About Flirting with Fandom

I have an obsessive personality. When I discover something that I like, I tend to go overboard in my affection (this has frightened quite a few boys). References will work their way into conversations, music will blare out of car windows, and DVDs will be thrust upon the willing.

A few months ago, over at the wonderful Doctor Who LiveJournal community, I started chronicling conversations and events which would suddenly– to the amusement and confusion of coworkers and family – take a turn towards Doctor Who.

The posts were tremendous fun to write and people seemed to enjoy them but I couldn’t help but wonder if I didn’t have more stories to share, after all, Doctor Who is hardly my first crush. And so Flirting with Disaster was born (some day it will expect me to clothe it, feed it, and send it to university where it will meet and mingle with much smarter blogs).

FWD is intended as a collection of anecdotes and misadventures surrounding various infatuations held over the past thirty years– from the Mighty Mouse costume I had when I was four to the day I swore that I would switch teams and move to the UK for Donna Noble, Flirting with Fandom will contain a little bit of everything.

Frequently Asked Questions (as yet to be asked – I’m proactive)

Q. What do you mean “Flirting”? Aren’t you either in or out?
A. A few weeks ago, I walked into a comic shop where a heated discussion was taking place. I wandered around, eavesdropping on the conversation and caressing a copy of Scud: The Whole Shebang as I wondered if it was worth parting with $99. After five minutes, I realized that they were talking Star Wars. Yes, so minute were the details they were discussing that it took me – me who once vowed to seduce George – a full five minutes to realize that they were talking SW.

They were hardcore geeks, proof that I had spent my Star Wars years merely flirting with The Force.


Q. Wait! Some of these aren’t fandoms. How can a fandom pre-date message boards?
A. Oh we had our fandoms before the internet – we just thought we were crazy and alone.


Q. Is that you in the header?
A. No. That is the miracle of affordable stock photography.


Q. Who are all these other people?
A. While coworkers, friends, and former classmates will pop up, the regular cast includes:

Me – also known as Kat (in real life) and Devi (on LiveJournal, which may someday supplant real life).

The Boyfriend – Code name Scott
The Sister – Code name Sandra
The Cousin – Code name James
The Cousin's Wife - Code name Kay
The Ex – Code name Chip