So I was informally tagged by Skye @
Ink Castles. Thanks, Skye!
You list ten of your favorite screen characters and tag ten bloggers.
I had a hard time narrowing them down, but I decided to pick a few. . . under appreciated characters? Though there are a few very popular ones in there too.
1. Loki
I know. Maybe it's cliched. Who doesn't like Loki?
He's just misunderstood. . . and adopted. I think one of the reasons he uses his tricks to manipulate
and injuriously deceive is because for his whole life he himself has
been used, lied to, manipulated, and deceived. He was raised by his people's enemy to think that his people were the enemy. Who wouldn't be messed up after that?
Besides he's the god of mischief, so obviously he's going to cause some havoc.
Loki is cunning and smart. He has a dramatic flair and always seem to view himself as larger than life. He's got a touch of charming arrogance that can grow to be impossible at times. I could see Loki narrating his life in his head. (Wait, doesn't everyone do that?)
Okay, this might sound lame. But people like the underdog. I think that's the biggest factor in why people like Loki. He's always on the sidelines trying to find a world of his own to rule while the main plot of the story doesn't actually involve him. He tries to detract to plot away to serve his purposes, but it doesn't work. He's a renegade out for himself, yet he never seems to win.
In Thor, it was about Thor becoming worthy and finding out was really important. He would have went to Isengard (sorry if the spelling's wrong) without Loki's prodding. Odin would've banished Thor without Loki. Loki was just a tool. He caused extra mischief on the side that did, yes, add to the plot and was necessary. But the real villain in the movie was actually Thor. It was Thor against Thor.
*cough* And Thor won.
In the Avengers, Loki was around, but he wasn't the one really threatening Earth. It seemed that way at first and he certainly liked it looking that way. But again he was just a tool for the real enemy. He aspires for his own destiny of greatness and he made some of his own waves. But once more Loki was used, manipulated, and thrown to the side.
In Thor: The Dark World, Loki was a distraction. He had motives and plans of his own, but it didn't fit into the main plot of the movie. As a character, he was a great asset to the plot. He caused a lot of tension and created a nice subplot. But Loki had plans of his own that had nothing to do with the main plot. (I still want to know how he got on the throne and how Thor's going to get him off. I mean, he still hasn't figured out it's Loki? Thor, do you not know the difference between your father and your brother?) I think Loki is often not included in the main plot because usually the main plot is about someone taking over the world/universe. But that someone also ends not being Loki, that someone ends up being a bigger threat than Loki.
Besides Loki does what he wants.
That's another reason I like Loki. It reminds me that all the side characters and villains have their own lives. They have goals too. They believe that this is their story.
2. Sherlock
You might have picked up that I rather like the Cumberbatch Sherlock. (And if you like another Sherlock, then I salute you. Bashing doesn't happen on this blog.)
I like that he really doesn't get humans. He doesn't understand feelings. In The Last Vow, you realize that Sherlock has a lot of vulnerable points. Why? Because this arrogant, cocky, I-am-the-smartest-person-in-the-room guy actually cares. He cares so much about a lot of things and people. He doesn't act like it though. But that's because he doesn't know he cares.
He doesn't understand 'sentiment.' His older brother taught him that sentiment gets in the way of things. Sherlock wants to make his older brother proud so he suppressed emotions. Yes I'm afraid we have Mycroft to blame, eh, mostly. Sherlock doesn't even know he has feelings. And when he does begin to realize it, he doesn't know what to do with it.
It's amusing, really.
Also I love the character development. In the beginning of the series, there are few people who can stand Sherlock. He's a nasty person.
But as the series goes on, Sherlock realizes that maybe he needs people. Sure, they're just stray little factors and he can't understand where they fit into the equation of life. But those stray factors are necessary all the same.
And then he's been away and maybe he realizes that he actually might have- don't tell anyone- missed these stray factors. Maybe he's gotten a little- *gasp*- attached. What if Mycroft didn't have it righ?. Caring doesn't seem all that bad. It might not be spectacular if, say, an evil, black-mailing, sadistic mastermind decided to use it against you and everyone you maybe care about. But what is life and it's factors if you don't care a little? Besides those stray factors, maybe they aren't really strays if he's gotten attached to them? That makes sense, right?
Maybe Mycroft was wrong, and maybe Mycroft is kind of lonely. . . Maybe he needs some little misfit, stray factors of his own (Mycroft does have one actually: his name is Sherlock).
I could say more about Sherlock, but we've got eight more characters to go.
If you read to the end of this post, I'll reward you with virtual dessert.
3. Patrick Jane
I don't know if you've ever heard of or seen The Mentalist. It was a TV series. And I love the main character. I like Lisbon a lot too. But I'll try to stay focused here.
Patrick Jane is. . . well, the Mentalist. He's charming and hilarious. He's his own worst enemy. He got his family killed by smart mouthing about a serial killer. So he wants revenge on Red John (eh, that's the serial killer).
To be honest sometimes I don't understand why I like Jane. He can be very manipulative. And I can't stand manipulate people (Nick Fury, grr. . . Everybody likes him, but I just can't). Jane does try to make it up to his friends in some way or another. But really, he can be very incorrigible.
He's also very unconventional. It's a detective show and he doesn't believe in the "system." He doesn't always go about things legally. Jane hates it when the victims end up facing more consequences than the actually murderer. When someone does something wrong for the right reason or because they were pushed by circumstances, he sticks up for them. It's not completely right, but it's not completely wrong either. He's not afraid to be controversial.
4. Stitch
I shall wander to the realm of animation. Stitch really is a lost puppy as Lilo proposes. His character development is the best. He's a creature made for evil who longs to be good. How can a story get any better?
Also, he's a misfit lost in the galaxy and he eventually finds a misfit family to fit into. Don't we all feel that way at some time?
And you have to love how Lilo and he are like big sister/little brother.
Besides he's cute and fluffy. Who could resist loving him?
5. Megamind
I don't know. Maybe it goes back to the whole Loki concept. Megamind is an underdog with visions of grandeur.
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| See? They both have the presentation thing down. |
And you know something? He never gives up. Not once does Megamind win. But not once does he give up either. He's optimism is unbeatable. The word 'surrender' doesn't even cross his mind, if he even knows what it means. He just loves the game of life and living.
He's also not very bad for a bad guy.
6. Edith
Despicable Me has explored Margo's character. Everybody loves Agnes. But Edith? We hear nothing about her. Why?
I don't know. Maybe I just have an underdog complex. Or maybe I'm just really, really curious. I want to know more about Edith.
Just look at her. She always dresses in pink and creeps around with a ninja sword. She's the perfect strong female character. The princess assassin! She's just enough girly, and just enough, uh, different.
So why do we never hear much about her? I suspect it's because she's always slinking away to play sword fight. She goes off into her imaginary world and makes up adventures of her own. And what about her pink obsession? Does she get upset if she can't wear her hat? Also, she's totally protective of her sisters. What do you think she carries that sword for? Who knows when some purple monster will break through the ceiling! With all that imagining, I wouldn't be surprised if Edith grew up to become a writer.
And that is my Edith theory.
Thank you. *bows*
7. Peter Parker
I've probably talked about him before. I probably shouldn't go on-
But whatever.
Peter Parker just doesn't give up, okay? It seems I like characters who persevere and never lose hope.
As a writer you're told to think of the worst thing that could happen to your character and then write it. I think Stan Lee took that a little too seriously when he wrote Spider-Man's comics. Because Pete never gets a break. But he keeps on keeping on. And he doesn't let it change him. He still makes his goofy jokes. He's still sincere. He still tries to empathize with the "bad guy."
That's another reason I like Parker. He doesn't see the villain as the embodiment of evil. He sees the villain as another human being who's been hurt, just like everybody in the world. And I think sometimes he wants to help the villains as well as the victims. Because they're people too. . . mutated maybe. But, yeah, people too.
Peter makes a lot mistakes along the way. He has his dark days. But he always comes back around.
He's just trying to be the best good person he can be.
And, in the superhero world, Spider-Man's kind of an underdog too.
8. Toothless
Toothless doesn't talk. But he has both dog- and cat-like tendencies, therefore he is the perfect animal friend. He's fiercely loyal. He's curious and adorable. And he's a best friend.
9. Vanellope
How can you not like Vanelope?
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| In light of that comment, maybe I relate to her also. . . |
She thinks outside the box. No matter how much people put her down, she still believes in herself. She's also very good with insulting names.
She knows her life sucks, but she tries to make the most of it.
Also her and Ralph's friendship is pretty awesome. So she's another underdog. . .
10. Thranduil
By the way, he's not an underdog.
Just thought I'd state that.
At first, I didn't like Thranduil. He's obviously selfish. At first, he just seems like he's just out for himself. He doesn't want to get involved and help others out. He thinks he can just hide away while everyone else suffers. Then when it all blows over he can rise back up, unscathed.
I didn't like him.
But in the Battle of the Five Armies, he walks through a scene full of dead elves. His elves. His people. And he's devastated. He calls back his army to retreat. I realized that it's not that he doesn't want to help or that he's a coward. He strives to protect his people. He cares the most of his people and their safety. If he can avoid war, he will. (Okay, unless diamonds are in the question. . .)
With the failure that he experienced in the battle that left his wife dead, he's become over cautious. Also when he confides in Tauriel about love, I realized just how hard his wife's death hit him. That was the reason why he acts so cold toward everyone. He was afraid to let anyone that close again. But he did advise Tauriel against his own path, to be unafraid of love.
Anyhow, Thranduil became more human to me (you know, even though he's an elf). I understood him better. And even though I didn't completely agree with his course of actions, I didn't blame him, and I respected him.
And he's an awesome swordsman.
I don't normally tag people, but today is different:
You should check some these blogs out if you haven't. They post some pretty cool stuff. That's why I follow them. ;)
As for the dessert-
What do you think? Who are some of your favorite screen characters? And, most importantly, what is your favorite dessert?
