Merlin Missy

Fan
Name:	Merlin Missy, Melissa Wilson, mtgat
Alias(es):
Type:
Fandoms:	Gargoyles, and many others
Communities:
Other:
URL:	Idylls of the Wizard
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Merlin Missy is a prolific fiction writer, archive moderator, essayist, and fandom commentator.

From her 2001 Fanfiction.net profile:

Hi. I'm Dr. Merlin, and these are some of my stories. Why? Because the little people who live in my head tell me to, that's why. I continually walk that fine line between wanting to assist young fanfic writers on their journey, and getting irritated by people who can't be bothered to use a spell-checker, or barring that, a dictionary. Cynic, daydreamer and all-around fangirl ahead; proceed at your own risk.

Some Links

• International House of Nuts
• Fanfiction.net
• LiveJournal
• Archive of Our Own

Fanac

• creator of The (Original) Mary Sue Litmus Test (1997)
• essayist at Firefox News
• one of the moderators of BONC
• writer of much fanfiction
• ficathon organizer

Meta

Homepage

• Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fan Fiction (1996)
• Freedom (topic is the internet, community, no gatekeeping) (1996?)
• The (Original) Mary Sue Litmus Test (1997)
• How Do I Go About Writing a Mary Sue Litmus Test? (2001)
• The Scenic Route (2002)

Dr. Merlin's Soapbox

Many meta essays about fandom were posted to Firefox News between 2007-2013 as a column called Dr. Merlin's Soapbox.

They include "You Mean Everyone Brought Potato Salad?", How to Be a Fandom Jerk in Just a Few Easy Steps, Mary and Me, Your Friends Are Not Watching the Same Show You Are (And That's Okay), These Are the Keys, This Is the Kingdom, and Stinky Links.

LiveJournal

• Feedback Pie https://mtgat.livejournal.com/14780.html (2003)
• Feedback, Critique, and That Entitlement Thing (2005)
• Dear person who reads/writes slash/het/femslash/gen: https://mtgat.livejournal.com/197590.html (2006)

Fan Comments

Missy has been writing in fandom long enough to everything you can do wrong -- and she doesn't do any of it. Her Duty, we get a short, snarky, hilarious look at how the Justice League really functions -- and the sacrifices that have to be made. For another giggle, check out her Farscape filk, "Brian Henson's Therapy", and everything she ever wrote for Gargoyles.

Merlin Missy is above and beyond the best writer in Gargoyles fanfic. Her series 'Consequences' splits off before the much-hated third season and follows through on many plot threads introduced in the show. It's beautifully written and incredibly poignant; Part 6 can still leave me in tears. My only warning is that sexual abuse is a significant element in one character's story; it's well-handled but intentionally disturbing, as it involves a character with the mind of a child in an adult body. (Yes, I know this is a fanfic of a 90's cartoon, I'm going to hell; just trust me, the story is that good.)