Fandom School (Lunch): How To Describe a Fandom

Greetings and welcome again to Fandom School! Sorry class is late, I got kinda busy. Anyway, onto today's topic.

If you're like me, you are in a lot of fandoms, and while some of your friends are in some of your fandoms, there are plenty of times people ask you "what's [insert fandom here] all about?". So for the synopsis-challenged, here are some descriptions of fandoms that you can use for explaining to your friends.

Avengers: a bunch of awesome superheroes (Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thor) team up against Loki.

Big Bang Theory: a sitcom about a really smart but really annoying scientist (Sheldon Cooper), his roommate, his friends, and his girlfriend

Broadchurch: a murder mystery set in a small town where everybody has something to hide. There's a good deal of rivalry between the two detectives on the case.

Doctor Who: a man (well, technically an alien) travels through time and space in a blue box. His goal is to save the universe, but he also does all sorts of fun, weird stuff while he's at it

Galavant: a musical comedy about a hero who had his "true love" stolen from him by the king and is convinced to go back to being a hero and rescue a kingdom because it gives him a chance to get back at the king and possibly reclaim his true love.

Harry Potter: a boy named Harry learns that he is a wizard and that he is destined to defeat the dark lord Voldemort. With his new friends Ron and Hermione, he sets out to do just that.

How to Train Your Dragon: like any good Viking, Hiccup wants to kill dragons, but when he meets toothless, his whole world changes and he discovers that maybe dragons and Vikings don't have to fight each other.

Hunger Games: a dystopian novel/movie in which there are 12 districts that send two tributes each year to fight to the death in a televised horror known as The Hunger Games. When Katniss volunteers to go instead of her sister Prim, she has to survive the Games and maybe even try to change the oppressive government.

Les Misérables: a book/musical/movie set in 19th-century France that follows the story of several people in unfortunate circumstances- Valjean, who was imprisoned for 20 years for a minor offense and breaks parole to start a new life; Javert, the officer who is determined to find Valjean because he believes that criminals cannot ever be good; Fantine, a woman whose life is destroyed when a man impregnates her and then leaves her, forcing to resort to terrible things; and many other characters who go through difficult times. (Sorry the summary is so long- if you want a shorter one, just use the first part of the sentence.)

Lord of the Rings: In the Hobbit (written before the Lord of the Rings, not as a prequel), a young hobbit named Bilbo gets dragged into an adventure with a wizard named Gandalf and a band of dwarves to reclaim the lonely mountain and its gold from the evil dragon Smaug. On the way, Bilbo finds a ring. In the Lord of the Rings, we learn that this ring is evil, and Frodo (Bilbo's son) sets out with three other hobbits, a dwarf, an elf, two men, and Gandalf to throw the ring into Mordor and destroy the evil wizard Sauron.

Merlin: a young warlock named Merlin travels to Camelot, where magic is banned, and becomes a manservant to Prince Arthur. Merlin learns that it is his destiny to protect Arthur, even though Arthur is (at first) a total jerk. So, Merlin saves Arthur over and over again, all the time keeping his magic a secret. (For those who know Arthurian legend, it's like an AU of that- Merlin and Arthur are roughly the same age, and magic is banned in Camelot.)

Pitch Perfect: an all-female collegiate a cappella group called the Bellas struggles to do well and make it into the finals of the collegiate a cappella competition, and there are also tensions within the group as the leader Aubrey is resistant to any new ideas.

Sherlock: an eccentric genius becomes the world's only consulting detective, solving cases for Scotland Yard with the help of his trusty sidekick, John Watson. (There have been many adaptations of the original Arthur Conan Doyle books, including Elementary (a CBS show), Sherlock (a BBC show), and several movies.)

Star Trek: the crew of a spaceship called the Enterprise aims to "boldly go where no man has gone before". They encounter all sorts of adventures.

Star Wars: the Galactic Empire is terrible, and the Rebel Alliance has been formed against it. Just when it seems like the Rebels are going to be crushed, a young man called Luke Skywalker is trained to be a jedi master and defeat the Empire once and for all.

The Fault In Our Stars: this beautifully sad book/movie follows the story of two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, who fall in love. They know it won't last long, though, as Hazel has cancer and Augustus is a cancer survivor. They decide to make the most of the time they have.

The Princess Bride: this classic book/movie is a tale of true love and high adventure. Buttercup loses Westley, the love of her life, and is about to be wed to Prince Humperdinck, but everything changes when she is kidnapped and then is stolen from her original captors by a mysterious man in black.

Fandom School (Supper): How I Entered The Fandom World

Normally, I do lunch after 2nd period in Fandom School, but I forgot, so here it is. Today, I'd like to discuss how I became a fangirl (or fanwarrior, whatever you want to call it).

As it was for many other people, Harry Potter was my gateway fandom (i.e., the fandom that introduced me to the world of fandoms). My Mom read the books to me (and my younger brother and older sister) when I was a little kid. I have since reread the books many times and seen all the movies. I still love Harry Potter, not only for its own merits, but also for the fact that it introduced me to the world of fandoms. 

My first fandom that I really got into was Doctor Who. Ironically enough, it wasn't until after I moved from England (I was there when Doctor Who was just starting up again) that I came to watch it. I fell in love instantly. I watched every episode and soon wanted to find a way to communicate with other fans. 

My Google+ account (which had mostly been dormant) became a place to share my thoughts about fandoms. I also started reading fanfiction. 

The next step in my journey through the fan verse was when I began writing fanfiction. By this point, I was in a number of fandoms, mainly Doctor Who and Sherlock. At first, I shared my fanfiction on Google+. Then, I got an account on fanfiction.net. (I also have an AO3 account.)

Then, my Mom suggested I make a blog to share my fanfiction. And thus, The Vortex of Deduction was born. Now, my thoughts about fandoms are shown in an organized way for everyone to see. 

Another notable event was when I got a tumblr (vortexofdeduction.tumblr.com). As any of you who are on tumblr (or have seen screenshots of legendary posts) know, tumblr is full of fandoms. It's also a little bit crazy. But, it's a whole lot of fun. 

Shoutouts to fandoms:

Harry Potter, for being my first fandom

Doctor Who, for being my first major fandom

Sherlock, for being my favorite fandom

Supernatural, for the awesome gifs

SuperWhoLock, for the ridiculous posts that show up on my dash

Disney, for coming up with great movies

The Giver, for making a movie that's actually faithful to the book

Nerdfighters, for decreasing WorldSuck and being awesome

The Fault In Our Stars, for showing me that sad stuff happens and it's not always okay

The Princess Bride, for giving me a satisfying happy ending (spoliers!)

Any other thoughts about fandoms? What was your gateway fandom?

Fandom School (Second Breakfast): Fandoms Look Like This

Fandom School is here again, and it's time for lunch! Last time, I made a post describing a lunch table for each fandom (you can find it here). Since I don't want to just call this "lunch 2", I'm calling it "second breakfast", even though everyone knows second breakfast is before lunch. Apparently we're eating like hobbits now. Anyway, today I'm going to share a collection of gifs/images that represent other people's reactions when they see a fandom/find out we're in a fandom. Enjoy!

Negative Reactions

Sadly, the typical reaction is to be disappointed and/or call us crazy.

Sorry, couldn't find a gif for this one. Penny tells Sheldon he's impossible, and this is his response.

This is how crazy we look to them.

"An intelligence organization that FEARS intelligence? Historically, not awesome." (mostly focus on the "historically, not awesome" bit.)

Elvish insults (Tolkien did flesh out the language enough to add some nice insults) taken from this video because I couldn't find any good movie gifs/images.

Sorry, I couldn't find just the image/gif.

Positive responses

Sometimes, others are in the fandom with us. Or, they let us make our decision without insulting us, even though they don't agree.

"You're crazy. I like that."

Fandom School: Lunch

Hello, dear readers! You've been to two classes already (if you haven't, check out the two posts before under the label "Fandom School"), so now it's time for lunch. Who will you sit with?

The Whovians

Say hello, to the wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey table over there! The Whovians are a friendly, welcoming bunch, but we are a bit eccentric, and don't ever say that Doctor Who is weird or makes no sense. If you do, you might get soniced! (And in this case, that's not a good thing.) Our table is, of course, TARDIS blue. And did I mention, we've got comfy chairs? (Okay, maybe you have no need of comfy chairs, but please, come anyway.)

The Sherlockians
Say hello to the book-loving, mystery-solving Sherlockians! We might seem a bit aloof or even sociopathic (though we aren't - see here), but if you work hard and aren't an idiot, we'll be happy to have you. Especially if you're entertaining; we're dangerous when bored. Our table looks like the wallpaper at 221B Baker Street. Be warned, if you draw smiley faces on the table, we will shoot them.

The Potterheads

Witch or wizard, muggle or "mudblood" or squib, you're welcome to sit at our table. Here's an exciting feature you'll only find here: our plates magically refill themselves, just like at the great hall. As for our table, its appearance is constantly being changed by magic to suit the fancy of those who sit there. If you come to join us, be warned that magic may be used around you, and people might apparate in without warning. But it's lots of fun. Come join us!

The Star Wars Fans

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... This table was created. Formed from a remnant of the exploded Death Star, it is where the Star Wars fans gather. Don't get on our nerves, or you might be challenged to a lightsaber duel. 

The Trekkies

Join us? That would be... highly illogical. But you're welcome to, anyway. We have lots of fun over here, and if you're lucky, you'll get to ride the Enterprise! Our table is the only non-circular table, and it's a replica of the Enterprise spaceship. 

The Frozen Fans

Watch out! Things can get a little cold here at this table made entirely out of ice. The talented Queen Elsa herself made it, and she visits here from time to time. Don't be surprized if someone asks "Do you wanna build a snow man?", but don't expect anyone to propose to you the day they meet you. We Frozen fans know how that turns out!

The Princess Bride Fans

Come join the group of friends who believe that, above all else, true love will prevail. Don't be surprised to hear "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher." You should be very honored if you hear someone answer you with "as you wish", because what that really means is... Well, any fan can answer that one for you. This table has a picture of Buttercup and Westley kissing, because true love is amazing. And maybe one day, you won't mind the kissing so much. 

The Avengers Fans

You can only join us if you have a superpower or a cool suit. Well, actually, that's not true. You just have to like the Avengers. Take a picture of yourself with one of the Avengers who visit here from time to time, and that picture might be featured on the table. Pictures change every week. Come save the world with us!

The How to Train Your Dragon Fans

Come join us here and get the opportunity to raise your very own dragon! Hiccup and Toothless will teach you how. Also, get excited because they frequent this place. They love food! Watch out for the scorch marks on the table, though.

The Eragon Fans ¹
Kvetha, Fricai. Greetings, friend. Come join us. You may be wondering what separates us from the other fandoms. "Other fandoms have magic, dragons, elves, etc." That may be true. But do they have people like Eragon? Do they have dragons like Saphira? Do they have women as bold as Nasuada? I don't think so. You may like your fandom, but our characters are amazing. Our table is beautiful. It is made entirely of jewels, which store massive amounts of energy in case you need to cast a spell. So, come on. Eka aí fricai un Shur'tugal. I am a rider and a friend.

The Hunger Games Fans

No, you don't have to kill each other to eat here. However, you do have the option to go off-campus to the nearby forest and hunt for your food. Buy a Fandom School bow and arrow set, and be entered into a raffle to hunt with Katniss Everdeen! Have a good lunch, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

The Divergent Fans
No matter what faction you're from, you can come eat with us. Even if you're factionless, you're still allowed. (If you're wondering if why we're so selfless, it's because the leaders are Abnegation.) You should be careful of starting an argument here, though: the Dauntless can be short tempered, and you don't want to mess with them!

Loki's Army

Don't trust anyone here. We're all, lying, cheating, thieving tricksters. [Just kidding, I mean no offense to any of Loki's Army. I wouldn't want to incur your wrath.] Come here for fun and entertainment, but beware: you might get Loki'd!

The Big Bang Theorists (Okay, so I guess that's not the official fan name, but it should be.) Come join us. The table is nothing exciting, it looks like the cafeteria tables in Big Bang, but you might see Sheldon and his friends here, so that's exciting. If you join us, you'll experience a unique phenomenon: every day at exactly 12:00PM, we stand on our chairs and sing the theme song together. It's loads of fun!

The Les Misérables Fans No, we're not all miserable. We actually have lots of fun. Be warned, though: you might not hear any speaking at all. We love to sing! (If you are reading this aloud, please sing the Les Misérables section.)

The Kung Fu Panda Fans Come join us and eat with Po! You can come at any time of day; Po is always hungry. Or, if you prefer, skip eating all together, and train with the Furious Five. It's hard work, but it's totally awesome!

So who will you sit with? I'm a Whovian all the way, but I'd be happy at any of these tables. Join us next week as we head back to class and learn about the emotions and feelings of being in a fandom.

^{1. Personally, I think Eragon fans should be called Shur'tugal or Riders, but there's no official fan name.↩}