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

Matthew McConaughey Lincoln Commercials

[wiccanslyr]

FANDOM NAME: Matthew McConaughey Lincoln Commercials

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's a 15 minute fandom so it's super easy to consume the entire canon and get into it in one sitting. These commercials are just... wild. There is a lot going on in them and you might not even really be sure what is going on in them some times. They can be seen as stand alone mini stories or, like me, you might see them taken altogether as an ongoing story. Plus there is so much creative freedom, you get to decide who these characters are and what the world they live in is like!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): Compiled altogether into one single video, right here for your viewing pleasure! https://youtu.be/RP0ua3K684Q

Dance of the Vampires (Broadway 2002/03) - Steinman/Kunze/Ives

[larissabernstein]

FANDOM NAME: Dance of the Vampires (the Broadway version 2002/03!!) - music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, book by Ives (based on Kunze).

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: First, let me tell you: this is very different from the Austrian success musical "Tanz der Vampire". Most Tanz fans hate the Broadway version with a vengeance. Much has been changed, "adapted" to an American audience, and I admit that there are many changes that are indeed frown-worthy. I have only recently come to see the Broadway version's charms, and much of its appeal is connected to the changes. It's campy. It's often absurd. It tries to be a grand romance but also a comedy. The suave and gothic Count von Krolock has been turned into a tragic clown who hides his sadness behind puns and jokes and a fake Italian accent. There are dick jokes. Anachronisms. Vampire threesomes. I can see why this musical bombed on Broadway, but listen: it's glorious. The music slaps, and our heroine Sarah is anything but a damsel in distress. Panned by critics and hated by Tanz fans, it is still a damn good piece of entertainment, and if you look beyond the camp aspects, you will find that the added humour actually adds to the tragic story of the vampire count; he is a kind of blood-thirsty Pierrot here, hungry for life and love, and Count Giovanni von Krolock deserves fannish love (and an after-life beyond the show, via fic) indeed.

There are so far only 13 fics on the AO3 for this version, and all written by one and the same author (me). I dearly hope someone will give this fandom a chance.



WHERE CAN I FIND IT: If you haven't seen it live on Broadway during its very short run, there's only one option: bootlegs, aka unauthorised recordings by audience members. There are a few floating about on the internet, HOWEVER: most are really no joy to watch. Here's a better-quality bootleg (download from my Google Drive). Of course even the best bootleg can never be as good as a professional recording, but this one is definitely watchable.

Length: roughly over 2 hours.

What are you thinking of requesting for this? There are endless possibilities for this show. Something set during canon, or post-canon, or a backstory. Vampires are pretty much immortal, so you can even set the story in a different century, without making it an AU. I adore the pairing Sarah/Krolock, but there is wonderful potential for a threesome with Alfred. Or Abronsius/Krolock.

The Shadow of the Tower (BBC TV 1972)

[thisbluespirit]

FANDOM NAME: The Shadow of the Tower

WHAT IS IT: A BBC period drama from 1972 about Henry VII's reign - 13 x 50 mins eps in total.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: First off, it has the disadvantages of 1970s TV (low budget, slow pace (this is especially so in the opening episode, so please don't be too put off!), & (v) occasional offensive elements) but lots of its advantages, too! It is theatrical in the best possible way, - layered and intelligent, generally pretty historically accurate/plausible, gloriously wordy, & full of questions and imagination. There are some great guest turns, and James Maxwell's Henry is unexpectedly fascinating. So if you like old school BBC historicals, or have an interest in the period, it's well worth checking out.

I think the era is a really interesting one, and SotT offers so many possibilities for fic through its take on it, both in gaps and questions and loose ends from the series, mirroring Henry and his enemies, while its tendency to experiment and do things that are quite strange in some episodes, it feels like it'd only take the slightest turn of the dial for it to go full on supernatural or magical. The very limitations of it make me long for fic to play with all of this!

Online info & reviews:
Shadow of the Tower (Wiki entry)
http://venetianvase.co.uk/2015/01/27/henry-vii-winter-king-and-the-shadow-of-the-tower/
https://thehistorylady.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/henry-vii-the-tudor-who-started-it-all-beset-by-pretenders-in-the-shadow-of-the-tower/
http://www.frockflicks.com/the-shadow-of-the-tower-pt-2/
My tumblr tag for it, with some gifs is here



WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): here on YouTube (although some of the later episodes are now not playing in the UK; hopefully they still are in other regions, or my quest has just become even more hopeless). It is also out on DVD in R1 and R2, and it's possible it may even be on something like BritBox. (I am assured there are also *cough* other means of obtaining it! And if you can't get the missing 3 episodes by any other means, I'd be willing to try and help, if you want to PM me here or tumblr.)

Q.E.D. (TV 1981)

[paperscribe]

FANDOM NAME: Q.E.D.

WHAT IS IT: A TV miniseries (6 episodes) from 1981, co-created by one of the producers of Upstairs, Downstairs. In the early 1900s, Professor Quentin E. Deverill gets frustrated with his work as a professor and ditches it all to move to England and invent things--but danger and adventure tend to find him.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This show is a ROMP. Yes, there's adventure and danger, but it's 1980s TV so nothing too terrible will happen to our main characters. There's a lovely found-family element to it too--Phipps is a London cab driver who gets hired by Deverill to drive him to his new home and then decides to stay there and help out the professor. (There are intimations that there could be more to Phipps's past than meets the eye, but we never find out much about that.) Jenny Martin works with Deverill and is clearly being set up as a potential love interest for future seasons (though there weren't any). And Charlie Andrews is a newspaper reporter who sometimes brings the situation of the week to Deverill's attention. It's a bit Sherlock Holmes-y, but with more steampunk-style inventions! The moment the show won me over is too much of a spoiler to describe, but let's just say it sidesteps the narrative convention where a good character cannot conceive of a bad character lying to them.

Be aware, this is a show from the 1980s set in 1900s England, so its treatment of people of various nationalities and races is...questionable. I like the central cast of characters but there are some plots in the show I desperately wish they had done differently, or not at all.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): The whole show is available to watch on Youtube.

John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, series 9

[paperscribe]

FANDOM NAME: Series 9 of John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme

WHAT IS IT: 6 half-hour episodes of a radio programme

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This series of JFSP bounces around in time; we gradually meet all the members of a family through several generations. Because it's not completely in chronological order, both the punchlines to jokes and the meanings of specific references become clear only after we're first exposed to them, meaning it's great for a second listen. The reason I'm nominating it is because there are two female characters named Gally Nightingale and Susannah Noone who have a music hall act together in the early 20th century (Gally is a male impersonator, and the two of them perform a song together called "The Fellow with the Cello" that is SO CUTE), touring and raising their daughter Vanessa together. I shipped them from the very first moment they appeared, and would love to see more of them.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): You can listen to all six episodes on the BBC website or the BBC Sounds app. Also, if you need help figuring out who everyone is and what's going on, this website is incredibly helpful.

Re: John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, series 9

[china_shop]

Seconded!

(I'm fascinated by terrible Patrick's possible menage a trois with Lettie and Monty James, too. :-)

2 Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant Fandoms (Already nominated LOL)

[hiddencait]

(Why yes I nominated/promoted both of these last year, why do you ask? And yes, I got a gift which was technically for both fandoms - crossovers for the win! - but considering how TINY the archives are for these two freaking fantastic stories, I regret nothing if even one more person starts writing for them LOL)

FANDOM NAME: ROLLING IN THE DEEP Series, including ROLLING IN THE DEEP (novella) and the sequel novel INTO THE DROWNING DEEP - Mira Grant (duology)

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: Anywhere you can read/buy books - tho note: ROLLING was a Subterranean Press limited edition hardcover, so that is only available via ebook or audiobook now. DROWNING however is easily available in all formats.

---

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: 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 considering just how many stories she has posted (And Patreon helps her feed her clowder of cats which is its own reward really lol). I have enjoyed all of them (including ones that are series specific side stories!), but am only specifically requesting this one as my fave.

Re: 2 Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant Fandoms (Already nominated LOL)

[kitsunerei88]

This was so much fun to write last year! :D

The Witch Family

[reflectedeve]

FANDOM NAME: The Witch Family - Eleanor Estes

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Amy loves telling stories, mostly to her best friend, Clarissa … and her stories are also true. So when she banishes (or excuse me, “banquishes”) Old Witch to a glass hill for her wickedness, she soon peoples that world with a Little Witch Girl (just her and Clarissa’s age), an invisible spelling bee, little witch classmates, a mermaid friend, a baby sister and more. Amy and Clarissa’s suburban life and the lives and adventures of Little Witch Girl and her friends entwine and interact in unexpected ways, the lines blur between storyteller/characters, enemies, and family, and there is exciting but mild danger and inventive wordplay for all.

It’s a childhood favorite of mine, and as an adult, I’m fascinated by how metatextual the whole thing gets. I want to read and write stories that play with those elements and push them further than the original book does!



WHERE TO FIND IT: This book came out in the 1960s, so it’s probably a better bet for libraries than bookstores. Ebook and audiobook versions are definitely out there too - I've found them both on Scribd before.

Re: The Witch Family

[queenbookwench]

I love this book, though I’m not sure I’d have any idea how to write fic for it! You’re absolutely right that it’s a concept made for Yuletide, though.

Malevolent (Podcast)

[(Anonymous)]

FANDOM NAME Malevolent (Podcast)

WHERE CAN I FIND IT:
Available for free here: https://castbox.fm/channel/Malevolent-id3160087?country=us (and probably on your podcast app of choice too…)
Transcripts here: https://www.malevolent.ca/blog/ (However sadly only of the ten first episodes meaning it’s missing the latest four)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT:
Malevolent is an on-going horror podcast about a private investigator in the 1930s who accidentally gets himself possessed by some supernatural being who now controls his eyes. Meaning Arthur is now blind and has to rely on the being (called John) so the two can figure out just what is going on and how they can get the being out of Arthur's body again. They quickly get mixed up in things quite big and very much not from this world all while Arthur is faced with the question of how much he can actually trust the being now controlling parts of his body.

The action/mystery, the Lovecraftian horror and the developing friendship between Arthur and John are what I love most about this podcast! If you enjoy people trying to solve supernatural mysteries while fighting eldritch monsters and reluctant allies becoming maybe friends while still having a rather complicated relationship due to the circumstances of sharing a body, you will enjoy this! It is a horror podcast so there are some descriptions of weird horrible creatures and dead things. Arthur and John bickering lightens the mood a bit but overall it's a serious canon.


I'LL BE ASKING FOR: Arthur and John. Their relationship and the two slowly growing closer all while it's not clear just how much trust there actually can be between the two is fantastic. Both their canon growing friendship or a shippy take, I just love their growing/changing relationship, their sometimes arguments and the entire body sharing thing with John telling Arthur what he/they see. There is also a thread about John's humanity in the canon and I would love to have that tie into his relationship to Arthur.

Re: Malevolent (Podcast)

[jaclynhyde]

Anon, this is so up my alley it's ridiculous. I'm two episodes in and I ship them like crazy!

Luca (2021)

[muggle95]

FANDOM NAME:Luca (2021)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: wholesome Disney movie about characters trying to hide important parts of their identity, but finally being forced to reveal it and ultimately being accepted by more people than reject them (positive trans feels, though none of the characters are explicitly transgender). Wonderful friendships. Found family. Birth family accepting a teenager's choices for what he wants to do and who he wants to be despite their instinct to be overprotective and keep him close and controlled. The voice in your head that tries to talk you out of scary-but-fun or scary-but-important things is named Bruno; Silenzio Bruno! Sea monsters pretending to be human in a town whose local hero is a famous (or mythical, it's unclear) slayer of sea monsters yikes oh no don't get caught. Rivalry over the Big Sports Event. At least one character swears by invoking cheeses (Santa Ricotta, Santo Parmigiano,...) Grandma does what she wants, and encourages her grandson to do the same. A disabled character that doesn't let people make fun of him for his differences. Just lots of good family feels.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): streaming on Disney+, not sure about other streaming services. physical copies are likely available in stores/redbox/etc but i haven't checked

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

[entangledwood]

FANDOM NAME: CØDE:BREAKER (found on ff.net as Code:Breaker)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: What makes Code:Breaker great is that it's a classical shounen story that bills itself as a grim-dark setting (secret government organization using teenage superpowered assassins whose powers will kill them in time), but there's also a great ensemble cast with a lot of funny/lighthearted moments (often related to the fact that overuse of the power will turn you into your specific 'lost form', which might be an animal, or a miniature version of yourself, or a mermaid)

There's a lot of backstory between the different characters that the audience learns over time that makes for delightful shipping potential: rivalries, friendships, mysterious shared pasts, friends turned to enemies

my personal favorite bit is the end though: [SPOILER]
*
*
*
*
*
Throughout the series there is a plot-threat about the two main characters: their shared mysterious past and their different views on how the world should be. Unlike most stories that would resolve this by having one of the characters changing their view and them getting a happily ever after together, Code:Breaker concludes with the characters separating, never to meet again, each aiming to make the world a better place in their own way
*
*
*
*
*

WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): No idea where it can be found in English, as I read it originally in German
A list of characters including bios can be found on wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Code:Breaker_characters.
There is also a wikia for code breaker: https://codebreaker.fandom.com/wiki/Code:Breaker_Wiki

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.

16th Century CE Hapsburg RPF

[selenak]

FANDOM NAME: 16th Century CE Hapsburg RPF

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Europe's most powerful family in the Renaissance has it all: lots of interesting, complex women who are power players in their own right and often mentor each other, dysfunctional - and sometimes surprisingly functional - intense family relationships, allies becoming enemies becoming allies, bastards (both the literal and the figurative sense, with the illegitimates usually not being the second kind of bastard), "us against the world" sibling bonding, intrigues, warfare, the occasional assassination - and a surprise! stepgrandmother/stepgrandson tryst. (Whether or not it counts as incest is up to you. It certainly did back then, though the participants were not blood related. Unlike in a lot of legitimate Hapsburg marriages.)

Let me introduce you to some of the players (links go either to wiki entries or are appropriating vids based on the Spanish tv show Carlos Rey Emperador as well as some other series featuring several of the people nominated).

Margaret of Austria: daughter of the Emperor Maximilian, raised in France, married briefly to Catherine of Aragon's older brother the crown prince, son of Isabella the Catholic and Ferdinand) before he died (some idiots blamed intense married sex with Margaret), married next to the Duke of Savoy who also died four years in, had enough of marriages, successfully refused more, became Regent of the Netherlands instead and created one of the most splendid and cultured courts of Europe there. Kid!Anne Boleyn was put there by her father and presumably learned a lot. Having had a front row seat to the tragedy/horror that was the fate of her sister-in-law Juana (the maybe or maybe not Mad), Margaret raised several of Juana's children, notably future Emperor Charles as well as his sisters Eleanor and Mary. (More about them and the other siblings in a moment.) Once Charles had grown up, after a brief interlude he asked Margaret to remain as Regent for the rest of her life. She also was his chief negotiator in dicy treaties like the one with his arch enemy Francis I. of France called Le Paix de les Dames as she and Francis' mother Louise did the negotiating. Margaret has been called the most gifted diplomat of her era, and she shaped the next generation of not just Habsburgs in so many ways. Among them:

Charles V. : The Emperor in whose realms the sun never set. (Original owner of that designation: the Brits reappropriated it centuries later.) (Margaret also had been a huge factor in nephew getting elected to that position.) Yes, he had the terrible Habsburg chin. He also was a mass of contradictions: a faithful Catholic whose army notoriously sacked Rome, one of the few loyal and loving husbands on the throne, but before his marriage embroiled in affairs which included one with his stepgrandmother, a son who never freed the mother whose crown he wore yet who resigned that crown (and all others) shortly after her death, the Emperor who didn't arrest Luther despite believing him a heretic and who regretted not breaking his word in that regard for the rest of his life. The siblings closest to him were:

Eleanor of Austria: the oldest, raised with him. When she died, Charles said "She was fifteen months my elder, and I don't thin it will be as much time until I follow her", which became true. Closeness to Eleanor didn't stop him from using in her in unhappy political marriages (twice), once to his arch enemy (which made her Catherine de' Medici's stepmother). And yet, when Charles abdicated, she followed him to Spain and was one of the very few people allowed to visit in his retirement.

Mary of Hungary: like Charles and Eleanor, grew up on the Netherlands, and followed Margaret as Regent there eventiually, but not before being Queen of Hungary and Bohemia, flirting with Luther's teachings (he dedicated a book to her) to her brother's indignation, and experiencing the Ottoman invasion close-up. Mary was sharp-tongued, sarcastic, and frequently butting heads with Charles but nonetheless loyal to him. She found herself unable to work with nephew Philip and thus after Charles' abdication of power went with him and Eleanor to Spain, though unlike them she'd never lived there before. Mary died in the same year as Eleanor and Charles.

A Habsburg Siblings vid, featuring in addition to the sisters brother Ferdinand, who was Charles' successor as Emperor and Archduke of Austria (while Charles' son Philip got Spain, the Netherlands and the rapidly expanding and exploited overseas American colonies), and had a complicated and interesting relationship with him as well: Ferdinand, multilingual, more adaptable and more pragmatic might have been more suited to rule in the first place and they both knew it, but who was loyal (up to a point, the point being that Ferdinand had no intention of accepting Philip as future Emperor, which made for some stormy rows Mary tried to negotiate, and the eventual compromise of splitting up the Empire).


Margaret of Parma: Charles' illegitimate daughter from before his marriage, named after his aunt Margaret of Austria. Raised in the Netherlands with Margaret of Austria and then Mary of Hungary as mentors, first married to Alessandro de' Medici (either nephew or illegtimate son of Pope Clement), after his murder married to Ottavio Farnese (definitely illegitimate grandson of Pope Paul III, Ottovio's father died in a spectacular way even for the Renaisance, and her father may or may not have been involved), until Paul III's death de facto First Lady of Rome (she learned a lot), possibly had a flling with a female Tuscan poet, then was Regent of the Netherlands for her half brother Philip of Spain (the one with the Armada, Elizabeth's arch enemy) , which was a trial mostly because Philip was utterly unable to compromise and no sooner had Margaret managed to get anywhere near a solution did he ruin it. He also inflicted his most feared general on her, the Duke of Alva. Working with Alva proved to be so utterly impossible that Margaret resigned her position and went back to Italy. Where she met her other half-brother, Juan de Austria, whose mother is the last lady I need to tell you about, to wit:

Barbara Blomberg: (linking the German wiki entry here because it contains more interesting details than the English one): widower Charles V. had a brief affair with her which resulted in Juan de Austria, future national Spanish hero. Juan got raised in Spain, Barbara got married off with a Charles-financed dowry to a respectable guy in his administration, but where things got interesting was once her husband (and father of her later children) had died in Brussels, and Barbara faced down the feared Alba (and later Philip of Spain himself) who wanted her to go to a nunnery while she wanted a merry retirement complete with wine, men and song. Eventually, Barbara won, and got both the estate, the money, and the liberty to do as she pleased.

Lastly: A fantastic period appropriate soundtrack already exists, courtesy of the incredibly talented Jordi Savall! Listen and swoon. (I did.)



WHERE CAN I FIND IT: Biographies of Charles and at least one of the Margarets, not to mention his son Philip of Spain should exist in your local library; the linlks provided above might also prove helpful. Or as an introduction, you could try scenes from the series Carlos Rey Emperador subtitled in English, with the caveat that while I like the series, it's (Spanish-centric) fiction (for example, for a very different take on the whole Charles versus Francis I. drama, see John Julius Norwich's Four Princes). It also manages to annoy me by slutshaming Barbara Blomberg. This said, it looks gorgeous and the actors are fine, and at times, it's excellent with the complexity of everyone's feelings, like the one where teenage Charles and Eleanor meet for the first time since their earliest childhood their (imprisoned) mother Juana again, which you can see here.

Daniel Blackland trilogy

[hearteating]

FANDOM NAME: The Daniel Blackland trilogy by Greg van Eekhout
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This series has- well, not everything, but a lot. Heists, alternate history, dragons, clones, magic derived from consuming fossils, water management, shapeshifters, genetically modified people who are legally considered dogs, friendship, betrayal...

The series follows Daniel Blackland, whose father was eaten by the Hierarch when Daniel was a child. Daniel's father was an osteomancer, who gains certain magical abilities from the remains of long-dead creatures. Daniel is also an osteomancer, with some weird extras courtesy of his dad.

The first book centers around a heist and the desire to take down the Heirarch. The second and third books deal with the consequences of the first, and also involve heists. There's some really cool worldbuilding and alternate history, too, including the fact that Walt Disney was a creepy-ass osteomancer.

And then there's Gabriel and Max, who have a subplot throughout the series. Gabriel is a civil servant who really does believe in the concept of serving society, and he's also competent and ruthless. In the first book, he teams up with Max, who is legally a hound, and the two are very loyal to one another and should smooch. Most of the fic is for them- they're great.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): Libraries, maybe? Bookstores, probably. Second-hand bookstores, also probably. ~Elsewhere~? Almost certainly.

Hot Goth Lady and Himbo Witch (Tumblr Post)

[chokolattejedi]

FANDOM NAME: Hot Goth Lady and Himbo Witch (Tumblr Post)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Hot Goth Lady and Himbo Witch are an adorable odd couple, it turns fairy tale tropes and stereotypes on their heads, Hot Goth Lady is canonically queer, Himbo Witch is her wingman, it has lovely drawings... all the love!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): This image is of the original tumblr posts.
(most excellent addition, if that helps sway you)

[reconditarmonia]

FANDOM NAME: Le Château du Tarot

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's a haute couture ad, but it's a long one with a plot, and since the film is inspired by the tarot, it's full of weird symbolism - the whole thing can be interpreted on all sorts of levels. On one level, it's about two women (one butch and one femme) exploring a labyrinthine ruined castle and being guided/tested/waylaid by its otherworldly (and all female) denizens until they finally meet! But also maybe they're different aspects of the same person and this is a journey in the mind? Or anywhere in between?

I'm excited for all these potential levels, for lesbians, for digging more into the castle... Join me? (Not yet sure which characters I'm nominating - drop me a line if you want to coordinate!)

WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Youtube! It's about 10 minutes long (the other 5 minutes are credits and slides of the dresses - a few "characters" appear in the dress slideshow who aren't actually in the plot, I'm not sure if they'd be eligible or not, although due to nomination limits it may be a moot point.)

[laughingpineapple]

By Matteo Garrone at that! The mood did seem familiar in hindsight... thank you for nominating this, I hope people will write about it! So many possibilities!

The Great (TV 2020)

[learnedfoot]

FANDOM NAME: The Great (TV 2020)

WHAT IT IS: One season (so far, Season 2 coming soon!) TV show about Catherine the Great’s rise to power. It’s irreverent, comedic, and intentionally ahistoric in many ways. I think the trailer gives you a pretty good sense of its tone.

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: I was surprised by how much I loved this show. The humor is super sharp, and the political intrigue keeps the plot going at a fun clip. And, most importantly for fannish purposes, there are a ton of great, well-acted characters with fun, messy relationships. Elle Fanning is completely charming as Catherine, who is in turns sassy, vicious, inspiring and completely brattish and silly. Nick Hoult is fantastically terrible (and yet occasionally a tiny bit woobishly sympathetic for brief moments) as Peter III. The rest of their court is equally fun. There are a ton of different canon and non-canon shipping possibilities, from Catherine/Peter hate-sex to Peter’s messy af triad situation with his best friend’s wife to lots of delicious femslash combos. Plus, a million fun gen possibilities, from political intrigue to friendship to pure humor!

Also, did I mention that Nick Holt is amazing? Because seriously. He is so hilariously petulant and awful, it’s really great if you like that kind of thing.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: Hulu

Re: The Great (TV 2020)

[pure_anon]

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

The Time Travel Agency Seamstress [youtude video]

[pink_heeled_shoes]

FANDOM NAME: The Time Travel Agency Seamstress
MEDIUM YouTube Video
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Born out of a Tumblr post about the problems and stresses of being the "costuming" department of a time travel agency, it's a quick watch. It's funny. It opens up so much story telling possibility & you're going to fall in love (and sympathy) with the main character immediately!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT (optional): https://youtu.be/zhOIEe4xP3E

Re: The Time Travel Agency Seamstress [youtude video]

[amphipodgirl]

That.is.brilliant. Thank you for bringing it into my life.

Grace and Favour AKA Are you Being Served Again?

[pirate_pancakes]

FANDOM NAME: Grace and Favour AKA Are you Being Served Again?

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It is the equally hilarious, if far less well known, spin-off follow-up show to that classic favorite "Are You Being Served?"

After there retirement from Grace Brothers and the Death of Young Mr. Grace; Captain Peacock, Miss Brahms, Mr. Humphries and Mrs. Slocombe return to the now defunct department store for a discussion of Young Mr. Grace's will. They discover that their Pension Fund is more or less worthless and all that is left of it that's worth anything is a country manor house -- the aptly named Millstone Manor -- but that it's in trust and can't be sold. Instead it is intended to make money for the fund as a bed and breakfast style hotel. The group decide to go and check on this investment on which their retirements now depends. Upon arrival they discover that Mr. Rumbold, now the hotel's manager, has managed to bung up everything by running off all the staff, except for the keeper of the home farm Mr. Moulterd and his daughter Mavis, and that they, themselves must now take up the positions to run the place or risk losing their pensions completely. Wacky country shenanigans ensue!

It's slightly different from AYBS, in that the new setting allowed for somewhat more complex storylines and subplots, continuous story arcs, and location shooting. The cast is rounded out by the addition of three new great characters, who fit in with the originals and the new setting really well. If you enjoy "Are You Being Served?" you'll love this one too and if you've never seen AYBS, that's okay, the series stands on it's own without knowledge of it's predecessor. The entire series is just twelve half-hour episodes, so it's an easy binge watch!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?(optional): It's on Britbox if you're subscribed to that Streaming Service, but if not they are all availble on Dailymotion, in pretty good quality, at the links below.
Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12

Mosquitoes - Lucy Kirkwood

[kittyeden]

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 doesn't look like it's currently playing anywhere in the world right now, 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 (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 few years ago 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.

Re: Mosquitoes - Lucy Kirkwood

[(Anonymous)]

Looks like it might also be available to rent on National Theatre at Home? https://www.ntathome.com/products/mosquitoes

双夭记 | The Silent Criminal (TV 2020)

[corvidology]

It's 13 x 35 minute episodes (not much time commitment for a Chinese drama) of cheaply produced, cheaply costumed, improbable, ridiculous, funny, odd, kinda dodgy writing with plot holes you could ride a dinosaur through and average to average+ acting (though to be fair they don't get much to work with). I mean, if you took a drink for every 'evil laugh' you'd be pissed in no time. Really, I can't recommend it to anyone with a straight face. Nope.

BUT here I am recommending it to you because it's a lot of fun in part for those very reasons. There are so many opportunities to expand upon this world (I did mention the plot holes) and it combines comedy, mystery and even some fantasy elements.

It centres around Long Yao, a higher rank Jinyiwei guard and Shi Jingyao, a lowly compromised constable. They cross paths when a Jinyiwei guard is murdered and a mystic weapon goes missing. It opens up into a larger story about abuse of power and the people who are trying to stop it.

It's available on Viki, iQiyi and probably some other places besides - I know it was posted to youtube and dailymotion for a while.


The subtitled trailer is here










.

Re: 双夭记 | The Silent Criminal (TV 2020)

[aroberuka]

honestly, you had me at "if you took a drink for every 'evil laugh' you'd be pissed in no time" - this is going straight to my to-watch list!

inFamous (video game series)

[sleepyquail]

FANDOM NAME: inFamous

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: It's an action-adventure game series starting with inFamous on the ps3, then inFamous 2, and an unrelated but same world inFamous: Second Son (and it's standalone inFamous: First Light), about people called Conduits, who have certain powers after an explosion in the city. You play as Cole MacGrath in the first two games, who gains powers of electricity after the event, and it features a good vs. evil choice system where your powers change depending on whether you pick good or evil.

The second set of games centre around a Native American main character called Delsin, who also has a wider variety of conduit powers and lives on a Seattle Reservation. One of the main draws of playing the games is that the gameplay itself is super fun - it has a sandboxy feel, and you can climb all the buildings and glide around, and it is, I cannot stress enough, really fun.

HOWEVER from a fandom point of view, both sets of games have their own vibes! inFamous 1 and 2, the main character Cole has a best friend called Zeke who does all of the tinkering and making devices/weapons for him, and at one point they fall asleep leaning on each other while watching a film on an old battered sofa and it is so damn good. There's also some cool side characters, especially in inFamous 2 with Lucy Kuo who is super fucking badass. The good/evil options can be a little simplistic which is often the case in those sort of games, but personally I found the story in both of them to be really nice, and not to mention I ship Cole/Zeke like crazy (this is generally an unpopular ship, which I suspect is because Zeke is fat, because otherwise it would be waaay more popular I reckon - it's a perfect best friends foil type!)

The second set of games (Second Son and First Light) go into how society deals with Conduits after the events of the first two games as a minority group who are generally mistrusted. There's a lot of stuff about rebelling against the cops and a governmental agency called the DUP who's motive is to hunt down and imprison Conduits, claiming that they're bioterrorists. These ones have a big found family feel, and there's a whole host of characters and ships you can dive into, including my favourites Delsin/Reggie (his brother), and Reggie/Eugene.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: The first two games are available on Playstation Now which you can get a week trial of, or you could watch a playthrough (unfortunately I don't watch LPs so I can't recommend any in particular), or if you have a PS3 there is an inFamous Collection which both games and a (SUPER FUN) non-canon DLC called Carnival of Blood. Second Son and First Light were both on the PS4, and can be found on the PSN and played on PS5 if you have one.


What are you thinking of requesting for this?: I've requested Cole, Zeke, Eugene and Reggie as characters, and for signups I would request Cole/Zeke and Reggie/Eugene, although if anyone wants to add a nomination to include Delsin and Fetch from Second Son then that would also be amazing!

The First Law (Joe Abercrombie books)

[sleepyquail]

FANDOM NAME:The First Law (Joe Abercrombie books)

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: A grimdark fantasy book series, most recently completed with the publication of final book in the Age of Madness trilogy, The Wisdom of Crowds, last week. The first series of books, The First Law, is about a wizard, the crippled torturer Glokta, a vain, self important young fencing champion Jezal dan Luthar, and the most feared man in the North, the berserker Logen Ninefingers (also called The Bloody Nine), as some of them navigate their way through a series of wars, and the others embark on a journey with the wizard, Bayaz. After this series, there are a bunch of standalones about various other characters (including Best Served Cold, about a woman on a single-minded vengeance mission; The Heroes, about a three day battle in the North; and Red Country, about a young woman trying to get her family back). The Age of Madness is the most recent series, set in the industrial revolution of the Union and how people deal with it.

The characters encompass many, many shades of grey; the stories are intense, bloody and realistic; the writing is hilarious and the characters are just brilliant, especially the women after The First Law series, who range from a ruthless, incestuous general set on the single goal of revenge to a highborn, cutthroat socialite business woman, intent on climbing to the top and not afraid to manipulate people to get there. There's gay rep in the later books, and a whole lot of really complicated relationships, found families, old grizzled warriors, betrayals, loves and hatreds to get your teeth into. Also, they're really fucking funny. I finished Wisdom of Crowds the other day and it was the best book I've read all year, and I would kill a man for some fic about Rikke and Shivers, who have one of my favourite dynamics in the whole series - think young girl plagued with fits, absolutely un-terrified of the most feared man in the North, hanging around and being the only one to make him laugh. He's her rock, super trusted advisor, and there's just something about this huge, old grizzled and scarred one-eyed man with a shitty, bloody past being gentle with this younger girl that really makes me wibble.

They're definitely not books for people who like a straightforward good or evil outlook, or a perfect happy ending - sometimes you don't know who to root for, and your faves do really dumb shit that makes you want to reach into the book and strangle them, but if you like nuanced characters just trying to get through their shitty lives as best they can, struggling against their circumstances and even themselves, then these books are for you!

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: All the books are currently in print and available in most libraries I would expect, and you can get them on kindle or audiobook (which I hear are excellently narrated!) too.


What are you thinking of requesting for this?: I have nominated Rikke, Shivers, Monza and Orso, and I've left a request for Savine, Ardee, Glokta and Logen just in case anyone else feels like nominating for them! I will be requesting Rikke/Shivers, Monza/Shivers, and potentially Orso/Rikke in signups, and if the extras get added, I would also want to add in Savine/Orso, Ardee/Glokta and just generally anything Logen lol.

Bluehills County Stories (Video Games)

[aroberuka]

Fandom Name: Bluehills County Stories (Video Games)

What is it?: A series of short (each game takes between 1-3 hours to complete), horror VN/point and click games set in a world of deceptively cute animal people! Each game can be played as a standalone, but they all share the same setting and (some) characters.

What makes it great: Honestly, they're just really fun games. The first game, Parsnip, is a short quest for cake with some extremely dark undertones; the rest of the series is straight-up horror of the 'we found something we shouldn't have, now how do we put it back' variety, usually centered on some piece of folklore or cursed book the main characters are studying for uni, as you do. All of them start out cute and silly and never quite lose it, but they're also very good horror when they get to it. The characters are just OTT enough to be endearing (...mostly); it doesn't hurt that this is an all-queer cast with multiple trans women. And I think there's some excellent bits of worldbuilding threaded throughout (ancient snake civilizations! bird myths! mysterious deep sea fish cities! whatever's going on in North Acres!) that have a lot of potential for expansion via fanfic!

What I’m likely to request: Trixie, Nikita and Tabby, with a focus on worldbuilding, canon-typical brushes with cosmic horror, and academic woes.

Content warnings: To quote the itch.io page: "mild descriptions of violence, horror, implied sexual content and some bad language"; alcoholism from a side character in the first two games; Parsnip's blatant disregard for other people's boundaries. All four games are jumpscare free.

Where can I find it (optional): Here on itch.io. They were all included in last year's Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality as well, for anyone who has it.

Sex Therapy (Web Comic)

[mixtapestar]

FANDOM NAME: Sex Therapy (Web Comic)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: A (very sexy, very NSFW) BL comic focusing on a sex enthusiast who doesn't DO commitment... but there are some repeat partners he's willing to keep around...



Our main character, Elliot Graham (pictured first), says he wants no attachments, but it's definitely a case of protesting too much. He meets Andreas (pictured second) at the coffee shop he frequents, and their first date challenges many of Elliot's preconceived notions about himself. The third chapter focuses on Haruto (pictured third), a lovely optimist who's never had a second date... until Elliot.

There is so much shipping potential in all directions here, plus beautiful art and plenty of room for backstory as well. Chapter 4 is due to be released soon, possibly before noms are over. This is a very quick (and very enjoyable) canon that I recommend for any M/M lovers!
WHERE CAN I FIND IT: https://www.cathexis.world/sextherapy

Re: Sex Therapy (Web Comic)

[skytintedwater]

I just read this and wooooooow!

Imposters (TV)

[mixtapestar]

FANDOM NAME: Imposters (TV)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Hilarious hijinks, complicated relationships, heists and cons and competence kink, oh my!



It's a dark comedy wherein Maddie (bottom of poster) is a con artist who marries people and then, after a month, leaves them with nothing. Jules, Ezra, and Richard (top of poster, left to right) are three of her victims who find each other and band together to make things right - and become con artists of their own along the way. Amazing chemistry between the characters, including the found family of Ezra, Richard, and Jules.

WHERE CAN I FIND IT: Both seasons are on Netflix (US)!

[rabidsamfan]

The Blob (1958)

Falling star brings along some alien goo, and soon pretty much the whole town is in trouble and only the teenagers know what to do.

Where can you find it? https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-blob-1958 has links to streams at various places.

Steve McQueen didn't look much like a teenager when they filmed this most glorious of B-movies, but the story pulls you along anyway. The effects are clunky to modern eyes, but some of them still have the power to make you jump. Bring popcorn!

I'd put up the poster, but I've forgotten how to add images. Look here.