Because the original overview was done in 2004, I thought I'd take this opportunity to post a brief update for the series, along with some new, working links, and suggestions on where to find fanfiction in a fandom that just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Do I need to warn for spoilers?

The X-Files gets a second movie.



( We wanted to believe )

Ready or not here it comes.

No third movie on the horizon. But we did get a new comic book series: The X-Files Season Ten. Chris Carter says it's canon. Of course, right from get-go, it also contradicts canon. Sigh. I've only read one comic, and I didn't like it enough to buy more. But I thought you should know it's out there, in both print and digital editions.

( Some of the covers are pretty )

But a Shadow of Her Former Self

Although the fandom contracted even before the series ended, and has continued to shrink, there is still a contingent of devotees, still discussing the episodes, still writing fanfic, creating art, graphics and fanvids, and still maintaining the archives. In 2008-2009 when many fandoms lost entire websites, The X-Files fandom successfully saved and resurrected many of ours. I so wish I could get the person who wrote the Fanlore article about The X-Files to update it and include the newest links. I will assume everyone here knows about FF.net and AO3. Tumblr.

( Get your fanfic here )

Other resources, especially for fanfic writers:
( I have more links and will add as I locate them )

I'm also going to list the still "active" communities here on LiveJournal, which isagel didn't do, I'm assuming because back in day there weren't any.

( We are going to have a good time )
If you believe I have inadvertently left something off, please let me know. But do check the archive links first, as they are exhaustive.

Hi, I'm carmarthen and this month I'll be doing recs for the tiny-but-could-be-bigger fandom Rómeó és Júlia, the post-apocalyptic aesthetic, fire and leather Hungarian version of the French musical based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (whew)!

Don't worry--you don't need to know Hungarian (subtitles are available) and this is Romeo and Juliet for people who don't normally like Romeo and Juliet (as well as those who do)!

I'll give a quick run-down, since most people are probably familiar with the basic plot, and then spread out my handful of recs through the rest of the month. The plot summary will be a bit spoilery, but if you've been exposed to the Western literary canon at all you're probably already spoiled--most of what makes this production unique is in the aesthetic and character details, not in major plot changes. In fact, if you're not specifically familiar with this production, you may still enjoy much of the fic (although I highly recommend watching it, of course).

Rómeó és Júlia

Beautiful Verona greets you:
Don't get between me and my revenge!

Like the original Shakespeare play, Rómeó és Júlia is the story of a Verona torn by senseless violence. In this version, however, there's no Lord Montague, and while Lord Capulet seems ready to make peace, the ladies of the two houses are not--nor are the younger generation, who roam the streets in gangs despite the edict of the Prince against fighting. Romeo and Julia, of course, meet and fall in love against the wishes of their families--but love isn't enough to save them from the violence around them. Everything ends in fire and death, except in fanfiction, where fix-it AUs and sex are a more common outcome.

We're destined for hell and we'll all burn,
but heaven awaits Romeo and Julia.
( Read more... )

Hello fanfiction trawlers! I'm blythechild and I'll be driving the van for Criminal Minds this month before this comm goes dark in the New Year :(

The van hasn't stopped by the B.A.U. at Quantico for regular writing goodness in 3 years and the (most excellent, comprehensive, and pretty) fandom primer hasn't been updated since 2007. thepouncer did a great job back then so go check it out if you want show info or helpful fandom links - I'm not going to rehash the content of that post here.

( This blurb pretty much sums up the show's essence )

A lot has happened in 5 years and I feel that a little update is required.

( Here is the Coles Notes version of the show and casting updates for the past 5 years for those who are interested. )

Should anyone have any fandom links that are not included in thepouncer's original post, please let me know in the comments and I'll update them to this posting for posterity.

Since this is already a long-ish entry, I'll post my first rec in a separate entry ;)

Hi, I’m Jupi, and I’ll be your guide to wonderful world of Pushing Daisies this month. Despite its brevity (it ran for only 22 episodes) and its relatively simple premise (guy wakes the dead, solves zany murders), this is a difficult series to sum up. Though a lot of what makes it so unique arises out of its idiosyncratic tone, highly stylized dialogue, and vibrant, retro-inspired sets and costumes, there’s much more to it than its gimmicks. It’s also about love and loss and loneliness, choosing to live life to the fullest or spend it trapped in fear, and being different and making connections regardless. Let’s see if I can do it justice.

( The facts are these... )

(l-r: Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles)

In the summer of 2010, five boys from across the U.K. tried out as solo artists for the 7th series of The X Factor. All five advanced to Boot Camp, but were eliminated prior to the Judges' Houses and live performance segments of the show. They were still drying their tears backstage when producers called them back out; the judges had reconsidered and they now had a choice: go home as solo artists, or join together and advance in the group category. They retreated to a bungalow in the English countryside for some quality bonding time & came back in the fall to compete as One Direction. They didn’t win The X Factor (they finished third in the series finale), but by mid-season they were already inspiring the kind of mania that's been a hallmark of only the most beloved boybands in history.

In the two years since they released their first chart-topping album, Up All Night, One Direction's list of accomplishments has become too long to detail…but let me sum up. They've sold over 12 million records worldwide; debuted at #1 in 30-plus countries; won a host of awards, including two BRITS, four MTV Music Awards, two AMA's, and three Billboard Music Awards; broken several Guinness world records; performed for the Queen of England, and at the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremonies; sold out the largest venue in the world, Madison Square Garden, in under 10 minutes; and headlined two sold-out world tours. They've just released their third album, an eclectic mix of pop ballads, indie sounds, and 80's-inspired power rock throwbacks co-written by the boys. Midnight Memories is on track to become the fastest selling album of the year, and has made them the first band in history to debut at #1 on US Billboard charts with their first three albums.

What is the secret to their success? ( PROTIP: IT'S CERTAINLY NOT THEIR DANCE MOVES. )

Turn on Your Radio and Hide: A Guide to Night Vale

A twice-monthly community update for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.
— the Commonplace Books website

Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast created by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor (plus occasional guest writers), with a theme song and incidental music by Disparition. It debuted on June 15, 2012, and was downloaded about 150,000 times in its first year; then it caught Tumblr’s attention and that number doubled in one week. Now, it regularly vies with NPR’s This American Life for the number one spot on the iTunes Top Podcasts list.

New installments of WtNV are released on the first and fifteenth of each month. A typical episode involves a central news story that plays out between various recurring features, such as “Traffic,” “Community Calendar,” and “the Children’s Fun Fact Science Corner.” The penultimate segment is always “The Weather,” a song that is lyrically or tonally appropriate for that particular episode. There is also a Twitter feed (@NightValeRadio) and some live performances.

The show is set in Night Vale, a town somewhere in the American Southwest beset by space-time anomalies; eldritch entities, some benevolent, some hostile; and multiple (possibly competing) conspiracies. The powers that be are despotic and arbitrary when they aren’t flat-out incompetent, and are prone to misappropriating funds, or squandering them on obvious boondoggles. Meanwhile, citizens are subjected to constant surveillance, and faced with “re-education,” incarceration, torture, or execution for transgressions. The overall effect is of News from Lake Wobegon as written by H.P. Lovecraft and George Orwell.

Lest this all sound unbearably grim, I hasten to add that the series is extremely funny, thought-provoking, and heartwarming, largely thanks to our host, Cecil, who keeps everyone informed about what’s happening (or what isn’t happening, according to the authorities) ... that is, when he’s not busy mooning over Carlos, the beautiful scientist from out of town. That's right, there’s a canon queer love story involving at least one person of color.

Note: WtNV is very much a live canon. I will do my best to avoid spoilers and unwarranted assumptions in this overview.

The Characters
Heard On the Air • Night Vale Community Radio • Politicians, Public Servants, and Law Enforcement • Townsfolk • Eldritch Entities

Recommended Listening

The Fandom

The ’Ships

Resources

( A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale. )

That's all for now. More to come soon. In the meantime, remember: If you see something, say nothing, and drink to forget.

Good night, Night Vale. Good night...

Justified, really best described as a modern day western, is based on a short story by the great Elmore Leonard.  It follows Raylan Givens, a Deputy US Marshal who spent most of his life trying to get out of his home state of Kentucky but has now been sent back there, as he tries to do his job while dealing strange friends and dangerous enemies, old and new.

It's a bit late in this complex and layered series for me to do it- um- justice- in anything less than a novel, so I'm going to keep this pretty bare bones.  Spoilers for Seasons 1-3, but most espcially the pilot.

( I see them long hard times to come )
      

Quantum Leap was a science fiction tv series that ran from 1989 to 1993, or roughly five seasons (I say roughly because the first season was very short and the fifth season was very strange). It followed the adventures of Doctor Samuel Beckett (no relation) as he travelled through time, and his best friend Admiral Albert Calavicci who could communicate from the future in the form of a hologram. Together they solved crime, and fought evil, and were instrumental to Buddy Holly writing "Peggy Sue," for which we are all grateful.



( Oh Boy... )

Hello! I am very pleased to commandeer the crack_van and take you on a delicious ride to damnation and beyond; I have sworn it Terre d'Ange! I have struggled with how much detail to go into, because pretty much anything past the first book is guaranteed to be spoilerific, but thank goodness we have lj-cuts and spoiler tags.

These are my very favorite books and my very favorite fictional world! Bear with me as I wax poetic, which is actually fairly canon.


Basic Premise

Alternate medieval France where the inhabitants are descended from angels and a masochistic courtesan must save the realm.

(Lots of kink. Very LGBT and BDSM friendly.)



Backstory

When Yeshua ben Yosef hung dying on the cross, his blood ensanguined the earth's soil and mixed with the Magdalene's tears. From the womb of the Earth sprang Blessed Elua, a first overlooked and then cherished angel whose sacred precept is Love as thou wilt.

And this he did. He traveled the world, with flowers springing up in his footsteps and animals coming to dote upon him. Various nations reacted in various ways – fear, apathy, treachery. Several angels really dug his happy free-love vibe and left heaven to wander with him. Naamah, who laid down with kings to free Elua from captivity and then lay with commoners to feed him; Kushiel, punisher of hell who loved his charges too much and was drawn to Elua's sacred precept; Azza, full of pride; Anael, who brought husbandry to the people; Shemhazai who brought knowledge; Camael the warrior; Eisheth the healer; and Cassiel, the Perfect Companion who, alone among the fallen angels, maintained the One God's traditions but protected Elua out of a sense of duty that even the One God had forgotten.

Cassiel alone remained chaste and acted as Elua's bodyguard. The rest Loved as thou wilt across the land, dividing up France and begetting pseudo-angelic offspring until the One God and Earth called them off to the Terre d'Ange beyond.





( The Books – a breakdown of three trilogies. )

( Characters & Fanfic-Favorite Pairings )

Fandom Links!

eluaschildren All fic, all the time

kushiel_trilogy Kushiel discussion community

kushielexchange Fic & art exchange community that is just getting started. Jump in now!

night_court A little dead at the moment, but a Night Court sorting community. I'm a mod there.

Jacqueline Carey - Author website

Rod & Weal - Great info on the books. Used to be just a reference, but looks like they've added RP now.

Kushiel's Legacy Wiki

Kushiel RPG and Kushiel RPG – OOC list - Kushiel Roleplaying Game! Play-by-email; original characters. Disclaimer: This one's mine! Has just been rebooted for a new game. Come on in! Set 200 yrs before Dart takes place, so that's really the only one you need to have read.

Edited to add:

kushielsorting - Noble House (as opposed to Night Court) sorting community

FuckYeahKushielsLegacy - Tumblr

Night's Doorstep - DeviantART

The Eagle is a 2011 film adaption of Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth (1954). It follows centurion Marcus Aquila and his slave Esca as they go in search of a missing eagle standard.

( Read more... )

Hi, my name is blithers, and I'll be your New Girl crack_van driver for this month!

New Girl is a show that was marketed upfront as a Zooey Deschanel vehicle, in which ZD does her Quirky Girl!(™) act to the amusement and bewilderment of her three male roommates, half hour sitcom-style. But a funny thing ended up happening: partway through the first season, the ensemble cast of New Girl started to break through. The writers grounded and gently matured Zooey Deschanel's character, so she could act as the straight woman as well a source of comedy. And the three guys of the show began to shine, and each one of them was hilarious in their own distinct and messed-up way.

New Girl is a hilarious ensemble comedy, with strong, balanced, and thoughtful character and relationship work underlying the humor. We're just starting the third season, coming off a year almost universally loved by critics and fans, where the show took that leap forward that great sitcoms do and just nailed their second season. It's a great time to jump into the show and catch up on some fantastic episodes (and fantastic fic!).

Who's That Girl?: A New Girl Fandom Overview

( Tell me more! )

The Hobbit book and film trilogy

The Hobbit was written by JRR Tolkien and published in 1937, he followed it with The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the rest is history.

The film adaptation was directed by Peter Jackson and written with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, in three parts:
• An Unexpected Journey (AUJ) - 2012
• The Desolation of Smaug (DOS) - 2013
• There And Back Again (TABA) - 2014

Main Characters

( with visual aids )

Hobbit Overview

( The beginning of the book, and the first film, An Unexpected Journey )

( SPOILERS for the rest of the book and the second and third films: )

Fanstuff

( General Hobbit Fandom Resources )

( Fanfic, fanart, and images resources )

New on Sept. 19, 2013: Recs for Trans and Genderqueer Hobbit Fic

Hello,

I'm Lilly and this month I'll drive the anime/manga van. English isn't my mother tongue but I hope it isn't too bad. :)

So let's start the van and hopefully I can persuade you to give my favorite manga/anime a chance.


This is one of the catchphrases of one of the most popular animes/mangas in the world. In the year 1991 Kodansha published the first chapter of a shojo manga called 'Sailor Moon' written by Naoko Takeuchi. This was not only the start of an overwhelming franchise but also the beginning of the Magical Girl boom.

18 manga volumes (12 in the reprint), an anime with 200 episodes (and soon there will be a new one!), a live-action TV series with 49 episodes and two specials, 29 musicals, more than 20 videogames and many merchandise articles later the story of Sailor Moon and her friends still has a huge fan base.

But what is so special about it?

Maybe this (really long) overview will help to answer this question.

( Read more... )

Cabin Pressure Overview


Hi there! I'm lei_che_sogna, or Susie for short, and I'm going to be reccing BBC Radio Four's Cabin Pressure this month! I'm really excited to share some of my favourite fics for what has to be the best radio programme ever. Brilliant! Back in 2011, ktbean did a really excellent Fandom Overview which you can read here, but since then there's been another series of the programme. To get you caught up, here are the latest developments:

( Spoilers for Series Four below the cut! )
If you haven't listened to Cabin Pressure before, you should give it a try! Even if you don't like radio programmes or podcasts much, it's still worth a listen. You can buy it from Amazon, Audiogo, Audible, and lots of other places that begin with a letter other than 'A'.

Elementary (Friendship is Magic) Overview



This is a primer for CBS’ Elementary which is a modern day take on Sherlock Holmes.There will be lots of spoilers for season one in this so be warned!

( Elementary Overview )

Mods do I get an Elementary tag or should I be using a different tag for my recs this month? Thank you! :D

Hi folks! This is my first time driving the van, and I’m going to be doing so for the “Small & Miscellaneous Fandom” or “Monthly Featured Fandom” for Rise of the Guardians. Before taking it out for a spin though, it’s always good to inspect your new vehicle, so here’s a fandom overview. Since this’s my first time behind the wheel and I'm pretty new to fandom in general (pretty much started this April!), any guidance you care to give me throughout my month would be appreciated. ☺



( More goodness under the cut )

Hello, I'm Jess and I want to introduce you to Percy Jackson and the Olympians/Heroes of Olympus! Sorry this took me so long to put together, eek! This is a good time to check out these books if you haven't because the second movie is coming out in the summer.

( You are a true son of the sea god )

Hi, I'm kowaiyoukai! For this month, I've decided to focus on reccing the same AU in different fandoms. I have loved His Dark Materials crossovers and fusions for years, and being able to rec my favorites is a joy. His Dark Materials is a trilogy book series by Philip Pullman that consists of The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. A movie version of The Golden Compass was released in 2007 starring Dakota Blue Richards, Nicole Kidman, and Daniel Craig.

So this won't be a traditional overview post mainly because I want to cover the concept of daemons as opposed to the entire HDM world.

( Detailed explanation of daemons under the cut )

The most excellent cilla_bean wrote this fabulous review of Lewis, the Inspector Morse spin-off and lovely in its own right. Due to holiday work commitments I'm running a little late this week, but never fear, the fics are coming!

In the meantime, check out the fandom review.

Hello! I'm Chris, and I'm your Teen Wolf crack_van driver for November!

If you have yet to be introduced to the cracky wonders of TW, I hope you'll give this post a chance to be your gateway drug! In the past few months, as Teen Wolf took over pretty much every corner of fandom ever with rather startling speed, you may have read people rhapsodising about the wonders of one Stiles Stilinski, or perhaps heard people commenting on the actual possibility of a slash ship going canon for the first time ever omg!.

Mostly, if you're not into Teen Wolf, you're probably wondering why on earth so many people are obsessing over an MTV show about werewolves. (From what I can gather, this comic accurately describes every single Teen Wolf fan's spiraling descent into teen-wolf-dom. It's uncanny.)



( Abandon all hope... )

INTRODUCTION TO SOUTH PARK
South Park debuted on Comedy Central on August 13, 1997 and quickly became a media phenomenon. It’s essentially a half-hour cartoon about four boys living in a magical-reality mountain town in Park Country, Colorado, about an hour outside of Denver. The premise is based on the experiences of creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who both grew up in the area. The show caught on mostly due to its juxtaposition of rough, primary-colored construction-paper stop-motion animation and adult humor. The four boys swear, love toilet humor, and are generally irreverent. The adults in their town are misguided at best, and the boys seem very well aware of it. This made the show initially shocking to some, and South Park has continued to generate controversy by becoming an equal-opportunity offender.

( Read more... )

Hi everyone,

I'm lilly_the_kid and I'm gonna be reccing Reservoir Dogs this month and I thought I'd start out with a fandom overview.
This will be full of major spoilers for the entire movie and there will be mention of violence and torture, so, please consider yourselves warned.

Reservoir Dogs is Quentin Tarantino's first movie and it deals with the bloody aftermath of a botched diamond heist.

( let's go to work )

Hello, everyone! I am slr2moons, and I am your driver for this month's anime/manga featured fandom, the crack-tastic comedy manga Skip Beat! by Nakamura Yoshiki.

I'll be reccing all sorts of fics and genres! Most of them are het romance, as that's what is prolific in this fandom, but I have some great comedies and other gems, too! Skip Beat! has been my favorite manga for years, and I hope I can help spread the joy that can be found in Skip canon and fic!

But first, I am happy to bring you my Skip Beat! fandom overview. *clears throat*

Imagine the purest, most self-sacrificing manga heroine you can. Can you see her, in all her sweet, devoted innocence? Now, imagine what might happen if she SNAPPED.

( Welcome to Skip Beat. )

Hello and welcome to the Grimm Crack Van for the first time on this comm. I tried to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but I know some ambushed me and made an appearance despite my efforts (the sneaky little buggers). So be on guard for those. Otherwise, buckle up and prepare yourself for some basic info in the overview and some fantastic ficcage to follow!




( More Grimm-y Goodness! )