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.