Jamie's Gateway Fandoms

So I was perusing tumblr, like I do. There was a great (super inside fandom) comment about LeakyCon and the Harry Potter fandom:

"At Leakycon we don’t say “I love you” we say “WE’RE WIZARDS WE’LL PARTY FOREVER TURN AROUND BRIGHT EYES HARRY I’M COMING HOME I THINK WE’RE GOING BACK!” which translates to “After all this time? Always” and I think that’s beautiful."

... and I started thinking about how it's time for a reread. Cause you know, it's been a year or two, and it's important to revisit your favorite things every so often. Or maybe just often. I mean, the Buffy prom episode is on in the background right now. If I pay too much attention, it'll make me cry. Cause I have embraced a great deal of nerdy things in the last several years, but Buffy and Harry, that's how it all started.

Speaking of tumblr (where you can be your nerdiest most awesome self), some time ago there was a thing posted that was so perfect. It said:

"Harry Potter is, like, the gateway fandom. You start reading the books, then all of a sudden you have a Sonic Screw driver, you're carrying salt everywhere and awkwardly in love with Sherlock Holmes and you don't really know how any of it happened, but you're pretty sure it started because Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursely of 4 Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal thank you very much." 

And I thought two things. That is beautiful and that is me. All the things I have discovered that I love so much, from nerdfighters to Wootstock is a direct result of my HP and/or Joss Whedon love.  I could analyze for days why these particular stories are what pulled me in, are what I can read and watch time and time again, but ultimately, it doesn't even matter. They are brilliant and they opened the door to a world of so much awesome. Because of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Buffy, Willow & Xander, I found John & Hank Green, the Doctor and his companions, the fraking toasters, Felicia Day & the Guild, Wil Wheaton,  Eureka & Warehouse 13, Wizard Wrock, DFTBA Records, Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Molly Lewis, Hannah Hart, the Nerdist, The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, and so much more.

Hold on.  Pause. Jonathan, aka Danny Strong who is writing the screenplay to Mockingjay, is giving Buffy the Class Protector award, so I have to cry a little.

Okay, I'm good.

I don't know exactly what the point of this post is, other than to say, whatever your thing is, embrace it. And follow it down the rabbit hole. You won't be disappointed. I know I haven't been since Buffy became the slayer and Mr. & Mrs. Vernon Dursley were proud to be very, very normal.

 

Coming Soon: As we move toward 100 posts Sarah does her part by highlighting the nerdiest moments in the West Wing, which she has been documenting during her current Netflix-fueled viewing of the Aaron Sorkin masterpiece.

Kacey Takes "Roommates 101"

I have always struggled a bit with roommates (or flatmate for other English speakers)… and honestly it’s probably me. I like my space and my independence. Jamie found a solid roommate and hung onto her for as long as she could until they decided to be “grown-ups” and went their separate ways just a few short months ago. Only recently on my adventure to the other side of the world, have I finally found a roommate whom I love living with and can see myself spending the next year with. She’s awesome. But how I have come to a place that, finally at 28, I can deal with having a roommate? Well I can only accredit this to the years of watching television shows (mostly sitcoms) about roommates.

So what exactly have my favorite shows taught me over the years about sharing a living space?

Well let’s review:

Big Bang Theory: It’s important to have pre-arranged agreements and stick to them. Granted Sheldon’s “Roommate Agreement” might be a bit extensive, but there is a need for some rules/agreements right from the beginning.

Friends: It’s important at least one of roommate has a need for order and cleanliness. Some roommates might find this irritating if they are always cleaning, but the fact that Rachel didn’t do much cleaning never really bothered Monica. Monica thrived in getting to be the organized one. In fact, her competitive nature probably wouldn’t have enjoyed having someone else who wanted to control and clean everything. So maybe the real lesson here is the need for balance of personalities.  

Friends Part 2: Roommates should probably have some shared interests. Joey and Chandler bonded over an enjoyment of Bay Watch, comfy chairs and foosball. It was the simple things that kept them together… and all the bro-mance.

HIMYM: Find a roommate that will also want to keep swords on the wall. In other words have similar ideas about décor and be able to share the space equally. Just be careful if the décor ever is used for a battle… someone might get stabbed.

New Girl: There will be some discovered quirkiness in roommates (or a lot)…embrace them anyways…or at least allow it to happen. Let’s face it… Jess, Nick, Schmidt and Winston epitomize quirkiness . But they don’t get hung up on it… it just makes the un-predictableness, predictable.

2 Broke Girls: It’s important that you both agree that a horse in the backyard is a welcomed idea. Or really, any pet needs to be agreed on beforehand. If Max didn’t want Chestnut hanging around, she would have put Caroline out on her ass with no hesitations.

Buffy: Sometimes your roommate really is a demon and it’s not just you. In Buffy’s case her roommate was a straight out of the Hellmouth sort of demon, but occasionally new roommate setups just don’t work. It’s often better to find someone you already know and love.

Once Upon Your Time: Get to know your roommate, they might turn out to be closely related to you. In Mary Margret and Emma’s case it turned out they were mother and daughter which isn’t probably likely to happen, but it is important to know a little about the person you are going to live to avoid major surprises.

Golden Girls: You’re really never too old to have roommates.

Coming Soon: After an adventure to Coachella Sarah bequeaths the 10 Commandments of musical festival going.