GOODBYE GRAVITY FALLS

                                          (MINOR SPOILER WARNING)

     A promise is a promise, ladies and gents. Even if said promise was delayed by an extra week beyond where it had been delayed by about a month. Yeah. So now, it is time for me to arise from behind my procrastination shrub, hike up my responsibility pantaloons and address the big supernaturally-fused, animated elephant in the room. That's right. We're talking about the end of Gravity Falls. Disclaimer: I did not push this farewell off so long because I didn't like the finale. It had Bill Cipher sinisterly tickling the ivories and singing, and an ending for Stan that made the fire forshadowing make sense without going down the obvious, possibly-kid-scarring route. I gave it two thumbs up. Not the two 6-fingered hands up I gave Not What He Seems, but come on, how could you really beat that episode. In all reality, the reason I haven't posted about it yet, while having a lot to due with my insane schedule as of late, was somewhat because of how important the show has been for me ever since the beginning. It's naturally easy for me to take on topics of interdimensional travel and the occasional talking animals/food/unattached ears, but when it comes time to seriously talk about me, at least on this here blog, it can be hard for me to say everything the way I want to say it. But, what the hey. Let's give it a go anyway.
      Before Gravity Falls, I was about 10, and TV for me was mostly cheesy, trope-soaked kid-coms and weird foreign cartoons with English dubs that my sister convinced me to watch with her. Heed my warning, if anyone suggests Winx Club to you, run. Run and never look back. Sure, I had good ol' P&F and Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated (kind of a prelude to what was to come with GF), but never had I really found a show that understood the bizzare nature of me and my imagination. But the minute that guy took off his decidedly emo hoodie and turned out to be a bunch of gnomes in "Tourist Trapped," it was certain: I had found it. And I had company, too. Tons of other kids and teens -- and adults whether they wanted to admit it or not at first -- were tuning in each Monday and scrambling to whatever decoding methods they possessed to unravel the secrets after it was over. Tons of infatuated fanboys and fabgirls taking to Tumblr and Reddit and such to excitedly discuss and spout out quotes from the show at random times. It wasn't until my first WonderCon when I dressed as Bill and met them all that it really dawned on me, but these were my people. Not just the GF fans, but geeks. Nerds. Absolute dorks who aren't ashamed to go against what is accepted and express that they are such. Gravity Falls helped me learn where I belong and the stuff I wanted to make. And considering I started Jacob's Characterz! a little under a year after the series started, that seems to have turned out pretty well for me so far.
     Thanks for the stay, Gravity Falls. And I will always look to you as inspiration - and with a whole lot of  nostalgia feels. A tip of the fez to you. :)