Escapade 35 Saturday Night Vid Show Report
Feb. 8th, 2025 11:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amediaThe Escapade 35 Vid Show served up a delicious platter of fanvids!
I've made what observations and comments I can, but I would thoroughly appreciate any readers who are familiar with canons that I don't know, or don't know fully, jumping in to speak more accurately about works based on Wicked, Starsky & Hutch, Agatha All Along,The Professionals, The Terror, Dark Winds, Fangs of Fortune, Arcane, Heaven Official's Blessing or Our Flag Means Death.
In fact, I would also love to hear from *any* viewer with their own perspective on *any* of these vids!
01 – Gettin’ Bi
Song: "Gettin' Bi" by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend featuring Pete Gardner; Fandom: Wicked (film); Vidder: Daughter of Elros (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I haven’t seen the movie and I don’t remember this character from the novel, but he presents himself here with a gleeful nonchalance. The vid is so well cut to the song that I honestly couldn’t tell whether the character was canon bi or not! The vidder also showcases the colorful retro production design and energetic dance scenes.
02 – Archie's Got a Crush
Song: "I’ve Got a Crush on You" by Frank Sinatra; Fandom: Nero Wolfe 2012; Vidder: Kerguelen
Awwww. This vid was based on the Italian version of Nero Wolfe, which I've seen and enjoyed. I absolutely admire Archie slamming the golf club on Nero’s desk at *just* the right moment in the introductory verse, but throughout the vid, I was especially taken with the overall domesticity, such as the recurring images of Nero tending his orchids, Archie helping with Nero's tie, the two sharing a warm look or a meal. The contrasting view of Graziani (yelling as usual) as “the world” kept the vid as a whole from being too sweet, reminding the viewer of the outside arena from which Archie and Nero’s home is a refuge.
03 – Red Wine Supernova
Song: "Red Wine Supernova" by Chappell Roan; Fandom: Wicked (film); Vidder: Daughter of Elros (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I’ve probably missed a lot of subtlety from not knowing the context/recognizing the contextualization—but this was a fun and touching Elphaba/Galinda vid. The lyrics onscreen in a playful script font became part of the design of the vid itself, and were also easy to read.
04 – Thank God Boerne Waited
Song: "Ross and Rachel" by Jake Miller; Fandom: Tatort Muenster; Vidder: Kerguelen
Thiel/Boerne from Boerne’s point of view. The song, with its claim that "you never noticed (never noticed)" fits in with Boerne's canonical insecurity and his desire for Thiel, especially, to notice and acknowledge him. The recurring line of “it was always you” is especially sweet as the clips progress from earlier to later episodes and we see the characters growing older together. I always like to see what vidders do with the instrumental break; this vid features the two of them eating together – so many shared meals – which are, in many episodes, an oasis of peace from their usual affectionate bickering.
05 – I’m Just Ken
Song: "I'm Just Ken" by Ryan Gosling; Fandom: Starsky & Hutch; Vidder: Astrid Caine
A character study of/tribute to Ken Hutchinson to the song “I’m Just Ken.” The fun, but sparingly used, pink transitions add a touch of Barbie sparkle without distracting. I especially liked the transition from darker moments around 1:33-1:35 back to a happy shot of Hutch singing at 1:36 as the music segues from frenetic music back to the calmer refrain. Nonetheless, the vid doesn’t shy away from Hutch’s more difficult moments of anger and frustration, balancing them with his warmer interactions with Starsky.
06 – Sage
Song: "Sage" by Be Steadwell; Fandom: Agatha All Along; Vidder: Daughter of Elros (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I haven't seen Agatha All Along, yet I could tell that the choice of this wryly humorous witch-positive song for this fandom was brilliant, highlighting simultaneously the show’s canon femslash and its witchiness. The clip choices appeared to fit well and the cutting flowed with the energy of the song as if the song was written for this relationship.
07 – Cold as Ice
Song: "Cold as Ice" by Foreigner; Fandom: The Terror Season One; Vidder: Larissa Bernstein
I’m not familiar with The Terror, but the song definitely reflected the literally cold of the setting, and appeared to depict a dark relationship indeed. I’d love to hear from people who can offer a more informed perspective!
08 – Chain of Fools
Song: "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin; Fandom: Lord of the Rings; Vidder: Brass Ring
This vid traces the path of the Ring, beginning with Isildur, in each case showing the Ring’s dangerous impact on its owners, including Gollum, Frodo, and Bilbo. I liked the double meaning of “chain" – that is, we have the chain of custody of the Ring, but we also often see it hanging on a chain. I especially liked the vidder’s choice to include the moment where Frodo is holding the Ring and Aragorn carefully folds Frodo’s own fingers around it; it really makes Aragorn’s resistance to the Ring’s temptation stand out, especially in comparison to a later scene with Boromir. The last two scenes, where we see Gollum reaching for the Ring around Frodo’s neck, juxtaposed with Gollum’s hand reaching from the magma as he holds the Ring, demonstrate a parallel motion I hadn’t noticed before.
09 – Dreamers
Song: You'll find out when you see the vid; Fandom: Star Trek TOS; Vidder: kandy fong
This fun and clever constructed-reality vid puts Mr. Spock’s science-station viewer to very good effect … I don’t want to say more lest I ruin the surprise!
10. I See Fire
Song: "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran from the soundtrack of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"; Fandom: The Professionals; Vidder: kat-byrd
An unusual choice, to use a song written for one fandom in a vid for another (says the person who used Wizard Rock songs for Rat Patrol and Guardian). I like this choice! People who recognize the song and its topic will understand the devastating loss of Thorin's family and people, and be able to transfer that sense of loss to Bodie and Doyle; those who don't recognize the song will still hear a quiet but powerful song about danger and death that pulls together the clips into the emotional structure of the vid.
The vid begins with still pictures of Bodie and Doyle, and still pictures are also used a few places in the vid; to me, that suggested death, when pictures are all that's left. The first actual video images come from "Discovered in a Graveyard," while many of the other clips depict our boys seeing people badly injured or dying, with that opening sequence as a chilling reminder that it could just as easily have been them. (It also includes a few other clips of Bodie or Doyle being injured or nearly killed.)
11 – The Adventures of Kirk and Spock: A Story in Pencil and Love
Audio: "Salut d'Amour" by Edward Elgar plus narration by Shelley Butler; Fandom: Star Trek TOS; Vidders: T'Lara and Shelley Butler
OMG, this was screamingly funny. The narration told a story, podfic style, about two lonely characters, Kirk and Spock, fitting each character's tale to the narrator's magnificent and exceptionally erotic artwork. The parallels in the two stories as well as the delightful wackiness brought roars of laughter.
12 – Wildflowers and Wild Horses
Song: "Wildflowers and Wild Horses" by Lainey Wilson; Fandom: Dark Winds; Vidder: Zeldahime
I know nothing about the fandom, but the song seemed like an excellent choice in both content and flavor.
13 – Drip
Song: "Drip" by BabyMonster; Fandom: Fangs of Fortune; Vidder: Lola
I hadn’t heard of Fangs of Fortune before seeing this vid, but I am now reasonably certain that it includes badass men and women, cool special effects, and awesome fight scenes. And just as the song says, the costumes and their wearers definitely drip (look stunning). Do I need to know more? The sassy, energetic song and breathtaking visuals made this an excellent first-half closer.
14 – History Hates Lovers
Song: "History Hates Lovers" by Oublaire; Fandom: Multi; Vidder: owl_coffee
By juxtaposing fictional same-sex couples in the past and present with photos and art of real-life same-sex couples in the past – and tying them together with this melancholy song – this vid makes a powerful statement about how hard it has been for LGBTQ+ people to be their true selves and express their feelings openly. Nonetheless, the overall effect isn’t entirely sad; we see these couples facing prejudice, but we also see them succeeding: embracing, dancing, marching, even marrying.
The fictional shot that was featured early on (from what looked like an historical movie) showing a woman reading one of Sappho’s poems warmed my classical-studies heart, but the apparently real-life photo of two men with the caption NOT MARRIED BUT WILLING TO BE made an even stronger impression. It's definitely a vid that stays with you.
15. The Good Ship
Song: "Happy Together" by the Turtles; Fandom: Star Trek TODS; Vidder; Gideon Marcus
“Spones” or Spock/McCoy vids are rare, so I’m always glad to see another! “Happy Together” was fun choice of song, and I liked how the vidder used a lot of clips from fairly ordinary interactions as well as the usual (and scarce) h/c moments. The vidder also made fun choices for "toss the dice," in particular. I also liked the pun in the title "Good Ship," which could of course refer to the good ship Enterprise, but also to shipping Spock and McCoy: a good ship indeed!
16. Bad Thoughts
Song: "Bad Thoughts" by Kalsey Kulyk; Fandom: Good Omens; Vidder: zeldahime
Yummy angst for poor Azirophale as he reflects on his own imperfections and berates himself for – while also (possibly) relishing – his relationship with Crowley. The song has a rockabilly flavor that blends especially ideally with one of the opening clips of Crowley’s distinctive walk, and keeps the vid upbeat throughout. The lyrics were printed in a simple font in blue, with occasional words highlighted in a gothic font in red. I thought this practice made a very cool point: while the song would be relatable for many human relationships, the way the lyrics casually drop terms like “devil,” “curse,” and “hell” works fine in a slangy cuss-word way for the song’s narrator, but these same words are completely literal for Azirophale thinking about Crowley – delicious meta!
17. Only Love
Song: "Only Love" by Shaggy featuring Gene Noble; Fandom: Starsky & Hutch; Vidder: kat-byrd
This was a really different S&H vid than most I've seen, because it depicted all kinds of love, not just S/H. We see the main characters (including Captain Dobey and Huggy Bear) with family members, and we see Starsky & Hutch interacting with girlfriends, friends, children, and older folks. Yet, even as the vid celebrates a larger circle of love, it always circles back around to the love between Starsky and Hutch.
18. Over at the Palpatine Place
Song: "Over at the Frankenstein Place" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack; Fandom: Star Wars; Vidder: Brass Ring
This vid makes dramatic use of Kylo Ren's confrontation with Palpatine by juxtaposing the chiaroscuro of the scene with the references to light and darkness in the song. The final view of light and darkness flickering alternately over Palpatine's face is especially striking.
19. Sacrifice
Song: Sacrifice by Neovaii; Fandom: Minecraft Youtube; Vidder: PurpleQuailEggs
This video is an animatic created from the vidder’s own original artwork depicting … it’s complicated, but from the notes on the vidder’s YouTube post, it seems to be an AU of a complex gaming universe called the Life Series built by a YouTuber, based on Minecraft. Anyway, I couldn’t make sense of the story told within the vid on first viewing, but the artwork was cool and I always like vids that push the envelope.
At first glance I thought the universe of the vid was something entirely novel, and I felt like that might be something that isn’t exactly a fanvid, since fanvids generally repurpose elements of a pre-existing fannish universe. But since this is an AU of a ‘verse based on a pre-existing game mod (and game-based vids are a Thing that Exists), I figure, close enough!
20. Cultivator Fighting
Song: "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas; Fandom: The Untamed; Vidder: Diana Williams
This vid was loads of fun! The beginning made me laugh out loud as Lan Wangji floats and strums his qujin in time to the initial oh-ho-ho-ho, and Wei Wuxian's dizi appears to play the "generic Asian music" theme – and it gets even better from there! The mapping of the descriptions from the song onto appropriate fight scenes was terrific, picking up on the "expert timing," "kicking from the hip," "chopping them down," and other specifics. The choices for "a little bit frightening" were especially fun; yes, the Tortoise of Slaughter is scary but it's also ridiculous CGI! I particularly admire how the vidder uses 3zun for the people mentioned in the second verse: Lan Xichen as "funky Billy Chin" and Jin Guangyao as "little Sammy Chung," and finally Nie Mingjue as "the big boss" – perfect!
21. Thiel Just Might Tell
Song: "Might Tell You Tonight" by Scissor Sisters; Fandom: Tatort Muenster; Vidder: Kerguelen
Another Thiel/Boerne vid, this one from Thiel’s more casual perspective. The clips incorporate lots of delightful interactions, including small moments that stack up and tell a story of affection blending into romance. The Beatlesque music and the refrain “I just might tell you tonight that I love you” fit especially well with the vibe of the show. The instrumental break features the surprisingly-many times that Boerne literally pokes at Thiel, to the latter’s fond exasperation.
22. The Sith is Dead
"No One Mourns the Wicked" from the Wicked Broadway Cast Recording; Fandom: Star Wars; Vidder; Brass Ring
In a timely song choice given the popularity of Wicked, this song accompanies an arc of the development and downfall of evil in the Star Wars universe. It begins with a montage of the destruction of the second Death Star and the Ewoks and others rejoicing (to the part of the song proclaiming the death of the Wicked Witch). At the break in the song that moves from rejoicing to judgment, the vid emphasizes the sudden musical transition with a striking clip of Anakin striding ahead of a group of stormtroopers, then traces his turn to the Dark Side, including a scene with Palpatine. I especially liked how the vidder used the line about how "the wicked's lives are lonely" when Anakin force-chokes Padme (believing she has betrayed him). The vid concludes with Palpatine's fate at the hands of Vader, thus circling back to the events being celebrated at the beginning of the vid.
23. It's Always Been You
Song: "It's Always been You" by Phil Wickham; Fandoms: Starsky & Hutch and The Professionals; Vidder: kat-byrd
The first verse through the refrain shows us the bond between Bodie & Doyle; the second verse through the refrain shows us the bond between Starsky & Hutch. After that, the vid switches between the couples every few lines, showing us overall parallels without getting too matchy-matchy, but emphasizing for both B/D and S/H how dedicated they are to one another.
24. Look What You Made Me Do
Song: "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift; Fandom: Heaven Official's Blessing; Vidder: Diana Williams
I haven't seen the second season of Heaven Official's Blessing yet, but this vid is clearly about Hua Cheng kicking butt and I am here for it. I loved how the vidder used the song to work in not only Hua Cheng's violent opposition to a villain, but his protectiveness of Xie Lian, and those pretty silver butterflies. I definitely want to come back and rewatch it once I've seen the second season!
25. Human
Song: "Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man; Fandom: DCEU; Vidder: Aurum Calendula
Okay, I'll be honest. I've seen Man of Steel, the Justice League, and Batman v. Superman, and I didn't like any of them; in short, I personally found them overly long and too dark for me. (YMMV!) This vid, with its carefully-selected clips and downbeat, forthright song, effectively depicts the emotions and commonalities of Superman and Batman. It didn't make me like the movies, but it gave me a new appreciation of the characters as well as the bond that reluctantly develops between them.
26. Whatever It Is Jayce and Viktor Share
Song: "Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park; Fandom: Arcane; Vidder: therewithall (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I've only seen bits and pieces of the first season of Arcane and none of the second, but from what I did see, I found most compelling the parts involving the dangerous experimentation done by Viktor and Jayce. This vid addresses those experiments and their outcome, as well as Viktor's relationship with Jayce. It makes good use of Arcane's gorgeous imagery, connecting it to the troubled journey described by the song.
I was struck by the unusual subtitles in this vid. Sometimes a line will appear with only some of its letters, which gradually fill in so we can read the whole line before the singing of that line ends, while other lines simply appear in complete form. Hardest to follow were the lines where one word appears at a time, in time to the sound of the words themselves. The words appeared in different spaces within the scenes as well; they were definitely a design element of the vid, especially since their colors – usually shades of translucent blue or purple with a bright blue outline around each letter – coordinated with what was on-screen. On the whole, I liked the subtitles a lot, especially since I hadn't heard the song before and it was good not to have to strain to understand the lyrics while simultaneously connecting their meaning with the images. I imagine, however, some viewers might find them distracting.
27 – Transmigrator
Song: "trickster" by Park Sung Jin & Choi Min Chang; Fandom: "Led Astray by Love"; Vidder: AurumCalendula
Set to an instrumental, the vid appears to follow a storyline of a girl from modern times thrown back into ancient China, where she stumbles into friendship with a girl from that time period. They become very close indeed – if it's not canon femslash, they are at least very dear friends despite very different personalities. A lovely vid that made me want to find and watch the show!
38 – Di Feisheng
Song: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem; Fandom: Mysterious Lotus Casebook; Vidder: Franzeska
Eminem's tense, forceful voice works well to tell Di Feisheng's story here. We begin with the cruel training he underwent in childhood intercut with his return to the same training facility as an adult. The trainer spinning the ball on the words "Time's up" is an especially great choice. I also applaud the selection of Di Feisheng's epic battle with Li Xiangyi for the first part of the refrain, not only because it fits the climax as the verses lead up to it, but because of the line "lose yourself in the moment" – which DFS does, as he values and seeks to return to this touchpoint over and over. The vid as a whole highlights DFS's perspective on many important events throughout the series – and yes, we do return to that training yard one more time – and after a confrontation with DFS's greatest enemies, it concludes with a montage of his gradual friendship with Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing.
39 – Moon
Song: "Moon" by Jonah Kagen; Fandom: Our Flag Means Death; Vidder: killabeez
A pensive but optimistic song with images of pining, possible reunion, and mankissing - what a great way to end a vidshow!!! I haven't seen the second season of Our Flag Means Death and I honestly couldn't tell which scenes were real and which might be dream sequences. Nonetheless I found it a lovely, flowing, hopeful vid.
There was a lot to like and I enjoyed the show enormously. If I had any criticism to make, it would be that, while I appreciated the printed list of vids placed on every seat, it was hard to look at it during the show without missing part of a vid; I would much prefer to have that information on screen so I didn't have to look away from the screen and try to read in the dark. Perhaps that could be done next year!
I've made what observations and comments I can, but I would thoroughly appreciate any readers who are familiar with canons that I don't know, or don't know fully, jumping in to speak more accurately about works based on Wicked, Starsky & Hutch, Agatha All Along,The Professionals, The Terror, Dark Winds, Fangs of Fortune, Arcane, Heaven Official's Blessing or Our Flag Means Death.
In fact, I would also love to hear from *any* viewer with their own perspective on *any* of these vids!
01 – Gettin’ Bi
Song: "Gettin' Bi" by Crazy Ex-Girlfriend featuring Pete Gardner; Fandom: Wicked (film); Vidder: Daughter of Elros (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I haven’t seen the movie and I don’t remember this character from the novel, but he presents himself here with a gleeful nonchalance. The vid is so well cut to the song that I honestly couldn’t tell whether the character was canon bi or not! The vidder also showcases the colorful retro production design and energetic dance scenes.
02 – Archie's Got a Crush
Song: "I’ve Got a Crush on You" by Frank Sinatra; Fandom: Nero Wolfe 2012; Vidder: Kerguelen
Awwww. This vid was based on the Italian version of Nero Wolfe, which I've seen and enjoyed. I absolutely admire Archie slamming the golf club on Nero’s desk at *just* the right moment in the introductory verse, but throughout the vid, I was especially taken with the overall domesticity, such as the recurring images of Nero tending his orchids, Archie helping with Nero's tie, the two sharing a warm look or a meal. The contrasting view of Graziani (yelling as usual) as “the world” kept the vid as a whole from being too sweet, reminding the viewer of the outside arena from which Archie and Nero’s home is a refuge.
03 – Red Wine Supernova
Song: "Red Wine Supernova" by Chappell Roan; Fandom: Wicked (film); Vidder: Daughter of Elros (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I’ve probably missed a lot of subtlety from not knowing the context/recognizing the contextualization—but this was a fun and touching Elphaba/Galinda vid. The lyrics onscreen in a playful script font became part of the design of the vid itself, and were also easy to read.
04 – Thank God Boerne Waited
Song: "Ross and Rachel" by Jake Miller; Fandom: Tatort Muenster; Vidder: Kerguelen
Thiel/Boerne from Boerne’s point of view. The song, with its claim that "you never noticed (never noticed)" fits in with Boerne's canonical insecurity and his desire for Thiel, especially, to notice and acknowledge him. The recurring line of “it was always you” is especially sweet as the clips progress from earlier to later episodes and we see the characters growing older together. I always like to see what vidders do with the instrumental break; this vid features the two of them eating together – so many shared meals – which are, in many episodes, an oasis of peace from their usual affectionate bickering.
05 – I’m Just Ken
Song: "I'm Just Ken" by Ryan Gosling; Fandom: Starsky & Hutch; Vidder: Astrid Caine
A character study of/tribute to Ken Hutchinson to the song “I’m Just Ken.” The fun, but sparingly used, pink transitions add a touch of Barbie sparkle without distracting. I especially liked the transition from darker moments around 1:33-1:35 back to a happy shot of Hutch singing at 1:36 as the music segues from frenetic music back to the calmer refrain. Nonetheless, the vid doesn’t shy away from Hutch’s more difficult moments of anger and frustration, balancing them with his warmer interactions with Starsky.
06 – Sage
Song: "Sage" by Be Steadwell; Fandom: Agatha All Along; Vidder: Daughter of Elros (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I haven't seen Agatha All Along, yet I could tell that the choice of this wryly humorous witch-positive song for this fandom was brilliant, highlighting simultaneously the show’s canon femslash and its witchiness. The clip choices appeared to fit well and the cutting flowed with the energy of the song as if the song was written for this relationship.
07 – Cold as Ice
Song: "Cold as Ice" by Foreigner; Fandom: The Terror Season One; Vidder: Larissa Bernstein
I’m not familiar with The Terror, but the song definitely reflected the literally cold of the setting, and appeared to depict a dark relationship indeed. I’d love to hear from people who can offer a more informed perspective!
08 – Chain of Fools
Song: "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin; Fandom: Lord of the Rings; Vidder: Brass Ring
This vid traces the path of the Ring, beginning with Isildur, in each case showing the Ring’s dangerous impact on its owners, including Gollum, Frodo, and Bilbo. I liked the double meaning of “chain" – that is, we have the chain of custody of the Ring, but we also often see it hanging on a chain. I especially liked the vidder’s choice to include the moment where Frodo is holding the Ring and Aragorn carefully folds Frodo’s own fingers around it; it really makes Aragorn’s resistance to the Ring’s temptation stand out, especially in comparison to a later scene with Boromir. The last two scenes, where we see Gollum reaching for the Ring around Frodo’s neck, juxtaposed with Gollum’s hand reaching from the magma as he holds the Ring, demonstrate a parallel motion I hadn’t noticed before.
09 – Dreamers
Song: You'll find out when you see the vid; Fandom: Star Trek TOS; Vidder: kandy fong
This fun and clever constructed-reality vid puts Mr. Spock’s science-station viewer to very good effect … I don’t want to say more lest I ruin the surprise!
10. I See Fire
Song: "I See Fire" by Ed Sheeran from the soundtrack of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"; Fandom: The Professionals; Vidder: kat-byrd
An unusual choice, to use a song written for one fandom in a vid for another (says the person who used Wizard Rock songs for Rat Patrol and Guardian). I like this choice! People who recognize the song and its topic will understand the devastating loss of Thorin's family and people, and be able to transfer that sense of loss to Bodie and Doyle; those who don't recognize the song will still hear a quiet but powerful song about danger and death that pulls together the clips into the emotional structure of the vid.
The vid begins with still pictures of Bodie and Doyle, and still pictures are also used a few places in the vid; to me, that suggested death, when pictures are all that's left. The first actual video images come from "Discovered in a Graveyard," while many of the other clips depict our boys seeing people badly injured or dying, with that opening sequence as a chilling reminder that it could just as easily have been them. (It also includes a few other clips of Bodie or Doyle being injured or nearly killed.)
11 – The Adventures of Kirk and Spock: A Story in Pencil and Love
Audio: "Salut d'Amour" by Edward Elgar plus narration by Shelley Butler; Fandom: Star Trek TOS; Vidders: T'Lara and Shelley Butler
OMG, this was screamingly funny. The narration told a story, podfic style, about two lonely characters, Kirk and Spock, fitting each character's tale to the narrator's magnificent and exceptionally erotic artwork. The parallels in the two stories as well as the delightful wackiness brought roars of laughter.
12 – Wildflowers and Wild Horses
Song: "Wildflowers and Wild Horses" by Lainey Wilson; Fandom: Dark Winds; Vidder: Zeldahime
I know nothing about the fandom, but the song seemed like an excellent choice in both content and flavor.
13 – Drip
Song: "Drip" by BabyMonster; Fandom: Fangs of Fortune; Vidder: Lola
I hadn’t heard of Fangs of Fortune before seeing this vid, but I am now reasonably certain that it includes badass men and women, cool special effects, and awesome fight scenes. And just as the song says, the costumes and their wearers definitely drip (look stunning). Do I need to know more? The sassy, energetic song and breathtaking visuals made this an excellent first-half closer.
14 – History Hates Lovers
Song: "History Hates Lovers" by Oublaire; Fandom: Multi; Vidder: owl_coffee
By juxtaposing fictional same-sex couples in the past and present with photos and art of real-life same-sex couples in the past – and tying them together with this melancholy song – this vid makes a powerful statement about how hard it has been for LGBTQ+ people to be their true selves and express their feelings openly. Nonetheless, the overall effect isn’t entirely sad; we see these couples facing prejudice, but we also see them succeeding: embracing, dancing, marching, even marrying.
The fictional shot that was featured early on (from what looked like an historical movie) showing a woman reading one of Sappho’s poems warmed my classical-studies heart, but the apparently real-life photo of two men with the caption NOT MARRIED BUT WILLING TO BE made an even stronger impression. It's definitely a vid that stays with you.
15. The Good Ship
Song: "Happy Together" by the Turtles; Fandom: Star Trek TODS; Vidder; Gideon Marcus
“Spones” or Spock/McCoy vids are rare, so I’m always glad to see another! “Happy Together” was fun choice of song, and I liked how the vidder used a lot of clips from fairly ordinary interactions as well as the usual (and scarce) h/c moments. The vidder also made fun choices for "toss the dice," in particular. I also liked the pun in the title "Good Ship," which could of course refer to the good ship Enterprise, but also to shipping Spock and McCoy: a good ship indeed!
16. Bad Thoughts
Song: "Bad Thoughts" by Kalsey Kulyk; Fandom: Good Omens; Vidder: zeldahime
Yummy angst for poor Azirophale as he reflects on his own imperfections and berates himself for – while also (possibly) relishing – his relationship with Crowley. The song has a rockabilly flavor that blends especially ideally with one of the opening clips of Crowley’s distinctive walk, and keeps the vid upbeat throughout. The lyrics were printed in a simple font in blue, with occasional words highlighted in a gothic font in red. I thought this practice made a very cool point: while the song would be relatable for many human relationships, the way the lyrics casually drop terms like “devil,” “curse,” and “hell” works fine in a slangy cuss-word way for the song’s narrator, but these same words are completely literal for Azirophale thinking about Crowley – delicious meta!
17. Only Love
Song: "Only Love" by Shaggy featuring Gene Noble; Fandom: Starsky & Hutch; Vidder: kat-byrd
This was a really different S&H vid than most I've seen, because it depicted all kinds of love, not just S/H. We see the main characters (including Captain Dobey and Huggy Bear) with family members, and we see Starsky & Hutch interacting with girlfriends, friends, children, and older folks. Yet, even as the vid celebrates a larger circle of love, it always circles back around to the love between Starsky and Hutch.
18. Over at the Palpatine Place
Song: "Over at the Frankenstein Place" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack; Fandom: Star Wars; Vidder: Brass Ring
This vid makes dramatic use of Kylo Ren's confrontation with Palpatine by juxtaposing the chiaroscuro of the scene with the references to light and darkness in the song. The final view of light and darkness flickering alternately over Palpatine's face is especially striking.
19. Sacrifice
Song: Sacrifice by Neovaii; Fandom: Minecraft Youtube; Vidder: PurpleQuailEggs
This video is an animatic created from the vidder’s own original artwork depicting … it’s complicated, but from the notes on the vidder’s YouTube post, it seems to be an AU of a complex gaming universe called the Life Series built by a YouTuber, based on Minecraft. Anyway, I couldn’t make sense of the story told within the vid on first viewing, but the artwork was cool and I always like vids that push the envelope.
At first glance I thought the universe of the vid was something entirely novel, and I felt like that might be something that isn’t exactly a fanvid, since fanvids generally repurpose elements of a pre-existing fannish universe. But since this is an AU of a ‘verse based on a pre-existing game mod (and game-based vids are a Thing that Exists), I figure, close enough!
20. Cultivator Fighting
Song: "Kung Fu Fighting" by Carl Douglas; Fandom: The Untamed; Vidder: Diana Williams
This vid was loads of fun! The beginning made me laugh out loud as Lan Wangji floats and strums his qujin in time to the initial oh-ho-ho-ho, and Wei Wuxian's dizi appears to play the "generic Asian music" theme – and it gets even better from there! The mapping of the descriptions from the song onto appropriate fight scenes was terrific, picking up on the "expert timing," "kicking from the hip," "chopping them down," and other specifics. The choices for "a little bit frightening" were especially fun; yes, the Tortoise of Slaughter is scary but it's also ridiculous CGI! I particularly admire how the vidder uses 3zun for the people mentioned in the second verse: Lan Xichen as "funky Billy Chin" and Jin Guangyao as "little Sammy Chung," and finally Nie Mingjue as "the big boss" – perfect!
21. Thiel Just Might Tell
Song: "Might Tell You Tonight" by Scissor Sisters; Fandom: Tatort Muenster; Vidder: Kerguelen
Another Thiel/Boerne vid, this one from Thiel’s more casual perspective. The clips incorporate lots of delightful interactions, including small moments that stack up and tell a story of affection blending into romance. The Beatlesque music and the refrain “I just might tell you tonight that I love you” fit especially well with the vibe of the show. The instrumental break features the surprisingly-many times that Boerne literally pokes at Thiel, to the latter’s fond exasperation.
22. The Sith is Dead
"No One Mourns the Wicked" from the Wicked Broadway Cast Recording; Fandom: Star Wars; Vidder; Brass Ring
In a timely song choice given the popularity of Wicked, this song accompanies an arc of the development and downfall of evil in the Star Wars universe. It begins with a montage of the destruction of the second Death Star and the Ewoks and others rejoicing (to the part of the song proclaiming the death of the Wicked Witch). At the break in the song that moves from rejoicing to judgment, the vid emphasizes the sudden musical transition with a striking clip of Anakin striding ahead of a group of stormtroopers, then traces his turn to the Dark Side, including a scene with Palpatine. I especially liked how the vidder used the line about how "the wicked's lives are lonely" when Anakin force-chokes Padme (believing she has betrayed him). The vid concludes with Palpatine's fate at the hands of Vader, thus circling back to the events being celebrated at the beginning of the vid.
23. It's Always Been You
Song: "It's Always been You" by Phil Wickham; Fandoms: Starsky & Hutch and The Professionals; Vidder: kat-byrd
The first verse through the refrain shows us the bond between Bodie & Doyle; the second verse through the refrain shows us the bond between Starsky & Hutch. After that, the vid switches between the couples every few lines, showing us overall parallels without getting too matchy-matchy, but emphasizing for both B/D and S/H how dedicated they are to one another.
24. Look What You Made Me Do
Song: "Look What You Made Me Do" by Taylor Swift; Fandom: Heaven Official's Blessing; Vidder: Diana Williams
I haven't seen the second season of Heaven Official's Blessing yet, but this vid is clearly about Hua Cheng kicking butt and I am here for it. I loved how the vidder used the song to work in not only Hua Cheng's violent opposition to a villain, but his protectiveness of Xie Lian, and those pretty silver butterflies. I definitely want to come back and rewatch it once I've seen the second season!
25. Human
Song: "Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man; Fandom: DCEU; Vidder: Aurum Calendula
Okay, I'll be honest. I've seen Man of Steel, the Justice League, and Batman v. Superman, and I didn't like any of them; in short, I personally found them overly long and too dark for me. (YMMV!) This vid, with its carefully-selected clips and downbeat, forthright song, effectively depicts the emotions and commonalities of Superman and Batman. It didn't make me like the movies, but it gave me a new appreciation of the characters as well as the bond that reluctantly develops between them.
26. Whatever It Is Jayce and Viktor Share
Song: "Waiting for the End" by Linkin Park; Fandom: Arcane; Vidder: therewithall (Bisexual Alien Nerds)
I've only seen bits and pieces of the first season of Arcane and none of the second, but from what I did see, I found most compelling the parts involving the dangerous experimentation done by Viktor and Jayce. This vid addresses those experiments and their outcome, as well as Viktor's relationship with Jayce. It makes good use of Arcane's gorgeous imagery, connecting it to the troubled journey described by the song.
I was struck by the unusual subtitles in this vid. Sometimes a line will appear with only some of its letters, which gradually fill in so we can read the whole line before the singing of that line ends, while other lines simply appear in complete form. Hardest to follow were the lines where one word appears at a time, in time to the sound of the words themselves. The words appeared in different spaces within the scenes as well; they were definitely a design element of the vid, especially since their colors – usually shades of translucent blue or purple with a bright blue outline around each letter – coordinated with what was on-screen. On the whole, I liked the subtitles a lot, especially since I hadn't heard the song before and it was good not to have to strain to understand the lyrics while simultaneously connecting their meaning with the images. I imagine, however, some viewers might find them distracting.
27 – Transmigrator
Song: "trickster" by Park Sung Jin & Choi Min Chang; Fandom: "Led Astray by Love"; Vidder: AurumCalendula
Set to an instrumental, the vid appears to follow a storyline of a girl from modern times thrown back into ancient China, where she stumbles into friendship with a girl from that time period. They become very close indeed – if it's not canon femslash, they are at least very dear friends despite very different personalities. A lovely vid that made me want to find and watch the show!
38 – Di Feisheng
Song: "Lose Yourself" by Eminem; Fandom: Mysterious Lotus Casebook; Vidder: Franzeska
Eminem's tense, forceful voice works well to tell Di Feisheng's story here. We begin with the cruel training he underwent in childhood intercut with his return to the same training facility as an adult. The trainer spinning the ball on the words "Time's up" is an especially great choice. I also applaud the selection of Di Feisheng's epic battle with Li Xiangyi for the first part of the refrain, not only because it fits the climax as the verses lead up to it, but because of the line "lose yourself in the moment" – which DFS does, as he values and seeks to return to this touchpoint over and over. The vid as a whole highlights DFS's perspective on many important events throughout the series – and yes, we do return to that training yard one more time – and after a confrontation with DFS's greatest enemies, it concludes with a montage of his gradual friendship with Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing.
39 – Moon
Song: "Moon" by Jonah Kagen; Fandom: Our Flag Means Death; Vidder: killabeez
A pensive but optimistic song with images of pining, possible reunion, and mankissing - what a great way to end a vidshow!!! I haven't seen the second season of Our Flag Means Death and I honestly couldn't tell which scenes were real and which might be dream sequences. Nonetheless I found it a lovely, flowing, hopeful vid.
There was a lot to like and I enjoyed the show enormously. If I had any criticism to make, it would be that, while I appreciated the printed list of vids placed on every seat, it was hard to look at it during the show without missing part of a vid; I would much prefer to have that information on screen so I didn't have to look away from the screen and try to read in the dark. Perhaps that could be done next year!
