Five Favourite Characters
Yesterday I asked my Twitter feed for ideas on what to blog about and trepatukas suggested that I write about my five favourite characters. It's not something I wanted to blog about on my blog-blog, especially as my LJ-blog is used mostly for my fandom things. So here I am...
Characters have come and gone from my life, in books, films and television. Some of which have stayed with me for a long time, whilst others have been fleeting fascinations. There will be many, many characters I could feature in this blog, but today I'm going to talk about just five of them.
1. Emily Fitch, Skins
I feel like I'm starting at the end with Emily, but she was such an important part of my life for the two years that her character spent on the UK television programme, Skins.
She is gay. She is a twin. She has one of the most amazing voices in the history of the world.
Emily Fitch was the reason I learnt more about myself at twenty three/four. Before then I thought I was straight, but exploring the world through Emily's eyes not only allowed me to see the world differently but it also helped me to discover aspects of myself that I hadn't realised before. Of course, she opened up a can of worms which made life difficult for a while. But her strength and determination to be who she is in spite of the reactions of her family are what make her so special. She was brave where others would hide, she was patient where others would go mad and she was kind when others would have been anything but.
2. Lena Kaligaris, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
(Picture is of Alexis Bledel playing Lena in the film adaptation)
Lenny is probably one of the characters that fits me the most. Whilst I may enjoy Emily's character, I am anything but brave and that's where Lena fits into my life. She's shy, introverted and she hides away and avoids situations she doesn't feel comfortable in.
I spent a moment thinking about all four girls from The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants because each of them is very special to me. But Carmen, Bridget and Tibby are all very different to me, where as Lena isn't.
The way Lena overthinks situations, purposefully cuts off contact when she doesn't want to do something that doesn't fit safely within her comfort zone and pushes people away really resonates with me. I think the thing that makes me feel the most hopeful about Lena's presence is that she has been this constant in my life for so long. Where I have changed beyond recognition from the girl who met Lena at 16, she changed very slowly and it was some sort of comfort. The world we live in portrays so many things about girls and how we should behave, whilst Lena is naturally very beautiful she doesn't fit into the stereotype or assumptions people make about girls and that's a massive comfort.
3. Ginger Foutley, As Told By Ginger
Any list of my favourite characters wouldn't be complete without Ginger Foutley. She came into my life for such a brief period of time but she still holds such a special place in my heart. As a teenager I found that I didn't really have a lot in common with my friends, on an emotional level. I had a level of maturity that was beyond my years and Ginger Foutley matched what I had struggled to. She was, like Lena, a very introverted person and she liked to write.
Ginger, unlike many teenagers, was often given the chance to be in with the in crowd but instead she favoured time with her 'geeky' best friends and that always meant a lot to me. She didn't follow the crowd, she didn't go with the flow. And though she is only a work of fiction, she wrote one of the most heartbreaking and stunning poems I have ever heard. It never mattered that she was a cartoon.
http://youtu.be/aFgswwugEDs
4. Nina Tucker, Neighbours
Nina was another girl who was so often shy, she hid away because she didn't feel comfortable sharing parts of herself. She had the most beautiful singing voice and yet she didn't feel comfortable singing in front of others. But it isn't the fact that the Neighbours character was played by the singer-songwriter/pianist Delta Goodrem that made her so special.
Nina was a seventeen year old girl who had had little experience with boys/men, she was lacking in confidence to the point of utter shyness and that was the biggest comfort to a sixteen/seventeen year old who was much the same. She made me feel better about myself not just because of the musical offerings of Delta's music but because she gave me hope that it's okay to lack confident around the opposite sex/those you're attracted to.
The biggest thing to come out of my time as a Nina Tucker fan was the fanfiction. Though I had dabbled with writing before and had quite an extensive story on the go, branching out into writing fanfiction for Nina and her love interest Jack really gave me a platform in order to expand my writing ability and meet people who could help with me that. I can categorically say that I wouldn't be the writer I am today without Nina Tucker.
5. Liesel Meminger, The Book Thief
Known to many as the girl from The Book Thief. I consider myself a reader, I enjoy fiction and try to read as much as possible. But I spent a couple of years where I did very little by way of reading, not even fanfiction. When The Book Thief came into my life I was in the middle of a year of reading, my intention was to read one book a month and I succeeded. Anyway, I digress.
Reading The Book Thief and joining Liesel for her journey was a very special experience. Despite believing myself to be a reader I struggle to find books that I want to read. Liesel made me feel like I could be something more, like I could read any book and enjoy what goes on in the pages as with any other book. I know that it's all in my head and I continue to battle with my love and hate of fiction. But there is something so inspiring about a girl going through one of the worst periods in history (The Second World War) who wants to learn to read and write. The personal journey she goes through in learning how to read a book is mixed in with some of the worst things a person should ever have to face which is devestating. The result, however, is something remarkable.
Even now, thinking about Liesel makes me want to go out and buy a load of books that I've never read and read them all as quickly as possible, regardless of whether I enjoy the story or not. For Liesel. For the stories she had to read because there was little choice. For everything that she went through and how I'm thankful that I've never had to face anything like that.
-
And so that concludes my five favourite characters. If anyone has any ideas for other five favourite...then please share and I'll do my best to meet your requests in future posts.
Characters have come and gone from my life, in books, films and television. Some of which have stayed with me for a long time, whilst others have been fleeting fascinations. There will be many, many characters I could feature in this blog, but today I'm going to talk about just five of them.
1. Emily Fitch, Skins
I feel like I'm starting at the end with Emily, but she was such an important part of my life for the two years that her character spent on the UK television programme, Skins.
She is gay. She is a twin. She has one of the most amazing voices in the history of the world.
Emily Fitch was the reason I learnt more about myself at twenty three/four. Before then I thought I was straight, but exploring the world through Emily's eyes not only allowed me to see the world differently but it also helped me to discover aspects of myself that I hadn't realised before. Of course, she opened up a can of worms which made life difficult for a while. But her strength and determination to be who she is in spite of the reactions of her family are what make her so special. She was brave where others would hide, she was patient where others would go mad and she was kind when others would have been anything but.
2. Lena Kaligaris, The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
(Picture is of Alexis Bledel playing Lena in the film adaptation)
Lenny is probably one of the characters that fits me the most. Whilst I may enjoy Emily's character, I am anything but brave and that's where Lena fits into my life. She's shy, introverted and she hides away and avoids situations she doesn't feel comfortable in.
I spent a moment thinking about all four girls from The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants because each of them is very special to me. But Carmen, Bridget and Tibby are all very different to me, where as Lena isn't.
The way Lena overthinks situations, purposefully cuts off contact when she doesn't want to do something that doesn't fit safely within her comfort zone and pushes people away really resonates with me. I think the thing that makes me feel the most hopeful about Lena's presence is that she has been this constant in my life for so long. Where I have changed beyond recognition from the girl who met Lena at 16, she changed very slowly and it was some sort of comfort. The world we live in portrays so many things about girls and how we should behave, whilst Lena is naturally very beautiful she doesn't fit into the stereotype or assumptions people make about girls and that's a massive comfort.
3. Ginger Foutley, As Told By Ginger
Any list of my favourite characters wouldn't be complete without Ginger Foutley. She came into my life for such a brief period of time but she still holds such a special place in my heart. As a teenager I found that I didn't really have a lot in common with my friends, on an emotional level. I had a level of maturity that was beyond my years and Ginger Foutley matched what I had struggled to. She was, like Lena, a very introverted person and she liked to write.
Ginger, unlike many teenagers, was often given the chance to be in with the in crowd but instead she favoured time with her 'geeky' best friends and that always meant a lot to me. She didn't follow the crowd, she didn't go with the flow. And though she is only a work of fiction, she wrote one of the most heartbreaking and stunning poems I have ever heard. It never mattered that she was a cartoon.
http://youtu.be/aFgswwugEDs
4. Nina Tucker, Neighbours
Nina was another girl who was so often shy, she hid away because she didn't feel comfortable sharing parts of herself. She had the most beautiful singing voice and yet she didn't feel comfortable singing in front of others. But it isn't the fact that the Neighbours character was played by the singer-songwriter/pianist Delta Goodrem that made her so special.
Nina was a seventeen year old girl who had had little experience with boys/men, she was lacking in confidence to the point of utter shyness and that was the biggest comfort to a sixteen/seventeen year old who was much the same. She made me feel better about myself not just because of the musical offerings of Delta's music but because she gave me hope that it's okay to lack confident around the opposite sex/those you're attracted to.
The biggest thing to come out of my time as a Nina Tucker fan was the fanfiction. Though I had dabbled with writing before and had quite an extensive story on the go, branching out into writing fanfiction for Nina and her love interest Jack really gave me a platform in order to expand my writing ability and meet people who could help with me that. I can categorically say that I wouldn't be the writer I am today without Nina Tucker.
5. Liesel Meminger, The Book Thief
Known to many as the girl from The Book Thief. I consider myself a reader, I enjoy fiction and try to read as much as possible. But I spent a couple of years where I did very little by way of reading, not even fanfiction. When The Book Thief came into my life I was in the middle of a year of reading, my intention was to read one book a month and I succeeded. Anyway, I digress.
Reading The Book Thief and joining Liesel for her journey was a very special experience. Despite believing myself to be a reader I struggle to find books that I want to read. Liesel made me feel like I could be something more, like I could read any book and enjoy what goes on in the pages as with any other book. I know that it's all in my head and I continue to battle with my love and hate of fiction. But there is something so inspiring about a girl going through one of the worst periods in history (The Second World War) who wants to learn to read and write. The personal journey she goes through in learning how to read a book is mixed in with some of the worst things a person should ever have to face which is devestating. The result, however, is something remarkable.
Even now, thinking about Liesel makes me want to go out and buy a load of books that I've never read and read them all as quickly as possible, regardless of whether I enjoy the story or not. For Liesel. For the stories she had to read because there was little choice. For everything that she went through and how I'm thankful that I've never had to face anything like that.
-
And so that concludes my five favourite characters. If anyone has any ideas for other five favourite...then please share and I'll do my best to meet your requests in future posts.