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I've been quiet lately, and really it's because I've been spending my time writing some original fiction (to my shock, I actually have a rough draft of a first chapter to something that might actually turn into a full length story). I have to say that it's interesting having to come up with all characters that are entirely your own. One of the things that helps me shape my own characters is to think about my own favorite fictional characters and figure out why they entertain and appeal to me. I've decided to make a list as my own personal mental exercise and post it here.
I warn you, this is really, really long, and possibly of interest only to me, which is why it's under a cut. If you don't read it, I won't be offended. Honest.
Some of my favorite characters in alphabetical order (not all inclusive, just the first handful that popped into my head). I'm not limiting this to just books, but also movies, comic books and television.
Gaius Baltar - Battlestar Galactica (2004-TV)
There are so many awesome characters on this show (hell I could make a whole list of why I love damn near every character), but I think that Baltar stands out the most because convincing villains that you can both despise and identify with are so rare to find. The way that this character is written is so freaking brilliant that it makes me gnash my teeth in sheer jealousy (because goddamn, I wish I could write like that). He's so freaking human - in fact, he's pretty much a walking example of the weaknesses of human nature. I think the key to him and what makes him so dangerous is that he's not stereotypically evil (although he has an extremely well honed sense of self preservation and a rather flexible moral code) but that he's a weak and selfish and cowardly man thrown into a completely extraordinary situation. He's poisonous to everyone he associates with. I love how he wreaks just as much havoc with the Cylons as he does with the humans - because that's the kind of guy he is. And every time I think they've made him completely irredeemable they somehow manage to turn the tables and make me sympathize with him at least a little bit.
Elizabeth Bennet - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite stories, and Elizabeth makes the list because she is the romantic heroine that every romance writer seems to want to copy, although really I think most of the writers that try to copy her fail to understand Elizabeth's appeal. She manages to be a good person, witty and interesting while still coming across as a human being and not some kind of Mary Sue. This is mainly because of her failings - she's stubborn and somewhat unforgiving and judgmental (which are three things I can relate to myself). I think it's absolutely hilarious and brilliant that the failing that Mr. Darcy owns up to and she finds so disturbing ("My good opinion once lost, is lost forever") is exactly one of her own glaring character flaws that nearly costs Elizabeth her chance at happiness.
Frank - Once Upon A Time in the West (Film by Sergio Leone)
This guy has to be the most evil film villain ever. He's a cold, calculating murderer, and it's not sugarcoated or marginalized in anyway. He doesn't angst about what he does, and there's no "Hey, let's try to redeem Frank. There's good in everyone" storyline because that would be pointless - there isn't any good in this man. That he's played by Henry Fonda who usually played heroic everyman characters gives him an ordinary common appearance that just seems to make him even more menacing. You look at him with his blond hair and blue eyes which by conventional western standards would make him the hero and then he does completely dastardly things. Which ultimately is why I like him - evil characters should actually *do* evil things instead of just talking about doing evil things, or being all half assed and whiny and misunderstood.
Marge Gunderson - Fargo (Film by the Coen Brothers)
There are a lot of things I like about Marge (her blunt matter of fact manner, the fact that she's intelligent, the fact that she's a married character and pregnant but it's never made into a big deal, that she's a normal, average looking person) but the thing I like most about her is that she's just a fundamentally decent human being thrown into this world of petty senseless violence. In a story like Fargo that's full of all these bizarre and fucked up characters, Marge's character is absolutely critical to anchor the viewer to keep them from being swept away by the crazy. My favorite scene in the movie is where she and her husband are in bed talking about the painting he submitted for the stamp. It's such a beautiful illustration of what a marriage is and having that contrasted with the senseless violence makes it even more beautiful.
Lena Lamont - Singin' In the Rain (Film)
I admit that I have a weakness for stupid, petty characters which is why my all time favorite comedic villain is Lena Lamont. Most old movie musicals are so full of hoke and cheese that really all you end up caring about are the musical numbers. But Lena as the squeaky voiced, dumb, petty, vain and selfish villain of this musical makes the actual story as good as the fantastic musical numbers. And dammit, she's funny as hell and steals every scene that she's in with lines like "I make more money than Calvin Coolidge. Put together!"
Vanessa Lutz - Freeway (Film by Matthew Bright)
It's really astonishing how many people haven't seen this film, but it's one of Reese Witherspoon's earliest movies and probably her greatest performance ever as an actress. The story is a modern take on Red Riding Hood where white trash teenager Vanessa meets up with Kiefer Sutherland's creepy serial killer Bob - and what happens next is pure win. I don't want to wreck the story for people who haven't seen this movie so I'll keep it vague, but Vanessa, as foul mouthed and trashy as she is, is also rather intelligent. She also has with balls of steel and does something that always wins me over to a character - the smart thing in dealing with a villain (it doesn't work... but at least she tries, dammit). I swear to God, when she asks Bob "Is Jesus Christ your lord and personal savior?" you just know what she's going to do, but when she actually *does* it, you're still in disbelief that some writers actually had the nads to follow through. Even better, after the fact there's no angst from her about whether she was wrong or not. I wish more fictional heroes were written like Vanessa.
Henry McCoy (The Beast) - X-Men (Created by Stan Lee)
I'll put this right on the table: I'm a Beast fangirl. He is, in fact, my favorite superhero and I really wish he were used more (and not, you know, turned into a giant cat dude *facepalm*). I have a weakness for intellectual characters, so a furry blue genius superhero who hangs upside-down and quotes poetry and wears glasses I'm pretty much guaranteed to like. There's just something appealing about characters that solve problems with their brains. That he's a kind and decent man, sometimes insecure and super intelligent is a plus. Unfortunately he often gets shoved to the side in favor of other characters like Wolverine that probably appeal to their teenage audience more.
Scarlett O'Hara - Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I love characters that do the right thing for all the wrong reasons, and that's something that Scarlett does over and over and over again. Honestly, I think that it should be required reading or viewing for all fanfic authors that want to create a sassy character who has issues with authority to either read the book or see the movie. Suthors could learn a thing or too I think from Scarlett's characterization. I also like the fact that while she's hardly an intellectual, she's a smart business woman who is savvy enough to not only claw her way out of poverty, but to also drag her family with her too. Her methods and motives may be suspect, but Scarlett, as vicious and petty as she is, again and again is the one person that everyone can count on to get things done and take care of problems. So while nearly everyone around her hates her (except for Melanie and Ashley), they'd all be starving without her. She's the person who does what needs to be done, as unpretty as it might be. She's an intriguing mix of really glaring failings and a few unexpected virtues.
Jean Valjean - Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Les Miserables is one of my all time favorite stories. I love that Valjean is middle aged when the book starts. He's a decent man who devolves into the criminal that everyone keeps telling him that he is until he's given a second chance with a gift (in the form of a lie interestingly) from a priest whose candlesticks he's stolen. He also struggles to deal with some serious moral dilemmas for which the answer isn't immediately obvious - for instance does he let an innocent man go to prison for him, or does he turn himself which would result in his factory being shut down and couple hundred people losing their job and possibly starving? He's a guy that has been given a second chance by the grace of God and he tries his best to live up to that, no matter what the cost. The exploration of both of those ideas are why I love this character.
Miles Vorkosigan - Main character of the Vorkosigan book series written by Lois Bujold
Miles is a short, physically twisted, intelligent guy with a Napoleon complex raised in a rather intolerant militaristic society of his planet (think Czarist Russians in space. Seriously. It kicks so much ass.) He's a fantastic character. Not only does he manage to succeed because he's smart, but even more because he simply refuses to accept failure as an option. His hyperactive tendencies, sheer force of will and fake it till you make it attitude gets him rather far, until later books when it starts to catch up with him. And that's really one of the fantastic things about this series: we get to see Miles grow up from about 18 to 32 - and while he still remains recognizable as a character, he changes and grows as things happen to him, he makes mistakes, etc. He gets older and wiser but both are hard won and earned in a realistic way.
Wow, that was long. Much longer than intended.
I'm also interested in the favorite characters of the people on this list, because it's always interesting to see what appeals to other people. So tell me a handful of your favorite fictional characters (be sure to include where they're from unless it's obvious - remember I'm an old lady here) and absolutely most importantly why you like them and they appeal to you.
I warn you, this is really, really long, and possibly of interest only to me, which is why it's under a cut. If you don't read it, I won't be offended. Honest.
Some of my favorite characters in alphabetical order (not all inclusive, just the first handful that popped into my head). I'm not limiting this to just books, but also movies, comic books and television.
Gaius Baltar - Battlestar Galactica (2004-TV)
There are so many awesome characters on this show (hell I could make a whole list of why I love damn near every character), but I think that Baltar stands out the most because convincing villains that you can both despise and identify with are so rare to find. The way that this character is written is so freaking brilliant that it makes me gnash my teeth in sheer jealousy (because goddamn, I wish I could write like that). He's so freaking human - in fact, he's pretty much a walking example of the weaknesses of human nature. I think the key to him and what makes him so dangerous is that he's not stereotypically evil (although he has an extremely well honed sense of self preservation and a rather flexible moral code) but that he's a weak and selfish and cowardly man thrown into a completely extraordinary situation. He's poisonous to everyone he associates with. I love how he wreaks just as much havoc with the Cylons as he does with the humans - because that's the kind of guy he is. And every time I think they've made him completely irredeemable they somehow manage to turn the tables and make me sympathize with him at least a little bit.
Elizabeth Bennet - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
Pride and Prejudice is one of my all time favorite stories, and Elizabeth makes the list because she is the romantic heroine that every romance writer seems to want to copy, although really I think most of the writers that try to copy her fail to understand Elizabeth's appeal. She manages to be a good person, witty and interesting while still coming across as a human being and not some kind of Mary Sue. This is mainly because of her failings - she's stubborn and somewhat unforgiving and judgmental (which are three things I can relate to myself). I think it's absolutely hilarious and brilliant that the failing that Mr. Darcy owns up to and she finds so disturbing ("My good opinion once lost, is lost forever") is exactly one of her own glaring character flaws that nearly costs Elizabeth her chance at happiness.
Frank - Once Upon A Time in the West (Film by Sergio Leone)
This guy has to be the most evil film villain ever. He's a cold, calculating murderer, and it's not sugarcoated or marginalized in anyway. He doesn't angst about what he does, and there's no "Hey, let's try to redeem Frank. There's good in everyone" storyline because that would be pointless - there isn't any good in this man. That he's played by Henry Fonda who usually played heroic everyman characters gives him an ordinary common appearance that just seems to make him even more menacing. You look at him with his blond hair and blue eyes which by conventional western standards would make him the hero and then he does completely dastardly things. Which ultimately is why I like him - evil characters should actually *do* evil things instead of just talking about doing evil things, or being all half assed and whiny and misunderstood.
Marge Gunderson - Fargo (Film by the Coen Brothers)
There are a lot of things I like about Marge (her blunt matter of fact manner, the fact that she's intelligent, the fact that she's a married character and pregnant but it's never made into a big deal, that she's a normal, average looking person) but the thing I like most about her is that she's just a fundamentally decent human being thrown into this world of petty senseless violence. In a story like Fargo that's full of all these bizarre and fucked up characters, Marge's character is absolutely critical to anchor the viewer to keep them from being swept away by the crazy. My favorite scene in the movie is where she and her husband are in bed talking about the painting he submitted for the stamp. It's such a beautiful illustration of what a marriage is and having that contrasted with the senseless violence makes it even more beautiful.
Lena Lamont - Singin' In the Rain (Film)
I admit that I have a weakness for stupid, petty characters which is why my all time favorite comedic villain is Lena Lamont. Most old movie musicals are so full of hoke and cheese that really all you end up caring about are the musical numbers. But Lena as the squeaky voiced, dumb, petty, vain and selfish villain of this musical makes the actual story as good as the fantastic musical numbers. And dammit, she's funny as hell and steals every scene that she's in with lines like "I make more money than Calvin Coolidge. Put together!"
Vanessa Lutz - Freeway (Film by Matthew Bright)
It's really astonishing how many people haven't seen this film, but it's one of Reese Witherspoon's earliest movies and probably her greatest performance ever as an actress. The story is a modern take on Red Riding Hood where white trash teenager Vanessa meets up with Kiefer Sutherland's creepy serial killer Bob - and what happens next is pure win. I don't want to wreck the story for people who haven't seen this movie so I'll keep it vague, but Vanessa, as foul mouthed and trashy as she is, is also rather intelligent. She also has with balls of steel and does something that always wins me over to a character - the smart thing in dealing with a villain (it doesn't work... but at least she tries, dammit). I swear to God, when she asks Bob "Is Jesus Christ your lord and personal savior?" you just know what she's going to do, but when she actually *does* it, you're still in disbelief that some writers actually had the nads to follow through. Even better, after the fact there's no angst from her about whether she was wrong or not. I wish more fictional heroes were written like Vanessa.
Henry McCoy (The Beast) - X-Men (Created by Stan Lee)
I'll put this right on the table: I'm a Beast fangirl. He is, in fact, my favorite superhero and I really wish he were used more (and not, you know, turned into a giant cat dude *facepalm*). I have a weakness for intellectual characters, so a furry blue genius superhero who hangs upside-down and quotes poetry and wears glasses I'm pretty much guaranteed to like. There's just something appealing about characters that solve problems with their brains. That he's a kind and decent man, sometimes insecure and super intelligent is a plus. Unfortunately he often gets shoved to the side in favor of other characters like Wolverine that probably appeal to their teenage audience more.
Scarlett O'Hara - Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
I love characters that do the right thing for all the wrong reasons, and that's something that Scarlett does over and over and over again. Honestly, I think that it should be required reading or viewing for all fanfic authors that want to create a sassy character who has issues with authority to either read the book or see the movie. Suthors could learn a thing or too I think from Scarlett's characterization. I also like the fact that while she's hardly an intellectual, she's a smart business woman who is savvy enough to not only claw her way out of poverty, but to also drag her family with her too. Her methods and motives may be suspect, but Scarlett, as vicious and petty as she is, again and again is the one person that everyone can count on to get things done and take care of problems. So while nearly everyone around her hates her (except for Melanie and Ashley), they'd all be starving without her. She's the person who does what needs to be done, as unpretty as it might be. She's an intriguing mix of really glaring failings and a few unexpected virtues.
Jean Valjean - Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Les Miserables is one of my all time favorite stories. I love that Valjean is middle aged when the book starts. He's a decent man who devolves into the criminal that everyone keeps telling him that he is until he's given a second chance with a gift (in the form of a lie interestingly) from a priest whose candlesticks he's stolen. He also struggles to deal with some serious moral dilemmas for which the answer isn't immediately obvious - for instance does he let an innocent man go to prison for him, or does he turn himself which would result in his factory being shut down and couple hundred people losing their job and possibly starving? He's a guy that has been given a second chance by the grace of God and he tries his best to live up to that, no matter what the cost. The exploration of both of those ideas are why I love this character.
Miles Vorkosigan - Main character of the Vorkosigan book series written by Lois Bujold
Miles is a short, physically twisted, intelligent guy with a Napoleon complex raised in a rather intolerant militaristic society of his planet (think Czarist Russians in space. Seriously. It kicks so much ass.) He's a fantastic character. Not only does he manage to succeed because he's smart, but even more because he simply refuses to accept failure as an option. His hyperactive tendencies, sheer force of will and fake it till you make it attitude gets him rather far, until later books when it starts to catch up with him. And that's really one of the fantastic things about this series: we get to see Miles grow up from about 18 to 32 - and while he still remains recognizable as a character, he changes and grows as things happen to him, he makes mistakes, etc. He gets older and wiser but both are hard won and earned in a realistic way.
Wow, that was long. Much longer than intended.
I'm also interested in the favorite characters of the people on this list, because it's always interesting to see what appeals to other people. So tell me a handful of your favorite fictional characters (be sure to include where they're from unless it's obvious - remember I'm an old lady here) and absolutely most importantly why you like them and they appeal to you.