modzilla: Godzilla with a clipboard (Default)
modzilla ([personal profile] modzilla) wrote in [community profile] fffx2021-08-03 10:41 pm
Entry tags:

Canon Promo Post 2021

Please use this post to promote the fandoms you're interested in requesting, or ask for recommendations of canons that suit you!

Promoting your canons


Comment here with information about the canons you are thinking of requesting, or otherwise want to get people into!


Information you might include

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

Media

Approx length

Where to find it (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)

What is it, in summary?

What do you love about it?

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

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests?

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - this is at your discretion and is not expected to be comprehensive

Some examples: Yuletide, Fandom5k, last year's fffx post.


Please keep an eye on comments, as people may have follow-up questions about your canons.


Asking for recs


You're also welcome to leave comments (anon or not) asking people to rec you canons that they are likely to request.

For example: "Please tell me about canons for which you'd be excited to receive a Choose Your Own Adventure story."

Consider letting people know if you're interested in specific media only, or have other restrictions.

Re: Ask For Recs Here

(Anonymous) - 2021-08-03 14:26 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Ask For Recs Here

[personal profile] muccamukk - 2021-08-03 18:33 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Ask For Recs Here

(Anonymous) - 2021-08-04 13:11 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Ask For Recs Here

[personal profile] delphi - 2021-08-05 05:53 (UTC) - Expand
eleosepistrophia: (Default)

Le Bureau des Légendes / The Bureau

[personal profile] eleosepistrophia 2021-08-03 04:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Le Bureau des Légendes / The Bureau (Internationally)

Media: TV

Approx length: There are 5 seasons, each consisting of 10 episodes that each run from 52-59 minutes. So it's a long one!

Where to find it: Sundance Now, AMC+ for English speakers requiring subtitles. I imagine it might be more widely available for those in Francophone countries. The first 3-ish episodes of S1 should be free to watch if you have US Amazon Prime (or at least, it was when I was watching it).

What is it, in summary?: At it's simplest, it is a French political thriller set in the French spy agency, the General Directorate for External Security (or DGSE, Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure in French). It focuses on Malotru, a man who has recently returned from a 6 year mission in Syria, and who is about the blow the entire agency up for love.

What do you love about it? While the main story line revolves around Malotru and his lady love, it has a large cast of interesting characters and relationships and has a very personal, psychological touch to it. From a North American perspective, it's also an interesting insight into the role of intelligence agencies that AREN'T the CIA (although the CIA makes some appearances). I haven't watched Homeland, but I've read that this can be considered the French equivalent, so if you enjoyed that, you will probably enjoy this.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I've requested a (non-canon) pining relationship between Malotru's daughter and his lady love, Nadia, an extremely antagonistic slash ship, and a 'Screw the dude, let his girlfriends ride off into the sunset together without him' ship.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests?: Not really. All the requests I've made require watching S5, which builds on all the other seasons. Have I made it difficult to gift me anything? Yes, yes I have.

Content warnings: Torture, violence, violence against women, lots of guns, lots of angst. It's one of those shows where almost all the Middle Eastern characters wind up being terrorists.
muccamukk: Text reading: "If there ain't no body, there ain't nobody fuckin' dead!" (BoB: Ain't No Body)

Band of Brothers (TV 2001)

[personal profile] muccamukk 2021-08-03 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm asking for four short English language TV shows/mini series, so I'll just rec them all! Posts to follow:

Band of Brothers is a 10-episode mini series based on a company of US Army Airborne Infantry who served in WWII. It can be found on HBO Max, or whatever service in your country carries HBO shows. There's also a DVD.

I love it because it's an ensemble cast, and we get all kinds of different people tossed together and learning to function as a teem. The show is heavy on h/c and people supporting each other through difficult times, and with a few exceptions the characters are decent people trying their best. It's really, really slashy, with more or less every kind of m/m relationship you might enjoy. There's also one really great female character, who I will be requesting. I love all the historical details, and feeling of place, and it's really fun if you enjoy a canon that allows you to fill in the corners with your own ideas and research.

Caveats: Because it's a show based on a book based on real people, it's something of an RPF lite thing (especially as many people supplement canon with details from history. There is a fair amount of movie war violence and gore, and some characters die. This is not a show with very many female characters, and there are no Black characters.

I'm requesting two m/m pairings, both friends to lovers h/c type things where different personalities attract, and one f/f pairing, which is admittedly mostly based on speculation and extra-canon material, but is a lot of fun.
muccamukk: Eddie and Andy standing in a bombed out airstrip sharing a look. (TP: Ruins)

The Pacific (TV 2010)

[personal profile] muccamukk 2021-08-03 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)
The Pacific is a 10-episode mini series based on the lives of three US Marines who served in WWII. It can be found on HBO Max, or whatever service in your country carries HBO shows. There's also a DVD.

As the title suggests, this show covers a more sprawling picture of the war, following different characters who only tangentially run into each other. There's less focus on the group as a team, and a more in depth look at how the trauma of combat effected individuals, starting before and ending after the actual combat. The teamwork and bond of combat aspect isn't as strongly emphasised as in Band of Brothers, but it's still there, and we get a lot of h/c and a wider picture of these men's lives. It's a lot more emotionally nuanced. There's a lot of really interesting period detail, and as with BoB, there's a lot of room to build your own story, and put new emphasis on the narrative.

Caveats: Because it's a show based on a book based on real people, it's something of an RPF lite thing (especially as many people supplement canon with details from history). There is a fair amount of war movie violence and gore, and quite a few characters die. There are more female characters than BoB, but they are not the main characters, and there are no Black characters. There is a fair bit of anti-Japanese racism expressed by the characters, which isn't explicitly endorsed by the narrative, but it isn't contradicted much either.

I'm requesting one m/m pairing, about two characters who super ping my loyalty kink, as well as my immense fondness for characters from different backgrounds thrown together under trying circumstances, and are probably the closest we get to competence porn. They're only in episodes 5-7, if you just wanted the starter pack on the show, they can probably be watched on their own.
muccamukk: Sinbad looks up with an innocent and concerned expression (Sinbad: Puppy Eyes)

Sinbad (TV 2012)

[personal profile] muccamukk 2021-08-03 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Sinbad was a one-season wonder fantasy show that ran for 12 episodes and then was unjustly cancelled. It was on SkyOne when it aired, as well as Space and SyFy, and I'm not super sure where you can find it streaming these days. Every so often someone sticks it up on youtube, and it's also on DVD.

I adore this show for being a super cheesy Xena-style fantasy show that had zero shits to give in regards to production values or plot, but is shot in gorgeous Malta, has a great cast who are often eyeliner-positive/shirts optional, and if nothing else means well. There's a lot of learning to be a team, loyalty kink, h/c, people trying to redeem themselves from past mistakes, an fantasy trope soup. There's just about any kind of ship you care to ship happening here, and also Naveen Andrews without a shirt (guest stars were paid in tickets to Malta, and we have a lot of fantastic one-off characters, like Nikki Amuka-Bird as a mad scientist). There's a tonne of room to flesh out stuff the show didn't quite cover, and I'm very into the people from all different cultures stuck together on a boat aspect.

Caveats: There is a mild cliff hanger at the end of the show, but it's not a huge thing, just set up for the next season. Episode two has some weird sexism, and is just generally bad. I'd rec skipping it, even if it does guest star Sophie Okonedo. On the whole, the show is not actually good in terms of having a coherent plot, or plots that made sense, or decent CGI, or good dialogue (though there are some fantastic bits in there), but it's on par with cheesy '90s fantasy shows, so if you liked those, this is great. Several of my faves are written out part way through the series.

I'm asking for an M/M loyalty kink pairing, an M/M/F OT3 that is super hot and also has a lot of comedy value, an F/F opposites attract pairing, and gen about a mystery character.
Edited 2021-08-03 18:31 (UTC)
aurilly: (audrey)

Re: Sinbad (TV 2012)

[personal profile] aurilly 2021-08-03 07:02 pm (UTC)(link)
In the US, at least, you can watch for free (no subscription needed) at CWSeed here: https://www.cwseed.com/search/?q=sinbad

If you watch the pilot and like it, you can also buy the whole season on Amazon Prime for only $11 if you don't want to watch ads.

The eyeliner positivity (including on shirtless Naveen Andrews) is wonderful to behold.

Anyway, seconding this rec! The show is not "good", but it's so much FUN, in a breezy, daft kind of way. So sunny and full of loyalty and hot people. It makes me happy and I keep finding myself rewatching bits when I need to turn my brain off and cheer up. All of the ships mentioned above are super hot and full of potential.

Re: Sinbad (TV 2012)

[personal profile] muccamukk - 2021-08-03 20:18 (UTC) - Expand
rubylily: Ai/Dee, Sunday Without God (❋ Azalea)

Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi | Sunday Without God

[personal profile] rubylily 2021-08-03 06:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Kamisama no Inai Nichiyoubi | Sunday Without God

Media: Anime, can be watched on Crunchyroll or HiDive (subscription required, includes both dub and sub). It's twelve episodes with a bonus episode on the BD/DVD set, and HiDive also has the bonus episode.

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

Despite the bleak premise, it's actually a rather hopeful series, and I loved Ai's journey and the relationships between her and her companions, and I also really love the canon's setting, as it's both beautiful and haunting.

Letter: Here!
rubylily: Kanami/Mai, Katana Maidens (❋ Gardenia)

Toji no Miko | Katana Maidens

[personal profile] rubylily 2021-08-03 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Toji no Miko | Katana Maidens

Media: Anime, can be watched on Crunchyroll. It's twenty-four episodes, available both dubbed and subbed.

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

You can't go wrong with girls with swords, and all the yuri subtext is definitely a welcomed touch. I really liked the friendship between the girls, and I also enjoy the friends-to-lovers trope. All the sword-fighting is good too - even with utsushi, fighting aradama is no easy feat, and one of the girls being injured during battle is also ripe for hurt/comfort potential.

Letter: Here!
rubylily: Arnice/Lilysse, Nights of Azure (❋ Lily)

Yoru no Nai Kuni | Nights of Azure

[personal profile] rubylily 2021-08-03 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Yoru no Nai Kuni | Nights of Azure

Media: Video games - both are action RPGs and first is available for the Playstation 4 while the second is available for the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch.

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

The second game, Bride of the New Moon, focuses on a different set of protagonists. Aluche's beloved, Liliana, has been selected as a sacrificial bride to the demonic Moon Queen Malvasia, and as Aluche fights to protect Liliana, she is killed by Malvasia and resurrected as a half-demon, much like the legendary Arnice. While struggling with her new powers, Aluche gathers new companions and learns more about the relationships between human and demon, including the truth behind Malvasia's desire to plunge the world into an eternal night.

The canon yuri is what drew me to this game, and the relationship between both sets of protagonists definitely delivered. The loyalty, the heartache, the romance - I love it all! There's a somberness about the setting, with the world on the brink of an eternal night, but despite it all the love between both Arnice/Lilysse and Aluche/Liliana remain true.

Letter: Here!
rubylily: Mylne, Märchen Forest (❋ Zinnia)

Atelier Ryza & Märchen Forest

[personal profile] rubylily 2021-08-03 06:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Putting these two together since I'm requesting a crossover.

Title(s): Atelier Ryza & Märchen Forest: Mylne and the Forest Gift

Media: Video games; both are turn-based/action-hybrid RPGs. Atelier Ryza 1 & 2 and the remastered version of Märchen Forest are available for the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and Steam. The remastered version of Märchen Forest also includes the Requiem of the Astral Realm DLC.

Summary: Atelier Ryza follows the titular protagonist as she suffers a bad case of small town boredom, so when a mysterious alchemist comes to her tiny island, she and her friends decide to set off on an adventure to learn more about alchemy and the truth behind all the ruins scattered about the island. Märchen Forest follows the cat-eared girl Mylne, whose genre-busting game starts with her helping her forests and then becomes a difficult dungeon-crawler as she explore a strange labyrinth to discover the truth of what happened to her mother.

Ryza and Mylne are about curious girls interested in alchemy and exploring, so basically I just want to see Ryza acting like a big sister to Mylne. Both games have their cute and dark moments, and it's easy to see Ryza and Mylne being adorable friends.

Letter: Here!
muccamukk: Saira and Ayesha looking imposing, text: Knock Knock (WALP: Knock Knock)

We Are Lady Parts (TV 2021)

[personal profile] muccamukk 2021-08-03 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
We Are Lady Parts is a British comedy that has one 6-episode season so far. It's on Channel 4 in the UK, Peacock in the US, Showcase in Canada. I know it's out in New Zealand and Australia, but not sure where.

This is a feel-good comedy about an all-female Muslim punk band trying to get off the ground in contemporary London. We throw together five very different women, mostly focusing on the character arcs of the lead guitarist who joins early in the show, and the front woman and lead singer who's trying to hold the whole thing together. There's lots of friends trying to support each other, plus conflicts where all the characters have valid but different points of view, learning and growing. It's got a great soundtrack, where the actors do play and sing both original songs and covers of classics. Is really funny, and there's just a whole lot of love. There is also a queer character, though she's not as much of a focus as I'd like.

Caveats: I have something of an embarrassment squick and was fine with it (there's a super awkward date scene in episode 2 that was the worst for me), but other people have said it's really hard to get through.

I'm requesting ship fic the lead characters, because they're just completely heart eyes at each other, and I love them so so so much.
mixtapestar: notice the shifts in gravity (inception arthur walks on walls)

Imposters (TV)

[personal profile] mixtapestar 2021-08-03 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Imposters
Media: TV Show
Approx length: Two seasons, approximately 14 hours total
Where to find it: Both seasons are on US Netflix!
What is it, in summary? A show about a con artist who accidentally turns her series of marks into con artists against her. A con artist, Maddie, "who gets involved in relationships with men and women before leaving them 'used and robbed of everything – including their hearts'." (source) In addition to Maddie, the focus of the show is primarily on Maddie's exes, who band together to try to get their lives back, with fun and engaging results.
What do you love about it? It doesn't take itself too seriously, leading to fun and clever stories and cons. The chemistry between the characters is probably my favorite aspect. (Also, this tumblr post is what sold me on it originally.)
What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Cons and heists and silly, fun scenarios. Character- and ship-wise, I'm requesting the exes.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests? I'm good with only including season 1. That's plenty to get a feel for the characters and how they handle the con-artist scene, which are the aspects I love.
Content warnings: There is a failed suicide attempt near the beginning, though it is not gruesome nor do the character's suicidal thoughts linger.
mixtapestar: "we work. we know it 'cause we lived it." (Default)

Fence Series

[personal profile] mixtapestar 2021-08-03 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Fence
Media: Comics, YA Novels
Approx length: 4 graphic novels (or 16 issues), 2 young adult novels (368 pages each)
Where to find it:
Graphic Novels: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, and Volume 4 (Rivals). All of these also seem to be available to read with a Comixology Unlimited subscription.
Novels: Striking Distance (#1), Disarmed (#2)
What is it, in summary? Fencing, high school boys at boarding school, all the tropes you can fit inside. The main character, Nicholas, is a new but determined fencer, put up against a national champion who he considers his rival but also wants to be his best friend?
What do you love about it? It feels like fanfic in the best way. I love all the tropes, the way each character reacts to competition, their absolute cluelessness when it comes to relationships. The two novels that follow the comics are excellent because they give us a chance to see more of what the characters are thinking now that they're all getting closer to each other.
What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Right now I'm requesting the two primary M/M ships from the series, but if more people get into it in exchanges, I've definitely got some rarepairs in my pocket for the future.
Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests? Not in this case. I definitely want the novels included.
Content warnings: N/A
kitsunerei88: (Default)

Re: Fence Series

[personal profile] kitsunerei88 2021-08-17 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Um is this Check, Please! but for fencing? I FENCE AND FENCING IS GREAT (plus fun fencing culture). This looks right up my alley and I will definitely look for this!

Re: Fence Series

[personal profile] mixtapestar - 2021-08-18 02:00 (UTC) - Expand
shamebucket: Cover art of Serious Weakness, edited in black and white. Trianon is having a nosebleed. (Default)

Wonderful Everyday ~Diskontinuierliches Dasein~ (Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~)

[personal profile] shamebucket 2021-08-03 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Wonderful Everyday. The subtitle translates to "Discontinuous Existence"; a lot of fans use a shortened version of the Japanese name, SubaHibi, when referring to this game.

Media: Visual Novel (which is basically a CYOA novel in video game format with added pretty pictures and voice acting, for people unfamiliar with the genre)

Approx length: 35-50 hours depending on your reading speed

Where to find it: You can buy SubaHibi on JAST USA or on Steam. If purchasing on Steam, make sure to download the restoration patch, since the unpatched version only contains the first 10% of the game! The original game doesn't have male voice acting (with the exception of Mamiya Takuji), although an updated Japanese version added male voices. I haven't used it myself, but there is a patch you can find here to add male voices into the English release if that's something that interests you. If you wanted to play the Japanese version, the fully-voiced HD edition is available on DMM.

What is it, in summary?: SubaHibi is a little hard to encapsulate into one genre or one concrete story without spoiling a lot of things. That said, an easy way to put it is that SubaHibi tells the story of the events of a fictionalized July 2012 through the eyes of many different people (in first person POV), and you learn a little bit more about what actually happened upon each retelling. The primary genres are probably psychological horror, mystery, drama, and philosophy.

The first chapter is markedly different from the rest. In Rabbit Hole I, Minakami Yuki (our protagonist for both Rabbit Hole chapters) meets a strange girl after said girl (Takashima Zakuro) drops a doll on her from the top of an apartment building. She speaks cryptically and seems very mysterious, and Yuki is drawn to her. The rest of the chapter is mostly slice-of-life GL moege fare (with some added philosophy), in which Yuki can choose between her childhood friends, twin sisters Kagami and Tsukasa, or the mysterious Zakuro. When choosing one of the sisters, Zakuro moves away and Yuki lives the rest of her life in peace with her new girlfriend, but... If Yuki chooses Zakuro, the game goes slightly off the rails; reality is put into question, and the chapter ends with the very eyebrow-raising line "Yuki opened her eyes".

The next chapter and all chapters following it take place in a more realistic world, one that isn't all fluffy sunshine and rainbows with cute girls talking about their favorite philosophers. Certain events start unfolding at Kita High (the high school that most of our main characters attend), including a string of unusual deaths over the course of a week, and Yuki tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. But maybe what lies beneath is more than what Yuki bargained for... There are rumblings about the world ending on July 20th - the End Sky, that all humans must be returned to the sky before then, and things seem to be heading in that direction the more that Yuki uncovers.

What do you love about it?: The theming and characters in SubaHibi are amongst my favorite in any media I've consumed in a long time. Tachibana Kimika is one of my all-time favorite characters, and there's so much shipping potential between all of the girls! Kimika/Zakuro is AMAZING for messy childhood friends with loyalty kink and misunderstandings, if that's a trope you like and have been longing to see more of in F/F (like me). (They are also situationally canon if that is a selling point!) Kimika might not ever be a POV character, but she's definitely one of the more interesting characters in SubaHibi and I really love her motivations/reasons for doing things/the way she views the world. Her relationship with Takuji is fascinating and touching, too, but hard to talk about without spoilers. I'm also a big fan of Yuki and Zakuro, both individually as characters and together, and there's an M/F ship that I really like that is unfortunately a massive spoiler.

The absolute descent into madness that is It's My Own Invention and Looking-Glass Insects is something I also super appreciate and really loved as I was reading; I think It's My Own Invention especially benefited from being in visual novel format since I don't think it would have worked as well as a book or as an anime. SubaHibi really used the medium well to illustrate how and why the narrators of these chapters lose their grip on reality.

Something I also really love about SubaHibi is that a bunch of things are deliberately left up to interpretation. I think it's really neat seeing other people's theories about what's actually going on in some instances where the answer isn't obvious or is left intentionally vague. (On the flip-side, you will probably be left frustrated if you need answers to every single question, or even most questions. While these two pieces of media are very different, I'd say the way it handles answering questions is somewhat similar to LOST.)

What sort of things are you likely to request for it? This fandom has only one short one-shot in terms of fanfiction as of the time that I'm writing this, so I would love anything! I have a handful of favorite ships and characters that I'm requesting (het smarm, m/f, and f/f, in addition to solo female characters), and I'm open to extrapolations of canon, canon divergence, and post-canon scenarios, in addition to whatever unusual story you would like to tell!

I love IF and would be very happy to receive it for this canon if you are inspired to write IF.

I'm likely to request this fandom for Heart Attack.

Content warnings and other notes: Content warnings include and are not limited to noncon (m->f, f->f, dog->f [this scene is maybe 20 lines long], f->m, and m->m; some if it is horny and some of it is played for horror, almost all of it is from victim's POV), incest (noncon daughter->father, consensual brother/sister, consensual m/f selfcest), suicide (including POV character committing suicide, POV character witnessing suicide, and mass suicide), POV characters having delusions of grandeur/persecutory delusions/religious delusions/psychosis, gore and violence, murder, flashing lights, very intense bullying, nonconsensual drugging and recreational drug use, a lesbian character getting raped by men (this isn't corrective rape but I still thought it probably merits a warning).

All characters are "over 18" according to the title screen; that said, one of them looks very young and I know the word "coded" is misused a lot, but this character is coded as 14-ish and is involved in on-screen sex (she is explicitly at least a few years younger than most of the rest of the cast, who are in their last year of high school, and some dialogue implies she's around four years younger; her appearance is barely pubescent).

It's also probably important to note that a few characters talk like they exist on late '00s/early '10s 4chan; this is a deliberate translation choice that usually feels in character, but it leads to a lot of ableist slurs/language and some homophobic/transphobic slurs too. There is a minor okama character who is the butt of some unfortunate "jokes".

The POV character of It's My Own Invention (the third chapter) is extremely polarizing and it's by far the longest chapter in the game, about 34% of the full length. If getting deeply into a stereotypical 4chan otaku's head does not sound like a fun time (including all the bigoted parts), then you're probably going to struggle with most or all of this chapter. This is also the chapter that contains the most intense psychosis segments.

I know this is a hefty content warning list, but I think that SubaHibi is known as a classic/one of the highest rated VNs of all time (both in Japanese-speaking and English-speaking spheres) for a reason and it's well worth the read if none of these things are deal-breakers. Lots of terrible things happen in this game, but I came away from it feeling a new appreciation for life rather than feeling depressed.

If you have further questions/concerns/need to know if something I didn't list in the content warnings (but is a deal-breaker for you) is present in the game, please feel free to DM me on dreamwidth ([personal profile] shamebucket) or message me on Discord (I go by shamebucket on the Exchanges After Dark, Triple Crown, and Yuletide servers). You can also leave a comment on my general contact post if you'd rather remain anonymous or don't use dreamwidth/Discord.
Edited 2021-08-13 05:55 (UTC)
snowshus: (Default)

Green Arrow II

[personal profile] snowshus 2021-08-03 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Green Arrow II (Connor Hawke)


Media: Comics

Approx length: less then your average DC character

Where to find it: DC Infinite (paid subscription serive), Comixology, Amazon, your local comic book store or me!(shufics@gmail.com)

What is it, in summary?
Green Arrow II, Connor Hawke, is the illegitimate son of Oliver Queen (Green Arrow I). He meets his father for the first time at a Buddhist monastery that Oliver came to in order to find a respite from the chaos his life had become and where Connor has been living since he was 13. Following Oliver's death, Connor takes up the mantle of Green Arrow and attempts to live up to his father's legacy.

What do you love about it?

I love Connor. Connor is grounded and fairly emotional stable for a man who wears green tights and fights crime with a bow and arrow that he isn't even very good with. This is not to say that the boy doesn't have issues. His daddy issues are so big that Kyle (Green Lantern) could see them from space (and was like "hey me too!"). Despite that he is kind, and earnest and always willing to forgive even the worst betrayals. He is someone who believes in people and doing what is right.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests?

Despite your fears, comics are really meant to be easily consumed in pieces. If you just want to get a copy of Emerald Allies, a book that collects his crossovers with Green Lantern, you will be set to write for me.


Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - These are comics from the 90s and sometimes their relationship with race/gender/sexuality is pretty iffy. In addition Connor is mixed race, and so it comes up more often than it might otherwise.

A Reading list of comics for Connor to help you find your way around:

Green Arrow (1987)
    this is Connor’s series all the issues are about him, I enjoy this series a lot but if you don’t want to read the whole thing (which is fair there’s a lot to read), I’ve included a list of storylines within this series that I liked or were of particular interest to me (for shipping reasons):

      Start with Green Arrow #0: The Beginning of Tomorrow

      Green Arrow #91-135 collects all of his run

      Crossover stories from this era:
        GA#104, Robin #26, GA #105

        Hard Travelling Heroes II (GL#76, GA#110, GL#77, GA#111)

        Hate Crimes (GA124, GA125, GL92, GA126, GA127) (The racial politics of this particular arc are pretty dated and were probably iffy then too so I understand if you don’t want to read it, but Kyle spends like half the issues trying to woo Connor and well, I ship them)

        Three of A Kind (GL96, Flash135, GA130-131)

        Brotherhood Of The Fist: GA 134, Detective Comics 723, Robin 55, Nightwing 23, GA 135

Arsenal (1998) 2&3

JLA (1997) 8-15

DCU Holiday Bash (it’s short and adorable and shippy)

Batgirl (2000) #30-32

Birds Of Prey (1999) #43-46

Adventure Comics 80 Page Giant

Green Arrow (2001)
    so this is Ollie’s book and the longest running writer, Judd Winick, doesn’t really seem interested in Connor’s character however, it really leans into the ArrowFamily stuff and Connor is in nearly every issue if you're really dedicated to reading everything. Since this series is also very long and I don’t think Winick was a good writer for Connor my recommendation is:
      #1-21
      Black Circle: GA#23, GL #162, GA #24, GL #163, GA #24, GL #164
      #32
Connor Hawke: Dragon’s Blood
Green Arrow and Black Canary (2007)
    #1-5
    #12-14
    #30-31

Robin (2021)
    #3-current

DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration
Edited 2021-08-04 01:07 (UTC)

Nova

(Anonymous) 2021-08-04 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
Title: Nova

Media: Comics

Approx length: A lot, but you can cut like 2/3 of it out

Where to find it: Marvel Unlimited (a paid subscription service), Comixology, Amazon, comic book stores or Me! (shufics@gmail.com)

What is it, in summary?
Richard Rider was an average high school student when someone stole the plot of Green Lantern an alien crashed on earth and gave Richard his powers and which included being chosen to join an intergalactic peace keeping force, The Nova Corp. He joined the New Warriors and became a superhero on earth until the Annihilation Wave killed all the other Nova corp members, leaving Richard alone to stand guard over the universe.

What do you love about it?
Watching Richard go from this kid who didn't really understand what he was being tasked with to this leader of armies and empires was really fun. The sweeping epic-ness of his story and the events he finds himself in the middle of was really exciting to read. Richard was a great character and the setting and situations he found himself as he struggled to protect the whole universe was really well done.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?
tentacle porn - the man gets stuck in a dimension just full of evil tentacles for years. I want that tentacle porn.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests?

Start with the Annihilation Saga and read Nova(2007) and that will probably be sufficient.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - this is at your discretion and is not expected to be comprehensive

A Reading list to help you navigate Nova's story:

A Man Called Nova (very skippable)

New Warriors Vol 1, 2, & 3 (very skippable)

Annihilation Saga (start here)

Nova (2007) (I recommend reading Guardians of the Galaxy (2007) along with this not necessary but it give you a better picture of space)
    Event Comics from this period:
      Annihilation Conquest
      War Of Kings
      Realm of Kings


    The Thanos Imperative

    Nova (2016)

    Annihilation: Scourge

    Guardians of the Galaxy (2020)


chartini: (Default)

Ishuzoku Reviewers

[personal profile] chartini 2021-08-04 04:56 am (UTC)(link)
Media: Manga/Anime

Approx length: Six volumes of manga. Two anthologies. Two light novels. 12 anime episodes.
*Canon can be enjoyed by just reading a couple volumes of the manga. I do recommend the manga and anthologies over the anime. The anime isn't awful, but it definitely pushes it into the hentai zone a lot more than the manga does. I know a lot of people who didn't enjoy the anime, but enjoyed the manga when they looked at it afterward!

Where to find it: Can be found wherever you normally find your manga. But I can help if you're having trouble!

What is it?In a world containing every fantasy species under the sun, there are just as many brothels specializing in each of them and then some. I know, I know. The concept is pretty shallow sounding, and yes, the series just barely toes the line between ecchi and hentai, but the worldbuilding is surprisingly good. I promise!

The plot basically follows a monster-of-the-week set up where the main cast visits a new shop every time, we learn a bit about a new succugirl, followed by a review at the end. There is also an underlying/long-running plot about an angel who broke their halo, an absent god, the machinations of the most powerful witch in the land and the demon lord's (female) quest to run for government on a surprisingly reasonable platform. (Yeah, it has politics. I did say there was more worldbuilding than you'd expect!)

What do you love about it? As I mentioned above, the manga has surprisingly good worldbuilding for what should just be a thinly-veiled excuse for sexy scenes. A lot of thought goes into how fantasy species of different sizes/physiologies/etc. might have intercourse with one another, as well as how beauty standards might differ between species. I personally enjoy how most of the time everyone is pretty into it too!

The manga also doesn't shy away from just about every kink under the sun, from the top of my head it handles oviposition, size kink, bdsm, tentacles, breasts of all sizes, lactation, genderswapping, nyotaimori, exchangeable body parts, roleplay, rent-a-girlfriend, multiple genitalia, bondage, transformation, contract play, and a whole lot more (that's not even mentioning how centaurs/mermaids/zombies/etc. might count as their own kink depending on who you ask). If you can think of it, there is probably a succugirl/boy shop for it.

Wrap it all up in what I'd consider some really nice art (with a surprising variety in body types/sizes for an ecchi manga) and there's ishuzoku reviewers.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it? The manga has repeatedly suggested that many of the succugirls are open to receiving female customers, but unfortunately, there are no girls present on the main crew. Which is why I'm personally requesting some femslash. A female reviewer x literally any of the succugirls!

The series has a looot of freedom in terms of kinks/monstergirls/etc. and I'd be excited to see whatever can be done with it.

Content warnings: I don't think this really needs saying, but even if the sex happens off-screen, this is a strong R-18. Also, the fandom is best ignored.
chartini: (Default)

Orthodoxia

[personal profile] chartini 2021-08-04 10:18 am (UTC)(link)
Media: Music video

Approx length: 4 minutes and 21 seconds.

Where to find it:
Original
With English subs

Summary: Evil priest man forms a cult and gets his comeuppance.

What do you love about it?: I just really enjoy the visual language and the story it manages to tell in the span of just a few minutes! The art is lovely, and the main priest character is just delightfully corrupt with a tinge of madness. There's manipulation, corruption, and a hint of the supernatural.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: I requested world building and any pairing (platonic or otherwise) with the priest! There's a lot of things left open, like his relationship with his followers and the mysterious goddess figure who shows up at the end. Because the video itself features written historical records, I think that's a fun angle to look at it as well. There's also just a whole lot of room for darker concepts/fic elements.

Supplementary: There are some videos that go into the background of the goddess figure, though I think the music video definitely stands on its own without them!

Content warnings: Religious/cult-like stuff throughout, crucifiction/burning at the stake.
Edited 2021-08-04 22:53 (UTC)

[personal profile] c_art 2021-08-04 10:35 am (UTC)(link)
Title: Unholy Blood (originally 화이트 블러드 or White Blood, it was translated differently for official English)

Media: webcomic

Approx length: ongoing, 70+ chapters as I’m writing this, released weekly

Where to find it: you can read it on webtoon here https://www.webtoons.com/en/supernatural/unholy-blood/list?title_no=1262 . I think there is planned English version volume release, but it’s not yet out.

What is it, in summary? The main character is Hayan, she is a vampire from old vampire family and in typical fashion her parents were killed before the plot begins. She was adopted by ex military now priest, along with two younger human kids. The story is structured in arcs, usually around 10-15 chapters and follows Hayan as she tries to find her place in a world and protect her family. Each arc focuses also on a new character/s, some of them appearing later in the series. Up until main villain appears it’s very character development and found family focused. Later ‘half’ less, is more focused on action and fighting and hits a bit differently, but still has something emotional to offer.

What do you love about it? The main character! The family and found family dynamics, small gestures of kindness. The art is beautiful. There are also some cool supporting characters and secondary character has his own story and motives, so that’s nice. For most of the time main romance subplot is actually kinda nice too.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Found family fluff, characters being happy, canon divergence (few ideas in a letter). I requested ‘solo’ characters and I’m cool with both character centric and any platonic ship you’d like to write/draw about that includes any of them. I also have a f/f and f/m ship for main character, though I would prefer the romance not to be a main focus of the story.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests? The first arc can be read as a standalone thing and already has a lot of lovely characters to write/draw about. The end of villain introduction arc feels like an end of a bigger storyline, but reading up to arc right before it is also cool, where you keep more episodic formula (either chapter 47 or around half of chapter 58).

Content warnings/squicks: there is violence, but most of the time not graphic. One of the antagonist in the later part is a sadist especially targeting woman (there is a rather awful scene at the beginning of chapter 59, but you can skip it not affecting plot and read from where the main duo appears). The main villain has nice introduction and backstory, but later feels a bit generic and sometimes boring, at least to me. Sometimes the main romance feels awkward or forced (at least to me) and looks like random fanservice, but most of the time it’s ok.

On a footnote, this fandom is so small it doesn’t have its own tag on ao3. So you can possibly be a first person to create content for it, yay!

My letter is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ao6IXwtrs9iJS50D6zLDALHwEqeMA1Z0/view?usp=sharing
Edited 2021-08-13 18:37 (UTC)

(Anonymous) 2021-08-04 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Title 奇迹暖暖 | Miracle Nikki | Love Nikki

Media Video game

Approx length an afternoon reading the wiki

Where to find it Love Nikki is a free dress-up game, so technically the way to play it is to download it. But the vast majority of the lore is in time-limited events, so for the plot you need the wiki: https://lovenikki.fandom.com/wiki/Love_Nikki-Dress_UP_Queen!_Wiki

What is it, in summary? So you're a girl and then suddenly you're in a fantasy world where people do FASHION BATTLES instead of war or punching each other in the face. Your talking cat and you are having a great time and then there's a coup d'etat and brainwashing and vampires and ethical questions about free will vs. peace. Also your BFF has now been possessed by an evil entity and the entire world is at war.

What do you love about it? The art is super, super pretty. I actually like the lore and the plot a lot, even if it's really at odds with the cuteness of the game. The characters are interesting and pretty, there's a lot of fun tropes but also a lot of angst. It also has a lot of f/f potential.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Shippy fic about side characters. One of the ships is a f/f non-con vampire/elf ship that's pretty much canon (BDSM vampire: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lovenikki/images/d/d4/Blood_Lust_1.png and the censored accompanying suit: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lovenikki/images/7/7f/Flickering_Pistill_uncensored.jpg). The other is a Winter Soldier-esque dude and his childhood BFF which just has a lot of subtext (https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/lovenikki/images/5/56/Heavens_Hidden_Pathway_2.jpg/).

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests? Yes! Flynn/Orlando is a more complicated thing because it includes several chapters of the game and a bunch of events, but Evelyn/Helsin just requires reading a few Wiki pages because they're part of a specific event. These two: https://lovenikki.fandom.com/wiki/Blood_Lust and https://lovenikki.fandom.com/wiki/Flickering_Pistill plus some background on the vampires https://lovenikki.fandom.com/wiki/Kindred

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - the game does contain a lot of implied violence and dark themes but nothing graphic.
punk_mahoucore: (Cure Black Salute)

Futari wa Pretty Cure (ふたりはプリキュア)

[personal profile] punk_mahoucore 2021-08-04 11:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: Futari wa Pretty Cure (ふたりはプリキュア)

Media: Anime

Approx length: 49 episodes, about 26 minutes long each.

Where to find it: Crunchyroll! I should note there is a sequel season (Max Heart) that is not available legally anywhere, but I am 110% ok with anything written using the original season only as a base, since I prefer it anyway.

What is it, in summary?: A magical girl anime but with a much larger focus on action rather than magic. Think Sailor Moon but if 90% of the fights were physical attacks, aka punching, kicking, suplexing people, you know, all that amazing stuff.

What do you love about it?: Most of all I love the two characters and their relationship with each other, I think they both subvert anime girl stereotypes in their own way. You'd see these two and expect a Happy Genki Girl and her stoic and/or traumatized counterpart, but instead you get the Overly Pessimistic Tomboy and an dreamy, slightly airheaded science nerd. As this is a childrens' anime meant for young girls, it's deeply wholesome and there is NO, and I mean NO fanservice. Think My Little Pony.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it?: Ship ship ship ship the two main characters! They're my all time OTP and I've written at least a third of their content on AO3, so I'm dying for more people to get into this, hahaha. I love them as a battle couple, I love thinking about their future together, I love every single "first kiss"/"confession" variant, I love it all!

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfil your requests?: I know 49 episodes is a huge time commitment so I'm more than happy to receive fic that takes place partially through the canon by someone who hasn't watched all of it. I would recommend getting through at least episode eight for the basic friendship arc to be laid down - the characters get to know each other very slowly (which is part of why I love it so much) and episode eight is a good culmination of the initial "becoming friends" process.

Content warnings: It's a kids' show, so there are no "hard" content warnings here, but some more milder ones might be the show trying to push an m/f relationship (although the guy has no personality, and the relationship goes absolutely nowhere, lol) and an episode featuring a surprisingly dark flashback to World War II, showing the charred remains of a bombed city. The series ending is bittersweet and can be either quite sad or overly melodramatic depending on how attached you are to the cute "mascot" characters. There's also an implied minor character "death" (nothing graphic). Beyond that, it's very safe fare.
Edited 2021-08-04 23:43 (UTC)
delphi: An illustrated crow kicks a little ball of snow with a contemplative expression. (Default)

Promo: Team Fortress 2

[personal profile] delphi 2021-08-05 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
Title: Team Fortress 2
Media: A multiplayer first-person video game, and a comic book series and collection of short videos where the plot and major character work happens
Approximate Length: To get a grounding, six comic book issues plus a short catch-up comic, 35 minutes of video, and as much time with the game as you like.

What It's About
Team Fortress 2 is a team-based first-person shooter video game that was released by Valve in 2007. Jokingly referred to as America's #1 war-themed hat simulator, the game doesn't take itself seriously in the least. You play as one of nine classes of mercenary hired to fight over a New Mexico gravel mine in an alternative version of the late 1960s/early 1970s in which Australia has long ruled as the world's technological superpower thanks to its deposits of wonder-element Australium. Mostly, you strategize with your team, shoot at the opposing side, and collect funny hats.

The game is a hoot, but it didn't spawn such a passionate fandom on its own. As staff at Valve put it:

TF2 didn't start with a lot of story. There wasn't room for one. But as the updates got more ambitious, we found the perfect way to explore the mercs' world: comics. Over the years, the comics have spawned ancillary characters, then assistants to the ancillary characters. Companies mentioned in passing became global empires three generations old. The game that started as a handful of guys in a desert shooting at each other slowly blossomed into the most labyrinthine story in Valve history.

This labyrinthine story includes century-long revenge plots, secret parentage, wizard roommates, Welsh crooner Tom Jones, corporate takeovers, classic comic homages, friendship, romance, loyalty, cross-species male pregnancy, and a whole lot of naked mercenaries (occasionally slathered in honey).

Where to Find It
Everything is free online!

Videos
Meet the Team (a series of 1-3 minute animated videos introducing each of the mercenaries)
Expiration Date (a 15-minute short film)
Other optional videos include canonized fan project End of the Line and ads for updates to the game like Mann vs. Machine, The Sound of Medicine, and Jungle Inferno.

Comics
Catch-Up Comic (a primer on the canon)
TF Comics #1: Ring of Fired
TF Comics #2: Unhappy Returns
TF Comics #3: A Cold Day in Hell
TF Comics #4: Blood in the Water
TF Comics #5: Old Wounds
TF Comics #6: The Naked and the Dead
Other optional reads include supplementary and game update comics.

The game is available for free on Steam.

There is also an official wiki that includes information on all plot points, character moments, game assets and voice lines.

What I Love About It
I really like the chaotic humour and the wild flights of worldbuilding fancy. Even after consuming the canon an overenthusiastic number of times, there are still lines that make me laugh. But what keeps me coming back are the characters, including the ones I've requested like Medic (a mad scientist stripped of his medical license who canonically sold his soul to the devil), Scout (a super-fast young South Boston blowhard who talks a big game but secretly just wants everyone to like him), and the Sniper (a polite and professional Australian who always uses his turn signal, enjoys hallucinogens, and is careful to observe proper protocol when murdering people for money). They're part of a large cast of off-beat and oddly charming people who can be thrown together in any combination to tell an entertaining story.

I've Requested
Predominantly shippy stuff for Scout/Sniper and Medic/Scout, with any amount of backstory, lore, or mission-based adventure that someone might be inspired to include.

Content Warnings
The series contains a lot of fairly graphic cartoon violence, most often easily mended. (ex. Two characters casually chatting while one operates on the other in the glow of a healing ray, or an argument over sharing the backseat leading to a character having his hand cut off—then sewn back on by a veterinarian at the next stop.)
delphi: An illustrated crow kicks a little ball of snow with a contemplative expression. (Default)

Promo: Arkham Horror Files

[personal profile] delphi 2021-08-05 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
Title: Arkham Horror Files
Media: A collection of board, card and video games by Fantasy Flight designed for cooperative and solo play—including Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, Elder Sign, Elder Sign: Omens, Mansions of Madness, and Arkham Horror: The Card Game—as well as associated art and short stories.
Approximate Length: To get a grounding in the nominated characters, four short stories, five wiki profiles, and as much time with Eldritch Horror or Arkham Horror: The Card Game as you like.

What It's About
It's the 1920s, and the boundaries between this world and those inhabited by unfathomable Lovecraftian horrors are drawing thin—particularly in the seemingly sleepy college town of Arkham, Massachusetts. A diverse group of individuals, united only by their brushes with the supernatural, are drawn together to investigate the deaths and strange occurrences in Arkham, and to try to avert the end times.

Based on the Cthulhu Mythos, the games are predominantly RPGs of one stripe or another where players choose their characters from a large cast that spans the franchise and pair strategic card or dice play with light roleplaying.

The nominated characters are:
• Daniela Reyes, a motorcycle-riding mechanic, and her love interest Imogen Radcliffe, as well as her uncle and his partner (Rogelio and Pawel) who own the garage where she works,
• Calvin Wright, a former Elder God cultist whose life was changed when he fell in love with a gentle painter named João, and who's now trying to save the world in order to save his boyfriend,
• Michael McGlen, a mob enforcer avenging the death of his best friend,
• "Skids" O'Toole, an ex-con who served time for robbing banks to pay his mother's medical bills, now investigating the supernatural after watching his cellmate spontaneously combust, and
• Stella Clark, a transgender postal who keeps finding mysterious letters at the bottom of her mailbag each night containing nothing but her chosen name.

Where to Find It
The games can be found on the Fantasy Flight website or through other card and board game retailers.

Wiki profiles or cards for the playable nominated characters are available online here:
Daniela Reyes
Calvin Wright
Michael McGlen
"Skids" O'Toole
Stella Clark

The nominated characters' origin stories can be found in The Investigators of Arkham Horror collection of short stories (Michael McGlen and "Skids" O'Toole) and in the Arkham Horror Third Edition Deluxe Rulebook (Daniela Reyes, Imogen Radcliffe, Rogelio and Pawel, and Calvin Wright and João). These can be tricky to track down, so feel free to message me if you want suggestions on where to look.

What I Love About It
Despite the titles, the games are more adventure than horror, and to motivate players to keep battling their way through daunting odds, they offer characters you can love enough to want to keep alive. The distinct time and place of Jazz Age Arkham (and other select locales across North and South America), make for a fun sandbox to play in with a lot of opportunity for case fic, romance and friendship, historical backstory, and hurt/comfort.

I've Requested
Romance, adventure, and hurt/comfort for Imogen Radcliffe/Daniela Reyes, João/Calvin Wright, and Stella Clark/"Skids" O'Toole.

Content Warnings
Mild horror, including monsters and madness.
Edited (Fixing Links) 2021-08-05 05:40 (UTC)
delphi: An illustrated crow kicks a little ball of snow with a contemplative expression. (Default)

Promo: Kaptara

[personal profile] delphi 2021-08-05 05:35 am (UTC)(link)
Title: Kaptara
Media: A one-volume comic series (on hiatus)
Approximate Length: 128 pages
Where to Find It: Available in both print and digital format. See the Image Comics series page for a list of where to purchase online and links to a comic shop locator.

What It's About
Kaptara is a delightfully silly sci-fi/fantasy romp about Keith Kanga, a gay xenobotanist who crash-lands on an absurd alien planet. Jaded by his experiences with bigotry, he's more than happy to leave Earth behind for good—until an alien threat to his home planet inspires him to (reluctantly) set off on a heroic quest with a dry-witted tracker, a half-witted prince, a hovering orb that can only communicate through motivational slogans, and a by-the-books warrior who just might be the man of Keith's dreams.

Meet Keith and Manton.

What I Love About It
Chip Zdarksy's writing and Kagan McLeod's art make me laugh out loud, but the humour wouldn't work half as well without the real feelings at the core of all the silliness. Keith's motivations are understandable, and the burgeoning understanding between him and Manton is legitimately sweet.

I'm Requesting
Keith/Manton! The series went on hiatus after the first volume, so there's a ton to explore, from a proposed take on the rest of the arc, to slow-burn romance, to future wacky space adventures. The improbably coloured sky's the limit.

XCOM 2

(Anonymous) 2021-08-05 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
Title XCOM 2

Media Video games

Approx length 30 to 50 hours for the main story; 1 hour or so for the cutscenes on Youtube

Where to find it You can find playthroughs and cutscene compilations on Youtube; the game itself is available for all major platforms, including Android and iOS.

What is it, in summary? It's a turn-based strategy game about repelling an alien invasion after Earth's been conquered. XCOM is the resistance - you play as the Commander, their leader. At the beginning of the game, said Commander has been a prisoner and plugged into the aliens' psi network for two decades. A group of resistance fighters led by your former second-in-command rescue them and for then on, the Commander takes charge.

What do you love about it? The pretty damn random ST:TNG reunion in the War of the Chosen DLC. The dubious science. The two layers of battle tactics and base building. How you end up very invested in your randomly generated units - they can even Bond with each other and have special actions because they've become fire-forged friends.

But what I love about it particularly is Bradford and his undying loyalty for his Commander.

What sort of things are you likely to request for it? Which is my request: Bradford/Male Commander. In the first game, Bradford is your second-in-command who's slightly dorky and, like all mission control NPCs, pretty annoying. But XCOM 2 takes place in an alternate timeline where XCOM lost - and therefore Bradford is now a grizzled man with alcohol issues and who's spent two decades fighting a losing war against an overwhelming enemy. He's been the leader, but he gives it away the second he rescues you. Because he believes THAT much in the Commander - enough that even if the Commander spends two decades missing, he still believes he's somewhere out there. Enough that he actually is doubtful when the key to defeating the aliens can put the Commander at risk.

Are there sections of canon (rather than the whole canon) that can be consumed by themselves to fulfill your requests? Not really because the Commander is the player character.

Content warnings (ie, rape, incest, racism, gore/violence) - you do shoot a lot of aliens but it's not a gory game
delphi: An illustrated crow kicks a little ball of snow with a contemplative expression. (Default)

Promo: The Old Guard (Comics)

[personal profile] delphi 2021-08-05 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Title: The Old Guard (Comics)
Media: A limited comic book series with a spin-off anthology miniseries.
Approximate Length: At present, there are five issues in volume 1 of The Old Guard, five issues in volume 2, and four out of six planned issues for the spin-off miniseries Tales Through Time. The other two Tales Through Time issues will be released over the next two months, and a third and final volume of The Old Guard is in production. The whole series can be binged in an afternoon.

What It's About
The Old Guard tells the story of a band of immortals, each who died as a soldier in their mortal life only to resurrect frozen at the age of their death with an uncanny healing ability. Brought together by dreams of each other, and with no explanation for their gift—or curse—they've honed their fighting skills over the centuries and sell their services as mercenaries to whatever cause they can believe in.

At the start of the first volume, the group consists of leader Andy (a former Copper Age nomadic cavalrywoman), Joe and Nicky (lovers who met killing each other on opposite sides of the Crusades), and Booker (hanged for desertion from Napoleon's army). Their unchanging lives are abruptly shaken up by the appearance of a new immortal, Nile (a young U.S. Marine killed in Afghanistan), at the same time as their healing is caught on video by a former government agent with his own agenda.

The second volume involves the group facing their pasts and the changing standards of morality they've lived through with the return of someone they once thought lost to them. The spin-off miniseries, Tales Through Time, features flashback vignettes about the characters' lives and loves throughout history.

A few favourite pages from volumes 1 and 2, courtesy of Tumblr:
Andy and Nile Having a Leisurely Chat
Nile and Booker Waiting for a Signal
Joe and Nicky Making Bets and Talking Romance
The Gang Getting Cranky Over Coffee
Joe Worrying About Nicky

Where to Find It: Available in both print and digital format. See the Image Comics series page for a list of where to purchase online and links to a comic shop locator. The first issue is available online for free from the publisher.

What I Love About It
The plot, action, visual storytelling, and humour are all top notch, but what makes me fannish about this series is the characters and their relationships. I love all the gruff and rough-edged affection, teasing, loyalty and understanding borne of centuries together. I love that we get more than one immortal queer romance. I love how legitimately old the characters feel without coming across as time travellers plucked from the past and dropped into the present, and I love the serious questions raised about what it's like to be a person that long, with the powers they have, living through so much change in the world.

I'm Requesting
Gen featuring Andy & Zeus (Andy's adopted son introduced in Tales Through Time #3), a mix of romance and plot featuring Andy/Noriko & Joe/Nicky (both canon couples who were part of the team from the late 11th century to the late 16th century), and a mix of romance and plot featuring just Joe/Nicky (the canon couple who've been together for 900-odd years).

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