MY CABBAGES!!!!
CURRENT FAVORITES:
These New Puritans, "We Want War"
These New Puritans, "Attack Music"
These New Puritans, "Three Thousand"
How to Dress Well, "Lover's Start"
Philip Selway, Familial (the whole album is streaming at NPR's website until the 31st, so please take a listen to it -- it's only a half-hour long, but it's SO GOOD. I seriously can't wait to get my hands on it, even just some MP3s)
I'm really sorry for having put this meme on hold for so long -- I just haven't been in the mood to posting lately. Plus, I finally got around to starting Avatar: The Last Airbender recently -- and I watched the whole first season in one day. I'm a little embarrassed.........but only a little. XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD (ojuzu, I totally agree with you about Jet. Though you're right when you said that it was episodes like the one he was in that make this show good.)
And I'm still sad about Satoshi Kon, too. ;_;
All right then, on to the meme!
Reply and I'll give you four fandoms. You then have to make an entry writing about your favorite character from each fandom, and why.
poisontea gave me Transformers, Durarara!!, Evangelion, and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, while gingeynary gave me Durarara!!, Transformers, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Pixar. So.......six fandoms for the price of four! 8D
Transformers
This is really hard to say -- I don't have a character (or group of characters) I absolutely LOVELOVELOVE, and almost all of them have very little characterization to work with (well, less than almost everything else I've seen). So if it turns out I like a character, it's usually because I like how they're portrayed in most fanfic I see. If we're talking about just the G1 cartoon, I guess I like Prowl the most because he reminds me a lot like myself: someone who's a rational thinker (or at least tries to be), aloof and reserved (or at least seems that way), and a rule-follower (most of the time). It's really good to see a character like that who's also portrayed in a positive way, who's also really fucking kickass, and just......yeah. I'm having a tough time putting my finger on it, but I like him a lot. Other characters I really like include: Perceptor, for being able to make using big words and an intellect awesome; Bluestreak, because even though he can be talkative and be very annoying while doing so, he's a helluva lot friendlier and less self-absorbed than Blurr, and I bet he's stronger emotionally than anyone suspects; Thundercracker, if only because his brief moral questioning left an impression on me; Blaster, who has all of Jazz's love of music and sense of fun without his recklessness and sense of self-importance; and Red Alert, Skyfire, and Optimus Prime, just because. ^_^;
If we're talking about TFA, though, that's easier: Bulkhead, if only because a.) I'm a total sucker for creative/artistic dorks, and b.) he's probably the only character in the whole series who didn't come across to me as a total dick (even though he had his moments).
Durarara!!
Without a doubt, Celty. It's mostly because she's probably the most human character in the whole series, which is ironic given that she's hardly human at all. XD She's so well-rounded and fully recognized -- compassionate, good at resolving conflicts, excellent at defending herself, and just all-around amazing, but also insecure and saddled with issues and responsibilities that are both universal and uniquely hers. She's a lot of contradicting things at once, which is what makes her so compelling. Plus, the communicating-by-typing-on-the-cell-phone thing doesn't hurt either. :3
(Though I should probably say right now that I'm not as smitten by her relationship with Shinra as a lot of other fans seem to be. The first couple of times we see him, he really hit a lot of my squick buttons -- the implicit telling of Celty what she can and cannot be "allowed" to be worried about, the whole "you're sexier without your head!" deal, the shower scenes, the performing the biopsy on her when he was four, etc. The subtle ways Shinra fixated on Celty's body early in the series really didn't sit well with me; it made me think, "This must be what a Nice Guy™ looks like." Then as the series progressed, he seemed to get better -- more understanding, supportive, etc. The way I interpret their relationship now, I see it as slightly fucked up and not entirely perfect or healthy [and that Celty isn't with Shinra just because of love], but it's not tremendously fucked up, and it still manages to be substantial and meaningful in spite of its fucked-up-ness. I like how imperfect that relationship is, and I like how it's portrayed, but first impressions mean a lot, so I can't say I'm a huge fan.)
Evangelion
Definitely Shinji. I think in this case, it's mostly because I've related to (and still relate to) his struggles so much: his social awkwardness (and why he has such social awkwardness in the first place), his desire to be recognized and appreciated, his life being stuck in a rut, etc. And none of this is portrayed in some generic way either -- his story is compelling, and by getting to see the thought processes and rationalizations behind everything he does, we can see that, even though his circumstances are extreme, what he experiences is as far from it as you can get. He's just so.......interesting, especially in the details you can find in both the original series and the Rebuild movies. Oh well, I've gushed about him (and the series in general) plenty already on this journal, so I'll move on. :B
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Probably Itoshiki Nozomu, the titular teacher, but only because he's the one who's been Flanderized the least. I dunno, I've dropped the series recently; it stopped being funny a while ago, and I can't bring myself to care about it much anymore. -_-; Oh well, at least he's proof that you can be depressed and still be cool, if his catchphrase of "絶望した！" ("I'm in despair!") is any indication. XD
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
This is a tough one, but in the end I'd say Mittermeyer, for essentially the same reasons why I like Celty: he's probably the most human out of all of them. He's a very intelligent, cool-headed, battle-hardened, charismatic military leader who still manages to be very happily married (even though his wife is a rather two-dimensional Dutiful Wife™ like at least 80% of the rest of the female cast), very close friends and super-sekrit lovers *COUGH* with a guy like Reuentahl, and an absolute dork. He's not perfect, of course; he's a bit of a brawler, and what he (almost) does to Lang was certainly not cool. But all that, imperfections included, really serve to highlight just how human and vulnerable he is, especially in the fourth season when he has to deal with a lot of shit in a short period of time at a relatively young age: the end of the war, having to fight against (and later losing) Reuentahl, Reinhard slowly dying, his being away from his wife for so long (and having trouble starting the family they want), etc. In a show where anyone who isn't a woman or under 18 hardly expresses any extremes in emotions other than anger and exuberance, seeing Mittermeyer react to that was refreshing, and very powerful. And the fact that he still manages to keep it together after all that, and still be a little bit dorky, shows just how emotionally strong he is, which is both striking and entirely within the realm of possibility, which is really cool to see, IMHO. So yeah......he's awesome. ^_^;
Of course, I can't go without mentioning Hildegard von Mariendorf, who's compassionate and fierce and independent and extremely intelligent; Jessica Edwards, for being brave and speaking out against the war after her husband's death when it was unpopular to do so; Murai, who's probably my favorite minor/incidental character in any series ever, in that he's a somewhat reserved disciplinarian with zero patience for BS who prefers to stay in the background, and yet who's smarter and much more reasonable than a lot of people expect him to be; and Frederica and Attenborough.......again, just because. =D
Pixar
Hmm, I'll go ahead and say most of the Finding Nemo cast, especially Dory (because let's face it, if you want a character like that to be hilarious and not fall too much into cliché, you can't go wrong by having her voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), Gil (for being well-rounded while being the aquarium "tough guy" helping Nemo get out), Nigel (his discussing dental procedures with the aquarium fish is just adorable), and Bruce (there's a reason my parents still quote, "We're having fish tonight!" every so often). It's one of my favorite Pixar movies (along with Up and WALL-E), though if you tried to make me explain why, I'd have a tough time of it.
In fact, even though I really like Pixar movies and am a member of ontd_pixar and all that, I............don't feel all that enthusiastic or strongly about those movies. They're really well-made, and I'm glad there's a studio that actually trying to make good animated movies, but I really can't see them as anything more than very entertaining diversions, films that make you feel very good when you see them, but you can only see once or twice before it starts getting a bit dull. (I'm using the general "you" here, of course.) I feel bad, because I love ontd_pixar and everyone I've met through there, but if most of my other fandoms are ones in which I want to participate more in the near future, Pixar fandom is one where I definitely prefer staying on the sidelines, looking in.
..........And this took way longer than I thought it would. ^_^; I just wish I could say what characters I liked and left it at "BECAUSE THEY'RE ADORABLE AND FIERCE AND SMART AND COOL AND INDEPENDENT AND DORKY AND MULTIFACETED AND AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!" But, my overachieving intellectual part of me was having none of it. -_- For that matter, I don't really think about why I like the characters I like, so trying to explain it was difficult. Worthwhile, but difficult. XD
These New Puritans, "We Want War"
These New Puritans, "Attack Music"
These New Puritans, "Three Thousand"
How to Dress Well, "Lover's Start"
Philip Selway, Familial (the whole album is streaming at NPR's website until the 31st, so please take a listen to it -- it's only a half-hour long, but it's SO GOOD. I seriously can't wait to get my hands on it, even just some MP3s)
I'm really sorry for having put this meme on hold for so long -- I just haven't been in the mood to posting lately. Plus, I finally got around to starting Avatar: The Last Airbender recently -- and I watched the whole first season in one day. I'm a little embarrassed.........but only a little. XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD (ojuzu, I totally agree with you about Jet. Though you're right when you said that it was episodes like the one he was in that make this show good.)
And I'm still sad about Satoshi Kon, too. ;_;
All right then, on to the meme!
Reply and I'll give you four fandoms. You then have to make an entry writing about your favorite character from each fandom, and why.
poisontea gave me Transformers, Durarara!!, Evangelion, and Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, while gingeynary gave me Durarara!!, Transformers, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and Pixar. So.......six fandoms for the price of four! 8D
Transformers
This is really hard to say -- I don't have a character (or group of characters) I absolutely LOVELOVELOVE, and almost all of them have very little characterization to work with (well, less than almost everything else I've seen). So if it turns out I like a character, it's usually because I like how they're portrayed in most fanfic I see. If we're talking about just the G1 cartoon, I guess I like Prowl the most because he reminds me a lot like myself: someone who's a rational thinker (or at least tries to be), aloof and reserved (or at least seems that way), and a rule-follower (most of the time). It's really good to see a character like that who's also portrayed in a positive way, who's also really fucking kickass, and just......yeah. I'm having a tough time putting my finger on it, but I like him a lot. Other characters I really like include: Perceptor, for being able to make using big words and an intellect awesome; Bluestreak, because even though he can be talkative and be very annoying while doing so, he's a helluva lot friendlier and less self-absorbed than Blurr, and I bet he's stronger emotionally than anyone suspects; Thundercracker, if only because his brief moral questioning left an impression on me; Blaster, who has all of Jazz's love of music and sense of fun without his recklessness and sense of self-importance; and Red Alert, Skyfire, and Optimus Prime, just because. ^_^;
If we're talking about TFA, though, that's easier: Bulkhead, if only because a.) I'm a total sucker for creative/artistic dorks, and b.) he's probably the only character in the whole series who didn't come across to me as a total dick (even though he had his moments).
Durarara!!
Without a doubt, Celty. It's mostly because she's probably the most human character in the whole series, which is ironic given that she's hardly human at all. XD She's so well-rounded and fully recognized -- compassionate, good at resolving conflicts, excellent at defending herself, and just all-around amazing, but also insecure and saddled with issues and responsibilities that are both universal and uniquely hers. She's a lot of contradicting things at once, which is what makes her so compelling. Plus, the communicating-by-typing-on-the-cell-phone thing doesn't hurt either. :3
(Though I should probably say right now that I'm not as smitten by her relationship with Shinra as a lot of other fans seem to be. The first couple of times we see him, he really hit a lot of my squick buttons -- the implicit telling of Celty what she can and cannot be "allowed" to be worried about, the whole "you're sexier without your head!" deal, the shower scenes, the performing the biopsy on her when he was four, etc. The subtle ways Shinra fixated on Celty's body early in the series really didn't sit well with me; it made me think, "This must be what a Nice Guy™ looks like." Then as the series progressed, he seemed to get better -- more understanding, supportive, etc. The way I interpret their relationship now, I see it as slightly fucked up and not entirely perfect or healthy [and that Celty isn't with Shinra just because of love], but it's not tremendously fucked up, and it still manages to be substantial and meaningful in spite of its fucked-up-ness. I like how imperfect that relationship is, and I like how it's portrayed, but first impressions mean a lot, so I can't say I'm a huge fan.)
Evangelion
Definitely Shinji. I think in this case, it's mostly because I've related to (and still relate to) his struggles so much: his social awkwardness (and why he has such social awkwardness in the first place), his desire to be recognized and appreciated, his life being stuck in a rut, etc. And none of this is portrayed in some generic way either -- his story is compelling, and by getting to see the thought processes and rationalizations behind everything he does, we can see that, even though his circumstances are extreme, what he experiences is as far from it as you can get. He's just so.......interesting, especially in the details you can find in both the original series and the Rebuild movies. Oh well, I've gushed about him (and the series in general) plenty already on this journal, so I'll move on. :B
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Probably Itoshiki Nozomu, the titular teacher, but only because he's the one who's been Flanderized the least. I dunno, I've dropped the series recently; it stopped being funny a while ago, and I can't bring myself to care about it much anymore. -_-; Oh well, at least he's proof that you can be depressed and still be cool, if his catchphrase of "絶望した！" ("I'm in despair!") is any indication. XD
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
This is a tough one, but in the end I'd say Mittermeyer, for essentially the same reasons why I like Celty: he's probably the most human out of all of them. He's a very intelligent, cool-headed, battle-hardened, charismatic military leader who still manages to be very happily married (even though his wife is a rather two-dimensional Dutiful Wife™ like at least 80% of the rest of the female cast), very close friends and super-sekrit lovers *COUGH* with a guy like Reuentahl, and an absolute dork. He's not perfect, of course; he's a bit of a brawler, and what he (almost) does to Lang was certainly not cool. But all that, imperfections included, really serve to highlight just how human and vulnerable he is, especially in the fourth season when he has to deal with a lot of shit in a short period of time at a relatively young age: the end of the war, having to fight against (and later losing) Reuentahl, Reinhard slowly dying, his being away from his wife for so long (and having trouble starting the family they want), etc. In a show where anyone who isn't a woman or under 18 hardly expresses any extremes in emotions other than anger and exuberance, seeing Mittermeyer react to that was refreshing, and very powerful. And the fact that he still manages to keep it together after all that, and still be a little bit dorky, shows just how emotionally strong he is, which is both striking and entirely within the realm of possibility, which is really cool to see, IMHO. So yeah......he's awesome. ^_^;
Of course, I can't go without mentioning Hildegard von Mariendorf, who's compassionate and fierce and independent and extremely intelligent; Jessica Edwards, for being brave and speaking out against the war after her husband's death when it was unpopular to do so; Murai, who's probably my favorite minor/incidental character in any series ever, in that he's a somewhat reserved disciplinarian with zero patience for BS who prefers to stay in the background, and yet who's smarter and much more reasonable than a lot of people expect him to be; and Frederica and Attenborough.......again, just because. =D
Pixar
Hmm, I'll go ahead and say most of the Finding Nemo cast, especially Dory (because let's face it, if you want a character like that to be hilarious and not fall too much into cliché, you can't go wrong by having her voiced by Ellen DeGeneres), Gil (for being well-rounded while being the aquarium "tough guy" helping Nemo get out), Nigel (his discussing dental procedures with the aquarium fish is just adorable), and Bruce (there's a reason my parents still quote, "We're having fish tonight!" every so often). It's one of my favorite Pixar movies (along with Up and WALL-E), though if you tried to make me explain why, I'd have a tough time of it.
In fact, even though I really like Pixar movies and am a member of ontd_pixar and all that, I............don't feel all that enthusiastic or strongly about those movies. They're really well-made, and I'm glad there's a studio that actually trying to make good animated movies, but I really can't see them as anything more than very entertaining diversions, films that make you feel very good when you see them, but you can only see once or twice before it starts getting a bit dull. (I'm using the general "you" here, of course.) I feel bad, because I love ontd_pixar and everyone I've met through there, but if most of my other fandoms are ones in which I want to participate more in the near future, Pixar fandom is one where I definitely prefer staying on the sidelines, looking in.
..........And this took way longer than I thought it would. ^_^; I just wish I could say what characters I liked and left it at "BECAUSE THEY'RE ADORABLE AND FIERCE AND SMART AND COOL AND INDEPENDENT AND DORKY AND MULTIFACETED AND AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!" But, my overachieving intellectual part of me was having none of it. -_- For that matter, I don't really think about why I like the characters I like, so trying to explain it was difficult. Worthwhile, but difficult. XD