Dr. Merlin's Soapbox

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Dr. Merlin's Soapbox is a series of meta essays by Merlin Missy.

They were posted to "Firefox News." While these essays were very, very fannish, they had a for-profit element. From Put the Potato Down:

This is the reason behind the copyright notice on this website. If you take our articles and post them in their entirety somewhere else, we don't get paid, the website doesn't make money, and we have to shut down.

Its Goal

In 2008, Merlin Missy explained to fans what the function of this essay series was.

Without going into detail, there have been many comments made regarding various rants posted on Dr. Merlin's Soapbox, some good, some bad, some very confused. This column is envisioned to be a guide for n00bs and occasionally serve as a gentle reminder for the rest of us. Sometimes it is easier to learn from the mistakes of others (and Dr. Merlin has made so very many mistakes in her time online that this column will likely never lack for material) so the Soapbox is intended to offer examples in order to make the fandom experience more pleasant for newcomers and old-timers alike.

As such, many times Dr. Merlin will provide examples or advice that do not apply to your situation, as you have already crossed (burned?) that particular bridge long ago or else you have decided to traipse back on your own for a visit to the old country. Enjoy. If, however, you're new to fandom, then kindly step inside, take a look around, and see if you find something that suits you. Free advice is worth every penny, as they say, and the worst it can provide you is a starting place on a very interesting journey as you run screaming away somewhere else.

The Series

2006

• Mary Sue, Who Are You? (2006)

2007

• Canon Versus Fanon Versus Authorial Intent (July 30, 2007)
• The Outer Culture Is You (September 20, 2007)
• Fantopia, Or, How to Live With Fellow Fans (And Not Kill Them) (September 13, 2007)
• Constructing Criticism (September 28, 2007)
• Giving Back, Fandom-Style (October 4, 2007)
• Fandom as Democracy (October 11, 2007)
• A Day At the Biggest Mall on Earth: Fanfic Archiving and You (October 19, 2007)
• Character Counts (October 26, 2007)
• You're Wearing the Wrong Duck on Your Head (November 2, 2007)
• Sock It to Me (November 23, 2007)
• Anything You Can Write, I Can Write Better -- Fanfiction Awards (December 13, 2007)
• The Gifts That Keep on Giving: Fanfic Exchanges and Ficathons (December 20, 2007)
• "You Mean Everyone Brought Potato Salad?" (December 28, 2007)

2008

• Mary and Me (January 24, 2008)
• The Writer in the Mirror (January 31, 2008)
• Why? -- A Not-Remotely-Complete Investigation of the "Why Slash / Why Het / Why Femslash" Debate (February 18, 2008)
• Dribbles and Drabbles (February 22, 2008)
• How to Be a Fandom Jerk in Just a Few Easy Steps (February 28, 2008)
• Celebrating Squee (March 6, 2008)
• The Flip, the Flail and the Flounce: When Fandom Implodes (April 11, 2008)
• A Brief Excursion to Exposition Street (April 18, 2008)
• Your Friends Are Not Watching the Same Show You Are (And That's Okay) (May 2, 2008)
• Put the Potato Down (May 8, 2009)
• The Internet Is Not Oppressing You (May 16, 2008)
• "That Would Never Happen in My Fandom" (May 23, 2008)
• These Are the Keys, This Is the Kingdom (June 5, 2008)
• In Defense of Creativity (June 12, 2008)
• Curing Hiatus Fever (June 20, 2008)
• In and Out (July 22, 2008)
• Don't Spit in the Alphabet Soup (June 26, 2008)
• How to Win Fans and Influence Fandom (July 10, 2008)
• Wanking: a Tutorial (July 17, 2008)
• Say Cheese! -- The Lawyers Just Screen Capped Your Fan Site (July 31, 2008)
• The "Down Ending" Myth (July 25, 2008)
• In Space, No One Can Read Your Thesis (August 22, 2008)
• Losin' That Lovin' Feelin' (September 4, 2008)
• Time Travel, The Old-Fashioned Way (September 25, 2008)
• Your Canon Sucks and So Does Mine (November 22, 2009)
• Dances With Penguins (December 3, 2008)
• Cultural Appropriation Is Not Cool (December 3, 2009)

2009

• Privilege Goggles, Fandom, and Why This All Matters (March 9, 2009)
• On the Naming of Names (March 18, 2009)
• Women Read Comics, And Other Things You Never Knew (June 17, 2009)
• People Will Say We're in Love: Entering a New Fandom (July 15, 2009)

• The Epic of Figwit: When Fanons Collide (December 9, 2009)
• Stinky Links (December 17, 2009)

2013

• My Boundaries, Let Me Show You Them (September 13, 2013)
• We Are Not Like the Other Kids (October 29, 2013)
• The Four-Leafed Clover of Fanfiction (November 1, 2013)