect her brother (the crown prince) and ensure the success of her schemes.


• Slow-burn canon f/f with a lot of thirsty pining from Lin Wanyue, while Li Xian gradually begins to see Lin Wanyue as more than just a pawn before falling for her completely after she discovers Lin Wanyue's cross-dressing.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Translation | Original Chinese

Quest for a Maid

[rsadelle]

FANDOM NAME: Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
Back of the book summary:

When I was nine years old, I hid under a table and heard my sister kill a king.

Meg's sister Inge is a witch, and the spell she uses to kill King Alexander sets in motion a power struggle which threatens to tear Scotland apart. When Meg is chosen for the perilous journey to bring the rightful queen home to rule, she finds herself challenging Inge's power, and discovering more strength in herself than anyone knew she had.

Some other plot points that may intrigue you:
- As a child, Meg saves Davie Spens from drowning. Davie has a harelip, and no one but Meg can understand him. Their fathers betroth them and Meg moves from her father's Norwegian-style hall and into the Spens house to learn from Mistress Spens.
- While living with the Spens, Meg uses her smarts to save Peem Jackson, a cottar's son who helped save them from drowning, from his cruel overlord. Peem then becomes Meg's devoted manservant.
- Meg's father builds them a boat, and Master Spens teaches them to sail.
- There are fun sailing adventures!
- Meg, who speaks Norse, goes with the party to fetch the Maid of Norway, the rightful heir to the throne.
- There are seafaring adventures, and intrigue!
- Meg, Peem, Davie, and Marie, the Maid, become a found family.

This is a children's book, so it is a quick, easy read if you want to pick up a great historical novel with an engaging girl protagonist.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Worldcat shows holdings at many libraries which may or may not have check-out options at this time. IndieBound can help you find a copy at a bookstore near you.

Re: Quest for a Maid

[verecunda]

Oh my gosh, I remember this book!! I'm a bit hazy on the details, but I remember the beginning, with the sister using magic to kill the king, vividly. Must see if we still have it somewhere in the house...

Sci-Regency Series

[rsadelle]

FANDOM NAME: Sci-Regency Series - J. L. Langley

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: If you've ever read a Regency romance and thought, "This is fun, but it would be even better if it were gay and in space," the Sci-Regency series is for you! Yes, that's right, the delightfully ludicrous premise of this series is that there is a gay Regency society in space.



The planet's name is Regelence, the social structure is based on the historical Earth Regency period, and nobles have children via an artificial reproduction technology that ensures their children are both male and gay. What makes the novels great is that this is the background for some really fun Regency romances, complete with shenanigans, hasty marriages, and really hot sex scenes. I recommend reading the novels in order, as there is an overarching plot involving the Intergalactic Navy that is interesting and ongoing without overshadowing the romances. There are five books:

My Fair Captain - Intergalactic Navy captain Nathaniel Hawkins uses his knowledge of Regency society - he was raised on Englor, a Regency planet where heterosexual relationships are the norm - to go undercover on Regelence to investigate stolen weapons. Prince Aiden Townsend cares about nothing so much as his art - until he meets Nate.

The Englor Affair - Prince Payton Townsend goes undercover on Englor as an admiral's aide to further investigate the ongoing plot. Colonel Simon Hollister, heir to the throne of Englor, encounters Payton on base. Neither one of them have any idea who the other is when they engage in a series of passionate encounters.

My Regelence Rake - Sebastian Hastings is the captain of the Royal Guard - and a notorious rake. Prince Colton Townsend has finally decided to give up on Sebastian ever loving him and focus on his racehorses. But when Sebastian insists on going everywhere with Colton for his protection and rumors start, they can no longer stay away from each other.

Diplomatic Relations - Dalton Fairfax is notorious for his unruly antics. Blaise Thompson is focused on doing his duty and behaving perfectly to ensure his family's continued good name. When Dalton takes up the job of being Blaise's bodyguard to avoid his parents, sparks fly and Dalton and Blaise find themselves having to learn from each other's approaches to life.

My Highland Laird - Bannon Thompson's latest indiscretion means his father has shipped him offplanet. Laird Ciaran MacKay's only concern is protecting his clan from the offworlders who killed his father. When Bannon and his valet Louisa are the only survivors of a shuttle crash on Skye, Bannon and Ciaran have to learn to trust each other and work together to save both Ciaran's planet and Bannon's.

The additional four key characters who don't have their own books:

King Steven and King-Consort Raleigh of Regelence - Rulers of Regelence and parents of five rambunctious children, Steven and Raleigh are firm protectors of their planet, loving parents who want their children to be happy, and a married couple who are still hot for each other after all these years.

Rexley Townsend - Crown Prince of Regelence, Rexley's nickname amongst the staff is Lord Responsible, but there are hints that he does know how to take breaks from his responsibilities and enjoy life. He also has a ward, Muffin, who he found as an abandoned baby.

Jeremy Hawkins - Better known as Trouble, Jeremy is Nate's adopted son. Trouble grew up on space stations and then Nate's ship the Lady Anna, and he's not so convinced about this whole Regency society thing. But he has a connection to Regelence he didn't know about - and a connection to Rexley that he doesn't want to break.

Look, if all of this sounds ridiculous, it is. But it's the kind of ridiculous that is absolutely delightful. I read the first book over a decade ago, and I've loved this universe ever since. If you have any interest in Regency romances, I highly recommend the series.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: The author's website includes purchase links for each of the novels at a variety of vendors. Worldcat shows holdings for the first four books at a small number of libraries which may or may not have check-out options at this time (My Fair Captain, The Englor Affair, My Regelence Rake, Diplomatic Relations). If you're in California the first four books are available digitally via enki. Your library may offer access to one or more of the books in other digital collections.

Re: Sci-Regency Series

[morbane]

Hi! We're having a little trouble finding the character Drucilla Blake - could you give us a little more info please?

[falsettodrop]

FANDOM NAME: Billy & Billie (TV, 2015)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The show follows two step-siblings (M/F) who fall in love and deal with the aftermath of getting together. If you're into step-siblings or pseudo incest or even actual incest, this will totally be your id. It's quite iddy all the way through, actually. They're both very attractive, too — one of the step-siblings is Adam Brody (Seth Cohen from The O.C., Dave Rygalski from Gilmore Girls) and he is quite handsome throughout this in an effortless way, and he wears glasses most of the time. This was a selling point for me. The other step-sibling is Lisa Joyce, and her character is quite fiery and multifaceted throughout this, and she's stunning.

It's a really fun and easy watch, overall, and it has an indie web-series feel to it, if you're into that aesthetic. 10 episodes long, approximately 30 minutes each.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: iTunes, or select alternative streaming sites.

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

[qikiqtarjuaq]

FANDOM NAME: Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint

WHAT'S IT ABOUT: Kim Dokja is the only reader who finished the entirety of a web novel. As a reward, when the horror games from the novel start coming true in the real world, he gains a copy of the book, which he has to use to survive. The horror games are setup like livestreams with audience members (called constellations), and as the book goes on, we discover more and more about how this world came to be and what makes it tick.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

Honestly, when I just started this book I thought it'd be the millionth iteration of the same power fantasy of a dude leveling up & defeating everyone while being overpowered, but it turned out to be a much more interesting take on the idea. There's a lot of varied and flawed supporting characters, a great found family feeling, and an extremely meta plot digging into concept of the reader, the writer, and the story - drawing influences from history and mythology.

This novel is gen with a minor background het ship, but there is so much shippiness between Kim Dokja and Yoo Joonghyuk (the protagonist in the web novel he read). They are canonically "Life and Death Companions," they have shippers following their adventures, there's a whole arc featuring a prophecy where Kim Dokja will be killed by the one he loves the most and people just keep meaningfully looking at Yoo Joonghyuk. They start off suspicious and untrusting of each other, only working with the other person because they're useful for survival. But eventually, they get to the point where they won't even contemplate the possibility of letting the other person die, unless of course, as Yoo Joonghyuk says, "No one can kill Kim Dokja except for me."

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Translation | Webtoon Adaptation | Original Korean

There's also an edited epub of the novel on the ORV discord's server-external-guides channel that standardizes the names & terminology between the two translators. You can also DM me for the link!

CosTube RPF

[rsadelle]

FANDOM NAME: CosTube RPF, specifically Bernadette Banner and Cathy Hay

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Look, I'll be real with you here: I actually know very little about them, but I know enough to need fic.

Bernadette Banner is a historical costumer with a YouTube channel with a large following. (Even the dinosaur from Pterrible Dinosaur Drawings loves Bernadette.)

Cathy Hay is another historical costumer with a YouTube channel. She also has a company that teaches people about historical sewing, which Bernadette now also works for. She says of how she dresses, "My aspiration for all of this is I want to be mistaken for a ghost."

Like any good RPF pairing, they once did what could could be an engagement photo shoot (see the other two images at this Instagram post):



I mostly know about them from this amazing video where Cathy takes Bernadette on an adventure and they exchange gifts.



My reaction to all of this is roughly: *swoons in lesbian*.

See also:



[Image description: a screencap of this Cathy Hay Instagram post with a comment from Bernadette that reads, "[crying emoji] this feeble earthly vessel cannot contain the amount of pride I have for you, my fabulous lady; what an absolute star.]



[Image description: a screencap of this Bernadette Banner Instagram post. Bernadette's text reads, "Today is a very special day because today is the day that we get to celebrate the most magical, delightful, eccentric, inspiring, gorgeous, fabulously behatted lady on the face of the planet. Well—I do that every day, but today in particular I get to add the element of cake. Happy happy happy birthday dear @cathy.hay, the world (well—my world, at least) wouldn’t be the same without you. [heart emoji, cake emoji, snail emoji]" This is followed by a comment from macstabby that reads, "We all have a massive crush on Cathy, right?" and a reply from Bernadette reading, "yep. [face with sunglasses emoji]."]

You may also enjoy this Instagram post from Bernadette which includes a picture of Cathy and Bernadette in 19th century underwear (from the shoulders up) and this in the description: "10/10, highly recommend finding yourself a kindred spirit who will teach you about cash flow forecasts and self care, and who will also frolic around at public functions with you in 19th century underwear and have early morning, caps-lock, keyboardsmash text chats about big impossible dreams." There is also this Instagram post with a different version of the picture from the hips up.

Re: CosTube RPF

[(Anonymous)]

Oh my god, I'm not the only one thinking of this while watching their videos? I felt very embarrassed about it, haha. I am also fond of the replies Cathy tends to leave on Bernadette's video every single time. Also all those times in Bernadette's videos where she has gotten a sudden call from Cathy (it appears for a second on screen!) or is writing her letters.

Check out the now unlisted video of them celebrating christmas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI_FbQcJj04) together too! There's another... stream(?) that is now taken down where they were simply talking which I remember enjoying. There's also the costume collage stream they held together... I just enjoy their videos together.

[rubylily]

I've got two anime recs and a video game!

FANDOM NAME: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi | Sunday Without God

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: According to legend, God abandoned the world fifteen years prior, and thus people are no longer able to give birth and cannot find rest after death unless buried by a mythical "gravekeeper." The protagonist, twelve-year-old Ai, is one such gravekeeper for her tiny, isolated village. After tragedy strikes her village, she resolves to set out on a journey to save the world God has abandoned, and along the way she makes new friends and discovers how humanity has adapted to this slowly dying world.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT? Crunchyroll! It's twelve episodes with a bonus episode on the BD/DVD set. The series is very beautiful, and you can see that beauty for yourself in the opening!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FANDOM NAME: Toji no Miko | Katana Maidens

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Girls with swords! Young girls known as Toji wield special swords to hunt supernatural monsters called aradama. The first episode starts with a tournament, but it quickly becomes an action/thriller series as protagonist Kanami and her friends find themselves involved in a plot involving aradama-possessed humans and the truth of the great disaster from twenty years ago. The anime has a good variety of female characters and plenty of femslashy subtext too.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Crunchyroll! You can also check out the opening and ending themes on YouTube:
Opening 1
Ending 1
Opening 2
Ending 2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FANDOM NAME: Yoru no Nai Kuni | Nights of Azure

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: A love story of two star-crossed women! Long ago, a demon known as the Nightlord threatened to purge the world into an eternal night, but the Nightlord was defeated by the First Saint, spilling blue blood over the world. Arnice was one such young woman touched by the blue blood, turning her into a half-demon, and now she uses her powers to battle demonic fiends. When her mission takes her to Ruswal Island, she is reunited with Lilysse, a beloved friend from her school days. Lilysse was chosen as the next Saint, expected to sacrifice herself to prevent the Eternal Night, and as Arnice seeks a way to save Lilysse from her fate, romance develops between the two women.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Nights of Azure is an action RPG for the Playstation 4. As examples of the canon yuri between Arnice and Lilysse, these are two of my favorite scenes: a dance scene and a sweet confession.

[skytintedwater]

Based off of your description of Katana Maidens, I think 'Claymore' by Norihiro Yagi (it's also an anime) would be right up your alley.

[learnedfoot]

FANDOM NAME: Pilgrimage (2017) [movie]

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Do you like M/M loyalty kink, protectiveness, age gaps, size difference, and/or just generally lots and lots and lots of longing stares and strongly shippy undertones? Then is this the canon for you.

The story of a small band of monks trying to take a sacred relic to Rome, the thing that makes this movie really worth watching (IMO), is the intense relationship between the two main characters: Diarmuid, a young novice monk who has never seen the world (played by Tom Holland) and the Mute, a hardened warrior with a mysterious backstory who does not talk (played by Jon Bernthal). All the Mute wants to do is keep Diarmuid safe, and it is shippy af.

I feel like this is easiest to convey with a few gifs:



ETA. Also. Here is a thing Jon Bernthal actually said about his character: "He's done all this fighting and killing and losing people in the name of religion, but now he’s committing violence because of his love for this young man. It was essential that you saw that these guys loved each other and cared about each other." That's it, that's the movie.

Oh, and as a bonus you have Richard Armitage as a delightfully pissy villain who may or may not have some sort of backstory with the Mute, and is also good for dirtybadwrong purposes, if that’s your thing.

Also good for atmospheric scenery, religious symbolism, and fun ambiguity about if a mysterious religious object has any actual powers.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: At least in the US, it’s on Hulu for free or $.99 rent depending on your subscription package, and can be rented from Amazon prime for $.99.

[florianschild]

Uh, I watched this on your suggestion and all I can say is HELL YES. I loved it, and it was so open-ended. Perfect for fic! :D

[pegasus143]

FANDOM NAME: Tell Me Why

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan must solve their mother's murder with the help of the supernatural bond between them. But there's a twist -- they already know who killed her, and are instead trying to understand what would drive their mother to attempt murder on her own child. Features nuanced discussion of mental health and gun control, a canon trans character and queer romance (where the words "trans" and "queer" are actually used), indigenous representation, and some of the most stunning videogame scenery I've ever seen.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam, Windows 10 Store, Xbox, various playthroughs on youtube (sorry to those on playstation; it's a microsoft exclusive)

[aearis]

FANDOM NAME: INSOMNIA: The Ark (Video Game, 2018)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The worldbuilding potential! The game is set in a derelict space station that's home to the last of humanity. The world is so complex and interesting and there's so much that could have been done with the different factions, castes, and locations that just felt like it was never explored properly. Perfect fanfic fodder, basically.

A word of warning - the game is pretty buggy in some areas, some text is untranslated (nothing critical), there's no voice acting outside of a little bit in the prologue, and YMMV, but I didn't find the main storyline compelling at all. I don't love the game enough to recommend it at full price, but if you enjoy sci-fi/post-apocalyptic RPGs, it's worth picking up on sale or at least trying out the prologue.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam | GOG

[mere_mortifer]

FANDOM NAME: The Filthy Frank Show
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The Filthy Frank Show was created by now musician-on-the-rise George Miller.
George very rarely made appearances as himself in any of his videos, playing instead a vast array of characters, all with a specific look, voice and personality. Throughout the years he built a lore to go along his commentary-style and music videos—Frank, the main character, lives in a dingy apartment in New York with Pink Guy and Safari Man, but often travels through the Omniverse in order to hide from the powerful Chin Chin and the Peace Lords.

George has given a chance to his audience to take part in the fictional world he created many times during his Youtube career, inviting people to send “sacrifices” (usually short videos, on the same absurd and satirical vein of the show itself) to appease Chin Chin.

Right before he left Youtube for good, George released Francis of the Filth, a story about Frank and the rest of his friends: a real novel with impressive worldbuilding that breaks the mold from the classic semi-biographical books published by other Youtubers.
The story stands on its own, and can be enjoyed even by people who know nothing of where those characters come from—if anything, it’s a precious addition and a worthy ending to what he built up for so many years on Youtube, finally giving a depth to his characters that he couldn’t afford to show in his videos (always comedic, over-the-top, pushing the envelope on what was allowed often enough that he left a permanent mark on internet history).

This fandom existed mostly on Tumblr, where fanarts and old short ficlets can be found if you’re willing to dig deep enough. It’s been living rent-free in my brain for a long time now, and I think it deserves to get a second life during Yuletide. It’s been mixed up in the RPF category on Ao3 (understandable, considering that Georgie as Frank interacted often with a couple of other Youtubers who don’t so obviously play characters on their channels), which is why the numbers are somewhat inflated. I think the actual lore deserves more love and content, and I’d love to nominate it for this year’s exchange, in hopes that someone, after all this time, cares about it as much as I do.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: On Youtube on three separate channels: TVFilthyFrank, TooDamnFilthy and DizastaMusic. Or you could read the book, you can buy the ebook or a physical copy here.

FANDOM NAME: Cancer Crew (YouTube RPF)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Love them or hate them, these bunch of guys in their early twenties revolutionized the YouTube platform. Called by their fans the Cancer Crew (for good reason, none of their content is the ad-friendly type that ends up on the trending page), Max Stanley, Ian Carter, Chad Roberts and George Miller were extremely popular back in the day when the rules on YouTube allowed its creators to show themselves at their most disgusting and still get away with it. If you want an excuse to write dysfunctional friendships, fucked-up life styles, and homoeroticism between supposedly straight guys, this fandom is perfect for you.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Here's a playlist of their collabs on Youtube. There are also a bunch of deleted videos that have been saved by fans on a couple of archives, let me know if you want the link to those.

FANDOM NAME: Nectar, album by Joji - Music Videos
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT Do you like aliens? Do you like mad scientists, space, failed science experiments? Do you like morally grey main characters? Do you like theorizing and speculating, putting together a puzzle, looking for symbolism? Do you like staring at Joji's gorgeous face as he sings about lost loves? If yes, you'll love this fandom.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional) I put together a document with all you can possibly need to get into the mysterious lore of these music video.

Merc StoriA (Anime)

[foxinthestars]

FANDOM NAME:Merc StoriA: The Apathetic Boy and the Girl in a Bottle (Anime)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: A 12-episode anime aimed at a younger target audience. It follows a boy named Yuu who is a healer (ie monster-tamer) and his friend Merc who is a kind of water fairy who lives in a jar. The two travel the world having adventures and meeting fun arc characters in a bunch of interestingly worldbuilt countries: there are furries, there are fairies, there are angels. It all starts out pretty fluffy and simplistic, but as it goes along the arcs get surprisingly deep and twisty; by the end we've seen the impact of depression on relationships, a fantasy indictment of the idol industry, and a person with a disability struggling with their faith in God. The arcs all have happy endings, sometimes at the cost of simplistic-ness or "wait, back up, I think you skipped some stuff," but I like that element of healing atmosphere, and maybe you will too.
(It's also based on an online game but I don't know anything about that. All I know is the anime has characters in its ED who aren't in any of the episodes.)

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): on Crunchyroll (at least in the US)

[lakeeffectgirl]

FANDOM NAME: Mikey & Nicky (1976, dir. Elaine May)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: John Cassavetes calls up his childhood friend Peter Falk and says, "there's a hit man after me," and Peter Falk says, "yes, I will come help you figure this out," and then he tenderly touches John Cassavetes' face a lot and they look at each other like this a lot. (Spoiler b/c you might want to know before pondering this movie for Yuletide: it doesn't have a happy ending. It is a pretty dark movie. But fixing an unhappy ending is something we use fic for, right?) Directed by a woman! Starring two of the best actors of the era!

WHERE TO WATCH: HBO Max or the Criterion Channel with subscription, on tubi with ads, and on something called ShoutTV for free. Available to rent on GooglePlay, YouTube, and AppleTV. It's also available to purchase hard copy as a DVD and as the Criterion Collection special edition. (Someone is also selling a VHS copy on Amazon.)

[hangingfire]

FANDOM NAME: The Young Pope / The New Pope
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Come for the sheer beauty of Jude Law, the gorgeous costumes, the lavish cinematography, the cheeky music choices, and the wit and the sexiness; stay for the thoughtful examination of faith, God, Catholicism, what it means to be a saint, what it means to be holy, how to confront the damage done by our parents, and how to find redemption.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT? HBO

FANDOM NAME: The Peripheral - William Gibson (Should be retagged as "The Jackpot Trilogy - William Gibson")
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Extremely timely work of near and not-so-near-future SF, an examination of income and technology disparity, and the absolutely too-relevant concept of the Jackpot. The less you know going into The Peripheral, the better, and definitely don't read Agency first.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT? Bookstores, your local library, your favorite ebook purveyor.

[strangeh]

Came here to recommend The Young/New Pope! Glad someone else did already. It's transcendent.

[lady_ragnell]

FANDOM NAME: Tom Corbett Space Cadet - Carey Rockwell
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: A book series tying into a 50s sci fi TV show, very much in the boys' own adventure style. Optimistic sci fi, fully ridiculous (there are dinosaurs on Venus!), but really delightful, and our three main characters make for a very good OT3 if that's up your alley. Tom, Roger, and Astro have various adventures that always seem to end in at least one of them getting injured and being worried about and taken care of by the other two, so it is also a great fandom for some hurt/comfort. Sample adventures include an exhibition of new technology leading to a hunt for space pirates, a dinosaur hunt leading to finding criminals in the Venusian forests, and our heroes proctoring a race in space.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): It's on Project Gutenberg! I actually fandom promoed this one last year too, and the comment with all the links to the books in series order (plus more details about this canon) is right here.

FANDOM NAME: Barbie: Star Light Adventure (2016)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This is a brightly colored sci fi adventure with universe-saving stakes, no real villain, some great team training and bonding (including a very good potential f/f relationship between Barbie and one of her friends, check out this gifset to get some idea), plot significant music, and actually some really cool scenery! It's also a Barbie movie, so it's a little silly and contains some blatant buy-this-toy animal companions, but if you want a comfort movie and you like sci fi, this might be the movie for you!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): It's on Netflix in the US, and for at least a while this year, all the Barbie movies were free on YouTube, so it's worth checking if it still is.

The Enchanted Castle - E. Nesbit

[aurilly]

FANDOM NAME: The Enchanted Castle – E. Nesbit

WHAT IT IS:
A single Edwardian children's novel, with lots of magic. It's quite charming and not long. Three siblings make a new friend during summer holidays while staying near a grand castle. There's a larger plot about the mysteries of the castle as well as a few 'magical mishap of the week' adventure chapters.


WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
The whole novel is lovely, but there's a specific element/section that is one of the most beautiful things I've ever read. Basically, there's an ongoing storyline about how the statues of Greek gods and goddesses dotted around the castle gardens come to life every night. This storyline culminates in a long section where the children party with Apollo & Co all night long. All of the gods are wet and sexy and friendly and wise (and maybe half-naked? it's unclear)—especially Apollo, wow. He is swoon-worthy. I want the kids to come back ten years later when they are grown-up and have a slightly less G-rated party with the gods. Or have crossover characters come visit the castle.

In addition to Apollo & Co, the world-building overall is fascinating. There's a suggestion that the gods and goddesses are from another world? And also stuff about links between the castle and other magical places in the world. Plus a beautiful idea about how all statues can or do come to life, but sometimes they choose not to if they are positioned in ugly places.

Another aspect of the novel I love is the relationships between the humans. There's something a little more complex about the child-human dynamics than what you find in other Nesbit books. One of the boys tries to be very gallant with the pretty French schoolteacher who is supposed to be (vaguely) looking after them all summer. Additionally, most of Nesbit's books focus solely on groups of siblings; something about Mabel being outside the family adds an interesting layer to the group.


WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional):
It's free on Gutenberg HERE!

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

[bluegansey]

FANDOM NAME: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Popstar is a mockumentary film starring Andy Samberg as Conner Friel, a musician who started his career with his two childhood best friends as The Style Boyz, until he had a falling out with their writer, Lawrence, and started up a solo act as Conner4Real with the Style Boyz' DJ, Owen. His newest solo album is a critical and commercial failure (rated -4/10 on one site), partly due to partnering with a home appliance company and causing nationwide power outages when the songs are played from almost every fridge, microwave, and dishwasher in America, and he must try to salvage his career and deal with his personal relationships falling apart.

This movie did extremely poorly at the box office, and I have no idea why, because it's one of the most consistently hilarious movies I've ever seen. It's chock full of talent, mostly Andy Samberg's former SNL costars (and Chris Redd, who started on SNL *after* this movie, weirdly) and full of hilarious moments, such as President Obama calling Conner a "dumbfuck" after his album releases and causes nationwide power outages, Conner accidentally signing someone's dick, or a proposal gone horribly wrong and ending in a wolf attack. It's also full of real musician cameos, mostly brief but all amusing. The soundtrack (listen here on Spotify if you like) is also hilarious. This music video for Finest Girl (Bin Laden Song) (no film spoilers) doesn't even appear in the movie, but it's also extremely good.

I am personally going to be requesting Style Boyz OT3, and optional Conner/Hunter the Hungry hatesex.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Google tells me you can rent it on youtube. Unfortunately, I think it's rather limited right now.

Re: Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

[kyrilu]

Thank you for the reminder that this movie exists! I've been in a mockumentary mood lately, and I haven't seen this before - so I decided to rectify that tonight, and it's hilarious. The perspective manipulator! Justin Timberlake cameo! And I totally understand your Connor/Hunter and Style Boyz OT3 feelings (though I lean more toward Connor/Lawrence specifically /o\).

Not sure if I'll be doing anything Yuletide-y for this movie yet, since I'm still figuring out my requests/etc., but I really appreciate the rec - I definitely wanted to watch something lol-worthy tonight and this delivered.

The Barrow

[devilc]

Fandom Name: The Barrow (Sword & Barrow'verse)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
The Barrow is dark (but not relentlessly grimdark) fantasy for grownups who want a story set in a world as richly imagined as anything Tolkein ever came up with, but is chock full of POC POV characters, canonically queer characters, sex, and mordant humor. It's also set in a world whose tech is closer to early modern Europe (gunpowder and the printing press exist) than high medieval fantasy, a world where the printing press is starting to cause huge social-political changes.

Book one (The Barrow) starts off as the classic quest for the missing magical sword, and ends up completely upending (and subverting) all of those expectations. (It also contains a no-shit fuck or die scene.)

Book two (Black Heart) is exploring the repercussions of what happened on that quest, as well as focusing more on political and religious tensions that are mounting.

(If you remember the Artesia comic series of the late 90s-early 2000s, The Barrow is set in the same world, is a prequel to that series, and is told partly from the POV of Artesia's older brother, Stjepan, who is queer.)

The whole series reads like a really fun fanfic -- it's rambling, tropey, and full of canonical crack. (Like, there is a no shit pegging scene that involves a unicorn horn.)

All of my DW entries on The Barrow

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional):
Your public library might have book one (The Barrow) as a book, ebook, or audiobook. Your public library's hoopla package might include it.

Amazon has The Barrow ebook/paper/audio and Black Heart pt 1&2 (ebook)

Drive Thru Comics has ebook or print on demand versions of the Artesia comics, Black Heart, and supplementary materials.

New chapters and supplementary materials about the world are being posted on creator Mark Smylie's Patreon.

Re: The Barrow

[katherine_tag]

This sounds right up my alley! My library's Hoopla has it, so I'm adding it to the TBR pile :)

[littlerhymes]

FANDOM NAME: The Red Witch and Heroine Su
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's a lesbian short film (very short - 4:20) from Taiwan about a red witch and a heroine! Who are in love! They are gay and beautiful! This is like a trailer for a historical fantasy movie that never was. (Apparently the two actresses are a RL couple which is cute.)
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Youtube


FANDOM NAME: Love Drunk by Epik High
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's a Korean music video starring the beautiful Lee Jieun aka IU (Hotel Del Luna) and Jin Seoyeon as - assassin and her mentor? Possibly? It's extremely beautiful and sad and gay. I think they are in love.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Youtube


FANDOM NAME: Tu Tam/Canh Ba by Nguyen Tran Trung Quan
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Vietnamese historical fantasy music video and sequel, with a bisexual love triangle and SEVERAL plot twists! It's incredibly lush and epic, just a visual feast. (CW for death and violence imagery.)
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Youtube - TỰ TÂM and CANH BA

[hiddencait]

Oh The Red Witch and Heroine Su was lovely!! Thanks for sharing it - that was a delight and definitely has tons of fic options!