Today I’m letting my fangirly side out uninhibited so THOU ART WARNED.

I was tagged by my awesome friend Victoria @ Wanderer’s Pen to share Some of My Favorite Things (total The Sound of Music style yesh). This tag was originally created by Sara Letourneau, and I think it’s such a fun idea! Because who doesn’t love gushing about their favorite things???

Now, the original idea is to share some random stuff you love that your followers may not know about you. Buuut, me being me, I have to break the rules a smidge. Instead of talking about things I like, I’m going to be fangirling over FANDOMS. Because, erm, my entire world revolves around story in some form or fashion. Like…I have other things I like? What nonsense!

This is honestly going to be a teeny, tiny list of the fandoms I’m in. (I have a problem, okay???) And I’m not sure this is really my top ten. Just ten of some favorite fandoms of mine. Some I’m sure you all know I love and you’re gonna be like DUH CHRISTINE WE KNOW YOU LOVE IT (I make no apologies for talking about my loves 25/8!), while sooome you may not have seen me mention much. Buuut I probably actually have because I’m not exactly subtle about the stories I love… *cough*

I just like to fangirl okay?! So COME. Fangirl/boy with me!

MY FAVORITE FANDOMS

LORD OF THE RINGS

I’m sure you’re all soooo surprised! It’s not like I mention my love for Tolkien like five times every post. Noooo. But but… It’s Lord of the Rings!

The moment I entered the world of Middle-earth when I was ten years old, my life changed forever. My love for fantasy was awoken as I plunged into a land of elves and dwarves and evil immortal beings and magic rings and great towers and talking trees and brave men and selfless little hobbits. I had found my home and I’ve never gone back.

I love how vast and deep the Tolkien fandom goes. Most all fantasy we have now is because of Tolkien, but it’s not just that his stories helped us define fantasy, he changed the world. He showed us hope in the midst of terrible darkness. He gave us stories that proved the smallest, seemingly most insignificant people can do great, enormous things. He inspired us to break the boundaries with writing. To not be afraid to make something new and strange, and not limit ourselves. The amount of work he put into Middle-earth is mind-blowing, and the stories he gave us are truly life changing.

Many fandoms tend to only have one type of person they appeal to, but LotR has captured generations and generations of all types of people, and it is beautiful. I’m proud to call myself a Tolkienite.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA

Obviously this was coming next.

I think C.S. Lewis himself summed up the magic of his stories on the dedication page of the very first book…

“…some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”

Because isn’t that the truth of it? Sometimes it takes us growing up to truly appreciate children’s stories. But Narnia is so perfect in that it is a magical, wonderful journey for children and adults alike. It’s a story I never tire of, and though it is for children, I find something new and insightful with every reread. That’s how powerful of a tale it is.

The love and impact Narnia has spread through the world is amazing. When people say stories have power, Narnia instantly comes to mind for me. Because it truly is a powerful tale, wrapped up in a whimsical children’s story. This story helped my walk with God and understanding of Him grow by leaps and bounds. And it’s another story, like Tolkien’s, that has such a vast and diverse fanbase. Because Narnia is twofold—it is a story full of depth and powerful theology, but, at the same time, it’s a fun little fairy tale. The brilliance of C.S. Lewis is unmatchable!

DOCTOR WHO

Bwahaha! Taking a big shift to TV shows now.

Sometime in 2009 or 2010 I believe, I started noticing Doctor Who being mentioned all around the internets (because, really, it’s impossible to get on the internet and not be slapped with DW references). The idea and everyone’s love for it appealed to me, so I started watching it with my brother. The first episode with the Ninth Doctor and killer plastic dummies was…erm…interesting. Not exactly TV gold buuuut it kept me interested. Then by the second or third episode I was lost in the void that is the Doctor Who fanbase and I’ve never found my way out.

Doctor Who became my new favorite thing EVER. I adored the Ninth Doctor, the Tenth Doctor is life and there will never ever ever ever be a Doctor I love more, I cried and screamed when he regenerated into the Eleventh Doctor but soon I grew to love him as well, and the Twelfth Doctor was fabulous and I’m gonna miss him dearly. I thought Rose would forever be my favorite companion with Donna as a very close second, but then my bby girl Clara came into the picture. But, really, all the characters are utterly loveable in their own ways.

The whole show is so wild and different. And I think that’s why it appeals to so many people. Not one episode is like the other. It’s like you’re getting a new show with every single episode. And the zaniness while at the same time utter complexity of the Doctor is storytelling gold. Plus, the show is a bout an alien with two hearts time traveling in a police telephone box. Yeppp. Talk about a unique premise. It’s really no wonder why people have loved this show since the 60s. It is one of a kind.

And us Whovians know how to geek hard. I don’t think there’s such a thing as a casual Whovian…

BBC’S MERLIN

As much as I love Doctor Who with all my heart and soul, Merlin is my top, top, top favorite TV show. I’m actually not a big sci-fi fan (though Doctor Who certainly has tried to turn me into one!), so though I love Doctor Who, it’s not exactly my element. But Merlin now…it’s like the show was made for me.

If you’ve never heard of it, Merlin is a twist on Arthurian Legend in that Merlin and Arthur are both young men…and Merlin is Arthur’s servant. Oh yeah, and magic is forbidden in Camelot so Merlin can’t actually reveal he’s a wizard. FUN STUFF.

You guys may already be aware but I am a huuuuuuuuge Arthurian Legend nerd. The stories of King Arthur have enraptured me since I was a tiny thing. I believe it was in 2011 that I heard about this Arthurian Legend show BBC was doing. By this point I was already a rabid Doctor Who fan, so I had faith in BBC to make epic shows. So a KING ARTHUR show by BBC??? I MUST HAVE NOW.

Once again, I got sucked in a void and never came out. This show had everything. An utter cinnamon roll of a protagonist (seriously, Merlin is so good and precious and I can’t <3333), my favoritest bromance to exist EVER (Merlin and Arthur’s bantering friendship gives me LIFE), fun Arthurian Legend thiiiings, a fantasy version of Camelot (yesssh), and loveable characters all around. It’s one of the few shows where I don’t even care that the plot is absurdly cheesy of the swiss kind because the plot holes are laughable. Usually, bad, lazy storytelling turns me into a ranting Hulk. But with Merlin? I don’t CARE. Because I love the characters so much, I just love being with them, despite all the low budget cheese and illogical plot threads. IT DOESN’T MATTER. The writers may not have been all that skilled with plot, but they killed it with characters.

Also, the whole fandom is so fun and welcoming and we basically spend all day crying with one another because of reasonssss but ahem yeah. Aaanyways, it’s a great show and I will forever be obsessed. <3

SHERLOCK

Oh look, another BBC show. (I maaay have a problem?) Where the Doctor Who fandom is full of fun geeks and the Merlin fandom tends to be soft and friendly, Sherlockians, as we’re called, is infamous for being the craziest fandom out there. I don’t know what causes this insanity (prooobably because we only get 3 EPISODES every 2 years or so. NO JOKE). But yeah. Here we are. This show is a modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes and it’s just so fun!

I can’t recommend Sherlock to everyone. The first season wasn’t too bad content-wise, then the first episode of season 2 was shockingly bad and it caught me off guard and made me really mad. Blergh. Most of the rest of the episodes haven’t been that bad, but there is still some occasional TV ickiness because I guess having clean TV is too much to ask for. #RANT

Anyways, just wanted to warn you. But aaahhhhh, Sherlock. Aside from the content, I wish all TV could be like this. Our shows tend to be getting more and more mindless as the years go by and, like I mentioned earlier, bad storytelling brings out my ultra mega angry ranty side. But SHERLOCK. It is brilliant. It does not treat its viewers as dumb. It makes you think. But not only that, it has everything. Beautiful character arcs, intricately mind-blowing plots, a great setting—really all the ingredients you need for a good story. Plus Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Also essential ingredients for a good story. ;D

But really, this show is what storytelling should be. And though what feels like lifetimes pass between each season and at this rate I’ll probably be watching season 5 in a nursing home, I’m still so happy to be a crazy Sherlockian.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

If you didn’t see this coming, you really don’t know me at all. *grins*

BUT ALICE IN WONDERLAAAAND!!!! Another thing I’ve been obsessed with since I could breathe basically. And it’s not just the original Alice in Wonderland stories I love. It’s almost EVERYTHING Wonderland. Because that’s what I love about this story—it can be interpreted in so many different ways. Wonderland is a bizarre, wild place, and I feel like Lewis Carroll meant for us to perceive it how we wanted to. When people try to drastically change something like Middle-earth, I get mad. But different Wonderland renditions? I’m perfectly fine with! I don’t know, there’s just so much that can be done with Wonderland, because it’s not a set-in-stone place. You never know what you’re going to find there, and I adore seeing everyone’s perspectives of it.

I love the spacey-ness of Alice (I relate to her a lot…), I love the lunacy of the Mad Hatter, I love the idea of a never ending tea party, I love the utter nonsense of all the Wonderland inhabitants. Nonsense is my element. LOL. But seriously, it’s truuue. I’ve never been one for common sense and normal, quiet, sensible things. Bring on the crazy and wild! The loopy characters and illogical logic. It feels right. Because, hey, I’m a writer. We’re all mad here. *wink*

I truly love the Wonderland fanbase as well, because I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more creative fandom. Like I said, people take Wonderland and make it their own, and I love that. You may see steampunk Wonderland things, or whimsical versions, or dark, creepy retellings, or frilly pink Wonderland merchandise. On and on it goes. The amount of things you can do and perceptions you can have with Alice in Wonderland is infinite. And that makes my creative soul happy.

Wonderland is my happy place.

PETER PAN

Speaking of happy places…NEVERLAND. I wouldn’t even need a happy thought to fly to Neverland, going to Neverland would be my happy thought. Because NEVERLAND. Who wouldn’t want to go to a place where you never have to grow up?

Peter Pan is another one of those utterly timeless tales. The whole story feels like pixie dust, because there’s something so magical about it. Who doesn’t love the idea of a never-aging boy who can fly sweeping children away to a magical island? It’s delightful! And, like Wonderland, there’s so many different ways people see Neverland. It, too, brings out the creativity of the fandom.

But more than that, Peter Pan is a story that I think has helped us all keep our childlike wonder, which is something I find super important in this stuffy, dark, cutthroat world. In the midst of all our stress, Peter Pan reminds us that, yes, we all need to grow up sometime, but to still have fun, see the joy in the little things, and not take everything so seriously.

This story means a lot to me, in a way I always have a hard time putting into words. But I will forever be a Peter Pan fangirl.

MARVEL

Ahhhh, yeesh. I can sense a lot of you nodding and grinning because, well, it’s MARVEL.

Confession: I used to not be much of a superhero fan. I KNOW. SCANDALOUS. It’s just…the idea of guys flying around in tights saving the world? Just…eh. Give me a dragon any day. Buuut then Iron Man came out, and all the Marvel movies following, annnd yeah. I was a goner.

Honestly, my first superhero love came from the Toby Maguire Spider-man movies. Yeeeah. XD Now I just watch them for a good laugh, but back in the day I was OBSESSED. Otherwise, I wasn’t a huge superhero fan (except for The Incredibles which is still my favorite Pixar film to date). Well, Marvel Studios fixed that. Now like 80% of my fangirling life revolves around Marvel and IT’S A PROBLEM. Though I still only watch the movies. I’ve never read the comics or anything, and have to frequently question my brother on references and things I don’t understand since he is much more knowledgeable with these things, but when it comes to the Marvel movies? I can probably quote any given one of them and I spend way more time than I actually have pinning Marvel pins on Pinterest (and crying over Bucky).

And if you’re curious, Captain America is my favorite (but really Bucky) and The Avengers is my favorite movie verrryyy closely followed by The Winter Soldier (Buckyyyy).

LEVERAGE

Another one of my faaavorite TV shows, but one I don’t yell to you guys about nearly enough. SO WE’RE FIXING THAT.

Leverage is set in modern times and is about a group of thieves who end up banding together and deciding to do the Robin Hood thing—stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Except their thing is conning big, rich, corrupt people. And it. is. so. FUN! Every episode is basically a different con job, and just yessss to fun heists. I love ‘em!

This show is just a riot all around. Again, it’s basically this group of thieves-turned-good using their skills to pull off all sorts of heists, but ALSO, the character dynamics add years to my life I’m pretty sure. THEY’RE JUST SO GOOD. The five characters go from strangers who don’t really trust each other to a big family. It’s totally that motley-crew-turned-family trope that I ADORE. If nothing else, this show is worth a watch for the characters. But it’s also great for a smile. There’s absolutely danger and feels and action, but at the same time, it’s extremely funny. And, again, the characters are utterly loveable. I’ve seen every episode like 29734 times because I can’t stay away from my precious characters for long.

The content isn’t always perfectly clean though. Some language and immodesty and such, like most shows (*siiiigh*). But if that doesn’t bother you, I 12/10 recommend this delightful show!

MY LITTLE PONY:
FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC

No, this is not a joke! I mean…it’s My Little Pony, guys!

Okay, the thing about this show is for those who have never seen it, they wonder whyyyy on earth all these adults watch this “goofy kids show”. For those who have seen it, they know. I used to be the former. I saw everyone obsessed with it and I was so confused. Wasn’t it a kids show? And had like…singing and stuff? Why are people obsessed with it? Then it started coming on TV a lot and I caught snatches of it here and there and next thing I knew I was watching every episode until my eyes bled, singing to the songs (winter wrap up, winter wrap uuup!) including the title song because I had it memorized, counting down the days to new seasons, and wearing a My Little Pony t-shirt. True story.

This is just one of those shows you have to watch to get. I know it looks dumb, but the story is actually really good. The writers I think eventually realized that their audience made up of more adults than kids, and tailor to that now. There’s some surprisingly in depth storylines throughout the series, genuinely funny jokes, and one of the villains ends up having a very complex character arc. Plus it’s just pretty. Lol. The bright, colorful world and art style is pleasing to the eyeballs, and with all the different personalities of the ponies, there’s a character for everyone.

Also Pinkie Pie. Just watch for Pinkie Pie.

I love this fandom, because it’s so unexpected seeing all these adults obsessing over a My Little Pony show. Come on, you gotta love it!

Well there ya go! You’ve now seen a true glimpse at how far and deep my fangirliness goes. It’s a scary place, let me tell you. Hopefully I didn’t scare some of you off. Bwahaha.

Before I end this monster post (if you can believe it, I constrained myself some, I could have easily made an individual post talking about my love for every single one of these fandoms), I’m going to pass on this tag!

. . . TAGGING . . .

Deborah @ The Road of a Writer | Christine @ Overflowing Mind & Pen | Tracey @ Adventure Awaits | + anyone else who wants to join! (I think Sarah the creator originally opened this up as a blog hop for anyone to do, so definitely feel free to jump in!)

And remember, this is supposed to be a list of any of your favorite things, you don’t have to do stories like I did. It’s just most all of my favorite things involves stories sooo…yeah. *grins* But you’re TOTALLY welcome to do fandoms like I did. I loooove seeing what all fandoms everyone is in!

TALK WITH ME!