Today's Theme: Small Fandoms + The Unheard-From Characters
(And shows/movies I don't and have never watched, because to me, they are unheard-from.)
Small fandoms! Oh, small fandoms, how I love thee. Probably my favorite part about small fandoms is, you so, so rarely get bad material out of the fans. Fic, vids, sketches, mixtapes dedicated to favorite characters, the list goes on and on, and in small fandoms, for some reason, you tend to get the highest-quality stuff. (SGA is the exception that proves the rule, every time.)
In the same vein, nearly everyone who decides to tell the tales of the minor characters is more comfortable fleshing out backstory and voice than your average fan. Ergo a happy S. Vests!
My one regret is that I've already recced danegen 's Down By The Water for the Southland rec post I made previously because it fits all the criteria for this post. (Psst, this is a very blatant attempt at including it. Go watch, it's amazing!)
Where was I? Oh, yes. Small fandoms. Minor characters being fleshed out. Got it. Go, read the recs, watch the vids. I'm pretty sure you won't be unhappy with that choice.
______________________
Feel It by milly
Source: So You Think You Can Dance
Characters: Many
WARNING: Maybe not so work-safe, what with the flagrant tonguing and all.
Every time I watch this vid, I have to get up and dance. The movement and sexuality captured here are incredible, and it's always just so much damn fun. Tight movement, tight cuts, music that falls right in line with the show's character and pace.
_____________________
Handlebars by AustinOlson
Source: Generation Kill (HBO Miniseries)
Characters: many
WARNING: Some images may be disturbing. Basically, if you're fine watching GK, The Pacific, Band of Brothers, The Hurt Locker or anything else like it, you'll be fine with this vid.
These are marines. This is the essence of marines as we are shown them in the miniseries. I haven't been able to find many GK vids, but this is by far the best of the few I've seen. This vid really puts me in mind of Ray, with all the bragging and being wrapped up in yourself, in how awesome you are because you cannot quite deal with what you're seeing, what you're doing. You have to love intensely because you're afraid you won't get a chance to continue with your life. At the same time, it can set you back on the maturity scale.
In that vein, Handlebars also comments on the maturity/immaturity duality of soldiers going into war. I found myself thinking "they're still just kids" and, "this is what happens when you make kids fight your wars." Because no matter how well-trained and well-prepared these soldiers are - and you best believe they are; these boys are marines - we're all still kids, still someone's son or daughter, niece or nephew, grandson or granddaugher. That's something you don't outgrow, no matter how old and mature you are. And sometimes, we revert right back to that cocky 12-year-old who knows every goddamn thing but cannot deal on their own with the world around them.
____________________
SeaFever by heresluck
Source: I don't know, possibly "Slings and Arrows"
Characters: I don't know, some tall Caucasian dude with brown hair?
WARNING: This rec is not so much on the information-giving.
I have no idea who any of these people are, but boy, howdy, is this vid compelling. Basically, there's like, a community theater play going on? And a bunch of people who, I'm gonna guess are different at first, and then find that they have more in common than they thought. Like, a love of Shakespeare and tights. And there's someone who needs to be redeemed or whatever; this is his last chance for redemption! Probably.
But for someone who hasn't seen the original source material, like myself, this vid is more about letting yourself realize your dreams - maybe ones that you didn't have before. Being content with who you are, and making a family for yourself from the people who were already around you.
____________________
Say Hello by sweetestdrain
Source: The Royal Tenenbaums
Characters: Ritchie Tenenbaum
WARNING: Uh, you know Ritchie's storyline in the film, right? So, yeah. Self-harm, suicide attempt, and blatant depilation involved.
I don't ship Sam/Dean on Supernatural, but I am okay with Margot/Ritchie on Royal Tenenbaums. I'm all for finding love where you can. But the key difference to me between S/D and M/R is that Sam and Dean were raised as brothers, and Margot was always having the fact she was adopted thrown back into her face. Her parents may have treated her as a daughter, but her father always clarified that she was an adopted daughter. Something I think would have made itself very clear to her brothers that she was to be treated as a sister, but was not, in fact, their sister.
Okay, exhaustive explaining of myself aside, Say Hello is a very smart vid that was able to re-tell Ritchie's story without making me feel like I was just re-watching the movie. There's a sweetness to the vid that was not so present in the movie, and makes this vid a rewatcher.
__________________
Rise by chaila43
Source: The West Wing
Characters: Ensemble
WARNING: Anger!
United in anger, together we rise.
A few people who mentioned this vid said they thought the song choice was incongruous with the message of the vid. I would have to disagree.
Anger is a huge part of WW. People are angry at themselves, angry at the "enemy", whoever that might be at the moment, be it conservatives, reporters, God or the world. And through that anger, they find a common purpose, a reason to make their worlds better. And together they rise.
Rise is a study, a study of what brings these characters to the same point, and will leave you grinning fiercely. Because you understand.
God, I miss this show.
___________________
Glittering Clouds (Locusts) by lithiumdoll
Source: Supernatural
Characters: The possessed
WARNING: Creepy Stuff.
I kept waiting, praying. I was trapped in there, screaming at you, "Just help me, please."
Okay, my initial intention was to leave Supernatural out of this post altogether because I'll be doing an all-SPN post later in the week. In the end...I just couldn't wait. I wanted this to be separate from the other Supernatural vids because this, in my mind, is distinctly different. Glittering Clouds works from the point of view of the posessed, the throw-away characters we see every week, but dismiss entirely out of hand because they aren't the big kahunas. Glittering Clouds is beautiful, and pretty instantly became a favorite vid of mine. I cannot, cannot rec this hard enough.
Lithiumdoll's work here is chilling and remarkable; I cannot separate the song from the vid in my mind, and to me, that's the mark of a well-integrated vid. She takes the possessed and turns their stories into the story. Through them, we see Sam and Dean as the feared, instead of the helpers, as they so often do nothing for the people possessed but kick the demons out of their broken, battered bodies. She takes the trash bags of Supernatural and forces us to confront them as fully-fleshed characters in their own right. If you're only going to watch one vid on this post, please, please make it this one. Well, or Handlebars.
__________________
I'm Not Dead by dualbunny
Source: Battlestar Galactica
Characters: Kara Thrace
WARNING: Kara is fucked up, yo. Probably due to the child abuse she suffered as a child, teensy subtle references to which are made in I'm Not Dead. More blatant in the second vid, Cuz I Can.
To be fair, I wanted to rec this entire set - it's a three-part Pink/Kara mashup of awesome - but I made myself pick one, mainly because I was afraid my fingers would fall off if I got going on this set. I settled on this one because it's got the most Kara/Lee and, goddammit, was I pissed when I didn't get a Kara/Lee Together 4Eva <3 <3 ending on the show.
I'm Not Dead lets you see that Kara's a tough girl, one who was essential to the evolution of BSG. She was a purposeful person while remaining part of a larger whole, and frequently changed the direction of her fellow shipmates. And while she strode along, seemly free from self-doubt to the majority of the population she lived with, she was highly conflicted and scared; she was just better at hiding it than most people are.
________________
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect by kuwdora
Source: Heroes
Characters: Sylar
WARNING: Sylar, too, is fucked up. But we all knew that anyway.
I am aware that Sylar has become the Tragic Hero™ of Heroes in the world of fandom, so I'm sure he doesn't quite fit with my theme for today. My esteem for Here I Dreamt stems from the fact that I've never seen a single episode of Heroes. (Which, to me, makes him an Unheard-from Character. Go me!) Yet, in less than 5 minutes, she was able to put together a cohesive narrative (while jumping forward and backward in time) and managed to carry me along with her.
________________
Afraid of Americans by bionic
Source: Watchmen
Characters: Ensemble
WARNING: May be too awesome to handle.
Remember the movie? Remember all that character development and personality they were able to cram into a two-hour film? That's all here, in a three-minute vid. Bionic reminds us that Watchmen is based on the question of "If we had superheroes at x period in time, how would that have changed history?" and answers at the same time. The world, and each one of us, would be afraid of Americans.
Small fandoms! Oh, small fandoms, how I love thee. Probably my favorite part about small fandoms is, you so, so rarely get bad material out of the fans. Fic, vids, sketches, mixtapes dedicated to favorite characters, the list goes on and on, and in small fandoms, for some reason, you tend to get the highest-quality stuff. (SGA is the exception that proves the rule, every time.)
In the same vein, nearly everyone who decides to tell the tales of the minor characters is more comfortable fleshing out backstory and voice than your average fan. Ergo a happy S. Vests!
My one regret is that I've already recced danegen 's Down By The Water for the Southland rec post I made previously because it fits all the criteria for this post. (Psst, this is a very blatant attempt at including it. Go watch, it's amazing!)
Where was I? Oh, yes. Small fandoms. Minor characters being fleshed out. Got it. Go, read the recs, watch the vids. I'm pretty sure you won't be unhappy with that choice.
______________________
Feel It by milly
Source: So You Think You Can Dance
Characters: Many
WARNING: Maybe not so work-safe, what with the flagrant tonguing and all.
Every time I watch this vid, I have to get up and dance. The movement and sexuality captured here are incredible, and it's always just so much damn fun. Tight movement, tight cuts, music that falls right in line with the show's character and pace.
_____________________
Handlebars by AustinOlson
Source: Generation Kill (HBO Miniseries)
Characters: many
WARNING: Some images may be disturbing. Basically, if you're fine watching GK, The Pacific, Band of Brothers, The Hurt Locker or anything else like it, you'll be fine with this vid.
These are marines. This is the essence of marines as we are shown them in the miniseries. I haven't been able to find many GK vids, but this is by far the best of the few I've seen. This vid really puts me in mind of Ray, with all the bragging and being wrapped up in yourself, in how awesome you are because you cannot quite deal with what you're seeing, what you're doing. You have to love intensely because you're afraid you won't get a chance to continue with your life. At the same time, it can set you back on the maturity scale.
In that vein, Handlebars also comments on the maturity/immaturity duality of soldiers going into war. I found myself thinking "they're still just kids" and, "this is what happens when you make kids fight your wars." Because no matter how well-trained and well-prepared these soldiers are - and you best believe they are; these boys are marines - we're all still kids, still someone's son or daughter, niece or nephew, grandson or granddaugher. That's something you don't outgrow, no matter how old and mature you are. And sometimes, we revert right back to that cocky 12-year-old who knows every goddamn thing but cannot deal on their own with the world around them.
____________________
SeaFever by heresluck
Source: I don't know, possibly "Slings and Arrows"
Characters: I don't know, some tall Caucasian dude with brown hair?
WARNING: This rec is not so much on the information-giving.
I have no idea who any of these people are, but boy, howdy, is this vid compelling. Basically, there's like, a community theater play going on? And a bunch of people who, I'm gonna guess are different at first, and then find that they have more in common than they thought. Like, a love of Shakespeare and tights. And there's someone who needs to be redeemed or whatever; this is his last chance for redemption! Probably.
But for someone who hasn't seen the original source material, like myself, this vid is more about letting yourself realize your dreams - maybe ones that you didn't have before. Being content with who you are, and making a family for yourself from the people who were already around you.
____________________
Say Hello by sweetestdrain
Source: The Royal Tenenbaums
Characters: Ritchie Tenenbaum
WARNING: Uh, you know Ritchie's storyline in the film, right? So, yeah. Self-harm, suicide attempt, and blatant depilation involved.
I don't ship Sam/Dean on Supernatural, but I am okay with Margot/Ritchie on Royal Tenenbaums. I'm all for finding love where you can. But the key difference to me between S/D and M/R is that Sam and Dean were raised as brothers, and Margot was always having the fact she was adopted thrown back into her face. Her parents may have treated her as a daughter, but her father always clarified that she was an adopted daughter. Something I think would have made itself very clear to her brothers that she was to be treated as a sister, but was not, in fact, their sister.
Okay, exhaustive explaining of myself aside, Say Hello is a very smart vid that was able to re-tell Ritchie's story without making me feel like I was just re-watching the movie. There's a sweetness to the vid that was not so present in the movie, and makes this vid a rewatcher.
__________________
Rise by chaila43
Source: The West Wing
Characters: Ensemble
WARNING: Anger!
United in anger, together we rise.
A few people who mentioned this vid said they thought the song choice was incongruous with the message of the vid. I would have to disagree.
Anger is a huge part of WW. People are angry at themselves, angry at the "enemy", whoever that might be at the moment, be it conservatives, reporters, God or the world. And through that anger, they find a common purpose, a reason to make their worlds better. And together they rise.
Rise is a study, a study of what brings these characters to the same point, and will leave you grinning fiercely. Because you understand.
God, I miss this show.
___________________
Glittering Clouds (Locusts) by lithiumdoll
Source: Supernatural
Characters: The possessed
WARNING: Creepy Stuff.
I kept waiting, praying. I was trapped in there, screaming at you, "Just help me, please."
Okay, my initial intention was to leave Supernatural out of this post altogether because I'll be doing an all-SPN post later in the week. In the end...I just couldn't wait. I wanted this to be separate from the other Supernatural vids because this, in my mind, is distinctly different. Glittering Clouds works from the point of view of the posessed, the throw-away characters we see every week, but dismiss entirely out of hand because they aren't the big kahunas. Glittering Clouds is beautiful, and pretty instantly became a favorite vid of mine. I cannot, cannot rec this hard enough.
Lithiumdoll's work here is chilling and remarkable; I cannot separate the song from the vid in my mind, and to me, that's the mark of a well-integrated vid. She takes the possessed and turns their stories into the story. Through them, we see Sam and Dean as the feared, instead of the helpers, as they so often do nothing for the people possessed but kick the demons out of their broken, battered bodies. She takes the trash bags of Supernatural and forces us to confront them as fully-fleshed characters in their own right. If you're only going to watch one vid on this post, please, please make it this one. Well, or Handlebars.
__________________
I'm Not Dead by dualbunny
Source: Battlestar Galactica
Characters: Kara Thrace
WARNING: Kara is fucked up, yo. Probably due to the child abuse she suffered as a child, teensy subtle references to which are made in I'm Not Dead. More blatant in the second vid, Cuz I Can.
To be fair, I wanted to rec this entire set - it's a three-part Pink/Kara mashup of awesome - but I made myself pick one, mainly because I was afraid my fingers would fall off if I got going on this set. I settled on this one because it's got the most Kara/Lee and, goddammit, was I pissed when I didn't get a Kara/Lee Together 4Eva <3 <3 ending on the show.
I'm Not Dead lets you see that Kara's a tough girl, one who was essential to the evolution of BSG. She was a purposeful person while remaining part of a larger whole, and frequently changed the direction of her fellow shipmates. And while she strode along, seemly free from self-doubt to the majority of the population she lived with, she was highly conflicted and scared; she was just better at hiding it than most people are.
________________
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect by kuwdora
Source: Heroes
Characters: Sylar
WARNING: Sylar, too, is fucked up. But we all knew that anyway.
I am aware that Sylar has become the Tragic Hero™ of Heroes in the world of fandom, so I'm sure he doesn't quite fit with my theme for today. My esteem for Here I Dreamt stems from the fact that I've never seen a single episode of Heroes. (Which, to me, makes him an Unheard-from Character. Go me!) Yet, in less than 5 minutes, she was able to put together a cohesive narrative (while jumping forward and backward in time) and managed to carry me along with her.
________________
Afraid of Americans by bionic
Source: Watchmen
Characters: Ensemble
WARNING: May be too awesome to handle.
Remember the movie? Remember all that character development and personality they were able to cram into a two-hour film? That's all here, in a three-minute vid. Bionic reminds us that Watchmen is based on the question of "If we had superheroes at x period in time, how would that have changed history?" and answers at the same time. The world, and each one of us, would be afraid of Americans.