Five Fictional Characters Meme...
Apr. 6th, 2012 07:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatFrom ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
beer_good_foamy
1. Leave a comment to this post - specifically saying that you would like a letter.
2. I will give you a letter. (If you don't want a letter but feel like commenting anyway, feel free.)
3. Post the names of five fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and your thoughts on each. The characters can be from books, movies, or TV shows.
[You don't have to play the game...and can just comment anyway. Also since I'm not a fan of following rules of memes...I'm adding one category.]
4. Name two favorite musicians whose names begin or end with the letter.
My letter was "L" which is not as easy as it looks. (I just realized they have to begin with the letter not end with it. Damn it. I can't use the Lannister's from Game of Thrones. Oh well, probably of the good.)
1. Lyra Silvertongue aka Belacqua from His Dark Materials by Philip K. Pullman. Lyra is the snarky, tough, fourteen year old heroine of Pullman's classic work of young adult fiction entitled His Dark Materials. She can give both Katniss Everdeen and Hermonine Granger a run for their money. Brains and resourcefulness combined. In the first novel of His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass, she embarks on a quest to save her best friend from the agents of the Authority, who have taken him for a horrific experiment. Only to find her parents are behind the experiments. Lyra separates from her parents, and embarks on a fight against an otherworldly power that is controlling her world, the Authority. It's been a while since I've read the novels, so my memory is understandably foggy on them. Lyra had this wonderful daemon who usually is a snow-white ermine but can change forms...Daemon's are the person's soul except you can see them and they are in animal form and can wander about and help the person.
2. Leopold Bloom from James Joyce's Ulysess - a quintessential everyman. Ulysess is basically just one day in the life of Leopold Bloom. He's the guy on the street. No great hero. No Ulysses. Just an average bloke who has the clap. At least I think he had the clap.
His wife's having an affair - hence the reason he has the clap. And he feels inadequate in oh so many ways, yet he lives his life the best way that he can. And in that respect at least he does feel rather heroic.
3. Lester Freeman - the Wire - another everyman. Lester is the wise old toy maker. Who no one pays much attention to. They pulled him from the pawn shop, where he'd been sent ages ago for bulking authority. He works the Wire, plays with it, manipulates it, and brings down an organization. He also in a tour de force in the final season aids and abets McNulty in creating a fictional serial killer to trick the press into pressuring the politicians to provide them with enough support to take down another, far worse drug lord.
If Bubbles is the heart of the Wire, Lester is the cynical edge...the ruthlessness, the Machiavellian Cop with the heart of Gold.
4. President Laura Rosyln - BattleStar Galatica
Laura was the school-teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer when her world was blown apart. The sole remaining member of her planet's government, Laura must become the leader of the human race. She must lead them to a new world. While Admiral Adama is clearly the leader of the military force, Laura holds the reigns. She keeps the government together.
And as the leader of her government is often faced with difficult and not always clear cut choices. Over the course of the four seasons, Laura becomes increasingly ruthless and Machiavellian in her struggle to lead humanity to a new home, a home that she may never live to see. Her story is both tragic and heroic and in my mind at least is the core or heart of the tale. My icon depicts Laura.
5. Lestate. The original Spike. Playboy extraordinaire. Anne Rice changed the
genre with his introduction into it. Prior to Lestate, vampires tended to be somewhat broody and lurking. Lestate didn't lurk, he danced and sang and made a ruckus.
Blond. Blue-eyed. A French Devil. And bi-sexual. Lestate loved the guys and the gals.
He was equal opportunity. His worst sin may have been creating a child vampire - one for which he pays dearly. Think Spike, but with less morals, and edgier. Also a tad bit older.
The original bad boy. Who sang to wake the dead. In this case, a centuries old Egyptian Queen who was literally the original vampire.
[I would have used Lymond, but that's his last name not his first, so I couldn't use him any more than I could the Lannisters.]
Two musicians:
* Lobi Traore
* Lenny Kravitiz
beer_good_foamy1. Leave a comment to this post - specifically saying that you would like a letter.
2. I will give you a letter. (If you don't want a letter but feel like commenting anyway, feel free.)
3. Post the names of five fictional characters whose names begin with that letter, and your thoughts on each. The characters can be from books, movies, or TV shows.
[You don't have to play the game...and can just comment anyway. Also since I'm not a fan of following rules of memes...I'm adding one category.]
4. Name two favorite musicians whose names begin or end with the letter.
My letter was "L" which is not as easy as it looks. (I just realized they have to begin with the letter not end with it. Damn it. I can't use the Lannister's from Game of Thrones. Oh well, probably of the good.)
1. Lyra Silvertongue aka Belacqua from His Dark Materials by Philip K. Pullman. Lyra is the snarky, tough, fourteen year old heroine of Pullman's classic work of young adult fiction entitled His Dark Materials. She can give both Katniss Everdeen and Hermonine Granger a run for their money. Brains and resourcefulness combined. In the first novel of His Dark Materials, The Golden Compass, she embarks on a quest to save her best friend from the agents of the Authority, who have taken him for a horrific experiment. Only to find her parents are behind the experiments. Lyra separates from her parents, and embarks on a fight against an otherworldly power that is controlling her world, the Authority. It's been a while since I've read the novels, so my memory is understandably foggy on them. Lyra had this wonderful daemon who usually is a snow-white ermine but can change forms...Daemon's are the person's soul except you can see them and they are in animal form and can wander about and help the person.
2. Leopold Bloom from James Joyce's Ulysess - a quintessential everyman. Ulysess is basically just one day in the life of Leopold Bloom. He's the guy on the street. No great hero. No Ulysses. Just an average bloke who has the clap. At least I think he had the clap.
His wife's having an affair - hence the reason he has the clap. And he feels inadequate in oh so many ways, yet he lives his life the best way that he can. And in that respect at least he does feel rather heroic.
3. Lester Freeman - the Wire - another everyman. Lester is the wise old toy maker. Who no one pays much attention to. They pulled him from the pawn shop, where he'd been sent ages ago for bulking authority. He works the Wire, plays with it, manipulates it, and brings down an organization. He also in a tour de force in the final season aids and abets McNulty in creating a fictional serial killer to trick the press into pressuring the politicians to provide them with enough support to take down another, far worse drug lord.
If Bubbles is the heart of the Wire, Lester is the cynical edge...the ruthlessness, the Machiavellian Cop with the heart of Gold.
4. President Laura Rosyln - BattleStar Galatica
Laura was the school-teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer when her world was blown apart. The sole remaining member of her planet's government, Laura must become the leader of the human race. She must lead them to a new world. While Admiral Adama is clearly the leader of the military force, Laura holds the reigns. She keeps the government together.
And as the leader of her government is often faced with difficult and not always clear cut choices. Over the course of the four seasons, Laura becomes increasingly ruthless and Machiavellian in her struggle to lead humanity to a new home, a home that she may never live to see. Her story is both tragic and heroic and in my mind at least is the core or heart of the tale. My icon depicts Laura.
5. Lestate. The original Spike. Playboy extraordinaire. Anne Rice changed the
genre with his introduction into it. Prior to Lestate, vampires tended to be somewhat broody and lurking. Lestate didn't lurk, he danced and sang and made a ruckus.
Blond. Blue-eyed. A French Devil. And bi-sexual. Lestate loved the guys and the gals.
He was equal opportunity. His worst sin may have been creating a child vampire - one for which he pays dearly. Think Spike, but with less morals, and edgier. Also a tad bit older.
The original bad boy. Who sang to wake the dead. In this case, a centuries old Egyptian Queen who was literally the original vampire.
[I would have used Lymond, but that's his last name not his first, so I couldn't use him any more than I could the Lannisters.]
Two musicians:
* Lobi Traore
* Lenny Kravitiz
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no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 02:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 03:17 am (UTC)And it took me a while. Write-up could be better though. Considered Luke and Leia Skywalker, Lois Lane, Lex Luther, Lee Adama, Lancelot, Leoben, and Lymond...but decided to go with the one's I liked the most. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 03:49 am (UTC)1. Éowyn from Lord of the Rings (she was the shield-maiden of Rowan who kills the Witch-King of Angmar w/help from Meriadoc Brandybuck.
2. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice, who is snarky and fun (my favorite Austen character).
3. Esme Weatherwax who is the Crone/Elder witch of the Discworld, no one can get the best of her, she is awesome
4. Early, the bounty hunter from Objects in Space 'Firefly'
5. Eeyore, the donkey from Winnie the Pooh: a total sad sack (I always loved him the most off all the Pooh characters)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 03:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 10:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 01:00 pm (UTC)If you re-read Ulysses, pick the 1980s translation/edited version.
It's the most comprehensive. I sort of have most of it memorized because I did my undergrad thesis on it, and took not one but two courses on Joyce, with the Senior Seminar on Ulysses. I'll never forget the Seminar prof drawing a chart on the blackboard explaining the pissing contest between Stephen Daedulus and Leopold Bloom and the metaphorical significance of it. It was hilarious.
Laura Roslin is my favorite character in BSG. She has the best structured arc and Mary McDonnel plays her with perfection. (I also love Kara Thrace, but felt they hurt her arc in the last season by going the religious messenger route - although it does to a degree follow the original version of BSG, which sort of did the same thing with the character in a different way.)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 03:21 pm (UTC)I will take a letter. :)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 05:58 pm (UTC)And I probably should find a pattern for this or I'll forget who I gave what too. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 06:37 pm (UTC)Still. It could have been worse-- it could have been like the movie adaptation of The Dark is Rising. I didn't even see it, but as I heard they changed the character, setting, and a good chunk of the plot. Why even call it the same name?
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 07:03 pm (UTC)1) Ran Fan, of Fullmetal Alchemist (manga). Pictured in my icon. She's a bodyguard to a prince, and incredibly, fiercely loyal. She earned my eternal respect when, after being injured she cut off her own arm and tied it to a dog to mislead the supernatural creature that was hunting her. Then she walked through a sewer to get away. Later she replaces the arm with a mechanical one and jumps right back into the fight. She's quiet, but endlessly determined and I definitely admire her, even if she's a relatively minor character. Another contender for this spot is Riza Hawkeye from the same series, excellent sharpshooter, top-notch manager, and sharing many of the same qualities of determination and loyalty.
2) Raoden from Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. I read this book a few weeks ago, and I find it still frequently occupies my thoughts. Raoden is the sort of innately good character who might seem a bit unbelievable in other stories, but somehow I end up impressed by him instead. He's a great leader, excellent at turning terrible situations to his advantage, and very inspiring to those around him. Also, he and his wife Sarene are one of the few couples I've really rooted for in recent memory.
3) Rogue from the X-Men. Rogue has never really been my favorite character in these stories, but she certainly has my sympathies. I always thought her treatment in the movies was a bit odd, especially the third one with the "mutant cure" subplot. Honestly, if my superpower meant I couldn't touch anyone, ever, or they would probably die... I'd probably go for a cure, too. I'm not sure why all the other characters were so surprised at her choice. And considering that a lot of her storylines feature her going crazy from absorbing too many people/memories or just being stuck with really confusing and complicated family/friend relationships, I'm not sure why they don't do a "cure" storyline more often. She deserves a break from all that misery.
4) Dr. River Song. She's awesome. I wish more female heroes were presented this way-- strong, witty, intelligent, and supremely confident in her own abilities, but not afraid to be feminine, either. I loved her when she was introduced and the backstory she's gotten in recent seasons has only made her more interesting, even if the timeline of her life is so convoluted it gives me a headache thinking about it. She presents a good foil for the Doctor and I hope we get at least a few episodes with her as the official companion in the future.
5) Rory Williams - I wasn't going to put two from the same series on here but Rory is awesome enough I think he deserves it. It's just so, so nice to see a happy, working relationship on TV. Rory is softspoken and quiet but he's not a wimp and he's not wishy-washy. He's sweet and nurturing when he needs to be and badass when the situation turns dangerous. He's okay with calling the Doctor out when necessary and he never, ever gives up if Amy's in trouble. Like River, I would like to see more male characters presented this way-- not an exaggerated compilation of male stereotypes but just an average guy who is awesome despite being "average."
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 08:35 pm (UTC)Is Full Metal Alchemist an anime yet?
Agree on the last three. Although I admittedly preferred Rogue in the X-men comic books than in the movies. She's more interesting and a little older. (Mid-20s). She starts out as a villain and gets redeemed.
Rory and Dr. River Song are my two favorite characters in Doctor Who.
I love them both. For the reasons you state.
I'm a bit worried we won't see much of River in S7. OR Rory, with the introduction of the new companion. Doctor Song is so awesome, and possibly the closest we'll ever get to a female Doctor Who.
no subject
Date: 2012-04-07 09:25 pm (UTC)Definitely check out Elantris. I've been very impressed with Brandon Sanderson so far; Elantris and his Mistborn trilogy were both very good. I'm taking a break to read shorter books and then I'm planning on tackling Way of Kings next.
As for Doctor Who, you're probably right that we won't see much of Amy, Rory, and River in S7, but I can hope! I know Amy and Rory will have a few episodes and then their final send-off from the show, but I haven't heard anything about River. I do agree she's very much like a female Doctor. Shame the whole Time War is sealed off from the rest of the universe or whatever the explanation is, or they could do some stories set during that. I'd be interested in seeing some Time Ladies during that crisis. On the other hand, a lot of what I've heard about Gallifrey and the Time Lords in the old series was not all that interesting, so maybe it's best they skip over that.