Why I Will Always Be A 'The Clone Wars' Fan

It's been a while since I've written any articles or Star Warsy fangirl posts, so here goes. :)

I was thinking recently....I will never NOT love The Clone Wars.  Some of my friends have ditched the show, getting fed up with Darth Maul or with where they're taking the plot, or the lack of Ahsoka or the lack of good episodes or whatever.  I understand that, I respect that, I just know that I will never be that way.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a good friend of mine, and he was saying how The Clone Wars was really failing lately, becoming a drag to watch.  He said that the Micro-Series was better (and it's cool in it's own right, I'll give him that) and I found myself defending TCW very hardcore. XD  I normally don't really care if people bash TCW, mostly because I've seen it happen SO much that it's just normal now.  But I felt I had to defend this show...this show which means a lot to me and which when it comes down to it, is probably my favorite TV show of all time.
I love Doctor Who, I love Warehouse 13, I love Sherlock, I love Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra, but I really love The Clone Wars.  And I'll never stop.

Here's why.

The Clone Wars was my FIRST true TV show fandom that I followed closely.  My sister fell in love with it (and Ahsoka) when she was only in KINDERGARTEN. That was a huge deal for her, seeing the Clone Wars movie in the theaters for a birthday party...it sparked our entire family's Star Wars fandom, though we didn't know it at the time.
The first two seasons, I didn't like TCW nor did I watch it. But after getting into the Original Trilogy, I backtracked and rewatched all the episodes, immediately falling in love. I watched the premiere for Season 3 and Season 4, and now Season 5 too.  This fandom is unlike the others...though I always go through phases of "what I'm into" right then, whether it be Doctor Who, or Korra, or Star Trek, or Warehouse 13 (I'm sorta between fandoms right now...) I always always ALWAYS fall back on Star Wars.  No matter what, Star Wars is my Number 1 fandom.  The Clone Wars is included in that.  I can always rewatch my favorite episodes over and over.  I can complain all I want about where TCW is going with boring arcs or lack of character development, or whatever, but I'll always tune in every Saturday morning, and I'll never get tired of the show.  :)

Aside from it being my first TV show fandom, The Clone Wars has made a huge impact on my life.  Because of The Clone Wars, I've met a lot of my best friends, and I've gotten to meet many of the TCW voice actors (all of whom are amazing and some of my favorite people on the planet). :) I've written fanfiction for The Clone Wars, read fanfiction for it, watched fanvideos (often made by said friends) and obsessed over it, though not as "hardcore" as some of my other fandoms.  It's just always there, TCW is a constant.  Never changing.

Something really awesome I've noticed about The Clone Wars is that there are different ways to fangirl over it.  (Or Fanboy, depending on who you are XD)  Savanna and I watched the most recent episode of TCW (dasf;j;askldfjkasl) when I was over at her house this past weekend and we were both freaking out, but for different reasons.  Savanna is the biggest Clone fangirl I know. I honestly don't think ANYONE loves Commander Wolffe as much as she does.  She was super excited to see Commander Fox, and the Shockie troopers, and the ARF troopers (and their dog things XD).  I was excited to see Anakin, Rex, and Ahsoka.  I was actually emotionally distraught over Rex, Anakin and Ahsoka, but that's beside the point. XDD
I love the heroes, the main characters, their story arcs, how their stories tie into the greater films and overall greater saga.  Savanna likes the bad guys, the Clone Troopers, the and Bounty Hunters.  Despite our loves of TCW differing so much, we still find a lot in common between us, and we still share this mutual bond over The Clone Wars, no matter how different it is.  It's cool.  A lot of my friends are like that, TCW is so broad that we all like different things, but we still share the same show, and are all fans of it. :)

Speaking of last week's episode...it was insane. INCREDIBLE and insane.  I think that thus far, that was my favorite episode...well, I also liked the episode with the Mandos and Satine (SOBS) and Obi-Wan and Savage and everything.  THAT was a great episode.  That revived my TCW feels...it was ABSOLUTELY wonderfully done.  I loved "The Lawless".  I think that "The Jedi Who Know Too Much" is definitely in second place thus far.  The voice acting was phenomenal.  I still can't get over Matt Lanter and Ashley Eckstein's interaction with one another in that scene. It means so much and just is so amazing...I can't listen to the ending scene without wanting to curl up in a ball and cry. XD

Anyway, I've been having all the Clone Wars feels lately.  I can remember when TCW season 3 was premiering and we were all so excited to watch...I remember making Clone Cupcakes. ;) We had another little premiere party with Yoda Soda and other Star Warsy type foods for the Season 4 premiere too.  Season 5's premiere is by far my favorite....I spent hours in line at Celebration VI with my TLF sisters, and we watched the premiere with hundreds of thousands of other Star Wars TCW fans, and cheered and flailed and panicked and it was a BLAST. ;)

Me and Glory Season 5 premiere, SWCVI. (Amanda photobomb XD)

Now I've remembered how much I love TCW.  It started when I was watching Ahsoka run for her life, and was amplified when I saw her and Anakin's discussion.  The way he spoke to her.. "I'll never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka!"

It's a great show. The animation is incredible and the characters are compelling and awesome. :) I love everything about it.  Even the episodes I hate, I still love, because it's The Clone Wars.

/end ranty Clone Wars post/ ;)

Your very feelsy fangirl,
Grace

P.S. I am thinking of doing some more Star Wars opinion posts soon...I have a lot of thoughts I want to get into words. XDD

Me // Who Am I?

I've been thinking lately.
(a dangerous thing really...)
In my thoughts, I've discovered that I live a double life.
Not a Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart double life, but a Fallon Klivian/Grace double life.

...it's really funny actually.  To my best friends, and close friends, and even various internet friends, they all know me one way, while people I know in "real life" know me completely differently.

I love Emma Stone :'D

You all know how hard I fangirl. You all know how hard I cry over fanfiction, or TV shows, etc.  You all know how obsessed and attached to fictional characters I am, and how I like to cosplay and write stories and create my own universes and discuss the depth of Amy Pond's expression as she looks at The Doctor, her best friend, etc.  You all know how hardcore I am when it comes to Star Wars, and how I've been to Star Wars conventions and go to Star Wars Weekends every year, and so on and so forth.
...so the Internet knows the real me?

This occurred to me a few weeks back at Dance.  I was talking to one of the teachers at the studio, the one I help in her classes for.  She's such a nice lady, I've known her for a really long time (she used to be my teacher!).  We were discussing Disney, as we'd both recently taken a trip there.  I mentioned that we're planning on using our days on our pass to go back for Disney's Star Wars Weekends.  She kinda looked at me and said, "Oh, you're so cute, with your Star Wars weekends." and I was like, "Diane, you don't understand.  Star Wars is my life.  It's not cute, I live, eat, breathe, sleep, dream, Star Wars."
I didn't say that of course, I politely giggled and said, "Haha, yeah, we're big fans."

But this is what gets me.  They really don't "know" me.  It happened again, I was at my tap dance class, and talking to my good friend Abbey.  Abbey was convinced that she was a bigger fangirl than me.  I laughed so hard I almost fell on the floor, because I am positive that that's physically impossible.  She fangirls over bands and over One Direction or whatever.  I had to explain that "Honey, I do FANDOM."

She was all "Well have you ever had an emotional breakdown crying because someone's so beautiful" and I'm like "Try two weeks straight still crying over a movie or TV show."
"Two weeks?"
"Straight."
"Really?"
"Ask my mom."

I named all the fandoms I could off the top of my head, and this chick was floored. She couldn't believe all the things she didn't know about me.  She was so surprised.  People are surprised all the time when they find stuff out about me.

At orchestra the other night I was talking to my friend Shanley (who I've gotten to know a lot better, and she's learned about the 'real me') and her friend Kate came over when we were discussing writing. She was so shocked.
"You've written a novel?!"
"I've written four novels."
"YOU'VE WRITTEN FOUR NOVELS?!?!"
I explained what NaNoWriMo was and how I wrote a novel over the summer for fun and how long they are and all the details. It was so cool, seeing she never knew that about me.

My friend Matthew at orchestra recently followed me on Instagram and asked me a TON of questions.  I had to explain almost all my fandoms, explain why my name was "Fallon Klivian" on twitter and why people call me "Fallon" and who the heck Fallon was and explain who River Song was and why she was my mother and explain all sorts of things and I was almost embarrassed that he found me on Instagram because he was finding out about me.
It scared me when he was looking at pics from Celebration VI and asked me about my friends. I was like "YOU KNOW WHO AUTUMN IS?!"
I felt like my little double life was being revealed, like in the Hannah Montana movie where Miley and Hannah's worlds got mixed up and Crawley Corners found out her secret. O.O
Weird, right?

But then again...why should I have to be different for people I see in person and people I know just from the internet.  All of my best friends I've met through the internet, and they all love me because I'm so different and like so many different things.  If the people I know IRL don't like that or think I'm weird, or whatever, then they don't really matter, do they?

Last week during school my mom and I were doing philosophy and we were talking about Nicholas Copernicus, who was afraid to publish his theories about the sun being the center of the galaxy, because he was afraid of being ridiculed.  He didn't want people to think he was crazy, and he didn't want people passing judgement on him.  He was afraid of what they'd say.

One of the student questions in the unit asked if "you ever feel like Copernicus" and are afraid of what other people think of you, and act accordingly.  I immediately said no, that I don't care what others think of me.  And to be honest, I'd like to say that is usually the case. I've gotten really good at wearing my heart on my sleeve, or rather, my fandoms on my shirts, and just going for it.  If I get weird looks or am asked questions, I've got plenty of quote comebacks to handle any situation.
But now that I'm thinking about it....
Who Am I?

Am I Grace, the girl who is super helpful at the dance studio, quietly talks to friends when she isn't playing her instrument during orchestra, always shows up on time, the homeschooled one, the Christian one, the girl in the middle of the store at 1 in the afternoon, the girl who remembers obscure parts of history and gets excited over them, girl with the little sister who's almost taller than her, who can't talk to people of the opposite sex or even people in her peer group?

Or am I Grace/Fallon, Star Wars FANATIC, Homeschooled and proud, Violist and Authoress, Fanfic Enthusiast, fandom freak, fangirl, Her Universe junkie, Jedi, X-Wing Pilot, Whovian, Sherlockian, Avatard, Warehouse 13 Agent, Avenger, Hobbit, Disney Princess and Trekkie?  The girl who can quote Captain America by heart, the girl who has spent hours trying to figure out how Sherlock survived the Reichenbach Fall, the girl who has spent the weekend in a fangirl COMA because Warehouse 13 has ripped her apart, the girl who cried so hard during the Legend of Korra season finale that she couldn't breathe, but managed to pull herself together to go see The Avengers in theaters for the 6th time, the girl who writes fanfiction and takes pride in making her friends cry, the girl who randomly shouts movie/TV quotes when they are appropriate (and even when they aren't) the girl who saves up money to buy action figures and clothes for her fandoms, the girl who attends comic cons and events like Star Wars Weekends so she can see her friends, the girl who loves her Lord and is blessed beyond belief, the girl who generally loves life, and can't believe how bright her future is looking right now, it being so close.

Who am I?

(I'm Jean Valjean.....okay okay, kidding, but the song's in my head. XD)

Who sounds better to you guys?  Because to me...how I appear to other people seems to be pretty darn boring.  Sure, I'm a bit over the edge when it comes to fangirling, but I'm a lot more fun and a lot cooler when I'm all up into fandom, don't ya think?  I mean, I wouldn't be friends with most of you if it weren't for fandoms.

So the point of this post is this.  I've come to a decision.  Though I don't want to really freak people out, I've decided to drop the "act".  I'm taking off the wig, Hannah and Miley ARE the same person.  Grace and Fallon are too.  My friends at dance, or my friends at orchestra, they can know me for ME.  They can follow me on Instagram and take a peek into my crazy fangirly life, they can watch as I take ridiculous selfies of me freaking out over Warehouse 13, they can look at the edits I post that Autumn photoshopped for me of a fanfic, they can see it all in it's endless wonder (OHHHHH WH-13 REFERENCE) and if they don't like it, oh well.  Nothing to be ashamed of.

I'm flaunting my world. Because guess what?  The world really is filled with endless wonder.  And if I spend my time worrying what other people might think of me, then I'm gonna miss out.  And I really don't want to miss out.
Especially if the endless wonder includes getting a job at a secret government warehouse in the South Dakota badlands that preserves historical artifacts with supernatural qualities.
Just sayin.
(go watch Warehouse 13...really. Just go watch it.)

Now my dear followers....who are you?  Do you have the Wig Syndrome, living one life for your friends and for the internet, but leading a totally different life in public? Are you worried what others might think should they see your Captain America t-shirt, or your Dalek socks?  Who are you? Tell me. :)

If you don't know who you are, do what I did, soul search some.  Think about what might be waiting for you if you just get out of your comfort zone a little bit...you never know what friendships or encounters are waiting!!! :D

And also think on this tidbit, also from Warehouse 13 (go watch it guys it's EPIC)....
"The ink with which our lives are inscribed is indelible."
So choose how you're inscribing your life.  :)  This quote is sticking on me...I think that's so important.  Who you are is not only who you know to be yourself, but what you show to others.  So don't hide the true you!! You can't hide who you are.  One day someone will pull off your wig and expose you as Miley, and then what?!
Either that or they'll find your Instagram account.

Good luck, May the Force be with you, May the Odds ever be in your Favor, Live Long and Prosper, and Don't Blink...;)

Your honest and inspired blogger,
Grace/Fallon, or rather...
Me xXx

For The One To Blame

Dearest Ashley Tahg (the one to blame), today is your birthday.  I have wanted to do a little something for you, but since I really fail at getting mail out (you WILL be getting something, just don't know WHEN...) I've decided that the wonders of the internet will have to do.

Dear Ashley,
You are an amazing friend and inspiration to me.
...but it is that simple. ;) Hehe!  Now we fangirl over all sorts of things and it's just wonderful. I remember watching ATLA with you over the summer and flailing over the feelings. It was so fun.  I owe you my entire life and happiness for getting my family into Doctor Who...I don't know what I'd be doing right now if you never mentioned that my mother looked like River. ;)
Now I wish you the best dearie, and I seriously hope that sometime super soon we can get together!!! I want to give you hugs. :)

Lots of love and happy birthday wishes...
Grace/Also To Blame For Some Things ;)

Live long and prosper, Ashley! *hugs*

xoxo

P.S. Expect more birthday posts soon seeing that several of my closest friends have birthdays coming up soon!! ^-^
P.S.S. More bloggy posts coming soon...I need to snap out of my procrastination funk. XD 

Shine On Award

Excuse for me to blog (as I haven't really gotten around to writing the posts in my head...) compliments to dearest Jamie for tagging me. ^-^

Here are Jamie's questions....

1.  What's your favorite comedy movie or TV show you've seen?
Hmmm...I like Big Bang Theory as the TV show...movies I'm not too sure. XD I like a lot of movies. And I love to laugh.  So yup. xD

2.  The Avengers or the X-Men and why?
Ok long winded story coming up. First of all, Avengers all the way, because they were my first true Marvel fandom and I am deeply in love with the characters. xD Anyway, the long winded version is that when I was like 10, I went on a field trip for school where I had to go in a bus all the way to someplace in Northern FL. Anyway, while on the bus, I got terribly terribly carsick. Bus-sick, if you will. XD I was miserable, and my daddy, who was chaperoning, held me while I cried and felt like dying. (I distinctly remember this).  While on this bus trip, they watched X-Men, and I (being the incredibly wimpy girly girl I was) was TERRIFIED. Between a mixture of bus-sickness and scary X-Men, I can no longer listen to the song "Stay Beautiful" by Taylor Swift without wanting to throw up and cry. XD (Isn't that special?)

3.  What is one of your favorite carnival rides?
The ride in the car on the way home. xD I hate carnivals.  *shivers*

4.  Who do you like more in films, the heroes or the villians? Why?
Heroes. Usually. I have a soft spot for Jim Moriarty and Loki Odinson. xD And even a little for Bane from Batman. But usually, the good guys rule out in my heart. I just love everythinngggg about the good guys, they have their flaws, but are still so good and have such wonderful hearts. :3  

5.  Is there something that comes with the territory of blogging that you struggle with–is it hard for you to write your posts, schedule them, come up with the post ideas, ect?
Yeah, I'm really lazy and don't make the time to blog like I should or want to. XD Sorry 'bout that.

6.  Favorite Ice Cream?
Seeing I'm dairy intolerant I really have frozen yogurt more often than Ice Cream, and it tastes about the same. XDD I like Moose Tracks, or coffee flavor. XD And I really like the Banana flavor custard at this place called "Ritter's" we go to. It's the best ever, especially with hot fudge. :D

7.  If you could meet your blogging friends, who would you like to meet and where and how would you like to meet them?
I've already met a few blogging friends...but as for the ones I haven't met...I'd meet you guys anywhere. XD At Disney world, at a truck stop, at a restaurant, ANYWHERE. As long as I get to see y'all and give you hugs, I'm good. XD But FYI Disney or a Star Warsy/Fandom event would be better. XDD

So that's the tag post!! I now tag:  (this is also giving you the award, so you're welcome! XD)
Autumn
Amaranthine
Shena
Annika
Ashley Tahg The One To Blame

Here are your questions, ladies! :)

1. How long does it take you to fall into a new fandom? If it's a TV show, how many episodes? Or if it's a movie, what are deciding factors that make you go "OH MY GOSH THIS IS MY LIFE FROM HERE UNTIL I find something new", etc.
2.  Do you have any pets? If not, what pets do you want to have someday?
3.  Where is your dream place to live?
4.  Sci-Fi or Fantasy? Why?
5.  What color do you feel today?  What color matches your mood?
6.  Who is the character you relate with best? From any of your fandoms, whatever they may be.
7.  If someone asks you for advice, and you can only reply with lyrics from a song (any song) what would you tell them?
8.  Favorite childhood toy?

Enjoy!! :) Thanks for reading guys! :)

Grace