Who here likes those lists on Cracked? I'm betting almost everyone on this site. That's why I came up with an idea. In this thread, we can all create our own "Top #" lists about anything, make our own versions of other people's lists, and then discuss said lists (which I guess makes this a "List" thread, but... of a different kind). It's a good way to share views and practice writing skills. To start off, here is my first list in this thread...
Top 5 Most Interesting Characters in Fiction
Before I start, though, I wish to state that no flaming or trolling is allowed. If you disagree with something on a list, either keep it yourself or form a coherent comment on why you disagree. I say this, because the first person on my list is...
EDIT: The lists don't have to be something serious. As long as you give reason with your choices and as long as your list isn't something crude like "Top 5 Sex Scenes in Film... With Video!" then go for it. Make something fun. It's what this thread is meant for =D
Top 5 Most Interesting Characters in Fiction
Before I start, though, I wish to state that no flaming or trolling is allowed. If you disagree with something on a list, either keep it yourself or form a coherent comment on why you disagree. I say this, because the first person on my list is...
Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (The Halo Series)
...I'm waiting. Everyone that wants to, get out all of your "OMGHALOSUX" right now. Yell it into a pillow, though, don't type it here. You done? No? Well, I'm gonna start anyways. I'm sure there's someone out there that can understand my point of view.
John-117, one of the only surviving Spartan II's after the end of the Human-Covenant War, interests me in less of an actual "oh wow, he's so intriguing, I can't wait to hear what he says next" type of way, and more interests me a character development type of way. And by character development, I mean no development. You see, he interests me because he proves a theory I've long had about potential characters that I could create. By being so flat of a character, John is, in fact, incredibly well rounded. Did I blow your mind? Good. It's what I was going for.
You see, most characters need some incredibly complex background filled with heartbreak and battle in order to be considered well developed and rounded. The Chief's background, though not by any means normal, is pretty simple. When John was six years old, he was kidnapped and replaced by a Flash Clone, a temporary clone with little to no brain activity and an increased rate of painful, horrible death. He was taken to the Office of Naval Intelligence's (ONI, for short) main headquarters on Reach. There, he was trained like a special forces officer until he was fourteen or so. Then, his entire body was heavily modified. Muscle enhancements, adrenal augmentations, the works. From this point forward, he was a soldier, through and through. Personality wise, other than the occasional bit of sarcasm, he was just that. A soldier.
And because of this... it works. Well. Very well. In fact, if he had more of a personality, it would make little sense. This is why I absolutely love his character, and this is why I laugh in the face of people that think that because he's so simple, his character sucks. He is supposed to be the perfect soldier. He is the perfect soldier. His characterization is perfect. Take that, critics.
...I'm waiting. Everyone that wants to, get out all of your "OMGHALOSUX" right now. Yell it into a pillow, though, don't type it here. You done? No? Well, I'm gonna start anyways. I'm sure there's someone out there that can understand my point of view.
John-117, one of the only surviving Spartan II's after the end of the Human-Covenant War, interests me in less of an actual "oh wow, he's so intriguing, I can't wait to hear what he says next" type of way, and more interests me a character development type of way. And by character development, I mean no development. You see, he interests me because he proves a theory I've long had about potential characters that I could create. By being so flat of a character, John is, in fact, incredibly well rounded. Did I blow your mind? Good. It's what I was going for.
You see, most characters need some incredibly complex background filled with heartbreak and battle in order to be considered well developed and rounded. The Chief's background, though not by any means normal, is pretty simple. When John was six years old, he was kidnapped and replaced by a Flash Clone, a temporary clone with little to no brain activity and an increased rate of painful, horrible death. He was taken to the Office of Naval Intelligence's (ONI, for short) main headquarters on Reach. There, he was trained like a special forces officer until he was fourteen or so. Then, his entire body was heavily modified. Muscle enhancements, adrenal augmentations, the works. From this point forward, he was a soldier, through and through. Personality wise, other than the occasional bit of sarcasm, he was just that. A soldier.
And because of this... it works. Well. Very well. In fact, if he had more of a personality, it would make little sense. This is why I absolutely love his character, and this is why I laugh in the face of people that think that because he's so simple, his character sucks. He is supposed to be the perfect soldier. He is the perfect soldier. His characterization is perfect. Take that, critics.
Dr. Gregory House (House M.D.)
What is there that really needs to be explained about this? It's House. He's one of the greatest television personalities to ever exist. He's sarcastic, he's funny, he's a fucking genius, and he has a kick ass cane. But... I guess I should get into a bit more detail.
One of the many things about House I love is the fact that you can tell that he's clashing with himself. This season's premiere, "Broken", showed this. He acts selfish and uncaring to the rest of the world, but by the end of the episode he has helped out almost every person in the mental hospital he's been stuck in all summer. And he feels great about it. He's a good person who's been hurt bad that hides his true, kinder-but-still-sarcastic self under the narcisisstic doctor we all know and love. And when he fails, he feels bad, not just because he couldn't solve the puzzle, but because he knows he let a life down. Further proof is why he was in the asylum in the first place... the hallucinations from last season.
Another reason is obvious. He's hilarious. Whether it's making a pass at Cuddy, giving Wilson a hard time, or criticizing his team, he always says something that I can't help but just laugh at. Or he does something like crack Wilson with the cane.
What is there that really needs to be explained about this? It's House. He's one of the greatest television personalities to ever exist. He's sarcastic, he's funny, he's a fucking genius, and he has a kick ass cane. But... I guess I should get into a bit more detail.
One of the many things about House I love is the fact that you can tell that he's clashing with himself. This season's premiere, "Broken", showed this. He acts selfish and uncaring to the rest of the world, but by the end of the episode he has helped out almost every person in the mental hospital he's been stuck in all summer. And he feels great about it. He's a good person who's been hurt bad that hides his true, kinder-but-still-sarcastic self under the narcisisstic doctor we all know and love. And when he fails, he feels bad, not just because he couldn't solve the puzzle, but because he knows he let a life down. Further proof is why he was in the asylum in the first place... the hallucinations from last season.
Another reason is obvious. He's hilarious. Whether it's making a pass at Cuddy, giving Wilson a hard time, or criticizing his team, he always says something that I can't help but just laugh at. Or he does something like crack Wilson with the cane.
Illyria (Angel)
Spoiler Alert: I figure that most people who would be interested in watching Angel would already know the character I'm about to explain, but if not, skip ahead. The character itself isn't majorly involved in any plot points, but her introduction into the series is pretty big. You've been warned.
I've recently finished watching all of the Buffy and Angel series...es...s... seriously, how do you make that plural? Whatever... Out of the entirety of both Buffy and Angel, I firmly believe Angel's final season was the absolute best, and a large part of that was the sad yet amazing appearance of the character of Illyria.
Illyria herself is one of the Old Ones, the original demons who ruled over Earth in the Buffyverse before the rise of humanity. She is revived towards the end of Season 5 by infecting the character Winifred Burckle, a real sweetheart who has recently begun a relationship with another character on the show. The process, unfortunately, kills her, and Illyria takes control of her body. Right from the start, I was thinking to myself "FUCK, I want her to die... can't wait to see how they manage this" thinking she was going to be, as they refer to it on both shows, the "Big Bad" of the season. But then, something unexpected happened.
She didn't go on a massive killing rampage. She sure as hell tried too, but when she found her long sealed away army, there was nothing left but dust. She then voluntarily gave herself over to Angel and Co., and they began to study her power and personality.
Her personality can be summed up as "Lawful Evil" for all you RPG fans out there. She is hell bent (get it?) on gaining her true power, which consists of god-like strength and time control, and taking control of Earth back. It is there, but weak, but if gradually returns. It just sort of almost... overloads. Her former form's boyfriend, Wesley, finds a way to drain it before she goes megaton on them, and after that she turns more inward, to the memories of Winifred she maintained during her takeover.
Winifred's parents, unaware of their daughters odd demise, come to visit. Wesley is about the break the news when she walks in the room with both the look and persona of Winifred. During this little "experiment" of hers, she instantly changes her demeanor back to Illyria when confronted by Wesley. (I'm mentioning this more to explain that the actress that plays her, Amy Acker, is amazing at changing her voice and character at a moment's notice without any editing.)
Her demon god self melding with the personality of the human she took over makes for one of the most interesting "coming to terms with your new self" things I've ever seen.
Spoiler Alert: I figure that most people who would be interested in watching Angel would already know the character I'm about to explain, but if not, skip ahead. The character itself isn't majorly involved in any plot points, but her introduction into the series is pretty big. You've been warned.
I've recently finished watching all of the Buffy and Angel series...es...s... seriously, how do you make that plural? Whatever... Out of the entirety of both Buffy and Angel, I firmly believe Angel's final season was the absolute best, and a large part of that was the sad yet amazing appearance of the character of Illyria.
Illyria herself is one of the Old Ones, the original demons who ruled over Earth in the Buffyverse before the rise of humanity. She is revived towards the end of Season 5 by infecting the character Winifred Burckle, a real sweetheart who has recently begun a relationship with another character on the show. The process, unfortunately, kills her, and Illyria takes control of her body. Right from the start, I was thinking to myself "FUCK, I want her to die... can't wait to see how they manage this" thinking she was going to be, as they refer to it on both shows, the "Big Bad" of the season. But then, something unexpected happened.
She didn't go on a massive killing rampage. She sure as hell tried too, but when she found her long sealed away army, there was nothing left but dust. She then voluntarily gave herself over to Angel and Co., and they began to study her power and personality.
Her personality can be summed up as "Lawful Evil" for all you RPG fans out there. She is hell bent (get it?) on gaining her true power, which consists of god-like strength and time control, and taking control of Earth back. It is there, but weak, but if gradually returns. It just sort of almost... overloads. Her former form's boyfriend, Wesley, finds a way to drain it before she goes megaton on them, and after that she turns more inward, to the memories of Winifred she maintained during her takeover.
Winifred's parents, unaware of their daughters odd demise, come to visit. Wesley is about the break the news when she walks in the room with both the look and persona of Winifred. During this little "experiment" of hers, she instantly changes her demeanor back to Illyria when confronted by Wesley. (I'm mentioning this more to explain that the actress that plays her, Amy Acker, is amazing at changing her voice and character at a moment's notice without any editing.)
Her demon god self melding with the personality of the human she took over makes for one of the most interesting "coming to terms with your new self" things I've ever seen.
Dr. James Wilson (House M.D.)
Like with the Chief, House's best (only) friend interests me less for his entire character and more for something else. I relate to him very easily. We're quite similar.
We both hate giving people bad news, but we do it, and we rarely give false hope. We both deal with annoying friends at times simply for the sake of the good times we have. In relationships (and sometimes out of them) we do things to please others without thinking of ourselves. And when it comes right down to it, we're good people, even if it sometimes doesn't seem so.
He's also different enough that I compare what he'd do in a situation to what I'd do. It's a very cool form of self reflection. I would actually recommend that everyone finds a fictional character that they can relate to in such a way.
Like with the Chief, House's best (only) friend interests me less for his entire character and more for something else. I relate to him very easily. We're quite similar.
We both hate giving people bad news, but we do it, and we rarely give false hope. We both deal with annoying friends at times simply for the sake of the good times we have. In relationships (and sometimes out of them) we do things to please others without thinking of ourselves. And when it comes right down to it, we're good people, even if it sometimes doesn't seem so.
He's also different enough that I compare what he'd do in a situation to what I'd do. It's a very cool form of self reflection. I would actually recommend that everyone finds a fictional character that they can relate to in such a way.
Kreia (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords)
Spoiler Alert: As with most things regarding either Knights of the Old Republic game, it is highly recommended you complete the game before reading anything about anything from it. If you want to play the games, and have a fresh mind with no knowledge of the time of KotOR, sorry, but don't read my #1. You'll be spoiling yourself for the greatest Star Wars character to ever exist.
Kreia. Darth Traya. The first and last teacher of Revan. Possibly, Arren Kae. She is known by many names, but mostly, during the time of The Dark Wars, she is known as simply a shadow. She hides herself from everyone but the Jedi Exile (the player character in KotOR II) and some of her (or his) companions. She teaches the Exile to reconnect with the Force, and in turn does the same for herself.
Kreia was once a powerful Jedi Master whose teachings were looked down on by the council. She often tried to point out that the Force cannot always be used. You must depend on your inherent, Force-less abilities sometimes. She was cast out for this during the time of the Mandalorian Wars. She then became the Sith Lord Darth Traya, Lord of Betrayal, and allied herself with Darth Sion, Lord of Pain, and Darth Nihilus, Lord of Hunger. Soon, they exiled her, and cut her off from the Force, in a similar fashion to what the Exile thought happened to her.
In order to not get too into her story, as that would take quite some time to explain, let me just get to the crutch of things... Kreia, though Sith, was wise beyond most Jedi. She was not cruel and heartless. She did not want to just destroy the Jedi.
"I use it as I would use a poison, and in the hopes of understanding it, I will learn the way to kill it. But perhaps these are the excuses of an old woman who has grown to rely on a thing she despises."
-Darth Traya on the Force
She only used the Force as a means to an end, that end being the complete disconnection of the Force from the galaxy. This is ironic because she was an incredibly powerful Force user. She could delve into the minds of people who trained against such tricks, and could control three lightsabers at once with telekinesis. Just check out the picture. That isn't there just to look cool.
Here's another quote:
"If you seek to aid everyone that suffers in the galaxy, you will only weaken yourself... and weaken them. It is the internal struggles, when fought and won on their own, that yield the strongest rewards. You stole that struggle from them, cheapened it. If you care for others, then dispense with pity and sacrifice and recognize the value in letting them fight their own battles. And when they triumph, they will be even stronger for the victory."
-Kreia to the Jedi Exile
This may sound like some cruel view of life, but it's very true. If you help someone, help them fight their battles, don't fight the battles for them.
...
*sigh*
You know, I really thought I'd be able to explain things better than this, but I really can't do Kreia justice. So I'll just say this. If you haven't played KotOR II, and you like Star Wars (hell, even if you don't), play it. Actually, play both. You'll see why Kreia is so awesome for yourself when you go through the games.
Spoiler Alert: As with most things regarding either Knights of the Old Republic game, it is highly recommended you complete the game before reading anything about anything from it. If you want to play the games, and have a fresh mind with no knowledge of the time of KotOR, sorry, but don't read my #1. You'll be spoiling yourself for the greatest Star Wars character to ever exist.
Kreia. Darth Traya. The first and last teacher of Revan. Possibly, Arren Kae. She is known by many names, but mostly, during the time of The Dark Wars, she is known as simply a shadow. She hides herself from everyone but the Jedi Exile (the player character in KotOR II) and some of her (or his) companions. She teaches the Exile to reconnect with the Force, and in turn does the same for herself.
Kreia was once a powerful Jedi Master whose teachings were looked down on by the council. She often tried to point out that the Force cannot always be used. You must depend on your inherent, Force-less abilities sometimes. She was cast out for this during the time of the Mandalorian Wars. She then became the Sith Lord Darth Traya, Lord of Betrayal, and allied herself with Darth Sion, Lord of Pain, and Darth Nihilus, Lord of Hunger. Soon, they exiled her, and cut her off from the Force, in a similar fashion to what the Exile thought happened to her.
In order to not get too into her story, as that would take quite some time to explain, let me just get to the crutch of things... Kreia, though Sith, was wise beyond most Jedi. She was not cruel and heartless. She did not want to just destroy the Jedi.
"I use it as I would use a poison, and in the hopes of understanding it, I will learn the way to kill it. But perhaps these are the excuses of an old woman who has grown to rely on a thing she despises."
-Darth Traya on the Force
She only used the Force as a means to an end, that end being the complete disconnection of the Force from the galaxy. This is ironic because she was an incredibly powerful Force user. She could delve into the minds of people who trained against such tricks, and could control three lightsabers at once with telekinesis. Just check out the picture. That isn't there just to look cool.
Here's another quote:
"If you seek to aid everyone that suffers in the galaxy, you will only weaken yourself... and weaken them. It is the internal struggles, when fought and won on their own, that yield the strongest rewards. You stole that struggle from them, cheapened it. If you care for others, then dispense with pity and sacrifice and recognize the value in letting them fight their own battles. And when they triumph, they will be even stronger for the victory."
-Kreia to the Jedi Exile
This may sound like some cruel view of life, but it's very true. If you help someone, help them fight their battles, don't fight the battles for them.
...
*sigh*
You know, I really thought I'd be able to explain things better than this, but I really can't do Kreia justice. So I'll just say this. If you haven't played KotOR II, and you like Star Wars (hell, even if you don't), play it. Actually, play both. You'll see why Kreia is so awesome for yourself when you go through the games.
EDIT: The lists don't have to be something serious. As long as you give reason with your choices and as long as your list isn't something crude like "Top 5 Sex Scenes in Film... With Video!" then go for it. Make something fun. It's what this thread is meant for =D