#the adventures of buckaroo banzai across the eighth dimension

[cantsayidont]

August 1984. This won't change anyone's feelings about cult movie perennial THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI: ACROSS THE EIGHTH DIMENSION one way or the other, but if you're wondering what the hell the deal is supposed to be with Buckaroo Banzai and his team, the answer is, "It's an obvious pastiche of the pulp hero Doc Savage."

Launched in 1933, Doc Savage was one of the leading adventure heroes of the pulp magazines. Doc (whose full name was Clark Savage Jr.) was scientifically trained from childhood to the peak of human perfection, singularly adept in everything from mechanical engineering to medicine to martial arts. He had a secret headquarters called the Fortress of Solitude and a whole array of specially designed vehicles and equipment, but he was also a public figure, with offices in the Empire State Building. Doc had a team of eccentric, highly specialized aides — Monk Mayfair, Ham Brooks, Renny Renwick, Long Tom Roberts, and Johnny Littlejohn — who each had a particular skill and a couple of distinctive personality traits (for instance, Monk was a skilled industrial chemist, but also an "ape-like" brute with a ferocious temper). They were sometimes aided by Doc's cousin, Pat Savage, who was almost as capable as Doc, although he tried to keep her out of the fray because she was (gasp) a girl.

This was a fairly common pattern for pulp heroes. For instance, the pulp version of the Shadow (who was distinctly different from the radio incarnation) relied on a whole network of agents, some appearing only once or twice, some recurring across many of his published adventures. From a narrative standpoint, the agents and assistants had two principal purposes: The first was to offset the rather overpowered heroes — pulp heroes didn't necessarily have superhuman powers, but even those who didn't tended to be preternaturally skilled at nearly everything, so it was convenient to limit their direct involvement in an adventure to crucial moments, and let the assistants (who could be much more fallible) do much of the legwork. The second object was to beef up the characterization. Doc Savage was morally irreproachable as well as absurdly multi-talented, so there wasn't a lot to be done with him character-wise, while maintaining the mystique of a character like the Shadow required him to remain a fairly closed book.

Although the pulp heroes were a huge influence on early comic book superheroes like Superman and Batman, some of these conventions didn't translate well to other media: In a 13-page comic book story or half-hour radio episode, having too many characters was cumbersome (and expensive, where it meant hiring extra actors), and comic book readers normally expected to follow their four-color heroes quite closely, even before the breathless internal monologue became a genre staple. So, Superman inherited Doc Savage's Fortress of Solitude, but not his "Fabulous Five" assistants, while heroes like Batman and Captain America generally stuck with a single sidekick rather than a team of aides. Even the late Doc Savage pulp adventures (which ended in 1949) de-emphasized the assistants to keep the focus more on Doc himself. Ultimately, the pulp heroes didn't really have the right narrative center of gravity for visual media, which is why they've become relatively obscure, despite repeated revival attempts. The 1975 Doc Savage movie with Ron Ely, for instance, was a notorious commercial flop, and elements like Doc's childishly bickering assistants seemed odd and dated, even taking into account the film's nostalgia-bait '30s period setting.

What BUCKAROO BANZAI tried to do was to bring that old pulp hero formula into the modern era with a big infusion of '80s style and humor. Like Doc Savage, Buckaroo is a wildly gifted polymath (in the opening scenes, he rushes from performing brain surgery to test-driving his Jet Car through a mountain), so famous and important a personage that he puts the president of the United States on hold, and he surrounds himself with an array of brilliant, eccentric aides with silly nicknames who play in his rock band when they're not fighting crime or doing advanced scientific experiments.

Alas, judging by the poor box office returns, general audiences were no more amenable to the '80s version of this formula than they had been to DOC SAVAGE: MAN OF BRONZE nine years earlier, even with the 1984 film's extraordinary cast and memorably witty dialogue. Granted, even many of the movie's most diehard fans are baffled by the convoluted plot — a crucial expository scene where the leader of the Black Lectroids (Rosalind Cash) explains much of what's going on is nigh-incomprehensible without subtitles or closed captioning — but beyond that, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI is essentially an extended riff on a particular slice of pop culture that had long since dropped out of the public consciousness, which is both part of its charm and also its commercial undoing, at least as mainstream entertainment.

(Also, if you're wondering, yes, the TOM STRONG series by Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse is also an obvious Doc Savage pastiche, although at least some of its plot and character concepts were probably retoolings of unused ideas from Moore's earlier Maximum Press/Awesome Comics SUPREME series, which was an extended pastiche of the pre-Crisis Superman.)

[can-they-assemble-ikea-furniture]

Assume they have access to ikea furniture

[poparthuriana]

For reasons which somewhat elude me, I made a meme.

[terribletriplefeatures]

Tonite's Weirdo Triple Feature!

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension 1984

[friendstolobsters]

"Hey they're stealing my helicopter!"

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

A brief note on a movie with a ridiculously long title

The other day, my personal care attendant asked about cats I've owned in the past, and asked if I ever had any tuxedo cats.

And I answered that I once had a tuxedo cat named Buckaroo Banzai.

...I explained that: no, that was not a rare exotic breed of cat, but the name of lead character in a movie that came out when she was about four years old, and trying to explain why that name fit the cat's personality.

Ever since, I've been dipping into review and discussion videos about this movie. And I've come to the following conclusion:

If you think The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension is a bad, and poorly-written, movie, then you might be a perfectly decent human being. But You and I could not be friends. The best we could hope for is being civil to each other (in brief interactions)

[francisballerhide]

An older viewer's perspective on I Saw The TV Glow

(content warning: discussion of spoilers, depression and suicidal themes.)

x-posted from the subreddit of the same name.

I am a queer, non-gender conforming (back in the day we said "genderqueer") person in their late 40s. I saw this the day before yesterday. I'm about five years or so older than the main characters (Owen and Maddy.) The equivalents to "The Pink Opaque" for my friend group that were on TV when we were the same age as the characters were Liquid TV and/or the 1992-era X Men cartoon (so as you can imagine, I've been ecstatic about the X Men 97 revival.) We were also obsessed with the film The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai: Across The Eighth Dimension.

I liked Buffy, but I was already in my 20s when it was airing.

And woah, this movie is very powerful and made me feel all sorts of things.

Like Maddy, I experienced a "break from reality" in my 20s. And I was deadset on finding someone to go on that "break" with me, to experience a folie à deux with, I guess. To help me validate that the imaginary world I was living in was "the real world," and the outside world where I was expected to "get a job and be a productive member of society" was fake.

I know in the context of the film, it's supposed to be implied that Maddy's story is true. She is really Tara, and Owen is really Isabel. But as someone who has been through something very much like Maddy describes (apart from the "being buried alive" part) it was difficult for me not to see Maddy as someone who did exactly what I did - who rejected reality as it is, and tried to check out from it completely.

But also, it's easy to see what Maddy ended up doing as a metaphor for attempted suicide - and that she might have been trying to talk Owen into going along with her on a second attempt, together, when the first attempt failed. And this may have been how Owen saw it, when he rejected it.

Because for me, adulthood felt the same way. You get a job. You try and fit in, or at least fly under the radar. It's not what you want to do - but society is constantly telling you, pressuring you, hassling you, that it's what you should be doing, what you need to do. Maybe you meet someone and settle down, maybe you don't. Maybe you have kids, and maybe you don't.

But one year passes, and then another. And then five years. And then a decade. And then three decades have gone by. And you don't feel it. It's just like skipping forward to the next scene on a DVD. And then you're old, and wondering where your life has gone. You haven't been living your real life.

And the thoughts running through your mind go: "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. This wasn't supposed to be my life. What happened to my life?"

And as someone with left-of-center politics and a not-always stable mental state, I think: "how much of this is down to reality being screwed up, how much of this is down to us living in a "Black Iron Prison"-style reality construct; and how much of this can be blamed on "late stage" or "end stage" capitalism, which never allows people who exist outside of a certain tax bracket to self-actualize at all?

What if it is "just the suburbs?"

The answer is to try and live your truth and be your authentic self, no matter what is going on in the world outside of that - no matter how difficult the world makes it. But not everyone is strong enough, or has the psychological tools to find their way to that.

I think I need to go back and watch this film again.

I also would like to recommend Matrix Resurrections to anyone who was bummed out by the end of I Saw The TV Glow, for what happens when the person who has been insisting "that beautiful, powerful person can't be me" suddenly decides to be that, anyway.

[rowrowrowanurboat]

Here's an old Starker prompt that I loved when I wrote it and then never looked at again, haha.

Feel free to comment or reach out for collaborative storytelling, RPing, sharing plot bunnies, etc.

[Recently Established, adult!Peter.]

After a month of dating and working together almost daily, they've been slowly moving into becoming intimate with long dates, cuddling on the sofa, casual touches while working in the lab.

This evening, Tony was pretty sure that they were headed for their First Time™. Everything was good, a perfectly cooked romantic dinner (that he'd practiced five days in a row), a movie in Tony's luxurious living room (Theater -- Peter insisted) after, hand holding and Peter's shy slightly awkward flirting.

It all culminating in a slowly building passionate make out session on Tony's sofa as The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension played in the background, unwatched by either of them.

It was heaven, sweet soft lips growing wilder and firmer as they kissed and kissed, and the most ridiculous firm body pressed up against his, his heart swelling with each precious shiver or sigh. But then, suddenly, it went the opposite way, a shock to the system like being volunteered for The Ice Bucket challenge mid-sleep.

They had started to get a little handsy, new territory for them, when in the blink of an eye Peter seemed to panic and was suddenly gone from Tony's lap and halfway across the large living room. Even Tony's mind couldn't process things quickly enough for him to make sense of Peter's sudden absence in the moment.

Worse yet, Peter all but rambled in an attempt to make an excuse about an exam the next morning, not saying much more than repeated apologies as he crammed his shoes on the wrong feet, hoodie still on the back of the sofa, and he was gone before Tony could even get out more than half a plea to ask Peter to stay.

Worried and a little more hurt than he'd ever let on, Tony immediately fired off a text, then another, and another until he felt as though he'd successfully managed the ever-elusive Communication.

Insecurity and embarrassment at his own scrambling-and-rambling reaction, Tony sighed at himself and dragged his hands down his face, desire entirely replaced by a ball of unpleasant feelings.

[Okay, so I definitely fucked up there. I know it, you definitely know it, I just can't quite figure out what I fucked up yet.]

[And, like, not to call what you said a lie, because you're You, but I'm just pretty sure that there's a lot more to what happened tonight than you suddenly remembering a Differential Equations exam. I wouldn't be upset if that's true. You can be honest with me, Peter. In fact, I really need you to be honest with me.]

[If you've changed your mind on *anything*, you can tell me. I'm sorry if I did something – anything – to make you uncomfortable. I'm even more sorry if you felt pressured in some way or if you felt like you couldn't be honest that you weren't feeling it or that I crossed a line.]

[I'm just worried that I fucked up and hurt you or worse, scared you. Or even that you've realized that I'm a Turn Off in some major way -- please tell me, even if you think it's rude.]

[You don't have to tell me things are fine if I'm making you feel rushed into sex or anything else physical. If anything, I wouldn't want it either, if you didn't.]

[So, yeah, I'm not mad. I'm not really upset. I'm just…worried. I'm sorry. Really. Shit, kid, these fifty fucking texts aren't helping a goddamned thing are they?]

[ingridverse]

The second image is a still from the first image (gif). Can someone explain to me how Perfect Tommy, from The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Across The Eighth Dimension, violates Tumblr's community guidelines?

EDIT: I swear to Skadi that it did the Community Guidelines thing. Now it doesn't, literally seconds later. I has a confuse

[theharpermovieblog]

🎥THE COMPLETE 2023 MOVIE LIST🎥

(Without the Halloween and Christmas lists)

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

FILMS OF 2023

1. Banshees of Inisherin (2023)

2. The Visitor (1979)

3 The Hunt for Red October (1990)

4. The Four Seasons (1981)

5. The Burbs (1989)

6. The Blob (1958)

7. The Blob (1988)

8. Raging Bull (1980)

9. River's Edge (1986)

10. A Shot In The Dark (1964)

11. Violent Night (2022)

12. Pearl (2022)

13. It Happened One Night (1934)

14. Secretary (2002)

15. Dracula (1992)

16. Hard Target (1993)

17. Skinamarink (2022)

18. Head Of The Family (1996)

19. Rubber's Lover (1996)

20. Dr. No (1962)

21. Goldeneye (1995)

22. On The Silver Globe (1988)

23. Top Knot Detective (2016)

24. Fantastic Voyage (1966)

25. Crimes Of The Future (2022)

26. Get Carter (1971)

27. Dog Soldiers (2022)

28. Demon City Shinjuku (1988)

29. Death Line AKA: Raw Meat (1972)

30. Indian Jones and the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

31. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

32. Invaders From Mars (1953)

33. The Velvet Vampire (1971)

34. Cobra (1986)

35. Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

36. Batman Returns (1992)

37. My Dinner With Andre (1981)

38. Beyond The Darkness (1979)

39. VIY (1967)

40. Communion (1989)

41. The Cable Guy (1996)

42. In The Mouth Of Madness (1994)

43. From Beyond (1986)

44. Wings Of Desire (1987)

45. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension (1984)

46. The Living Dead At Manchester Morgue (1974)

47. The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

48. Casablanca (1942)

49. Swamp Thing (1982)

50. The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent (2022)

51. Cronos (1993)

52. Spiral (2021)

53. Boss Level (2020)

54. Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy (1996)

55. The Menu (2022)

56. Altered States (1980)

57. The Terror (1963)

58. The Sword And The Sorcerer (1982)

59. The Verdict (1982)

60. Nothing But Trouble (1991)

61. John Wick Chapter 4 (2023)

62. Maniac Cop (1988)

63. Maniac Cop 2 (1990)

64. The Thing From Another World (1951)

65. AntiChrist (2009)

66. Dungeons And Dragons Honor Among Thieves (2023)

67. Revenge Of The Ninja (1983)

68. The Raven (1963)

69. Lost Highway (1997)

70. The Devil's Rain (1975)

71. Critters (1986)

72. Jackie Brown (1997)

73. The Night Of The Werewolf (1981)

74. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)

75. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

76. Cocaine Bear (2023)

77. After Hours (1985)

78. Batman Forever (1995)

79. The Big Lebowski (1998)

80. Things (1989)

81. Onibaba (1964)

82. Commando (1985)

83. Jacob's Ladder (1990)

84. Saint Maud (2019)

85. Fright Night (1985)

86. Fright Night Part 2 (1988)

87. Joe Versus The Volcano (1990)

88. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

89. The Hobbit (1977)

90. The Lair Of The White Worm (1988)

91. Tango And Cash (1989)

92. Desperado (1995)

93. Puss And Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

94. The People Under The Stairs (1991)

95. Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

96. Robin Redbreast (1970)

97. The Missouri Breaks (1976)

98. Pumpkinhead (1988)

99. God Told Me To (1976)

100. The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)

101. The Hateful Eight (2015)

102. Nowhere (1997)

103. Tommy (1975)

104. Last Shift (2014)

105. Multiple Maniacs (1970)

106. Bronson (2008)

107. Child Of God (2013)

108. Subspecies (1991)

109. Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm (1993)

110. The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959)

111. Blood Simple (1984)

112. Bloodstone: Subspecies 2 (1993)

113. Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)

114. The Fly 2 (1989)

115. Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

116. Antiviral (2012)

117. Evil Dead Rise (2023)

118. Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat (1989)

119. Terrifier 2 (2022)

120. Shivers (1975)

121. The McPherson Tape (1989)

122. Moonage Daydream (2022)

123. The Saddest Music In The World (2003)

124. Masters Of Horror: Cigarette Burns (2005)

125. Lurking Fear (1994)

126. The Passion Of The Christ (2004)

127. Rambo: Last Blood (2019)

128. Fantastic Planet (1973)

129. Old Henry (2021)

130. Halloween Ends (2022)

131. The Shakiest Gun In The West (1968)

132. M3GAN (2022)

133. Smile (2022)

134. DUNE (2021)

135. High Noon (1952)

136. Hot Fuzz (2007)

137. Infinity Pool (2023)

138. Tales From The Gimli Hospital (1988)

139. Bullit (1968)

140. Jesus Shows You The Way To The Highway (2019)

141. Subspecies V: Blood Rise (2023)

142. Dario Argento's Dracula (2012)

143. Barbie (2023)

144. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)

145. The Dead Zone (1983)

146. The Neon Demon (2016)

147. Krull (1983)

148. Stephen King's Graveyard Shift (1990)

149. Elliot (2017)

150. Dogville (2002)

151. Eastern Promises (2007)

152. Sorcerer (1977)

153. Dagon (2001)

154. Zatoichi (1989)

155. Equinox (1970)

156. Clash Of The Titans (1981)

157. Calvaire/The Ordeal (2004)

158. Waxwork 2: Lost In Time (1992)

159. Matinee (1993)

160. Blood For Dracula (1974)

161. Murder By Decree (1979)

162. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

163. A Night To Remember (1958)

164. The Night Stalker (1972)

165. The Night Strangler (1973)

166. Don't Torture A Duckling (1972)

167. Fargo (1996)

168. Bloodsport (1988)

169. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)

170. The Terminator (1984)

171. 4D Man (1959)

172. Magic (1978)

173. Trilogy Of Terror (1975)

174. Paprika (2006)

175. The Changeling (1980)

176. The Devil's Chair (2007)

177. The Omega Man (1971)

178. A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

179. The Time Machine (1960)

180. Three Thousand Years Of Longing (2022)

181. Red Riding: 1974 (2009)

182. Red Riding: 1980 (2009)

183. Red Riding: 1983 (2009)

184. The Devil's (1971)

185. Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)

186. Lonesome Dove (1989)

187. The Never Ending Story (1984)

188. The Seventh Curse (1986)

189. Dreamland (2019)

190. Money Plane (2020)

191. Dune (1984)

192. Halloween 2 (1981)

193. Fool's Paradise (2023)

194. The Straight Story (1999)

195. A Serious Man (2009)

196. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

197. Misery (1990)

198. Forbidden Planet (1956)

199. Time Bandits (1981)

200. Escape From New York (1981)

201. Escape From L.A. (1996)

202. HEAD (1968)

203. Leptirica (1973)

204. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)

205. The War Of The Worlds (1953)

206. Godzilla: Minus One (2023)

207. Horror Express (1972)

208. TÁR (2022)

209. Runaway (1984)

210. Shock Treatment (1981)

211. Apocalypse Now: Redux (1979)-(2001)

212. Barry Lyndon (1975)

[alter-koker]

Movie game ask for 1984 pls? :)

thats going to be a tie between the hit and the adventures of buckaroo banzai across the eighth dimension. and i cant think of 2 movies more diametrically opposed actually

[cosmicretreat]

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, 1984

[poparthuriana]

Casting TAoBBAtED with Arthurian characters

A friend and I once spent a solid half hour coming up with a list of which Arthurian character best corresponded with which character from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eight Dimension. This was the result:

King Arthur = Buckaroo

The False Guinevere = Penny Priddy

Bedivere = Rawhide

Gawain = Perfect Tommy

Hector de Maris = Reno Nevada

Percival = New Jersey

Dinadan = John Parker

Isolde of Ireland = John Emdall

Lucan = Billy Travers

Morgan le Fay = Lord John Whorfin

Sebile = John O’Connor

Nimue = John Bigbooté

Mador = Pinky Carruthers

Rationale:

Arthur, Bedivere, Lucan, and Mador are all pretty self-explanatory.

The False Guinevere and Penny Priddy are the identical twins (or, in one case, evil nearly-identical twin half-sisters) of Guinevere and Peggy, similar in name, appearance, and romantic entanglement with their sister's husband or former husband.

My friend and I strenuously disagreed about who Perfect Tommy would be. She believed that Lancelot and Tristan, particularly Lancelot, get the viewed-by-others-as-perfect treatment more often. I demurred on the basis that Perfect Tommy entirely lacks sad wet cat energy and I could see him ending up in situations like Gawain's.

We really couldn't figure out who Reno Nevada would be. Hector might be a bit too out there, but he is somewhat more reasonable than, say, his brother (this isn't saying much).

We were torn up about whether New Jersey should be Percival or La Cote Mal Taille. The costume weighed in favor of Brunor, but it didn't make sense for New Jersey to be John Parker's brother (they aren't even from the same planet), and Brunor is also a little edgier, so Percival won.

Morgan as Lord John Whorfin was funny, and if she was Whorfin, naturally Sebile had to be John O'Connor. Nimue as John Bigbooté is purely for the name joke--imagine her constantly protesting to Morgan that "it's pronounced Nih-moo-AY!"

With Morgan already taken, Isolde was our best candidate for John Emdall, and Dinadan as John Parker followed. John Parker might not joke around much, but he doesn't always see eye to eye with John Emdall and is a diplomat who failed flight school, and that fits. We almost changed it so that Mark was Whorfin, but Morgan was too funny in the role, and having Nimue as John Bigbooté would have made even less sense.

[theultimatefan]

Strong, Benson, Basco, Cullen Among Voice Actors Added To FAN EXPO Philadelphia, June 2-4

Many of the most notable animation and gaming titles will be well represented at FAN EXPO Philadelphia with today’s announcement that nine standout voice actors from those worlds will attend the event, set for June 2-4 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. From stars of animated classics like Tara Strong (“Teen Titans,” “Batman: Arkham City”), Jodi Benson (“The Little Mermaid,” “Toy Story 3”), Kathleen Herles (“Dora the Explorer,” “Go, Diego! Go!”), Dante Basco (“Avatar: The Last Airbender,” “American Dragon: Jake Long”), Peter Cullen (“Transformers,” “Winnie the Pooh”) and Shameik Moore (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse") to gaming favorites like David Hayter (“Metal Gear Solid,” “Star Wars: The Old Republic”), Dameon Clarke (“Borderlands,” “Dragon Ball Z”) and Xander Mobus (“Persona,” “Lego Star Wars”), FAN EXPO Philadelphia fans will have their pick of top talent to meet all weekend.

The additions to the roster supplement the set of celebrities who give voice to fans’ favorite anime franchises as well, as announced earlier this month. That list includes Josh Grelle (“My Hero Academia,” “Date a Live,” “Attack on Titan”); Elizabeth Maxwell (“My Hero Academia,” “Fruits Basket,” “RWBY”); Jason Liebrecht (“My Hero Academia,” “Fire Force,” “Dragon Ball Super”); Christopher Sabat (“My Hero Academia,” “Dragon Ball Z,” “Black Clover”); Natalie Van Sistine (“Spy x Family,” “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury,” “Mieruko-chan”); Megan Shipman (“Spy x Family,” “Isekai Quartet,” “Overlord”); Alex Organ (“Spy x Family,” “Fairy Tail,” “High School D&D”); Zach Aguilar (“Demon Slayer,” “Genshin Impact”); Aleks Le (“Demon Slayer,” “Rent-a-Girlfriend,” “Samurai Rabbit”); and Maile Flanagan (“Naruto,” “Senko,” “Boruto”). Other previously announced FAN EXPO Philadelphia celebrities with significant voice credits include Sean Astin (“Justice League Action”) and Katee Sackhoff (“Star Wars Rebels,” “Clone Wars”).

They join an impressive roster of guests that includes icon Michael J Fox, his Back to the Future costars Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson; Henry Winkler (“Happy Days,” “Barry”); Christina Ricci (“The Addams Family,” “Wednesday”); Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man); Peter Weller (Robocop, Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension); “Arrow” star Stephen Amell and fellow “Arrow” cast member Emily Bett Rickards; “Punisher” standout Jon Bernthal, “Daredevil” headliners Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio; “Stranger Things” breakouts Joseph Quinn and Grace Van Dien; and Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter).

Advanced Tickets for FAN EXPO Philadelphia are on sale through May 18 at www.fanexpophiladelphia.com, with discounts on individual day, 3-day and Ultimate Fan Packages available for adults, youths and families. VIP packages are also available now, with dozens of special benefits including priority entry, limited edition collectibles, exclusive items and much more.

Philadelphia is the eighth event on the 2023 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events/.

[iamthelowercase]

I am dealing with a lot of localized stress right now, and what I want to do about it is read a whole bunch of fanfic for escapism.  So I am requesting recommendations: both fic recs, and recommendations of tags or combinations-of-tags to search on Ao3.

For fic recs: I will read your fandom, if it's a stand-alone capable fic!  Also, I will probably read Bionicle fics regardless, and I'll have a list of fandoms below.

In addition to Ao3, I'm willing to read stories on the SB/SV/QQ trifecta or Royal Road.

I would like fics that are complete with a happy ending, and/or are written as fluffy/happy/feel-good.

I would particularly appreciate fics with a trans and/or plural protagonist.  These don't have to be the plot, but there's no point here if they're not relevant to the plot.  (Eg Babylon 5: Copilots on SV, AlexSeanchai's t4t Miraculous Ladybug fic that I was looking for earlier.)

I massively prefer speculative fiction/SFF.  So everything from Pacific Rim, to superheroes, to Star Wars/Star Trek, to LotR style fantasy.  If you give me a mundane AU, that will ruin the interest for me; but if you give me SFF characters doing mundane things in an unambiguously SFF setting, I'll probably eat it up.  (Like the coffee shop scenes and skateboarding scene in this fic.)

Moderate adventure (more Star Wars original trilogy than LotR) or relationship focus & development, please.  If you've read The Course Of Honor or Winters Orbit, that does a delightful job of balancing both.

Nobody dies is not necessary, but I don't want protagonist death unless they also explicitly get better.  Friendly vampires etc count as "getting better".

Hard "no"s for the purpose of this request:

S/M

mind control

dubcon

humiliation

A/B/O

"Ao3 explicit"-worthy gore

I am not looking for porn here.  I don't mind sex scenes if I see them coming and think they fit, but if I don't they can (and have!) ruin stories for me in a way that's counter-productive to what I'm after here.

Bonus points for stories which take a "mainstream" trope, invert it somehow, and then play the inverted version completely straight.  (Eg, "smol shy nerd/tol jock" is cute and fun if it's gender-flipped and written for tenderness and feel-good fluff [login required][explicit][archive warnings would apply].)

Bonus points if it's queer somehow.  Mentioning this feels like it might be redundant, but it is worth saying. Bonus points if it’s leftish.  No, further left than that.  Look, unless Star Trek is way off to the right, there’s still a lot of room to go further left.

Bonus points if fics you rec are available as podfic!

Fandoms I know I'm down for reading:

Bionicle

Worm

Miraculous Ladybug

Pacific Rim

The Host (Stephanie Myers, book)

RWBY

The Murderbot Diaries

Good Omens

Where The Stars Fell

Anything by Cliffc999 if it has a complete arc and I feel it meets the key vibes goals, regardless of if it meets other criteria or if I've ever heard of the fandom before.

Marvel superheroes (various -- broad-strokes comicsverse, MCU (movies up to approximately Civil War/Black Panther), and Into The Spider-Verse movie are all welcome, as are original spins on any of those.  Eg, the Spider-Liv series on SV is great, but too recent for a re-read.)

Teen Titans (similar in spirit, but I'm only really familiar with the core 5 and the early 1980s "introduction of Raven and Starfire" era comics)

I fully expect to love Sense8 and Babylon 5 if I ever get around to watching them.  As such, entry-friendly fics that don't spoil the main experience too much are welcome in those fandoms.

Comfort movies:

Apollo 13

The Princess Bride.

Anticipated (but unconfirmed) additions to that list:

Pacific Rim

Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension

Mad Max: Fury Road

Grease Monkey fills a similar niche in comic books.  Also if you're reccing from RR, you should know that I'm loving Sovereign of Wrath.