it seems I have a fic kink...
Apparently, I like my fictional POV characters a little bit broken. Sometimes a lot broken. With one notable exception.
In order of my fandom discovery, even if I was never in that particular fandom:
Karl "Helo" Agathon - yep, he's the only one on this list who isn't in some way broken, and even he has his moments.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace - this poor girl, between her mommy and her daddy and herself and her destiny... It's a wonder she was able to function. But she did. Gloriously.
John Crichton - He starts out with some pretty normal daddy issues, but events out of his control just pretty much tear him apart. So much so that he is almost unrecognizable to his family and friends when he finally makes it "home." Of course, by then, we know that Moya and the Uncharted Territories (and Aeryn) are his home, but still...
Chiana - A loner because of the nastiness of her life with her brother the only person she can trust and then he's ripped away from her.
Fox Mulder - He is totally obsessed with finding his sister, to the point that he makes a career out of it; only really cares for one living person on this earth and that's Dana Scully.
Michael Westen - Again with the daddy issues. Physically abused as a kid, takes off on his own and joins the army as soon as he's physically able, he sees and learns and does all sorts of violent things, but he's still a good guy under it all.
Derek Reese - It's kinda hard not to be broken when you survive the end of the world. And then you lose your little brother when you're all he's got, leaving him to the tender mercies of the machines who want to either enslave or destroy the human race, depending on how they're feeling that day, only to find him and then lose him again. After possibly giving information to the enemy under physical and psychological torture. Yum.
Sarah Connor - It's kinda hard not to be broken when you know you're responsible for the life and well-being of the one person who can save the entire human race from destruction. And when everyone you love is killed because of their relationship to you.
Echo - She wanted to make a difference and ended up giving her life into someone else's hands to do with whatever they want when what she did went horribly wrong and she got her boyfriend killed.
Paul Ballard - Another man with a self-destructive obsession.
Dean Winchester - How can you not be broken when you've been to Hell? And back? And with your life spinning out of control because it's not really *your* life anymore?
Spike - A man who gave up everything for love of a woman. Sort of. And who has a heart under that bleached and snarky, leather-clad exterior, even if having said heart does piss him off.
Max Guevara - Poor girl started out broken and just went on from there. Although with her attitude, she turned broken into an asset.
Alec (frak, I can't remember his adopted last name) - Poor guy started out broken and just went on from there. He didn't even know *how* to care for anyone else, or even himself, until he had a mission outside Manticore that showed him what caring was, and then he had to kill her father and ended up putting her in a coma. And that's before he ever met Max and Joshua and learned what "family" meant, all while people tried to destroy him and his kind forever.
I don't know why it's taken me this long to figure it out, but there you have it. And yeah, I know all of you probably figured this out long ago. :P
In order of my fandom discovery, even if I was never in that particular fandom:
Karl "Helo" Agathon - yep, he's the only one on this list who isn't in some way broken, and even he has his moments.
Kara "Starbuck" Thrace - this poor girl, between her mommy and her daddy and herself and her destiny... It's a wonder she was able to function. But she did. Gloriously.
John Crichton - He starts out with some pretty normal daddy issues, but events out of his control just pretty much tear him apart. So much so that he is almost unrecognizable to his family and friends when he finally makes it "home." Of course, by then, we know that Moya and the Uncharted Territories (and Aeryn) are his home, but still...
Chiana - A loner because of the nastiness of her life with her brother the only person she can trust and then he's ripped away from her.
Fox Mulder - He is totally obsessed with finding his sister, to the point that he makes a career out of it; only really cares for one living person on this earth and that's Dana Scully.
Michael Westen - Again with the daddy issues. Physically abused as a kid, takes off on his own and joins the army as soon as he's physically able, he sees and learns and does all sorts of violent things, but he's still a good guy under it all.
Derek Reese - It's kinda hard not to be broken when you survive the end of the world. And then you lose your little brother when you're all he's got, leaving him to the tender mercies of the machines who want to either enslave or destroy the human race, depending on how they're feeling that day, only to find him and then lose him again. After possibly giving information to the enemy under physical and psychological torture. Yum.
Sarah Connor - It's kinda hard not to be broken when you know you're responsible for the life and well-being of the one person who can save the entire human race from destruction. And when everyone you love is killed because of their relationship to you.
Echo - She wanted to make a difference and ended up giving her life into someone else's hands to do with whatever they want when what she did went horribly wrong and she got her boyfriend killed.
Paul Ballard - Another man with a self-destructive obsession.
Dean Winchester - How can you not be broken when you've been to Hell? And back? And with your life spinning out of control because it's not really *your* life anymore?
Spike - A man who gave up everything for love of a woman. Sort of. And who has a heart under that bleached and snarky, leather-clad exterior, even if having said heart does piss him off.
Max Guevara - Poor girl started out broken and just went on from there. Although with her attitude, she turned broken into an asset.
Alec (frak, I can't remember his adopted last name) - Poor guy started out broken and just went on from there. He didn't even know *how* to care for anyone else, or even himself, until he had a mission outside Manticore that showed him what caring was, and then he had to kill her father and ended up putting her in a coma. And that's before he ever met Max and Joshua and learned what "family" meant, all while people tried to destroy him and his kind forever.
I don't know why it's taken me this long to figure it out, but there you have it. And yeah, I know all of you probably figured this out long ago. :P