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ashkirynSo, here we are! The sister post, shall we say, to my Master List of Ships. :) Now, keep in mind that the same basic idea also applies to this post---I'm going to be slowly working my way through all of my fandoms' canons, and update this as I go along. I'm not going to talk about EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER EVER in these fandoms (though for some, like KH, it'll probably seem like it XD), just the ones that ping on my radar somehow, either positively or negatively. I'll eventually construct a Top Ten Favorites/Least Favorites, but for the most part, it'll be divided by fandom. ^^ Subject to change, obviously.
{FYI: the avatar is Captain Holly Short, from the Artemis Fowl series. :) }
U L T I M A T E T O P T E N F A V O R I T E C H A R A C T E R S
1. Mat Cauthon (Wheel of Time)
2. Sirius Black (Harry Potter)
3. Dean Winchester (Supernatural)
4. Maleficent (Disney's Sleeping Beauty)
5. Rarity (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
6. Prince Phillip (Disney's Sleeping Beauty)
U L T I M A T E T O P T E N L E A S T F A V O R I T E C H A R A C T E R S
1. Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter)
2. Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy VII)
3. Agravaine (BBC's Merlin)
4. Ansem the Wise/DiZ (Kingdom Hearts)
5. The Prince/Prince Ferdinand (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
6. Queen Morgause/The Queen of Air and Darkness (The Once and Future King)
T H O U G H T P R O C E S S E S
So, yeah. Obviously, once I get this list fully populated and such, anybody who looks at it will most likely be able to pick up...certain trends with the types of characters that I like to attach myself too (and inversely, those that I hate). And hey, that's perfectly okay, because that's what everybody does. But because I like to psycho-analyze myself, I'm going to be putting this entry up here, summing up what's usually a sure-fire way to get me to like/dislike characters. :3
Let's start then, with the top character types that Kiryn loves:
1. 'Anti-heroes': I tentatively use this term to describe what's really the most common denominator in all of my character loves. But ah, how I love this trope. Really, who doesn't love them? The Rogues, most likely with shades of Chivalrous Pervert in them and sexy voices (if applicable), Jerks With Hearts of Gold, with dark, tragic, troubled pasts and tortured souls, but who play that off with a devil-may-care attitude and who also is probably obfuscating stupidity...dude, I am such a huge sucker for these guys. And the more tragedy, the better. Badassery is always more than welcome as well. :D
2. Good Daddy figures: Simply put, the fastest way to throw me down a fangirl slope is by revealing a character as this. Seriously. This probably stems from the fact that my relationship with my own father is quite troubled and...such, so I've sort of turned to fiction instead. :/ I'm not as wild about Good Moms, which I think is because I have an extremely good relationship with my mom, and consider her the best mom in the world (:3), but I can still appreciate them. Anyway, good daddies FTW!
3. 'Flavor' Characters: This is another tentative title, that I may or may not have come up with on my own (I honestly don't know if this is an actual label that other people use out in the world or not). But what I mean by this are characters who...have a function in the narratives that they show up in; a specific purpose that they are supposed to do and no more. They're more sparingly used, and not really a main character at all, and it's perhaps because of the fact that we're not allowed to experience them all that often that makes them so much the better; we just can't get tired of them. The example that immediately comes to my mind is the character of Death from the TV series Supernatural; he's only shown up three times, one appearance for each of the last three seasons, but damn. :)
4. KICK ASS WOMEN: For serious. If there is a female character, and she is kicking all ass in the area, and is being elegant, glorious, snarky, badass, hyper-competent, sometimes with a kind of cheer about them....and just in general being distinctly feminine....I AM SO THERE. SO, SO THERE. ACCOMPLISH THE BADASSERY THAT I CANNOT, LADIES.
5. Villains: Oh, I have a very, very deep appreciation of villains. With the exception of a few traits, but then, I can't like every character ever. ;)
Annnnd here is the inverse, character traits that Kiryn HATES FOREVER AND EVER, and will have a difficult time forgiving a character for possessing said traits:
1. Complete Monsters: Now...there are very few characters that make this definition in my view. I mean, take Maleficent for example. She can genuinely be called a complete monster. But I love her forever and beyond. So, for me, there's a complete monster, and then there's a COMPLETE MONSTER. Really, truly only Umbridge and Hojo fall onto this list for me. But man, do I hate those guys. :/
2. Snakes in the grass: GODDAMN IT, BUT I HATE THESE CHARACTERS, THEY JUST MAKE ME SO ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED, ARGH. *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* This category of hate only applies to villainous characters; I don't really mind it when the good guys do it, though it does make me anxious that they'll be found out, and I don't like that bit. But when there is some character that's BETRAYING the trust placed in them, but worse is when I KNOW IT, but the characters DON'T, and God but does that drive me right up the wall.
3. Condescension: I consider this as ranging from the obvious to things like God-complexes, but this is a character trait that I despise in my real life, and unfortunately have a lot of experience with, and I just can't stand seeing it translated over into fiction.
4. Utter Creepiness: When a character is just so OILY and SLIMY or just SO GODDAMNED FUCKING CREEPY, I really really really really just don't want anything to do with them. D: And I really mean 'creepy' as in my opinion of creepy. For instance, this is one reason why I hate The Nightmare Before Christmas so much. :/
{It'll be obvious, because there'll be blurbs after them, but my favorites will be at the top of the list, least favorites down at the bottom.}
F E M A L E C H A R A C T E R S
~ Maleficent (Disney's Sleeping Beauty) :
~ Rarity (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) : What I lovelovelovelove so much about this character is the empowering message she ends up embodying to her target audience, and one of the things that I believe gives this revitalization of My Little Pony more substance than any of its previous generations. Seriously, it's such a rad theme to introduce to young girls, that just because you may be physically weak and ladylike and the biggest girly girl to have ever been girly, it doesn't mean that there aren't other ways that you can take care of yourself. Rarity is, essentially, the damsel in distress that can save herself, and then already be waiting for you by the time you show up to 'rescue' her. I love this girl's wit, I love the way that the creator of this show simply had fashion be Rarity's form of artistic expression, I just...Rarity is what truly cemented my love for Friendship is Magic. I truly think she's the most complex of the characters, the one who totally takes your expectations and turns them on end.
~ Captain Holly Short (Artemis Fowl) :
~ Rapunzel (Tangled)
~ Namine (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Larxene (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)
~ Fran (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
~ Princess Luna (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) : Because everything's better with princesses. ;) But really, this series needs more of this character in it. Luna makes it onto a list of characters that break my heart and that "I Just Want to be Happy, Damn It". And she also seems to be a character that I connect to because I know what it's like...to be on the edge of being consumed by bitterness and jealousy towards your sister, even though it's not either of your faults, but that just sort of makes it worse, and to basically be depressed, and socially awkward and to want to make friends and a good impression, but not knowing how....I seriously feel for her, and especially felt so sorry for her when I saw how hurt she was by her not-so-good reception. So, yeah, I love this gal, and I think she is by far one of the most interesting characters in the series, and I want to see more of her.
~ Aqua (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Princess Mithian (BBC's Merlin) : Because, minor as she is, I really, really genuinely liked her, and especially adored her when she actually gives Merlin the proper credit and respect he deserves, and how she respects how important he is to Arthur, and therefore asks him to give her a chance. And how she remained cool and awesome even when Arthur was practically at the highest level of awkwardness he's ever been. Despite the fact that I know Arthur marrying Gwen was a foregone conclusion, I was sad to see Mithian go. She's far beyond awesome, man.
~ Ellen Harvelle (Supernatural) : She just...I can't help but love this woman, because she reminds me so damn much of my mom. Seriously, if Hunters really existed, she's exactly what my mom would be like. Totally kick ass, scary and completely don't-fuck-with-me, warm and motherly, running a bar and holding her own in a male-dominated world, completely devoted to her daughter, whom she won't leave, no matter what, and who would stay behind as a suicide bomber to give others a chance to escape without showing a lick of fear...Lord, but she is so freaking fantastic.
~ Xion (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Mary Winchester (Supernatural) : I just can't help but love her. It seems to me that, in order to make up for the astronomical number of daddy issues in this universe, the Supernatural world makes up for it with its abundane of awesome mothers. But I love Mary because of how much she loves her kids and her family....and she's just such an incredibly human character. She really is a lot like Dean. Sure, sometimes she fucks up, and doesn't always make the best decisions, but above all else, she tries to do right by her family, and loves and protects them with all that she's got. And it really doesn't hurt that she's gloriously badass, especially in the male dominated world of Hunters (even if she wants out of that life). Not to mention the complete tragedy of her life, and just how much fun you can make her character in fanfiction. ^^
~ Jamie (Supernatural) : Oh God, but I just love Jamie so much. She is just....so incredibly sassy and fierce and full-stop awesome, and in the episode she appeared in, SHE'S THE ONE THAT ACTUALLY SAVED DEAN AND SAM AND SLAYED THE MONSTER. Seriously, the change up in the usual dynamics of the show is so incredibly refreshing, especially when it's a complete flip of the usual gender roles that unfortunately seems to happen. And maybe it's because at this point Dean is not so jaded, but she actually gets him to open up and talk a little bit, and is a sort of impetus for maintaining a more positive outlook on his life (or for a while anyway, more's the pity). Plus, it's nice that she finds out about his real job, and that while she doesn't run screaming out into the night, she still spots the utter suckage and unfairness of his life.
~ Ashelia 'Ashe' B'Nargin Dalmasca (Final Fantasy XII)
~ Morgause (BBC's Merlin) : This gal falls under the categories of KICK ASS WOMAN and Evil Fabulous, so. I love this version of Morgause infinitely better than the one found in The Once and Future King (but then again, I love everything about BBC's Merlin far more than TOaFK version, so there's that), because wonder of wonders, this one has a Morality Chain that she won't break. And she's not unbearably creepy and doesn't boil cats. And she's completely and utterly badass---she's such a good swordswoman that she even beat Arthur in a fair fight, something that absolutely no one else can claim throughout all 4 seasons. (So TAKE THAT, you sexist assholes.)
~ Penelo (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Gwen/Guinevere (BBC's Merlin) : Having now read The Once and Future King, and experienced different versions of this character, I really have to commend the writers of this show on having the best of all the interpretations. They've seriously done a much better job with her. In the beginning, she was all sweet and doofy, but then you really start to see her grow into her own, and she's a true beacon of strength, and her friendship with Merlin is truly touching and heartwarming. Together with Merlin, she provides the perfect balance to temper Arthur with and keep him in check. She's also incredibly compassionate, and is continuing to rack up her badassery points as the series goes on. Plus, as she puts it, she is the daughter of a blacksmith, and I just think it's awesome that she continues to put those skills to use, and that she has an interest and a talent for a trade/profession that is traditionally masculine.
~ Sam/Samantha Black Crow (American Gods) : Because she's completely kick ass, and has the best monologue about her beliefs in all the world. She's just so sassy, she isn't cowed by danger or threats, and she's an actual out-of-the-closet lesbian in canon...seriously, I think it's impossible to not like her.
~ Morgana Pendragon (BBC's Merlin) : Mostly in the first two seasons, because in season 3 she tested my love by becoming a GODDAMNED SNAKE IN GRASS, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME, and then in season 4, she just makes me tired. But, I do feel incredibly sorry for her, and that I can completely understand the reasons behind her reactions makes her slide down the slippery slope that much sadder. And to me, it's depressing that she ultimately becomes what she hates most. As Queen Annis so rightly put it, Morgana is truly Uther's daughter. BUT, back in the beginning, she was awesome, the way she was the one who put Arthur in his place like no other, how devoted and loyal she used to be to her friends, her inner conflict about Uther in that one particular episode, and how she ultimately chose to save him.....man, I miss the old Morgana. :/
~ Regina George (Mean Girls) : For all that she's so diabolical and sociopathic, I just can't help but admire the ever-living fuck out of her. Like, not for any of the reasons that she is in the movie, but just because of the sheer amount of balls that this girl has. Take, for instance, the scene where Janis cuts holes in her tank top so that her bra shows---and Regina doesn't let that bother her in the slightest. She just keeps walking. She's just...very admirable, in a perverse sort of way.
~ Laura (American Gods) : This woman is dead, and is the most realistic representation of a zombie that I've ever seen. And despite being very dead and rotting, she is STILL completely set and determined to protect her husband, and do all the things for him that he can't do, including killing several people and being a total badass and impaling an enemy with a spear by sticking it through her own chest and then into him. She seriously earned my respect in the climax of the novel, even if I hadn't cared all that much about her before.
~ Buttercup (The Princess Bride) : I actually think she's a brilliant deconstruction of the Damsel Archetype. Admittedly, everything about this book is a parody, but especially in the beginning of the novel, Buttercup was nothing like how I expected her to be. She hated bathing and brushing her hair, she refused to follow social conventions at all, and was tenaciously herself. She just seems to be the most realistic and human character of them all, and I really can't help but like her. Plus, she handles her Damsel in Distress situation far better than most people would, I think.
~ The Evil Queen/Queen Grimhilde (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : For the most part, in the Disney movie, I really end up feeling mostly indifferent to her. But with the Woobie status that she gets in some of her backstories, I can't help but feeling really sorry for her. And as a bonus, it's transformed her from a flat to an actually interesting character. I mean, the whole bit about her father emotionally abusing her and him constantly ragging on her for not being beautiful enough, to his spirit being imprisoned in the Magic Mirror and continuing the abuse? Hell, who wouldn't go off the deep end? So, yeah, establishing this depth in her character goes a long way to redeeming her in my eyes. Plus, even in the original Disney movie, she doesn't completely frustrate me like Snow White does. :/
~ Snow White (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : As far as I know, she's my least favorite Disney Princess. I'm going to be rewatching all the Disney movies, so that may change, but so far, she's probably going to stay near the bottom of this list. But, I'm learning to not hate her like I once did. Mostly, I hated her because of the negative associations and memories that I've sort of attached to this movie, but as I've come to recognize my behavior...I kind of have to come to terms with the fact that it's not fair to judge her character with this huge bias in my mind, so I'm trying...to let go of that. Snow makes it hard, though....because she's so hopelessly naive, way beyond my willing suspension of disbelief, she's kind of useless in a crisis, her rather demeaning attitude towards the dwarves makes me want to smack her, she's the poster child for sexist, supremacist ideals, etc, etc. But...she's only 14 years old, so...there's room for improvement, I guess? Maybe? Being young isn't exactly an excuse for her actions, but it makes it a bit easier to sympathize with her, or feel sorry for her, at least. One day I may experiment with her character, who knows (oh....except that I'm already experimenting with her character a bit, aren't I? Good old Kingdom Hearts! XD). I think it'd be a fascinating exercise, really, to have her pure nature along with the general brattiness of her age group. :P Anyway, in conclusion, I still don't care for her, but...I don't think I hate her anymore.
~ Queen Morgause/The Queen of Air and Darkness (The Once and Future King) : This woman is just so damn.....unsettling. For fuck's sake, she tied up a poor cat and BOILED IT ALIVE, and then SUCKED ON ITS BONES. Because she was bored. SERIOUSLY!!!! Add on top of this how emotionally abusive she is to all five of her sons, and how socio/psychopathic she is....just, UGH. D:
~ Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter) :
M A L E C H A R A C T E R S
~ Mat Cauthon (Wheel of Time) :
~ Sirius Black (Harry Potter) :
~ Dean Winchester (Supernatural) :
~ Prince Phillip (Disney's Sleeping Beauty) :
~ Balthier (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Death (Supernatural) :
~ Tseng (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Zexion (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Roxas (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Axel / Lea (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Genesis Rhapsodos (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Harry Potter (Harry Potter) :
~ Xigbar (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Gwaine (BBC's Merlin) : Because his hair's fabulous. Well, okay, that's not the only reason, but it's so true!!! It's so pretty, and it's just so delicious when he swishes it, and it's the most perfect hair that I've ever seen on a man. Ahem, anyway...so, Gwaine. He's just awesome----his roguish ways, how incredibly gooey and fluffy he is on the inside, how much of a sweetheart he is to Merlin, his moments of comic relief (seriously, that damn apple), how his badassery levels run rampant only in life-threatening/impossible situations. Really, Gwaine is just so damn lovable and glorious and HIS HAIR, and yes. ^^
~ Merlin (BBC's Merlin) : I think it's literally impossible to dislike this character. Seriously, he's just so sweet and adorkable, loving and cheery and just optimistic, even though he leads an incredibly shitty life. He ends up having to watch, like, 80% of his loved ones die horrific deaths, having to live under a regime that maniacally persecutes the one thing about him that makes him special, and has to frequently save the life of the person that essentially ruined his life, he has to continually lie to most of the people that are important to him about his magic, he's hounded every time he turns around by temptation and is basically branded a traitor by most of his kind---and all of this that he deals with, is only in the hope that things will be better in the future. Despite the sheer and utter tragedy in his life, Merlin is still tenaciously loyal to Arthur, still holds onto his faith and hope....and really, you can't help but admire and love him for it.
~ Dr. Cid (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Kunsel (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Lucifer/'Hallucifer' (Supernatural) : Because Lucifer himself is just Evil Fabulous, and because 'Hallucifer' cracks my shit up, he makes me laugh so hard. Which...yes, he's really horrible, but...goddamn. I can't hate him. I just can't. Damn it, but this show is so freaking dark by this point that we're down in the deepest depths of the ocean, and I need all of the humor that I can get. I just love the way the actor portrays this character...his mannerisms, the way he talks, everything. So...there that is.
~ Gabranth (Final Fantasy XII)
~ Luxord (Kingdom Hearts)
~ Uther Pendragon (BBC's Merlin) : I just really, really can't help but love this guy to death, and it especially saddens me that I've seen so many stories in the fandom already that are completely incapable of capturing the subtlety of his character. I love Uther's absolute love for his children (even if this love of Morgana makes me fidget throughout season 3 when he's oblivious to her Evil McEvilPants-ness), and he subsequently breaks my heart during such scenes of said emotional-ness. I feel so terribly sorry for the fact that he inevitably ends up being something of a butt monkey, due to his status as Part Time Villain. I also have great respect for his actor, Anthony Head, because Uther's character varies from being shrewd to a dunderhead, depending on what the script and the plot requires, but the actor is able to find a balance, and to make these shifts and transitions to feel as natural as possible. And while I certainly don't condone his manic persecution of magic, and also don't blame other people for hating him, I just can't find it in my heart to do the same, as I just feel incredibly sad for him, because his hatred of magic was caused by the death of his wife.
~ Bobby Singer (Supernatural) :
~ Lancelot (BBC's Merlin) : He seriously does not deserve the amount of hatred that he seems to get from the fandom. Personally, I didn't realize how much I'd missed him until he was back (he was previously only in two episodes, and then he was really only back for 4 more :/). And having someone there (apart from Gaius) who knows about Merlin, and who could help cover Merlin's back right in the thick of all the adventures and such is just so fucking wonderful and it is really for that reason that I love Lancelot. Merlin desperately needs more people to confide in and to appreciate all that he's done for Arthur, and Lancelot gives that to him, and so I love their friendship. Plus, like I somewhat mentioned before, he tends to garner what I think is an unreasonable amount of hate, and so I love him for sort of being an underdog in the fandom. But seriously, Lancelot is just a sweetheart, and I'm sad that we're never allowed to spend that much time with him. :(
~ Jesse Turner (Supernatural) :
~ Arthur Pendragon (BBC's Merlin) : Oh, this dude. How I love him, even as I want to smack him a lot of the time. The thing that I think this show does really well with Arthur's character is how well-rounded they've made him. It's so easy to make King Arthur into a saint-like figure; I've seen it done many times before. But this Arthur is most decidedly not a saintly person at all. He's a prat, a grouch in the mornings, he loses his temper, fucks up and makes stupid decisions and does the wrong thing at times. Sometimes he puts his trust in the wrong people, sometimes he doesn't have enough faith in the right people. He struggles and is riddled and plagued with doubts a lot of the time about following his father's orders, about his own self-worth as a son to Uther and as a prince/ruler to Camelot, about whether or not he's actually doing what's right to the best of his ability. Simply put, in this show, they've made Arthur into a human character, one with real flaws and faults, who doesn't always get things right, but who tries his best anyway, and who struggles between being true to himself and being what Camelot needs him to be; he's somebody that we can all relate to. I would argue that he's really the second most human character on the show, and I truly love him for that.
~ Sam Winchester (Supernatural) : Oh, Sam. Sam, Sam, Sam. A lot of my feelings for him are similar to the ones that I have for Arthur above---I really do love him, but sometimes, I really feel the urge to smack him a good one. He's lower than Arthur on this list though because Sam's moments of utter doucheness make me angrier than anything Arthur's ever done. Because GOD DAMN IT, SAM, but PRIDE?? It comeths before the fall, you dumbshit! I HATE HATE HATE arrogance, and that's one thing that season 4!Sam especially had in spades, but its undercurrent is always present, and what I feel is Sam's biggest flaw (which is more than justified, I think). Sorry, but any chance of me being a Samgirl was ruined, because I SERIOUSLY CAN'T STAND ARROGANCE and CONDESCENSION, not to mention the fact that Sam DEEPLY HURT MY DEAN, AND YOU DO NOT HURT MY DEAN WITHOUT SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, BROTHER OR NOT. Ahem. While I have trouble forgiving those two things about Sam, this isn't to say that I dislike his character! I think part of the reason that this makes me so angry is because I genuinely love him. When he's not being an uber ass (or soulless, but eh), I think he's incredibly lovable. And way to take one for the geeks, Sam! He always has good intentions, but I love that especially after his major fuck up at the end of season 4, he strives to make up for it, to be better, despite having most people tell him that he's destined to be the next Lucifer. Perhaps sometimes he's too tenacious, but it's just part of his charm, I think, and of course I ultimately forgive him. You just made it a bit hard to do so in season 4, dear, that's all.
~ Castiel (Supernatural) : PRIDE, CAS. HAVE NONE OF YOU EVER OF HEARD OF IT? IT'S THIS THING THAT GOES BEFORE A FALL. Cas, honey, I thought you were supposed to be up to date on this kind of thing, being an angel of the Lord and all that. Anyway. Same deal as with Sam here. I love him, but....goddamn season 6. *goes into a corner to cry* AND WHY DO YOU ALL HAVE TO KEEP HURTING MY DEAN??!! *headdesk* Anyway, Cas was much better before he took a running leap off into the deep end. BAMF!Cas fills me with joy like no other, because you do not piss off the nerd angel. But also...well, really his entire character arc fills me with deep sadness. He's this alien creature, thrown into this world and culture that's almost completely alien to him, and he has this job to accomplish, but the ones he's supposed to be guiding into helping him just cannot get with the fucking picture, and...poor Cas is completely adrift, in a lot of ways. He comes to the horrible realization that Heaven is corrupt, which...he's an angel. Having to deal with that kind of thing sort of devastates everything that you are. So he sticks with humanity, messy flaws and all, struggles to keep his faith, loses it...he gives up everything he's ever known for MILLENIA for Dean, and you really have to admire the guy for that. Plus, Cas is just weirdly adorkable. Anyway, and then when he slides off the slippery slope...well, it makes a horrible amount of sense. That's the Winchester way, after all, and that Cas is following...the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But despite some...difficulties, he's still innately Cas, and while he may have fucked up his Free Will, he's still trying to atone for that, trying to fix his mistakes. And really, you can't ask more of a person than that.
~ Fezzik (The Princess Bride) :
~ Crowley (Good Omens) :
~ Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings) : I was surprised by how much I grew to like him. It was a treat, watching him evolve throughout the story into quite the badass and become a "thief" in truth. He's the one with the most amount of common sense, and gets the Dwarves out of most of their troubles and such. And yet, there's this innate goodness about Bilbo: when he frees the Dwarves from Mirkwood, he steals a guard's keys, but is thoughtful enough to give them back so that the guard didn't get in as much trouble; he betrays the Dwarves, but does not abandon them; and, of course, he spares Gollum's life. It's just ADORABLE, and thoroughly AWESOME. And I love how at the end he becomes the exact opposite of the hobbit he started out as in the beginning. And of course, now I notice his awesomeness in LOTR proper, like when he immediately stands up and speaks in defense of Aragorn at the Council of Elrond. I LOVE YOU BILBO, THANKS FOR SUPPORTING MY FAVORITE LOTR CHARACTER!! Also, when he trolls Lobelia by leaving her the silver spoons in his will that she'd tried to steal from him in The Hobbit. XD Bilbo, that made you one of my favorite fictional trolls, for the record.
~ Aziraphale (Good Omens) :
~ King Arthur (The Once and Future King) : Whereas the BBC show made the character of Arthur human, as opposed to saintlike, this book made him simple instead. And I totally don't mean that as an insult at all! And I don't mean that he's stupid. He's just...uncomplicated. He's your average, everyday sort of guy, who has all this shit thrust upon him, and he just tries to think and do his best and to believe in the good of people. He never asked to be King, but loves his people anyway, and tries to good and right by all of them. And it's just....nice. This King Arthur is just such a nice character, and I couldn't help but love him for it.
~ Grumpy (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : He's probably my favorite character of the entire movie, because he's practically the only one who shows any common sense at all. Grumpy's the character that felt the most real to me. He's the only one who really took umbrage to the fact that oh hey, this girl just broke into our house and is ordering us around and treating us like children, all the while she's endangering us with her very presence, like honestly any normal person damn well should. He's also the only one that tries to give her any real advice on how to keep safe, and he's the only one who actually seems to have a character arc and development, and is who I feel comes to care the most about Snow White, and his genuine grief over her apparent death really quite touched me, even though I rather hate this movie on the whole.
~ The Prince/Prince Ferdinand (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : God, but I've come to hate this dude so much. I just---he's just so downright CREEPY. I mean, I've heard criticism about how it was creepy for Prince Phillip to come up behind Aurora and start dancing with her in Sleeping Beauty; and that's true, but at least they're in what could be defined as the public space, you know? It's a freaking forest. Phillip has just as much right to be there as Aurora. This Prince, on the other hand, when HE sneaks up on Snow White? Oh no, this dude CLIMBS OVER A GODDAMNED WALL, into her courtyard, and is basically BREAKING INTO HER PROPERTY, and then creeps on her. I mean, what the ever-living fuck?! I DON'T CARE HOW INTERESTING SOMEONE'S SINGING IS, YOU JUST DON'T DO THAT TO PEOPLE. And he only even sees her the grand total of ONCE, and NEVER ACTUALLY SPEAKS TO HER, because Snow White was, wonder of wonders, actually intelligent, and ran inside and slammed the door in his face. But even so, he basically had to have STALKED THE SHIT OUT OF HER to find out what happened and for him to have found her with the dwarfs in her glass coffin....and upon findng her, he just strolls on up and KISSES what he thinks is a corpse? WHO ARE YOU, AND WHY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS??!! In short, he is an incredibly creepy plot device with the personality of a brick, and I do not like him at all. :(
~ Ansem the Wise/DiZ (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Agravaine (BBC's Merlin) : DIE SNAKE IN THE GRASS, DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE. UGH. From the very first second this dude turned up, I knew that he was going to be a slimeball. And by God, was I right. Remember how I said that I hate snakes in the grass? When it's SO FREAKING OBVIOUS THAT THEY'RE THE TRAITOR, HOW CAN YOU ALL NOT SEE THE SLIME DRIPPING OFF OF HIM? Yeah, that's Agravaine for you. SLIME SLIME SLIME, and then every time he speaks and tries to steer Arthur in the wrong direction, and then I just want to fucking PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE and smash him like the cockroach that he is, and then I would have to bemoan the fact that another episode had gone by without someone doing the world a favor and just kill the slimebucket. And of course he sticks around to the end, WHHHHHHHHY DO YOU EXIST. Normally, I'm of the opinion that this show improved the characters from their previous incarnations in The Once and Future King, but in this case, they SOMEHOW MANAGED TO MAKE HIM WORSE. Which is truly a feat, folks.
~ Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy VII) :
{FYI: the avatar is Captain Holly Short, from the Artemis Fowl series. :) }
U L T I M A T E T O P T E N F A V O R I T E C H A R A C T E R S
1. Mat Cauthon (Wheel of Time)
2. Sirius Black (Harry Potter)
3. Dean Winchester (Supernatural)
4. Maleficent (Disney's Sleeping Beauty)
5. Rarity (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic)
6. Prince Phillip (Disney's Sleeping Beauty)
U L T I M A T E T O P T E N L E A S T F A V O R I T E C H A R A C T E R S
1. Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter)
2. Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy VII)
3. Agravaine (BBC's Merlin)
4. Ansem the Wise/DiZ (Kingdom Hearts)
5. The Prince/Prince Ferdinand (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
6. Queen Morgause/The Queen of Air and Darkness (The Once and Future King)
T H O U G H T P R O C E S S E S
So, yeah. Obviously, once I get this list fully populated and such, anybody who looks at it will most likely be able to pick up...certain trends with the types of characters that I like to attach myself too (and inversely, those that I hate). And hey, that's perfectly okay, because that's what everybody does. But because I like to psycho-analyze myself, I'm going to be putting this entry up here, summing up what's usually a sure-fire way to get me to like/dislike characters. :3
Let's start then, with the top character types that Kiryn loves:
1. 'Anti-heroes': I tentatively use this term to describe what's really the most common denominator in all of my character loves. But ah, how I love this trope. Really, who doesn't love them? The Rogues, most likely with shades of Chivalrous Pervert in them and sexy voices (if applicable), Jerks With Hearts of Gold, with dark, tragic, troubled pasts and tortured souls, but who play that off with a devil-may-care attitude and who also is probably obfuscating stupidity...dude, I am such a huge sucker for these guys. And the more tragedy, the better. Badassery is always more than welcome as well. :D
2. Good Daddy figures: Simply put, the fastest way to throw me down a fangirl slope is by revealing a character as this. Seriously. This probably stems from the fact that my relationship with my own father is quite troubled and...such, so I've sort of turned to fiction instead. :/ I'm not as wild about Good Moms, which I think is because I have an extremely good relationship with my mom, and consider her the best mom in the world (:3), but I can still appreciate them. Anyway, good daddies FTW!
3. 'Flavor' Characters: This is another tentative title, that I may or may not have come up with on my own (I honestly don't know if this is an actual label that other people use out in the world or not). But what I mean by this are characters who...have a function in the narratives that they show up in; a specific purpose that they are supposed to do and no more. They're more sparingly used, and not really a main character at all, and it's perhaps because of the fact that we're not allowed to experience them all that often that makes them so much the better; we just can't get tired of them. The example that immediately comes to my mind is the character of Death from the TV series Supernatural; he's only shown up three times, one appearance for each of the last three seasons, but damn. :)
4. KICK ASS WOMEN: For serious. If there is a female character, and she is kicking all ass in the area, and is being elegant, glorious, snarky, badass, hyper-competent, sometimes with a kind of cheer about them....and just in general being distinctly feminine....I AM SO THERE. SO, SO THERE. ACCOMPLISH THE BADASSERY THAT I CANNOT, LADIES.
5. Villains: Oh, I have a very, very deep appreciation of villains. With the exception of a few traits, but then, I can't like every character ever. ;)
Annnnd here is the inverse, character traits that Kiryn HATES FOREVER AND EVER, and will have a difficult time forgiving a character for possessing said traits:
1. Complete Monsters: Now...there are very few characters that make this definition in my view. I mean, take Maleficent for example. She can genuinely be called a complete monster. But I love her forever and beyond. So, for me, there's a complete monster, and then there's a COMPLETE MONSTER. Really, truly only Umbridge and Hojo fall onto this list for me. But man, do I hate those guys. :/
2. Snakes in the grass: GODDAMN IT, BUT I HATE THESE CHARACTERS, THEY JUST MAKE ME SO ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED, ARGH. *headdesk* *headdesk* *headdesk* This category of hate only applies to villainous characters; I don't really mind it when the good guys do it, though it does make me anxious that they'll be found out, and I don't like that bit. But when there is some character that's BETRAYING the trust placed in them, but worse is when I KNOW IT, but the characters DON'T, and God but does that drive me right up the wall.
3. Condescension: I consider this as ranging from the obvious to things like God-complexes, but this is a character trait that I despise in my real life, and unfortunately have a lot of experience with, and I just can't stand seeing it translated over into fiction.
4. Utter Creepiness: When a character is just so OILY and SLIMY or just SO GODDAMNED FUCKING CREEPY, I really really really really just don't want anything to do with them. D: And I really mean 'creepy' as in my opinion of creepy. For instance, this is one reason why I hate The Nightmare Before Christmas so much. :/
{It'll be obvious, because there'll be blurbs after them, but my favorites will be at the top of the list, least favorites down at the bottom.}
F E M A L E C H A R A C T E R S
~ Maleficent (Disney's Sleeping Beauty) :
~ Rarity (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) : What I lovelovelovelove so much about this character is the empowering message she ends up embodying to her target audience, and one of the things that I believe gives this revitalization of My Little Pony more substance than any of its previous generations. Seriously, it's such a rad theme to introduce to young girls, that just because you may be physically weak and ladylike and the biggest girly girl to have ever been girly, it doesn't mean that there aren't other ways that you can take care of yourself. Rarity is, essentially, the damsel in distress that can save herself, and then already be waiting for you by the time you show up to 'rescue' her. I love this girl's wit, I love the way that the creator of this show simply had fashion be Rarity's form of artistic expression, I just...Rarity is what truly cemented my love for Friendship is Magic. I truly think she's the most complex of the characters, the one who totally takes your expectations and turns them on end.
~ Captain Holly Short (Artemis Fowl) :
~ Rapunzel (Tangled)
~ Namine (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Aerith Gainsborough (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Larxene (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)
~ Fran (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
~ Princess Luna (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic) : Because everything's better with princesses. ;) But really, this series needs more of this character in it. Luna makes it onto a list of characters that break my heart and that "I Just Want to be Happy, Damn It". And she also seems to be a character that I connect to because I know what it's like...to be on the edge of being consumed by bitterness and jealousy towards your sister, even though it's not either of your faults, but that just sort of makes it worse, and to basically be depressed, and socially awkward and to want to make friends and a good impression, but not knowing how....I seriously feel for her, and especially felt so sorry for her when I saw how hurt she was by her not-so-good reception. So, yeah, I love this gal, and I think she is by far one of the most interesting characters in the series, and I want to see more of her.
~ Aqua (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Princess Mithian (BBC's Merlin) : Because, minor as she is, I really, really genuinely liked her, and especially adored her when she actually gives Merlin the proper credit and respect he deserves, and how she respects how important he is to Arthur, and therefore asks him to give her a chance. And how she remained cool and awesome even when Arthur was practically at the highest level of awkwardness he's ever been. Despite the fact that I know Arthur marrying Gwen was a foregone conclusion, I was sad to see Mithian go. She's far beyond awesome, man.
~ Ellen Harvelle (Supernatural) : She just...I can't help but love this woman, because she reminds me so damn much of my mom. Seriously, if Hunters really existed, she's exactly what my mom would be like. Totally kick ass, scary and completely don't-fuck-with-me, warm and motherly, running a bar and holding her own in a male-dominated world, completely devoted to her daughter, whom she won't leave, no matter what, and who would stay behind as a suicide bomber to give others a chance to escape without showing a lick of fear...Lord, but she is so freaking fantastic.
~ Xion (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Mary Winchester (Supernatural) : I just can't help but love her. It seems to me that, in order to make up for the astronomical number of daddy issues in this universe, the Supernatural world makes up for it with its abundane of awesome mothers. But I love Mary because of how much she loves her kids and her family....and she's just such an incredibly human character. She really is a lot like Dean. Sure, sometimes she fucks up, and doesn't always make the best decisions, but above all else, she tries to do right by her family, and loves and protects them with all that she's got. And it really doesn't hurt that she's gloriously badass, especially in the male dominated world of Hunters (even if she wants out of that life). Not to mention the complete tragedy of her life, and just how much fun you can make her character in fanfiction. ^^
~ Jamie (Supernatural) : Oh God, but I just love Jamie so much. She is just....so incredibly sassy and fierce and full-stop awesome, and in the episode she appeared in, SHE'S THE ONE THAT ACTUALLY SAVED DEAN AND SAM AND SLAYED THE MONSTER. Seriously, the change up in the usual dynamics of the show is so incredibly refreshing, especially when it's a complete flip of the usual gender roles that unfortunately seems to happen. And maybe it's because at this point Dean is not so jaded, but she actually gets him to open up and talk a little bit, and is a sort of impetus for maintaining a more positive outlook on his life (or for a while anyway, more's the pity). Plus, it's nice that she finds out about his real job, and that while she doesn't run screaming out into the night, she still spots the utter suckage and unfairness of his life.
~ Ashelia 'Ashe' B'Nargin Dalmasca (Final Fantasy XII)
~ Morgause (BBC's Merlin) : This gal falls under the categories of KICK ASS WOMAN and Evil Fabulous, so. I love this version of Morgause infinitely better than the one found in The Once and Future King (but then again, I love everything about BBC's Merlin far more than TOaFK version, so there's that), because wonder of wonders, this one has a Morality Chain that she won't break. And she's not unbearably creepy and doesn't boil cats. And she's completely and utterly badass---she's such a good swordswoman that she even beat Arthur in a fair fight, something that absolutely no one else can claim throughout all 4 seasons. (So TAKE THAT, you sexist assholes.)
~ Penelo (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Gwen/Guinevere (BBC's Merlin) : Having now read The Once and Future King, and experienced different versions of this character, I really have to commend the writers of this show on having the best of all the interpretations. They've seriously done a much better job with her. In the beginning, she was all sweet and doofy, but then you really start to see her grow into her own, and she's a true beacon of strength, and her friendship with Merlin is truly touching and heartwarming. Together with Merlin, she provides the perfect balance to temper Arthur with and keep him in check. She's also incredibly compassionate, and is continuing to rack up her badassery points as the series goes on. Plus, as she puts it, she is the daughter of a blacksmith, and I just think it's awesome that she continues to put those skills to use, and that she has an interest and a talent for a trade/profession that is traditionally masculine.
~ Sam/Samantha Black Crow (American Gods) : Because she's completely kick ass, and has the best monologue about her beliefs in all the world. She's just so sassy, she isn't cowed by danger or threats, and she's an actual out-of-the-closet lesbian in canon...seriously, I think it's impossible to not like her.
~ Morgana Pendragon (BBC's Merlin) : Mostly in the first two seasons, because in season 3 she tested my love by becoming a GODDAMNED SNAKE IN GRASS, HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME, and then in season 4, she just makes me tired. But, I do feel incredibly sorry for her, and that I can completely understand the reasons behind her reactions makes her slide down the slippery slope that much sadder. And to me, it's depressing that she ultimately becomes what she hates most. As Queen Annis so rightly put it, Morgana is truly Uther's daughter. BUT, back in the beginning, she was awesome, the way she was the one who put Arthur in his place like no other, how devoted and loyal she used to be to her friends, her inner conflict about Uther in that one particular episode, and how she ultimately chose to save him.....man, I miss the old Morgana. :/
~ Regina George (Mean Girls) : For all that she's so diabolical and sociopathic, I just can't help but admire the ever-living fuck out of her. Like, not for any of the reasons that she is in the movie, but just because of the sheer amount of balls that this girl has. Take, for instance, the scene where Janis cuts holes in her tank top so that her bra shows---and Regina doesn't let that bother her in the slightest. She just keeps walking. She's just...very admirable, in a perverse sort of way.
~ Laura (American Gods) : This woman is dead, and is the most realistic representation of a zombie that I've ever seen. And despite being very dead and rotting, she is STILL completely set and determined to protect her husband, and do all the things for him that he can't do, including killing several people and being a total badass and impaling an enemy with a spear by sticking it through her own chest and then into him. She seriously earned my respect in the climax of the novel, even if I hadn't cared all that much about her before.
~ Buttercup (The Princess Bride) : I actually think she's a brilliant deconstruction of the Damsel Archetype. Admittedly, everything about this book is a parody, but especially in the beginning of the novel, Buttercup was nothing like how I expected her to be. She hated bathing and brushing her hair, she refused to follow social conventions at all, and was tenaciously herself. She just seems to be the most realistic and human character of them all, and I really can't help but like her. Plus, she handles her Damsel in Distress situation far better than most people would, I think.
~ The Evil Queen/Queen Grimhilde (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : For the most part, in the Disney movie, I really end up feeling mostly indifferent to her. But with the Woobie status that she gets in some of her backstories, I can't help but feeling really sorry for her. And as a bonus, it's transformed her from a flat to an actually interesting character. I mean, the whole bit about her father emotionally abusing her and him constantly ragging on her for not being beautiful enough, to his spirit being imprisoned in the Magic Mirror and continuing the abuse? Hell, who wouldn't go off the deep end? So, yeah, establishing this depth in her character goes a long way to redeeming her in my eyes. Plus, even in the original Disney movie, she doesn't completely frustrate me like Snow White does. :/
~ Snow White (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : As far as I know, she's my least favorite Disney Princess. I'm going to be rewatching all the Disney movies, so that may change, but so far, she's probably going to stay near the bottom of this list. But, I'm learning to not hate her like I once did. Mostly, I hated her because of the negative associations and memories that I've sort of attached to this movie, but as I've come to recognize my behavior...I kind of have to come to terms with the fact that it's not fair to judge her character with this huge bias in my mind, so I'm trying...to let go of that. Snow makes it hard, though....because she's so hopelessly naive, way beyond my willing suspension of disbelief, she's kind of useless in a crisis, her rather demeaning attitude towards the dwarves makes me want to smack her, she's the poster child for sexist, supremacist ideals, etc, etc. But...she's only 14 years old, so...there's room for improvement, I guess? Maybe? Being young isn't exactly an excuse for her actions, but it makes it a bit easier to sympathize with her, or feel sorry for her, at least. One day I may experiment with her character, who knows (oh....except that I'm already experimenting with her character a bit, aren't I? Good old Kingdom Hearts! XD). I think it'd be a fascinating exercise, really, to have her pure nature along with the general brattiness of her age group. :P Anyway, in conclusion, I still don't care for her, but...I don't think I hate her anymore.
~ Queen Morgause/The Queen of Air and Darkness (The Once and Future King) : This woman is just so damn.....unsettling. For fuck's sake, she tied up a poor cat and BOILED IT ALIVE, and then SUCKED ON ITS BONES. Because she was bored. SERIOUSLY!!!! Add on top of this how emotionally abusive she is to all five of her sons, and how socio/psychopathic she is....just, UGH. D:
~ Dolores Umbridge (Harry Potter) :
M A L E C H A R A C T E R S
~ Mat Cauthon (Wheel of Time) :
~ Sirius Black (Harry Potter) :
~ Dean Winchester (Supernatural) :
~ Prince Phillip (Disney's Sleeping Beauty) :
~ Balthier (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Death (Supernatural) :
~ Tseng (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Zexion (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Roxas (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Axel / Lea (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Genesis Rhapsodos (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Harry Potter (Harry Potter) :
~ Xigbar (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Gwaine (BBC's Merlin) : Because his hair's fabulous. Well, okay, that's not the only reason, but it's so true!!! It's so pretty, and it's just so delicious when he swishes it, and it's the most perfect hair that I've ever seen on a man. Ahem, anyway...so, Gwaine. He's just awesome----his roguish ways, how incredibly gooey and fluffy he is on the inside, how much of a sweetheart he is to Merlin, his moments of comic relief (seriously, that damn apple), how his badassery levels run rampant only in life-threatening/impossible situations. Really, Gwaine is just so damn lovable and glorious and HIS HAIR, and yes. ^^
~ Merlin (BBC's Merlin) : I think it's literally impossible to dislike this character. Seriously, he's just so sweet and adorkable, loving and cheery and just optimistic, even though he leads an incredibly shitty life. He ends up having to watch, like, 80% of his loved ones die horrific deaths, having to live under a regime that maniacally persecutes the one thing about him that makes him special, and has to frequently save the life of the person that essentially ruined his life, he has to continually lie to most of the people that are important to him about his magic, he's hounded every time he turns around by temptation and is basically branded a traitor by most of his kind---and all of this that he deals with, is only in the hope that things will be better in the future. Despite the sheer and utter tragedy in his life, Merlin is still tenaciously loyal to Arthur, still holds onto his faith and hope....and really, you can't help but admire and love him for it.
~ Dr. Cid (Final Fantasy XII) :
~ Kunsel (Final Fantasy VII) :
~ Lucifer/'Hallucifer' (Supernatural) : Because Lucifer himself is just Evil Fabulous, and because 'Hallucifer' cracks my shit up, he makes me laugh so hard. Which...yes, he's really horrible, but...goddamn. I can't hate him. I just can't. Damn it, but this show is so freaking dark by this point that we're down in the deepest depths of the ocean, and I need all of the humor that I can get. I just love the way the actor portrays this character...his mannerisms, the way he talks, everything. So...there that is.
~ Gabranth (Final Fantasy XII)
~ Luxord (Kingdom Hearts)
~ Uther Pendragon (BBC's Merlin) : I just really, really can't help but love this guy to death, and it especially saddens me that I've seen so many stories in the fandom already that are completely incapable of capturing the subtlety of his character. I love Uther's absolute love for his children (even if this love of Morgana makes me fidget throughout season 3 when he's oblivious to her Evil McEvilPants-ness), and he subsequently breaks my heart during such scenes of said emotional-ness. I feel so terribly sorry for the fact that he inevitably ends up being something of a butt monkey, due to his status as Part Time Villain. I also have great respect for his actor, Anthony Head, because Uther's character varies from being shrewd to a dunderhead, depending on what the script and the plot requires, but the actor is able to find a balance, and to make these shifts and transitions to feel as natural as possible. And while I certainly don't condone his manic persecution of magic, and also don't blame other people for hating him, I just can't find it in my heart to do the same, as I just feel incredibly sad for him, because his hatred of magic was caused by the death of his wife.
~ Bobby Singer (Supernatural) :
~ Lancelot (BBC's Merlin) : He seriously does not deserve the amount of hatred that he seems to get from the fandom. Personally, I didn't realize how much I'd missed him until he was back (he was previously only in two episodes, and then he was really only back for 4 more :/). And having someone there (apart from Gaius) who knows about Merlin, and who could help cover Merlin's back right in the thick of all the adventures and such is just so fucking wonderful and it is really for that reason that I love Lancelot. Merlin desperately needs more people to confide in and to appreciate all that he's done for Arthur, and Lancelot gives that to him, and so I love their friendship. Plus, like I somewhat mentioned before, he tends to garner what I think is an unreasonable amount of hate, and so I love him for sort of being an underdog in the fandom. But seriously, Lancelot is just a sweetheart, and I'm sad that we're never allowed to spend that much time with him. :(
~ Jesse Turner (Supernatural) :
~ Arthur Pendragon (BBC's Merlin) : Oh, this dude. How I love him, even as I want to smack him a lot of the time. The thing that I think this show does really well with Arthur's character is how well-rounded they've made him. It's so easy to make King Arthur into a saint-like figure; I've seen it done many times before. But this Arthur is most decidedly not a saintly person at all. He's a prat, a grouch in the mornings, he loses his temper, fucks up and makes stupid decisions and does the wrong thing at times. Sometimes he puts his trust in the wrong people, sometimes he doesn't have enough faith in the right people. He struggles and is riddled and plagued with doubts a lot of the time about following his father's orders, about his own self-worth as a son to Uther and as a prince/ruler to Camelot, about whether or not he's actually doing what's right to the best of his ability. Simply put, in this show, they've made Arthur into a human character, one with real flaws and faults, who doesn't always get things right, but who tries his best anyway, and who struggles between being true to himself and being what Camelot needs him to be; he's somebody that we can all relate to. I would argue that he's really the second most human character on the show, and I truly love him for that.
~ Sam Winchester (Supernatural) : Oh, Sam. Sam, Sam, Sam. A lot of my feelings for him are similar to the ones that I have for Arthur above---I really do love him, but sometimes, I really feel the urge to smack him a good one. He's lower than Arthur on this list though because Sam's moments of utter doucheness make me angrier than anything Arthur's ever done. Because GOD DAMN IT, SAM, but PRIDE?? It comeths before the fall, you dumbshit! I HATE HATE HATE arrogance, and that's one thing that season 4!Sam especially had in spades, but its undercurrent is always present, and what I feel is Sam's biggest flaw (which is more than justified, I think). Sorry, but any chance of me being a Samgirl was ruined, because I SERIOUSLY CAN'T STAND ARROGANCE and CONDESCENSION, not to mention the fact that Sam DEEPLY HURT MY DEAN, AND YOU DO NOT HURT MY DEAN WITHOUT SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES, BROTHER OR NOT. Ahem. While I have trouble forgiving those two things about Sam, this isn't to say that I dislike his character! I think part of the reason that this makes me so angry is because I genuinely love him. When he's not being an uber ass (or soulless, but eh), I think he's incredibly lovable. And way to take one for the geeks, Sam! He always has good intentions, but I love that especially after his major fuck up at the end of season 4, he strives to make up for it, to be better, despite having most people tell him that he's destined to be the next Lucifer. Perhaps sometimes he's too tenacious, but it's just part of his charm, I think, and of course I ultimately forgive him. You just made it a bit hard to do so in season 4, dear, that's all.
~ Castiel (Supernatural) : PRIDE, CAS. HAVE NONE OF YOU EVER OF HEARD OF IT? IT'S THIS THING THAT GOES BEFORE A FALL. Cas, honey, I thought you were supposed to be up to date on this kind of thing, being an angel of the Lord and all that. Anyway. Same deal as with Sam here. I love him, but....goddamn season 6. *goes into a corner to cry* AND WHY DO YOU ALL HAVE TO KEEP HURTING MY DEAN??!! *headdesk* Anyway, Cas was much better before he took a running leap off into the deep end. BAMF!Cas fills me with joy like no other, because you do not piss off the nerd angel. But also...well, really his entire character arc fills me with deep sadness. He's this alien creature, thrown into this world and culture that's almost completely alien to him, and he has this job to accomplish, but the ones he's supposed to be guiding into helping him just cannot get with the fucking picture, and...poor Cas is completely adrift, in a lot of ways. He comes to the horrible realization that Heaven is corrupt, which...he's an angel. Having to deal with that kind of thing sort of devastates everything that you are. So he sticks with humanity, messy flaws and all, struggles to keep his faith, loses it...he gives up everything he's ever known for MILLENIA for Dean, and you really have to admire the guy for that. Plus, Cas is just weirdly adorkable. Anyway, and then when he slides off the slippery slope...well, it makes a horrible amount of sense. That's the Winchester way, after all, and that Cas is following...the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. But despite some...difficulties, he's still innately Cas, and while he may have fucked up his Free Will, he's still trying to atone for that, trying to fix his mistakes. And really, you can't ask more of a person than that.
~ Fezzik (The Princess Bride) :
~ Crowley (Good Omens) :
~ Bilbo Baggins (The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings) : I was surprised by how much I grew to like him. It was a treat, watching him evolve throughout the story into quite the badass and become a "thief" in truth. He's the one with the most amount of common sense, and gets the Dwarves out of most of their troubles and such. And yet, there's this innate goodness about Bilbo: when he frees the Dwarves from Mirkwood, he steals a guard's keys, but is thoughtful enough to give them back so that the guard didn't get in as much trouble; he betrays the Dwarves, but does not abandon them; and, of course, he spares Gollum's life. It's just ADORABLE, and thoroughly AWESOME. And I love how at the end he becomes the exact opposite of the hobbit he started out as in the beginning. And of course, now I notice his awesomeness in LOTR proper, like when he immediately stands up and speaks in defense of Aragorn at the Council of Elrond. I LOVE YOU BILBO, THANKS FOR SUPPORTING MY FAVORITE LOTR CHARACTER!! Also, when he trolls Lobelia by leaving her the silver spoons in his will that she'd tried to steal from him in The Hobbit. XD Bilbo, that made you one of my favorite fictional trolls, for the record.
~ Aziraphale (Good Omens) :
~ King Arthur (The Once and Future King) : Whereas the BBC show made the character of Arthur human, as opposed to saintlike, this book made him simple instead. And I totally don't mean that as an insult at all! And I don't mean that he's stupid. He's just...uncomplicated. He's your average, everyday sort of guy, who has all this shit thrust upon him, and he just tries to think and do his best and to believe in the good of people. He never asked to be King, but loves his people anyway, and tries to good and right by all of them. And it's just....nice. This King Arthur is just such a nice character, and I couldn't help but love him for it.
~ Grumpy (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : He's probably my favorite character of the entire movie, because he's practically the only one who shows any common sense at all. Grumpy's the character that felt the most real to me. He's the only one who really took umbrage to the fact that oh hey, this girl just broke into our house and is ordering us around and treating us like children, all the while she's endangering us with her very presence, like honestly any normal person damn well should. He's also the only one that tries to give her any real advice on how to keep safe, and he's the only one who actually seems to have a character arc and development, and is who I feel comes to care the most about Snow White, and his genuine grief over her apparent death really quite touched me, even though I rather hate this movie on the whole.
~ The Prince/Prince Ferdinand (Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) : God, but I've come to hate this dude so much. I just---he's just so downright CREEPY. I mean, I've heard criticism about how it was creepy for Prince Phillip to come up behind Aurora and start dancing with her in Sleeping Beauty; and that's true, but at least they're in what could be defined as the public space, you know? It's a freaking forest. Phillip has just as much right to be there as Aurora. This Prince, on the other hand, when HE sneaks up on Snow White? Oh no, this dude CLIMBS OVER A GODDAMNED WALL, into her courtyard, and is basically BREAKING INTO HER PROPERTY, and then creeps on her. I mean, what the ever-living fuck?! I DON'T CARE HOW INTERESTING SOMEONE'S SINGING IS, YOU JUST DON'T DO THAT TO PEOPLE. And he only even sees her the grand total of ONCE, and NEVER ACTUALLY SPEAKS TO HER, because Snow White was, wonder of wonders, actually intelligent, and ran inside and slammed the door in his face. But even so, he basically had to have STALKED THE SHIT OUT OF HER to find out what happened and for him to have found her with the dwarfs in her glass coffin....and upon findng her, he just strolls on up and KISSES what he thinks is a corpse? WHO ARE YOU, AND WHY DO YOU DO THESE THINGS??!! In short, he is an incredibly creepy plot device with the personality of a brick, and I do not like him at all. :(
~ Ansem the Wise/DiZ (Kingdom Hearts) :
~ Agravaine (BBC's Merlin) : DIE SNAKE IN THE GRASS, DIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE. UGH. From the very first second this dude turned up, I knew that he was going to be a slimeball. And by God, was I right. Remember how I said that I hate snakes in the grass? When it's SO FREAKING OBVIOUS THAT THEY'RE THE TRAITOR, HOW CAN YOU ALL NOT SEE THE SLIME DRIPPING OFF OF HIM? Yeah, that's Agravaine for you. SLIME SLIME SLIME, and then every time he speaks and tries to steer Arthur in the wrong direction, and then I just want to fucking PUNCH HIM IN THE FACE and smash him like the cockroach that he is, and then I would have to bemoan the fact that another episode had gone by without someone doing the world a favor and just kill the slimebucket. And of course he sticks around to the end, WHHHHHHHHY DO YOU EXIST. Normally, I'm of the opinion that this show improved the characters from their previous incarnations in The Once and Future King, but in this case, they SOMEHOW MANAGED TO MAKE HIM WORSE. Which is truly a feat, folks.
~ Professor Hojo (Final Fantasy VII) :
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Highlights of Your Hated/Loved Characters
Date: 2012-07-21 02:17 am (UTC)I don't know where you found the backstory to the evil queen, but it's compelling. It makes you understand her why she turned evil if her dad was treating her like that, yikes! And then you said how much the prince was freaky, and I found myself nodding my head with every word you said. He is such a creeper once you think about it. If a guy like that was in real life in this day and age, I wouldn't swoon. I'd call the freaking cops.
Also agree with you on Regina George. Despite the sociopathic tendencies, she's sort of likeable for some reason. Then again, Rachel McAdams is one of my favorite actresses, and I never liked Lindsay Lohan all that much anyway. But, Rachel McAdams is straight-up good, even though she was in "The Vow." In fact, I saw this movie called "Red Eye", and she played off Cillian Murphy (aka one of my recent favorite actors, probably ever) really well. I love watching good actors at work in films!
That's all I have to say.
Re: Highlights of Your Hated/Loved Characters
Date: 2012-07-22 08:17 pm (UTC)Hahaha, I found out about the Evil Queen's backstory on TV tropes. And yes yes yes. She is sad, and he is creepy.
Mean Girls is one of the only movies I've liked Lohan in, the others being Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap. But yes, Rachel McAdamns is awesome. ^^
Well, I hope to hear from you again soon, especially once I start adding on HP characters and such onto this list. :)