Carmilla and Fandoms

This is the Carmilla post I mention here. I have fallen hard and fast into this fandom and still a little disoriented. I started watching just before season two premiered. If you have read my other post than you will know that it was one of the many web series I tried after finishing LBD but failed to continue beyond, in this case, episode six. The only reason why I started watching it again was because I really need some more vampire stuff. After my intense session with LBD I went back to regular TV for a while. I am in a vampire phase right now, so I have been watching Buffy, which I have been borrowing from the library season by season. Season five left me a big dribbling mess and I could not get season six, for I was (as mentioned before) doing the Explorer program, so out of town. This meant I had to find something on the Internet that was good and had vampires. Just a heads up, Carmilla has vampires! In fact, the title character is a vampire!

Reasons to watch Carmilla:

1. Great writing. This series is written by Jordan Hall who is very pop culture savvy and makes a ton of references to other works.

2. The great cast. Engaging and stage trained bundles of energy all of them. Also, it is mostly women! Don't see that everyday.

3. A great vampire story. No Twilight here! (unless you count Carmilla watching it).

4. Relationships.  Great relationships all round. Friendships, romance...ships?

5. It's Canadian! This is really just a "me" reason. I go crazy for anything made in Canada. #ProudlyCanadian :)

6. The fandom. Now the above reasons are what I found out after becoming a fan, but it was the fandom that made become a fan. When I rewatch things on Youtube I tend to read the comments. The comments from all the fans of the show. That is what got me through the first few episodes which were kind of slow for me. Honestly, the Carmilla fandom is fantastic. This leads to the second part of my post: Fandoms.

I am a newbie when it comes to fandoms. Disclaimer: I don't count Harry Potter as a fandom because a fandom sort of implies borders and Harry Potter love has no borders. I am a passionate reader and watcher of many books, TV shows, and movies; I call myself a fan of Doctor Who and Sherlock etc. However, there is one main difference between being a fan and being a part of a fandom and that is the Internet. When you start looking being involved on the Internet that, for me, is when you become part of the fandom. It's not just you and your love anymore. It's you and thousands if not millions of other peoples' love for the show/book/movie. Fan fiction, art, theories, you name it, are all mainly shared on the Internet. This is where fandoms thrive. Sure there are conventions etc, but it is on the web that fans interact with other fans the most.

What made me get into fandoms? The first fandom I joined was the Once Upon a Time fandom. I started watching  it a year ago because a lot of people were recommending it, and I love fairytales, so I eventually caved and got the first season from the library. I finished it within the day and was a hard core Rumbelle (Beauty and the Beast!!) shipper (after I figured out what shipping was). I quickly finished the next two seasons. Then the long wait until September... I didn't know what to do!  How could I get more of these characters? The answer to that question was of course: fanfiction. I read a ton of it. Fanfiction led me to tumblr and Youtube videos. I found out about Comic Con, shipping, tags and GIFs. There is still more to fandoms than what I just mentioned, but I don't know them, again, newbie.

As of right now I am part of two fandoms. I am an Oncer and a Creampuff (fan of Carmilla). I don't think I will become part of any other right now because I will never leave my house if I do. I spend way too much time on the web as it is. I do find fandoms fascinating though and will continue to participate in the ones I am already a part of.