I am so so so excited to be writing my first 5 Fandom Friday post here on SuperSpaceChick! Megan and I were so happy that everyone was so receptive to our idea. It totally made our days, so thank you<3! We decided to kick off our blog baby with a post about our gateway fandoms. There are so many fandoms that are near and dear to my heart but it was very simple to pinpoint the top 5 from my childhood that molded me into the fan I am today. It was such an enjoyable writing experience to relive those old memories and really analyze my passions. What were your gateway fandoms? If you write your own post I would love to read it and share it here!

Harry Potter

I’ve written extensively about how Harry Potter will always be my number one fandom. I’ve always felt an unbreakable connection to the characters in JK Rowling’s series because, besides the obvious fantastically crafted story, Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Neville, and I basically grew up together. We were the same age throughout the series (my birthday being in July a mere week after Harry’s) until the delay between Order of the Phoenix and the Half Blood Prince. I will never forget browsing through my a book catalog (my dad worked at a publishing company for the majority of my life so our house has always been overflowing with books) for new books worthy of my next order when I came across Harry Potter. My ten year old self read the description and preordered this book about wizards, having no idea it would end up meaning more to me than anything else I would read for the rest of my life (thus far). Besides the constant guidance from my parents, JK Rowling’s series is responsible for teaching me lessons about what’s right and how making the right choice is almost never the easy choice. My favorite character is Luna Lovegood and I am a proud Ravenclaw. I’ve attended every midnight book release party at my local Borders (how I miss that shop!), and every midnight movie premiere, having made custom Harry Potter t-shirts with my group of friends for all of these events. I own multiple copies of the books and all of the films on Blu-ray and more Harry Potter clothing and accessories than anyone needs. I visit Harry Potter World in Orlando as often as I can afford and I would do just about anything to take the studio tour in London. I also fancy torturing people in my car by forcing them to listen to Wizard Rock.

Star Wars

When my brother and I were kids, my Dad took us to a local movie theater to see Star Wars: A New Hope. I remember sitting in the theater, popcorn in hand, and being completely blown away by the opening credits. I felt like I was actually in outer space. For a kid that loved looking at the night sky through a telescope, this was huge. As soon as the movie ended my brother and I both wanted to see more. Luckily, the theater also screened Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and my dad took us to see each of those as well. Since then all three of the original Star Wars films have become my go to comfort movies. I’ve spent more nights than I can count scrolling through my Netflix cue for 30-45 minutes before just throwing on Empire Strikes Back. I was always (and still am) fascinated by Leia. She’s an awesome Princess but she’s still a badass. And now that she’s a Disney Princess, she’s set the bar pretty high for future female characters!

Neil Gaiman/Sandman

After falling head over heels in love with the Harry Potter series, I was eager to read more fantasy genre novels. I happened upon Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series which I love with all of my heart and then promptly proceeded to read just about everything else he’s ever published. I could watch YouTube videos of Neil speaking about writing or storytelling for hours on end. The entire reason that I joined Twitter is because (in the least creepy way possible) Neil is on it and I could read updates from him more frequently. He is the first person that I followed. I’ve embarrassed myself in front of him in real life but luckily he was so delightful and British and could see how happy and nervous I was that he interrupted me and offered to give me a hug. My first and only tattoo is an ankh symbol because of the Sandman series and I’ve cosplayed the character Death who wears an ankh around her neck. I’ve seen Neil at book signings, conversational evenings, and one of my favorite and most obscure events, when he read A Christmas Carol in its entirety at the New York Public Library. Neil Gaiman + Christmas is a combination that’s almost too much for me to handle.

Super Nintendo

Super Nintendo was my gateway into video games. It’s still one of my favorite game systems to date despite the realistic graphics and special effects that go into modern games. Call me crazy but I would take a side scrolling 2D game over the confusing directional controls on my PS3 any day. I think this is also why the game system I use most often is my Nintendo 3DS. My favorite game on Super Nintendo was Donkey Kong Country 2 which I feel like I could still beat with my eyes closed. I recently replayed the second and third games with Andrew (who makes fun of me for insisting that I haven’t beaten the game until I obtain the highest percentage achievable) and it was still so much fun. Andrew is going to let me play Chrono Trigger on his system soon! Because my brother and I used to play with our best friends Lauren and Gina, we would often do a two player contest and have to rotate playing or have two people sit and watch since SNES is only made for two controllers. I remember how excited we were to get Nintendo64 and play games like Mario Kart and Mario Party where we could all participate simultaneously. What a treat!

Pokémon

My final gateway fandom is without a doubt, Pokémon. I collected those cards like you wouldn’t believe. I remember printing out images I found on AOL during the days of dial up internet and pimping out my binder with cutouts of Jigglypuff, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur. I had pages of holographic cards (the best cards, obviously) and my brother, Lauren, Gina and I would beg our moms to buy us a new pack of cards every week after our swimming lessons. I think it was this behavior that made me into the collector I am today. We would also collect McDonald’s toys (those were the unhealthiest weeks of our lives), Beanie Babies, Goosebumps cards, and so many other things I’m probably forgetting. I also loved watching the classic Pokémon TV show with Ash, Misty and Pikachu. I’m surprised it took me as long as it did to get into anime since I loved that series so much.

Honorable Mention: Disney

My Grandma and I would watch The Little Mermaid every single time I slept over her house. We would sing the songs (there are too many videos of me signing and thinking I sound like Ariel than I care to reveal), pretend forks were hair brushes, and then sing some more. I also loved watching Beauty and the Beast. Belle’s library is what I’ve always aspired to recreate in my future adult home.