Yuletide Fandom Promo 2024!

[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!


Cheju has started a spreadsheet for promo! Here's the link!

---

Here are some areas you can cover:

<b>Title</b>:
Please put your fandom's title in the subject of your comment, too. This helps people find your promo again.

<b>Media</b>:

<b>Approx length</b>:

<b>Where to find it</b>:
(If giving links, please only link to legal sources. You may want to encourage people to contact you directly if they are having trouble finding a canon and you can give them tips)

<b>What is it, in summary?</b>:

<b>What do you love about it?</b>:

<b>What sort of things are you likely to request for it?</b>:

<b>Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?</b>:

<b>Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence)</b>:
This is at your discretion and is not expected to be comprehensive

---

(Bonus options: What are you thinking of requesting for this? If you're thinking of nominating worldbuilding, what sort of worldbuilding topics might people explore?)


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


- 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.



Previous fandom promo posts can be found at this tag!

Comments

The One Within the Villainess

[marenke]

Title: The One Within the Vilainess

Media: webnovel/manga, but i'll be requesting the manga!

Approx length: as of this promo, 23 manga chapters

Where to find it: not available officially in english, but it is available on most manga aggregator websites!

What is it, in summary?:

Emi Kobayashi, an ordinary girl who loves Otome games, wakes up and finds herself as Remilia, the villainess of the Otome game app"The Star Maiden And The Knight of Salvation". Emi scrambles to avert the destruction of the world and her own downfall! In spite of her efforts, the heroine "The Star Maiden", who is also a reincarnated person, strike at her, and Emi was accused of trying to kill the Star Maiden in addition to breaking the engagement. Instead of Emi, who lost consciousness due to the shock, Remilia who was watching over her from inside, wakes up and takes revenge on the Star Maiden and her former fiancee prince who hurt the lovelyEmi.

What do you love about it?: frankly? the art style. the author manages to convey so much with their art that it just really elevates the experience of seeing remilia fuck shit up for emi. remilia's devotion for emi is also so good - you just know she'll fuck shit up for emi, not for herself. if it wasn't about the systematic destruction of the people who fucked her over until they were stains on the floor, then it'd be a very good yuri!

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: character studies for both emi and remilia, and shippy content about them

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: unfortunately no Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): remilia uses spiders as her familiar animals. i'm going to put a small gore/body horror tw for the godslaying arc.

Something Dark and Holy Series (book)

[marenke]

Title: Something Dark and Holy Series, a trilogy composed by Wicked Saints, Ruthless Gods, and Blessed Monsters

Media: Books

Approx length: between 400 and 544 pages

Where to find it: Available on Amazon or another retailer, or your local library! Also available as audiobooks

What is it, in summary?: the series in set in fantasy!russia and fantasy!poland, two countries at war because of religious differences - fantasy!russia has a pantheon of gods and clerics, figures that are able to communicate and wield the gods' powers, while fantasy!poland has said "fuck this shit" and invented magic of their own, which upset the gods and caused war for the past few centuries. our protagonist is nadezhda "nadya" lapteva, the last of the clerics, able to commune with the entire pantheon, and who leads a mostly normal life in the monastery where she was abandoned at - until the prince of fantasy!poland comes knocking to kill her. nadya flees, and ends up meeting a mysterious soldier from fantasy!poland, alongside his two traveling companions.

What do you love about it?: I like the cast - they're a bunch of extremely competent people, who also happen to be a few of the biggest losers you've met. I also like the magical systems - both feel rounded and robust, and although they're not the main focus, you can still feel like they make sense. idk I just really like these books

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I'm going to be requesting shippy content but I'd be genuinely down for Anything

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: just reading Wicked Saints would be good to get you writing!!

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): blood, self harm, heavy body horror in later books

MOTHER/Earthbound Beginnings

[sarajayechan]

Title: MOTHER/Earthbound Beginnings/Earthbound Zero

Media: Video game

Approx length: LPs usually run around 14-17 videos.

Where to find it: Playable through the NES library for Nintendo Switch Online, and here are some LPs:

EverChanger's Let's Play
StephenPlays's LP
Davidvinc's LP

What is it, in summary?: It's about a boy named Ninten with psychic powers who discovers his great-grandpa's account of being abducted by aliens. He then embarks on a mission to find eight melodies, meeting new friends along the way (a nerd who loves rockets, a girl with incredible psychic powers, and a teenager who looks after them). Ninten also visits the land of Magicant and meets Queen Mary, who seems connected to the eight melodies.

What do you love about it?: While the gameplay can be trying, I absolutely love the atmosphere. It's whimsical and adventurous with an elegant melancholy about it, and considering it's an 8-bit game the locations and sprites look really good. The soundtrack is also gorgeous, some of the best video game music ever. And while the characters aren't as deeply developed as later RPGs they're still well-written and you can get the general sense of who they are and what they value from the little dialogue they have.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Gen, friendship, or shippy fic.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: It's best to experience the whole game, either via playing or watching an LP.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): None, really.

I Want to Be a Wall (Manga)

[estirose]

Title: I Want to Be a Wall (わたしは壁になりたい/Watashi wa Kabe ni Naritai)

Media: Manga

Approx length: 3 volumes (complete); the first two are about 140 pages each, the third is about 180.

Where to find it: Bookstores/other places that sell manga.

What is it, in summary?: An asexual, aromantic woman (Yuriko) who's a Boys Love fan enters into a lavender marriage with a closeted gay man (Gakurouta), and they try to figure out how to relate to each other as a married couple, with flashbacks to their respective backstories.

What do you love about it?: The characters are interesting and apart from one spat (and some tension with Yuriko's and Gakurouta's families) most of it is a warm and fuzzy story about two people figuring out marriage and adulthood. It's got one of the better discussions/depictions of aroace people I've seen. Yuriko is a character whose storyline I felt so much and Gakurouta makes one of the most devoted husbands ever. I like the fact that Yuriko's BL hobby/interest is more used to explain who she is (along with some comedic bits involving Gakurouta) rather than turning her into a stereotype that is eternally trying to get Gakurouta together with his oblivious love interest - she does have a moment or two, one of which causes some drama, but that's it.

The message of the manga is that you should live a happy life, even if it isn't the way society wants you to live, and I feel that so much right now.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: More of the same as canon: the two of them figuring out how to be spouses and living their lives together. Possibly some missing scene type fic about secondary character Sousuke and the aftermath of certain revelations at the end of the story.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Not really - I'm likely to request post-canon (and perhaps pre-bonus future story) fic, but a lot of Yuriko and Gakurouta's pasts are covered in volumes 1 and 2.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Mostly free of triggers, but there is a character with some mental health issues that brandishes a weapon at another character in the 3rd volume; a character is minorly injured and is temporarily in hospital. Discussion and examples of societal expections (husband, wife, kids) and the pressure to conform comes up with not only the main characters but some side characters.

On a minor note, the translator chose to translate the Japanese word for aroace as asexual (confusing readers of the first volume) and doesn't clarify this until volume 2.

High Spirits (1988)

[klutzygirl]

Title: High Spirits

Media: Movie

Approx length: Hour and a half

Where to find it: Tubi, Roku, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

What is it, in summary?:When a man attempts to save his castle hotel, he falsely advertises it as haunted. But when guests show up, they discover said castle is actually haunted.

What do you love about it?: The romances between two people who are alive and their ghost love interests. Plus, it's just a fun movie in general.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Not sure yet

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: No

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Death, murder

Taproot

[sarajayechan]

Title: Taproot

Media: Graphic Novel

Approx length: 127 pages

Where to find it: You can request it from a library or find cheap used copies on Amazon.

What is it, in summary?: A ghost named Blue falls in love with a gardener named Hamal, the only one who can see him and other ghosts. But Hamal's ability is causing a disturbance between the balance of life and death, and a grim reaper is stalking Blue. The two have to figure out how to solve the imbalance, but Hamal doesn't want to sacrifice Blue.

There's also a short story after the main one involving Blue, Hamal, and a girl who seemed to be crushing on Hamal at the beginning, but it's not a love triangle so much as it is a ghost hunting story.

What do you love about it?: It turns the Tragic Gays trope on its head with a supernatural twist and it's absolutely beautiful. The art is gorgeous, the plot is amazing, and it's got plenty of levity to balance out the angst and melancholy.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Shippy fic and gen

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: It's best to read the whole thing.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Skeletons and disintegration associated with death, but there's no blood or gore involved.

Bandits (2001)

[klutzygirl]

Title: Bandits

Media: Movie

Approx length: Two hours

Where to find it: HBO Max, Amazon, YouTube, Apple TV

What is it, in summary?: Two thieves escape from prison, start robbing banks, and run into a bored housewife who joins them on their adventures.

What do you love about it?: Canon throuple! Certainly didn't expect a movie from 2001 to end in polyamory but it was fantastic.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Definitely the OT3.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: No.

Degrassi the Next Generation

[dauntlessshadowice]

Title: Degrassi the Next Generation

Media: TV Show

Approx length: 366 half-hour episodes, ~183 hours to complete

Where to find it:
On Amazon Prime in Canada, HBO Max in the US, a YouTuber has been kind enough to upload the whole franchise here: https://m.youtube.com/@ashl5329/videos
(the specific playlists are Degrassi: The Next Generation [seasons 1-9], and then Degrassi [seasons 10-14])

What is it, in summary?: It follows an ensemble cast of different teenagers throughout their time at the fictional Degrassi Community School in Toronto, Ontario (as well as a select few into post-secondary).

What do you love about it?: What I love most about it is that it’s realistic. The teenagers are portrayed by teenagers (if not slightly older, but still believable.) It doesn’t shy away from topics that other teen dramas would—Degrassi: It Goes There is their motto, after all. Characters wear the same clothes multiple times (small detail, I know, but I appreciate it nonetheless.) Most, if not all, characters get an episode that focuses on them, and the show gives them a personality and makes them a three-dimensional character.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Depends on the character. Definitely femslash for a rarepair, but definitely lots of gen/family stuff overall.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Yes! All four characters I plan to nominate appear in slightly different seasons: Paige appears in seasons 1-7, Ellie’s in seasons 2-7, Darcy is introduced in season 4 and leaves in season 8, and Clare, while introduced in season 6, doesn’t become a main character until season 8 and, from my knowledge, remains one until the end of the show.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): They vary from episode to episode, but the show as whole doesn’t require any warnings.

Quigley Down Under

[klutzygirl]

Title:
Please put your fandom's title in the subject of your comment, too. This helps people find your promo again.

Media: Movie

Approx length: Two hours

Where to find it: Amazon, Tubi, Roku, Pluto TV, MGM+, YouTube, Google Play, Hoopla, Fubo, Apple TV

What is it, in summary?: A cowboy in the 1800s makes his way to Australia after a land baron places an ad for a sharpshooter to kill dingoes. Matt Quigley quickly discovers that the baron is actually after the Aborigines and turns against him. He runs into "Crazy Cora" and the two of them fall in love.

What do you love about it?: The relationship between Quigley and Cora.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Quigley/Cora

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: No

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): Racism, murder, referenced death of a child and mental illness

Entrapment (1999)

[klutzygirl]

Title: Entrapment

Media: Movie

Approx length: An hour and a half

Where to find it: YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Fandango

What is it, in summary?: An insurance agent goes after a rich thief and they wind up falling in love.

What do you love about it?: Crime couple with a big age difference.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Gin/Mac

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: No

Red Band Society (US TV)

[dauntlessshadowice]

[mostly copy/paste from last year]

Title: Red Band Society (US TV)

Media: TV Show

Approx length: There are thirteen episodes ranging in length from 42-45 minutes. One source said it would take 13 hours to binge, and I would say slightly under that.

Where to find it: It’s on Disney+, and you can watch it on YouTube. The links to each are in a post I made here (I couldn't put them into a playlist, for some reason): https://dauntlessshadowice.dreamwidth.org/16509.html

What is it, in summary?: A single season teen drama about the adolescent patients at the fictional Ocean Park Hospital in LA, it follows the titular Red Band Society, a sextet of acquaintances turned friends (turned lovers, at least for some of them), and the drama that comes with living in a hospital. Oh, and it’s narrated by a twelve-year-old in a coma. So.
The Red Band Society is (writing this down here because I’m referencing them later):
Charlie, the narrator. He’s in a coma.
Leo, a former osteosarcoma patient and amputee. He has an on-off relationship with Emma.
Jordi, the new kid at the beginning of the series with Ewing sarcoma, and Leo’s roommate.
Dash, who has cystic fibrosis and is Leo’s bestie.
Emma, a girl with anorexia and Leo’s on-off girlfriend.
Kara, the other new kid at the beginning of the series with an enlarged heart. Charlie’s roommate. I don’t know why.

What do you love about it? It’s a long list. I love the fact that it focuses more on the patients than the staff (though they get screen time) and that they don’t shy away from making the taboo parts of other shows central to the storyline (for example, Emma, one of the main characters has an eating disorder, and it’s well-written, for the most part.)

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Definitely Jordi/Leo and Emma/Kara, as well as Jordi/Emma/Leo and Emma/Jordi/Leo/Kara. Gen stuff. Everyone getting better and living their lives. Everyone getting as worse as possible without actually dying. (I’m aware of how those contradict each other and I’ll bring up the point of very few fics in the fandom anyway.)

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Uh, not really. It’s a serial, so it would have to be watched in order. There’s characterization in every episode that you’d miss if you didn’t watch that particular episode.

Content warnings: There’s discussion of death, and there’s one scene in one of the final few episodes where Emma relapses and throws up, which may be triggering. There’s also drug use and underage alcohol use.

[sarajayechan]

Title: Fangirl

Media: Book/manga

Approx length: 483 pages/4 volumes

Where to find it: You can check it out at the library or find it on Amazon:

Novel
Graphic novels

That being said, it's a direct adaptation, the manga's story is the exact same as the book's. (We're not talking any canon foreigners or exclusive story arcs here!)

What is it, in summary?: A girl going off to college for the first time struggles with changes, meeting new people, coming out of her shell, trying to finish her epic fanfic before the final Simon Snow book comes out, and having feelings for a cute guy who obviously likes her.

What do you love about it?: How the main character slowly grows throughout the story, learning to spread her wings and be comfortable with other people without giving up the fandom she loves so much. The characters are all so well-written and it really taps into the feeling of being so devoted to a fandom and your OTP. It helps that Cath respects the line between fandom and canon, too.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Gen and shippy fic, character studies for Cath and Wren, friendship, pre-canon

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Best to read the whole thing.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): A character gets alcohol poisoning, and there's mention of blood drinking (one of the characters in Simon Snow is a vampire)

Luther

[twilfitt]

Title:
Luther (TV series: 2010-2019)



Media:
TV Show

Approx length:
5 seasons, 20 episodes, approx. 20 hours

Where to find it:
If inside the UK all 5 seasons are available for free on BBC iPlayer, if outside I’m not so sure but should be available to purchase on Prime Video. Feel free to send me a message if you’re struggling to find links.



What is it, in summary?:
British psychological crime drama about an obsessive police detective as he attempts to serve justice to murderers across London, all while himself toeing the blurred line between good and evil. As his recent breakdown and all-consuming workload lead to his home life and marriage crumbling around him, DCI Luther finds an unlikely confidante in a murder suspect.

What do you love about it?:
I love this show so much! It’s my favourite thing ever and I feel like most of the time it’s just me alone in this fandom! This show is so beautiful and the way it portrays complicated characters and moral dilemmas is so well done! It’s a scary show, not just in the violence it presents but the way you can feel yourself getting into the mindset and even understanding these terrible and complicated people it portrays! Ahh!

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?:
Honestly I’d be so down for anything but probably Alice-centric works or studies in John and Alice’s relationship.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?:
There’s a lot of seasons and while I’m a fan of it all (not including the movie, I hate the movie, don’t watch it) I would say you can just watch Seasons 1-3 instead of the full thing (especially if you want the characters to have a happy ending, just finish on season 3) and for those with a shorter attention span just Season 1 is a full and complete arc.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence):
It’s a dark show and a crime drama so there is a lot of gore and violence. The series begins with (voluntary) psychiatric institutionalisation. There are references throughout to police brutality, kidnapping, corruption, rape, sexual exploitation, attempted suicide, gun violence and more potentially triggering topics. If you would more thorough and specific warnings feel free to reach out.

A Season For Miracles

[klutzygirl]

Title: A Season For Miracles

Media: Movies

Approx length: Hour and a half

Where to find it: Amazon, Plex, Pluto TV, Hallmark Movies Now

What is it, in summary?: After her sister is jailed, a woman flees with her niece and nephew so they don't wind up in foster care. The three of them get stuck in a small town, and she wounds up falling in love with a cop.

What do you love about it?: The relationship between Emilie and her niece and nephew. Emilie and Nathan!

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: The four of them as a family.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: No

Round and Round (2023)

[klutzygirl]

Title: Round and Round

Media: Movie

Approx length: An hour and a half

Where to find it: Hallmark

What is it, in summary?: Rachel attends her parents' Hanukkah party but winds up stuck in a time loop with her apparent soulmate. She then has to figure out a way out of it.

What do you love about it?: Time loop! Soulmates!

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Rachel/Zach

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: No

Roseanne (TV 1988)

[dauntlessshadowice]

Title: Roseanne (TV 1988)

Media: TV Show

Approx length: 231 21-22 minute episodes = 4851-5082 minutes (80.5-84 hours)

Where to find it: Peacock in the US. No longer streaming in Canada, sadly.

What is it, in summary: A nine season 90s sitcom (+ one season revival) following the middle-class, blue-collar Conner family——Roseanne Conner, her husband Dan, and their children Becky, Darlene, and D.J.

What do you love about it?: Darlene Conner. She's super relatable and I love her and the snarky humour she has with her family, and how it reminds me of my own family.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Darlene is my all-time favourite character, so anything involving her canon relationship with David, her friendship (and unfortunately non-canon relationship) with Molly (or both!), and anything involving her siblings and/or parents. I’m going to request to examine her life closely, basically.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Actually, yes. I tend to stick to seasons 4-6 when rewatching and often tend to write within those seasons when writing, and my prompts will go into more detail about a few of the storylines within those seasons.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): It's a 90s sitcom, so there's 90s-typical humour. There's a two-part episode involving an abusive relationship, but it can easily be skipped and isn't talked about much beyond that. Not sure what else.

Fuller House

[sarajayechan]

Title: Fuller House

Media: TV show

Approx length: 5 seasons

Where to find it: Netflix

What is it, in summary?: A sequel to the classic sitcom Full House. Widowed DJ raises her three sons with the help of Stephanie, Kimmy, Kimmy's ex-husband Fernando and daughter Ramona, and sometimes her own three dads and aunt Becky. There's a love triangle between her, old flame Steve, new hunk Matt, and later Steve's new girlfriend CJ, and the kids are dealing with their own stuff as well.

What do you love about it?: Because it's so shamelessly referential to the old series, but very much its own thing. The characters are a lot of fun, the love triangle is actually pretty well-done and doesn't take up too much of the series, the appearances from Danny, Jesse. Joey, and Becky. Also it has a dog.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Gen fic about the whole Fuller family, DJ/Steve, Lola/Ramona, Rocki/Jackson, anything with the Gibbler family, Kimmy and Joey bonding, Jimmy/Stephanie, Kimmy/Stephanie, Max/Rose, AU where Michelle actually showed up from time to time.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: Any episodes from the early seasons featuring Lola, any major Steve/DJ, Kimmy-Stephanie, Jimmy/Stephanie, or Gibbler-related episodes, anything that goes heavy on the callbacks to the first series.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): None

Oathsworn (Actual Play Podcast)

[shadaras]

Fandom name: Oathsworn
Media type: Actual Play TTRPG Podcast
Length: Currently 52 episodes each averaging like an hour (ongoing weekly podcast; it'll keep getting longer)

Where can it be found?
Anywhere you get podcasts! Transcripts are linked in every episode description.
info carrd


What is it/what is it about?

The gods are silent.
The Chosen have been broken.
The armies of the realm lie in ruin.

The Consonant Legion is all that remains.

A band of mercenaries, thrown together by circumstance and desperate to survive, are on the run across the continent of Tzel Sh’el. Ahead of them lies the far-off capital of Novara, where a last defense can be mustered.

At their heels are the forces of the Never: people transformed into dark, haunting creatures by the infernal power of the Voice of the Dead God. A vast assembly of armies, intent on crushing the Consonant Legion.

So goes the official description.

Oathsworn is an actual play podcast running (mostly) Band of Blades, a game about running from the encroaching armies of darkness which threaten to consume the world. It is about hard choices, communities under threat, and defiant attempts to save everyone you can.

It is also explicitly influenced by Judaism, has a lot to say about what "grimdark" means, and includes a lot of explicitly queer and trans characters (though very little on-screen romance, since everyone's a bit busy with survival).

If you like Weird Horror (the sky is a dead god, for starters!), watching the apocalypse occur, and listening to a very good roleplayers communally create a group of soldiers and politicians who don't always get along, this is a fantastic podcast.


What do you love about it?

I love how the players share ownership of their characters. I love how the game explores weird magic and religion. I love the sense of community desperately fighting against the encroaching apocalypse. I love watching characters care about each other despite themselves, make hard choices, and support people and actions they wish they didn't need to support simply because any other option is worse.

I love the core cast's slow expansion. I love the relationships between characters. I love the interplay between the commanders/staff and the soldiers/specialists. I love how thoughtful all the players are about what various characters would be like. I love that the players are having a great time and get to joke around, and that their characters are also looking for joy and connection in tough times.

I love watching the world expand and learning more about it. I love the mysteries. I love the intentionality of the world and how much care the players put into making it.

It's just a really good example of what actual play as a medium can be.

(Also, I love the music that plays during dramatic moments, and how mostly it doesn't play under speech but instead is given time to breathe and be a rest.)


What sort of things are you likely to request for it?:

I will be honest: This is a fandom where I'll be happy with pretty much anything, because there aren't any fics for it yet. I'm absolutely nominating Worldbuilding, and throwing that wide open as an invitation for anything and everything. Other characters I'm likely to nominate are Waloot (a Legion rookie who died but came back changed in a way unlike anyone has ever seen before), Dorado the Adamant (a communist leader of the Legion), and Nikolaj (a member of a group obsessed with prophecy coerced into becoming part of the Legion). But between now and nomination ending I may change my mind about what exactly I'm going to nominate! (I did request this podcast for Fic in a Box, though, so you can see some requests in this letter to get some vibes for what/who I might request!)


Where should people start?
At the start! It's sort of hard to begin anywhere else, though I suppose you could skip the worldbulding episodes (eps -1 and 0) if you want to get to the main cast of characters right away.

Do you have any content warnings?
War, violent death, body horror, drug use, alcohol use, dismemberment, magical suicide bombers... Each episode has a list of content warnings relevant to that episode. If you're generally okay with media about war, you should be fine with this; they try not to go into great detail about gory specifics, because they're more concerned with themes and emotional reactions.

In which a Visitor proves a Nuisance - David Malki! (webcomic)

[donutsweeper]

Title: In which a Visitor proves a Nuisance - David Malki! (webcomic)

Media: Webcomic

Approx length: It's a four panel comic.

Where to find it: Here!

What is it, in summary?: A vaguely old-timey looking man is saved from a time-traveling assassin by Sully the Time Cop, something that is apparently a frequent occurrence.

What do you love about it?: It's so random and weird. The contrast between the "present" and the time travelers is great along with the implication that it is something that happens over and over again.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: The time travelers wear diving helmets and one uses a sickle while the other has an energy weapon. Why? How does the time assassination/assassination prevention attempts even work. Are they from different centuries or the same one? I am planning on nominating Sully, Time Traveling Assassin and Worldbuilding. (I can certainly nominate the muttonchop sporting man if anyone else is interested.)

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: No, but it's just a single page, four panel webcomic.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): None.

De ontdekking van de hemel | The Discovery of Heaven - Harry Mulisch

[strangeh]

Title: De ontdekking van de hemel | The Discovery of Heaven - Harry Mulisch

Media: Book, there's a film but it's. Well, it's certainly a movie. Stephen Fry plays Onno at the author's request and he's good in the film, I just would've preferred like, a series with Dutch actors.

Approx length: ~900 pages

Where to find it: It's one of the best known Dutch novels and it's been translated into over twenty languages, so it should be very easy to find anywhere books are available. I have to assume there's audiobooks as well.

What is it, in summary?: Angels put things in motion to lead to the birth of a child who'll bring the Ten Commandments back to Heaven. We follow the lives of language genius rich Protestant kid Onno Quist, womanising astronomer Max Delius, and level-headed concert violinist Ada Brons through the political upheavals of 1960s-1990s Dutch life and their various interconnected emotional and romantic liaisons, as well as the upbringing of Quentin, the child resulting from these relationships, as he matures into a single-minded obsession with his divinely ordained goal. Occasionally, we return to the angels and hear their commentary on what's going on. There's a lot of travel and shades of magical realism.

What do you love about it?: It's often described as a "totaalroman," an all-encompassing story that touches on more themes than you can shake a stick at, but the writing style is really moreish and approachable and you get extremely invested in the characters. It's got drama, religion and philosophy, politics, insight into a period of the Netherlands I don't see covered in any non-Dutch media, etc. And it's often genuinely funny. Some stuff didn't age extremely well (like the ?plot point? of Dutch people not being reactionary/extremist, lol, or the Israel glazing) but it's 900 pages long. Can't win them all.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Onno/Max shenanigans tbhon, especially after the end of the book from Onno's perspective. There's a lot of "Onno and Max were so close people thought they were gay, and they wished they were! alas" that can serve as a good basis for Complicated Feelings or threesome/OT3 stuff with Ada. Also probably Quentin in situations, and the cosmic implications of the canon.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: The book is divided into four sections but they're very interconnected and sequential, so not really. I appreciate that it's long, but it's an endeavour I honestly think is worth it. It's a gorgeous and complex story that imo is very inspirational if you're an artist/writer yourself.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence): the aftermath of the Holocaust plays an important role, especially in Max's storyline, as he's the son of a Jewish woman and a guy who later became a Nazi officer. Mulisch was a Dutch Jew and has some really good/interesting observations on post-war Netherlands from that perspective, but I know dealing with those topics can be difficult for some people. Onno is the kind of guy who's sexist etc to provoke people because he likes to cause problems on purpose. A lot of hospital scenes with a character in a coma after a specific point. Infidelity.

Ogi's Summer Break (Manga)

[sarunohadaki]

Title: Ogi's Summer Break

Media: Manga (BL)

Length: 2 Volumes - about 300 pages (It took me an hour) (Word is a third volume is coming!)

Where to find it: Possibly local library (I found vol. 1 on Hoopla digital with my library).
Barnes and Noble - eBook: Volume 1, Volume 2 $7.49 ea.

What is it, in summary?
Tago is blind. Ogi sometimes likes to dress more femininely. It doesn't bother Tago, who is simply happy that Ogi has taken an interest in him. With this in mind, Tago suggests they date for the summer, and so their bond grows closer. But as the summer draws to a close, Ogi and Tago are forced to consider what they really mean to each other and whether this is a relationship that could outlast the boundaries of just a summer break...

What do you love about it?: I LOVE the variety of representation here. Gay boys! A blind character! A character who paints his nails, and wears skirts, and shares his sister's closet but everyone's chill about it and it doesn't have to be this huge thing. Tago likes him because of those things, he likes that Ogi paints his nails so he can ask what color they are and he can feel how long Ogi's hair is or hear the cute little accessories Ogi carries on his bag.

I'm just obsessed with not only the dynamic presented between the more aloof Tago and the self-conscious Ogi but because it presents so many unique situations. I wrote a series of short stories about it but I really could devour at least 10k more of them.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Post-canon or missing scene fic. There are two volumes and they fly right by, so I would LOVE to receive a fic exploring what the story would feel like as a slower burn. The story had a good enough resolution but I feel like more drama could have been injected between where the story began and where it ended.

I'm also a huge fan of slice of life and fluff. The stakes don't have to be super high to still be entertaining. A domestic plot will absolutely still grip my attention, especially if Tago is there just living his life. I love to hear about other people's lives that are so different from mine, which is another draw I have to his character. There's a lot I feel I could still have to know about his world considering he's blind.

Content notes (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - this is at your discretion and is not expected to be comprehensive: There is a scene in the first volume where Tago shows Ogi some porn unprompted and asks him to describe the acts to him.

Boy Meets Maria (Manga)

[sarunohadaki]

Title: Boy Meets Maria

"Wouldn't it be cool... if there was an actor who could play both male and female roles?"

Media: Manga

Approx length: One volume (complete)

Where to find it: Barnes & Noble for $8.99 (ebook)

What is it, in summary?
A story about the main character Taiga falling in love with a boy he initially mistakes as a girl who acts for the school's drama club. The beautiful actor in question is Arima Yuu, whose mother raised him as the girl she always wished she'd had (and which is, naturally, the source of the manga's name— Maria). As Taiga and Arima grow closer, Taiga learns more about Arima and his struggles with his gender identity and along the way helps Arima find the courage to act onstage as more than a dancer but as the lead male role in a play.

Content notes:
Explicit pedophilia & attempted rape at the start of ch. 4 (The explicit scene ends at pg 129 but it is still a prevalent part of the rest of the plot going forward), sexual assault (pgs 204-211)

What do you love about it?
I'm in love with Arima and his journey as a boy whose mother made him live like a girl to exploring his own gender identity as a man throughout the course of the manga, with him eventually settling on just being “Yuu.” Taiga insisted he loves Arima no matter what his gender identity is, and I loved that aspect of their relationship very much. Arima doesn't let the past stop him from pursuing his dreams of becoming an actor despite his unique upbringing. It's trauma and he's healing from it and finding a way to take something that had been torture for him into a tool to improve his acting. Both male and female roles!! Ahh, he's so handsome and beautiful and amazing and— and— [etc.]

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?
Absolutely more Arima. More of his snark, more of his face, more of his acting and putting his foot down. I will be asking for character-driven works about Arima and his journey with his identity/sexuality because I love that story and think the closure of getting more "screentime" with him could absolutely fix me. I'd love to see more acting, and kissing, and maybe other things! Arima still has more of his charm to flex and I want to see all of it.

Yes, No, or Maybe? (Light Novel)

[sarunohadaki]

Title: Yes, No, or Maybe?

(Look at them both doing bleps I CAAAANTTTT 😭 💕 🥺 😭 🙏)

Media: Light Novel

Approx length: 3 main volumes, with 3 extra "Off Air" volumes that I could not currently find official English translations for.

Where to find it: Barnes and Noble eBooks at ~$8.99: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3. I was also able to find some translations online by googling!

What is it, in summary?
Kuneida Kei is a man with two personas-- the hardworking, kind, and revered announcer who works at a TV station and the crude, selfish, prideful private character who spends his off-hours eating beef bowls in raggedy sports clothes and "studying" the other news stations religiously to stay on his game.

He originally meets the love interest, Tsuzuki Ushio, on assignment since Tsuzuki is an animator creating the new intro for their program, The News, using claymation. But one day, while Kei is walking home from buying his favorite beef bowl to-go, he carelessly crosses a red pedestrian path and Tsuzuki's bike crashes into him. Since Kei is in his disguise at the time, Tsuzuki doesn't recognize him, and manages to enlist in Kei's help to finish the animation since the accident injured his wrist.

There's more plot to be uncovered in the other two volumes (lots of spicy drama about Kei's job and Ushio's secretive personal life), but hopefully that is enough to draw in your attention for now.

Ushio and Kei are really cute together and Kei is a huge tsundere!

What do you love about it?
I love, love, LOVE the dynamic between Ushio and Kei. I love the way they pick on each other and yearn for each other and complement each other. I love everything about Ushio and how real he feels to me, like a person I'd actually meet out on the street. On the other hand, something about Kei's double-sided nature and how hard he works to succeed and be liked by others makes him almost cartoony to me. I adore the dichotomy of his character and all of the complexities that come with that– how Kunieda Kei handles a situation vs the real Kei. How he's so handsome and adored then turns around and bad-mouths people! 😂 I can relate to him in some ways, which makes me happy.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?
I'll be requesting fic of their established relationship, particularly domestic moments or "all is lost" moments where they have to do something for one another to help the other out of difficult situations. I love generally anything with them but especially something placed in canon, since half of my enjoyment of the fic absolutely comes from Kei's placement as a news announcer who is thus restricted by that role and can't act out as his "true" self whenever he feels like it.

I also have a new NSFW section of my likes list that I'm trying to get some potential use out of this year! 👉👈

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests, or that showcase particular characters and relationships?: If you read at least the first volume, that would be enough for me! (Tho I personally found myself blowing through all three available volumes; I found the story so addicting!)

SUNDOWN (Short Film)

[sarunohadaki]

Title: SUNDOWN

Media: Animated short film

Approx length: 5 minutes

Where to find it: Youtube video

What is it, in summary?: Ami's part of a traditional dance troupe that's about to perform. The only problem? One of the members is missing. (So, the rest go out to find him. And maybe have several meltdowns in the process.)

What do you love about it?: The energy, the colors, the characters, the environment. The way things escalate from "Sacha joined a rival team" to "omg he must have died!!!" (Seriously, these characters are SO charming and come with a fun dash of drama.) I especially love the storytelling, how it's fast-paced enough for you to feel the tension of the atmosphere, just as the characters do.



Look at how badass this poster looks!!! You can glean so much from these character's personalities just from one image. Isn't that wonderful? The little Instagram images featured in the video are the same way. I've also found the directors on twitter and am sucking up allll the lore now. (Did you know Ami and Jun are cousins?)

I would be honestly so happy if there were any fic for this on AO3, but atm, there's nothing. Let's change that! I even did all the digging (because I have an obsession) and learned everybody's name.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: The main cast's backstories/character studies; worldbuilding and exploring Ami's life in the circus; retelling the short film from Sacha's perspective. More Sacha in general, perhaps even shippy Sacha prompts.



A colorboard for Sundown shared by director Juliette Brocal on Twitter. (You should def check it out!!)

The Deer King (Movie)

[sarunohadaki]

Title: The Deer King

Media: Movie

Approx length:1hr, 54m

Where to find it: Google Play, Youtube (only buy option), and others

What is it, in summary?: Van, the last survivor of a group of warriors, ends up enslaved in a salt mine when it is attacked by a pack of diseased dogs. The disease kills nearly everyone in the mines, save for Van and a little girl named Yuna. However, both of them bare bite marks from the dogs. Why did they survive, and what does this mean for the future of the disease?

After that, the story becomes a mixture of a few different things: Van coming to terms with the passing of his old family and fostering a new one; a doctor's quest to finding Van in hopes of fighting back against the disease; and a secret plan from an occupied nation to use biological warfare to regain its sovereignty.

I tell you all of this because when I was watching it the first time, I got really confused as to why Aquafa was red and the Zolians were blue. So, heads-up for that. And I feel the movie makes a lot more sense if you come into it knowing there are several plots swimming around, one of which is politically motivated.


Content warnings: This movie is rated R for violence. People being shot with arrows, sword removes an arm, syringes (injecting into an arm), coughing up blood, boar death, and character is choked. Also, lots of discussion of disease and its spread, including death from said disease. The heaviest gore/bloodshed is at the beginning of the movie. So, if you are sensitive to that, I recommend skipping 3:30 through 5:20. There is also child injury and slavery at the beginning.


What do you love about it?: I love, love, Hohsalle. He's the doctor who seeks out a cure for the disease and I just think he's a very swell mister. He's smart, with a bit of snark to him and a brain to boot! Just the whole package, really. Except for his survival skills, which have much to be desired, but that just means we can put him in a bunch of hurt/comfort fics where something happens to him on the road and he needs someone to look after him 👀

I got a much deeper respect for this movie after watching it a second time and taking some notes. It's a lot to chew the first time around because the movie tries to do so much, but once you begin to understand how all the pieces slot together, it makes a lot more sense. I was stuck on the politics bit a lot, and it's sad that it took til the middle of the movie for it to start to make sense. But I adored the tie-in with Van's old life as the Broken Antler. He is a very badass character and I was cheering for him through everything.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Oh, absolutely post-canon, canon-divergent, missing scenes, that sort of thing. I want more Hohsalle! I always end up in this situation where I'm sad that a character didn't get a love interest. Though I think in Hohsalle's case, even found family would be enough to sate me.