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fandomgrowthexchange2021-07-09 04:22 pm
fgemods) wrote in fandomgrowthexchange2021-07-09 04:22 pm
Promote Your Rare Characters, Relationships, and Fandoms!
The Fandom Growth Exchange is all about growing the rare fandoms, relationships, and characters of your heart. The longer-the-average creation period can also give participants the chance to explore additional canons.
Comment below to share your fandom/ship/character, where to find the canon, and what you love about it. Feel free to include images, links, and/or just gush.
A form to help if you like:
Comment below to share your fandom/ship/character, where to find the canon, and what you love about it. Feel free to include images, links, and/or just gush.
A form to help if you like:
no subject
Where to find the canon: it's ongoing series on webtoon, you can read it from the start (now 70+ chapters) here: https://www.webtoons.com/en/supernatural/unholy-blood/list?title_no=1262
What I love about it: The main character, Hayan! The fact that characters evolve and change and it hits when you think who or where in their life they were when they first appeared. The art in the comic is georgeous! just look at this panel: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d5/ce/c7/d5cec7119ebd40610f27199f959c9db7.jpg . TW: The plot is about vampires, therefore plenty of blood, some or the characters die, including from the main cast of certain arcs. The story shifts tonally with introduction of a main villain, somewhere around chapter 50-something and as I liked the first 'half' better, the second has the vampire lion and vampire stage magician who are the softest found family possible!! Also, there are a lot of beautiful family and found family dynamics in the series. And not necesserily familiar, but a lot of moments where characters care about each other and it just makes me happy. The cast is rather small for the amount of chapters, but if you like romance, there are a lot of ships to ship, (2 of them nominated for the event). I won't lie that it's perfect, a lot of things are predictable and the main villain feels boring (at least to me), but the story can be emotional if it wants to, artstyle is lovely, main character is very well written and all in all it's enjoyable to read.
no subject
Where to find the canon: Unfortunately, the only way to enjoy this musical is via bootlegs (illegal recordings made by fans during performances); there are various bootlegs out there, in different qualities, but no full recording on YouTube. However, here is a taste. And I can provide you with a better-quality bootleg of the full show if you are interested (just comment here).
What I love about it: The hilarity. The camp. The fact that a show that went wrong on so many levels and made so many terrible choices, compared to the Austrian German-language original (Tanz der Vampire), still managed to bless us with the tragic/comic/silly figure of Giovanni von Krolock, a vampire who hides behind a terribly faux accent and bad jokes, but is actually a very sad Pierrot craving life and love. I've always pretended this musical never happened, but then my girlfriend endeared it to me. And since then I've come to love these characters, and have been steadily writing fic for them, both serious and cracky (both is true to the tone of the Broadway version). The Tanz fandom might shun this version, but DOTV does have its merits and deserves more fic!
Cracker (UK TV): "Best Boys"
What it is: A television procedural about a criminal psychologist that originally aired in the UK from 1993 to 1995. The nominated characters, however, are from a two-part episode called "Best Boys" from the third series that can be watched on its own. The episodes follow the doomed romance and subsequent crime spree of a troubled teen played by John Simm and the lonely factory foreman who's fallen in love with him played by Liam Cunningham.
Where to find the canon: This varies by region, but it's available on DVD and can be streamed through Amazon Prime/Britbox. As a popular pair of episodes, bootleg copies of "Best Boys" also appear to be available on Youtube and Dailymotion.
What I love about it: Cracker is a product of its time, but its focus on the character-driven elements of the crimes it features and the 'whydunnit' over the 'whodunnit' allow for guest stars to shine, which Cunningham and Simm really do in this pair of episodes.
Nominated characters and ships: Stuart Grady/Bill Nash (seen here in some choice gifs)
What I love about them: The scorching chemistry, the heartbreaking moments of two isolated people finding a connection with someone they really shouldn’t, and the way it all goes so wrong so fast. This is a ship made for missing scenes and fix-its, where murder and tragedy might be averted or at least held at bay for the length of a story.
The World of Black Hammer (Comics)
What it is: A line of comic book miniseries published by Dark Horse from 2016 to present. It imagines a single world of superheroes not unlike those of the DC universe and other Golden Age-present publishers, and then runs with these characters in the kind of experimental and final directions that ongoing superhero titles often aren't at liberty to take. The nominated characters come from four miniseries (summaries from Comixology), each of which could be read on its own.
Barbalien: Red Planet (5 issues) - Mark Markz has found his place on Earth as both a decorated police officer and as the beloved superhero Barbalien. But in the midst of the AIDS crisis, hatred from all sides makes balancing these identities seem impossible-- especially when a Martian enemy from the past hunts him down to take him back, dead or alive.
Black Hammer (12 issues) - HEROES NEVER DIE...THEY JUST GET RETCONNED! Once they were heroes, but the age of heroes has long since passed. Banished from existence by a multiversal crisis, the old champions of Spiral City...Abraham Slam, Golden Gail, Colonel Weird, Madame Dragonfly, and Barbalien...now lead simple lives in a timeless farming town. Even as they try to find their way home, trouble has a unique way of finding heroes wherever they are!
Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil (4 issues) - This mystery set in the world of superheroes follows a reporter investigating what happened to her father: The Black Hammer. All answers seem to lie in Spiral City's infamous insane asylum where some of its dangerous super-villain tenants reside. As she gets closer and closer to the truth she uncovers the dark origin stories of some of Black Hammer's greatest foes and how they tie into the puzzle of what happened to Spiral City's greatest hero.
Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy (6 issues) - Spiral City finds itself trapped in a vicious cycle of crime, corruption, and violence. With the heart of the city at stake, a vigilante rises in Skulldigger. However, when the nefarious Grimjim escapes from prison, will Skulldigger and his ward, Skeleton Boy, be enough to save Spiral City?
Where to find the canon: All of these miniseries are available digitally through Comixology or in hard copy wherever fine comics are sold.
What I love about it: The way the creators have launched a superhero universe that can play with classic comic tropes in interesting and adult ways that don't ever diminish their source material. Despite many of the characters being clear expies for DC heroes, they are all fully formed in their own right and their adventures aren't satire, just Big Two type stories told with indie sensibilities and some loving homages.
Nominated characters and ships:
Barbalien: Red Planet - Mark Markz, Mark Markz/Miguel Cruz, Rosalyn Day & Knight Klub
Black Hammer - Gail Gibbons, Gail Gibbons & Abraham Slamkowski, Gail Gibbons & Mark Markz, Gail Gibbons/Sherlock Frankenstein, Joseph Weber & Lucy Weber, Madame Dragonfly/Swamp Bernie, Mark Markz, Mark Markz/Kev Kevz, Mark Markz/Paul Quinn
Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil - Gail Gibbons/Sherlock Frankenstein
Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy - Grimjim/Rocky Lopez, Grimjim & Skulldigger, Grimjim/Skulldigger, Grimjim/Tex Reed, Grimjim/Warden Wing, Skulldigger & Matthew, Tex Reed & Skulldigger, Tex Reed/Skulldigger
What I love about them: The variety of well-drawn and complex characters with complicated relationships. Just some of the nominations include: canonical romance between a shapeshifting alien and the gay activist he rescues, canonical romance between a middle-aged superhero and the lifelong archenemy she decides to retire with, canonical romance between a witch and her swamp creature, the team-up of a superpowered doctor who runs an HIV clinic and a heroic drag queen, a daughter investigating and taking on her father’s legacy, two relationships involving young boys with lives touched by violence who are taken in by heroes to very different end results, the potential for some menacing dirtybadwrong ships involving a demon and his warders - or his son, and a grown woman trying to maintain her identity while trapped in the body of a child. This is a series about stories, and one that leaves the door open for plenty more of them.
Modesty Blaise - Peter O'Donnell
What it is: A comic strip about an exceptional underworld genius turned spy and her loyal right-hand man that ran from 1963 to 2001, and a set of novelizations and short stories by the same author published between 1965 and 1996. Because the series has a floating timeline and was designed to pick up new fans on a weekly basis, virtually any one collection of strips or any novel is enough to give a reader all they need to know about the canon.
Where to find the canon: Comic strip collections and the novels are available through booksellers and libraries. For samples, several complete comic strip stories are available for download on the Newspaper Comic Strips Blog.
What I love about it: With the usual caveats for what you might expect to find in a 1960s canon about a beautiful female spy trotting the globe, it also...well, has exactly what you'd hope to find in a 1960s canon about a beautiful female spy trotting the globe. Modesty is gorgeous, brilliant, ultra-competent, and kicks ass in great outfits across a variety of beautiful locales.
Nominated characters and ships: Modesty Blaise & Willie Garvin (seen here in a four-page origin comic)
What I love about them: The deeply intimate and fiercely loyal platonic relationship. Modesty and Willie are written without any sexual tension or will-they/won’t-they, and instead as unshakably the most important person in each other's lives. They have pet names for each other, cuddle on occasion, find nothing weird about discussing their romantic lives or undressing in front of each other, have each other’s backs absolutely, and make a wonderful team.
Arkham Horror Files
What it is: A collection of board, card and video games designed for cooperative and solo play, with associated art and short stories, set in a shared 1920s universe where a motley crew of investigators battle Lovecraftian horrors. The games include Arkham Horror, Eldritch Horror, Elder Sign, Elder Sign: Omens, Mansions of Madness, and Arkham Horror: The Card Game.
Where to find the canon: The games can be found through brick and mortar and online game shops, and most of the character information and flavor text are available on a variety of fandom wikis including the Arkham Horror Wiki, Arkham Horror: The Card Game Wiki, Eldritch Horror Wiki, and H.P. Lovecraft Wiki. Introductory short stories for many of the investigators is available in The Investigators of Arkham Horror and assorted rulebooks. Because the investigators book is out of print, links to stories for select characters have been included below in the “Nominated characters and ships" section.
What I love about it: Despite the titles, the series is more adventure than horror—and to motivate players to keep battling their way through daunting odds, the games offer a huge cast of diverse and interesting characters to roleplay and root for. The characters, along with the distinct time and place of 1920s Arkham, Massachusetts (and other locales across North and South America), make for a fun sandbox to play in with a lot of opportunity for case fic, relationships, historical backstory, and hurt/comfort.
Nominated characters and ships: (with links to art/blurbs where available) Agnes Baker/Gloria Goldberg, Finn Edwards/Goat Spawn, Imogen Radcliffe/Daniela Reyes, Jerome Davids/Josef Meiger, Jerome Davids/Josef Meiger/Gavriella Mizrah, João/Calvin Wright, Louie Farrell/Michael McGlen, Mateo Castile/Michael McGlen/"Skids" O'Toole, Michael McGlen/"Skids" O'Toole, Nathaniel Cho/Tommy Muldoon, Pawel/Rogelio, Stella Clark/"Skids" O'Toole, Stella Clark/Imogen Radcliffe/Daniela Reyes, Stella Clark/Tommy Muldoon, Tommy Muldoon/"Skids" O'Toole, Vincent Lee/Wilson Richards
Origin Stories:
Wilson Richards: The Handyman
Agnes Baker: The Waitress
Gloria Goldberg: The Author (includes a cameo from Agnes Baker)
Vincent Lee: The Doctor
Father Mateo: The Priest
Tommy Muldoon: The Rookie Cop
"Skids" O'Toole: The Ex-Convict
Michael McGlen: The Gangster (includes Michael &/ Louie Farrell)
Finn Edwards: The Bootlegger (includes the Goat Spawn)
Calvin Wright: The Haunted (includes João/Calvin)
The Charred Man (also João/Calvin, on page two of the Eldritch Horror: Masks of Nyarlthotep expansion manual)
Daniela Reyes: The Mechanic (includes Daniela &/ Imogen Radcliffe and Pawel &/ Rogelio)
What I love about them: They're people coming together from all walks of life to investigate a mystery and—in most cases—to try to do the right thing. Among the characters above are a man offered unfathomable power who gives it up to save the world just to keep his boyfriend safe, a pair of female motorcyclists becoming supernatural vigilantes, a gangster avenging the man who meant the most to him, an itinerant handyman who can't move on until he sets things right, a former bank robber who just can't let his former cellmate's eerie death lie, a middle-aged author who's based her bestselling stories off her own haunting visions, and a diner waitress rediscovering her magic. These are all folks who have been touched by the supernatural in one way or another and can't bring themselves to look away.
no subject
Where to find the canon: All ten episodes available free on YouTube
What I love about it: What's not to love! It's a dramatic comedy by Blake Edwards, the theme is by Hank Mancini, it has a young(er)(ish) Ross Martin in it, and that's always a fun time.
Lucky (John Vivyan) and Andamo (Ross Martin) are the two dedicated main characters, with Lucky's on-again off-again girlfriend Maggie (Pippa Scott) showing up as needed by the narrative, and the three of them are smart and charming and absolutely bone-headed sometimes. Most of the series is set on Lucky's floating casino, The Fortuna II, and it seems to draw in conmen and gangsters like a bad suit emporium. It's funny, it's clever, it's quality entertainment even after the fricking Lever Brothers sponsors kneecapped it by complaining Lucky wasn't "respectable" enough (they ultimately stopped sponsoring the show despite it being really popular--rumor has it this was to help Jack Benny's production company claim their prized Saturday evening time slot).