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

Extraordinary You (K-drama)

[umanothing]

FANDOM NAME: Extraordinary You
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: A k-drama about a high-school girl who finds out she's a character in a manhwa. Her character has a terminal heart disease and an obnoxious love interest, so she decides she can't reconcile herself to living out the manhwa's story. Like the rest of the characters, she only has a will of her own when the writer isn't drawing her in a scene. She has to use those times to rebel against authorial tyranny and struggle to effect a ripple in the authorial consciousness, but this is complicated when she learns of intertextuality and that she had a life (or role, if you will) similar to this one, in a previous work. The show is playfully reflexive of manhwa and k-drama conventions, especially sunjeong/shoujo, so if you're fond of those genres and if meta makes you squee, you'll likely find this delightful. Also, my icon is from the show!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): The show is on Netflix. It's also available for select regions on Viki. The drama is adapted from a Korean webtoon, July Found by Chance, but the drama and the webtoon are so different that the webtoon would be a related fandom.

Re: Extraordinary You (K-drama)

[serkestic]

I've been trying to find an eng version of the webtoon for ages... would uou happen to know?

A Gathering of Dragons - Milla Vane

[pameluke]

FANDOM NAME: A Gathering of Dragons, a book series by Milla Vane

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
Barbarians! Falling slowly in love! Politics and assassinations! A complicated motive about the value of truth. DINOSAURS.

Imagine the Dothraki trying to work out peace between very different tribes and peoples in a world where dinosaurs still roam in the wilds (not very bountiful, but still there), dark magic turns creatures into zombies, and Gods meddle in human affairs.

A generation ago the Destroyer raged over the world and left a trail of death, dark magic, and destruction. The Destroyer was barely held back by several tribes, city-states and people forming an alliance, and while it worked, the politics and scheming make the peace and cooperation fragile.

Now the world is slowly recovering, but rumors grow that the Destroyer might be returning. So when a people's leaders are murdered it sets the alliance tumbling at the worst possible moment. Unless the marriage of convenience between a Barbarian leader and a cast-out City-State queen can restore the balance and start a true alliance to fight back against the Destroyer.

Some prominent tropes: Found Family, Marriage of Convenience, Post-Apocalypse, Enemies To Lovers (Lovers to Enemies to Lovers in book 2).

For fans of Barbarians, Fantasy Romance, the work of Meljean Brook (Milla Vane is a pseudonym)

It's a Barbarian romance series, so there's a lot of violence and gore, and it's a pretty dark and brutal world. Content warnings from the author here (https://millavane.com/books/content-warning/). All sex between main characters is consensual though.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional):
It's a book series currently consisting out of two novels and a novella, so wherever you get those where you are.

Mosquitoes - Kirkwood

[morbane]

[This isn't my promo - I'm re-posting for an anon]

FANDOM NAME: Mosquitoes by Lucy Kirkwood
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's a GLORIOUSLY clever play that uses metaphors about particle physics to demonstrate the somewhat rocky relationship between two sisters. This article sums it up pretty well: Alice is based in Geneva, a physicist who has worked for 11 years on the Large Hadron Collider and has a clever, if disturbed, son called Luke, who is fiercely critical of the environmental consequences of his mother’s work. Jenny, meanwhile, lives in Luton, sells medical insurance, looks after the sisters’ aged mum and loses a baby daughter after scare stories about the MMR vaccine. Both sisters are separated from their partners – though Alice has taken up with an entomologist – but otherwise they seem to belong to different worlds.

It's about broken family dynamics between people who are trying so hard, the complexities of nature, the inevitability of change. And a spark of hope in the distance - all framed through these two sisters who are so ridiculously different from each other. It's clever and heartfelt and heartbreaking. It's such a good play.

The best bit, though, is the monologues delivered by one particular character, which are maniac and earth-shattering and plain full-out terrifying. The Boson lurks between scenes - heavily implied to be Alice's missing ex-husband, but strangely aware of the audience's presence. He's an experimental physicist. And he's very clearly losing it a bit. There's one particular monologue about the different ways the world can end that stuck in my mind for months after I watched this play, and it's honestly an experience like no other.

I'm not doing it justice. I dearly hope there's some other people who've seen/read it out there who understand what I'm talking about.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Ah, now comes the tricky bit! Seeing as it's unfortunately extremely unlikely that it'll be playing anywhere in the world (pandemic! yay!), you're probably not going to be able to see it live like I did. Which is a shame, because it's visually stunning and I cried because it hit me in places I didn't know I was sore.

I got the script on Bookdepository for $15 last year (although the price has raised since then, ugh). You might be able to track it down in other places.

If you want to check out other content related to it (just to see if it's worth it), here's some stuff!:

- The fic I wrote last year for it. (NSFW) I tried to emulate the style, but who knows if I managed it.
- Somebody performed this monologue from it! It's not one of the Major Earthshattering ones that I mentioned above, but it's solid. And also ridiculously well-delivered.
- The soundtrack to the stage production. Gorgeous sound design.

[shinsengumi]

All in on books this year. o/ Reposting last year's and adding another.

FANDOM NAME: Do Not Say We Have Nothing - Madeleine Thien

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
If things you like include...
- Standalone books
- With a framed narrative in some places
- And a huge focus on music and metaphors in others
- Set in and around the time of the cultural revolution in China

Then you might like Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien. It's not a book I'd recommend rushing through and it's not the easiest story to summarise, either, but it's a book that I've really enjoyed and hope others will enjoy too.

Here's Wikipedia's handy summary:
"There are four main eras that the novel focuses on, though they do not necessarily occur in chronological order. The first involves Big Mother Knife, her sister Swirl, and Swirl's husband Wen the Dreamer during the land reform campaign and the executions that were involved. Secondly is the era focusing on Sparrow, Kai and Zhuli during the Cultural Revolution which centers around the Shanghai Conservatory and their experiences there. Thirdly is Sparrow and Ai-Ming, his daughter, during the Tiananmen Square protests and aftermath. Finally, the last era is the "present" which is Marie discovering her connection to all these stories."

The era in the book I was especially taken with took place at the Shanghai Conservatory, although I also really enjoyed following Swirl through her struggles as well as the fraught coverage of Sparrow's life during the protests of the 1980s. I found it poignant, moving, valuable, and full of beautiful phrases.

---

FANDOM NAME: Starless - Jacqueline Carey

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This single-volume fantasy novel centers around the protagonist Khai, who was born twinned to a princess named Zariya. Khai was raised to be Zariya's shadow: destined to defend her life to all ends. Their destiny not only links them together, but to a lost ancient prophecy that tells how to forestall the end of the world.

Also, the gods fell out of the sky (hence Starless) and are walking the earth.

Ask yourself if you like any of the following things, and consider Starless an answer to them all:
- Standalone books
- Interesting soulmate concepts set in lush fantasy lands
- Queer and disabled representation

As an aside, if you're already a fan of Carey's novels, Starless sits proudly alongside them as a good example of her typical craft. Much less sexual than the Kushiel series but more mature and layered than Santa Olivia, Starless features the usual focus on details like: how the (quite competent) lead character became who they are, soulmate themes, different languages, and travelling.

Plotwise, I wouldn't describe Starless as particularly ground-breaking—rather, I think it does a great job of taking a few expectations and putting them into a super satisfying package.

[mousek]

I also nominated Starless! Would you want to coordinate character noms?

Jack Holborn

[athaia]

FANDOM NAME: Jack Holborn

WHAT IS IT?

Jack Holborn is a tv mini-series from 1982 that's based on the book of the same title from 1962. The titular Jack Holborn is an orphan who's determined to become a cabin boy, preferably on Cpt. Sharingham's Charming Molly, ever since he's learned that the captain might be able to solve the mystery of his origins. The good captain is strangely reluctant to cooperate, and puts a condition on the deal: only if Jack manages to save his life three times, will he tell him what happened to his parents on the fateful night thirteen years ago.

The whole affair gets a lot more complicated, though, when the captain's twin brother, the Lord Justice Sharingham, tries to arrest him for piracy on the island of Nautia, off the African coast. There, the captain wounds his brother in a duel, then takes his coat to pass as the honorable Lord Sharingham long enough to escape. But Jack, arriving shortly thereafter and believing he just found his wounded captain, takes the unconscious Lord Sharingham back to the ship, leaving the true captain behind on the island...

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

It’s adventure! It’s the Age of Sail! It’s like Treasure Island, but instead of old and ugly Long John Silver, it has not one, but two gorgeous men on offer!

I watched Jack Holborn as a child because that was a Christmas tradition back then, and because kid!me had a huge crush on Patrick Bach (the actor of Jack Holborn), who I had seen in the previous year’s Christmas special Silas. But my crush paled the moment I laid eyes on Lord Justice Sharingham and his rogue brother, Captain Sharingham:





I mean, how could it not?

Over the years, I forgot most of the plot, and even the resolution to the mystery of Jack’s origin. Only two things stayed with me: the scene where Lord Sharingham (forced to take on the identity of his brother, the pirate) was to be sold on an African slave market, and my deep regret that said pirate brother’s scheme to escape the gallows didn’t work out in the end. Yes, I fell for both brothers (and the tingle that slave market scene gave me was probably another formative fan moment).



That said, there are so many more wonderful characters that I fell in love with on my rewatch of this series: Morris the navigator and his best bud, Vronsky; Mr. Thompson, whose role was probably meant to be nothing more than ‘sleazy, throat-cutting merchant’, but whose actor transcended those confines and gave him a tongue-in-cheek charm that made me actually root for him; and of course Mr. Solomon Trumpet, soldier of fortune and lovable rogue.

The series was made in the eighties and is based on a book from the sixties, so it’s scant on female roles (aaand the non-European characters are really cliché, it has to be said). You have pinched Mrs. Arrows who gives Jack ample motivation to stow away on the Charming Molly, the mysterious Lady Myra, wife of an admiral (whose name isn’t given, as far as I recall), and Yoka, the daughter of Mr. Thompson, who unfortunately wasn’t more than a really obvious plot device. All those women make writer!me itch to flesh them out and give them bigger and more important role in fic, but for this Christmas, Imma indulge and only request fic for this series :-).

That’s not to say that I don’t hope that someone else will request fic for it, too! Although incest is not my thing, even I can’t deny that this setup is an open invitation for this kind of fic. Twin brothers! One of them hates the other for sullying the family name with his pirate shenanigans! They duel! The pirate captain shoots his brother, then kneels beside him, moaning, “John, why?!”



I mean. gestures helplessly

What if he had taken his brother with him to his ship, instead of taking his coat and running away? Maybe Captain Sharingham thought that some weeks in isolation, with nowhere to run if the Lord Justice didn’t want to swim all the way back to England, would give him the opportunity to talk some sense into his brother, and reconcile? Maybe even get him pardoned? Maybe it would’ve been him at the Lord’s bedside instead of Vronsky?



Who knows?

Imma just leave this here for you to contemplate, m’kay?

If you want to write smut, but aren’t into incest, either, Mr. Trumpet here has shown a visceral fear of Captain/Lord Sharingham, both aboard the ship, and after they were shipwrecked. Turns out the Lord had sent him into exile for life for fraud and forgery; but over the course of the series, Mr. Trumpet’s feelings towards his nemesis changed so much that he even helped him to unmask his brother who had stolen his identity back in Bristol (and thus saved his life; if Lord Sharingham hadn’t been able to prove that he was the real Lord, he’d been hanged as the pirate captain Sharingham!). Sooo... enemies to friends. Why not take this a step further in fic?

Lady Myra is Captain Sharingham’s informant — and as it turned out in the last installment of the series, he had not only saved her life, but also procured papers that gave her a new identity, and introduced her into upper class society, which was how she ended up as the admiral’s wife. Jack was convinced at that point that the captain had to have blackmailed her into helping him, and Sharingham didn’t try to argue that point, but I’m convinced it wasn’t pure calculation. He could’ve let her die with her husband and the soldiers that he bombed into oblivion, he already had been paid, after all — but he didn’t. He pulled her out of the water, and then did everything to give her a new life. And the way she looked at him when she brought him news of the Esperance’s course... nope. There’s a secret, long-lasting relationship here, they understand each other, and that marriage to the old admiral is puerly strategic, but the passion she and he pirate feel for each other is the real deal.


I have a lot, and I mean a lot of ideas for this canon, which I will lay out in loving detail in my yuletide letter. But that means YOU have to get yourself this dvd asap and fall in love with the Sharinghams, too!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Here and here. £ 7.97 and $10.95, last I looked. I chose the English version for your convenience, because it's actually a German series (though it was filmed internationally, so everyone spoke English).

The Course of Empire - Eric Flint

[athaia]

FANDOM NAME: The Course of Empire

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

There aren’t that many books where the aliens have won, and won for good, and the ones that do exist focus more on the heroic human resistance than on the part of the population that has resigned themselves to their fate. The Course of Empire is, as far as I know, the only one that doesn’t only do that, but also has one of the aliens as the main character, depicting much of the story from his point of view.

And the aliens in this book are marvellous! Complex, truly alien, consistent, with a unique outsider view of Earth and humans, and completely unapologetic in treating us as their subjects. I read somewhere that the relationship between them and the humans was inspired by Britain’s colonization of India, and I can see that — we are a vassal species to them, and the very fact that we were defeated justifies their treatment of us in their eyes. The twist is that they once were a slave species themselves, so they have a very... pragmatic attitude towards the concept.

The culture of the Jao occupants, from their complicated body language to their political maneuvering among each other, is intricately worked out, and results in truly well-rounded and complex aliens that put any Star Trek race to shame. The authors also give us a glimpse of another alien race, the Ekhat, who are really incomprehensigly alien, and a right Eldritch Horror.

There is a human resistance, but it’s scattered and internally divided, and usually outmatched by the aliens, with no hope of liberating the planet. That is also the opinion of the vast majority of humans, who try to keep their head down, and don’t give a damn if their taxes are collected by human or alien motherfuckers. But what I found most interesting were the jinau — human auxiliaries in the service of the Jao, the alien conquerors. Ed Kralik, one of the major characters of the book, is a former member of the US military, who chose to enlist with the jinau after the war was well and truly lost.

The book doesn’t side with the rebels or the collaborators/colonized, as it mostly tells the story from the viewpoint of the new alien liaison who is meant to take over from the old governor of the planet, which is really refreshing. I don’t want to give away the whole plot, but there is some good stuff for fanfic in there — from the political side, to the romance between Ed Kralik and the daughter of the president (yes, there still is a president of the United States, even if the position is now mostly ceremonial), and even some angst and whump (the aliens capture a rebel and “retrain” him... to the point where he chooses to stay with them when he has the choice to leave).

Aside from all the juicy fanfiction tropes Empire evokes, at its heart it’s a story about two cultures clashing, and about the struggle to understand the other, to find a way to transcend the oppressor vs. subjugated dynamic and to integrate both cultures so that all become stronger. It’s a hopeful story in that regard, which makes it so satisfying for me.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?

You can read it for free on Kindle.

Re: The Course of Empire - Eric Flint

[isis]

I note that this is a two-book series and the second book is not free. Not that this is a dealbreaker! But I'd like to know, is the first book complete of itself, or is the second book needed to understand the whole story (and whatever fic might come from it)?

[jessalae]

FANDOM NAME: "Unbreakable" (Myths & Legends Podcast episode 30)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's a Chilean folktale with a brilliant heroine, a total asshole villain who gets thoroughly put in his place, secret identities, court politics, escapes from mountain lairs, and all sorts of other good stuff. Plus it's a 30 minute podcast episode, so totally free and easy to quickly check out! (The rest of the podcast is ALSO great, but this specific ep I think has huge fic potential.)
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): https://www.mythpodcast.com/3973/30-latin-american-folklore-unbreakable/ or on any podcast app.

FANDOM NAME: Fall of Ile-Rien series - Martha Wells
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: An excellent trilogy of fantasy books, with about a million different things to play with! Highly recommended if you like any of the following:
- snarky, intelligent heroines
- muscley dudes being ride-or-die BFFs who wrestle a lot
- language barriers and cultural misunderstandings
- a WWII-ish aesthetic OR an ancient Greece aesthetic
- political marriages
- matriarchies
- complicated family relationships
- mysterious ancient civilizations that left behind dangerous magic
- super creepy mind control magic
- body horror (not super explicit in the books but could absolutely be explored more in fic)
- pining. SO much pining.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): excerpts are available on the author's website (https://www.marthawells.com/ilerien.htm, scroll for the trilogy) (note: the excerpt for The Wizard Hunters briefly mentions suicidal ideation). The first book is currently available for around $5 on ThriftBooks, and each one is roughly $6-7 for the Kindle edition on Amazon.

3 Fandoms (I'll be nomming all 3): 2 Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant & 1 KPop Music Vid!

[hiddencait]

FANDOM NAME: ROLLING IN THE DEEP (novella) and the sequel novel INTO THE DROWNING DEEP - Mira Grant (duology - checking with mods on how to nominate since only the initial novella is up in the fandom list)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Seanan McGuire has definitely claimed my "fave author" spot at this point, but I am only lately diving into her horror pen name Mira Grant. After getting recced it dozens of times, I started with ROLLING IN THE DEEP and holy hells it may be one of my faves of her books. Why? Four words: deep sea murder mermaids. Seriously, if you ever watched The Little Mermaid and wished she'd eaten people, this is the book series for you LOL. The first novella tells the story of a doomed ship that sails out with scientists, mermaid performers, and actors/crew to film a cryptid mockumentary for the Imagine Network. We get the ship's story interspersed with transcripts from the mockumentary that aired after the ship was found adrift with all hands lost (this isn't a spoiler - you know they are doomed right from the get-go LOL). The sequel - a full length novel - follows a second voyage of the lost crew's family members, colleagues, and other scientists that sets out to find what happened to the first ship. It's just a blast of a concept with a great diverse cast of characters and interspersed mixed media sections of transcripts/etc that just make me utterly happy. If you like horror or darker SFF at all, I think you'll like it!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Anywhere you can read/buy books - tho note: ROLLING was a Subterranean Press limited edition when it first came out, so that is only available via ebook or audiobook now.

---

FANDOM NAME: "The Proper Thing" - a Patreon short story by Seanan McGuire (probably closer to a novella length as it's 102 pages via PDF but she released it for her short story patrons)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: ... I did just mention McGuire is my fave author right? LOL Quite a few of her urban fantasy novel series always show up in Yuletide (October Daye, Indexing, Incryptid etc), but I haven't seen any of her short stories previously, and this is probably my favorite I've read so far. It's just gorgeous with a fantastic magical system: hidden shops connected to each other across the world selling exclusive magical items. The shop we start at specializes in magical cheese. MAGICAL CHEESE MY LACTOSE INTOLERANT SELF CAN'T EVEN I SWEAR. LOL. But it also deals with consent and what it means to be a person or an animal or a monster and just... I honestly have a hard time describing this story. It was one of those that just had me staring at the wall in awe once I finished it!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): It's a Patreon exclusive here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/proper-thing-36645089 Yes it is behind a paywall; however, you can get access to all of her Patreon short story backlist for the lowest $1 tier which is a STEAL y'all. I have enjoyed all of them (including ones that are series specific side stories!), and am only specifically requesting this one as my fave.

---

FANDOM NAME: Red Velvet - IRENE & SEULGI 'Monster' Music Video
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:I will admit, I'm a Kpop newbie, but this was one of the first vids a friend shared with me and I'm hooked! The group actually has a lot of RPF fic, but I am specifically wanting fic for this music video in particular. It is fantastically creepy glamorous with kick ass choreography along to a song that keeps getting stuck in my head. I think it could lend itself to some fantastic horror-ish prompts and fanfics, and I'm super excited to request and see what people write for it!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Youtube complete with translated lyrics! https://youtu.be/Ujb-gvqsoi0

Re: 3 Fandoms (I'll be nomming all 3): 2 Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant & 1 KPop Music Vid!

[kitsunerei88]

I just wanted to say I did not know that Mira Grant was Seanan McGuire's horror pen-name and while I have read none of her work under her own name I *loved* Feed, so now these are on my list :O

Planet of the Apes (TV)

[athaia]

FANDOM NAME: Planet of the Apes (tv series)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

So this is my One True Fandom, which I will love eternally, but request in exchanges only occasionally, because I can fill all my narrative needs myself (with one notable exception, which is why I'm nominating it this year).

But!

I do want to win you over, my soon-to-be-fellow-fan! Because lemme tell ya, it is lonely in this old and forgotten fandom. I need people to rewatch this thing with me, to squee, to drool over the occasionally-shirtless leads, to speculate on the worldbuilding, and to generally have a good time. I mean, I could have all of this if I simply chose a megafandom, but for some inexplicable reason, I fell madly in love with this one, and it seems I'm stuck with it.

So, what does this series have to offer?

Badass heroes:





A smart villain (unusual for a 70's series!). Mark Lenard also really loved to ham it up to eleven with this character, which adds to the charm.



A delightfully sarcastic Galen (yes, this is Cornelius from the movie, but the actor is the same and frankly, Galen looked the same, so work with me here):




Fanservice.



Fanservice.


More fanservice.



Fanservice for those of us who love whump.



More whump.



Did I mention fanservice?



Okay, but apart from the appeal to my your primal instincts, what makes this series so appealing?

I think the thing that tickles my id is the ‘man (men) on the run’ trope. It’s the hunter-prey dynamic that I love — it’s what I also love in Farscape and The Fugitive. And of course the bouts of actual capture, torture, and daring rescue that are interspersed into the greater context of the hunt.

And, similar to The Course of Empire, this is a setting where humans are no longer the dominant species. The power structure has been turned on its head, and since this takes place in the former U.S., it's even more blatant.

But I think what drew me to this series most was the potential. Oh man, so much potential, and all the writers (or producers) could think of was the capture of the week. But from a fan perspective, it's ideal: so many gaps to fill, so much room to speculate, create, and expand the canon...


WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): I think you can still find some of the episodes on youtube, but the dvd is available for ~ $20, too.

Vienna Blood (TV)

[corvidology]

FANDOM NAME: Vienna Blood (TV)

Summary mostly from Wikipedia: Vienna Blood is a 2019 British-Austrian psychological thriller television series set in Vienna, Austria in 1906. Based on the Liebermann novels by Frank Tallis, screenplay by Stephen Thompson, the series follows Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard), a doctor and student of Sigmund Freud, as he assists Police Detective Oskar Rheinhardt (Jürgen Maurer). By providing psychological insights into the subjects’ motives, they investigate disturbing murders with success. A continuing sub-theme is the growing anti-Semitism against the Liebermann family.

It was only 3 (90 minutes) episodes in Europe, split into 6 (45 minutes) episodes when shown on PBS in the U.S. A second season has been ordered but will not be released until next year at the earliest, so it's a quick canon to check out.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
It has really interesting interwoven storylines but the main one is the developing friendship/partnership between these two very different men, one a young, somewhat idealistic, doctor exploring a brand new method of treatment and a cynical cop who's been around the block one too many times. Yes, it has bags of M/M potential if you're into this sort of mismatched highly competent pairing with very different but complimentary skills but there's also definite M/F (including canon) as well as F/F potential.

Main cast:
Matthew Beard as Max Liebermann
Jürgen Maurer as Oskar Reinhardt
Luise von Finckh as Clara
Jessica De Gouw as Amelia Lydgate
Amelia Bullmore as Rachel Liebermann
Conleth Hill as Mendel Liebermann

Series trailer

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: BBC iPlayer, some local PBS outlets in the States and Amazon Prime.

The Three Musketeers (2011 Anderson)

[corvidology]

FANDOM NAME: The Three Musketeers (2011 Anderson)

The Three Musketeers is a 2011 romantic action adventure film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson and starring Matthew Macfadyen, Logan Lerman, Ray Stevenson, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Mads Mikkelsen, Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz, Juno Temple and Freddie Fox. It is based on Alexandre Dumas’s 1844 novel of the same title but with clock-punk elements like airships.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
Did you see that cast list? Really, this is one of the silliest takes I've ever seen on this classic story but the brilliant cast chew the scenery beautifully and it's a romp of a film. If you're a shipper, there are a LOT of options in this movie in just about any combination you might want.

Film trailer

The first five minutes of the film if you'd like a taste of it - SPOILERS of course!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT? : Netflix (not in the US), Amazon Prime, Hulu. If you have a mad urge to buy it the HD version is usually under $10.

Re: The Three Musketeers (2011 Anderson)

[corinalannister]

This movie is great, I loved it! It was quite comical at times too. So many opportunities for romantic shipping too.

Battle Creek (TV)

[corvidology]

FANDOM NAME: Battle Creek (TV)

Starring Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters, the show followed the mismatched partnership of a police detective and FBI agent in Battle Creek, Michigan.

There's only 1 season of 13 episodes before it was tragically cancelled.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

The local police department is underfunded so the assignment of an FBI agent seems like a dream come true for their captain. Not so much for Detective Agnew. It's an 'odd couple' story with the added delight of off-beat cases such as the illegal trade in maple syrup.

Fans love Dean Winters as Mayhem in the TV insurance ads but this show seems to have passed people by.

Cast:
Josh Duhamel as Special Agent Milton 'Milt' Chamberlain
Dean Winters as Detective Russell 'Russ' Agnew
Aubrey Dollar as Office Manager Holly Dale
Edward "Grapevine" Fordham Jr. as Detective Aaron 'Funk' Funkhauser
Kal Penn as Detective Fontanelle 'Font' White
Janet McTeer as Commander Kim 'Guz' Guziewicz
Liza Lapira as Detective Erin 'E' Jacocks
Damon Herriman as Detective Niblet
Meredith Eaton as Meredith Oberling, BCPD's medical examiner
Also, guest stars like Candace Bergen and Patton Oswalt.

TV show trailer

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: Netflix, Amazon Prime and some other streaming sites.

Re: Battle Creek (TV)

[karios]

I literally just finished Battle Creek this morning and I'm so happy to see it here.

[ambyr]

FANDOM NAME: Phantom of the Opera (Synetic Theatre)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Have you ever seen Phantom of the Opera and thought, "This is fine, but it would be better if it were a silent dance production and, more importantly, if it were femslash"? Have I got you covered.



WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): ...sadly, if you mean "the whole production," you can't find it in recorded form. However, I have assembled some helpful links, including the trailer, production stills, and official synopsis from the program.

[tree]

oh. oh my. i never knew i needed this until all its glory was before me. thank you.

Romances of Arquitaine & Line of Duty

[kitsunerei88]

FANDOM NAME: Romances of Arquitaine by Lilith Saintcrow

SUMMARY: This is a two book duology by one of my favorite authors, Lilith Saintcrow, who also writes under Lili St. Crow, S.C. Emmett, and Anna Beguine. Rather than providing a full summary, here is the back of the book blurb off Amazon!

Vianne di Rocancheil has been largely content to play the gawky provincial. As lady in waiting at the Court of Arquitaine, she studies her books, watches for intrigue, and shepherds her foolhardy Princesse safely through the glittering whirl. Court is a sometimes-unpleasant waltz, especially for the unwary, but Vianne treads its measured steps well.

Unfortunately, the dance has changed. Treachery is afoot in gilded and velvet halls. A sorcerous conspiracy is unleashed, with blood, death, and warfare close behind. Her Princesse murdered and her own life in jeopardy, Vianne must flee, carrying the fate of her land with her -- the Great Seal of Arquitaine, awake after its long sleep. Invasion threatens, civil war looms, and the conspiracy hunts for Vianne di Rocancheil, to kill or to use her against all she holds dear.

A life of dances, intrigues, and fashion has not prepared her for this. Nor has it prepared her for Tristan d'Arcenne, Captain of the King's Guard and player in the most dangerous games conspiracy can devise. Yet to save her country and avenge her Princesse, Vianne will become what she must, say what she should, and do whatever is required.

A Queen can do no less.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: My absolute, most favourite thing about this book is that Vianne is not a Strong Female Character. She does not mysteriously find strength, she does not pick up a sword and fight for her country, and she's really rather helpless, particularly in the first half of the first book. She is exactly what she should be as a pampered noblewoman who's been raised to be a princess' companion! She has her interests, but she is patently not prepared to become the figurehead of one side of a civil war. In terms of the romance, I love that her romance with Tristan is complicated (for reasons that would be spoiler-y to explain), and I love that this is not a simple series and that Saintcrow doesn't hesitate from the hard things, the wrong things, and the bad things. Trigger warning for Book 2: dubcon.

This book doesn't get the credit it deserves, and a big part of that is that it's very poorly characterized and marketed by its publishers. This looks and sounds like a Young Adult novel. It is not. See trigger warning above. This is what I wish Young Adult fiction would grow up to be.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Amazon, and probably anywhere else that you find books (especially ebooks).

------

FANDOM NAME: Line of Duty (British TV series)

SUMMARY: This is a 5-season British police procedural series, with a 6th season in production. From Wikipedia:

Line of Duty follows D.S. Steve Arnott (Martin Compston), an authorised firearms officer who was transferred to Anti-Corruption Unit 12 (AC-12) after refusing to agree to cover up an unlawful shooting by his own team. At AC-12 Arnott is partnered with D.C. Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure), a highly-commended undercover officer with a keen investigative instinct. They work under the supervision of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), who is one of several Senior Investigating Officers (along with D.C.S. Patricia Carmichael (Anna Maxwell Martin) of AC-3 and those of AC-9) responsible for uncovering corruption within the police force. Throughout the series, AC-12 investigate seemingly disparate cases involving seemingly-corrupt police officers such as D.C.I. Tony Gates (Lennie James), D.I. Lindsay Denton (Keeley Hawes), Sergeant Danny Waldron (Daniel Mays), D.C.I. Roseanne Huntley (Thandie Newton), and undercover officer D.S. John Corbett (Stephen Graham). AC-12 realise the pervasive nature of corruption and the police's deep-rooted links to an organised crime group.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: As a lawyer, my favourite thing about this show is that it does better on procedure and the law than the vast, vast majority of police procedurals out there. In other police procedurals, they "catch the bad guy" while I'm screaming about how many rules they broke and how there is no evidence and this case is literally going to be tossed out by the Crown before they even get in front of a judge; for Line of Duty, while it isn't perfect, there is enough there for me to suspend my disbelief. Hello, recognition that there are actual procedures that need to be followed with real consequences if they aren't!

I also have to commend the characterization of the show. Steve Arnott is, at the beginning of the series, still dealing with the fact that he's lost a prestigious position in Anti-Terrorism, and with the sense of identity he has with the police and how he is now, essentially, investigating his own. The acting is also phenomenal, and I love how at the end, there aren't any easy solutions.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Netflix (Canada), CBC Gem (Canada), Amazon Prime, likely BBC, and other outlets.

Re: Romances of Arquitaine & Line of Duty

[hiddencait]

Ooo that book sounds good.... *adds it to the wishlist*

Inspector O - James Church

[gramarye1971]

(Repeating this, with some modifications, from a previous Yuletide rec post)

FANDOM NAME Inspector O - James Church

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT
I freely admit that 2020 is not a good year to be writing fic involving police procedurals, but the Inspector O series puts an unusual twist on the detective noir genre. Inspector O, the series protagonist, is a police investigator for the Ministry of People's Security in Pyongyang, the unloved local policing force of the North Korean capital. Yes, this is a North Korean police procedural -- James Church is the pseudonym of a former Western intelligence officer who has extensive experience in the region, and has drawn on his work background in developing this unique series.

For the most part, Inspector O is responsible for looking into cases that fall on the fine line between police work and state security, which in North Korea has a lot of overlap. An unidentified foreigner found dead in the city's elite Koryo Hotel, a daylight bank robbery (quite possibly the first in Pyongyang's history) that looks like it might be an inside job...these are the types of cases that land on O's desk. They are also the types of cases that the higher-ups almost never want to see actually solved, even though they need to identify culprit, so O frequently ends up working not only against the criminals but also against the entire bureaucratic machine -- a daunting prospect, in a country like North Korea.

Staple stuff of noir: the immediate crime, the overarching conspiracy or coverup behind it, the cop or detective who fully understands what he's up against but nonetheless tries to get to the bottom of it out of sheer stubbornness or some other internal motivation. All familiar enough. But Church has crafted an interesting protagonist who works well within his unusual setting. O is the grandson of a revered anti-Japanese resistance fighter (implied to have been a close compatriot of Kim Il-sung himself) and the son of parents who were killed during the Korean War. This lineage affords him a certain amount of protection in North Korean society that makes it possible for him to flout more than a few of its written and unwritten rules. He almost never wears his badge with Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il on it -- a transgression that would have severe repercussions for an ordinary citizen -- and his grandfather's pragmatism has given him very little interest in ideologies of any kind. At the same time, he's quick to take offense when any foreigner denigrates his country, and more than one foreign intelligence operative finds out that O is not a person to be trifled with. He's able to embody the contradictions of the genre rather well. And the secondary characters (including the women, who aren't just femmes fatale or other noir-ish stereotypes) also are good about driving the plot, whether you're hoping for them to get out alive or eagerly waiting for their comeuppance.

In the later books of the series, the location shifts out of Pyongyang, and Inspector O shares the spotlight with his nephew, Major Bing -- a Chinese-Korean officer who operates in the border region between North Korea and China, attempting to keep a lid on the smuggling, human trafficking, and other illegal activities that are rampant in the area. Bing is a thought-provoking character in his own right, not quite as ready to buck the system as O is but equally devoted to maintaining his personal integrity in deeply corrupt social and political structures.

As might be expected from the subject matter, the series can be pretty brutal at times. For instance, the first book, The Corpse in the Koryo, ends in a veritable bloodbath, and the second one, Hidden Moon, sees O caught up in an interrogation scene that doesn't gloss over the physical and psychological torture elements. But if you're interested in a mystery, espionage, or police procedural series that's a little out of the ordinary, and have more than a passing interest in North Korea, the Inspector O books are worth investigating.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
There are six novels in the series, which are relatively easy to acquire through the usual book channels. (My local library had several of them to start with.) Major Bing makes his first appearance in the fifth book in the series, A Drop of Chinese Blood. James Church occasionally publishes short 'conversations' with Inspector O on the 38 North website -- I recommend going back to the beginning of the conversation series. These little snippets were enough to draw me into getting the first two books from the library.

Three Sci-Fi RPGs

[aearis]

FANDOM NAME: The Technomancer (Video Game, 2016)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The Technomancer is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG set on Mars. You play as Zach, a newly-graduated technomancer who quickly gets caught up in a conspiracy and has to go on the run, enlisting other factions for help. The main locations you can visit (Ophir - the capital city of the Abundance corporation, Noctis - a secret city built into a canyon, Mutant Valley - a settlement built by escaped mutants, who are more or less treated as slaves by everyone else) are stunning, each with rich origin stories just waiting to be delved into. The characters are complex and interesting, even the NPCs and side characters. There are 5 companions to recruit, 3 of whom are possible romance options (yes, you can be gay, and the MLM romance is arguably the best of the three). I really love this game, but I don't want to say too much because a lot of the story hinges on secrecy and things not being what they seem.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam | GOG | PS4 | Xbox One | Cutscene Movie

FANDOM NAME: ELEX (Video Game, 2017)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Elex is an open world post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy RPG. Several years before the start of the game, a comet crashed into the planet of Magalan, causing the extinction of nearly all advanced civilisation. The comet brought with it a new element called elex, which caused some humans and animals to mutate while others split off into factions and made use of it in different ways. The Berserkers transmute it into Mana, which they use to cast magic, while the Clerics use elex to create weapons and machinery, the Outlaws use it to create stimulants they inject into themselves, and the Albs consume it raw to make themselves stronger at the cost of suppressing their emotions.

You play as Jax, a former Alb commander whose raider is shot down while on a mission. His brother Kallax is sent to execute him for his failure, but Jax survives and sets out on a quest to find out who sabotaged his mission and ordered his execution. Along the way, he has to deal with the effects of elex withdrawal, one of which is coming to terms with having emotions. The game operates on a 'cold' system, giving the player choices to make Jax more logical or emotional, which affects some quests and character interactions as well as the ending. There are 7 companions to recruit and 2 romance options, though the romances aren't particularly deep, all you get is a cutscene and some extra dialogue.

This game is basically all my favourite RPG genres rolled into one game. Swords, bows, guns, magic, it's got it all. Second of all, the world is huge and so much fun to explore. It's got five main areas - the forests of Edan, home to the medieval-esque Berserkers; the deserts of Tavar, home to the Outlaws who build everything out of scrap; the volcanic regions of Ignadon, home to the futuristic Clerics; the frozen mountains of Xacor, home to the Albs, and the forests of Abessa, a neutral zone with civil war brewing in its main settlement, the Domed City. The worldbuilding is fantastic, with lots of side quests that draw you into the NPCs' daily lives, and journals and audio logs that give you snippets of what Magalan was like before the comet hit. The game also has great characters, but there's a disappointing lack of interaction with your companions outside of quests and between the companions themselves that I'm hoping can be rectified through fanfic.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam | GOG | Xbox One | PS4

FANDOM NAME: The Outer Worlds (Video Game, 2019)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This is, essentially, Space Capitalism: The Game. The game was directed by the creators of Fallout, and other people have likened it to Fallout in space if that's something that appeals to you. I've never played Fallout, so to me, TOW has the vibes of a Mass Effect/Firefly crossover.

You play as a colonist rescued from the abandoned colony ship the Hope, sent off on a quest to retrieve the materials needed to rescue the other colonists trapped in cryosleep. The game takes place in the Halcyon system which has been colonised by a conglomerate of corporations, and you have to fight your way through monsters and outlandish corporate politics to save the colonists on the Hope. Joining you on this adventure are six companions and the AI of your ship, the Unreliable.

Some things I love about this game are how the alien worlds actually feel alien, the outrageous yet unfortunately believable depiction of what a space frontier founded by corporations would look like, and the super fun characters - not just your companions, but the NPCs too. My absolute favourite thing is the questline dedicated to getting your asexual lesbian companion a date with the engineer lady she has a crush on.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Epic Games | Xbox One | PS4 | Switch | Cutscene Movie

2 fandoms: craigslist found footage posts | apothecia

[sushiflop]

FANDOM NAME: craigslist found footage posts - Trever Henderson | slimyswampghost
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: these pieces of horror art are incredibly unsettling and evocative. I love horror where the strange reaches out, touches, and ultimately infests the lives of humans, and I think a really interesting story could easily be written about any scenario portrayed here! I most like thinking about what would happen after the Craigslist ads, especially if the humans aren't just killed, but have to make the best of strangeness, fear, and alien intelligence taking over some part of their lives.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional):

m i s s e d c o n n e c t i o n s
this seems weird
found a weird craigslist ad

-

FANDOM NAME: Apothecia
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This story is about a super-evil spore alien getting stranded on earth and changing a young woman named Jessie's life, not for the better. In this case, what I love most about the comic is how it seems like Jessie, who is really young and lonely and mostly unheard in her life, seems to connect more genuinely than the alien than she has to anyone else. It listens to her, engages her, draws out her opinions, and it takes a weirdly parental tone with her sometimes ("YOU DO NOT CHITTER. ALL YOUNG THINGS SHOULD CHITTER."). The end of the comic leaves them (highlight for spoilers) as two consciousnesses sharing a body that is an amalgamation of the (now adult) Jessie's body and the alien, and I am frankly DYING for more fic that explores the two of them adjusting to the situation.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): this webcomic is under 100 pages and can be read for free online here.

Simoun (anime)

[reconditarmonia]

FANDOM NAME: Simoun
WHAT IS IT?: 26-episode anime.



In the fictional setting of this series, all people are born female, and choose to become a man or woman when they come of age. Maidens who have not yet chosen their permanent sex are the only ones who are able to pilot the Simouns, ancient aircraft used to draw magical shapes in the sky as a form of prayer. A Simoun flies with two pilots who need to kiss to make it go.

The protagonists' country is embroiled in a war with its neighbors, and the power of the Simouns has been repurposed as a weapon. The anime focuses on a "choir" or squad of Simoun pilots, who have a lot of differing views about their positions (are they priestesses or soldiers?) and reasons for being there (family tradition, not wanting to choose a gender, proving themself, protect others, etc.)

Among the main characters are Neviril, the leader of the team and respected priestess, whose confidence and mental health are badly damaged when her girlfriend/flight partner dies in battle; Aer, a new recruit who thinks of this all more as battle than as prayer, doesn't want to choose a gender, and is determined to fly with Neviril because she's the best; and Paraietta, Neviril's childhood friend and right-hand woman who wants to protect and look after her.

Warning for some attempted sexual assault.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: I really like that, in the mold of so many of the best epic yuri and/or shoujo animes, Everything Is Beautiful And Then Shit Gets Real and that's actually a theme of the series, with the characters grappling with what their position as sibyllae (priestesses/pilots) means to them and to others. On my most recent rewatch, I found the focus on the characters' agency to determine what being sibyllae means, and who they are, to be really meaningful.

I like that the interpersonal stuff (and there are several canon f/f ships as well as non-canon femslashy dynamics, and also a ship that gets a bit of screentime with one of the pilots and a trans guy mechanic) doesn't feel like a tedious distraction from the main plot - it feeds into it. There are some really compelling one-to-one and also group dynamics.

And it's a military anime with a kickass soundtrack where the lesbians kiss to make the planes fly.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): It's probably still on Kissanime/Gogoanime or similar, but Ebay has DVDs of the entire series for about $20.

Where the Sky is Silver

[reconditarmonia]

(full disclosure: I read this recently and am still processing, so I may or may not request it.)

FANDOM NAME: Where the Sky is Silver and the Earth is Brass

WHAT IS IT?: Short story by Sonya Taaffe.

Chaye is a Jewish former anti-Nazi partisan, now immigrated to Boston. And a demon out of folklore has followed her.

“We live in your mirrors. Where else would we go?...I lived where I was born, like all of us, between your dreams and your nightmares, in the land where the sky is silver and the earth is brass and all windows are mirrors, all mirrors are doors. It turned to broken glass, like yours did. Where you don’t stay, we can’t, either.”

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: I'm fascinated by the glimpses of the demon's country, by how much he and they need her and hers. And Chaye, who named her bullets for her brothers who'd been killed, and her time in the partisans. It's also just beautifully written.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): https://uncannymagazine.com/article/where-the-sky-is-silver-and-the-earth-is-brass/

Arcadia Project Series - Mishell Baker

[gostaks]

FANDOM NAME: Arcadia Project Series - Mishell Baker

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

Do you love urban fantasy? New and interesting magic systems? Complex and nuanced portrayals of mental illness, neurodivergence, and disability? Try the Arcadia Project series!

Millie Roper, a young woman with BPD, is recruited to an agency that helps young mentally ill creatives in LA find jobs in the entertainment industry. The catch? The Arcadia Project also regulates the boundaries between this universe and a parallel reality filled with faries, warlocks, and monsters.

(cw for major character death, graphic violence, past sexual abuse, suicide, and general dark tone/heavy subject material)

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): The books are on Amazon and available at my local library, so they should be pretty easy to find!

Re: Arcadia Project Series - Mishell Baker

[hiddencait]

Oh damn this sounds seriously cool!! *scampers to add it to the wishlist*

成化十四年 | The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty

[xiuzhe]

FANDOM NAME: 成化十四年 | The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (TV)

WHAT IS IT?:

The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty is a 48 episode series based on the novel The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua by Meng Xi Shi. Set in the late 15th century, it follows Tang Fan (courtesy Runqing), a lower sixth-ranked official serving as a magistrate in the Shuntian Prefecture, and Sui Zhou (courtesy Guangchuan), a seventh-ranked zongqi of The Embroidered Guard, as their paths fatefully converge over the intertwined mysteries of the disappearance of the Crown Prince's study companion and the sudden death of a Marquis' eldest son.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:

- It's produced by Jackie Chan, and his touch shines throughout, particularly in the action sequences. The choreography is more realistic as a whole than some of his usual fare, but it's not without its moments of physical comedy.

- It's a delightful mashup of an imperial palace drama and a detective serial, managing to play both of these genre strengths very strongly off one another while largely avoiding the shortfalls of either. For the former, there is a lot of political intrigue, powerplaying between various parties of even more varying social status and capital, and interdepartmental infighting beneath the thin guise of unity in service of Ming (and just what that service becomes, and the choices one must make as to where they will lay their loyalty, when the Emperor becomes a distinguishable entity from the State). For the latter, the cases are very engaging even in their lulls; Sleuth's roster by its nature is stacked with genius characters on all sides, and their strengths all play off and against one another. The show avoids the temptation of setting up its antagonists to fail in order to show off the intelligence of the protagonists; similarly, few characters can be arguably considered consistently morally good, if at all, and fewer still of them stand on the "right" side. Everyone is nuanced, fallible, and, at times, utterly detestable, and the questions that arise from that ambiguity make for compelling considerations.

- Bouncing off the above: the cast is full of very strong characters, from supporting regulars through to once-offs. While Tang Fan and Sui Zhou are largely the draw and the focus, they're surrounded by friends and foes alike that round them out and breathe life into the world they inhabit. The third main character is especially intriguing as a polarising presence that is inextricable from that of Tang Fan and Sui Zhou: Wang Zhi, a former palace eunuch in the service of Noble Consort Wan and the current leader of the Western Depot.

- While the nature of the adaption means the relationship between Sui Zhou and Tang Fan is not textually explicit as it is in the novel, it is incredibly blatant in its everything-buts. It is reinforced throughout the show that they are one another's most important person; a rare meeting of belief in both what is right and what is just and the integrity to follow through on it even at great personal cost. I love you is never said outright, but it is said aloud in innumerable acts of service, in narrative parallels, in silent devotions and shouted declarations, and in how even other characters say that they are one another's balance and balm - two halves of a whole who complement as much as they comfort their respective other's weaknesses and wounds.

- It really goes in on its tropes and luxuriates in every single one of them to excess. Found family? Crossdressing? Going undercover/identity porn? More whump than you're going to know what to do with? Got you covered.

- A visually stunning production on all fronts. The sets and costuming are gorgeous, and it is staged and shot beautifully. Also, there is just, so much food porn. There are so many lovingly drawn-out sequences of characters cooking, and so, so many mouth-watering close-ups of delicious dishes. You would be forgiven for seeing parts of this show in passing and thinking it's some sort of historical foodie piece, because it's not far off from the truth, really: food and all the intimacies and connections that come with it is a central theme throughout.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?:

iQiyi (first four episodes free, rest behind VIP paywall)
Viki (free at 480p, VIP paywall for higher qualities)
The original novel, though it diverges very dramatically from the show, can be read here (there is no complete translation to English at this stage, but xoai ngon has released 18 chapters as of this post)

Still on the fence? Here's two trailers that leave two very different impressions, yet manage to capture a good feel of the show as a buy-in: one | two

[itsmariemccurdy]

FANDOM NAME: 13 Hours

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Ok bear with me, it's problematic political content. However, I have a mighty thirst for muscular bearded military men doing manly stuff. This movie covers the real attack in Benghazi and features the real people who were there. That said, I am not interested in the real men this movie is based on, but their fictionalized portrayals. One of the characters, Oz, has a sniping, tense relationship with a CIA analyst, Sona. As the battle heats up, Oz and Sona work together culminating in the ultimate sad/soft moment between the two that sets my shipper heart aflame. I would kill for some fic of these two reuniting after the battle, maybe while he's recovering from his injuries. There's so much intensity to work with, it kills me that there isn't more fic of them. At some point, I am going to use them as the basis for an original novel, but today is not that day.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Available on demand if you get FX or for rent or purchase anywhere


FANDOM NAME: Mackinnon's Rangers

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Last of the Mohicans turned up to 11 with steamy, steamy goodness. The MacKinnon brothers are fantastic and drink lots of their respect women juice. Great action set against a complex historical background not utilized often in historical romance. But what I'm mostly interested in are two characters who never got their own books: Joseph, the Mackinnon's Mahican "brother," and Lt Cooke, the primary antagonist's aide de camp. Joseph longs for the late be his brother's found and his story could fit right in with the primary theme of forbidden love overcoming all obstacles. Cooke has this fantastic understated story through the three books as he developed from a passive follower to a standing up for what he believes. I would love a story to see where either or both of these men wind up.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): the Mackinnon's Rangers series is by Pamela Clare and available anywhere you get your ebooks. If you're feeling up to reading more than one of them, I recommend skipping the first book. It delves into some triggering content and story wise it doesn't cover anything the 2nd and 3rd book don't do better.

[hiddencait]

"The MacKinnon brothers are fantastic and drink lots of their respect women juice." ahahaha yessssssss

Laverne & Shirley, a Holiday Reunion - XFinity (Commercial), and Light of Day (1987)

[bring_me_sugar]

FANDOM NAME: Laverne & Shirley (TV)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This has been the Year of Comfort Fandoms for me, and no fandom is more comforting than Laverne and Shirley. An 8-season long 70's-80's sitcom about two bottlecapping, working-class childhood best friends sharing a basement apartment in '50s - early '60's era Milwaukee (and then mid-to-late '60's era California), it's both slices of inventive slapstick and surprisingly poignant character study. It's femmeslashy with plenty of room for m/m, poly or het, it's got surprisingly good character material yet has plenty of room for crackfic and explores a lot of genres in its goofy way throughout its run. L&S is a wonderful black dress fandom where lots of plot twists "go" with it.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): The show airs in long blocks on LogoTV every week (see this Schedule), making it possible to watch the majority of the show in a month and a half - not that I recommend this due to the edits they use and their tendency to skip episodes (see the show's Wikipedia listing for the correct and full episode order). MeTV currently airs an hour of the show every Sunday from 3-4 PM EST (see this Schedule) with much improved syndication edits. With no legal streaming options or individual episode purchases available, don't tell Paramount I linked to This playlist filled with the show's entire run of full episodes, DVD rips in HQ, uploaded in the correct order and in their entirety.


FANDOM NAME: A Holiday Reunion -Xfinity (Commercials)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This came out after last year's nomination process had gone through and the second I saw it last Thanksgiving I knew I wanted to request something for it this year. A sequel to the 1982 film that I believe works without having seen the movie (though if you want to, it's on Youtube for $3.999 and airs on Bravo and its sister channels a lot) has the alien return to visit Elliott and his family for Christmas. Fluff and emotions ensue. Watch this and try not to picture a story where Elliott and his family visit E.T.'s fam, or all of the missing scenes we didn't get to see, or how Michael and Gertie react to Elliott's news about the visit.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: It's still up in its entirety On XFinity's Youtube Page.



FANDOM NAME: Light of Day (1987)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Paul Schrader directs a blue collar drama about religion, guilt, rock and roll, family inheritance and dreams deferred. With some fascinating character studies, it stars Joan Jett and Michael J. Fox as two siblings, Joe and Patti Rasnick, who perform in a bar band and dream of making it to the big leagues. Patti would do anything - including multiple illegal acts - to reach fame and defy the expectations of their religious and disapproving mother, Jeanette (Gena Rowlands), who remains furious that Patti has rejected God and won't tell her who fathered her son, Benji (big old rape and abuse of religious authority TWs on the result of that plotline). Rounding out the cast is Michael McKean as Bu Montgomery, the band's rhythm guitarist, who lusts after Patti from afar while rampantly cheating on his wife whenever they go on the road. If the unusual casting alone doesn't draw you in *slaps the trunk* You can pack so much angst, so many character studies, aus, future fic and UST into this baby!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: This one is completely out of print DVD-wise and is not available on legal streaming or for purchase, mostly because Schrader has disowned to the film in the ensuing years. It's in good quality and complete on YouTube.

Re: Laverne & Shirley, a Holiday Reunion - XFinity (Commercial), and Light of Day (1987)

[paperscribe]

So pleased to see the Xfinity ad on your list—I had it as a potential nominee too!

[evewithanapple]

FANDOM NAME: Cordelia (Movie Poster)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: So if you aren't on twitter you might have missed this one entirely, but yesterday (Sept 16) a poster for the movie "Cordelia" dropped and everyone lost their minds for about eight hours because the poster looks like an EXTREMELY horny period drama with femdom. Then we all realized that it's actually a psychological thriller/horror movie and let out a collective groan of disappointment. But that's what's so great about Yuletide! We can write all the fanfic we want about a different universe where this movie is a horny femdom period drama, and no one can stop us!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Right here:

[patrokla]

Very excited to see what fics might be written for this! (Also, you may want to consider adding a comment to the evidence post for it?)

Various Danmei

[persicae]

I'm going to recommend a few danmei that are less well known but really deserve so much love! I'm trying to only recommend stories that are either fully or almost fully translated but I may cave and...rec some others later... (btw, shout out to qikiqtarjuaq for reccing Peerless another freaking AMAZING novel which is almost complete). If you like politics, amazing side characters, fun and intriguing plots, and romances that are important but are not the point, then give these a try!

FANDOM NAME: Golden Stage | Huangjintai
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This is an absolutely amazing take on the arranged marriage trope, and features two mature and clear-headed main characters who seem to be fierce opponents on the surface, but who share a tenderness beneath. While Fu Shen is noble and illustrious, the son of a Duke, who went to the war front at the tender age of eighteen to protect his country, Yan Xiaohan is the Emperor's dog, one who cares for nothing and no one, stained by mud and betrayal. When Fu Shen is nearly killed in an assassination attempt plotted by the very Emperor to whom he is so loyal, however, the Emperor decides the next best option is to undermine Fu Shen's power by marrying him off to Yan Xiaohan, thus handing over Fu Shen's military power to someone the Emperor trusts. But they have never once hated each other as deeply as it appeared, and before long, they find themselves to be a united front, protecting and guiding one another in an effort to give each other happiness. Of course, even with the marriage, that doesn't mean that the Emperor - or his sons - feel secure...
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Here are the first six chapters and here is the rest of the novel

FANDOM NAME: Sha Po Lang (Honestly there isn't an great english translation for the title that makes any kind of sense)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Do you like steampunk? Do you like complicated relationships? Do you like funny and well-rounded side characters? Then you'd probably like this novel lol. Chang Geng is the youngest son of the Emperor and the Goddess of the northern tribes, who disappeared before he was even born; Gu Yun is the northern general who was tasked with recovering him. In rescuing him, Gu Yun also saved Chang Geng's life, and per the traditions of where Chang Geng was raised, becomes his adoptive father. However, when the northern tribes once more stir and Chang Geng is brought back to the capitol, gradually the ties between them deepen into something more as Chang Geng and Gu Yun alike do all they can to protect the people...
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Here you go :D

FANDOM NAME: These Years in Quest of Honor Mine | Dang Nian Wan Li Mi Feng Hou, usually shortened to Wanli
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: There's just something about the writing style and sense of humor that I can't get away from, and beyond that, the main characters are SO FASCINATING AND DELIGHTFUL. Zhong Wan, adoptive son of Prince Ning and current retainer to the household, and Yu She, son of the imperial princess and only prince not a member of the royal family, were once close acquaintances. When Prince Ning is accused of treason after dying, however, Zhong Wan's entire world is undone, and he eventually finds himself in an impoverished corner of the empire trying to raise Prince Ning's children. Meanwhile, Yu She has uncovered secrets of his own that have lead to bouts of madness and despair that have set the entire court on edge. When Prince Ning's son, Xuan Rui, is summoned back to court, however, their worlds collide. Oh, and did I mention that Zhong Wan has been pretending to be Yu She's lover from afar?
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Last but certainly not least! It's not completely translated, but it is close (84 of 104 chapters, and it updates 3x a week, so it should be finished right around the time yuletide requests go out!)