Fandom School (1st period): Types of Canon

Happy Wednesday, everyone, and welcome to Fandom School! I've already given a brief definition of canon and explained headcanon, so now it's time to talk about the many different types of canon. A quick search on AO3 reveals many different canon-related tags, which will serve well for organization purposes in this post.

Canon Compliant - follows with all parts of canon.

• Canon Related - specifically related to an event in canon.
• Canon Universe - takes place in the universe created by the canon.
• Canon Timeline  - takes place over a range of events during canon. Follows the canon timeline.
• Pre-Canon - takes place before canon. Think of it as a prequel.
• Canon Era - takes place during canon (during the span of the book, movie, or TV show)
• Post-Canon - takes place after canon (after the end of the book/movie; after the series finale)
• Canon Continuation - same thing as post-canon, but with special care taken to make sure that it fits with canon
• Canon Dialogue - includes direct quotes from the show/book/movie
• Could Be Canon - compliant with canon, but not part of it. Think of it as behind the scenes.
• Canon Crossover - a crossover that attempts to, apart from being a crossover, preserve canon for all fandoms involved

Not Canon Compliant - changes or ignores one or more canon events/characters.

• Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence - accepts canon up to a certain point, then changes an event and goes from there.
• Fix-It - corrects something in canon that the author disagrees with.
• Post-Canon Fix-It - wraps up the loose ends. May be canon-compliant, or may be different enough that it doesn't comply with canon.

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 10

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Arthur was, indeed, late to work. He ran in, fearing his coworkers' wrath (he slacked off enough as it was), but they acted as if nothing had happened.
"Are you ready to start filming?" Morgana asked. He wasn't, not really, but he didn't have a choice.
"Yes."

Of course it had to be the reunion scene. Arthur held Vivian's (or rather, Sophia's - he needed to stay in character) hand up and kissed it. "Milady."
"My lord." They weren't, of course, not even in the movie, but Sophia and John - that was Arthur's character - believed in chivalry and all that old-fashioned nonsense. Arthur honestly didn't know why he had agreed to do this. He needed to focus. He had a line to deliver.
"I've missed you so much." He hadn't, really. He couldn't stand Vivian; it was only his superb acting skills that stopped him from looking like he wanted to strangle her. "I thought I'd never see you again." Wouldn't that be wonderful, he thought. But he couldn't quit. Father would have his head. "I'll watch over you, I promise. I can't bear to lose you again." Arthur's thoughts drifted further, as he remembered a certain man who was lost. A man who was rather good-looking...

Vivian was staring at him. Oh, shit. This was when he was supposed to be kissing her. He couldn't, not when the thoughts of another person kept drifting into his mind. He looked at Leon, the cameraman, and shook his head.
"Cut! Let's try that again."
"No... I can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm sorry." Arthur walked out of the room. He was in no state to work today, but it wasn't as if he could actually walk out. Morgana approached him a few minutes later.
"Arthur, you're the star in this film. They need you there to shoot it."
"Yeah, sorry."
"What happened anyway?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Mercifully, Morgana didn't push him.
"Do you think you can film another scene?" Arthur nodded, hoping it was true, and they walked back in. "What do you think you can handle?" Morgana asked.
"How about the soliloquy? After I find she's gone?" Morgana nodded, and they got all set up. Leon nodded to show that the camera was rolling, and Arthur began.

"Sophia... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't realize what was happening, and I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I'm sorry I didn't know how to help you, and I'm sorry I didn't help you. But I'm not just sorry; I want to help you. I still don't know exactly what's happened or where you've gone, but I swear I will find you. Whatever it takes. I don't care how much it hurts or how hard it is, I will find you. I will search the whole earth if that's what it takes. I will beg my worst enemies if that's what it takes. I will die for you if that's what it takes. I will do anything to get you back. I love you, Sophia, and I can't live without you."

"Cut! That was brilliant, Arthur!" But Arthur wasn't listening. He was running out of the room, tears streaming down his face. He reached the sanctuary of his office and slid down in his chair, unsure of what to do next. A few minutes later, he heard a knock at the door.
"Arthur?" It was Gwen, his PA. "Can I come in?" Arthur sighed and unlocked the door.

Arthur had finally stopped crying, though his face was still red. "What's wrong, Arthur?"
"Nothing. I'm fine." Gwen gave a look that clearly said she didn't believe him, but she decided not to pry and instead walked back out with a concerned, sympathetic expression.

A few minutes later, Gwaine walked in. "What seems to be the matter, Princess? Gwen may leave you alone, but I won't." Arthur said nothing. "Come on, I'm not leaving until you answer me. What's up?" Arthur sighed. 

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me." Arthur logged on to his computer and entered the chat room he'd used earlier. "Are you ignoring me?"

"No, I'm answering."

Fortheloveofcamelot has entered the room, Albion Chat

Fortheloveofcamelot: Anyone here?

"'Fortheloveofcamelot'? What kind of a name is that?"

"Shut up, Gwaine."

Imthegreatestwarlock: I'm here

Lady_of_the_Lake: Me too

Druid_boy42: What's up?

Fortheloveofcamelot: I'm talking to a friend and he asked about you. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Really?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Well not directly, but to answer his question I have to mention you. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Who is he?

Sexiestmanalive has joined the chat

Sexiestmanalive: Hi there. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Oh gosh, that's him. Gwaine, don't harass these people.

Druid_boy42: Especially not Freya.

Lady_of_the_Lake: He's right. Don't mess with me or my friends.  

Sexiestmanalive: If you insist. So, what's all this? Apparently, you all are the reason my friend here is incapable of work and looks like he's been up all night?

Imthegreatestwarlock: Only since 3AM. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: And I did get a couple hours of sleep. 

Sexiestmanalive: Just get to the point. What's going on here?

Imthegreatestwarlock: I... well...

Fortheloveofcamelot: Just tell him. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: I was um...

cursed by an evil witch to be stuck on a TV channel. He... I don't actually know your name!

Fortheloveofcamelot: Arthur. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: And your last name?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Pendragon. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: You're kidding. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Nope. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Arthur Pendragon. That's insane. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: You're one to talk, Merlin. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Prat. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Idiot. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Dollophead. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Clotpole. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: That's my word!

Fortheloveofcamelot: It suits you perfectly. 

Sexiestmanalive: Um, guys? I'm still here. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Sorry, where was I?

Lady_of_the_Lake: You were mentioning where Arthur comes in. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Ah yes, the insufferable prat. How could I forget? Anyway, despite his shortcomings, he took pity on me and contacted my friends who managed to put a message on the channel, and now we're all trying to rescue him. 

Sexiestmanalive: And how will you do that?

Druid_boy42: We need a million people to be watching Merlin's show at the same time. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: I don't suppose you'd be able to help?

Sexiestmanalive: Well, I do work in advertising...

Fortheloveofcamelot: Gwaine, you're an actor. 

Sexiestmanalive: I help out in advertising, too. Honestly, don't you pay any attention to what goes on in this building? Anyway, what time does the programme air?

Imthegreatestwarlock: 3AM. 

Sexiestmanalive: That does complicate matters somewhat. Not many people get up at 3AM to watch TV. Except for Arthur, apparently. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: I couldn't sleep!

Sexiestmanalive: Yeah, right. What I'm saying is, it's going to be hard to find viewers. 

Druid_boy42: Not to mention how hard it is to find the channel. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Wait, what?

Druid_boy42: Most people have their favorite channels and just punch in the number for that channel. We call it channel 5 for the sake of convenience, but Merlin's channel is technically 5.5, which is impossible to type on the typical remote. To make matters worse, the channel disappears when there's nothing airing. Currently, it shows Merlin's programme from 3:00 to 4:00, then Will and Freya's message from 4:00 to 4:30, and finally Kilgharrah's message from 4:30 to 5:00. At all other times, it ceases to exist, at least as far as the public is concerned. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Any chance you can put other programmes in?

Sexiestmanalive: Maybe, but if this channel is as strange as you say it is, it might be rather complicated. What is Merlin's show about?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Freya?

Lady_of_the_Lake: Will and I have been brainstorming. Let me check in with him. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor has entered the room

Sexiestmanalive: You must be Will. I could provide you with some "entertainment" ;)

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Who let this pervert in?

Fortheloveofcamelot: I did. Sorry. Gwaine, you promised not to harass these people!

Sexiestmanalive: I didn't promise for this guy! Fine, I won't bother him. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Will, Freya, what did you come up with?

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: We were thinking of showcasing Merlin's magical talents. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: I have a feeling I'd get in trouble for that. Magic can be very dangerous, and many believe it is unequivocally evil. 

Sexiestmanalive: Besides, most people would just think it was good special effects. You'd need a plot to supplement it. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: Scratch that. Did we have anything else, Will?

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: No, that was it. 

Druid_boy42: I've got an idea, but I don't know if it will work. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Now's not the time to be picky. What's your idea?

Druid_boy42: I was looking up spells with Gaius, and I might be able to move your programme to a different channel. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Great! What's the catch?

Druid_boy42: Your programme will need to have similar subject material to the programmes on the channel I move it to. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: And what do the channels that you might move it to show?

Druid_boy42: Only channels 5 and 6 are available. That is, if we pay lots of money. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Money isn't a problem. What's on channel 6?

Druid_boy42: News. Not actual news, just gossip and the like. You know, the kind of stuff you find in magazines. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: I'm not doing that. What about channel 5?

Druid_boy42: Soap operas. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Kind of hard to do that with one person. 

Druid_boy42: Let me see if there's anything I can do about that. 

Modern_physician has entered the chat

Modern_physician: I think I may have a solution. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: What is it, Gaius?

Modern_physician: I can send more people into your programme. That way, you can produce a more entertaining show. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Soap opera... okay, I can do this. Send Freya in. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: If you send her in, she can't help me write the scripts. And you know how rubbish I am at putting my ideas on paper. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Fine. But then who'll be my romantic interest?

Sexiestmanalive: Arthur is a very good actor. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: I don't think I could survive alone with that prat. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: You're running out of insults. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: No I'm not, coxcomb. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Gwaine's right though, I am a good actor. 

And I wouldn't have to act, Arthur thought, though of course he didn't say that. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Fine. But don't we need a supporting cast?

Sexiestmanalive: I'll take care of that. Percival and Elyan are free at the moment. George never has anything interesting to do, so he'll jump at the opportunity. Gwen is Arthur's PA, so she may as well join him. Elena and Mithian are just wrapping up a programme, so they'll be available, too, and this is exactly the sort of thing they go for. I think that's enough for now. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Alright. 

Sexiestmanalive: How are you filming the programme?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Currently, Merlin's programme is just a blank room with a camera facing him. No pans, cuts, or anything like that. 

Druid_boy42: I might be able to control the camera through magic.

Sexiestmanalive: Okay, you can be the cameraman then. Are you familiar with the techniques for taking videos and all that?

Druid_boy42: Yeah. 

Sexiestmanalive: Then it's settled. Mordred, you record the film of Merlin. I'll take some clips of Arthur's and merge them together with video editing to make some ads. After the ads are created, I'll send them out to various companies, channels, etc. We'll advertise for a week, then Mordred will change Merlin's programme to channel 5, and Arthur and company will join Merlin. By then, Will and Freya will have some scripts written (which they can send via this chat room). When the programme isn't airing, the actors and actresses will be rehearsing and memorizing lines. The programme will air, it will become popular, and Merlin and everyone else will become free. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Sounds like a good plan. 

Sexiestmanalive: Anything I should know about the show? For the purpose of making the ads. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: The show will about two lovers, Merlin and Arthur. Keep the actors' names because then we can call their meeting "destiny". The synopsis will go something like this. "Merlin and Arthur. With those names, it seems as though they are destined for each other. They disagree. After a particularly painful breakup, Merlin is disinclined to trust anyone. It certainly doesn't help that Arthur is a self-righteous prat. Arthur has yet to come out of the closet, as he knows his father wouldn't approve. The appearance of a man he wants but can't have is antagonizing him to no end. It seems the two would be better off ignoring each other entirely. Or would they? With a little help from some over eager matchmakers, Merlin and Arthur come to realize that maybe they should be together after all."

Sexiestmanalive: Sounds good. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: I can do that, no problem. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: We have a deal. Will, Freya, get started on that script. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Roger that. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor has left the room

Lady_of_the_Lake has left the room

Sexiestmanalive has left the room

Imthegreatestwarlock: Arthur?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Yes, Merlin?

Imthegreatestwarlock: Thank you. 

Fortheloveofcamelot has left the room

"Come on, now," Gwaine said. "You've got to film as much as you can before you leave." Arthur nodded, smiling. He was ready. Anything to get him to Merlin. 

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 9

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Merlin thought of the other person who had asked for his help, Mordred.
Druid_boy42 has been invited to the room
Druid_boy42: How can I help?
Imthegreatestwarlock: You said you wanted to help me get out of here. Got any ideas?
Druid_boy42: Well, I've been doing some research with Gaius...
Lady_of_the_Lake: Gaius? What does he know?
Imthegreatestwarlock: He has magic, too. And an extensive library. What did you find?
Druid_boy42: I found a way to break the spell, but it will be a little difficult to accomplish.
Entertainment_at_Ealdor: I'm sure we'll find a way.
Druid_boy42: We need to get a million viewers for Merlin's show.
Entertainment_at_Ealdor: And how are we going to do that?!
Druid_boy42: Now you get it.
Fortheloveofcamelot: I work in the entertainment industry. I might be able to set you up with ads and the like, and I can certainly use word of mouth. But...
Imthegreatestwarlock: But what?
Fortheloveofcamelot: You need something people might actually watch.
Imthegreatestwarlock: What, you mean people won't just stare at me for an hour?
Fortheloveofcamelot: Not all of us...
Imthegreatestwarlock: ...
Lady_of_the_Lake: Come on, boys, there'll be time for flirting later.
Fortheloveofcamelot: I am NOT flirting!
Lady_of_the_Lake: Sure...
Druid_boy42: Um, guys? Don't we have a more pressing issue?
Fortheloveofcamelot: Right. So, I'll get word out to my friends and coworkers, get them to watch the show and try to put some ads in. Will, Freya, you come up with scripts and whatnot for Merlin's show; we need something people will come back to. Mordred, you convince people that the show's worthwhile. And Merlin, you work on entertaining the masses of viewers that will (ideally) come streaming in.
Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Who put you in charge?
Fortheloveofcamelot: Well I'm certainly not letting the idiot run things, as he hasn't made any progress so far.
Imthegreatestwarlock: Prat.
Fortheloveofcamelot: Incompetent git.
Imthegreatestwarlock: Insufferable jerk.
Fortheloveofcamelot: Useless hairbrain.
Imthegreatestwarlock: Arrogant clotpole.
Fortheloveofcamelot: That's not even a word!
Imthegreatestwarlock: Arrogant is too a word!
Fortheloveofcamelot: I mean clotpole.
Imthegreatestwarlock: Yes, you're a mean clotpole. And a pompous arse, too.
Fortheloveofcamelot: Shut up, cabbagehead!
Imthegreatestwarlock: Now who's making up words?
Fortheloveofcamelot: I said, shut up!
Imthegreatestwarlock: As you wish, sire.
Lady_of_the_Lake: Are you two quite done yet? No, don't answer that. There'll be time for insults later, as well. In the meantime, we have work to do.
Fortheloveofcamelot: Work... shit, I'm gonna be late for work!
Fortheloveofcamelot has left the room
Lady_of_the_Lake: Honestly, I'll be amazed if you two manage to get any work done.
Lady_of_the_Lake has left the room
Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Gotta be careful, mate, you don't want to lose the one person who might help you.
Imthegreatestwarlock: If that's what he's like, I don't want his help!
Entertainment_at_Ealdor has left the room
Imthegreatestwarlock: Thanks for the help, Mordred.
Druid_boy42: Any time. Good luck dealing with that jerk. You'll need it.
Druid_boy42 has left the room
The_Great_Dragon: You must not be too harsh with the man, young warlock. It is his destiny to help you. A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole.
Imthegreatestwarlock: That doesn't make him any less awful.
The_Great_Dragon: None of us can choose our destiny, Merlin, and none can escape it.
Imthegreatestwarlock: There must be someone else because this guy's an idiot.
The_Great_Dragon: Perhaps it's your destiny to change that.
Imthegreatestwarlock: Yeah, right. More like you just enjoy being cryptic and babbling about destiny.
The_Great_Dragon: There will come a day, young warlock, when you will understand my teachings. You will not regret the knowledge I have given you.
Imthegreatestwarlock: If that ever happens, I'll get down on my knees and marry that man.
The_Great_Dragon: I shall hold you to it.
Imthegreatestwarlock has left the room

Merlin just knew Kilgharrah would keep his word. What had he gotten himself into?

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 8

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Arthur logged on to the chat room Will and Freya had mentioned. He considered choosing the username "Once_and_Future_King", but he decided that was too pompous and too closely linked to his name, so he settled on "Fortheloveofcamelot" instead.

Fortheloveofcamelot has entered the room, Albion chat

Citizenofcamelot200 has entered the room

Wizards_Witches_and_Warlocks has entered the room

Druid_boy42 has entered the room

Truekingofcamelot has entered the room

Citizenofcamelot200: I think I might have magic. 

Wizards_Witches_and_Warlocks: Are you sure? Did your eyes flash gold and everything?

Citizenofcamelot200: Yeah. What do I do?

Wizards_Witches_and_Warlocks: Be careful. 

Truekingofcamelot: You do know magic is illegal, right? I could have you killed for this. 

Citizenofcamelot200: You haven't seen me use magic or confess to using it. And I'll probably move out of here anyway, and then you can't enforce your laws on me. 

Druid_boy42: I think I know how to help. Let's talk in a private chat, away from all these nosy people. 

Wizards_Witches_and_Warlocks has left the room

Citizenofcamelot200 has left the room

Druid_boy42 has left the room

Truekingofcamelot: Who's coming here next to try to defy my rule? I must visit more often; this seems to be a hole of illegal activity. 

Truekingofcamelot has been permanently removed from the room

The_Great_Dragon: Apologies, everyone. Albion Chat is supposed to be a place free of persecution. Now the offender has been removed and will bother you no longer. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Where did you come from? I didn't see you enter the chat!

The_Great_Dragon: I am the administrator, young king. I am always here. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Why am I a young king?

The_Great_Dragon: It is your destiny, young king. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Don't mind him; he's always babbling on about on destiny. It doesn't mean anything. 

The_Great_Dragon: You know not of what you speak, young warlock. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: :P

Arthurisreal has entered the room

History_of_magic has entered the room

Legends_and_legacies has entered the room

Arthurisreal: Anyone wanna discuss Arthurian legend with me?

Legends_and_legacies: Count me in. 

History_of_magic: I'll join, as usual. 

Legends_and_legacies: We better make a private chat. Last time everyone complained about us monopolizing the chat. 

Legends_and_legacies has left the room

History_of_magic has left the room

Arthurisreal has left the room

Lady_of_the_Lake has entered the room

Lady_of_the_Lake: Thank goodness. They were so annoying last time. I thought they'd never stop. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: So, you come here often?

Lady_of_the_Lake: Oh gosh, are you one of those pervs?

Lady_of_the_Lake has left the room

Imthegreatestwarlock: Better watch yourself, mate, she's really sensitive about that kind thing. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Now you tell me. 

Destined2Bqueenofcamelot has entered the room

Sisterofevil has entered the room

Lustandpower has entered the room

Destined2Bqueenofcamelot: Who wants to help me take over Camelot?

Imthegreatestwarlock: You do realize Camelot is gone, right?

Destined2Bqueenofcamelot: Who wants to help me rebuild and then take over Camelot?

Sisterofevil: You know I will help you in anything, sister. 

Lustandpower: Where Morgause goes, I go. Therefore, I will help you both. 

DestinedtoBqueenofcamelot: Great! Let's have a private chat, and then I can take my rightful place as queen. 

The_Great_Dragon: You have no part in the destiny of Camelot, witch! Your only destiny is to fail to conquer it!

Destined2Bqueenofcamelot: Shut up. I will have my way. 

Sisterofevil: Never fear, sister. Camelot will be ours!

Fortheloveofcamelot: You have got to be kidding me. 

Lustandpower: Nope. We're dead serious.

Sisterofevil: Come, let us talk away from unwelcome ears. 

Sisterofevil has left the room

Destined2Bqueenofcamelot has left the room

Lustandpower has left the room

Entertainment_at_Ealdor has entered the room

Fortheloveofcamelot: Hi. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: You're the pervert who tried to hit on my friend! Ugh!

Imthegreatestwarlock: In fairness, he didn't really say anything offensive. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Whatever. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: Wait, I have something to tell you!

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Fine. Make it quick. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: The warlock has left Camelot. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Oh! Great! Sorry, we must have misjudged you earlier. You were probably just glad to see us, right?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Exactly. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Okay, I'll tell her to come back. Do you have anything from Kilgharrah?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Two sides of the same coin

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: Kilgharrah?

The_Great_Dragon: The young king has answered correctly. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: I am not a king!

The_Great_Dragon: As you wish, sire. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: Don't let it get on your nerves. He called me "young warlock" long before I knew I was one. 

The_Great_Dragon: The young warlock speaks the truth, young king. 

Lady_of_the_Lake has entered the room

Lady_of_the_Lake: You better be right about this, Will. 

Entertainment_at_Ealdor: I am. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: Okay then, what's my name?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Freya. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: And what's the name of the person who needs help?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Merlin Emrys. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: And why does he need help?

Fortheloveofcamelot: He's stuck on TV. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: Which channel?

Fortheloveofcamelot: Five. Well technically, five point five. Are you done quizzing me now?

Lady_of_the_Lake: Yes. Now just to be safe, let's take this to a private chat. 

Lady_of_the_Lake has invited you and two others to a private chat. 

Arthur hit "accept". 

Lady_of_the_Lake has entered the room, Escape From Channel 5

Entertainment_at_Ealdor has entered the room

Fortheloveofcamelot has entered the room

Imthegreatestwarlock has entered the room

Lady_of_the_Lake: First things first. Merlin, how did you get wifi?

Imthegreatestwarlock: Kilgharrah helped me out. Apparently, wifi forged in a dragon's breath can get through anything. 

Fortheloveofcamelot: You're Merlin? I should have realized. How are you?

Imthegreatestwarlock: About as good as anyone trapped on TV in a blank room forever can be. 

Lady_of_the_Lake: Don't worry, we'll get you out. That's what we're all here for. 

Imthegreatestwarlock: I've got a friend who might have some ideas also. 

Druid_boy42 has been invited to the room

Druid_boy42: How can I help?

Fandom School (8th period): The Fandom Way To Say "I Love You"

So earlier I wrote a post about various terms fangirls/fanboys use, and now I'd like to show the various fandom ways to say I love you. I know I'm missing a lot (I seem to recall a tumblr post listing all of them, but I can't find it now), so feel free to add to this list in the comments.

Doctor Who: [insert name here], I...

Hello, sweetie

You've stopped both my hearts

The Fault In Our Stars: Okay

Frozen: Some people are worth melting for

Harry Potter: Always

Merlin: With all my heart

Idiot/prat/ass/dollophead/cabbagehead/[insert insult here]

My Fair Lady: I've grown accustomed to your face

The Princess Bride: As you wish

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 7

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

"Emrys", Merlin heard a voice calling. It had been a while since he had communicated by telepathy, and he hadn't realized the signal could get through to the channel.
"Yes?"
"It's Mordred. You've helped me before, and now I want to help you."
"That's great! What do you have in mind?"
"Well, I've tried using my magic, but it doesn't work."
"I know. I've tried, too. You should talk to Will and Freya. I bet they have some ideas."
"Okay. I'll talk to you again as soon as I find out anything. How are you doing, by the way?"
"All right, I guess. I'm kind of bored. I really want to get out of here."
"We miss you."
"I miss you, too. And..."
"What?"
"Be careful. We don't need anyone else to get bewitched."
"You know me."
"That's why I'm worried."
"Oh, come on!"
"You and I both know how reckless you are. Just... tone it down a bit, okay?"
"Fine. Talk to you again soon, Emrys."

It was funny, normally Merlin was on a first name basis with everyone, but Mordred always called him "Emrys". Between them, it was actually a friendly gesture, though neither of them understood why. Merlin was about to go to sleep, when he heard Kilgharrah calling.
"Greetings, young warlock."
"What now? Are you going to babble on about destiny again?"
"Actually, yes."
"Can't you just leave me in peace?"
"Do you want to be free or not?"
"Oh, alright then. But make it quick."
"One cannot rush destiny."
"Yeah, whatever. Just get on with it."
"It will take some more time to know for sure, but I believe the other side of your coin has arrived."
"What coin?"
"Your other half."
"My soulmate? Please tell me you're not going to spout some romantic nonsense."
"No, romance isn't part of this. It could be, I suppose, but it's not important at any rate. What is important is that this person is destined to save you. I've been looking at the stats and I saw that for the first time, someone watched through all three programmes."
"All three?"
"Yes, yours, Will and Freya's, and mine."
"Well that's promising."
"Indeed."
"So do you think they'll take action?"
"I do not know yet. Give it a few hours. I'll let you know if anything happens."
"So is this the person you keep telling me I'll unite with and we'll do great things together?"
"That would be the one. If he is indeed the person of your destiny, you will be glad to meet him."
"Wait, why does it have to be a guy?"
"My apologies, young warlock, I didn't mean to be sexist. I do not know the gender of this person, but I know they will be great."
"Well they better hurry up. I'm dying of boredom here."
"Patience, young warlock."

Merlin sighed and decided it was finally time to rest. He used his magic to make a comfortable bed, then crawled in and fell asleep.

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 6

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Arthur fixed his eyes on the screen, waiting for Kilgharrah's arrival. Finally, the dragon flew down into the view of the camera. He looked just like the picture Merlin had shown. The dragon looked right at the camera, and it felt as if he were staring into Arthur's soul.

"Greetings, young viewer," it said. Arthur jumped back, startled. He hadn't expected the dragon to speak. Or to have a voice like that. The dragon sounded less like a fierce, powerful creature and more like an old professor. "Or old viewer. But then again, most everyone is young compared to me. But enough with that. My name is Kilgharrah, and I am here on behalf of Merlin Emrys." Kilgharrah nodded in respect to Merlin. "I worked for the original Merlin, and I helped him to reach his destiny. Throughout the years, I've helped his descendants. I have to help Merlin Emrys because he is the last dragonlord, but even if I didn't have to, I would all the same. He is a worthy man, and he needs your help. He has been trapped in a programme on this channel by an evil witch. I have tried to free him, but it's not as simple as one might think, and I need more people to help me.

"You and he are two sides of the same coin. He is destined to receive your help, and you are destined to give it to him. Now, that doesn't apply to all of you, as some of you may disregard this message, but at least one of you will help him. He is destined for great things, and if you help him, you are destined for great things also. You will become close friends, and together, you will achieve things that others could only dream of. You will have your differences, but they will unite instead of divide and make the pair of you stronger. You may think helping Emrys will damage your reputation, but it will make people think much more highly of you. You may not trust me, and you may not trust this stranger I ask you to help, but if you go through with us, we will not be strangers by the end of it. Whatever you think, listen to this: if you help Merlin Emrys, you will not regret it." Kilgharrah said all of this with a serious tone, and Arthur could tell that he truly meant it. Now Arthur knew that Merlin wasn't lying when he complained about how Kilgharrah kept talking of destiny. Arthur didn't really understand the whole destiny rant, but he kept listening.

"Merlin's friends have asked me to provide a code so that they will know you have heard my speech. My code is 'two sides of the same coin'. I highly suggest you talk to them, but of course I cannot force you. I will say this, though: if you choose not to help Merlin, you will seriously regret it."

Arthur thought through all of this. It was so much information to process. And he was so tired. Arthur remembered that he really should in bed by now. He sighed and decided to sleep on it. Maybe a solution would present itself in the morning. At any rate, a few hours wasn't going to hurt anything. Arthur crawled into bed and closed his eyes, drifting into strange dreams of warlocks and dragons.

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 5

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Merlin didn't know if he dared hope. Somebody had watched his channel! And stayed through the whole programme! Others had done that before, but they never came back. So he was still stuck. Would this person be the same, or would Merlin finally have a chance at freedom? Of course, there was nothing Merlin could do about it now. His programme was over, and he was trapped in the blank room.

Merlin felt a torrent of emotions raging inside him- fear, anger, frustration, impatience, despair, depression, and just a tiny bit of hope. And while he'd used his magic recently, he hadn't done anything really big, so the power within him cried for release. He did what he always did in situations like this: he let it all out. 

Dark, ominous storm clouds loomed over Merlin, hovering just below the ceiling. With a flick of his hand and a few strange words, it began to rain. Not little droplets but heavy sheets, a torrential downpour of everything Merlin had been keeping inside. Lightning crashed and thunder rolled. The smell of electricity and smoke filled the air, as well as another, more pleasant scent: petrichor. Merlin was soaked, and he considered casting a spell to dry himself, but then stopped. He remembered that feeling the wet and the cold was part of the release. 

Then a thought occurred to him. Checking to see that his programme would not be on for several hours still, Merlin created a bathtub and began to fill it with hot water. Not cold, not scalding, but just right. Merlin was glad he still had his magic. He didn't know how he'd survive without it. As he lay in the hot water, Merlin wondered what was happening on his channel, channel 5. The initial viewer was still watching, so there must be something going on. Merlin only hoped this person would be able to help him. But that was a problem for a few hours from now. Merlin sank into the water and, just for a while, let his troubles melt away. 

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 4

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Arthur stared at the screen, wondering what would happen next. The background changed to a cluttered bedroom. A girl walked in. She smiled at the camera. "Hello, I'm Freya, Merlin's friend." A boy burst in and jostled Freya.

"Hey, I'm Merlin's friend, too! My name is Will."

"And we're here to talk about Merlin."

"Wait, Freya, how do we know this will even work? Isn't Merlin on like a secret channel or something?"

"Channel 5. Well, more like channel 5.5, since there's already a channel 5. And as to how it will work, we'll just ask Kilgharrah. You know how good he is with that sort of stuff." Kilgharrah? The dragon? Maybe there was another person name Kilgharrah. Except that it wasn't exactly a common name. 

"Oh, fine." Will sighed. "So, the problem is..."

"Will, if they're still watching, they probably know what the problem is already. And I thought we agreed I would start, anyway." Will glared. "So, Merlin is stuck inside a TV channel- the channel we're broadcasting this on."

"We're trying to figure out what to do, but we need your help."

"As soon as we have more information, we'll broadcast our findings here. In the meantime, keep watching this channel."

"We should come up with some sort of secret code," Will suggested. 

"What for?"

"So anyone watching can get in contact with us."

"Ah! That's a great idea. Got anything in mind?"

"Nope."

"'In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man.' How about that?"

"It's kind of long. How about 'The warlock has left Camelot'?"

"Hm. I like it. We should ask Kilgharrah to come up with a code, too."

"Agreed."

"But why would someone want to help Merlin, anyway?"

"What do you mean, why? He's our friend!"

"Yes, but most people watching don't know him or us. We have to convince them." Will looked directly at the camera. 

"I wish this hadn't happened, but as it is, we really need your help. I know you don't know Merlin, but he is the best person I have ever met. He is kind, intelligent, resourceful, selfless, and he has a good sense of humor, too. He's been an invaluable member of the company he works for, and he improves the lives of all those around him. If he were to not come back..." Will let the sentence hang, there, and Arthur felt dread at the idea. 

"Merlin has meant so much to me. All my childhood, I was bullied and abused. By my classmates, by my peers, even by my family. Merlin protected me from the bullies and stood up to them. He told me I was worth more than that. When I confided in him about my family's abuse, he told me to get help. Gaius adopted me, and he became like my brother. Well I guess technically, he's my cousin." Freya smiled a little. "So I- we- need your help. Keep watching; I think Kilgharrah's going to put something on next. We'll be on at 4AM again tomorrow, assuming we have something to say."

"And if you want to get in touch with us, we'll be in chat room 5 on the forum. Look for the username 'enternainmet_at_Ealdor'- that's me- or 'Lady_of_the_Lake'- that's Freya. We won't engage in further conversation unless you give us the code. If you give us Kilgharrah's code, we'll know not to fill you in on his bit."

"I think that's about all, Freya said," smiling sweetly, the hope evident in her voice. "Talk to you again soon." The screen went black. 

Arthur thought for a moment. He definitely wanted to help Merlin, and it seemed like Freya and Will might know how to do that. But he wasn't just sure he wanted to jump into this yet. He'd at least wait for Kilgharrah, whoever- whatever- he was. 

The screen flickered on again, and Arthur saw a cave. He sat patiently and waited for Kilgharrah to arrive.

How To Scare A Fangirl

Happy Halloween! In the spirit of the holiday, I have written a guide to scaring a fangirl.

How to scare a Whovian

• Give them a statue (especially of an angel) and/or say, "Don't blink". 
• Stare at something and look scared, then when they ask what's wrong, say, "Dorry, what?" or "I forgot". Bonus points if you also draw tally marks on your arms. 
• Yell "EXTERMINATE" in an angry, machine-like voice. 
• Tell them they have two shadows. 
• Look them in the eye and say, "Your song is ending". 

How to scare a Sherlockian

• Tell them "I owe you."
• Shout "vatican cameos". 
• Say something about Moriarty. 
• In your most evil voice, ask "Did you miss me?"

How to scare a Potterhead

• Say "Voldemort". 
• Casually mention making seven horcruxes. 
• Point a wand (or something that looks like a wand) at them and shout one of the unforgivable curses.
• Tell them they could be killed, or worse, expelled. 

How to scare a Trekkie

• Always wear a red shirt (or force them to always wear red shirts). 
• Speak only in Klingon. 

How to scare a Merlinian

• Say that you saw Morgana heading this way. 
• Claim that you are Emrys, and you are furious with them. 
• Start chanting in the dragon language. 
• Start reciting a harmful spell you've learned from watching Merlin. 
• State that they have been found to be a sorcerer and will be burned at the stake. 

I know that's only a few fandoms, but they're the only ones I could think of. Feel free to add more in the comments. 

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 3

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Merlin was so shocked at first, he wasn't sure what to say. It had been a long time since anyone had watched this channel, so he was surprised to finally have a viewer again. He tried to think of how to explain the situation without scaring the person off. "This is... oh, forget it. I'll just cut to the chase. I'm trapped. Not like cliche plot trapped, actually trapped. I know you're probably thinking this is made up or I'm insane or something, but I promise I'm telling the truth. I've been stuck in this channel for..." he racked his brains for an answer. It felt like forever. There was no way to keep track of time here. For all he knew, it could have been decades. "a long time. A very long time. And I need your help." Merlin looked at the status bar above the camera, showing that the person was still on the channel. Good, he hadn't scared him off yet. Or her. Merlin reminded himself not to make assumptions. He sighed, thinking for a minute. "I wish I could tell you how to fix all of this, how to get me out of here, but honestly? I have no idea. And of course, I have no way to communicate with you." Merlin frowned in thought, wondering what else there was to say. "I suppose while I'm here, I might as well explain how I got here. You probably won't believe me, but I promise it's true. Of course, you have no idea if my promises mean anything, but I guess you'll just have to trust me. Or not. Anyway, this is how it happened:

"I was on my way to work- I'm a computer programmer, in case you were wondering- when I ran into this old lady. Yeah, literally ran into her." Merlin cringed. "She wasn't too happy about that, obviously. I helped her to her feet, apologizing profusely. Then she asked me my name. I introduced myself to her, and she gave me a strange look when I said my name was Merlin Emrys- wait, have I not told you my name yet? How rude of me! I'm Merlin Emrys," he said, extending his hand as if the viewer was there to shake it. "Yeah, anyway, so I introduced myself to her, and she asked if I was a descendant of the original Merlin. I told her yes, and then she got mad. Like, really mad. She started cursing at me in the Ancient Language- that's the language of magic- and she called me the descendant of a liar and traitor. She blamed the original Merlin for her great (great great great... you get the idea) grandfather's death. He was burned at the stake for using magic while Merlin, king Arthur's manservant, stood idly by, hiding the secret of his own magic. I asked her to be reasonable, told her to leave me alone, all that, but she wouldn't stop yelling at me. Then, she cursed me to live in a TV forever.

"My programme comes on at 3:00 every morning. After that hour, I'm stuck in the same room, but nobody is watching me anymore. I wonder what happens to this channel when I'm not here." Merlin thought about this a moment. "Maybe it just goes blank. Or maybe some other random programmes or commercials come on. I don't know. I suppose you'll find out if you keep watching."

Merlin sighed. "I really wish I knew a way for you to help me. Hopefully you're ingenuitive and resourceful enough to figure it out. I also think I should probably do something to keep you entertained so you come back here, but... I don't have any good ideas. No, wait." Merlin smiled. 

"Because of my name and my coding skills, I was often called a computer wizard. Little did my co-workers know, I can do actual magic, too." Merlin conjured a plate of food. "This is how I haven't died of starvation," he said, digging in. He conjured a glass of water, too, for good measure. Then, he went for something more drastic. A giant dragon made out of fire appeared in front of Merlin. Merlin sat on the dragon, and they rode around the small room. The dragon disappeared, and Merlin chuckled. "So you can see, I've got plenty of things to avoid getting bored." Merlin made a computer appear, and he held it up. "I'd been hoping that maybe I could get help online, but I can't seem to get wifi. I guess that's one thing that can't yet be done with magic." Merlin looked at the status bar again. He had half an hour left still. 

"You know what? I'm just going to ramble and hope you find that interesting. I was born in a rural village called Ealdor, but my mother Hunith sent me to London when I was 10. My father Balinor had died and she couldn't take care of me by herself, so she sent me to my uncle Gaius. I went to Dragon elementary school, and there I met my best friend Freya. A few years later, my friend from Ealdor, Will, moved to London. Will and Freya both know about my magic, but they're the only ones. Well, except for Gaius. He's known ever since he took me in. As soon as he realized I had magic, he told me to keep it a secret, for fear I would be taken by scientists for testing or something. That being said, he wanted me to learn how to control my magic, so he got me a tutor. He told me I had to meet the tutor, not vice versa, so he sent me off to this cave really far off in the wilderness. I was expecting to find some old grumpy hermit or something, but no. I saw a dragon! A real live dragon! He looked like..." Merlin conjured up an image of a giant golden dragon. "this. His name's Kilgharrah. He told me that I was the last dragonlord, and I inherited the gift from my father. It means not only can I do magic, I can also command dragons and they have no choice but to obey. He's been teaching me how to use my magic, telling me I am destined to use it for great things. He keeps going on about destiny. It's really annoying. And he seems to think I'm going to accomplish these things with someone else. He told me 'the story of Arthur and Merlin will repeat itself'. So apparently I'm just supposed to find a guy called Arthur Pendragon? I don't know, maybe the name doesn't matter.

"Gaius doesn't know, but I've been using magic to help me with my schoolwork for pretty as much as long as I've been in school. I'm not cheating on tests or anything like that, I just use magic to help me retain information and complete my homework faster. After all, magic lessons take a long time, and I need to get some sleep. I went to Camelot High, where I got teased a lot for my name. But my name wasn't that strange, considering that lots of other people there had names from Arthurian legends. Gwaine was the popular kid at school, going on dates with anyone who'd say yes and making friends with anyone who wouldn't. Gwen was my friend, but we kind of drifted apart after she fell in love with Lancelot and stopped spending time with me and my mates. I still hang out with her brother, Elyan, though. Mordred is a bully. He used to be my friend, but then he started teasing me and picking on my friends. I told him to leave, but he didn't listen. I used my magic to make his life miserable. Nothing too obvious, just a lot of things that could be attributed to bad luck. Tripping, losing stuff, having his clothes ruined, that kind of thing. Don't tell anyone I said that. Gaius and Kilgharrah tell me I'm not supposed to use magic for things like that.

"When I graduated high school, I went straight to work because I didn't have the money to go to a university. I got a computer programming job that didn't require a degree and worked at that for a few years before I got the money to go to Pendragon University. Seems a bit presumptuous, naming a university after a person who hasn't even done anything historically important, but whatever. It's a good university, even if the founder, Uther, is a jerk. I've heard his son isn't too bad, though. So, yeah, I'm studying computer programming at the university, and I've still got that job on the side. I'm pretty busy. Or rather, was." Merlin buried his face in his hands. "That's why I need your help." He looked at the status bar again. "And it looks like my time is just about up. Please come back tomorrow!" The screen went black. 

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 2

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Arthur only really watched television when he was ill. He would make himself a big cup of tea with lemon, pull the rubbish bin up by the side of his bed for used tissues, and flip through channels until something decent caught his attention. If he wasn’t feeling too bad, he would start up his laptop, but mostly he was too paranoid of sudden sneezing or coughing, and didn’t want to risk germing up the keyboard. So boring telly it is.
But that night, for some inexplicable reason, Arthur decided, to hell with it, and reached for the remote resting on the opposite pillow to turn the television back on.

The medicine he took messed up his sleeping habits, so it wasn’t uncommon for him to wake up in the middle of the night, throat sore, breathing through one nostril, and terribly miserable. He always turned the telly off before going to sleep, to save electricity, and kept it off even if he knew there was no hope of falling back into sweet, painless slumber. He would simply lay there with his eyes determinedly shut, willing himself to sleep, sleep dammit, if only for the hope that his symptoms would be less when he woke up the next time.

The light hurt his eyes at first, and he browsed channels looking practically through just his eyelashes. But they eventually adjusted, and he was able to make out what programmes he was passing.

He only gave them about a two second appraisal; cooking, advert, rerun, old film, advert, advert—

Hmm. What was this? Arthur sat up. The screen was white, completely blank except for a dark figure sitting cross-legged in the centre. The length of their hair suggested it was a male, but the clothes were a bit baggy, so it could have just as easily been a female. Arthur couldn’t tell for certain, because their head was hanging down and he couldn’t see their face due to the distance of the camera. But it was odd. What kind of programme was this? It was just some person sitting in an empty white space, doing nothing.

Arthur’s nose started to drip, so he put down the remote and grabbed a tissue to blow it, tossing it in the bin beside him afterwards. When he looked up at the screen again, the person had moved, uncrossed their legs so they stuck straight out, toes to the side, and was staring straight ahead.

Straight at Arthur.

Arthur shook the idea from his mind. The man—because it was a man, Arthur could determine now—was only looking in the camera. This was probably some weird indie film experimenting with angles and a lack of a soundtrack. Arthur pressed the info button on the remote.

???

That was strange. No description? Not even a channel number or name? Not even the duration length? Surely Arthur would have come across this channel before. There were only so many out there.

The man on the screen stood up and walked forward, straight towards the camera. Then, he changed his mind and began to pace the room. The man clearly looked frustrated about something. Finally, he looked at Arthur- no, at the camera- again, and his face lit up. "Finally, a viewer!"

Channel 5 (Merlin fanfiction): Chapter 1

As I was reading through the extensive collection of Merlin fanfiction on AO3, I found an abandoned story, and I decided to take it up. Chapter 2 is copied word for word with a little added in on the end, and the initial idea isn't mine, but the rest of the story is mine. So now, here is chapter 1. Enjoy!

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Merlin couldn't remember how long it had been like this. An evil witch had enchanted him simply because he was a descendant of the original Merlin, who was a sorcerer in Camelot while sorcery was outlawed and for a long time did nothing to protect the innocent sorcerers. She believed it had been that Merlin's inaction that had caused her great (great great great great great... etc.) grandfather to be burned at the stake. Since the original Merlin was long gone, she punished this Merlin instead. Every day, Merlin was trapped inside a small room. There was nothing in the room; it was completely blank. Merlin got food, water, and other necessities only by using his magic. And every morning at 3 o'clock, Merlin was on the television. It was simply a video of whatever Merlin was doing in the room at the time. Merlin had originally hoped that he would be able to reach out to his viewers and have them rescue him, but this scenario had a few major flaws. First, he had almost no viewers. Most people didn't watch the telly at 3 in the morning. Those who did happen to stumble upon his channel quickly got bored and switched. Merlin tried using magic and doing other things to entertain them, but most of them still didn't stay. On the rare occasion that someone did stay, Merlin would tell them of his predicament and ask for help. Help never came, though whether this was because viewers thought it was just part of the plot or they were actually unable to help, Merlin wasn't sure. It didn't matter anyway. He had just about given up hope, but he was still desperately trying to find some sort of solution, completely lost in thought. And that's why he didn't notice Arthur. 

Fandom School (7th period): Discussing Your Fandom Online

Last time we had this class at Fandom School, I talked about how to connect other fans. Now, I'd like to go more in depth about how to talk with others in your fandom online. There are a few ways to do so.

1. Social media- I think it's safe to say that most of you reading this have some form of social media, whether it be facebook, google+, tumblr, twitter, etc. This is a great way to find other people who like the same things as you to follow/friend/[insert appropriate verb here]. Also, some forms of social media (e.g., google+) have groups/communities, and you can often find one for your fandom. If there isn't one, you can create it. Find other fans by editing your profile to include your fandoms, following people in your fandoms, and joining communities for your fandoms.

2. Discussion boards/forums- I haven't really participated in any of these, but they are a great place to, well, have discussions. You can't interact with others as much as you can on social work, but there's still lots of room for great discussions about your fandoms.

3. Start reading fanfiction- yeah, you probably do that already. So, I'll be more specific: get an account on a fanfiction website (fanfiction.net and AO3 (aka archiveofourown.org) are both great). Even if you don't want to write your own fanfiction (if you need some posts to refer to, see this post about what fanfiction is, this post about types of fanfiction, and/or this post on another great blog about how to write fanfiction), you can still read, review favorite, and follow other people's stories (trust me, we fanfiction authors love it when you do that). This is a good way to see other fans' works and interact with the authors. Also, on fanfiction.net, you can private message people, so you can interact with them directly.

4. Join a fanart website- like discussion boards, I haven't joined any fanart websites, but there are websites dedicated to fanart where you can meet other fans. A quick google search reveals deviantART and Fanart Central, but I'm sure there are lots of other websites. Similar to fanfiction websites, fanart websites allow you to appreciate other fans' works and interact with the artists.

5. Youtube- like 3 and 4, youtube allows you to share your own fandom content and see others' fandom content. 

6. Start blogging- if you blog about your fandom(s), people will notice eventually. And maybe some of those people who read your blog, comment on it, etc. will become your friends. (Right, guys?)

A Change Of Heart

You know how sometimes you see a character (or if you're reading a book, read about a character), and at first you hate them, but then they grow on you until you absolutely adore them? Yeah, that's happened to me too, and it's what I'd like to discuss today.

First impressions can be misleading. In many cases, you think a character is awful, but then you see that they are good. The question is, did the character develop, did the writing get better, or did you simply come to view the character in a different light? I'd like to share with you a few examples of characters that I disliked at first, but now appreciate. 

Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman)

Fandom: Doctor Who

Reason for initial dislike: she was hopelessly in love with the Doctor. And unlike Rose, her feelings weren't reciprocated, so instead of "look at this cute couple", it was more like "look at this poor lovesick puppy". 

Type of change: character development, change of heart

Why I changed my mind: I didn't really like Martha until the last few episodes of series 3, when she proved herself to be independent, intelligent, and highly competent.

The Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith)

Fandom: Doctor Who

Reason for initial dislike: he wasn't the Tenth Doctor. Also, I got mad at him for leaving Amelia Pond - twice!

What type of change: character development and a change of heart. The writing stayed about the same. 

Why I changed my mind: As the season progressed, I began to see that though Eleven was different, he was his own unique person to be celebrated. I saw his kindness and compassion, his playfulness, and all his other great attributes. At some point, I decided he was almost as good as Ten. And now I miss him.

Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson)

Fandom: Doctor Who

Reason for initial dislike: I don't approve of random love interests thrown into a story, and that's how I saw Danny at first. I was mad at Moffat for bringing him in; one companion is enough, and Clara was too preoccupied with the Doctor to take on a boyfriend. 

Type of change: character development, better writing, change of heart

Why I changed my mind: I was really worried Danny was going to be a poorly written character, but it turned out that Moffat actually did a good job with Danny (unlike some other characters... *cough cough* Clara *cough cough* Twelve). He reminds me a little of Mickey and a little of Rory, but he's different from both of them. He's really accepting and supportive of Clara, even to the point that he allows her to continue traveling with the Doctor. And he has a fierce loyalty towards Clara, doing everything he can to help her. 

Arthur Pendragon (Bradley James)

Fandom: Merlin

Reason for initial dislike: I agree with Merlin in episode 1 that Arthur is a royal prat. And an arrogant one, too. He's rude and disrespectful, and he expects everyone to do his will. He barely seems to care about others. 

Type of change: lots and lots of character development. Maybe a change of heart, too. 

Why I changed my mind: As the show progressed, I saw how Merlin began to change Arthur into a better person. I saw that Arthur really cares about his people, and that he will risk his life for that of a servant. He may still be a prat sometimes, but he has a heart of gold. 

Uther Pendragon (Anthony Head)

Fandom: Merlin

Reason for initial dislike: he outlaws magic and executes sorcerers without a second thought, believing that all magic is evil. Even in things not related to magic, he is ruthless. He rules the kingdom with an iron fist. 

Type of change: change of heart

Why I changed my mind: as Emily Ecrivaine at Emily Ecrivaine Reviews pointed out in this post, he's only doing what he thinks is best for the kingdom. Though he is a cruel, disillusioned man, his intentions are pure; he truly has Camelot's best interests at heart. I can't say I like him, but I can at least respect him.

Philip Anderson (Jonathan Aris)

Fandom: Sherlock
Reason for initial dislike: the way Anderson's written, we're supposed to dislike him. He apparently lowers the IQ of the whole street just by talking. He's really annoying and not that bright.
Type of change: change of heart, possibly character development
Why I changed my mind: again, to go too much in depth would be to give away spoilers. Let it suffice to say that Anderson is smarter, kinder, and better than we give him credit for. (For this change of heart, I have Emily Ecrivaine to thank again - this is the post that made me rethink my perspective on him.)

I'd also like to point out that this principle applies to ships as well. The more I see of a ship, the more logical it seems. So now, a few ships that I've come to like.

Johnlock (Sherlock Holmes and John Watson)

Fandom: Sherlock
Reason for initial dislike: I'm not homosexual, and I'm a little hesitant to go along with a gay ship as a result. (Update: I used to be like that. Now, I ship same-sex couples without a second thought.) Also, it's not canon.
How much I ship them now: they're not my OTP or anything, but I definitely read Johnlock fanfiction and I think about Johnlock sometimes.
Why I changed my mind: it's clear they care about each other a lot, and it seems like they are attracted to each other. It's as if they like each other, but don't dare admit it.

Merthur (Merlin (Emrys) and Arthur Pendragon)

Fandom: Merlin
Reason for initial dislike: same reason as for Johnlock. Also, I initially shipped Merlin with Gwen. And then when Gwen got together with Arthur, I shipped Merlin with Morgana - until she went bad.
How much I ship them now: OTP!
Why I changed my mind: they're just so perfect for each other! They complete each other. And each of them would die for the other. They share a close bond (or, as the dragon might call it, destiny).

The Doctor and Rose (both Nine/Rose and Ten/Rose)

Fandom: Doctor Who
Reason for initial dislike: I didn't like Rose that much at first (yeah, I know she's not in my list of characters above. That's because I still don't like her that much. It's more like I went from dislike to neutrality.) I didn't think the Doctor should have any romantic attachments.
How much I ship them now: Meh. I kind of ship them. I'll read fanfiction with this ship, but I don't seek it out like I would for some of my other ships (including Johnlock and Merthur).
Why I changed my mind: Idk, I think they're kind of cute together. Also, Rose makes the Doctor a better person.