“…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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“It surrounds us and penetrates; it binds the galaxy together,”

May the Force be with you on this lovely May the 4th! I mean, the Force is with me all the time, because every day of my life is Star Wars Day, but this little holiday is still fun, seeing what tributes people conjure up and, my favorite part, how many new items and sales various websites will have! I’ve actually already participated in one of those online sales because they started early yesterday!

In case you didn’t know, Hallmark has this adorable line of tiny stuffed animals called Itty Bittys. They’re kinda like Funko Pop! in that they’re collectible and of pretty much every cool franchise you can imagine, such as Disney, Marvel, DC, Star Trek, other cartoons such as Scooby Doo…just so many delightful things. I only have Star Wars ones at the moment:

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And shortly, thanks to a May the 4th special, I will have Sabine Wren and Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars Rebels!! They went on sale exclusively on Hallmark.com yesterday, just a day early. My girl Ahsoka is super popular, and Sabine is getting up there as well, so I didn’t hesitate to order them when I first saw that they were finally available.

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THEY LOOK SO CUTE!! I CANNOT WAIT FOR THEIR ARRIVAL! AND THEY WILL LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL WITH MY ITTY BITTY REY, LUKE, OBI WAN KENOBI, C-3PO, AND THE LONE JAWA!

These collections just happen by accident, okay?! But like….I still want Princess Leia and there’s also a Poe Dameron…because I need them…for reasons…

Speaking of collections….look at my Funko Pop! collection when I started it like maybe a year ago:

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And look at it as of today:

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And the ones on my desk at work (complete with a tiny and curious kitten):

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While I should be trying to be frugal, I’ve already began my Star Wars May splurge with the Itty Bittys and my order of this month’s Funko Star Wars Smuggler’s Bounty box…so who knows what will happen with other sales I will see this week… But guys…I need this box. It’s the 40th anniversary of Star Wars/A New Hope this year, and naturally A New Hope is the theme for this month’s box, so it’s clearly going to be even more special! I’m hoping for a cute Leia Pop! shirt or something…I’m pretty sure this is the Pop! it will come with:

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That’s pretty damn adorable, if you ask me. I can’t wait to see what else in this special anniversary box!!!

I would like to write this tremendous piece about how much Star Wars means to me and what my favorite moments are, but sadly, I just don’t have the time. I barely have time to write this now…and quite frankly, I’m only half sure why I even bother; I know nobody cares about this blog but me, but also, it’s fun to do these little projects for myself and focus on the things I love for a little while. I have been trying to organize this site a bit more, though; I’ve compiled everything I’ve written (I think?) on this site about Star Wars and put it all in a folder called…Star Wars!! Same for Disney, Marvel, Rock and Roll, and a few other things. So, if you’re really that bored, you can delve further into this obsession that’s enriched and consumed my life by checking out that particular folder!

“Everybody wants to be a cat, because a cat’s the only cat that knows where it’s at,”

Being the huge Disney lover I am, I kinda watch Disney movies all the time. They make me happy and help me unwind. So tonight, it’s the Aristocats! I love this movie so much, and it’s so underappreciated. I’ve talked to quite a few people lately that have told me they’ve never even seen it!! I’ve always been more partial to the animated films with dogs and/or cats, so I may be slightly bias, but regardless, it’s a hilarious and adorable movie. Even if you’re never seen it, you’ve probably heard or seen this iconic moment referenced at some point in your life from the adorable kitten, Marie:

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And then there’s several other moments that make me smile:

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Also, Duchess and Thomas O’Malley are #relationshipgoals:

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God, I love this movie; so charming, sweet, and darling. Also, I’ve been particularly fond of kittens lately…these past few weeks at work, we’ve had one-month old kittens in the office, and I adore them. They’re so tiny and uncoordinated, it’s so adorable. While I prefer dogs, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy these adorable babies! And I have to take advantage of these opportunities when I get them. This past August, I was cat-sitting for my friend’s parents when I had a really bad allergic reaction. I had grown up around cats, though, so it came as an incredibly devastating shock; it must have developed only in these recent years. But last month, we had a different lot of kittens at work, and one of my coworkers suggested I wait to take allergy medicine because sometimes people are only allergic to adult animals. Thankfully, I seem to be one of those people, because I’ve been absolutely fine with all of the kittens!

I’m trying not to get attached to these little cuties for several reasons, but it’s so hard…but I’ll enjoy these moments while I can. They love to nap on my lap, and I can still actually do my job because they seem to enjoy being underneath my desk while I type. But like, I still haven’t had allergy tests done by a doctor, so there’s hope?! I don’t know.

Anyway, so…I’ve just had kittens on my mind lately so anytime someone posts a cute cat thing on social media, I usually click it. Just this morning, I saw someone post an article about a farmer who found strange-looking kittens. Of course they’re adorable anyway, but still, he knew something was up. He eventually discovered that there were indeed a breed of wild cats; Pallus cats, or Manul cats.

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I was curious about them, so naturally I did some online research. Turns out they’re smaller than lions and tigers, but they’re still wild hunters (my main inquiry was whether or not they would eat me if I encountered one…and I don’t think so??). This is what the adults look like:

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Wait a minute….

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This cat looks familiar….

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Oh snap, I think I’ve got it….

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These short, stout wild cats remind me of the tall, combative Lasat, Zeb Orrelios from Star Wars Rebels!!

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And to think, I was proud of myself for realizing that Zeb was based on some classic concept art by the legendary Ralph McQuarrie when I stumbled upon on Pinterest one day:

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Yup, this Zeb ancestor was actually supposed to be Chewbacca:

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Pause. Does anyone else find this concept art terrifying?! I’m so glad that Chewie ended up looking the way he did…and to be honest, I’ve never been super fond of Zeb’s look. I love his character, but his eyes always kinda freaked me out…but now that I know he’s clearly part Pallus/Manul cat, I think I actually like his look now.

Speaking of Star Wars Rebels, I just have to say…I was so happy with my Star Wars Rebels themed Funko Smuggler’s Bounty box this month! Just look at some of the goodies:

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I adore this shirt with the whole Ghost crew on it!! Also, now I have a Pallas/Manul cat patch ;).

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That sparkly orange Chopper is a Hikari Mini, and it’s so perfect; I was hoping I would get him in orange! (FYI, the R2-D2 next to him is another Smuggler’s Bounty Exclusive is not actually dirty; he was from the Jabba’s Palace themed box, so this is the poor droid back on Tattoine, serving up drinks for dirty gangsters).

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Aaaaaand shirtless, sexy Darth Maul….I love it. He’s my favorite Star Wars villain so naturally I was super excited to finally have him in Funko Pop! form. There is one out there that is Phantom Menace-era designed, and that one’s cool too, but I love this one more.

Speaking of Maul…his time has finally come, and it was oddly beautiful. SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP ON REBELS… Obi-Wan Kenobi struck him in a surprisingly short duel, but it was fitting. Kenobi doesn’t need to be flashy anymore; those days are long behind him. But my favorite part had to be that Kenobi actually held Maul in his last moments…just beautiful. And Maul asking about the Chosen One?! LUKE?! AHHH!!! And of course, Maul is still Maul, with a lingering hope for revenge renewed in the hope that is Luke Skywalker.

As for the season finale…I haven’t watched it yet. Guys, it’s not my fault, I don’t have Disney X D and I didn’t have access to my typical source this weekend. But I will…but honestly, I’m more excited for the whole season to be released on DVD/Blu-ray; I enjoy watching them all together.

 

“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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“I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a plenty, I’ve got whozitz and whatzits galore”

I know, I like talking about my stuff a lot…but I collect some pretty interesting things, if I do say so myself. Especially Funko Pop! figures…guys, it’s not my fault. I went to Hot Topic while at the mall recently and had to go there because 1) there’s not one super close to me so I take my opportunities to peruse when I can and 2) I knew I had a $5 dollar reward from them expiring soon. I look at the wall of Funkos for like 7 minutes because I see Ezra, but I’m looking for Hera, and if they have one character from Star Wars Rebels in stock they’re bound to have another, right?! Finally, I had to ask an employee if they had any in back or if they had their entire stock pretty much out. At first, she made it seem like everything they had would be out, but then she had me describe the character I was looking for. “With the green things on her head? I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her before,”…she then got a ladder and looked behind the ones that were higher on the shelves. It reminded me of my retail days, that still aren’t very far behind me, when a customer would be looking for a DVD or CD and it wasn’t out on the floor but our system said we had in it stock; I was always determined to find it, even if that involved digging in the warehouse through boxes fellow employees never bothered putting out, for whatever reason. I digress; she did not find them on the shelves, but had told me she was almost certain she had seen the one I was looking for. A few minutes later, she came out with my little Hera and I was so happy. I went to check out, and of course the cashier has to tell me that the Funko Pops are all 3 for $30 (again, I’m familiar with this game). I politely declined, and asked him to look up my rewards that I had earned. “Actually, you have $10! Now you may as well get two more for the 3 for $3o,”. Damnit, he had me there. I was sold. Obviously I had to do it. See, I told you it wasn’t my fault! I was clearly swindled! (or easily swayed…)

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I still need to go see Rogue One again, because apparently  “General Syndulla” is called upon over the intercom at some point. With that in mind, I happened to pick up a general, a princess, and then one very special woman who was both.

The very first outfit we saw her in the first Star Wars and the first outfit we saw in the most recent Star Wars. Also, it’s interesting to see how Funko Pop’s style has changed over the years, side by side.

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Oh wait, did I show you what I got for Christmas from people I love extremely dearly?!

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I already had the exclusive Target version of Cassian Andor, but now I have Jyn Erso. I adore them both. My little heroes!

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Look at my little Rebels!!! I had to have Hera and Sabine together, but then I wanted to have Ahsoka with Hera as well; Hera was the only one to have contact with “Fulcrum” before she revealed herself to the rest of the Ghost crew. Also, they’re both my favorite fictional species: Torgrutas and Twi’leks are both gorgeous creatures.

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Sorry not sorry for the blurry picture…they were in the middle of bobbling together; who am I to stop that?! Their beautiful lekku, bobbling in the air, as free as can be.

But, back to the original Star Wars Rebel:

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I’m still mourning Carrie Fisher, so I just keep buying Princess Leia stuff. I was buying Star Wars Tsum Tsums for my niece to accompany these adorable Star Wars Little Golden Books I got for her at Barnes and Noble when I couldn’t help but add one for myself. I got the classic/original Princess Leia along with Han Solo for my niece, and the Empire Strikes Back edition, “Planet Hoth Leia” for myself.

Also, I got this Elite Jyn Erso figure like two days before I saw Rogue One (one of my very last employee purchases at my old job; I had to do it), and she looks so right with my darling Ahsoka:

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Oh wait…I almost forgot about the princess I got!

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Here is the Hot Topic Exclusive glittery version of Ariel’s classic pink dinner dress! Ariel is my favorite princess, as I have mentioned before, so of course I had to get this exclusive of her. She’s my only Disney one; I’m still trying to keep my collection mostly Star Wars, but now I want more Disney characters to join her. For now, she resides by Jaylah (Star Trek Beyond) and Spider-Gwen.

Speaking of Ariel, I finally got to see the Broadway version of the Little Mermaid!!

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It was a gift to me from my boyfriend’s parents! And it was beautiful and phenomenal!! I’ve always loved Ariel’s sisters, and their 60’s-esque number “She’s in Love” blew me away. And singing and dancing Prince Eric?! He’s already been my favorite prince and my dream man, but somehow he just got more perfect!! I highly recommend this show!! Mostly to Disney and Little Mermaid fans, but it’s amazing whoever you are.

“To me, she’s royalty.”

“I read the news today, oh boy…”

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I’m absolutely devastated. Carrie Fisher passed away today after suffering a heart attack on a plane last week. I’m honestly heartbroken. I don’t even know what to say…I wasn’t expecting to have to say goodbye to another one of my idols this year. A woman I’ve admired all of my life; when I was little, for her various roles (of course Star Wars but also others like the less appreciated classic The Burbs), and as I’ve been an adult struggling with mental illness, she’s become even more of an inspiration to me as she’s been so open with her own struggles. I adore this woman, I always have, and I always will. This year has honestly been terrible, from my beloved David Bowie, to Gene Wilder, Prince, George Michael, (among many others, I know I’ve discussed those as well) and now Carrie Fisher. Also, the tragedy that was this year’s presidential election…I’m devastated. I’ve never witnessed such an awful year in my young life. There’s been some excellent films, like Star Trek Beyond and Rogue One, and I finally got out a new job that isn’t retail that I like so far…so it’s not completely hopeless. But I’m still devastated by the election and all of the bigotry and hate that apparently still thrives in my country. And now, I’ve lost my Princess Leia, my General. We all have. It’s comforting to know I’m not the only fan who has sobbed over the loss of this beautiful star, with all of the outpouring on social media I’ve seen today.

What’s even worse? I could have met her back in August at Wizard World Comic Con in Chicago. I was fortunate enough to get a seat during her panel and hear her speak while being in the same room with her, and I was maybe just like 5 feet away from her when she was doing autographs and pictures with other fans. I only didn’t choose to meet her at the time because I was trying to be financially responsible and not add to the credit card debt I had accumulated at the time. I have learned my lesson; I would really rather be poor for a little bit than miss out on what would turn out to be the only opportunity I would have to meet one of my lifelong idols. I still donned a Princess Leia-inspired outfit (dress by Her Universe, of course), and I was hoping she would notice me while signing autographs and posing for pictures, but she was too busy (which is fine. I wouldn’t want her to neglect her other fans). Not buying a photo op with her will forever be my greatest regret in life.

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I’ve been so busy with my old job, my new job, and holiday shopping and festivities, I haven’t even been able to talk about how much I loved Rogue One. And…SPOILERS AHEAD!!

I was crying at the end of the movie because of all of the tragic events, and then I was crying happy tears and jumping in my seat because the movie ended with Princess Leia receiving the plans to the Death Star, and even though it was slightly odd because it was a CGI Carrie Fisher, I still cried at the sight of her. Also, I’m so glad they didn’t just cast another actress for that moment; I know Carrie Fisher wouldn’t have been too happy about that. At that panel back in August, someone mentioned the new Han Solo movie and asked if she would like to see a similar movie for Princess Leia, and she seemed to hate that idea because she is the only rightful Princess Leia. And damn straight, she is. I have been wanting to go see Rogue One again because apparently I missed all of the Star Wars rebels Easter eggs/references, so I need to watch it again and take a closer look. Now, I’m just going to be sobbing even more when that very last scene comes up.

Let’s take a moment and just enjoy a snippet of my Leia collection:

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Picked this up at Wizard World by Bianca Roman-Stumpff.

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Only one out of my three Star Wars blankets…have you ever seen such a lovely blanket? I just haven’t put this Leia mermaid by Aleigh Watford up yet because she’s part of a mermaid art collection I’m working on.

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And let’s also just admire her:

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She seems like that super fun and playful youthful friend:

Princess Leia “Carrie Fisher”,C3PO “Anthony Daniels” Empire Strikes Back…:

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Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill | Rare and beautiful celebrity photos:

On Nov. 13, 1978, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher were taking a break from filming “The Star Wars Holiday Special” when a news wire photographer caught this cute moment.:

Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, 1977:

Harrison Ford, David Prowse, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Mark Hamill and Kenny Baker:

Also, we need to talk about how Kenny Baker and Carrie Fisher passed away the same year….Princess Leia is going up to Heaven to be with her little messenger, R2-D2.  One of my other Star Wars idols, Ashley Eckstein, posted this on her social media pages:

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Wait…admire her some more, and this time, smile:

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Okay, she’s not saying this line at this exact moment, but I love in The Burbs when she says to Ray (played by my also beloved Tom Hanks) “you were up at the crack of dawn watching a dog poop.”

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I could go all day….I’ll stop now. But it’s so sad. What makes me the saddest is that I truly believed she would be okay, that she was going to pull through just fine. I foolishly thought this year couldn’t get any worse. This is how I feel about this year:

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Nobody was ready for you to leave, General…

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“And the stars look very different today…”

“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!!!!!

“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:

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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,”.

 

 

“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?!