Have you ever loved a fictional piece (movie, franchise, book series, TV show, song, etc.) so much that you can’t think of anything wrong with it? You then dub it as “perfect.” Not only is it your favorite in that category, every person who took part in making it becomes your favorite. You watch, listen to, or read it every day of your life until you know the entire thing by heart.
Take my best friend for example. She is obsessed with the entire Marvel franchise. I can’t go one day seeing her without her mentioning the newest episode in the cartoons or telling me what happens to the characters like Wolverine or Iron Man in the future. I, in return, tell her about my favorite book series Cirque Du Freak. I’m blinded by how creepily awesome it is and how much I wish the Cirque and vampires were real.
Why do you get so blinded by this thing? The answer is simple; you’ve become its nerd.
Now of course, I’m not saying you suddenly fit all of the nerd stereotypes. Saying that you’ve become a nerd is simply an easier way of saying you have become an obsessed fan of the piece. You suddenly have all of its merchandise, can’t go a day without thinking about it and go to every event that has to do with it (such as Comicon,) if there is any at all.
It’s not easy to keep your obsession hidden. Chances are, you’re going to end up talking about it every chance you get until you have nothing more to talk about and you find someone telling you; “You’ve told me that five times already!”
Fictional pieces aren’t the only thing you can be obsessed over. You can be obsessed with a hobby, an animal, a game, a moment in your life or anything for that matter. What’s your obsession? If you think you have no obsession and are relieved, I’m sorry to tell you that everyone has one. For me, it’s Cirque Du Freak, for my brother, it’s sports, for Jackie Chan, it’s martial arts, for my favorite character in Cirque Du Freak, Darren Shan, it’s spiders. There are too many to list.
I know what you’re thinking based on what I’ve told you; obsessions are awful! Now, don’t freak out if you don’t want to have an obsession. Chances are you’ll be too blinded by its awesomeness to care. If you’re not however and are longing for a cure, there’s only one. As Mason Cooley says, “Cure for an obsession: get another one.”
How do you think I got over my obsession with Clifford: The Big Red Dog when I was four? I got into Dragon Tales. How did my brother get over his obsession with Star Wars? He got into sports. How did… oh, you get the idea!
Bottom line, there’s no avoiding an obsession. All you can do is hope you get one good enough to blind you from getting annoyed with yourself.