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brightknightie) wrote2015-06-20 09:12 am
brightknightie) wrote2015-06-20 09:12 am
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Meme: With favorites and without
I'm adapting a meme that I saw several days ago, which has followed me all week. It made me ponder the difference between stories that inspire me to take one character more to heart than any of the others (as much as I may love the others), versus stories in which no one character claims that position (as much as I love the source material).
Sometimes, the difference is inherent in the source storytelling! But often, I suspect, the emergence of a singular favorite may have as much to do with my interactions with others about the source material. For example, I remember exactly when I felt an outraged need to defend EQ's Strongbow against a disrespectful dismissal in a published letter (this was back in the days of letter pages). Before that, I didn't have a favorite EQ character; ever since, I have. And I didn't join FKdom knowing that I was a Knightie; I sincerely considered other affiliations (even the Natpack, believe it or not!) before I knew myself and the fandom well enough to recognize my fundamental Knightieness. :-)
What about you? When and why do you have singular favorite characters?
Sometimes, the difference is inherent in the source storytelling! But often, I suspect, the emergence of a singular favorite may have as much to do with my interactions with others about the source material. For example, I remember exactly when I felt an outraged need to defend EQ's Strongbow against a disrespectful dismissal in a published letter (this was back in the days of letter pages). Before that, I didn't have a favorite EQ character; ever since, I have. And I didn't join FKdom knowing that I was a Knightie; I sincerely considered other affiliations (even the Natpack, believe it or not!) before I knew myself and the fandom well enough to recognize my fundamental Knightieness. :-)
10 fandoms in which I have a singular favorite character
- Forever Knight : Nick
- Highlander : Duncan
- Marvel (all) : Wanda
- Beauty and the Beast (CBS) : Vincent
- ElfQuest : Strongbow
- Harry Potter : Luna
- Star Trek: Deep Space 9 : Jadzia
- Robotech : Lisa
- Forever : Henry
- Once Upon a Time : Mulan
10 fandoms in which I have no singular favorite character
- Young Blades
- Battlestar Galactica (1978)
- Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman
- Buffyverse
- Monarch of the Glen
- Ballykissangel
- Star Trek : The Next Generation
- Star Trek (TOS/AOS)
- Grimm
- Person of Interest
What about you? When and why do you have singular favorite characters?
no subject
My favourites often tend to be the main character on a show--I'm easily led by canon in that sense--but it would be an interesting exercise to identify the exceptions. It might also be interesting to see if there are any patterns to my favourites on ensemble shows. (I have two or three characters I prefer over the rest, though, rather than a single favourite character. I'm really not good at choosing favourites.)
no subject
I think that I would have far fewer favorites if I experienced the stories in isolation. That is, if I'd never discussed FK with anyone else -- if my entire universe of FK were between me and canon, and my own interpretation were all I knew -- I don't know that I would ever have identified Nick as "my favorite." It's something about comparison/competition of interpretations, perhaps...?