Ten Favourite Fictional Friendships

Everyone talks about romantic relationships in fiction, but in my opinion, platonic relationships are just as important. Here are ten of my favourite fictional friendships in no particular order. Some of these friendships consist of more than two people. In the group friendships on this list there may be people within the group who like each other romantically.

1. Clarke and Raven from The 100

"I'd pick you first."  "Of course you would. I'm awesome."
Clarke Griffin and Raven Reyes are from the TV show The 100. In the beginning, Clarke and Raven's relationship was a bit of a rivalry since Finn, Raven's boy friend, was interested in Clarke, but the two girls soon got over their differences. Now, Raven is one of the only people Clarke can trust, and Clarke is one of the only people Raven can count on.

2. Clara and The Doctor from Doctor Who

"Run. Run you clever boy, and remember me."
In Doctor Who, Clara Oswald is the Doctor's newest companion, but she doesn't think of herself as the Doctor's assistant, she thinks of herself as his equal. Clara and the Doctor go on adventures together, and while their relationship has been rough at times, the two always stick together.

3. Blue, Gansey, Ronan and Adam from The Raven Cycle

"But what she didn't realize about Blue and her boys was that they were all in love with one another. She was no less obsessed with them than they were with her, or one another, analyzing every conversation and gesture, drawing out every joke into a longer and longer running gag, spending each moment either with one another or thinking about when next they would be with one another. Blue was perfectly aware that it was possible to have a friendship that wasn't all-encompassing, that wasn't blinding, deafening, maddening, quickening. It was just that now that she'd had this kind, she didn't want the other.”
Blue Sargent, Richard Gansey, Ronan Lynch and Adam Parrish from The Raven Cycle book series have one of the strangest and most interesting friendships I have ever read about. The four each have a very unique relationship with each other person in the group. They often argue, but at the end of the day, they are the only people in the world who really understand each other.

4. Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami from Legend of Korra

"The new team avatar."
In the TV show Legend of Korra, Korra and her friends Mako, Bolin and Asami work together to save the world on countless occasions. These four would do anything for each other. The group is sometimes pulled apart by political conflicts or love triangles, but they always find their way back to each other.

5. Joan and Sherlock from Elementary

"I consider you to be exceptional, so I make an exceptional effort to accommodate you."
The thing that I love about the TV show Elementary is the relationship between the two main characters, Sherlock Holmes and Joan Watson. Joan starts out as Sherlock's sober companion, but she later joins him in detective work. At first the two don't get along, but they soon find that they have more in common than they thought, and that the differences that they do have are what make their friendship strong.

6. Clarke and Anya from The 100

"There is no 'we'."
Clarke Griffin and Anya from the TV show The 100 start their relationship as enemies. Over the course of their interactions, they eventually become allies and they form a bond of mutual respect.

7. Harry, Ron and Hermione from Harry Potter

"Why is it, when something happens, it is always you three?"
Obviously the golden trio has to be somewhere on this list. Harry, Ron and Hermione are really the ultimate friends. I don't think I need to go on about them. You all now how epic they are.

8. Tessa, Will and Jem from The Infernal Devices

“They say you cannot love two people equally at once,” she said. “And perhaps for others that is so. But you and Will—you are not like two ordinary people, two people who might have been jealous of each other, or who would have imagined my love for one of them diminished by my love of the other. You merged your souls when you were both children. I could not have loved Will so much if I had not loved you as well. And I could not love you as I do if I had not loved Will as I did.”
Yes. I know this is a love triangle. But if that's all you saw in their relationship, I think you are very wrong. The point of their relationship is that they are all equally in love with each other. They all care so much for one another and they would do anything to protect each other.

9. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko and Suki from The Last Airbender

"Team Avatar is back. Air. Water. Earth. Fire. Fan and sword!"
Team Avatar from Avatar:The Last Airbender is probably my favourite group of friends ever. It's true that they argue a lot, and one of their members was originally their enemy, but they really are the best of friends. They worked together to save the world and make it better, and then they worked together to keep it that way.

10. Donna and the Doctor from Doctor Who

"I was going to be with you forever."
Donna Noble is the only main companion in new Doctor Who who is never remotely interested in The Doctor romantically. Instead, the two are the very best of friends, and the travel through space and time together.

Percy Jackson (and Kane Chronicles) Lists

Favourite Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus Books:

1. The House of Hades
2. The Mark of Athena
3. The Son of Neptune
4. The Last Olympian
5. The Battle of the Labyrinth
6. The Blood of Olympus
7. The Lost Hero
8. The Titan's Curse
9. The Sea of Monsters
10. The Lightning Thief

Top 10 Characters:

1. Annabeth Chase
2. Reyna
3. Piper McLean
4. Hazel Levesque
5. Sadie Kane
6. Frank Zhang
7. Nico DiAngelo
8. Leo Valdez
9. Thalia Grace
10. Rachel Elizabeth Dare

Top 5 Gods:

1. Hestia
2. Artemis
3. Athena
4. Posiedon
5. Hephaestus

Top 5 Romantic Relationships:

1. Percy/Annabeth
2. Hazel/Frank
3. Tyson/Ella
4. Piper/Annabeth
5. Piper/Jason

Top 5 Friendships:

1. Annabeth/Piper
2. Nico/Reyna
3. Annabeth/Reyna
4. Annabeth/Frank
5. Sadie/Carter

My Ten Favourite "Diverse" Characters

It is my opinion that diversity in fiction is important. Here is a list (in no particular order) of ten of my favourite "diverse characters" from books, movies and TV shows. (I consider a character diverse if they are one or more of the following: a person of colour, LGBTQ or disabled.) Most of the characters on the list are girls. Sorry, I just tend to like female characters better than male characters. I am also sorry that there aren't any transgender characters on the list. There are, unfortunately, very few transgender characters in today's media.

1. Clarke Griffin is my favourite character of all time. She's the main character of the science fiction show The 100 and not only is she a badass female leader, she is also bisexual.

2. Lexa is another character from The 100. She is a military leader and she happens to like girls.

3. Raven Reyes is yet another character from The 100. She's a genius and a mechanic, and she is also a disabled women of colour.

4. Monty Green is another character from The 100. He is literally and angel and he is a person of colour.

5. Joan Watson is one of the two main character in Elementary. She was a doctor who became a sober companion, and then eventually became a detective. She is also a women of colour.

6. Guinevere is one of the main characters in the TV show Merlin, and she is a person of colour. Gwen becomes the queen of Camelot.

7. Korra is the main character of the TV show Legend of Korra. Korra is a bisexual women of colour.

8. Toph Beifong is from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is blind, but she uses her power over the element of Earth to "see".

9. Martha Jones is a character from the TV show Doctor Who. She is a Doctor and she saves the world multiple times. She is a woman of colour.

10. Magnus Bane is from The Mortal Instruments book series. He is a bisexual person of colour.

Harry Potter Lists

Favourite Harry Potter Books:

1. Half-Blood Prince
2. Order of the Phoenix
3. Deathly Hallows
4. Goblet of Fire
5. Prisoner of Azkaban
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Philosopher's Stone

Favourite Harry Potter Movies:

1. Order of the Phoenix
2. Deathly Hallows 1
3. Deathly Hallows 2
4. Half-Blood Prince
5. Prisoner of Azkaban 
6. Chamber of Secrets
7. Philosopher's Stone
8. Goblet of Fire

Top 10 Characters:

1. Hermione Granger
2. Neville Longbottom
3. Remus Lupin
4. Albus Dumbledore
5. Nymphadora Tonks
6. Harry Potter
7. Molly Weasley
8. Luna Lovegood
9. Fred and George Weasley
10. Victor Krum

Top 5 Villains:

1. Dolores Umbridge
2. Narcissa Malfoy
3. Bellatrix Lestrange
4. Voldemort
5. Draco Malfoy

Top 5 Romantic Relationships:

1. Lupin/Tonks
2. Molly/Arthur
3. Ron/Hermione
4. Harry/Ginny
5. Bill/Fleur

Top 5 Friendships:

1. Harry/Hermione/Ron
2. Remus/Sirius
3. Harry/Luna
4. Luna/Ginny
5. Harry/Hagrid 

Top 5 Harry Potter Quotes:

1. "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
2. "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembered to turn on the light."
3. "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."
4. "It is the unknown we fear when we look upon death and darkness, nothing more."
5. "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

Books that Should be Made into Movies or TV Shows

I personally think that these stories would translate really well into movies or TV shows. There are tons of books that I love that I did not include on this list because I don't think their styles would translate well onto the screen.

The Lunar Chronicles: I think this series would make a good TV show instead of a series of movies due to the large number of characters and the length of the books. I think that the stories in these books would translate well to a TV show format.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the Heroes of Olympus: Yes, I do know that there are two Percy Jackson movies, but everyone in the entire world agrees that they were terrible. You know what? I think that this series should be a TV Show. I think that the series is literally perfect for a TV show format. Each book has tons of mini adventures in it, each of which could be one episode. And each book could be a season. Please, universe. Make this happen.
 
The Kane Chronicles: I think that the Kane Chronicles would make a great TV Show for the same reasons that I think Percy Jackson would.

The Scorpio Races: I think this book would make a great movie.

Legend: There are so many dystopian trilogies out there that are being turned into movies (The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Maze Runner and The 5th Wave). Why not Legend? It's one of my favourite dystopian series.

The Infernal Devices: There is going to be a Mortal Instruments TV Show (dream come true), and I think there should also be an Infernal Devices TV Show.

The Darkest Minds: See Legend. This series is packed with action, and that often translates well to the screen.

Throne of Glass: I think this series would make great movies.

March 2015 Updates

Here is what I've been reading and watching in March:

• The 100 season 2 was the best thing ever. I'm not even exaggerating. I liked season 1, but season 2 was on a whole new level. It had literally everything I want in a TV show. A cool plot? Check. Complex and interesting characters? Check. A diverse cast? Check. The show has gone in such an exciting direction. I can't wait for season 3.
• I am watching Elementary season 3 and I want Moriarty to come back. That is all I have to say about that.
• I am currently watching Torchwood. I'm almost done with season 2. I am enjoying it, and I can officially say that it is the weirdest thing I have ever seen.
• I watched Insurgent. Divergent is not my favourite book series ever, but I do like it. I personally thought the first movie was just okay, and I thought the same of the second movie. There were some good things about it and some bad things. Overall, I would say that, as a movie, Insurgent is about as good as Divergent. However, as an adaptation from the book, Insurgent is much worse than Divergent.
• I read both books in the If I Stay duology by Gayle Forman, If I Stay and Where She Went. I liked both books, but I didn't love either of them. From all the amazing reviews they were getting, I thought that I would like these books better.
• I read Fairest by Marissa Meyer, the prequel to the Lunar Chronicles series. I really enjoyed it, though it wasn't very long, which was a bit disappointing. I really enjoyed reading from the villain's perspective. Now I'm super excited to read Winter.
• I finished the Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken with the final two books Never Fade and In the Afterlight. I enjoyed both, and, overall, I thought the trilogy was great. This science fiction series has an interesting plot and memorable characters. I would definitely recommend it.
• I read Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard because literally everyone else in the world was reading it. I don't understand why everyone loved this book so much. It wasn't that it was bad, it just wasn't as extraordinary as I'd hoped it would be. I'm a bit disappointed, but I plan to read the rest of the books in the series whenever they come out.
• I read The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski, sequel to the Winner's Curse. I enjoyed the Winner's Curse, but this book was incredible. I thought the plot and the writing were so much more interesting than in the first book. I can not wait for the final book in this trilogy to come out.
• I read Shadow Scale by Rachel Hartman, the long awaited sequel to Seraphina, and it was amazing. It's definitely my favourite book published in 2015 so far. I has literally everything I want in a book. Everything in it was amazing!!!

Books I Wasn't Fond of (And Why)

This is a list of books that I have read, and that I didn't really enjoy. I didn't hate any of these books, because I have a policy of never hating books, but I did dislike them. If you like any of the books on this list I can totally respect that. Everyone has different opinions on books and everyone's opinion is equally valid. However, I would not recommend any of these books to you if you have not read them.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong: This is the first book in an urban fantasy trilogy. I read the whole trilogy two years ago, but I almost didn't. I can't actually remember why I didn't like it, and you see, that's saying something. Usually books leave me with a picture of them, or they leave a few scenes stuck in my head. This book left... nothing. All I remember is that is was very boring.

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood: I have no idea why I read this book. It was probably during that phase I had when I was twelve where I would only read things about Shakespeare. Anyway, it was awful. Characters that had no personality, a plot that made literally no sense and way too much random unnecessary information. I do not recommend it.

The Selection by Kiera Cass: I honestly don't understand why people like this series so much. I have read the first two books. I considered reading the third, but then I realized that I already knew what was going to happen. I'm not saying this book series is predictable, but, it's very predictable. And that's not even why I don't like it. I honestly don't mind if a book is predictable, as long as there are things to like about it, such as, oh, I don't know, interesting characters or a fascinating writing style. The Selection has nothing to like. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't an awful book. In fact, I even kind of enjoyed reading it. It's such a quick read. But overall, there was nothing good about this book, and so I couldn't bring myself to like it.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner: Some people love this series, and I can understand why. But I didn't. Honestly, dystopian is not my favourite genre. I don't hate dystopian, it's just that I won't read books simply because they are in that genre (unlike with epic fantasy). There has to be something else interesting about them, or they have to come highly recommended. The Maze Runner did sound interesting, and it did come highly recommended. I actually liked the first book. The plot was interesting and suspenseful. The characters were boring, but I can forgive that. If there had only been one book, I would have liked it. But, unfortunately, there were two other books in the series and a prequel. In my opinion, the books just got worse and worse. The plot dragged on and on and characters died way too often. I don't mind character deaths, but I do mind them when they happen every other page. They become kind of meaningless. I could never get to know any of the characters because they just kept dying off. I honestly can't understand why some people say this series is better than the Hunger Games, but we all have our own opinions.

So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane: This book is probably the worst book I have ever read. There are weird books, and then there are books that are just so weird that they make your head explode. And then there is this book. I don't even know how to describe it. The plot makes literally no sense. And the characters are made out of cardboard. Please do not read this book.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick: Apparently some people really like this book. I could not finish it, and that's really saying something. In that past three years, I have only not finished three books. I'm not sure what exactly put me off this book. I think it was the male main character. He was literally the most annoying thing ever. I don't even remember his name.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto: This book was, in one word, boring. I read about half of it. Nothing seemed to happen, and the characters were too perfect.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen: This book was okay, but I found it boring. It's just about a guy surviving in the wilderness. I never would have read this book if it hadn't been a pick for a book club that I was in. This is really not my kind of book.

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch: This book came out last year, and I was hearing such good things about it. I really wanted to like it. Unfortunately, I didn't. There are a few reasons why. First, there were several things in the book that didn't make sense. I'm not going to say anything specific, but the world just seemed really illogical. And, yes, I know it's fantasy. Second, the characters. Most of the characters had no personalities, and the ones that did made no sense. They would do things or say things and I couldn't understand why they were doing or saying those things. The final reason I didn't like this book was that IO found it quite boring and hard to get into. (I'm not listing this as one f the reasons I didn't like the book, but I guessed the plot twist from almost the beginning of the book.)

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: Some people really love this book. The thing is, it's just really not my thing. It was actually pretty good, but I just didn't like it.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi: This is a science fiction book that I read a few years ago. I barely finished it. I don't actually remember what exactly it was that made this book unappealing. I just could not get into it. I was bored the entire time. I've considered the possibility that I was just not in the mood for this particular type of book when I read it, but I have not felt the urge to read the rest of the books in the series.

Magyk by Angie Sage: This is the first book in the Septimus Heap series. It's a children's fantasy series, and I actually read the whole thing. However, I didn't like it very much. It was written kind of weirdly and it was the most predictable thing I have ever read. I did actually enjoy reading parts of the book because some of the characters were quite amusing, but overall, I don't think this series was written very well.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld: Some people love this series. Objectively speaking, I thought it was fairly good. But I just didn't enjoy reading it. The plot was interesting, but the characters were what made me dislike this series. It wasn't that they were under-developed exactly, it was that they were infuriating. I honestly hated all of the characters. I couldn't stand them. I read the entire Uglies series because I felt bad for disliking it. I've even considered reading some other books by this author. I just didn't really enjoy the Uglies trilogy.