Month: October 2016

“You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

Another one of my favorite lines from Thriller! Can’t stop jamming to my own Halloween Playlist.

Speaking of Halloween, I’ve got my costumes ready! Yes, that’s plural; I have a costume for a Halloween party this weekend, and then another to wear on Halloween.

First up, my friends and I all decided to dress up as Stranger Things characters and go out together the Saturday before Halloween. Actually, we had previously discussed going out dressed up that weekend together, but the theme our group costumes was decided without me. They even declared which character I would be! But it honestly felt very fitting, so I was cool with it. Then, we found out there was going to be a Stranger Things themed Halloween party in the city that weekend, so naturally we decided that was where we were going to go all dressed up together.

I decided that this was the most memorable and accessible look of Nancy Wheeler:

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I present to you, my rough cut of my Nancy Wheeler look:

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So, her coat…doesn’t seem that unique, right?! Seems like a common enough style that would be easy to find, right?! WRONG! Luckily we all started shopping for our looks a month ago; I only just found this online a week and a half ago from JustFab. It’s a membership website, so I got it for 75% off, which was amazing because the only other coat I found that was close was from Forever 21 and it was $50 with no sales or anything going on. This jacket would normally be $70, I paid under $20 for it!! The rest was easy; got a plaid button-up shirt that had Nancy vibes on clearance from Old Navy, gloves from Target that were $3.50 that I just cut the fingers off, and I found my monster-hunting bat at Five Below. The bat was also hard to find; I kept looking for toy bats at Target and Walmart that would still look like a real bat, but they were always themed or too plastic-looking. I also checked out Party City and those awesome, temporary little Spirit of Halloween stores; when inquiring about a toy bat, the Party City employee told me that they only had bats for a short while and they sold out fast because they were the Suicide Squad Harley Quinn bats. I knew a ton of people would be dressed up as Harley Quinn but I forgot she also had a bat. My dad suggested Five Below and that ended up being the winner! Got myself a foam bat that looks realistic for under $5!

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Honestly, the top part of her outfit was the most important part. I wore dark skinny jeans (rolled up because I am too short) with black booties and it looked pretty perfect.

And here’s the final look from the party:

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(All pictures except that last one are with my best friends as Eleven, Barb, and Dustin; we found a Joyce Byers and a demogorgon with his own little wall and had to take pictures with them, of course.)

It was an oddly warm night to begin with in Chicago, and I was just way too damn hot in that coat to keep it on all night. And I already made my own Nancy outfit to not be as warm as it actually is; on the show, she wears a sweater over a plaid button-up shirt…I was simply not having that. That’s way too many layers! I thought my coat would be enough for people to know I was Nancy, but I just couldn’t wear it all night at this hopping ping pong bar. I think my fingerless gloves and my baseball bat helped confirm that I was Nancy, though:

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In case you were wondering, the Stranger Things themed party at the ping pong bar was fantastic. Awesome decorations, snacks, drinks (I had a yummy drink called Purple Rain), and so many 80’s songs all through the night. I danced so much. There were plenty of Elevens and a handful of Barbs but I was the only Nancy! Also, doing a group costume is just so delightful. I had only done couples and best friends costumes before; when Black Swan came out, my Eleven that you see here dressed as the White Swan while I was the Black Swan; together, we were the Swan Queen.

As for my other Halloween costume this year?? I have only tried it on a few times, but I’m going to wait to show you the final product. For now, here is just a tease:

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Yup, I’m going to be my darling hero, Rey, from the end of The Force Awakens!! I love her other outfit as well, but this one is my favorite. And when I saw that Elhoffer Design was going to be releasing a cardigan vest and arm warmers like Rey’s second outfit, I couldn’t resist! Stay tuned for the full look and go buy this if you also favor Rey’s second outfit; it’s made so well, amazingly soft and just so perfect.

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Happy Halloween Eve!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“This is Halloween…in this town we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ 2 Comments

“LA LA LA LALA LA LA LA LALA LA…..WEEEEE!!!!”

Yes, I adore the Nightmare Before Christmas. And the soundtrack is a delightful time during Halloween, Christmas, and actually, all year-round if you just love this movie and delightful movie scores like I do. But, since we are in the Halloween season, we’ll just focus on that for today.

Are you throwing a Halloween party soon? Are you in need of some festive pumpkin songs? Well you are in luck, because I’m not only going to share the playlist I made for myself and my family to listen to on Halloween three years ago, but also additional songs I have thought of since I made that original CD.

And no, the order doesn’t matter; I always shuffle my playlists anyway.

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  • Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
  • Scooby Doo, Where are You by….okay, I don’t actually know…on my iPod it just says it’s from my Cartoon Network CD and that’s it…
  • I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow (you could also go with the original version but I like this one)
  • Fire by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (one of my favorite songs ever…both super 60’s and slightly scary)
  • Season of the Witch by Donovan
  • Hungry like the Wolf by Duran Duran
  • Iron Man by Black Sabbath
  • Love Potion Number Nine by the Searchers (this song includes a gyspy making potions; trust me, it’s relevant)
  • Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones (another one of my favorite songs ever)
  • This is Halloween by Danny Elfman from Nightmare Before Christmas (if you want extra creepy vibes, go with Marilyn Manson’s version. Or both, like I do!)
  • N.I.B. by Black Sabbath (I was jamming so hardcore to this in my car today)
  • Five to One by the Doors (one of my favorites of theirs that I find both sexy and eerie; Jim Morrison is all like “I love my girl, she lookin’ good”, and then there’s this almost tribal kinda chant that I enjoy)
  • Devil Inside by INXS
  • Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down (because what kind of Halloween party is it if there isn’t someone dressed as a superhero?)
  • Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix
  • Weird Science by Oingo Boingo (it is the song from modern day 80’s fairytale version of Frankenstein, after all) (fun fact: this is ALSO Danny Elfman 🙂 )
  • Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones
  • Devils by Say Hi (the only good thing to come out of the disaster that was Scream 4)
  • Bullet with Butterfly Wings by the Smashing Pumpkins (“the world is a vampire…” Also, PUMPKINS)
  • Creatures of the Night by Kiss (quite the underrated 80’s tune)
  • Howlin’ For You by the Black Keys
  • People are Strange by the Doors
  • Fire by Jimi Hendrix (although Jimi is clearly talking about sexuality (which could also work at a Halloween party 😉 ) , also think “fiery pits of Hell”)
  • Thriller by Micheal Jackson (I love this song so much. From Vincent Price, to the lyrics “girl I could feel you more than any ghoul could ever dare try”, to the dance…it’s perfect.)
  • House of the Rising Sun by the Animals (badass 60’s tune that can be creepy in the right setting)
  • Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper
  • Ballad of Dwight Fry by Alice Cooper (perhaps these ones and the ones by Black Sabbath you can take out if there’s tiny children at this party; they might find them a bit too freaky.)
  • Welcome to my Nightmare by Alice Cooper
  • Poison by Alice Cooper
  • Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper (I know, so much Alice Cooper, but the guy’s concerts themselves are horror shows. It would just be wrong not to include a good amount of Alice Cooper. He’s the King of shock rock, of scary rock and roll)
  • Hells Bells by AC/DC (if this isn’t the coolest intro you’ve ever heard, I don’t know if we can be friends)
  • Boris the Spider by the Who (I just love the weird, deep, almost scary voice John Entwhistle does here.)
  • Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne (optional; not one of my favorites, but of course it’s Halloweeny)
  • Raise the Dead by the Hollywood Vampires (my beloved Alice Cooper strikes again; I’ve talked about this fantastic band before)
  • My Dead Drunk Friends by the Hollywood Vampires (probably my favorite of theirs; “standing all alone here, in a tavern full of ghosts,”)
  • White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane (You know, make that person that’s dressed up as an Alice in Wonderland character feel special. Also, I find this song to be both trippy and intense)
  • In the Evening by Led Zeppelin (this one isn’t super creepy (except perhaps the beginning) or anything, but simply it’s just too cool not to have playing at a party)
  • Pet Cemetery by the Ramones (admittedly not one of my favorites of theirs but it’s pretty decent, and will make people think of the movie and then they’ll be a bit scared)
  • Blood and Roses by the Smithereens
  • Miss Murder by AFI (ahh, brings back such fond memories of the music video with the black bunnies)
  • Helter Skelter by the Beatles (you know I am obsessed with and adore the Beatles, but this song just freaks me out. It’s so rough and aggressive. Plus, there is that sad, forced connection made by the delusional and murderous Charles Manson)
  • Blue Jay Way by the Beatles (sure, this is mostly just trippy, but ever since a dear friend of mine described a nightmare that contained this song, I can’t listen to it as just a psychedelic song. There’s some weird thing about it…like, something is following you and then chasing you)
  • Moving in Stereo by the Cars (sure, a lot of you probably think of this as a sexy song because of Fast Times at Rigdemont High, but I don’t simply because the lyrics say otherwise. It’s kinda suicidal and creepy, really.)
  • Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan (I don’t necessarily find this song creepy, but I think its’ general, but beautiful weirdness just make it fun to listen to)
  • A Girl Like You by Edwyn Collins (not really creepy, but just awesome and mysterious, and also the lyrics “you’ve made me acknowledge the Devil in me, I hope to God I’m talking metaphorically”)
  • Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra
  • Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett (bet you thought I was going to forget this Halloween classic! You were wrong, I love this song!)

Okay, so that’s mostly it…

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!

Guys, as I’ve talked about the greatness of Scooby Doo before, and I obviously included the very first/original TV show’s theme song as part of the playlist, I have more Scooby songs for you if you have an open mind and heart…OR, if you’ve seen the glorious Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, please remember these surprisingly rocking soundtrack tunes:

First up: The Ghost Is Here

Saving the best for last:

 

Also, less loved in my heart as Terror Time but still pretty awesome is Hex Girls from Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost:

 

I hope you enjoy my playlist as well as my additional suggestions, and if you have any awesome Halloweeny songs I missed, tell me, I’d love to know!

“Help me if you can, I’m feeling down,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

Do you ever overwhelmed by the weight of life? I do! All the time! When that happens, I goof around and do things like this:

One seemingly mellow afternoon, John and Ringo were strolling when they suddenly ran into a strange obstacle:

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“I’m telling you, John. It’s not mine. I love Keith Moon, but I certainly don’t share his love of instrumental destruction.”

“If you say so, Ringo. But then how do you suppose it got here?”

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“Fellas! I think I know where this came from!”

“Well go on, tell us, Ozzy,” Ringo pleaded.

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“This broken drum set must have been dropped by the monochrome clowns that have been running around over here lately!”

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“Who the hell are you? What are you doing with my drums?!”

“You mean this broken joke of a drum kit?!”

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“How dare you! That’s it, you’re going down!”

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The two leaders and their egos gravitated towards each other. But, something came over the both of them.

“Peter, he’s another drummer,”

“Yeah, Ringo…give Peace a chance,”

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“Man, they’re right,” Peter said, embracing this epiphany that they were destined for friendship.

“I’m sorry I insulted your drum kit, mate.”

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“It’s all good! Let’s drum with our souls!”

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Paul and Ace joined the magic. They wondered where George and Paul were; Ringo informed them that they were on vacation but would surely be sad to be missing this.

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John assured everyone that George and Paul were there in spirit. (Yes, and in the background).

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And they lived happily ever after, as they rocked and rolled all night and partied every day.

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“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

DISCLAIMER: This story unfortunately does not contain entirely accurate quotes by Ozzy Osbourne, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, or Ace Frehley. Yes, sadly, this was all from my own imagination and boredom.

“I get by with a little help from my friends,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ 2 Comments

I consider myself to be a good friend to those I admire and respect. So, I’m going to just up my status with a few friends even further by giving them what they’re asking me for: my list of Star Wars Clone Wars episodes that they MUST. WATCH. I own the entire series, so I consider myself pretty well qualified for this job. Also, look how cool my set is:

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So, here are my recommendations/essentials:

Season One:

  • Cloak of Darkness
  • Jedi Crash
  • Blue Shadow Virus
  • Mystery of A Thousand Moons
  • Storm Over Ryloth (and the other episodes about Ryloth that immediately follow this one)
  • Hostage Crisis

Season Two:

  • Holocron Heist
  • Cargo of Doom
  • Children of the Force
  • Senate Spy (I found myself liking the Padme-heavy episodes a lot more than I expected to)
  • Brain Invaders
  • The Deserter (there is a hot magenta Twi’lek lady in this episode 😉 )
  • Lightsaber Lost
  • The Mandalore Plot (also watch the 2 episodes that follow, set on Mandalore as well) (also SAD ROMANCE THAT WAS TO NEVER BE)
  • The Zillo Beast (and the one that follows)
  • Death Trap
  • R2 Come Home (Mace Windu learns a very valuable lesson)
  • Lethal Trackdown (actually these last three all connect, I just like the titles)

Season Three:

  • Clone Cadets (warning: I watched this after a tragic loss in my life, and this episode had me sobbing)
  • Arc Troopers (if you like Kamino, where the Clone Troopers are…made? Bred?)
  • Sphere of Influence (my girl Ahsoka takes control and is awesome)
  • Corruption
  • The Academy (another Ahsoka gem)
  • Assassin (yet ANOTHER one where Ahsoka kicks some ass)
  • Hunt for Ziro (Ziro is a hutt. He’s pretty..interesting)
  • Heroes on Both Sides (for the Ahsoka AND Padme lover in me)
  • Pursuit of Peace
  • Nightsisters (some weird, scary witch shit)
  • Monster (more of that scary shit)
  • Witches of the Mist (yaaaaassss)
  • Overlords (oddly trippy)
  • Altar of Mortis (this episode traumatizes me because of what happens to Ahsoka)
  • Ghosts of Mortis (suuuuuuper cool, somebody gets a glimpse of their tragic fate)
  • The Citadel (and the one after it completes the story…hey, remember that Tarkin dude? 😉 )
  • Padawan Lost (Ahsoka giving hope and kicking ass)
  • Wookie Hunt (CHEWBACCA AND AHSOKA ARE FRIENDS OMG)

Season 4:

  • Water War (for the Admiral Ackbar fans, watch this and the next few that follow)
  • Shadow Warrior (this series proves that Jar Jar Binks was actually meant to be a cartoon. He’s actually endearing.)
  • Slaves of the Republic (and the one after this; it continues that story-line)
  • A Friend in Need (FEATURES WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN AHSOKA’S BOYFRIEND IF THE JEDI ORDER WASN’T SO STRICT AND WEIRD)
  • Deception (actually, parts of this episode bother me, but everyone watch it, I want your thoughts! This one and the next two episodes. Again, Ahsoka has badass and endearing moments)
  • Massacre
  • Bounty (stupid Boba Fett…AGAIN. I have left the other episodes he’s in a surprise)
  • Brothers (DARTH MAULLLLLL)
  • Revenge (MORE DARTH MAAAAULLLL)
  • A War on Two Fronts (GUYS, YOU MEET SAW GERRERA HERE. OH, NO BIG DEAL, JUST THE GUY FOREST WHITAKER IS PLAYING IN ROGUE ONE) (BUT HIS SISTER IS A B TO AHSOKA BECAUSE THEY HARBOR FEELINGS FOR THE SAME YOUNG MAN)
  • Front Runners (continuation of this story)
  • The Soft War
  • Tipping Points
  • The Gathering (little itty bitty Padawans get their crystals to construct their very own LIGHTSABERS and Ahsoka is their teacher!)
  • Bound for Rescue (if you like these learning younglings, watch this one and the one after it)
  • Revival (more DARTH MAAAUULLL)
  •  Eminence (MAAAULLLLL GOES AFTER KENOBI)
  • Shades of Reason (Mandalore!)
  • The Lawless (GRAB YOUR TISSUES)
  • Sabotage
  • The Jedi Who Knew Too Much (I have trouble handling the treatment of Ahsoka but I love that Anakin sticks by her in these episodes)
  • To Catch a Jedi (such good stuff)
  • The Wrong Jedi (TISSUES. LOTS OF TISSUES. IT’S ALL NECESSARY BUT IT BREAKS ME)

The Lost Missions (aka, the incomplete Season Six):

  • The Unknown
  • Conspiracy (these next few episodes are super interesting and imperative to a deeper understanding of how Order 66 was planned and the downfalls of choosing Jango Fett as the one to clone)
  • Fugitive
  • Orders
  • An Old Friend (ANAKIN IS NOT COOL WITH OLD BOYFRIENDS)
  • The Rise of Clovis (HAVING A SECRET MARRIAGE KINDA SUCKS)
  • Crisis at the Heart (Guys, I swear…Luke and Leia were definitely conceived directly after the events of this episode. You’ll see the last shot of Anakin and Padme and IMMEDIATELY AGREE….BOW CHICKA WOW WOW)
  • The Disappeared, Parts I and II (even if you absolutely hate Jar Jar…I swear, try these episodes, it might heal those wounds. He’s better as a cartoon and there’s this lady ruler that wants that Gungan D like you wouldn’t believe but it’s hilarious)
  • The Lost One (more clone troopers background things….just remember a name they say in Attack of the Clones)
  • Voices (these next ones are intense focuses on Yoda)
  • Destiny
  • Sacrifice (you might be slightly traumatized by the images you’ll see)

 

Notice a pattern, by the way? The series just got better as time went by!!

 

 

“Picture yourself on a boat on a river, with tangerine trees, and marmalade skies,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

You know what badass lady has a delicate tangerine tint to her skin?! You guessed it: my hero, Ahsoka Tano!

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I know what you’re wondering…and no, I don’t got a day without thinking about Ahsoka Tano. And lately, it’s just hard not to; wonderful things are happening! Just a few days ago, the Hot Topic Exclusive Funko Pop! Vinyl Bobblehead Figure was finally released in stores and online at HotTopic.com. Naturally, I bought her right on October 5th and it’s a good thing  I did; online, they’re already out of stock! This was one of the few times that I was obsessively tracking my order online and just uber excited when it first told me it had shipped out:

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And then she arrived and I was so happy! I considered doing an unboxing video, but eventually decided that I’m not that nerdy. (False. I just didn’t feel like setting that up because it would mean waiting longer to be with my little Ahsoka). Look at my stupid, happy face!

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I can’t upload my own videos on here, but I want to because this Ahsoka Tano Funko Pop! Bobblehead is the greatest bobblehead ever! It’s probably her Togruta lekku that makes her bobble so epic.

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In other Ahsoka news, the Young Adult novel that will bridge the gap between her time in between Clone Wars and becoming Fulcrum on Rebels is coming out tomorrow!! EEEEEEE!!!! I am so excited!!!! As a retail worker, I don’t want time to go any faster due to the impending doom that is the holiday season, but I have been begging for October 11th to get here so I can finally read Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston!! I haven’t heard of this author before, but I have faith. I know Dave Filoni has had an influence on the story, and I know he could never let anybody do wrong by this character. Also, look at this picture of the author with Ashley Eckstein, Ahsoka Tano herself, taken today:

Ashley Eckstein is rocking her Her Universe (do I have to tell you she’s the founder of Her Universe?!) Captain Phasma leather jacket and that beautiful Ahsoka’s Journey shirt (that I also have and it’s one of my favorites). Then, the author herself is wearing a Jedi cowl dress from WeLoveFine designed by the lady who runs her own Geek-chic line, ElhofferDesign. Not that you should necessarily judge people by what they wear…actually, I can’t say that with honesty. I do judge people by what they wear, but in a positive manner! If you’ve got a Rolling Stones shirt or some Star Wars apparel on, it’s just more likely that we will get along. I love fashion and I love all sorts of looks, and it’s amazing to see this nerdy girl fashion so often now. I’ve just always been attracted to expressive clothing, so naturally I love seeing that on other people as well.  Also, you should always dress for the occasion, and they’re both perfectly dressed to do meet and greets for the long anticipated Ahsoka novel.

I’m just so excited for this book to come out, I wish I could burst into Barnes and Noble at midnight! I remember my friends doing that for the Harry Potter books back in the day; I was never into them enough. In fact, I’ve never been super excited for a book to be released, or least not a fiction novel (not counting autobiographies of my favorite rock stars). I’ve always discovered my books years after their release with very few exceptions. I didn’t even fall in love with the Hunger Games after I saw the first movie in theaters and decided I wanted to read the books, but if I was a fan prior to their releases, I would have definitely joined the madness waiting for the books to come out. I often only find my beloved books after seeing the movie version. So this truly is the first time I’ve been waiting months and counting the days until a new novel is released. Why am I excited, you ask? Oh gee, it has nothing to do with my obsession with Ahsoka! (Sarcasm). But, besides my insane love of this fantastic character, I’ve been really impressed with the Star Wars books that have been released within the last year and a half, especially Dark Disciple and Bloodline. I never read any of the Legends/Expanded Universe books when I was younger; I only liked the novelizations of the movies. For whatever reason, I didn’t crave more. I was fine watching the movies and the special features over and over on my fancy DVD set for several years. Now, that is obviously not the case. Opening myself up to the Clone Wars series was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! It brought me to my beloved Ahsoka and honestly, a deeper understanding and love of and for the prequels as well Star Wars as a whole.

OH! Do you know why Ashley Eckstein is tagging along for the book tour?! BECAUSE SHE DID THE AUDIO BOOK!!  I’ve never bought an audio book, but this will have to be my first time exception. It’s just too perfect and glorious to pass up.

Speaking of the Legends novels, it was pretty cool to see Lucasfilm employees talk about the books they adored on the Star Wars After Show on Star Wars’ official Youtube channel. It’s cool to see how people expand their fandom, and fulfilling that can be. Watch these people, they’re pretty cool:

 

Also, what are your favorite Star Wars books?!