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.