Discussion [Lesser-Known Fandoms] Tell us about yours! (image-heavy)

I've discovered some great pro material through fic written by fans--although it can be hard to take that plunge into a new world if you have nothing to go on but an unfamiliar title in square brackets!

So tell us about your favorite lesser-known imaginary world, and why it's worth reading about. If you can get visual, do it! The JC's default policy on posting screencaps and links to video clips is:

Here

Look under "Graphics" and "Piracy."

Here's a basic template for introducing a new fandom:

Name of original work:
Original creator(s): (If known)
Original language and country of origin:
Media type:
Short summary:
Links for more info:
Images: (If applicable)

(The following will be in no order at all because I don't feel like organizing stuff.)

---

[b]Name of original work:[/b] [i]Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale[/i] (Sometimes Anglicized InuYasha or Inu-Yasha)
[b]Original creator(s):[/b] Rumiko Takahashi
[b]Original language and country of origin:[/b] Japanese/Japan
[b]Media type:[/b] Manga, anime TV, anime movies, video games
[b]Short summary:[/b] A 15-year-old girl falls through a magic well and lands in a version of medieval Japan where all the old folklore stories are true. She meets and befriends a young half-human, half-demon named Inuyasha, and the two of them have many adventures. The series has a large number of secondary characters as well, and the manga tends to rotate between storylines. [i]Inuyasha[/i] covers several genres, but is primarily known for its action and romance story elements.
[b]Links for more info:[/b] [link=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuyasha]Inuyasha on Wikipedia[/link], [link=http://www.inuyasha-fan.com]Inuyasha-Fan.com[/link], [link=http://www.ear-tweak.com/]Ear-Tweak.com[/link] (includes scans and fan translations of the manga--usually 3-4 days behind publication in Japan)
[b]Images:[/b]
[image=http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/9504/inuyasha1ti6.gif] [image=http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/4047/inuyasha2hl7.gif]
[link=http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/1829/inuyashascans14rw6.jpg]Manga scan[/link] (large image)
Check out the fan art section of [link=http://www.ear-tweak.com/]Ear-Tweak[/link] as well . . . it's labeled "Just Having Some Fun." IMO, this fan's art is better than some of the original stuff.

[color=red][b]-This fandom is currently on the list of Disallowed Works.-[/b][/color] [face_doh!]

 

Name of original work: Animorphs
Original creator: K.A. Applegate
Original language and country of origin: English, USA
Media type: Books, Short-lived TV series, a computer game
Short summary: Five ordinary kids were walking home from the mall one night and cut through a construction site on their way home. As they were cutting through the construction site, an alien ship carrying a wounded alien landed. The alien, name of Elfangor, gave the kids the ability of morph into animals. The kids, from there on out, stage a guerilla war against invaders.
Links for more info: Wikipedia Animorph Article and The Animorphs Reference Page
Image: It?s a book cover: Animorphs #2

[image=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1d/Animorphs_bk02.jpg]

Also: Quotes from the Series and The Animorphs Wikia

(If you can still find the books, they're awesome.)

 

I remember seeing the Animorphs books when I was a kid, but I never picked any up.

 

Name of original work: The 4400
Original creator(s): René Echevarria, Scott Peters
Original language and country of origin: English, USA
Media type: Television program
Short summary: The 4400 is a science fiction series the at revolves around a group of 4400 inviduals that were mysteriously abducted across time and returned to the present day. It is soon discovered that each of the 'returnees' has been give a speical gift or power. The returnees are overseen by a Homeland Security division called N-TAC. The show is seen through the eyes of two N-TAC agents, Diana Skouris and Tom Baldwin. Almost immediately, each of these agents has a personal stake in the fate of The 4400.
Links for more info: The offical site , Wikipedia site
Images:

[image=http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z307/stupidgroundhog/4400.jpg] [image=http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff42/JateisFateandLove/the4400main.jpg]

 

Wonderfalls
Created by Bryan Fuller* and Todd Holland
2004 U.S./Canadian television series -- 13 episodes

Wonderfalls, which lasted four episodes on Fox in the spring of 2004, was about Jaye Tyler (Caroline Dhavernas), a young slacker working in a souvenir shop in Niagara Falls whose life changed one day when inanimate objects in the shapes of animals (e.g., wax lions, brass monkeys, lawn flamingos) began talking to her, giving her cryptic instructions that invariably guided the reluctant Jaye into helping others. The tone was often comedic, with wild, farcical plots and unusual characters, including Jaye's own family (parents Darrin and Karen and older siblings Sharon and Aaron). The complete series, including nine episodes left unaired by Fox, was released on DVD in February, 2006.






*Fuller later created Pushing Daisies, which has similar humor and fantasy elements. That show's star, Lee Pace, also appeared on Wonderfalls as Jaye's brother Aaron.

 

Name of original work: Elfquest
Original creator(s): Wendy and Richard Pini
Original language and country of origin: USA
Media type: Comics
Short summary: Cutter and his small tribe are forced from their forest home because of superstitious humans who burn down the forest to get rid of them. They find a new home with strange elves, and find peace, but Cutter is restless. Since he found the other elves, he wonders if there could be other elf tribes out their on the world of two moons. So, he goes on a quest.
Links for more info: The Elfquest Digital Comics on the official site.
Images:

[image=http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/images/eq10.jpg][image=http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/images/eq19.jpg]

 

Name of original work: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl

Original language and country of origin: Ukraine

Media type: Game

Short summary: In the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, the Soviet Union decides to use the Exclusion Zone, often referred to in-game as ?The Zone?, for special research into the human mind. Results include enhanced ESP, psychic weapons, and the eventual formation of a hive mind known as the C-Consciousness. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the self-aware C-Consciousness takes control of the Zone and autonomously continues its research. It attempted varying degrees of global mind control in an effort to bring about world peace. However, these attempts result in the unintentional twisting of the physical properties of the Zone and the mutation of resident life forms. In an attempt to hide its existence from the outside world, the C-Consciousness erects a Monolith in the center of the Zone and brainwashes many people into worshipping the Monolith as an artifact of extra-terrestrial origin. In a further attempt to insulate itself, it constructs a device, known as the ?Brain Scorcher?, that traumatically interferes with brain-wave patterns, rendering anyone who approaches the surrounding area a mindless "zombie". As reports of valuable "artifacts" disseminate from explorers who venture into the zone, whispered rumors of a Wish Granter housed in the Sarcophagus of the Chernobyl NPP begin to spread. A group of four Stalkers, Strelok, Ghost, Fang, and Doc, travel to the center of the Zone in an effort to reach the Wish Granter. After encountering the fanatical Monolith faction, the brainwashed guardians of the C-Consciousness, they are forced to retreat. Strelok is knocked unconscious and loses his memory. The others are able to escape the Zone, though Fang later dies of his wounds, and Ghost is killed by psi-emmisions. The unconscious Strelok is discovered by the C-Consciousness, who, unaware of his identity, mistakenly brainwashes him to kill the stalker known as Strelok and his allies. On the way out of the Zone his truck is destroyed, and he is discovered, unconscious, by another passing stalker.

(And, yes, that was short!)

Links for more info: Wiki, OblivionLost.com

Images:
[image=http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/zonzo2142/clearsky-thumb.jpg] [image=http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/zonzo2142/stalker595.jpg]

 

I don't really think of this one as obscure, but I'm told the young'uns don't know it.

Name of original work: Edward Scissorhands
Original creator(s): Tim Burton
Original language and country of origin: English/USA
Media type: Film, stage adaptation
Short summary: An ordinary 60's suburban family tries to adopt a magical being: an extremely gentle young man who happens to have razor-sharp blades instead of hands. Edward sees both the best and the worst of suburbia as the town first seems to accept him, but then turns on him. The only person who loves him unconditionally is his host family's teenage daughter, Kim. Eventually Edward returns to the eerie mansion where he started, and he and Kim love each other from afar.
Links for more info: Edward Scissorhands on Wikipedia, Edward Scissorhands on IMDb
Images:
[image=http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/3694/edwardscissorhands3ax3.gif] [image=http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/2956/edwardscissorhands4sv6.gif]

A YouTube clip of the famous "Ice Dance" scene, with a little bit of extra after it.

 

I wouldn't consider most of these obscure, per se, but I guess lesser-known (compared to Harry Potter or Star Wars) is fair.


You want obscure, I could include some I've drabbled in....

 

Actually, I think it would be awesome if you put some of those in. I know what most of the things on your Multi-Universe list are, but not all of them.

 

My challenge drabbles? Okay, here are some of the more obscure fandoms from the first three sets:


The Bugaloos
Created by Sid and Marty Krofft
1970 U.S. television series -- 17 episodes
The Krofft brothers' second series (after H.R. Pufnstuf), this live-action program was about four young insect musicians who lived in the forest and foiled the dastardly plots of Benita Bizarre (Martha Raye). Much of the humor was based on slapstick and cheap puns.

The Avengers
Created by Sydney Newman
1961-1969 U.K. television series
The Avengers is best remembered as the adventures of agents John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg). However, Steed actually had several different partners over the years. During the first season -- almost all of which is lost -- he worked with Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry). In the second season, Hendry left, and Steed had three different partners. In most episodes, he teamed up with the resourceful Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman); in two episodes (using leftover scripts from the first season) he partnered with Dr. Martin King, and in six episodes, he drew nightclub singer Venus Smith (Julie Stevens) into his cases. By the third season, Gale was the only partner. When Blackman left the series (to appear in the Bond film Goldfinger), she was replaced by Peel. When Rigg bowed out, Steed was assigned a young agent named Tara King (Linda Thorson) as his partner.

The Cannonball Run
Directed by Hal Needham
1981 U.S. film
The Cannonball Run was a comedy about a diverse set of drivers on a cross-country road race. The most prominent team was J.J. McClure (Burt Reynolds) and Victor Prinzi (Dom Deluise). Victor sometimes adopted the superhero alter-ego Captain Chaos. Other racers included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Roger Moore, Jackie Chan, Adrienne Barbeau, Terry Bradshaw, and Jamie Farr.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Written by Judi Barrett
1982 U.S. children's book
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs told the story of the land of Chewandswallow, a country where food was provided by weather phenomena. And then things started going haywire.

Cluedo
Created by Anthony Pratt
U.K. board game
Cluedo is the original name of the game marketed in the U.S. as Clue. [The name was a pun based on the game Ludo, but in the U.S., Ludo is called Parcheesi.] Other changes for the U.S. market included changing the victim Dr. Black to Mr. Boddy and the Rev. Green to Mr. Green.

 

Oh, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is an awesome book. It was one of my son's favorites for a long time.

 

I'd never read it until a few days before I wrote that drabble. I just thought it seemed ideal for a Jurassic Park-style sequel (maybe with a murder mystery thrown in). In one of the later sets, there's a drabble that I wrote less than a day after I discovered the TV show on which it was based.

To keep this on-topic, here are a couple more.

Dan Dare, created by Frank Hampson in 1950, was a UK comic about a lantern-jawed space pilot who explored the solar system and battled alien menaces, aided by his portly sidekick, Albert Digby. The comic has run in various forms off-and-on ever since, though some (including a Virgin comic started last year, after I wrote the drabble) have taken a darker approach to the character.

The Class was a 2006-2007 CBS sitcom about a group of twenty-somethings who'd all been in the same class in third grade. The cast included Jason Ritter, Lizzy Caplan, and David Keith (as the older husband of one of the main characters).


EDIT: From the next post, here are two more.

Dark Shadows
Created by Dan Curtis
1966-1971 U.S. television soap opera (1225 episodes)
Dark Shadows was a gothic soap opera with supernatural elements that ran on ABC. The show became a surprise hit after it added 200-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) to the show in 1967. A second breakout character was the werewolf Quentin Collins (David Selby), introduced in 1968. A unique feature of the soap was that it would spend months on storylines set in other times, with most of the cast playing new roles, before returning to the present. Or, instead of traveling through time, the show would move into a band of "parallel time" (basically an AU, with changes small and large). The show was remade for primetime in a brief 1991 NBC series.

The Electric Company
1971-1976 U.S. children's television series
The Electric Company (which was rerun on PBS stations until the mid-'80s) was created by the Children's Television Workshop to promote literacy, particularly among children in urban areas. The show had a racially diverse cast, including Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, Morgan Freeman, and Hattie Winston. [You know how Moreno's often described as the first person to have an Oscar, a Tony, an Emmy, and a Grammy? The Emmy and Grammy were because of this show.] Characters included Easy Reader (Freeman), J. Arthur Crank (Jim Boyd), and Spider-Man, who only spoke in word balloons. Tom Lehrer wrote several songs for the show, and a recurring animated segment was "The Adventures of Letterman," with Gene Wilder voicing the hero and Zero Mostel as his nemesis, Spell Binder (Joan Rivers narrated).





Y'know, it's scary how little of this I have to look up.

 

A show that needs more love...


Name of original work: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Original creator(s): Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko
Original language and country of origin: English, USA
Media type: TV cartoon, video games, and soon to be live-action movie.
Short summary: Water... Earth... Fire... Air. Long ago, the 4 nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all 4 elements, could stop them, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. A hundred years passed and two Water Tribe children discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang. In order to defeat the Fire Lord and bring peace to the world, Aang must master all 4 elements before a comet comes that will give the fire lord enough power to take over the world.
Links for more info: Avatar Wiki, Nickelodeon's Avatar site
Images:
[image=http://lostoutlaw.net/images/avatar/AvatarTheLastAirbender.jpg]
[image=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v433/raleigh14/avatarposter.jpg]

 

I have yet to meet anyone -- in RL or elsewhere -- who has actually heard of this trilogy.

Name of original work: The Bartimaeus Trilogy (The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate)
Original creator(s): Jonathan Stroud
Original language and country of origin: English/England
Media type: Books
Short summary: The alternate world in which these books are set feature a type of feudal society consisting of two main classes: the magicians and the commoners. The magicians are the governing class who hold all important posts in the government. The magicans are normal commoners, who know how to summon spirits (typically called demons, but they don't really like being called that) and bend them to their will. The commoners are those who are ignorant of magic and who make up the rest of the society and are kept in line by the magicians. Some commoners are born with a resistance to magic, or a sensitivity to its presence.

The trilogy tells of the adventures of a 5000 year old shape-shifting djinni named Bartimaeus when he is summoned by a magician named Nathaniel. Through the three novels, there are three main cycles: the first deals with the rise and fall of London as a world power. The second deals with Nathaniel's change in character as he grows as a magician and the third involves Bartimaeus and a commoner named Kitty as they try to restore a balance between their two races.

Links for more info: Bartimaeus Trilogy (wiki article), Bartimaeus Trilogy website
Images:

[image=http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0786852550.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg] [image=http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/7452/bart2xr6.jpg] [image=http://inkeehong.com/articles/image/Stroud_The_Bartimaeus_Trilogy_Book_3_Ptolemys_Gate_US_HC.jpg]

These books are really funny. They're narrated from three different characters' POVs (Bartimaeus, Nathaniel and Kitty), and Bartimaeus' first person narrative is a hoot to read. Very sarcastic with dry, witty humour and interesting little asides that are written in the form of footnotes. I'd love to see some fanfiction of this someday, because it's got a huge world with potential for lots of plot bunnies.

 

I've heard of it. My nephew loves those books, and so does my sister.

They once spent about 20 minutes gushing at me about all the things that happen, although of course I was lost after about 90 seconds.

It's true I haven't seen any fic about it, though . . . maybe I should try to prod my sister into writing something. Sadly, my nephew's still 18 months too young to register here.

 

I've known a couple people on here at one time or another who were fans of that trilogy. I've considered trying it but haven't yet.

I really didn't expect to see Avatar listed here as a lesser-known fandom; I've seen so much pixel spilled about that show (especially since the finale apparently set off another round of shipper wars) that I'd have classed it as a rather large fandom.

 

It depends on your audience . . . Inuyasha's not lesser-known either if you're looking at the 12-15-year-old Nick Adult Swim crowd. Or if you live in Japan.

I was actually kind of hoping someone would put up Avatar, since I know it's very popular in some circles, but I'm not sure how much it's registered on the minds of 20-something types who tend to go nuts over PG-13/R-rated movies in which things explode a lot. I would expect more people here to know Twilight (also obscure to some demographics) than Avatar.

 

Zutara > Kataang.

 

Name of original work: Myst
Original creator(s): Rand and Robin Miller (Cyan, Ubisoft)
Original language and country of origin: English, USA
Media type: PC Game and books
Short summary (Game): Myst puts the player in the role of the Stranger, who uses an enchanted book to travel to the island of Myst. There, the player uses other special books written by an artisan and explorer named Atrus to travel to several worlds known as "Ages". Clues found in each of these Ages help reveal the back-story of the game's characters. The game has several endings, depending on the course of action the player takes.

Short Summary (Books): Book One (Myst: The book of Atrus) tells the story of Atrus, son of Ghen, who ventures to the world of D'ni with his crazed father. Great book, had me hooked from the beginning. Book Two (Myst: The Book of Ti'ana) tells the story of Ti'ana, Atrus' grandmother. Her life with the people of D'ni was anything but easy. And Book Three (Myst: The Book of D'ni) tells the story of a long forgotten sub-race to the D'ni.

Links for more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myst
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Atrus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myst:_The_Book_of_Ti%27ana
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/david-wingrove/book-of-dni.htm

Images:

[image=http://www.blackmoonproject.co.uk/boxart/games/myst_eurofront.jpg]

[image=http://www.bryonjhammer.com/images/myst/boa.jpg]

[image=http://www.bryonjhammer.com/images/myst/bot.jpg]

[image=http://www.bryonjhammer.com/images/myst/bod.jpg]


And once I've gotten all my other updates done, I'll definately be writing a fic to Myst. I've always wanted to and now I have the chance. Yay for me.

 

I haven't read the Myst books, but I've played the game. Quite a fun game, but a little creepy at times.

 

Oh, I have a good one... let's see how obscure this one is!

Name of original work: Dinotopia
Original creator(s): James Gurney
Original language and country of origin: English, USA
Media type: Books, a TV miniseries
Short summary: A scientist and his son are shipwrecked on a lost island where humans and dinosaurs live together in peaceful interdependence.
Links for more info: Dinotopia Website

One of my favorite fandoms. Only a matter of time before I write something in it.

 

Dinotopia!! *geeks out*

 

Oh, I love Dark Shadows! We have a ton of the original series on DVD. I want the revival on DVD.

Did you hear? Tim Burton's doing a big-screen version with Johnny Depp as Barnabas! *is excited* I know some might be going ". . . the heck?" at the choice, but I think he'll be excellent. Rumours are leaning towards Anne Hathaway playing Victoria.


Dana

 

Name of original work: The Elder Scrolls (Arena, Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, etc)
Original creator(s): Bethesda Softworks
Original language and country of origin: English, America (I think)
Media type: Video Games
Short summary: In the plane of Tamriel live the many races which inhabit the known land. Here warriors, mages, and rogues make their living, from commoners to royalty, and have adventures. Tamriel is ruled by the Imperials, who maintain the cutting edge in wizardry, technology, and the arts. The Imperials have defeated many of the menacing forces. However, the land is dangerous. Beings from other planes walk Tamriel and the continent of Akavir lies in wait. Here, legends are born.

Links for more info: The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages
Images: [image=http://www.uesp.net/w/images/TamrielMap.jpg] [image=http://www.uesp.net/w/images/OB-Dremora_Valkynaz.jpg] [image=http://www.uesp.net/w/images/Jauffre.jpg]