chomiji | Four Fandoms Meme (Reply)

The way this meme works is that you ask to do it, and then I give you four fandoms so you can tell us all about your favorite characters .

theskywasblue gave me: "... Saiyuki ... Bleach .. Lord of the Rings and ... Have you read Good Omens? (I don't know if you have, sorry! If not then your favourite character from any work by Diana Wynne Jones.)"

Actually, I have read Good Omens and I am fond of Pepper, but I don't think I can find any pictures of her. So ...

Saiyuki: Is anyone shocked that I picked Sha Gojyo (right)? I love his huge, tender heart hidden under layers of seeming cockiness, lascivious leering, swearing, and other dubious behavior. I feel for his Mom issues. He is so surprisingly humane and decent, despite his mostly horrible upbringing, and despite all that, he's also hopeful, too, and wants to see the best in people. The scene where he first picks up Gonou, the one where he tells Sanzo to recite a sutra for Kanan, the one where he tries to get Kami-sama to leave with them as the castle collapses, and the one where he brings Hakkai back to life after the fight with the Seiten Taisei ... those are my favorite images of him.

Bleach: In a lot of ways, I enjoy Ayasegawa Yumichika, but I think I have to go with Matsumoto Rangiku (left), and this image is from one of the scenes that made me feel that way. Like Gojyo, she seems like nothing but a boozy lech at first, but she also has surprising depths. Like him, she may not be the toughest fighter, but she's more than competent in battle, and she's also capable of being very tender and perceptive about other people. I love her earthiness and her complete lack of B.S.

Lord of the Rings: As a kid (ages 12 to about 18), I loved Legolas, of course; Elves are gorgeous, they live in the woods (I love trees), they're musical and artistic, they're special. But as the years go by, I've come to value humble, working-class Sam Gamgee (right). Yes, he's so damn submissive and near-servile in the way he talks to Frodo, but that was considered appropriate to that type of person in times past. What's important is that he's got no ego, he does what needs to be done, he's tough, and he'd do anything for those he loves. And when push comes to shove, he's pretty handy with a verse or a song.

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones: OK, this is a terrible picture of Polly Whittaker (left), but I can't find any good ones. She's described as very pretty, with silvery-fair hair, and she's brainy and runs track, and as far as I can tell, she never wears makeup, so what all that black stuff around her eyes is, I have no idea. She's neglected and manipulated by both her parents when she's young and longs to be like her zaftig friend Nina, who wears glasses and has a wild sense of humor - and, more importantly, a decent home life. Polly also has a runaway imagination, which comes in surprisingly handy when she gets mixed up in the affairs of cellist Tom Lynn, who seems to be mysteriously connected with the rich family down the road from Polly's Granny. Polly is vulnerable and self-centered in the way a child often is, but she also proves to be tough and resourceful, and she takes responsibility for her own screw-ups.

So: The thing about all these folks ... they're loyal. They're good friends. They're not pretentious. They're tough and not easily discouraged. They care. Polly has a couple of things to learn about not being embarrassed into doing the wrong thing, but she's younger than the rest of them for most of the book. I think she comes up to the standard of the rest of them once she's no longer a child.