You slowly, carefully rest your black cloak on your shoulders. You are surrounded by friends and colleagues, all chanting. Bending to one knee, you utter the sacred vow.
"I promise to be way too into Game of Thrones," you whisper, your hand over your heart. "From now until the end of time."
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What you've just read is a very real account of a "fandom initiation." Strange as it may seem, scenes like this are happening all over the world, every day. People are, it would seem, more into things than ever before. In 2014, we don't just like a television show — we obsess over it. We pour our hearts and souls and tweets into it, week after week until its cancelled or dies naturally after six seasons and a movie.
It's not just television either. The peoples' chosen movies, books and entertainers all have followings rivaling that of small countries. Below, we've listed the craziest.

The size and devotion of Beyonce fans is unrivaled. If mobilized, this fandom could likely take control of at least one of the hemispheres, within hours.

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
Where were you when you first realized that R+L=J? We were in the godswood, honing our sword fighting skills (our godswood doubles as a studio apartment in Brooklyn).

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
Years from now, when the wasteland that was Earth can be inhabited by humans again, historians will look back to the day Daryl Dixon got killed off by walkers as the beginning of the apocalypse.

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
Legend has it that a man once commented, "Doctor Who isn't that good" on a message board somewhere. Within five minutes, all record of his existence was gone.

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
Which is more addictive: binge-watching Breaking Bad or crystal methamphetamine? Answer: the two are equally addictive.

Image: Mashable Compsite. Illustration: Max Knoblauch; Images: AP Photo/Gero Breloer; AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye; AP Photo/Joel Ryan; AP Photo/Andrew Medichini
If you're surprised by Benedict Cumberbatch making the list, you probably don't visit Tumblr very often. Go ahead, take a look. We'll be waiting here with a cool rag and some aspirin when you find your way out.

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
Money, drama, big hats — fans of Downton Abbey love it all.

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
Go ahead. Mention The Running Man. See what happens.

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
Have you heard from the House of Cards fan in your life lately? If not, you may want to check on him. We found ours sunken into a popcorn-covered couch, curled into a ball and questioning his morals.

Image: Mashable, Max Knoblauch
If anything, Mad Men fans have shown us that day drinking and productivity are not necessarily mutually exclusive.
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