2021 Yuletide 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>:


(Bonus optional: What are you thinking of requesting for this?)

EDIT:

Useful tips (Not required, but helps people if they want to engage with your fandom!):

- Mention what form of media the canon is. Is it a comic miniseries? Is it a twenty season tv show? Is it a book? Is it a twitter feed?
- Is it standalone or part of a series?
- It's best to make each fandom its own entry with its own title in the subject line! That makes it easier for people to find/see what you're promoting! Don't worry about 'spam', that is the entire point of this entry and you're using it exactly as intended.


For reference, last year's promo post!

Comments

Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier (Book)

[hernameinthesky]

FANDOM NAME: Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Can you say unreliable narrator much!? Rebecca is told from the POV of a nameless protagonist who meets much older Maxim de Winter while she’s working as a companion. She has no family, no friends and no home, so it’s not surprising she latches onto Maxim, even as we, the reader, slowly realise he’s not what he seems. At first it looks like it’s going to be a romance, but as the narrator learns more about Maxim’s late wife, Rebecca, it becomes so much more than that.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: I’m going suggest abebooks again for their unbeatable prices (https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?cm_sp=SearchF-_-TopNavISS-_-Results&ds=20&kn=rebecca%20daphne%20du%20maurier&sts=t ) but Rebecca is a classic and you can find it in just about any book store. Ebook and audiobook are also readily available.

CONTENT WARNINGS: Any warnings would spoil this book, but it’s worth noting it’s not always an easy read. Mostly things are implied rather than explicitly described though.

WHAT I’M REQUESTING: More. I want to know everything about these characters and their lives, pre/post/during canon, I don’t care.

Re: Graceling Realm Series - Kristin Cashore

[geri_chan]

The sea cows and foxes are great! I especially love the main fox character.

I Can’t Think Straight - Shamim Sarif (Book)

[hernameinthesky]

FANDOM NAME: I Can’t Think Straight - Shamim Sarif

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: From Wikipedia: Spirited Christian Tala and shy Muslim Leyla could not be more different from each other, but the attraction is immediate and goes deeper than friendship. But Tala is not ready to accept the implications of the choice her heart has made for her and escapes back to Jordan, while Leyla tries to move on with her new-found life, to the shock of her tradition-loving parents.

This description makes the book sound a little heavy and issue-driven, but it’s actually a fun, sexy, touching rom-com. Even when the characters are dealing with matters like religion/politics/sexuality, the focus is always on the characters themselves and their feelings, rather than the author making a point. It’s wickedly insightful and funny from the very first page: “But if Reema was to be honest with herself (which she had spent a lifetime successfully avoiding, since honest appraisal of one’s motives only caused more trouble than she had energy or inclination to deal with)…”

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: The film (written and directed by Shamim and produced by her wife, but not as good as the book imo) is readily available, but the book is harder to find. There are still quite a few stores online that have it though, so you can google and choose which is best for you. The ebook seems to be more easily available (I have it on both kobo and kindle) and there’s an audiobook as well.

CONTENT WARNINGS: There’s the expected homophobia, as well as some racism and misogyny, but nothing violent.

WHAT I’M REQUESTING: There’s no fic for this book at all, so I will take anything. It’s definitely suited to character/relationship requests more than world building though, since it’s set it our world.

[(Anonymous)]

Great promo! I was already mostly convinced but the Darwin punchline sealed it, omg. I'm subscribed now.

Edge of the City (1957)

[fullborn]

FANDOM NAME: Edge of the City (1957)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: A developing interracial friendship between young white drifter Axel Nordmann and Tommy Tyler, a black stevedore. There's so much love and grace to Tommy and Axel's relationship in the way Tommy tries to teach Axel to stand up for himself and allow himself some kindness, while Axel battles with his own self-doubt and hidden past.

AXEL: The thing is… a guy has gotta do something before somebody can love him.
TOMMY: Where did you get a crazy idea like that?

It's also got a great cast. John Cassavetes! Sidney Poitier! Ruby Dee! (Dee and Poitier would also go on to play husband and wife in the stage and screen adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun.) Warning for racism, though it's a critical view. Axel is pretty clearly gay-coded, which is certainly interesting for the time - the MPPCA warned that the film needed "extremely careful handling to avoid planting the suspicion that he may be homosexual."

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: For rent on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Google Play, Youtube for around $2.99, depending on region. Or uh...here.

The Galactic Federation Interviews Earth - Vinny Thomas

[rhovanel]

FANDOM NAME: The Galactic Federation Interviews Earth - Vinny Thomas
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This two minute comedy sketch rightly went viral on Twitter last December. The plot is simple: a representative from the Galactic Federation interviews Earth for membership. But in 120 seconds, we have a rich science fiction scenario, a beautiful critique of Earth's failings, a delightfully horrified galactic bureaucrat, and a long-suffering assistant sphere called Jason. It's charming, it's hilarious, it is deliciously cutting in its critique - I watch it regularly and am delighted every time. I knew as soon as I saw it last December that it needed to be in Yuletide this year.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): You can find the sketch on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/vinn_ayy/status/1336178629450018817

For The Wolf - Hannah Whitten

[featheryminx]

Title: For The Wolf (by Hannah Whitten)
Media: It's a book!
Approx length: like 400 pages
Where to find it: It's at most booksellers! Barnes & Noble for sure, maybe your library?
What is it, in summary? I'll just copy over the official summary!
As the only Second Daughter born in centuries, Red has one purpose-to be sacrificed to the Wolf in the Wood in the hope he'll return the world's captured gods.

Red is almost relieved to go. Plagued by a dangerous power she can't control, at least she knows that in the Wilderwood, she can't hurt those she loves. Again.

But the legends lie. The Wolf is a man, not a monster. Her magic is a calling, not a curse. And if she doesn't learn how to use it, the monsters the gods have become will swallow the Wilderwood-and her world-whole.

I will also say that while the aesthetics are very Little Red Riding Hood, the plot is actually more like Beauty and the Beast? Someone somewhere* said "If you ever wished Beauty and the Beast had more eldritch forest monsters and political machinations, this is the romance for you." and that is accurate.
Content warnings: Provided by the author! And are very important Please Read
What do you love about it? I mean I personally am a sucker for fantasy romance, but I loved the worldbuilding as well! I also just. Love all the characters. They're very compelling and you get attached super quickly. It's also got quite a bit of dramatic irony? There's a certain subset of chapters (interludes) spread throughout the book and every time you hit one you're like, "Oh dear god, what now". It's a very fun experience.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Romance, with the main canonical couple (Red/Eammon)! Also Red and her sister Neve are the cutest, so their sibling relationship, and then then also worldbuilding. Most likely my prompts will be either for backstory or like, "post-canon" (which is in quotes because the duology is not yet complete).


*Someone somewhere is "Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January", the quote itself is from one of the blurbs that the author?/publisher gets for the book

SubZero (Webcomic)

[featheryminx]

Title: SubZero
Media: Webcomic on Webtoons
Approx length: Currently at about 100 chapters, and it updates weekly.
Where to find it: Webtoons
What is it, in summary? It's a romance, primarily, but the worldbuilding in it is really good and there's an interesting plot to go with the romance.
Basically, there are these two opposing clans (the Vermillion and Azure clans, for that ~red vs blue aesthetic~). The head families of those clans have the ability (passed geneticallY) to turn into dragons, which is very much awed. Anyways, these dragons (and the people they rule) have been fighting for the past 300 years, and as a way to stop the fighting, Kyro and Clove (respective heirs of the Vermillion and Azure clans) are set to marry. Neither of them are particularly enthusiastic about the marriage, but over the course of the webcomic you can see them grow to be more comfortable with each other / like each other and it's great.

Beyond the romance, there's a lot of political machinations going on, and also some issues with Clove's shifting ability (which does affect said politics). Those are kind of the main plot-level conflicts, whereas the main interpersonal conflicts are Clove and Kyro struggling with trusting each other, and a love (tri)angle (mostly resolved) between Kyro-Clove-Aaron, where Aaron is Clove's childhood friend and guard.

The main romance is Very Slowburn, which can get infuriating at times, but to feed our impatient souls there's a very cute side couple that's more fast-burn.

Also the art is stunning! Honestly worth reading for that alone.

Content warnings: Images of violence (not a ton, but there is a war); Past character death; NSFW images (of the sexual nature, though they're not incredibly explicit);
What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Romance! Although I'm not actually going to be requesting the 2 main characters; there's two other side couples (one canonical and one not) that are cute and deserve lots of attention, so. That is what they shall get, hopefully.

Re: Spiritfarer

[kitsunerei88]

I picked up this game on sale and it's adorable!
Also there's a decent wiki for most of the characters. Thanks for the rec!

Fairyland Series - Catherynne M. Valente

[gement]

FANDOM NAME: The Fairyland Series - Catherynne M. Valente (5 book series, middle-grade)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The 30-second version is "It's portal fiction that's set in the 1930's but has modern meta sensibilities," and that is of very little use.

The first book is titled The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and that tells you a great deal more about the writing style.

The narrator is biased as all-get-out. Happily wandering off into side perspectives to let you know about the inner lives of a key or a particularly helpful piece of clothing. "Shoes and ships and sealing wax and cabbages and kings"-flavored lists. Telling the reader things she would like to tell the protagonist about life, but is not allowed because it wouldn't help anyway and also because the narrator is just a smidge malicious.

The universe is kind, except when it isn't (but those aren't surprises). The universe is definitely queer. The companions are cheerfully bizarre; my favorite is a "wyverary" who appears to be fully a wyvern but believes his father to be a library. He is named A-Through-L. There's a car that's turned itself into a... something that is not a car anymore. There's a merboy who is unstuck in time. Found families all over the place.

It's a fairyland that feels like it has everything in it, and everything includes me.



WHERE CAN I FIND IT: It is books. Libraries and e-reader purveyors have them, and the audiobook version is read by the author.

WHAT I'M LIKELY TO REQUEST: For my nominations and fic requests I focused on a set of changeling characters from book 4, The Boy Who Lost Fairyland, about a troll child who was mailed to Chicago. [CW: child stealing, forced child labor] You could probably read it as a standalone, though the ending would miss the "and here's how it ties back in" punch.

There's a troll who writes down the secret rules of school, a wooden girl who paints forests, a living gramophone, and Blunderbuss the Combat Wombat, a patchwork animal who is exactly as amazing as she sounds. While the author tries to suggest that every child feels like a changeling so it's okay to feel like that, I've gotta say that from where I'm standing, it looks an awful lot like the author wrote a trans+neurodivergent narrative very much on purpose.

[kitsunerei88]

I just read this short story (one of my key words for "I will read this" is "DIASPORA"), and it's lovely, thank you so much!

Marsfall (Podcast)

[laughsindistortion]

FANDOM NAME: Marsfall

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Marsfall follows the story of a colony sent to Mars to make it habitable for future humanity before time runs out on Earth...or so everyone's been told. The colonists are set to sleep two years in stasis and wake up to a more habitable Martian landscape as technology does a lot of the work while they sleep.

Unfortunately, they all wake up to a nightmare - their colony crashes violently to the planet's surface in the middle of a far too dense Martian forest, and every system seems to be failing, possibly due to sabotage. No contact with Earth seems possible. Theyre on their own.

Lead by their cheery and extremely green commander, Jacki O'Rania, and assisted by their friendly all-seeing 2 year old artifical intelligence, Andi, every member of the colony now stranded on Mars has to make the best of things. It would be easier if everyone on this rock didn't seem to be lying about something.

At its core, Marsfall is a story about the hostility of an alien planet and the distorted boundaries of the metaphysical, the psychological effects of duress, and the connections between people, however fraught, unlikely, or tragic. It's an excellent thriller with some elements bordering on horror and surrealism, though it has the range to be charmingly funny and full of snappy banter.

Marsfall also has an expansive cast of interesting characters that I probably couldn't name all of. Some noteable mentions include: Charles "Chip" Heddleston, a mechanic who's close to Andi and hides his pain under layers of humor; Ani (Brother) Mateo Alvirez, a gentle, thoughful soul and the only surviving spiritual leader of the crash; and Lieutenant Colonel Melissa Walker, a no-nonsense solider with cybernetic implants who's good friends with Jacki and helps her maintain order.

Marsfall has incredible atmosphere and a fascinating exploration of nonhuman psychology. The end of season 2 made a permanent impact on me; I havent stopped talking about it and I'll probably think about it forever. The series is about 18 episodes long abt 20-30 min in length. Season 3 is currently in production. There are transcripts for every episode available on the offical website.

Trigger Warnings include sounds of violent death, alcoholism, misogyny, past familial abuse, and abuse of a robot character. Marsfall is a podcast with a Mature rating and includes swearing, death, and some sexual topics.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: on any podcast streaming site, and its own website https://marsfallpodcast.com

Archive 81 (Podcast)

[laughsindistortion]

FANDOM NAME: Archive 81

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: a found footage cosmic horror podcast about a man named Dan Powell who is offered a job archiving recordings in a remote bunker in a forest somewhere in the united states. He soon finds himself caught up in a terrible conspiracy involving nightmarish alternate dimensions and eldritch horrors beyond human comprehension.

Archive 81 features incredible atmospheric sound design, fantastic surreal horror concepts, and complicated questions about the nature of the subconcious, transformation of personhood, and the sacrifices people make for the things and people they love. In many ways it's a story about the terrible gravity of obsession and the consequence of choice.

Also there's a man made entirely of teeth and static.

Archive 81 has 3 seasons of 30-40 min episodes currently, and there's a netflix adaptation in the works. There are transcripts for each episode available on the offical website.

Trigger Warnings include animal death, body horror, distorted sound effects, gore, and cults.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: it's hosted across multiple podcast sites and has it's own website, https://archive81.com.

リスタートはただいまのあとで | Restart After Come Back Home (2020)

[pollitt]

FANDOM NAME: リスタートはただいまのあとで | Restart After Come Back Home (2020)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Cottagecore boy-meets-boy love story. Protagonist discovers the country life he thought he never wanted, he does (down to apprenticing in his family business). The sunshine one smiles to hide his hurt and makes the grumpier one melt. Low drama, warm-your-heart sweetness.

This is based on a manga, but the nomination is for the 2020 movie.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): https://www.ichihachisubs.com/restart-after-come-back-home

Re: CØDE:BREAKER | Code:Breaker (Anime/Manga)

[schadenfreudere]

If it helps, there are Scanlations on certain sites.

Volumes 1-2 are available on Am*z*n in paperback format.

[pure_anon]

FANDOM NAME: Oklahoma! (Rodgers & Hammerstein)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
Where to even begin with this musical. I love it. I just love it so much and I have so much love for it bursting out of me at all times.
Oklahoma! is set in Oklahoma (of course) in 1906, just before Oklahoma becomes a state. It concerns two intersecting love triangles and a box social. That sounds very simple but like Shakespeare's plays, this show takes something simple and does something really great with it. The way it addresses the themes of the fear of intimacy and community is really something.



There is not a character in this show that I do not adore. I love them all so much, but I shall restrain myself to the characters I nominated.



Laurey Williams is the main female lead, and she's sharp as a whip, charming--and afraid/longing of/for intimacy in a way that causes her to be downright snarky and mean at times. She's afraid of making a decision, and sets off the events that send this show hurtling. I love her so much.



Curly McLain is one of the many well-meaning himbos who walks the stage of Oklahoma! He is charming, sweet, dreadfully in love with Laurey, and also unaware of the fact that he is the most privileged man in his community. He means so well, but he's blind to the fact that the opportunities and love he has been given by the community is not something that is open to everyone.



Jud Fry is the surly, damaged, yearning farmhand that works on Laurey's farm. He is so angry at the world and at himself--he genuinely believes he is not as good as everyone else. The community fears and scorns him for little reason, and when he does his best to demand his rights as a fellow farmer, he is cheated for it. He is desperately and dangerously in love with Laurey--it's like an infection and the only hope he has. He's very tragic and I love him so much.



Aunt Eller is the down-to-earth aunt figure to almost everyone in Oklahoma! She is loved, and for good reasons. She is witty, takes no shit, and is a joy whenever she's on stage.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): Since this is a musical, there have been many productions over the years, but by far, the best production I've ever seen? Oklahoma! 1943 Restoration. It is a recreation of the original Broadway production as it premiered in 1943 and it is stunning. The cast is simply the best overall cast I have ever seen. It introduced to me to Oklahoma! and I could not have chosen a better option. If you want to check out this show, please watch this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syM0JtapQ4Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS4NuHtiiPE

WHAT I AM THINKING OF REQUESTING: Although Curly and Laurey are sweethearts and are wonderful for each other--I have fallen hopelessly for Jud/Laurey. They never quite understand the other, just keep hurting each other, and it's so delicious to explore. I so badly want an ending where it doesn't quite turn out so tragic for them.

Re: Exit/Corners (Visual Novel)

[tildytwo]

I remember playing the first episode, but never realized it was completed! Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend...

[marginaliana]

That cold open sure is something!

Re: The Warrior's Guild - Scarlett Gale

[marginaliana]

"Shy and soft monk mage Lucían has to quest with Tall Beautiful Amazing Warrior Woman, they fall in love" - oh mannnn, you sold me!

Re: The Great (TV 2020)

[pure_anon]

I love this show so much! Glad to see it requested.

Re: The Warrior's Guild - Scarlett Gale

[stifledlaughter]

Yesss I am so glad I could!! The books are wonderful reads, the characters have my whole heart.

Re: Room Full of Vampires (Drawfee Series)

[gloria_scott]

I was so glad to see this was nominated! I am now in dire need of Room Full of Vampires fic.

Thalasso Hobbyer (youtube channel)

[platinum_firebird]

FANDOM NAME: Thalasso Hobbyer (youtube channel)



WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Thalasso hobbyer is a Japanese artist who makes amazing dioramas, most featuring abandoned ruins and water in which there is a huge scary monster lurking (see pictures above and below!). Watching him create is both very calming and mind-blowing with the level of detail and skill that goes into his work. His channel is one of my favourites on Youtube! I really love the aesthetic of the pieces he creates, and I desperately want to know more about their worlds, so I'll be requesting worldbuilding about who made the castle/shrine/well, why they were abandoned, and why/how the "Guardian" monster came to live there!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: This is his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/Thalassohobbyer%E3%81%9F%E3%82%89%E3%81%9D%E3%81%BB%E3%81%B3%E3%82%84/featured

I've nominated the creatures from these three videos specifically:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDCVzkEvQpU - "The Castle of Silence" (Image 1 above)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIYqz-RTAKA - "The Well That Never Runs Dry" (Image 2 above)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3SXMJM3tks - "Forgotten Shrine" (Image below)

All the videos are about 20-25mins long, and that's all the canon you need!

Unauthorized Bread

[quihi]

FANDOM NAME: Unauthorized Bread - Cory Doctorow

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's an awesome novella about a group of immigrants in a near future setting (a dystopia, in a small, almost-could-be-real way) jailbreaking home appliances to quietly resist greedy tech companies. The IoT appliances provided in subsidized housing are expensive to use, and one by one, the companies shut down and they stop working entirely. So Salima figures out how to jailbreak her toaster oven, and things snowball from there.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: It is available for free online here, and it's the first novella in Radicalized by Cory Doctorow!

Exit West

[quihi]

FANDOM NAME: Exit West - Mohsin Hamid

It's a 230 page novel from 2017.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: I was introduced to it as "a science fiction book for people who don't like science fiction." It is science fiction or fantasy - the premise is that doors start opening up connecting places all around earth - but it doesn't read like it. The doors are simply there, and the characters use them, and the book is really about two people, Nadia and Saeed, as they flee their home city and live as refugees in various countries. It discusses some of the issues surrounding refugees, all scaled up, yet it feels straightforward in the novel. It's a lovely book with lovely prose, and there are many reviews which discuss it better than I ever could.

I think there's interesting potential for fanfiction because there's a lot of time that could be filled in with the main characters, and a lot of minor characters mentioned briefly who are all living their own lives and exploring the world. Easy movement between countries is a scenario with a lot of tensions and possibilities to explore. The book has received a lot of praise and I was surprised I didn't find any fannish works about it.

Content warnings: There's a war, a refugee crisis, and references to drugs and sex. I'm going to go through the book again and update here if I see anything else.