“…and we’ll keep on fighting ’till the end,”

That’s what I have to tell myself when all but one of my squad is gone and I’m up against Sith Lord Count Dooku and the Jedi he appeared to have brainwashed into joining him:

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Anyone else addicted to the Star Wars mobile game Galaxy of Heroes?! No?? Let me tell you a little bit about the game that has consumed much of my free time and spit on any chance I’ve had to do anything productive.

First of all…it should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me well or has even looked this blog at least twice that I started playing the game to play as my darling Ahsoka Tano. I knew the game had both Clone Wars-era and Rebels-adult “Fulcrum” versions of the character and I thought it would be cool to have my squad have two Ahsoka’s! This goal took a while, though. First, I had Luke Skywalker, a Clone Sergeant, Chewbacca, an Ewok, and a Nightsister (from the Clone Wars), and a few more obscure characters I was less excited about. Within my first week or so of playing, they had a special event to get “shards” (which you need a complete collection of to get a character) for Ahsoka Tano (Fulcrum), so naturally I played a few rounds, then saw that the shards and items necessary for her for only $9.99 and I’ve never bought anything for a mobile game faster. This is her today, just a few weeks later, leveled up like a badass: IMG_2430

(And yes, you can still collect shards after getting the character to…power them further? I haven’t done it yet so I’m not entirely sure how it works.)

And while the Clone Wars Ahsoka Tano had already been a part of the game before this Fulcrum version came around, it took me a while after getting this Rebels Ahsoka before finally obtaining her younger self. Before I had her, I many battles where my adult Ahsoka faced her teenage self. It was weird yet not unfamiliar to be at war with myself;

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But now I have them both and it’s awesome. I wish I could have a whole squad of lady Jedi. But I just recently unlocked Luminara Unduli (mostly from the Clone Wars, but also seen in the background in Attack of the Clones) and I have two Nightsisters now, along with Hera Syndulla from Rebels, so I have some pretty kick-ass ladies on my crew. Before I acquired Luminara, I had this battle the other day which was almost an all-ladies squad, but I needed my tie fighter pilot this particular round:

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My Ahsoka’s are so beautiful together, aren’t they?!

Although I love this addictive RPG, it makes me do terrible things sometimes…you see, some battles, like Cantina and Galactic War battles, you can mix everyone together, dark side or light side, it doesn’t matter. But in the Dark Side and Light Side battles, your team members have to all be from one side. I’ve just so happened to collect more Light Side players, which is awesome for me, seeing that it is my true alliance, but I like some Dark Side characters too! I’m desperate for Darth Maul, Asajj Ventress (Count Dooku’s apprentice from the Clone Wars), and Captain Phasma…but right now I just have a variety of stormtroopers, a royal guard, and a few Nightsisters (who are sisters of Asajj Ventress so I keep calling them “Ventress” in my head even though I know it’s wrong). So while playing these Dark Side-only battles, I had to battle Ewoks:

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Guys, do you even know how terrible it is to hear an Ewok scream in terror as they fade away from the Universe? Play some Dark Side battles and you’ll also be traumatized. Look at them clutching their sides with pain. Heartbreaking.

It’s much easier to hear the pained cries of stormtroopers and other baddies like Boba Fett…especially Boba Fett…I love kicking his ass. Here’s my Fulcrum Ahsoka doing so, whispering “overrated” within her battle grunt:

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Alas…it’s a fun game. Here is my collection of heroes as of a few hours ago:

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Yes, that’s my beloved Rogue One fallen hero Bodhi Rook on the bottom line! And of course I have Zeb, even though when I click on him his face still freaks me out, and  Hera Syndulla as I’ve already mentioned. Moments after I took this picture I finally got all of the shards I needed to get Hera’s beautiful boyfriend, Kanan Jarrus:

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I haven’t even been able to play him yet but I’m so excited I have almost all of the Rebels crew now!! Just need Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger, and you bet your bottom I’m working collecting all of those shards.

Aside from my Clone Wars and Rebels favorites, naturally my dream team would include Rey, Jyn Erso, Princess Leia, Cassian Andor, Poe Dameron, and I mentioned earlier Darth Maul, and then my last team picks would include Plo Kloon, and Aayla Secura…oh, and Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, but he would be a priority like Rey or Jyn…but the thing is, I could have had him already….up until last week, they had a similar sale like they had for Ahsoka (Fulcrum), only he was $20, probably because his particular character requires more shards. Every day I would look at the shop deals and contemplate it, thinking it would be so cool having Snips and Skyguy reunited, and also having a super sexy Jedi on the team; they use his Revenge of the Sith look for the character in this game. Every day I thought about it…and was like “no, Rita, THAT’S RIDICULOUS, IT’S JUST  A SILLY GAME ON YOUR PHONE, YOU CAN SPEND THE TWENTY DOLLARS ELSEWHERE”. But then, in its’ final hour, I told myself “BUT YOUR CLONE WARS AHSOKA’S POWERS GET BETTER WITH HIM ON THE SQUAD YOU NEED SEXY ANAKIN OMG AND IT’S LITERALLY ONLY $10 MORE THAN YOU SPENT ON CLONE WARS AHSOKA YOU GOOF” and this happened to be while I was home on my lunch hour and because I told myself to mull it over, I missed the deadline while I was eating and now I FOREVER LIVE IN REGRET FOR NOT HAVING ANAKIN SKYWALKER ON MY SQUAD.

I will get you someday, Anakin. SOMEDAY.

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Guys, don’t make the same mistake I did; just buy the characters you love when the opportunity arises, otherwise their shards are practically nowhere to be found and you’ll feel like this every day:

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“The strongest stars have hearts of kyber,”

I’ve watched Rogue One 4 times this week, and sobbed every time. I love it so much. The special features on the Blu-Ray combo pack are pretty awesome as well, although I wish there was a directors’ and/or cast commentary on the film…oh well. I’ll just keep watching it as it is and crying at the tragedy and beauty of it all. And yes, of course I got a special edition…I originally wasn’t terribly impressed with the exclusives offered by Target, Wal Mart, or Best Buy, but…my boyfriend happened to surprise me with the Best Buy Exclusive Steelbook combo pack! The only reason I didn’t preorder that one myself was because I had decided I wanted to have Jyn, Cassian, Bohdi, Chirrut, and Baze, basically my main bae heroes, on my cover….meanwhile, the steelbook has the Death Troopers on the front. Don’t get me wrong, they’re super cool, but…they’re kinda evil? But they’re also walking through the water on the beaches of Scarif so that’s kinda beautiful enough to make up for their evilness. Also, regular stormtroopers are on the back cover also walking through the water, and I’m just so fond of that particular image. It’s oddly glorious to me:

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In addition to my Rogue One addiction, Star Wars Celebration has been happening since Thursday in Orlando, Florida, and I have tried to keep up with most of the panels by watching them stream live on YouTube or later when I can. And of course the panels are also making me emotional, especially when they mention our beloved Carrie Fisher. If you haven’t seen this already, here is the tribute video they played for her when Celebration began this week:

Just beautiful…yes, yes this also made me sob.

Yesterday, they continued to honor Carrie Fisher’s legacy in Star Wars by showing the path that her Princess Leia led for the future of women in this franchise in the Heroines Panel. It such a magical panel…first, they had a sizzle reel of all of the heroines of Star Wars:

I highly recommend watching the entire panel if you’re as obsessed with these powerful ladies as I am!

I think the main point of the panel, though, was to promote a new series of animated shorts called Star Wars: Forces of Destiny focusing on Rey, Leia, Jyn Erso, Sabrine Wren, Padme, and of course AHSOKA TANO!!!

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In addition to these shorts, they are releasing these “adventure dolls”, which are basically action figure Barbies. They’re fantastic and I need them and I’m sad I didn’t have these as a kid. But hey, little girls now will finally have badass Barbie-like dolls that are heroines! Also, seeing Daisy Ridley (Rey), Ashley Eckstein (my darling Ahsoka Tano), and Tiya Sircar (Sabine Wren) react to their new adventure dolls was just beautiful: (And yes, I took these from various Instagram stories/various official Disney/Star Wars accounts on there)

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Also they all look absolutely fabulous and beautiful but I’m particularly in love with Tiya’s darling outfit. She’s always quite stylish, though. AS THEY ALL ARE!

Speaking of my beautiful idols, I finally revamped one of my walls…it was tough to take down my ginormous The Breakfast Club and mini Pee Wee’s Big Adventure posters, but I’ve had them up at least since I was like…8? They’re still in my favorites but it was simply time for a change. I still have them; I want to use them in the future when I have my own house, perhaps for a massive movie theater room. Anyway, look at my new mini-mermaid mural:

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Are you surprised I’ve centered my mermaid mural with Ahsoka, or rather, Mersoka by Lorna-ka, one of my favorite artists?! If you know how obsessed with Ahsoka I am, you’re probably not surprised at all. But she is joined by other mermaids!

On the left, the first smaller print is of Belle, Aurora, and Rapunzel as mermaids, and the print underneath is classic mermaid, my favorite mermaid and princess, Ariel! Oh, and she’s being held by my favorite prince/her true love, Eric. I purchased those two on Etsy by the lovely Elisa Garcia Bonilla/Aasilee, and naturally I have other pieces by her already on my walls.

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On the right of Mersoka, I have a beautiful mother and daughter mermaid set also from Etsy. Becuase Ahsoka is facing this way, I wanted her to face her dear old friend, Padme. Underneath Padme, I have her glorious daughter Leia. Guys, I can’t get it to show in pictures but up close they both have golden sparkly accents! Because Aleigh Watford is awesome! She has so many original mermaids on there but naturally I had to start with her Star Wars mermaids.

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So, underneath my mermaid mural…I just have more Star Wars!

I had talked about needing this art before, and now it’s mine!! Everyone looks so beautiful and perfect. I especially love this version of Ahsoka; I saw on Twitter that this artist hasn’t even watched Clone Wars or Rebels but simply loved the way Ahsoka looks. How could she not?! But anyway, I just love this artist’s style. Jealous? Get your own by Mariana Avila right here!

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And this I’ve wanted this since  before Rogue One even came out! Being in love with both Oscar Isaac and Diego Luna, and being Latina/Hispanic myself (yes, I consider myself both), this piece means so much to me. It’s aptly titled Latinos in Space! and it’s also by Mariana Avila!IMG_2126

Being a woman and being Latina, both of these pieces mean so much to me, and it’s honestly so inspiring and heartwarming to look at them every day now.

“Bright young women, sick of swimming. Ready to stand.”

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, EVERYONE!! I mean, I try to celebrate the women who influence me every day, but still; it’s nice to have an official day for it.

To the women who raised me -my mom, my grandma, and my aunts- I love them so dearly and I just hope they know how much I appreciate them. To my best friends- what is life if we’re not together to laugh and cry, to remind each other of our values and strengths, to enjoy our favorite things yet embrace all of our differences? You all inspire me every day, and I just hope I can do the same for you.

To the heroines I’ll never meet, such as Rosa Parks and Carrie Fisher, among so many others…your legacies will continue to inspire for so many generations to come. Speaking of women I’ll never meet…HAVE ANY OF YOU SEEN HIDDEN FIGURES?! If not, please do so. It’s an excellent film about the incredible true story about how genius African American women got us into space. While it was beautiful, I left the theater angry that I was never told this story before. As was my mother, who was never told the important details of this historical event in school. I mean, it only happened in 1963, so I can somewhat see how just a few decades after, predominantly white schools wouldn’t think to teach kids that (because they were still racist, unfortunately). But fast forward to me…I graduated high school in 2010 and I was never taught this story of genius women getting us into space. It makes me so sad that so many Americans and I have only just learned of these extraordinary women, Katherine G. Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan. And the women who played them were all amazing in their portrayals; Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer.

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If this was out on DVD/Blu-ray, I would absolutely be watching it right now in honor of International Women’s Day…but it’s not, so I watched Mulan. I have to appreciate my fictional heroines as well, okay?!

Hard work always pays off #WednesdayWisdom:

If you’ve read any previous post of mine before, you were probably able to glean that I’m a bit of a Star Wars fan. So naturally, I have to mention my favorite Star Wars heroines:

Jyn Erso, from Rogue One…has everyone seen this yet? Is it okay to say yet? WARNING, SPOILERS: she gave her life so that the Rebel Alliance would have a fighting chance against the Empire by obtaining the plans to the Death Star. I adore her so much. Felicity Jones is just perfection.

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Hera Syndulla, Rebel pilot from Star Wars Rebels that is also badass and all in for the cause.

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And Sabine Wren, also from Rebels, badass Mandalorian who used to be an Imperial Cadet, now specializes in being awesome and blowing things up.

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Former Queen, turned Senator of Naboo, turned mother of the greatest twins ever, Padme Amidala. I’ve come to appreciate her more in recent years.

True Warrior! <--- this should be the standard for everyone in government authority:

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Princess Leia, her badass daughter who leads the Rebellion against the Empire.

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Rey, who lived her life thinking she was a nobody until one day the Force awakened with her.

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And of course, my darling Ahsoka Tano, former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, forever a badass.

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Also, please enjoy this gorgeous picture of my two idols, Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ahsoka Tano, and Daisy Ridley, who plays Rey:

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MY QUEENS!

Also….here is me dressing up as Leia, Ahsoka, and Rey:

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OH, and I have all of the Star Wars ladies I mentioned above in Funko Pop! form, of course:

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GUYS. I know I have so much Star Wars stuff, but I also need this beautiful piece by Mariana Avila:

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Everyone looks so awesome in this…I NEED THIS ON MY WALL LIKE LUKE NEEDS TAUNTAUN GUTS ON HOTH.

I know it’s almost over, but again…HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!! Tell the women in your lives how much you appreciate them!!

“Does anyone care what the Padawan thinks?”

I DO, AHSOKA TANO!! It’s Ahsoka Tano Day!! Happy 9th Anniversary, Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, Togruta queen of my heart, sage and magnificent hero of mine! Ashley Eckstein, the lovely voice of Ahsoka and founder of geek girl fashion company Her Universe, posted this today on her various social media accounts:

My loves!!

I have celebrated this joyous day on here before, but I had just a tiny collection back then:

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I have acquired a bit more since then:

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I know, she’s gorgeous on this cosmetic bag by Lorna-ka.

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Jealous of how badass my car looks? Get your own!

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More art by Lorna-ka; the first one is from Society6, like my little cosmetic bag above, and the second is from RedBubble.

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This beautiful sketch t-shirt you see above is naturally by Her Universe, but sold exclusively at ThinkGeek.

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Aaaaaand even more work by Lorna-ka, also from her Society6 and Redbubble accounts.

And Ahsoka Tano was my first ever Cosplay at a comic convention, and I loved every second as being dressed as my hero.

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I couldn’t help but do it again at another comic convention several months later:

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That’s where I found the rare Elite Series Ahsoka Tano action figure that now joins my other Ahsokas:

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To honor Ahsoka on her anniversary, I’ve been watching some of my favorite episodes from Season 3 of Star Wars Rebels. If I had been home all day, I would have been watching several Clone Wars episodes, but I was out with friends and then family. But, in case you haven’t noticed, I treat most days as if it’s Ahsoka Tano Day. I can’t help that I adore her!

Let’s further celebrate her with some awesome gifs of her life:

CAN YOU EVEN HANDLE TODDLER AHSOKA?!?! ♥

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Strong and courageous characters like Ahsoka Tano give me the strength to be such a badass myself, that perhaps I can also be so strong and brave and save people. In this world of darkness, she is my shimmering light of hope.

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“Save the rebellion! Save the dream!”

ONE MORE SLEEP UNTIL I GET TO SEE ROGUE ONE OH MY GOODNESS!!! I don’t even know what to do with myself, I just want it to be tomorrow night already! I’ve already checked off one my pre-Rogue One activities this week, which was re-watching the episodes of Clone Wars that feature Saw Gerrera, who is in Rogue One played by Forest Whitaker. If this  sounds like a fun way to roll in Rogue One to you as well, you’ll want to check out Season 5, and he’s in all of these episodes:

  • A War on Two Fronts
  • Front Runners
  • The Soft War
  • Tipping Points

I forgot until I watched these episodes again the other night that Saw was actually a bit arrogant, not terribly unlike Anakin. But it’s not like his confidence isn’t warranted; with the help of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka, he becomes a more focused, more tactful warrior. He’s also very quick to think of solutions, and quick to achieve those as well. But it’s his aggressive disposition that make him less qualified to lead the group of Onderon rebels than his sister, Steela.

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I have to admit…one of my favorite things about Saw Gerrera (besides that he’s badass and gets the job done) is that he chose Ahsoka to help him learn how to immobilize these Seperatist droids that are otherwise unbeatable with their very Violet from the Incredibles-like shields. And she’s obviously an excellent teacher. My hero!

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Just look at him go. Okay, so if you’re unfamiliar with his Clone Wars arc and plan on watching his episodes for the first time soon…SPOILERS AHEAD! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

I believe I’ve mentioned before how excited I am that we are finally getting a live action version of a previously exclusive to Clone Wars character, because I adore the series and it’s just awesome how everything connects in the Star Wars Universe. And this paves the way for an Ahsoka movie, or so I like to dream; Dave Filoni was at the recent world premiere for Rogue One in Los Angeles, so I’m hoping there’s a Rebels reference in there somewhere. Guys, I might pass out from excitement if Saw ends up referencing his training from my darling Ahsoka Tano. That would seriously be so amazing.

Aside from the general excitement that Clone Wars is being tied in to the new films, I’m very interested in Saw because when we met him, he was a very confident, aggressive, and passionate young man. I don’t know exactly how old he’s supposed to be, but he seems to be in his early 20’s. Towards the end of this whole Onderon tale, the group of rebels decide that his sister Steela is their perfect leader. At first, Saw is visibly a bit jealous, but eventually he concedes that his sister was the right choice.

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Despite my feelings towards Steela, she was indeed a smart and courageous leader. Obviously I didn’t like her at first because she’s a major bitch to Ahsoka just because Ahsoka also knows Lux, the handsome young Seperatist that Ahsoka shared a kiss with in one episode and has had a bit of a crush on. Alright, calm down, it wasn’t an actual romantic kiss; it was in a facade that she was Lux’s fiance to cover up that Ahsoka was a Jedi. Anyway, clearly Steela also has the hots for Lux and is unreasonably rude to Ahsoka in the beginning. But obviously my woman is the better person and even reaches out to Steela when she stormed off in frustration during the training that Obi Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka were conducting. Steela lightened up a little at that point, and then she became the rebels’ leader and everything was going smoother than they planned during a rescue of both Saw and their former, rightful King. That was, until Steela was hanging from a cliff. Ahsoka was lifting her with the Force until the Seperatists’ ship tank thing shot her in the shoulder, causing her to lose her hold on Steela. Steela fell to her death. Poor Saw immediately blamed himself; I think he had hit that ship earlier, but it all happens so fast I already can’t remember (my viewing was 3 nights ago). Ahsoka offers her condolences but Saw is actually kinda cold in return, saying that it’s over with, and walks away. Saw was just a young man at this point, and just lost the only family he had left to war. Fast forward to the period Rogue One takes place in, long after the Clone Wars and the Republic and the Seperatists, but the Empire been around long enough to destroy so many things at this point. In pictures and what we have seen from the trailers, Saw has one leg that has been replaced with a prosthetic of some sort. You can tell just by looking at him that he’s just been fighting his whole life, stuck in a never-ending cycle of war. But he’s still passionate about fighting the good fight.

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Also, watch him open this trailer:

Also, see his peg-leg intro and his undying passion in this one:

 

ONE MORE SLEEP!! THE TRAILERS ARE STILL MAKING ME EMOTIONAL!! I THINK BECAUSE I AM SO EXCITED?!?! AHHHH!!!!!

“You say you want a revolution, well, you know…we all wanna change the world,”

Or, if you’re a rebel in Rogue One, you want to change the universe! I don’t know about you guys, but I already got my tickets for Rogue One for the very first showing EVER (at my theater…) next Thursday night! I AM ONE WEEK AWAY FROM SEEING ROGUE ONE AND I AM SO EXCITED! Naturally, I have been eating up all the press I can find for this film. I know so many fans are excited for Darth Vader, but I honestly care more about our new characters, especially our rebels. I know I’ve already talked about how I’m already in love with both Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, and Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna, but like…I can’t stop. The actors are so damn charming and lovely, and every time I watch the trailers I get emotional, and every interview makes me adore them even more. Especially this recent MTV interview. First of all, watch that and fall in love in love with them.

Or…honestly, just look at them:

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THEY ARE BOTH SO BEAUTIFUL, INSIDE AND OUT. First of all, Diego Luna is absolutely gorgeous and adorable. AND he’s now among the far too short list of the few Latinos to star in a Star Wars movie! It’s amazing to see Latinos in Star Wars; representation does matter! It makes me so happy! But just look at him. And Felicity Jones! I have so much faith in her for this role. Look at her; she put her little Jyn Erso action figure sitting down next to her on her chair!! How perfect and charming is that?!

And believe me, I’m also excited for the rest of the beautifully diverse cast of rebels, they’re all so unique and intriguing. And, as a huge Clone Wars fan, I’m so freaking excited for Saw Gerrera, played by Forest Whitaker! Does this pave the way for a feature film all about Ahsoka Tano?! I THINK SO!! At least maybe one day!! Speaking of Ahsoka…remember my magical moment at a comic convention I went to, where, dressed as Ahsoka Tano, I found the beautiful Black Series Ahsoka Tano action figure?! And just a few days ago, Saint Nick made a visit to my door because I left my shoes out and left a sweet bag of gifts. The bag was filled with candy, treats, pretty socks, and there was a sweet little card with money in it that said “for your Ahsoka Tano figure”. What a beautiful Christmas surprise!

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I know, I’m spoiled. Look at my beautiful Ahsoka collection now:

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Oh look, there’s my little Cassian Andor right behind my latest Ahsoka! So, back to Rogue One…let’s admire Jyn and Cassian one more time:

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God, they’re so cool. I can feel it. Also, Jyn rocks a hood so well. Much like the ladies of Star Wars before her. Let’s take a moment to appreciate that…

She doesn’t wear it for long in the movie, but look how tough and darling my favorite scavenger is. Just look at the rare hooded Rey:

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And, one of my favorite looks of Padme Amidala (even though she is pretending to be her own handmaiden in this outfit), followed by some of her other hooded looks:

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“It’s cold in space.”

 

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Since I’m merely going by the timeline here, my darling hero Ahsoka Tano looks amazing when hooded; I definitely want to cosplay these looks someday:

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I am missing at least one more look but I can’t find it…so it’s time to move on to the original Star Wars heroine, Princess Leia:

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Fun fact: When I decided I was going to don this original Princess Leia look for Halloween a few years ago, it was hard to find one with a hood attached. And I decided I needed that because I love that part of the whole look. I don’t know why anyone would even make this costume without a hood, it simply doesn’t make any sense!

I know, the men don hoods very well, too…but today is not their time to shine….

Okay, just one…and my favorite, my beautiful Luke Skywalker:

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And that’s all for now! Until I feel like appreciating hoods in Star Wars again…

 

 

“Make 10 men feel like 100,”

That is one of the many moments giving me hope and chills in one of the latest Rogue One trailers. It is spoken by the beautiful Diego Luna:

An American with Mexican heritage, I have had a devastating week. I’ve never intended for this blog to touch on politics and that’s not changing now, but that doesn’t that mean I can hide my heartache and disappointment. I’ve lost count on how often I’ve cried reflecting on how half of the country elected an unqualified “business” man who has had several bankruptcies, cheated employees out of payment, called Mexican immigrants as a whole rapists and criminals, mocked the disabled, mocked our own veterans that happened to be prisoners of war when this man himself has dodged the draft several times, normalized talk of sexual assault and abuse, called for identification systems for Muslims (sound familiar? Hitler did that to the Jews) and has been endorsed by the KKK. People say to me, “oh Rita, you’re American, you’re okay”. Well no shit, I’m American. But the kind of people that that man has incited a hatred of minorities in…those people see no difference in someone whose family recently immigrated here to someone who has been here for 4 generations now. All they see is our brown skin. And this despicable excuse for a man chose one of the most anti-gay politicians I’ve ever seen to be his running mate. I fear for all of us who are different. I mourn the struggles some have already faced in the wake of this tragedy and I grieve the future to come. I have no hope anymore.

So, I have decided to continue thinking about the things that make me happy…naturally, one of those things is Star Wars and how close we are to the first stand-alone Star Wars story, Rogue One! I need this movie so badly right now. I need Jyn Erso’s earnest hope and glowing determination. I need Captain Cassian Andor for his darling Mexican self being a leader. I need the severely war-scarred Saw Guerrera for his passion and for his Clone Wars ties; the fact that we are seeing a character from the Clone Wars series in a live action film is just amazing. I just need all of it so much. I need this small group of diverse people coming together to fight something much bigger than they are, to fight the evil and oppressive Empire. I need to see them get those Death Star plans. I’m honestly quite in love with Jyn and Cassian in what I’ve seen in the trailers so far; Jyn in all of her ass-kicking glory, saying “We have hope. Rebellions are built on hope.”, Cassian saying “make 10 men feel like 100,”.

Surely you have heard of a coping mechanism known as retail therapy…I couldn’t help but engage this past weekend when I saw the exclusive Funko Pop! Captain Cassian Andor bobblehead at Target:

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If/when I see this movie and fall in love with him, I also want the bobblehead of him in his blue coat that has very Han Solo-on-Hoth vibes:

 

And yes, that’s a hint to the people that know and love me who need ideas to buy me things for Christmas! Also, I still don’t have any of the ones of Jyn Erso. I need some, though. There’s several different versions of her; I love all of them except the one where she’s in the black Imperial suit. Obviously she rocks and looks amazing, but I just like the other ones that capture her true character’s essence. So, preferably her main outfit, hood or no hood.

Look at how perfect Cassian Andor looks next to fellow Star Wars Latino Poe Dameron:

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However, while I love Poe in his flight suit, I want one without his helmet. Because mmmmmmmmm:

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The one that I want that embodies this sexiness is a Wal-Mart exclusive, but I’ve found a few on eBay. I’m probably just going to buy him for myself the next time I’m feeling really down. But I’ll cut myself off just for this week, because just today, I also required this Funko Pop! bobblehead of another Star Wars rebel:

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Finally got the Mandalorian-masked Sabine from Star Wars Rebels at just the second Walgreens I checked! She fits in pretty well with the rest of my darling Funko Pop! Star Wars bobbleheads:

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Christmas list opportunity for people that love me: I don’t even know if they will be released in time, but Funko Pop! is set to release more Star Wars Rebels bobbleheads. Sabine and Ahsoka were the first ones, and they both exclusives; Sabine to Walgreens and Ahsoka to Hot Topic. I’m pretty sure the other figures will be everywhere that these little guys are typically carried, like Target, Wal-Mart, Hot Topic, etc. All I want is Hera. Perhaps Kanan and Ezra as well, but all I need is Hera:

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I love having all of my favorite Star Wars characters together like this. Keep them coming, Funko!

OH, and back to Cassian and Poe making me so happy because they’re both sexy and Latino (like me 😉 )….I love all of the diversity that’s coming through this franchise lately. Yes, there were always some there ( like Lando by the wonderful Billy Dee Williams), but it’s nice to be getting more. Especially more Latinos! Yes, of course I’m bias. But it’s just so fun. Also, I’m in love with Oscar Isaac.

And guys…I’m not forgetting Jimmy Smits, aka Bail Organa, aka Leia’s beloved adoptive father.

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He’s of Puerto Rican descent, which is amazing, of course. It made me so happy so see him even just for a moment in the first season of Star Wars Rebels; he bends down to R2-D2 just like his daughter and that image just makes my heart smile. He’s a wonderful character. But sadly…we don’t really get that much of him in the films. In Clones Wars, yes. He’s an incredibly vital character but he is not a main character.

That’s why I’m so excited for my fellow Latinos because now, they are among the leading stars in these movies. I just hope it keeps coming and we get even more diversity as these projects continue. It’s just beautiful to see; one of the things I love about Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry’s vision for it is the diversity, so it’s lovely to see Star Wars follow that lead.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe it was Lin-Manuel Miranda that tweeted his excitement about seeing Diego Luna in the Rogue One trailers all like “YESSSSS LATINOS IN SPACE”. So now Latinos in Space is a thing; a trending topic, a hashtag, whatever you consider to be hip. And I adore it. I WANT TO JOIN MY FELLOW LATINOS IN SPACE!! Speaking of which…look at this adorable and sexy piece of art by a lovely artist named Mariana Avila:

Latinos in Space! Art Print

I need it on my walls! It makes me so happy, it’s just so perfect and cute! Of course, it’s called Latinos in Space!

I’m tempted to buy it right now; it’s 10% off with free shipping until midnight! But…it would just add on to the things I’ve bought this week just because I’m massively depressed. But hey, sometimes materialism has a purpose, however shallow, silly, or brief it may be.

Until next time…”may the Force be with us,”.

 

 

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

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,”

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?!

“She asked me to stay and she told me to sit anywhere; when I looked around I noticed there wasn’t a chair,”

This classic Beatles lyric just makes me imagine a scene with Jaylah from Star Trek Beyond being her usual awesome self:

Star Trek Beyond:

Oh, speaking of Jaylah, my little Jaylah finally has a buddy:

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I got a little Funko Pop! bobblehead of Spider-Gwen! I finished one of my Spider-Gwen graphic novels that one of my best friends gave me and I loved it! How can I not love a spunky superhero who is a drummer in all-ladies rock and roll band when she’s not webbing around?!

My list of badass ladies to admire just keeps growing..but let’s go back to my number one: my Ahsoka Tano!! Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels came out on DVD and Blu-Ray last week so, that’s basically what I’ve been doing…sorry, productivity! I’m not done yet, because I’m savoring every episode and Rebels Recon, and perhaps watching some scenes over and over again, like Ahsoka’s battle scene with the Seventh Sister (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar aka BUFFY aka Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Wife!) in the “Future of the Force” episode. Ahsoka is just phenomenal, so elegant and fierce in her combat. Also, I tweeted about my wonderful purchase and I how spent the rest of that day and Freddie Prinze Jr. AND Ashley Eckstein herself liked my tweet!! It’s the little things that make my day.

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Speaking of my idol Ahsoka, look what I have on my car now that I bought from AStickyObsession:

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Is it weird I feel like she’s my little Jedi guardian? But really, this decal is amazing and I’ve never seen anything like it until I found this Etsy shop. There’s also a grown-up, Rebels version of Ahsoka that is amazing, but I chose this one because I’m more attached to her Clone Wars look. Speaking of Rebels, there’s an amazing one of Hera as well, but I don’t consider myself enough of a Hera fan to get it, but it’s pretty cool. There’s also a little BB-8 one I have my eye on to order possibly sometime in the nearish future.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I lack both the inspiration and the time lately. Alas, I’ll be back shortly, possibly returning with some book reviews! I recently purchased a Black Widow novel called Forever Red, and the cashier at the book store was curious how it would compare to the comics. I only just got into Spider-Gwen but now I need some Black Widow comics as well to compare to this novel I’m excited to read!!