My top 10 Pop Culture Moments of 2018!

Hey all, welcome to my top whatever pop culture moments of 2018! This article will obviously have spoilers for the films, tv shows, and games that will be discussed! So, I guess you're warned?

SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW:

1. Killmonger's death speech; Black Panther:

This scene was so well acted, and really made you feel for Erik Killmonger. It does help that Killmonger wasn't a stereotypical villain in any sense, and that he made a lot of very valid points about Wakanda. Even if you haven't seen the film, this death scene is worth watching, which you can do here.

2. The Snap; Infinity War:

Of course, Infinity War was going to be on the list, this might not be its only appearance (it's a great film with great moments)! Just when the heroes were starting to make some actual progress, Thanos takes out Vision and gets the final stone. All seems lost, then bam! Thor appears, his new axe, Stormbreaker, passes easily through Thanos's attack and strikes him solidly in the chest. All seems safe and secure! Then Thanos, through the pain, says: "You should have gone for the head." *snap*
You can watch that scene here.

3. Deimos is who?? Assassin's Creed Odyssey:

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is probably the best Assassin's Creed game I have played (sorry Origins), and surprisingly, one of the better RPGs. For the first time, Ubisoft allowed players to chose their protagonist, either Kassandra, or Alexios. Since the release, Ubisoft has came out and said that Kassandra is the canon protagonist of the game, which I really liked because she's awesome. The game starts with you learning about a cult that has taken control of large parts of Greece, and has a violent interest in your family. You learn that they have a Champion known as Deimos. You then meet Deimos and learn that he's your long lost brother that you saw get killed ages ago.

4. Sabrina slits a witch's throat; The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina:

The Netflix adaptation of the Archie Comics Horror series, has been spectacular so far. Sabrina has been toeing the line between going full witch and keeping her human life. Then this happens. Long story short: her boyfriend's brother gets killed and she needs a sacrifice to bring him back, so she slits the throat of one of her school rivals. Not to worry, she had a plan to bring Agatha, the now dead witch, back to life. This moment showed how far Sabrina was willing to go, and did a ton for character development.

5. Clone Wars coming back!

In a surprise announcement at Comic Con, fans rejoiced to learn that Star Wars: The Clone Wars would be coming back for the originally planned final season. Not only was it announced to be happening, there was trailer dropped at the same time. You can watch that trailer here.

6. Speaking of Star Warss, The Mandalorian was announced:

Just thinking about the directors lined up for this show has me excited, never mind the amazing cast. Not much is known plotwise, but the story will focus on a Mandalorian that we have not seen before (sorry Boba), and will star Pedro Pascal as the titular character.

9. Patrick Stewart is returning to Star Trek as the beloved Captain Picard:

Literally nothing is known about this show right now, other than it will star Stewart as his legendary character. A writing room has been assembled, and is at work on the scripts as we speak!

10. The fight scenes in Daredevil season 3:

I can't just pick one of the amazing fights in the third (and sadly, final) season. First there was the magnificent prison escape fight, this season's one shot. Matt was alone, and just in a normal suit with enemies on all sides. Then there was the amazing fight between Daredevil and Bullseye in the Newspaper office. And finally, the three way fight between Daredevil, Bullseye, and Wilson Fisk. You can watch the Daredevil vs Bullseye fight here.

Top Pop Culture Moments of 2017!

It's a new year, so let's reflect on 2017's best pop culture moments! This list will cover films, television, and games from January to the end of December, so there will be spoilers! Consider yourself warned! 

The list will be numbered, but it's all arbitrary--numbers just make things easier! 

1. Logan: Laura's big reveal

We knew going in that X-23 would be making her film debut in Wolverine's last outing. What we didn't know was how amazing it was going to be. The film itself is full of heartbreak and real emotion. It's pretty hard not to cry during several of the film's more emotional moments. On the bright side, it was pretty hard not to cheer when Laura popped her claws for the first time, and even harder not to when she showed off her talons.

You can watch the scene here. 

2. Wonder Woman: No Man's Land

If you've seen the movie, you already knew that this would be on the list. In this moment, this wonderful moment, Wonder Woman is fully realized. This scene shows perfectly who she is, and what she fights for. I had goose bumps watching this scene in theatres, and I felt a similar thrill watching it again at home.

You can watch the scene here (and I really think you should).

3. Game of Thrones: Loot Train Attack

Picking a single moment from season 7 of Game of Thrones was a hard thing to do. There were several scenes that were in contention, but the loot train attack won out in the end. This was the first time that the dragons were truly and fully unleashed upon Dany's enemies, and the battle where the Lannisters found out what their new enemy was capable of. And to be frank, their new enemy was way more capable than them. Fun side note: HBO broke the world record for most stuntpeople on fire for this scene! 

You can watch the scene here. 

4. Mass Effect Andromeda: Arriving in Helios

Say what you want about the latest entry in the Mass Effect franchise, but that opening scene and mission was epic. The hopeful colonists arriving in a new galaxy only to find out nothing is how it's supposed to be, and no contact from the other ships? Everything really felt hopeless, and that feeling only grew when Alec Ryder, your characters father, and humanity's Pathfinder, died. Alone, leaderless, and trapped in another galaxy? This was a huge shake up to the franchise. 

The whole thing takes a fair amount of time to play through, so instead I'll leave the trailer here, and a scene with one of my favourite lines here. 

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2: Yondu's Sacrifice

Volume 2 was all about family. Peter Quill finally met his biological father (who turned out to be a dick), and then realized that Yondu had been his dad this entire time. As Yondu himself put it: "He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy." Volume 2 was full of emotional beats, and I almost went with Yondu's funeral, but I feel like his sacrifice stands out just a little more. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need a tissue for an unrelated reason. 

You can watch the scene here. 

6. Wolfenstein The New Colossus: Starting the Second American Revolution

Wolfenstein takes place in an alternate history where the Nazis won WWII. Not only did they win, they conquered the entire planet. Your character, doesn't think that's right, and with the help of a few like minded individuals they start a revolution in Europe, and in The New Colossus, they bring that fight to America. The game is full of newspaper articles and postcards that fill in the fictional history and bring the world to life. And, bonus kinda, with how the real world was in 2017, it was cathartic to mow down fictional Nazis. The game is surprisingly emotional and heavy for a shooter, but it does have plenty of moments that get the player revved up! Especially the ending. You kill the Nazi general that's been your main rival for the past 2 games on live national television, and then your partners give a rousing speech to the American people. And then the credits roll. 

You can watch the scene here.

7. Star Trek Discovery: Cadet Tilly Swearing

Discovery is the first new Star Trek TV series since Enterprise went off the air. The showrunners wanted to create a series that reflected Trek's vision, and make it a show for the modern audiences. I personally think they have achieved this goal. One of my favourite moments of the first season was a simple one. Cadet Tilly, Specialist Burnham, and Lieutenant Stamets were doing some sciencey stuff, and Tilly got excited at a discovery. She called it "fucking cool". Star Trek has dropped some swears in the past, not many though, and never the f-bomb. But it worked. 

You can watch the scene here. 

8. Stranger Things: Steve giving Dustin hair advice

I loved Steve and Dustin's banter in the second season of Stranger Things. Steve grew into an amazing character, and was so protective of the kids. I loved listening to Steve and Dustin complain about the women in their lives, but it was was when Steve gave Dustin hair advice, that I really fell in love. 

You can watch the scene here. 

9. Star Wars the Last Jedi: Throne Room Fight

I'm not going to go super into this one, because I know there are still people who haven't watched the latest Star Wars, and would get upset if I ruined something this cool. 

So instead of the scene, here's one of the trailers. 

10. Spider-Man Homecoming: Peter meets Liz's Dad

I saw someone else describe this scene as the moment Peter realizes he can't be a normal teen and Spider-Man at the same time. I think that's a good thought. Personally, I see it as the moment Peter realizes that even the bad guys can have families, and that maybe life isn't black and white. But no matter how you interpret the scene, it is fantastically done. 

You can watch the scene here. 

11. Thor Ragnarok: literally the entire thing

This entire movie is wonderful. The character's relationships, the cast's chemistry, the writing. Everything. So many quotable lines, so many stunning shots. Every scene with Korg. Thor and Loki being brothers and adversaries. Go and watch this movie. Right now. Seriously. 

Here's a random scene with Korg to watch! 

Alright, those are my top 11 pop culture moments from 2017! I hope you enjoy! Here's looking forward to what 2018 will bring! 

 

Top Ten Pop Culture Moments of 2016

It’s December 23, it’s almost Christmas, so let’s do a top ten list! In this list, I will be listing my Top Ten Favourite Pop Culture Moments of the Year! That’s right, moments! There will be spoilers after this point.

1.) Deadpool’s opening credits

This is how all credits should be done. They showcased the tone of the entire movie, and even broke the fourth wall a few times! From Hugh Jackman’s sexiest man of the year cover, the Ryan Reynold’s Green Lantern trading card, to bullet holes and blood, these credits showed us exactly what we were going to get over the course of the film. Thankfully, the movie lived up its amazing opening credits!

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MjyGL0go60

2.) Jon and Sansa being reunited

These two hadn’t been seen together since the first or second episode of Game of Thrones, and they were the first of the Stark children to be reunited after all the terrible things that befell their family. It was possibly the first truly happy moment the series gave us, and it made everyone tear up with joy.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzHj-LrhwBc

3.) Spider-Man taking Cap’s shield

I could’ve listed so many things from the airport battle, but Spider-Man’s entrance with him taking Cap’s shield and webbing his wrists together was just great.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBANU6ZVFZY

4.) Wonder Woman’s entrance in BvS

There isn’t too much great we can say about BvS, but Wonder Woman’s entrance is one of them. From the electric violin, to Batman and Superman’s shocked looks, the scene showed us how could the movie could’ve been. She was in the movie for far too short of a time, but what a time.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwgPtAKTfq8

5.) Samurai ATOM

Ray Palmer’s ATOM suit, with a samurai helm, on horseback. Thank you season two of Legends of Tomorrow.

6.) Ghost Rider’s reveal

This season of Agents of Shield brought it, and brought it hard. We got LMDs, Coulsen back in the field, and Daisy going full superhero. On top of that, we got Ghost Rider, flaming skull and all. Doctor Strange brought magic and idea of other realms into the MCU, Agents of Shield brought in hell and demons all wrapped up in a glorious burning chain.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpW6XVe8JvM

7 & 8.) Battle of the Bastards and Sansa’s revenge

They’re in the same episode, so I’ll put them together on the list. First off, the battle. It was the largest battle every filmed for television and involved thousands of extras and a month of filming. It is easily on par with, or better than, the massive battles in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. On top the of pure scale of things, it’s a deeply emotional and human experience. There are very few things that have left me on the edge of my seat and breathless, this battle did it. And then, at the end of the amazing episode (which also featured dragons destroying a fleet of battleships), Sansa got her revenge on Ramsay Bolton by feeding him to his own dogs that he had starved for days.   

Watch the battle here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsFeIVJfKsA

Watch Sansa’s revenge here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6cVrn4bqdM

9.) Darth Vader takes out entire rebel platoon

So technically this happened in 2015, but the collected edition of the storyline didn’t come out until 2016, so I’m counting it. Basically, in the amazing Star Wars comics that Marvel is doing, Darth Vader gets shot down and the rebels think it’s their best shot at taking him out. At one point he gets surrounded by an entire platoon, and after insulting them (see above), he kills them by detonating their grenades. Damn.

10.) Titanfall 2: Cause and Effect mission

Easily one of the best designed video game levels ever. During the course of the mission you get a new piece of equipment that introduces a new gameplay mechanic: you can jump through time. This allows you to try so many different things over the course of the mission, and is just ridiculously fun!

I’m not posting a link to a video, as they’re all walkthroughs and super long.

Some times when I made funny jokes!

I like to think of myself as a slightly humorous person. I’d like to think that my writing and videos accurately reflect that. In honour of how funny I am, today’s post is going to be a list of my top 7 (I’m just being too lazy to find links for the times I was funny in videos) funniest moments (plus I’ll explain why the jokes are funny; always the best part!)!

7: The time I made Spongebob joke

                I’m gonna be honest with y’all: I have never watched an episode of Spongebob 4x90°pants in my life. And yes, that math joke took way longer to write out than it should’ve, but that isn’t the joke this entry is about! That’s right; this article is going to be funnier than the time that Patrick burnt down the whole time in a fit of coke-fueled rage. Again, I’ve never watched the show, I’m just assuming that happened at some point or another.

                Here’s the real deal though:

Mixing classic tumblr style humour with the playful antics of Spongebob, truly I am a saint.

6: The time Ramsay Bolton nee Snow liked my tweet:

                If you’ve known me for any amount of time, or looked at my twitter feed on a Sunday night, you’ll know one fact about me: I somewhat enjoy the global pasttime that is Game of Thrones. And by somewhat enjoy, I mean that I can discuss the fan theories like a pro, and debate whether or not the interest charged by the Iron Bank of Braavos is fair or not.

                Without spoiling too much, Ramsay was not a delightful person. He did however love his dogs and kept them well fed—by feeding them people. He killed, maimed, and raped often. And he tried to kill fan favourite Jon Snow. Just an all around bad guy. He was even more hated than Joffery, by some fans.

                And then the actor, Iwan Rheon, got cast as Hitler in a production about Hitler’s time as an artist. Everyone was making jokes about this, so of course I jumped right on the ol’ bandwagon!

Bonus points for my awesome profile pic.

5. The time I made fun of Kylo Ren:

                Another thing you’ll know about me, is that I am a huge nerd. Especially when it comes to science fiction. Now, as a disclaimer, Star Trek is better than Star Wars, but this joke is all about Star Wars.

                When we first saw Kylo Ren’s lightsaber, we all had a good long laugh about it. Cross guards made out of lasers on a laser sword? LOLK. After watching the film, we all felt a little stupid for making fun of the lightsaber, because we found out there was so much more to make fun of than just that. Honestly, the saber is like the least funny thing about Kylo Ren. Unfortunately, this joke went for the low-hanging fruit that was the lightsaber.

I mean, it was still a pretty solid joke. Hopefully Disney didn’t take it too seriously though.

4. The time it got a little too real:

                I write a lot about sexuality and gender identity. It’s something that is important to me, and to the entire world. Representation is something that is needed, and is crucial in showing the queer community that there is nothing wrong with them.

                Unfortunately, straight people still think that being straight is the best, and that remembering other things exist is just far too much work. After all, wearing khaki and golfing takes all their energy. Plus, who’s going to watch all the Adam Sandler movies? Too much? Oh well.

                One time, a friend forgot that I wasn’t straight. Moments after I had sent a link to a video chronicling my coming out story. But don’t worry! She had a valid excuse, and I had an even more valid retort:

Ah, the causal sarcasm as I threw her words back at her. While this may not be the funniest thing I’ve said, it’s one of the things I am most proud of. Straight people, am I right?

3. Just to lighten things up, the time I made fun of my sister’s texting:

                Millennials, the laziest group of people to ever exist, right baby boomers? Them and their texting and activism, don’t they know that they should just be cynical and work jobs that they hate so they can buy houses in a market that your generation wrecked? God. Anyways, millennials love to text! I can confirm this because I am sending 243 texts right now! As I type! Amazing!

                Kat, as she describes herself, is a basic bitch. A white girl. And texts like one af. As evidenced by this short and sweet exchange of ours:

I apologize for the appalling language. Everyone knows I only swear while playing Mario Kart and Halo. Blue shells and lag, my language kryptonite.

2: A topical Pokémon Go joke!

                No article these days is complete without at least one PKGo (as the cool kids call it) joke or reference. And by all ‘eevee’dence, I sure am up on the trends. I’d be a piece of ‘trubbish’ if I didn’t squeeze in a few Poképuns. Honestly, I could just start using tree puns, and everyone would think I was making clever jokes about the professors in the franchise.

                My joke might be a ‘jolteon’ the old system, but I think if I put the ol’ ‘charmeleon’, you’ll enjoy it! Okay, I’m done, here’s the original joke. All 151 of em:

Those Poképuns hurt my brain.

1. The time I made an inappropriate joke:

                Sorry mom and dad, sometimes I do make some inappropriate jokes. And sometimes they are hilarious! Other times, they came out during Cards against Humanity, and left me feeling bad. This is not one of those times!

                The final joke contains no pop culture, no vulgar language, and no funny pictures. Just words. Please, enjoy:

So good. So pure. So funny. 

The greatest influence in my life

                Arguably the most important science fiction franchise in history turns 50 this year. Sorry Star Wars, but you wouldn’t exist if Star Trek hadn’t paved the way with its clearly superior writing and acting. Now, I’m a fan of many sci-fi franchises: Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, and those are just the ones with ‘star’ in the title. Yet, if I had to choose just one franchise to watch, read, and write about for the rest of my life, the choice would be startlingly easy: Star Trek. I learned so much from it, so many of my morals, my ideas about right and wrong, they come from Star Trek. My understandings of justice and acceptance, my ability to hold onto hope! My belief that things can get better, they all come from Star Trek.

                Star Trek debuted in the sixties. In a time of international tensions, and race riots, it portrayed a future where humanity was united. Where the country of your birth and the colour of your skin didn’t matter. At the height of the Cold War, it had a Russian officer working alongside American officers. At the height of the racial divide in the States, it had a black woman as an officer working alongside and in harmony with white people. For these reasons alone, it was ground breaking. Like all good science fiction, the stories the series told held up a mirror to society. Science fiction has the benefit of critiquing everything in a way that people don’t notice on the surface. Through episodes dealing with xenophobic aliens, it critiqued the Cold War. Through episodes dealing with alien races, it critiqued the racial divide in America.

                Star Trek portrayed a universe where people were always given a chance to prove themselves. A universe where people were judged only for their actions, not their appearance. It taught me that this is how people should act. I grew up watching a world where skin colour didn’t affect how you should look at people, and through that I became a person who doesn’t judge others by that. I’m sure my parents had a little to do with that, but this is about Star Trek, not them.

                Deep Space Nine taught me that the world isn’t in black and white. It taught me that morals weren’t black and white, and that if something was the right thing to do for one group of people it wasn’t necessarily the right thing for other groups. Through characters like Dr Bashir, who through no fault of his own was an illegal eugenic, I learned that I could accept myself for who I was. Through Kira I learned that being religious was okay, but that I shouldn’t blindly follow it if something felt wrong. Through Sisko I learned that leadership and respect is earned through actions, and not just because of status. It taught me that even good people will do bad things if they believe it’s the right thing to do. And in the end, it taught me that victories of any sort only come through sacrifice.

                The Old testament in the bible has some interesting thoughts on justice, including that the sins of the fathers can be passed on to future generations. Star Trek showed me that this was wrong. It allowed me to see that no one should be tied to the wrong doings of their families or of their people. The most obvious example that springs to mind is when Jadiza Dax was put on trial for the supposed actions of Curzon Dax. The accusers argued that because Jadiza was the new host of the Dax symbiont, she should be held accountable for the actions of Curzon. Odo once said that “The law? Commander, laws change, depending on who's making them - Cardassians one day, Federation the next. But justice is justice,” which took me a while to fully grasp. It’s something that I get now. Everywhere in the world, there are unjust laws: from the gun laws in the States, to some of the laws involving First Nations in Canada. Are the people affected by those laws receiving justice? No, they aren’t, and because of Star Trek, I learned to truly appreciate the fact that laws do not always equal justice.

                Star Trek was a world that I wanted to live in. A world where everyone was accepted, and for a time, I felt like I could live in that world. I truly embraced my inner trekkie. Then I moved and got teased and bullied for it, so I hid it. I still loved Star Trek, but it became something I enjoyed in secret. The irony is apparent to me now, but it was necessary at the time. I always found it so odd that Star Wars was something people could love openly, but Star Trek wasn’t. It was because Star Trek was always something that made you think, and thinking was something nerdy. Because Star Trek was smart, it wasn’t “cool”. The real world was so biased and base, that people weren’t even being accepted because they liked things that required thought. But Star Trek gave me hope that this would change, so I held onto that hope, and I continued to love Star Trek. The Vulcan philosophy of Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations gave me the belief that anything is possible, because there is literally an infinite amount of choices that we can make. I watched all the series, I read the books, I played the games.

                Then I fell away from it for a bit. The real world got too dark and depressing, and I didn’t want things that made me think, so I fell into a world of bright colours and flashing lights to distract myself. The lessons I learned from Star Trek were still there, but I distanced myself from the franchise. I still watched the movies, but I didn’t read the books anymore. I quit watching the TV series. I was denying myself of something that was literally part of me. But outside of my parents, Star Trek was the biggest influence on my life. I grew up with it. I was molded by it. And yet I denied myself of it. I don’t know why, other than I thought people would judge me by it. But Star Trek taught me to be true to myself. To not hide who I am.

                And I’m a trekkie. Star Trek is possibly the most important science fiction franchise ever made. It has made real world changes: from technological advances, to how we view others. It has influenced the lives of countless people through its portrayal of humanity and a better world. Even Martin Luther King Jr believed that it was important. I will argue forever that is a better franchise than Star Wars in every aspect (except in money making), and we all know that Star Wars wouldn’t even exist if Star Trek hadn’t paved the way. For Star Trek’s 50^th birthday, they have added the their first canonically gay main character, who just happens to be a person of colour, and they’ve announced the return of Star Trek to television.

                I, for one, am excited, and will definitely be going to watch Star Trek Beyond next weekend; even if I have to drive to another city to see it (our theatre here is terrible). In case you didn’t pick it up, Deep Space Nine is my favourite series. Followed by the Original, then The Next Generation. Wrath of Khan is my favourite film, followed by First Contact, then The Undiscovered Country.

                Qapla’ and Live Long and Prosper.

                That’s right, I snuck some Klingon in. 

A story about a hero

      The world is a cold and depressing place, I'm pretty sure we can all agree with that. But! On a note of positivity and warmth, the first trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dropped today, and it is a beautiful thing. There are AT-ATs on a tropical beach! Space Samurais taking down Storm Troopers! Sassy banter! Blaster fire! Death Star! Mon Mothma! Hints at Darth Vader! A mysterious new Imperial villain who has a badass cape! Literally everything you could want in a movie, except Chris Pratt.
       Seriously though, if you like Star Wars, go watch the trailer right now.
       Okay, that's out of the way, and I still have space to fill. I don't have a plan for this... Um. The weather sucks, eh? Snow in April. Good joke, Mother Nature, good joke. I'm thinking about having nachos for supper? That's not interesting at all...
      Okay, okay. I get it. It's going to have to be a story time blog. Fine. Here's a short story for you:

His name was George. An ordinary man, nothing remarkable, or special, or remarkably special. Just an ordinary bloke. He grew up simply, in a small town, attended an ordinary school and did ordinary things. If there was a single remarkable thing about George it was how bloody unremarkable he was.

                George was a postman. Now, a postman is an archaic position held over from the medieval times, before email, and Amazon air strikes. The postman wanders around the wilderness delivering parcels to destitute farmers, and the unfortunates with poor bandwidth. George enjoyed his job; it got him out of the house—not that there was anything to get away from. He enjoyed his walks up the long drives and down the same long drives and then up the next drive and down that drive again. His life was repetitive and unsurprising, just the way he liked it.

                Mary on the other hand, had a fantastically surprising life. Perhaps fantastically is a poor word. Tragically or upsetting would fit better. As a young child her parents had divorced and she was dragged off to the country by her father. At her first day of school she fell out of the desk three times. In a row. It was a sad foreshadowing of the rest of her school career. Her father passed away soon after she graduated leaving her to take care of the farm. Her first year as a farmer made the news. But not in a good way. Her barn turned down. While she was watering her vegetable garden. Events like that always happened to her. She had the least stable life she could think of. And she was starting to regret all of the things that led her to this.

                George had always fancied this one girl during school. But he couldn’t talk to her; that would be something new, something different. So he lived his life. His dull, dull life. She still lived in the area, he delivered her post everyday but he never saw her. She was constantly receiving packages. George assumed that she was simply growing bored of the whole country life—something that he could not understand. Why anyone would ever want to leave and go to the city was beyond him; the country had everything! The quiet, the emptiness, the lack of people. Who could possibly want more than that?

                It was a cheery May afternoon and George was delivering an unusual amount of parcels when he noticed something amiss. There was no package for Mary (I truly hope you, the reader, had figured out that Mary was the girl by now)! No post for her at all! The first time in five years that Mary had no post. George was slightly confused by this change to his routine, and that confusion led to worry when she had no post the next day as well. On the third day George decided to investigate. A first for him; an almost spontaneous decision, only two sleepless nights of thinking and overthinking and calling his padre at two in the morning. The padre was compassionate the first night, on the second night he told George to grow a pair and be a man. George took this to heart.

                She had a shorter drive than most but it seemed to take an eon to walk it. He finally reached her door, drenched in sweat, reeking of fear. His hand wavered over the door for five minutes before he finally knocked.

                The door opened a few moments later revealing an average looking woman in average looking clothes looking very haggard. “Yes, what is it?” She asked, obviously stressed.

                “Uh, hi, yes, umm,” George stammered out. “I’m, uh, George. The post man. I, hmm, noticed that you haven’t received anything in a, uh, um, while. I was slightly concerned.” He smiled awkwardly at the end. As awkward as a meeting between Obama and anyone from the South.

                “Um…thanks? I guess. No, no, my internets been down the past while. One of the cows knocked over the satellite and I haven’t fixed that yet.” Mary looked at the strange man closely. “Are you…are you George?”

                George brightened up, “Yes, yeah I am. Do you want me to check that satellite for you?”

                Mary smiled, “You would be my hero! Do you want to grab some tea first?”

                And that is how George became a hero to the one person who really mattered, and how he learned to live, just a little.  

The forgotten Jedi

       I know what most of you are expecting me to write about, but I can't do it today. Filming and editing today's vlog, with its mix of older footage and new, almost killed me last night. So I can't write about it today. Maybe tomorrow when I have internet and can write it at my apartment.
      Star Wars comes out on bluray tomorrow, so I'm gonna talk about Star Wars. I actually filmed a rant about this topic a couple weeks ago, but edited it out because, even for me, it was a little too nerdy. Specifically, I'm going to talk about Ahsoka Tano, the real first female Jedi main character. Sorry Rey, you were just the first human one.

      Ahsoka entered the scene, and our hearts, back in 2008 in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, where she was introduced as Anakin's padawan. Over the course of the film and the television series of the same name, Ahsoka became an incredible leader, hero of the Clone Wars, and a formidable warrior who could hold her own against the likes of General Grievous and Count Dooku. She left the Jedi order after being framed for a crime, which allowed her to survive through Order 66, and she went on to become one of the founding members of the Rebellion under the name Fulcrum.
     She is an integral part of Star Wars history, a huge part of Darth Vader's story, and an amazing role model for people. Yet as soon as The Force Awakens came out, she was pushed to the side to make way for Rey, who got painted as the first female Jedi main character. Don't get me wrong, I love Rey. She was my favourite part of the new film! I love the fact that she is on her way to becoming a Jedi. But the Star Wars fandom cannot forget Ahsoka! Ahsoka is a badass, duel wielding, female Jedi trained by Darth Vader.
      It honestly irritated me when she was seemingly forgotten, even though she's still on television as a main character on Star Wars: Rebels.
      I haven't forgotten you, Snips. You'll always be the one I think of first when it comes to female Jedi. You and Aayla Secura. But mainly you.

The little, unexpected things

      As it's April Fool's Day, I feel like I shouldn't post anything serious, or make any announcements in today's blog. That being said, I do have one announcement that is 100% totally legitimate, honest! Now that you are all thinking that my announcement is going to be a prank, here it is: I'm releasing the channel trailer for WQN today! I actually filmed it last night after work. I was feeling good and confident, so I went and filmed it, and edited it, all before I made supper! And then I edited the majority of today's vlog while cooking! I was on a roll last night. Maybe even a... dinner roll. Get it?Because I did all of it around making dinner? HAH. I'm funny guys, why won't you love me?
      Netflix and IGN released a very mean prank trailer today. It was a trailer for a live action Star Wars series that was going to focus on Darth Maul and was to be released on May 4 (a pun-tastic date for Star Wars stuff). The internet on April Fools is just a mean place. Like, guys. That wasn't even close to being funny.
      I received an email today from one of the people I interviewed for my Queer-al Living article. It almost made me cry. Okay, it did make me cry, shut up. In it, the person thanked me for writing it, and said it was heartbreaking to read about how so many members of the queer community have shared negative experiences with small town life. They updated me about some recent successes they've had with their life, and told me how good the advice at the end of my article was. And then they thanked me for telling their story.
      They thanked me for telling their story. I never, in my life, thought I would hear those words from someone. I never thought that one day I would have the honour and privilege to tell people's stories to the world. Now I have, and the people are thanking me. They're thanking me for sharing their life with the world. I always dreamed of being a professional writer. I always thought that if that dream were to come true, it would be because of my fiction, or my autobiographical non-fiction, not from becoming a journalist. And now my dream has come true, and people are thanking me for telling their stories. That's, obviously, the part that hit me the hardest.
      I wasn't expecting to hear back from the people I interviewed, the thought that one of them might read the article and get in touch with me hadn't even crossed my mind. My god, I'm a writer now. Even got my first fan mail. Damn. You know, it feels really good. 

Your Holiday Letter

     So Christmas is over. I had a good one, I hope all of you did as well. I hope that you all had a lovely time with the people that matter most to you, no matter how you had to spend that time. I know in this day and age, some of the people that matter most are far away and all your time together is digital, and that is okay.
     I spent Christmas at home with my parents and pets, but I also spent it with my friends through the messages we sent each other, and the pictures we shared.
    It was a good day. My parents have finally agreed to watch Star Wars, so over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we watched up Return of the Jedi.We had our traditional meal of toutiere (which is a French-Canadian dish), and ate foods that are apparently too decadent to exist outside of the holidays.
     Boxing Day was spent in the city with friends, including one who was home for Christmas from teaching abroad. We hung out, went shopping, and watched Mockingjay Part Two. It was a good day, plus I got some killer deals at EB games (which is basically gamestop to Americans).
     This blog is turning into a holiday letter... and by that I mean it's totally a holiday letter. You're welcome.
     2016 is coming up fast, way too fast if I'm completely honest, but I am glad 2015 is coming to a close. 2015 was a weird year.
     Hey! This is super important: if you haven't watched The Force Awakens yet, go do it as soon as you can! I've been to it twice already, and have it enjoyed it both times! Second time was probably a bit better actually, and it has become tied with my second favourite Star Wars film. My current rankings are:

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. The Force Awakens/Revenge of the Sith (don't judge, those lightsaber battles are the best)
3. New Hope
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Phantom Menace (Liam Neeson saves it from being the worst)
6. Attack of the Clones (George buddy, don't ever write romance again. You just can't)

I'm sort of working on a review for TFA, but I'm not planning on posting it anytime soon, just because of spoilers and stuff. But I would give it a solid 8/10. Maybe 8.5.

      I'm not sure how I want to end this...

The Importance of Star Trek

     I forgot to post yesterday... oops. Sorry about that, I just kept getting sidetracked by things. Mainly Star Wars. I mean, very professional, adult things. Yup, not Star Wars at all.

     ahem

     It`s no excuse, I know. I`m very sorry. 

     Anyways, because I started this off with Star Wars I`m going to talk about Star Trek in this blog. Logic! Don`t question my logic, I`m pretty much a Vulcan, so I know more about logic than you. Unless you`re an actual Vulcan... In which case, please message me so we can hang out in space and stuff. 

     Star Trek is very important to our culture and to the modern age. But Zak, you interrupt rudely, it was just a tv show! How is it important?

     Well, ignorant fool, it was a whole franchise of TV shows, 5 live-action with a sixth being worked on, and 12 movies with the 13th coming out next summer. So, not just a tv show. Gosh. Star Trek inspired generations of scientists, philosophers, and politicians. Cellphones were invited because people wanted the communicators from The Original Series. The Next Generation inspired laptops and tablets. Deep Space Nine explored the the human psyche on levels most television would have never dared to!

     One of the most culturally significant aspects of Star Trek comes from The Original Series. It was a show, that during the height of race riots and the Cold War, featured a black woman and Russian man as main characters. Not just main characters either, officers who held crucial positions on the flagship for Earth`s fleet. Uhura became an icon. Young Black girls in the 1960`s got to watch a series every week that showed them that they could do whatever they wanted. Uhura and Chekov showed a future where race didn`t matter because we were all human. 

      One of the most significant, and radical things Star Trek did, was to showcase the first, the very first, inter-racial kiss on television. For the first time in television history, a white man was shown kissing a black woman. It was revolutionary! And ridiculously controversial. 

      And Star Trek stayed controversial. It touched on subjects like same-sex relationships, poly-amorous relationships, racism, xenophobia, PTSD, consequences of war, torture, and so many more. They never did for publicity, all the things came up through clear and consistent story-telling, and were always done with grace.   

       There`s a section of my memoir dedicated to Star Trek where I go in-depth into the personal significance it holds. I love Star Trek. And I will say that it is the most important piece of pop culture ever produced until I fall into my grave. 

      That`s it for today. Tomorrow I have an interview with the longest running film festival in North America, so the tone of tomorrow`s blog will probably hinge on that...