I’ll Stand By You

Fan A to Z Challenge

I.) What made you come out as a fan and participate in the fandom online?

I came into this fandom with the intent to participate. at first I thought that might happen on fan forums but the more I looked around, the more the blogging community appealed to me. it was scary to make those first few comments but once I did, I realized how welcoming the blogs were to newcomers. before long, the itch to open my own blog became almost overwhelming. once I checked into WordPress and saw how user friendly the platform was, I set about brainstorming what kind of blog I wanted to have. I decided to stick to the basics and just tell my own story, how I discovered things within the fandom and what I thought of them. I borrowed the gif caption concept from a Robert Pattinson blog that I used to love reading and the rest I let come naturally. so it wasn’t any one person or any one blog that made me decide ‘hey, I can do that!’ but more just a welcoming community atmosphere. I didn’t befriend other fans and then open a blog, I opened a blog to befriend other fans.

how you doin?

 

J.) Are you outed as a fan among your family and friends?

yes. my kids, husband, and parents are always pretty much aware of which actor I’m crushing on at the moment. even if I don’t mention the person out loud, my family starts to see a pattern in the movies I’m suddenly watching.

what? I’ve always liked fava beans & chianti.

 

K.) Have you met RA? Where? Have you got a photo to share? And what did you say to him?

no, I haven’t met him. not in the traditional sense, but this blog is filled with my pretend interactions with him…

*insert swoony scenario here*

 

L.) Dealbreakers- what would make you stop being RA’s fan?

This is a hard one.

that’s what she said!

Is there anything he could do that would make me stop being a fan completely? because as much as I whine about him not being who I thought he was and not choosing the kinds of projects I want to see–I’m still blogging about him, aren’t I?

Truth.com

I guess the dealbreaker would have to be something in his personality, like he became outspokenly racist or something? I don’t know. if he did suddenly do a complete 180, I’d probably just feel sorry for him and try to figure out what horrible thing happened to him to make him that way. I’m loyal to a fault.

~*~*~*~

It’s Time

Fangirling over a celebrity can be like a courtship. first comes puppy love, then the realization of something deeper, which cultivates into a commitment of sorts. the “falling” eventually runs it’s course and you settle into an existence. as time goes on things change, because people change. we can either evolve and move forward, or veer off onto a path that takes us somewhere else. we can’t move backwards. while you may tell yourself that if you just stay still then everything will work itself out, you risk sacrificing your happiness to do so.

happiness

When I first started this blog, I was firmly in the puppy stage. I wanted to gush about Richard until I was out of breath, take a hit of oxygen, and then gush some more! then I moved into the “something deeper” phase and found myself exploring the hearts of not only the characters Richard portrayed, but the man himself. once I settled into “an existence” though, it became harder and harder to come up with fresh blog post ideas. in the beginning, it was effortless, but now that I’m three years in I have to work at it. I don’t like forcing it and I don’t like not posting either because it feels like a white blank space that blinds me. so after much thought, I’ve decided to hang up my blogging hat. I’ve had a good run, have so many good memories to keep with me, and so I think it’s better to sign off now while I still feel that way.

Do I regret any of it? no, not even a little. this blogging experience has shaped me in ways that I never imagined; good, bad, and everything in between. I’m not sure I could have done it with any other crush or any other fandom. but while I may be done blogging about Richard Armitage, that does not mean I am ready to quit being a fan of Richard’s or leave the fandom altogether. I’d miss you guys way too much! (and him too, but whatever)

he knows

To mark this transition for myself, I’ve picked a new look for this blog but the memories we’ve shared here will remain. I wouldn’t have had as much fun as I’ve had, without all of you, and so I want to be able to revisit those times whenever I feel the need. I hope you will stop by and browse back through them as well when you need a pick-me-up. I’m not sure where the next chapter of my fangirling will take me, but it soothes me to know I’ll be among friends. thank you for sharing the last 3 years with me, “the ride with you was worth the fall”.

Catch you on the flip side!

❤ Kelly

 

Richard Armitage’s chemistry with … Bloggers & how they support his life’s goal

frauvonelmdings gives some interesting insights into why I (along with other bloggers) feel a soul-connection towards Richard and choose to blog about it. you can place your Saturn on my South Node anytime, Richard…

frauvonelmdings

No one knows if Mr A is really aware of the impressive amount of people blogging almost on a daily basis about him, nor if he ever reads some of the funny, encouraging, serious, oh and not to forget the NSFW-stuff 😉

Not many people are able to openly communicate feelings they have towards, or because of another person in front of – literally – the whole world. To express their support and care for that person’s actions, create artwork inspired through a ‘mere’ virtual connection – which is nevertheless obviously felt very strongly.

It’s already been over half a year now, that I’m seriously musing about WHAT forces are working ‘behind the scenes’ here. Some bloggers might not even feel comfortable if they knew for sure, that Mr A was indeed an avid reader of their blog. So, why are we doing this?

I’ve tried to explain my own…

View original post 2,006 more words

A Personal Approach

Blog Introspection Challenge

15.) Any blogging role-models?

 

I certainly take the things that I like and admire from other bloggers and adapt them to my own style, but I wouldn’t say I have specific role-models in that regard. there isn’t one blog or one blogger that I like or admire above all others; I just soak it all in like a sponge. I tend to like the blogs that take a more personal approach to things though, put a bit of themselves in there alongside the subject they are blogging about.

me, giving of myself for Richard

 

I can get news and updates anywhere, but I can only get you on your blog.

 

..and I’ve finished another Challenge! woo-who!!

 

I enjoyed this challenge immensely because it really helped me look back at where I’ve been in relation to my own blog, not just my interactions in the fandom or my interest in Richard. I’m a very introspective person by nature and had been doing a lot of soul-searching prior to this challenge in regards to what direction I wanted this blog to go, as I headed into my third year of blogging. it’s been very helpful and I’ve enjoyed answering the questions a lot! I did a much more compact version of it on my non-Richard Armitage blog too.

I said “non”. I know it’s hard to fathom but there is such a thing!

 

Next time I’ll start looking back at all the RA characters, until then, here’s a fanvid of my favorite  “character” to carry you through the weekend:

(edited to add: video was removed from youtube)

 

Still Wandering

Blog Introspection Challenge

14.) Your plans for your blogging future

Plans. hmm. what’s that saying? “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” yeah, I’d rather not plan too intently. I have a habit of starting things and then abandoning them once the excitement wanes.

 

here’s your coat, what’s your hurry?

This blog is important to me, for so many reasons. I’m proud of it– proud of the posts that I’ve put out, proud of the reputation that it has. just looking at it some days gives me the warm feelings I need to take me through the day. there have been times these past two years, when I’ve become disillusioned with the fandom, so much so that I just wanted to throw in the towel. but I couldn’t bring myself to turn my back on this blog: the positive way it makes me feel, the easy interactions I have here with others, the fun I have creating the posts. I’ve had very few negative experiences here. as long as that continues to be the case, I’m going to keep wandering along this path to Nowhere in Particular.

I have a horrible sense of direction, wandering is inevitable!

My intention, at the moment, is to look back at each of the Armitage characters and see how my impressions of them might have changed. that, along with Challenge questions from series that I haven’t finished yet, are the only things I’m planning outright. what I said in my very first post still applies

 

I never walk a straight path, you discover more when you wander!