15 Favorite Characters Meme.
So Facebook has a 15 Favorite Characters Meme. I thought it might be more interesting in Livejournal. Note that these characters are from my childhood. I would have a totally different list now. I am trying to keep myself back to pre-high school stuff.
1 - Bink (A Spell for Chamelion Piers Anthony) The first handfull of the Xanth books were actually very good. The reason this one hits me so well is it is one of the first few books my dad encoruaged me to read that I actually really enjoyed on my own. He misjudged my ability to understand what I was reading and thought that Lord of the Rings and Ringworld were appropriate for a 2nd grader. Maybe he just liked Rings. But regardless, he managed to instill a love of fantasy and science fiction that lasts to this day.
2- Garion (Pawn of Prophesy David Eddings). Another simple Fantasy book from my childhood. Sure it was all about the tropes and nothing but the tropes but the characters were witty and well written.
3- Batman (Brave and the Bold). My dad really loved batman. He collected every title with him in the 70s and 80s. The cool bit was that unlike Superman he was just a mortal. Dad never really liked superman saying "He's to hard to write well for. He's too powerful so most stories have to come up with really contrived ways to keep him from solving the problem, or make him an idiot)
4-Spock (Star Trek Gene Rodenberry) I think it says a lot about you when you say your favorite star trek character is Kirk, McCoy or Spock. Naturally I pick the power gamer who gets new super powers whenever plot needs them. But he's also a guy who is very logical and hard on the outside but tender on the inside. The few scenes of him with Nurse Chapel (and some early scenes with Urhura, no Really!) were touching.
5-Benson (Soap and later Benson Susan Harris). I really liked the wise-cracking court jester character. And he knew everything going on in the Tate house and later the Governor's mansion! I seem to have a feeling for Underdogs
6-Dr. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (M*A*S*H Lary Gelbart) While I never consdiered becoming a doctor, I always admired Dr. Pierce. Towards the end of the show Alan Alda got a little preachy, but he remained the sane guy who told it like its is.
7-Benjamin (Animal Farm George Orwell) The poor old donkey is a cautionary tale for me. He knew what the pigs were up to and just kept his head down. He only ever once tried to fix things, and that was to save Boxer. But it was too late.
8-Raistlin Majere (Dragons of Autumn Twilight Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman) Really only 2 characters had MUCH personality in the Dragonlance books. Tasslehoff and Raistlin. Again as an angstful pre-teen I felt sympathy for the guy everyone hated but was so much smarter than them.
9-Prof. Charles Kingsfield (The Paper Chase John Jay Osborn Jr.) If ever you wonder why I became a lawyer. It wasn't LA Law (also popular at the time I was young). It was The Paper Chase. I really started watching it during the Second Year where the series really came into its own. I had so much respect and love for the character of Kingsfield. If ever I became a teacher or professor I would hope it would be like him.
10-Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins P.L. Travers) The Practically Perfect Nanny actually appears in about 5 different novels. I was okay on the Movie but the books were what actually sold me on the character. There's magic and love and kids and family. All great stuff.
11-Andrew Forbes (The Tomorrow People Roger Price) The kid's version of Dr. Who. A bunch of psychic kids. Andrew wasn't actually in most of the episodes but he could make illusions as his special talent and that was more than a little cool.
12-The Doctor (Doctor Who John Nathan-Turner) The Doctor himself. But I liked him before he was cool. John Pertwee was actually my first Doctor.
13- Ender Wiggin (Ender's Game Orson Scott Card) The badass little kid who fights not just to win but to destroy his enemy. I've never been that tough. I can't hit someone when they are down.
14-Dickory Dock (The Case of the Tattooed Potato and other Clues Ellen Raskin) I couldn't get Sherlock Holmes (though I tried) when I was young. But Ellen Raskin writes great mystery novels for kids. Dickory was the protaganist so I give her top billing. I probably liked Garson better as the more Holmes type, but its a close call.
15-Luke Skywalker (Star Wars IV: A New Hope George Lucas) No child born in the 70s should exlude Luke from the list. I mean really!
1 - Bink (A Spell for Chamelion Piers Anthony) The first handfull of the Xanth books were actually very good. The reason this one hits me so well is it is one of the first few books my dad encoruaged me to read that I actually really enjoyed on my own. He misjudged my ability to understand what I was reading and thought that Lord of the Rings and Ringworld were appropriate for a 2nd grader. Maybe he just liked Rings. But regardless, he managed to instill a love of fantasy and science fiction that lasts to this day.
2- Garion (Pawn of Prophesy David Eddings). Another simple Fantasy book from my childhood. Sure it was all about the tropes and nothing but the tropes but the characters were witty and well written.
3- Batman (Brave and the Bold). My dad really loved batman. He collected every title with him in the 70s and 80s. The cool bit was that unlike Superman he was just a mortal. Dad never really liked superman saying "He's to hard to write well for. He's too powerful so most stories have to come up with really contrived ways to keep him from solving the problem, or make him an idiot)
4-Spock (Star Trek Gene Rodenberry) I think it says a lot about you when you say your favorite star trek character is Kirk, McCoy or Spock. Naturally I pick the power gamer who gets new super powers whenever plot needs them. But he's also a guy who is very logical and hard on the outside but tender on the inside. The few scenes of him with Nurse Chapel (and some early scenes with Urhura, no Really!) were touching.
5-Benson (Soap and later Benson Susan Harris). I really liked the wise-cracking court jester character. And he knew everything going on in the Tate house and later the Governor's mansion! I seem to have a feeling for Underdogs
6-Dr. Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce (M*A*S*H Lary Gelbart) While I never consdiered becoming a doctor, I always admired Dr. Pierce. Towards the end of the show Alan Alda got a little preachy, but he remained the sane guy who told it like its is.
7-Benjamin (Animal Farm George Orwell) The poor old donkey is a cautionary tale for me. He knew what the pigs were up to and just kept his head down. He only ever once tried to fix things, and that was to save Boxer. But it was too late.
8-Raistlin Majere (Dragons of Autumn Twilight Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman) Really only 2 characters had MUCH personality in the Dragonlance books. Tasslehoff and Raistlin. Again as an angstful pre-teen I felt sympathy for the guy everyone hated but was so much smarter than them.
9-Prof. Charles Kingsfield (The Paper Chase John Jay Osborn Jr.) If ever you wonder why I became a lawyer. It wasn't LA Law (also popular at the time I was young). It was The Paper Chase. I really started watching it during the Second Year where the series really came into its own. I had so much respect and love for the character of Kingsfield. If ever I became a teacher or professor I would hope it would be like him.
10-Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins P.L. Travers) The Practically Perfect Nanny actually appears in about 5 different novels. I was okay on the Movie but the books were what actually sold me on the character. There's magic and love and kids and family. All great stuff.
11-Andrew Forbes (The Tomorrow People Roger Price) The kid's version of Dr. Who. A bunch of psychic kids. Andrew wasn't actually in most of the episodes but he could make illusions as his special talent and that was more than a little cool.
12-The Doctor (Doctor Who John Nathan-Turner) The Doctor himself. But I liked him before he was cool. John Pertwee was actually my first Doctor.
13- Ender Wiggin (Ender's Game Orson Scott Card) The badass little kid who fights not just to win but to destroy his enemy. I've never been that tough. I can't hit someone when they are down.
14-Dickory Dock (The Case of the Tattooed Potato and other Clues Ellen Raskin) I couldn't get Sherlock Holmes (though I tried) when I was young. But Ellen Raskin writes great mystery novels for kids. Dickory was the protaganist so I give her top billing. I probably liked Garson better as the more Holmes type, but its a close call.
15-Luke Skywalker (Star Wars IV: A New Hope George Lucas) No child born in the 70s should exlude Luke from the list. I mean really!