Fandom School (2nd period): Joining a Ship

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted. What can I say? I'm lazy busy. This blog isn't dead, it's just been dormant for a while. Fandom School is back from hiatus, and today we're talking about joining a ship.

There are some ships that you immediately join, but others take a little convincing. So what convinces you to ship characters you didn't think suited each other? Well, there are a few methods:

• Chemistry between the actors
• A different portrayal of one or both characters that makes them a better match
• Character development
• A really good fanfic/fanart
• The ship is canon and you get used to it

Examples

Quirrellmort (Quirrell/Voldemort). I know what you're thinking. Quirrell and Voldemort? What? Well, they do share a body, but that's not what makes me ship them. No, I shipped them when I saw them in A Very Potter Musical (which you should all watch, by the way).

Hm... *realizes I created an entire post just so I could discuss Quirrellmort*
But there is another ship I grew into:

Merthur (Merlin/Arthur)
I've discussed before why I ship them, but I'll say it again: they're really suited to each other. They're fiercely loyal to each other. Merlin's saved Arthur's life countless times, and likewise Arthur gladly risks his life to save Merlin's. They have such an intimate relationship, it's hard not to ship them. And they make each other better. I'm a sucker for character development, especially when it comes because of another character.

Okay, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll get around to posting again soon. Thanks to anyone who still reads this blog even though my posts are terribly sporadic.

Fandom School (1st period): Fixing Canon

It's time for Fandom School again! The subject is canon, and, let's be honest: a lot of times, the writers really mess things up.

So, what do you do? Just sit in silence? I think not. Instead, it's time to take matters into your own hands. A while ago I wrote about different types of canon, and I'd like to discuss the types that don't comply with canon. What do you do if you don't like canon? Take Nick Fury's advice; ignore it. Write a fix-it fic and change everything you don't like. Write an AU where the offending event never happened. The possibilities are endless.

Of course, you don't have to write a fanfic. You can also just come up with headcanons. As I said in my post about headcanons, headcanons don't have to comply with canon. It can just be a case of 

"But I'm perfectly happy with the current canon. Why would I need to change anything?" you might ask. Well first of all, you must not have watched you TV show/movie for very long. And secondly, I'm ahead of you because I've already anticipated this question. Here are a few canon problems you might want to fix.

• Character death - nobody likes it when their favorite character dies, especially if that death served little purpose.
• Ships - many fans of BBC Sherlock will argue that John married the wrong person, and so they'll write about Johnlock instead of John/Mary
• Character development - often times minor characters (sometimes even major characters) don't get much character development, which is a shame, but fanfic writers can easily fix that.
• Events that should have happened - I think Merlin should have revealed his magic to Arthur much earlier, and a quick search of AO3 shows that many people agree with me and write magic reveal fics
• Events that shouldn't have happened - for every story that involves betrayal, there will be fanfics in which that character stayed loyal
• Events that don't make sense - sometimes authors just plain don't explain things, and sometimes the explanations they give are unsatisfactory.
• Contradictions/continuity errors - these are almost as annoying as spelling and grammar errors, so naturally people want to correct them.

So, what problems in canon would you like to fix?

Kids These Days

(Heads up, this post isn't really about fandoms, sorry. But I suspect it applies to most of my readers, and I feel like it needs to be said.) I was inspired to write this post by a play I found on AO3 called "#kidsthesedays" (click here to read the play or here to go to the author's tumblr. Tell her vortexofdeduction sent you.) You should definitely read the play, but all the same, I'll give you a basic summary. The play shows that times and situations change, but one thing remains constant: parents complain about "kids these days" and their "crazy" obsessions, activism, etc. The truth is, it's not kids these days, it's kids all the time. Also, we aren't just kids, we are the people who have to live with previous generations' mistakes. We are the ones who will change the world. And it's about time we did.

I can't tell you how frustrated I am when someone criticizes me for using an iphone or going on the internet or complains about how addicted to technology "this generation" is. Technology is a great thing, and it's perfectly acceptable to use it a lot; every generation has adapted to new technology and new information, but it's the older generations who complain because they refuse to see the world as different from the way it was when they were kids. Technology is great; it's provided us with information, communication... much more than just "stupid games".

A while ago there was a photoset going around on tumblr called "#this generation". It made me angry because it's the exact argument I've just been railing against. However, tumblr responded. I now show you a combination of the originals and the responses.

That's just a few, but you can find more at http://ifunny.co/fun/6nBstAIp2

I don't know about you guys, but I know that I have a voice and I'm not afraid to use it. I am not just a kid. I am a strong, independent young woman who will fight for justice and equality. You can blame me, pretend I'm just a harmless little girl who cares about fandoms and spends all her time on the internet and will never do anything worthwhile, but I don't care. I exist and act regardless of your opinion. I hope each one of you is willing to stand up for yourself and others.

Fandom School (8th period): Catchphrases

It's time again for Fandom School! Today, we're going to talk about catchphrases.

What is a catchphrase? It's a phrase, line (or pattern thereof) that is repeated often enough that the audience associates it with a particular character or book/movie/TV show. I'd like to take this post to share a few of my favorite catchphrases.

Get Smart (TV show) [go to www.wouldyoubelieve.com for a complete list of catchphrases]

• "Would you believe..." - Maxwell Smart

Smart: At the moment, seven Coast Guard cutters are converging on us. Would you believe it?
Mr Big: I find that hard to believe.
Smart: Hmmm . . . Would you believe six?
Mr Big: I don't think so.
Smart: How about two cops in a rowboat?

• "Missed it by that much!" - Maxwell Smart
• "Zis is KAOS, we don't ________ here!" - Siegfried, usually to Shtarker

Shtarker: Let me let them have it. Dudududududu (making a machine gun noise).
Siegfried: Shtarker, zis is KAOS, we don't Dududu here.

Doctor Who (TV show)

• "Fantastic!" - Ninth Doctor
• "[insert things] are cool" - Eleventh Doctor
• bow ties, fezzes, stetsons, bunk beds... the list goes on
• "Allons-y!" - Tenth Doctor
• "Spoilers" - River Song
• "Hello, Sweetie" - River Song
• "It's bigger on the inside!" - (almost*) every companion, upon entering the TARDIS
• "Oi! Watch it, spaceman!" - Donna Noble to the Tenth Doctor

The Princess Bride (book/movie)

• "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." - Inigo Montoya
• "As you wish" - Westley
• "Inconceivable!" - Vizzini

Star Trek (TV show and several movies)

• "Live long and prosper" - Vulcan greeting/farewell, usually said by Spock
• "Highly illogical" - Spock
• "I'm a doctor, not a..." - Dr. Leonard McCoy
• bricklayer, psychiatrist, mechanic, coal miner, engineer, physicist... [see this website for a list of all occurrences]
• "He's dead, Jim" - Dr. Leonard McCoy

Star Wars (movie series)

• "May the Force be with you" - Jedi blessing/good luck, said by almost everyone on the good side
• "I got a bad feeling about this" - Han Solo is known for this phrase, but many other characters say variations of it as well

Harry Potter (books/movies)

• "My father will hear about this!" - Draco Malfoy
• "Bloody hell!" - Ronald Weasley
• "Wicked!" - Fred & George Weasley
• "I shouldn't have said that" - Hagrid

Sherlock (TV show)

• "Not my division!" - Greg Lestrade
• "I'm not gay!" - John Watson, said when anyone tries to ship him with Sherlock
• "I'm your landlady, not your housekeeper!" - Mrs. Hudson

I know I'm missing lots of fandoms and catchphrases, but I only included the fandoms I'm in that have multiple catchphrases. If you have any catchphrases you'd like to add, feel free to do so in the comments.

*Notable exceptions include Clara Oswald, who said "It's smaller on the outside!", and Rory Williams, who said nothing, prompting this exchange:

The Doctor [after entering the TARDIS]: It's a lot to take in, isn't it? Tiny box, huge room inside; what's that about? Let me explain...
Rory: It's another dimension.
The Doctor: It's basically another dimen — what?
Rory: After what happened with Prisoner Zero, I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories. FTL travel, parallel universes.
The Doctor: I like the bit when someone says "It's bigger on the inside!" I always look forward to that.

Star Wars Awesomeness (May the 4th Be With You)

Happy Star Wars Day, everyone! To celebrate, I've collected my favorite Star Wars videos for you to enjoy. May the Force be with you!

Star Wars (John Williams is the Man)

a song about Star Wars set to a medley of John Williams songs

Cello Wars (Star Wars Parody) Lightsaber Duel

The Piano Guys battle it out while playing a medley of Star Wars songs

The Fastest and Funniest LEGO Star Wars Story Ever Told

A humorous summary of the Star Wars original trilogy

Grocery Store Wars

A parody of Star Wars about organic vs processed food

Yes, Of Course (Doctor Who fanfiction)

The message reached out through the universes, crossing all dimensions of time and space in its distress. River looked out at the night sky, hoping upon hope that all those he had cared for would have the love to respond, and knowing in her heart that they would.
***
"Incoming message," said Mr Smith.
"Who is it from?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Unknown."
"Where is it from?" Luke asked, walking into the room.
"Unknown."
"Well, what is known?" Sarah Jane asked in exasperation.
"Content reads: The Doctor is dying. Please, please help."
Sarah Jane was worried but also wary. Not that long ago she'd been told the Doctor was dead, and that had turned out to be a lie. "Is he in danger?"
"Affirmative," K9 piped in.
"I'll go help him," Luke insisted.
Sarah Jane shook her head. "It's too dangerous. I don't want to lose you."
"Maybe we can work together," Rani suggested. "Pool our resources."
"Count me in," said Clyde.
Sarah Jane sighed. "I'll never be able to stop you kids, will I?" She turned to the computer. "Mr Smith, can you give a message to the sender?"
Mr Smith was silent as calculations flashed across the screen. "Yes. What do you want me to say?"
"We're all in," said Clyde.
"We will do everything we can to help," said Luke.
"Just tell us what you need," said Rani.
"We love you," finished Sarah Jane. "Please don't die."
They stood in solemn silence for a moment. "Message sent."
***
Tentoo (called "John Noble" after his parents) gently nudged Rose.
"What is it?" she asked, sitting up groggily.
"A message. I think you should hear it."
"How can you..."
"I'm a Time Lord; I can hear distress signals in any language. This is in every language, though it seems to have originated in English."
"Alright, tell me the message." John put his hands on Rose's head, sending her the message via telepathic link. The Doctor is dying. Please, please help. "But what happened?"
"I don't know," John answered, equally confused.
"Whatever it is, I'll help him."
John sighed. "You still love him, don't you?"
Rose nodded. "But I love you, too. You're not the Doctor, but I do love you. And even if I can't have the Doctor, I want him to be happy. I want him to live."
"Of course. So do I. After all, it's his fault I even exist," John said with a wry chuckle. "Well, it's Donna's fault too. She'd hate me for leaving her out."
Rose laughed. "She'd slap you for sure." Her smile faded as she remembered what had started the conversation. "Tell the Doctor, or whoever it is, we'll be happy to help."
***
"Ianto, Gwen, come take a look at this," Jack said with a note of apprehension. Concerned by the distress in his voice, they came running.
"What is it?" Gwen asked.
"Some kind of distress signal. It says... 'The Doctor is dying. Please, please help.'"
The three of them stared at the screen for a moment until Ianto broke the silence. "Can we send a reply?"
"I think so," Jack said, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "Got it!" he said a few minutes later. "What do we want to say?"
"You know him best, you tell us," Gwen replied. Ianto nodded.
"'Of course we'll help. We owe you one. More than one, actually. And even if we didn't, we'd still help you. What can we do?'" Jack looked at Gwen and Ianto, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. They nodded. Jack hit 'enter'. "Please make it through," he whispered. "We need you."
***
"Martha Jones, something has happened that requires your attention. Please come to UNIT headquarters. Oh, and bring your husband, too."

When they reached the headquarters, a woman walked up to them. "Kate Lethbridge-Stewart," she said, extending her hand. "Welcome back to UNIT."
"I hope you're not trying to recruit me again. You know I work best alone." Mickey gave Martha a wounded look. "Well, mostly alone."
"No, we're not recruiting you," she assured them. "We've received a message, and we think you should hear it." Martha looked at her suspiciously. "Come, follow me."

"This is the message," Kate explained, pressing a few keys on the computer. The Doctor is dying. Please, please help.
"What does it mean?" Mickey asked.
"Exactly what it says. I thought I would share it with you before sending a reply."
"Thank you," Martha said. "Tell them... tell them we will do everything in our power to help."
"Of course, mam," Kate said, giving Martha a salute. Mickey's expression changed slightly. Martha caught the difference and glared at Kate until she got the point. "Sir," she said, giving Mickey a salute.
"Thank you," said Mickey. "And let us know if you get a response."
Kate nodded. "Of course."
***
Donna woke up with a pounding headache. It didn't feel like a normal headache, though. She felt as if something were tearing at the corners of her mind, trying to pry something out of it and burrow deep into her head.

"Donna, what are you doing here?" Wilfred looked at his granddaughter in confusion.
"Couldn't sleep. I thought you might be up here stargazing." They sat in silence for a few minutes, looking up at the night sky. "Do you ever get the feeling you're forgetting something?"
Wilfred laughed. "I'm an old man, Donna. I get that feeling all the time."
"No, but like, something important. Really important." Wilfred said nothing. Donna sighed. "I've got another headache again." They continued on in relative silence, Wilfred occasionally showing Donna various constellations. All of a sudden, she remembered. "It's the Doctor. He's in trouble. I can feel it." Wilfred looked at Donna with concern. "Who is the Doctor? I'm pretty sure I know him." Wilfred said nothing. "It doesn't matter, I still want to help." She sighed. "Maybe if I think really hard, I can send a reply." She laughed. "I sound like a little kid, don't I?"
"Don't say that like it's shameful."
Donna smiled. "Alright, I'll try then." She frowned in concentration for a few seconds. "I think it worked. And my headache is gone, too!" A big smile split across Wilfred's face. "Now what were we doing again?"
***
Clara could feel it. The Doctor was in trouble. As the "impossible girl", she had some kind of sense for his well-being. This time, though, she heard a clear message. The Doctor is dying. Please, please help. She wondered what trouble he'd got himself into this time. She was about to go find him when she realized: she was always there when he was in danger. This time, it wasn't her place to help. But that didn't mean she couldn't show her support. With the help of a friend she'd sworn to secrecy, she located the signal and sent a reply. "Yes, of course we'll help. We will do everything we can for him."
***
The "solar flares" were increasing. Part of River was jealous that her husband had had so many companions, but a larger part of her was happy for him. Happy that the Doctor was loved by many, and by her most of all.

Alone With Myself (Doctor Who fanfiction)

I haven't written a blog post in ages! I'm really sorry. I've been super busy. Anyway, I forgot about this fanfic I wrote which I didn't put on the blog, so here it is!

"I am alone," the Doctor cried, sliding down the wall of the TARDIS.

"All my friends are gone," the Doctor sobbed, sinking into a corner of the TARDIS.

"My best friends are dead," the Doctor lamented, crumpling into a ball in the TARDIS.

"My people are gone," the Doctor wailed, slamming his fist onto the TARDIS.

Each Doctor thought he was alone; each regeneration felt doomed to live in sorrow. But the TARDIS had other plans. With a whirring noise, four worlds collided. Four different people, and yet the same.

The Ninth Doctor looked around at the other three. "You're not Rose." At the mention of the name 'Rose', the others cringed, and the Tenth Doctor looked like he was about to cry. In an attempt to divert himself, the Tenth Doctor looked around.

"If you're me," he said, looking at Nine, "does that mean..."
Eleven nodded. "I always knew you were a bright one! So tell us, grumpy pants," he said, turning to the Twelfth Doctor, "how's the future?"
Twelve shook his head. "You know I can't tell you anything. It's not like you'd remember anyway."
Nine sighed. "Is this what I grow up to be like?" Eleven nodded, as if this were a good thing.

"So, what brings us all here in the first place?" Twelve asked in far too serious a tone for such a casual question.
"Well obviously the TARDIS has created a spatio-temporal field that caused us all to occupy this space in the same time..."
"I mean," Twelve interrupted in a tone of frustration, "why were we brought together? What do we have in common?"
"Well, we're all the Doctor," the Eleventh Doctor pointed out unhelpfully.
"There's got to be more than that. Why do we all need each other?" Nine asked.
"Maybe we don't all need each other. Maybe we just need someone," Ten suggested.

Nine nodded. "I was all set to go, but Rose didn't want to come."
"Oh, she'll come," Ten said wistfully. "Just mention that it travels in time."
"How is she, by the way?" Nine asked, ignoring all the warning looks the others gave him.
"Gone, like the rest of my companions," Ten replied sadly. "She's got a life, but not with me. Not anymore."
"And you?" Nine asked, looking at Eleven.
"Oh, I'm alright," Eleven said with a smile that was far too thin.
"Rule one," Twelve announced, "the Doctor lies."
Eleven sighed. "You know me too well." He looked at Twelve. "It's Amy and Rory. And the angels." Twelve nodded knowingly. "And what about you?"
"Gallifrey." That simple word said it all. Though none of the others had been in the Twelfth Doctor's exact situation, they understood the sentiment. "I thought... I'd been told I could change things and... I was wrong."

"While we're here, anyone fancy some fish fingers and custard?" Eleven asked in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. Having nothing else to do, the Doctors agreed. Nobody else liked the culinary concoction, so Nine brought chips. When that was over, Twelve suggested they have tea, and so they had a tea party. Over Jammie Dodgers, scones, and Earl Grey tea, they reminisced about old times (or new times, depending on whose perspective you considered).

"Remember that time when you were with Rose and she kept trying to get Queen Victoria to say 'we are not amused'?" Eleven asked Ten.
"Remember that time I accidentally married Queen Elizabeth I?" Ten laughed.
"How do you accidentally marry a queen?" Nine asked.
"I thought she was a Zygon!" Eleven rolled his eyes. "Oh, like you'd be any better," Ten said with a mock scowl.
"You should have seen him after regenerating!" Twelve exclaimed. "He kept rejecting perfectly good food just because he had a new body!"
"No fair!" Eleven complained. "None of us have anything on you."
Twelve smiled mysteriously. "Then the world is as it should be." Eleven glared. "Well, I believe we must be going soon. We do have lives to get on with after all." Each of the Doctors sighed and said their farewells. And so the loneliness was banished once more.