Recbox for nowrunalong

[beyondthealgorithm_mod]

Username: nowrunalong

Preferred Genres: comedy, rom-com, drama, fantasy/sci-fi, slice of life, mystery/detective, procedural

DNW Genres: violent/gory horror

Preferred Media Types: live action TV, movies, cartoons, comics, graphic novels

DNW Media Types: video games that take more than ~20 hours to play

General Likes: nuanced/morally grey female characters, women being heroes, women being villains, female friendships, romance of any gender configuration, slow burn, found families, comedy, feel-good stories, drama/conflict driven by characters, symbolism, outfits/costume design being a major part of the visual look of the series

General DNWs: torture porn, primary focus on abuse/rape stories, relentless angst/suspense/darkness

Fandom Preferences: femslash shipping potential!

Requests for Content Warnings: please warn for graphic violence, rape/non-con, child abuse, and death of bi/lesbian women

Examples of Media Enjoyed: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel & Faith comics, Lucifer TV, DC Extended Universe, Superman: the Animated Series (and the rest of the DCAU), Doctor Who, The Mandalorian, Lost Girl, Carmilla, She-Ra 2018, Legend of Korra, Scott Pilgrim (movie & graphic novels), Person of Interest, Elementary, Castle, The Mentalist, The Good Wife, Schitt's Creek, New Girl, Forever 2018, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Bob's Burgers, Much Ado About Nothing (every version I've seen!), The Raven Cycle, Tales From the Borderlands. If you want to see what movies I've watched, I have a list on letterboxd!

Examples of Media to Avoid: Torchwood/Class, extreme cringe humour like Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Office UK, fandom juggernauts like MCU (exception for Star Trek, feel free to rec individual shows!), soap-opera-type dramas (like Grey's Anatomy or Jane the Virgin), and the following sitcoms because I've already seen them: The Office, Parks and Rec, B99, Community, Seinfeld, Friends, One Day at a Time, Never Have I Ever, Scrubs, Silicon Valley, The Good Place.

Streaming Services I Can Access: Netflix, DC Universe, Amazon Prime, Disney+

Languages I'm Comfortable With: English, French, potentially other languages with accessible English subtitles

Comments

Reccing Babylon 5

[darkhavens]

Babylon 5 (1993-2007, including extended universe of movies and spinoff) (There are also several sets of tie-in novels and some comics, all of varying canonicity)

This is a sadly underrated sci-fi masterpiece. J. Michael Straczynski planned out the entire 5 seasons and then shopped it around the studios, asking for a deal for all 5, right up front. Paramount turned it down (then created their own sci-fi drama set on a remote space station (DS9)... and yes, there was a law suit, and a settlement of an undisclosed sum.) but Warner Bros picked it up and ran with it.

I tell you this so you understand that it was created as a 5 season epic. Each season had its own arc, but you get some awesome breadcrumbs dropped in earlier seasons that suddenly slap you in the face when you get to the right point in later seasons, because Straczynski had A PLAN, and he knows how to use foreshadowing like a pro. Cos he is one.

Season 1 is a bit clunky, because there is a LOT of exposition; worldbuilding; history; religious, racial and political chicanery to lay out, and the effects, while award-winning in their time, are...dated. But omg, the ships! It is definitely worth pushing through tho, because once the exposition is out of the way, and you know who's who and what's what (or think you do), you can lose yourself in it completely.

There is a canonical f/f relationship and at least one of them is bi, but I honestly can't remember about the other. Considering when it was made, the relationship surprisingly does not end in the usual inevitable death, but, fair warning, the relationship does end messily, though through no real fault of either of them. There are also several other strong female chars that could be shippable (several morally grey), as well as a m/m friendship between aliens of different races that is so full of love I was shipping them years before I knew what shipping was.

At various times, it dips an appendage or two into each of your preferred genres, without stepping into your DNWs. It also nails pretty much all of your general likes while, again, generally avoiding your DNWs.

There are some non-graphic references to child abuse that relates to an organisation which removes young children from their families if they exhibit certain abilities, so that they can be raised and trained to use their 'gifts' for the good of...whoever is currently pulling the political strings. And while there is no (to my recollection) physical rape/non-con, there are instances of non-con mental interference. Telepathy used as a weapon, that kind of thing.

Annoyingly, I have not been able to find where you can stream it right now. I bought the entire universe - 5 seasons + several TV movies + a spinoff 1 season show - in a box set for myself for xmyth back in 2006. It was 8 years after the end of the show (which I watched on tv in its original screening as an adult, yes, I am *that* old), and several years since the last TV movie came out, so, of course, almost as soon as I unwrapped it, another movie was announced. *head desk* So I now have a box set universe with an extra dvd case sitting on top.

If you can find a source to watch this, please, please do so. It really does look like it hits a lot of your hot buttons, right down to the costume/outfit design specs. Multiple alien species makes for some stunning looks! And again, I say, OMG, THE SHIPS!

Release order - should be followed on first viewing

1. Babylon 5: The Gathering (22nd Feb 1993)
2. Babylon 5: Season 1-4 (26th Jan 1994-27th Oct 1997)
3. In The Beginning (film, 4th Jan 1998)
4. Babylon 5: Season 5 (21st Jan 1998)
5. Thirdspace* (film, 19th Jul 1998)
6. The River of Souls (film, 8th Nov 1998)
7. A Call to Arms (film, 3rd Jan 1999)
8. Crusade: Season 1 (9th Jun 1999)
9. The Legend of the Rangers (film, 19th Jan 2002)
10. The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark (31st Jul 2007)

Choronological order - for future rewatches, to shake things up a little *g*

1. In The Beginning* (film, year: 2245-48) (Could be viewed at the beginning, or at the end, or both!)
2. Babylon 5: The Gathering (year 2257)
3. Babylon 5: Seasons 1-4 (year: 2258-61)
4. Thirdspace (film, year: 2261)
5. Babylon 5: Season 5 (year: 2262)
6. The River of Souls (film, year: 2263)
7. The Legend of the Rangers (film, year: 2265)
8. A Call to Arms (film, year: 2266)
9. Crusade: Season 1 (year: 2267)
10. The Lost Tales: Voices in the Dark (year: 2271)

There is a fandom wiki with over 3000 pages, that is still being maintained and updated. There's also an overview of the universe at Wiki. Beware spoilers in both!

Re: Reccing Babylon 5

[nowrunalong]

I am genuinely delighted to be recced Babylon 5! It's one of those shows I've heard mentioned many times over, but in a way that never quite explained what it was about (I osmosed that it was in space and perhaps comparable to Star Trek, but that was all!), and having previously heard that it was kind of slow-going - well, I hadn't ever leapt to investigate it on my own.

I love that you've pitched this the way you did, because a carefully crafted narrative with expertly-employed foreshadowing is something that absolutely love. I had no idea it was written in this manner - you have my attention! :D

There is a canonical f/f relationship and at least one of them is bi, but I honestly can't remember about the other. Considering when it was made, the relationship surprisingly does not end in the usual inevitable death, but, fair warning, the relationship does end messily, though through no real fault of either of them.

Canon f/f that doesn't die! In the 90s? Yay!! I often quite enjoy relationships ending messily if it's not a black-and-white "character B sucks; character A deserves better" narrative, so this is fortunately more intriguing than off-putting for me as well. :D

I'm glad for your notes about the exposition in season 1! That is the type of thing that can put me off if I'm starting a canon blindly and have no reason to believe it will become less clunky-feeling - knowing that the characters are worth it is all I need to hear to make me want to see it through!

If you can find a source to watch this, please, please do so. It really does look like it hits a lot of your hot buttons, right down to the costume/outfit design specs. Multiple alien species makes for some stunning looks! And again, I say, OMG, THE SHIPS!

I also don't see it streaming anywhere, but I did just locate another source. I've been meaning to watch DS9, but I might just have to give Babylon 5 a shot first, now. Thank you so much for this rec, and for the release & chronological viewing orders, too! This is so helpful. I really appreciate it!!