A Character after your own Heart

[Akito]

Have you ever read/seen/heard/whatever in fiction of a character that you really liked? You don't necessarily have to empathize with them, but they simply really appeal to you.

For me, among the top would have to be Saber (Fate/Stay Night), her whole 'tragic King' thing is my kind of deal. Another likable character is Horo (Spice and Wolf), her 'superior but not obnoxious', 'wise by not above immaturity' personality is rather deep.

[Rocket!]

Bartimaeus, of the trilogy named for him.

A demon djinn with a droll sense of humor, he takes no preference or sides in anything, virtually. His line of thought is haphazard and a little overwhelming, but makes perfect sense in retrospect. He's been known to pull Jack Sparrow-esque feats.

He's not cool, not awesome, not a freak of nature and yet still awesome. He's very much normal, save for what he thinks is a good sense of humor amd his habit of getting out of tight spots... except for a the fact he's, but only at the end of the day, a good character. And even then, it's only out of respect that he would do such things.

And given humans have been enslaving his kind for eons, it's no surprise there's a measly one or two people he respects. The main character never gets that respect. xD

A remarkable character, hard to portray.

And he's funny. ;D

[Beaver Dude]

When I was quite a bit younger, it was Raistlin Majere – not the one portrayed as the god-killing mage, but rather the Soulforge one, who was acerbic, bitter and weak as a plum tree in the middle of a typhoon. I have a soft spot for underdogs, no matter how big a bastard they turn out to be in the end.

Still, that was eight or so years ago and time does move forward, bit by bit so it’s no longer him anymore though the soft spot remains.

Edward Elric from FMA has a vote, as does Brenne from a Song of Ice and Fire by GRR Martin. Edward’s angst is amusing as is his personality in general – capable of being shallow, deep and everything in between. It’s not the concept of him that grew on me, but rather his development which (like his height) was over a long period of time and remains consistent. Brenne, I think, is simply one of the best portrayed female knights in fantasy lit – she’s not super-determined, super-powerful, super-trained or super anything really – she has her faults, has her merits and is human and is easy to relate to. That’s not easy to do with all the literary baggage female knights are usually forced to endure.

And er, yeah. Those are my current picks though if I could pick the Strawhat Crew from One Piece as a whole and not as separate little souls, I’d do so in a heartbeat. It’s a stupid, stupid, stupid story but I love it anyways. Their interaction is simply glorious. XD

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker. That random person in the theater who was laughing like mad and clapping as if his hands would fall off when the Joker escaped from prison? That was me.

[Heroic Bilby]

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones III.

He is my eternal role-model. His unyielding loyalty to his friends, quick wit, amazing blend of street-savvy cunning with traditional intelligence, ability to travel through time-space itself and police criminals as a time cop while hooking up with a distant descendant of his best friend, power to transform into an always-has-the-right-tool-for-the-job superhero, and his peace with himself and his lifestyle while still retaining the willingness to do the right thing even when it goes against that are all things that have helped inspire me to become the heroic person that I am today.

Also, I wish I had his hat.

PS: No, I'm not kidding.

[LEO LION]

Taiga Aisaka from Tora Dora, she's super hot headed and gets very angry when upset, and is perceived to be a bitch, but really she's a very caring person who (once gotten to know) is an endearing young woman and very kind. She will protect her friends with everything she has.

Aoyagi Ritsuka from Loveless. So very depressive at first, but slowly through the anime/manga he grows into his own. He doesn't like people very much, but he makes friends easily because he has a certain charisma about him.

[donald2]

Though I know there are better characters out there to which I have liked more, I have to say Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games really did keep me interested in the book. He was a shy, rather meager boy who was a mere Baker's son. He had a crush on the main character, Katniss, since a young age.

Him and Katniss, along with 22 other contestants, are thrown into a Battle-Royale-Like Scenario. Peeta essentially tries to kill himself so Katniss will stay alive, though it's rather obvious she doesn't return his feelings, but he does it anyways.

[ophelia]

Two words. Rovar Pfliegman.

What is there not to love? What more in life can one hope for? He is a hilariously ugly, tragic little pustule with a beetle and bus. He is his own historian. He draws badly and steals. There is no core "angst" in his dwarf pride.

Then following Rovar as a close second: The Lovely Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With the Wind. She has a closet full of Beyonce worthy "Freakum Dresses" (my favorite: the apple silk calling gown with matching Peacock bonnet, gifted by R.Butler) which she straps on her size sixteen waist, kicking behind and taking names. Putting up with that insufferable goody-goody Melanie and her nefarious selflessness.

[angelous]

Kazuki Muto from Buso Renkin. His weapon, powers and the like appealed to me right away, as did his personality. He was stubborn, and heroic. He was kind of a cliche hero, but at the same time, it was a good thing. The fact that he got Tokiko to "fall in love" with him was a plus as well. I never thought she'd be that kind of person.

[servant]

Otani Atsushi if we go the manga/anime way. Funny chap, reminds me of someone.

As far as books go, I'm really fond of Remi from Sans Famille. Lonely kid, his mental fortitude was mindblowing at age eight.

Games, it's definitely Raquel Applegate. I'm a sucker for tragic.