Faves and Thoughts on 2015 pop culture
Iâm late to the party with this (family home invasion over Christmas). But hey, I like making lists. So Iâll keep going...
Best books read in 2015 Okay, so most of my 45 odd books read this year, I am totally guilty of rereading a lot in 2015, rather than hitting the new books. Mostly because it was so comforting. Even when it rips my heart out again, itâs in a comforting wayâŚ? Mostly Tamora Pierce work⌠of which I read, well, everything. Because itâs awesome.
But hereâs the books that werenât rereads: The Beka Cooper Series (Tamora Pierce) â Itâs a Tamora Pierce series, so itâs really hard to go wrong with her writing. Iâm not as sold on the Diary format, as itâs one of my least favourite writing forms, but the characters and situations still shine through. And yeah, Iâm trash, so that intro by Eleni Cooper to Terrier makes me ridiculously happy. And Mastiff⌠well. That killed me. (Not helped by the fact that I was reading it when my dad died).
Percy Jacksonâs Greek Heroes (Rick Riordan) â Eh. I love mythology, so most of my appreciation comes from a decent telling of the myths. Which this was, with a little bit of PJO flair thrown in, which is fun.
Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer (Rick Riordan) â Norse Mythology is one of my favourite branches of mythology, not gonna lie (Welsh and Irish is also near the top of that list). So I was pretty interested to see how this went. Add in the fact that the new protagonist is related to PJO badass Annabeth, this was a no brainer for me to try. Overall, it was very enjoyable. I will be totally snaffaling up the next one. Sam is totally my fave. (Although Heath and Blaze come close!)
Paper Towns (John Green) â Yeah, I know, Iâm slow. I did read this before the movie at least. I donât know, I love John Greenâs work online (vlogbrothers, Crash Course, etc), but Iâm a bit meh about his books. Theyâre solid enjoyable books with interesting characters, and I loved TFIOS, but they donât grab me like other stuff. Solidly enjoyable, but unable to beat my all time faves.
The 3 Doors Trilogy (Emily Rodda) â Okay, my cousins have been bugging me to read this for ages. Basically, itâs Emily Rodda doing what she does best: create a compelling fantasy world, keep us guessing with riddles (without managing to be condescending), and give us a unique twist in the conclusion. Bonus: it ties in with her previous works of Deltora in an oblique way. (Yay reference spotting!) Very enjoyable. She even manages to not repeat any of her previous twists (which considering her ever increasing list of books, is pretty sweet).
Rangerâs Apprentice The Early Years: The Tornament at Gorlan (John Flanagan) â As much as I love this series, I had mixed feelings about the final book (The Royal Ranger). This book, however, felt more like the earlier books, which was nice. Sarcastic Halt and hopelessly optimistic Crowley was greatly appreciated. And it was interesting to see how Morgarath was portrayed as gaining his power. Also: Young Duncan = lol. I can see where Cassandraâs stubbornness and feistiness comes from.
Best and Worst movies of 2015 I spent a lot of time immersing myself in fictional worlds in 2015, so this did involve watching the same movies⌠well. Way too many times. Some thoughts on a few of them
The Good:
Max Max: Fury Road â Look, at this point, I think most people have said all the things I want to say about this movie. I loved it, on multiple levels. And the people who boo-hoo it can bugger off. A+. Will watch many times over.
Jurassic World â Yes. I am trash. What can I say? I came for Chris Pratt, left praising Bryce Dallas Howard, and loved that they kicked in some self-depreciating references to show they werenât taking themselves too seriously. And, well, improbable velociraptors teaming up with Rexy and the mosasaur against the I-Rex? Yeah, that was epic! (âŚand now Iâm Claire/Owen trash. Help.)
Ant-Man â Wasnât quite sure what to expect from this one. But screw-up heroes definitely appeal to me more than not. Didnât expect to get so invested in Scott Lang, but I did. Maybe itâs because of the emphasis on father-daughter relationships? I want more, regardless. And I damn well wanna see Hope in that Wasp get-up next time! (And as much as I like the second Avengers, this was my Marvel movie of the year)
Star Wars: The Force Awakens - âŚI left the best til last! Again, I was pretty worried about this movie. Show me a long-time Star Wars fan who wasnât. I mean, the prequels get ragged on a bit more than is strictly necessary (there are some good things that came from it, guys. If you donât think Padme was a fucking queen who deserved better you can GTFO.), but there were certainly too much cringe in those movies. But boy, oh boy. JJ Abrams delivered. Iâve seen it twice, including opening night, and I damn well intend to go again. Lots of ANH parallels, but while youâre watching it, you are so involved in the story that it doesnât really matter.Not to mention the theory explosions that are happening in the fandom (and a few frantic attempts to âsaveâ some people/situationsâŚ). I mean, shit, we havenât had this level of uncertainty in the fandom for 30 years. Cause we all fucking knew what the endgame was for the prequels! And Rey, Finn, Poe. I love you all. And BB-8. Bless BB-8.
The Bad: Jupiter Ascending â Took itself WAY too seriously. Stunning visuals, potential in the plot, but every just felt⌠flat. Not sure if I should be looking at the actors or the scripts for that fault. Maybe both. Unimpressive, overall.
Tomorrowland â The trailers had looked so promising⌠but âŚyeah. No. FAILURE. For all the buildup, the story really went nowhere. Like. Nowhere
The Ugly: Minions â NO. Ugh. I⌠I canât even figure out where to start on why I didnât like this. AND I AM SICK OF THE MINION INVASION OF âMEANINGFUL QUOTESâ ON FACEBOOK.
Fanfics read in 2015 Some of my favourites. This is by no means covers all the amazing fic Iâve read (or reread) this year, but it is some of the stuff I could track down⌠And if I listed everything, I could go on forever!! Thereâs no set genre of fics here (although I do have a certain weakness towards baby trash occasionallyâŚ).
Series/one-shot collections: Despite the Odds â Jurassic World. By the lovely @poeticandvaugelysweet, this is a wonderful collection of Claire/Owen drabbles covering multiple possible universes. Charlie and Elliot Grady-verse is one of my favourite bunch of stories!
Resistance - Guardians of the Galaxy. A fun little set of stories based on the premise of âEarth is a Death World to the rest of the verseâ. Chapters 1-3 are the best ones.
Trauma is a Tricky Thing - Jurassic World. Claire/Owen series looking at the recovery of the pair after the Incident. PTSD recovery story, family, work. Great series.
Uncharted Territory â Miss Fisherâs Murder Mysteries. Baby trash warning. Normally I run far away from the combination of Miss Fisher and baby fic, but this one handles it super well without massacring Phryneâs character. Worth reading!
Lipstick, A Shield, and a Metal Arm â Captain America/Marvel Cinematic Universe. Steve _isnât _frozen for 70 years. Bucky shows up in New York. Basically, Steve, Peggy and Bucky are awesome together, and kickass all over the place.
Multi-Chapters: Consulting Saves Lives â Jurassic World. What would have happened if there was a bit less stupid decision making in the higher echeleons of the park. And, well, Claire/Owen goodness.
Smother â Jurassic World. AU where Zach is actually Claireâs biological son, whom she had at 16. Still only in the early stages, but it has promise, and I know I really want to know where it goes.
Back to the Park â Jurassic World. Incident aftermath, with the inclusion of the main characters from the original Jurassic World trilogy.
Life as We Didnât Know It â Tortall. AU where Lady Ilane married Duke Baird. Two affairs later, Neal and Kel are raised siblings, although they share no biological ties. Only at 2 chapters, but Iâll admit Iâm intrigued.
Time, Make it Go Faster - Veronica Mars. AU from Wrath of Con. Logan and Veronica mend their relationship while still trying to solve their issues. Ongoing.
Persephone â How to Train Your Dragon. Written by the amazing @thatsnicebutimmarried. AU. Hiccstrid. Astrid is sacrificed to the mysterious Dragon Master raiding Berk. Angsty Hiccup, alcoholism recovery, family issues. Ongoing.
One-shots: Unwilling â Tortall. A character study, though letters, on Nealan of Queenscove.
Not on Your Life â Tortall. Because there isnât enough of Alanna and Neal getting into escapades.
Sunrose Transplanted â Tortall. Saraiyu settling into Carthak after her elopement.
Conflict Resolution â Emelan. Sandry can have a tendency to act like her foster-siblings when pushed.
Like Father Like Son â How to Train Your Dragon. Future Fic. (So yes, next gen/baby trash) Hiccstrid kids causing trouble. Whoâd of thought it?
Your Note Underneath My Door â Tortall. Lady Knight Keladry and Domitan of Masbolle through notes and letters.
Keep Her in the Air â Marvel Cinematic Universe/Firefly. A spot on fusion. Natasha and Clint as subjects of Alliance testing, that then escape. I may prefer Clint/Natasha as epic friendship rather than shippy, but this is well done.
A Copper for your Thoughts â Tortall. Missing Moment with Lord Wyldon when Kel doesnât appear for the Page testing.
All of the Stars â TFIOS. Utter baby trash. I have my weaknesses. At least this one isnât quite as la-de-da âand everyone is cured and lives happily ever afterâ one like many other TIFOS onesâŚ
Big Damn Heroes â Veronica Mars/Firefly. Also known as the fusion I never knew I wanted til I read it.
As You Wish â Guardians of the Galaxy. In the aftermath of Xandar, Peter tells fairytales to a young survivor. The rest of the team listen join in.
