So, Diane of Dashoff has this lovely thing she’s gotten me into called Girl Talk Thursday. I don’t plan to do it every week, but the one for this week is so much fun I just had to try it out for myself.
The topic this week is which five fictional characters you’ve always had a thing for. Being a huge book nerd (and movie nerd) I, of course, started chomping at the keyboard to share mine so here goes!
1. Louis from Interview with the Vampire.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt at all that Brad Pitt played him in the movie, but I loved him in the book. So brooding! So passionate! So tortured! He made Twilight’s Edward look like a chump.
2. Harry Dresden from Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files.
Ok, this guy is amazing. Honorable, brave, courageous, tall, powerful, and funny. What is not to love? He thinks nothing of sacrificing his time and safety for others, and continually shows incredible moral fortitude.
3. Dr. Gregory House from House, M.D.
Ok, he’s cagey alright but he has a delicious squishy middle that I can’t get enough of. Intelligent, witty, and talented (at diagnostics and music!), he is awesome to watch but I fully admit he’d probably irreparably hurt my feelings in real life.
4. Roland Deschain from Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series.
In the series, Roland is a gunslinger from a time before “the world moved on.” He’s romantic in that he’s honorable and chivalrous in a world that has forsaken manners. He’s also a ruthless, cold-hearted son-of-a-gun who’s seen more tragedy and loss than one hundred people.
5. James Bond, specifically from Casino Royale.
Laying aside the fact that this is a fantastic movie all around, the James Bond in this film is so deliciously flawed and vulnerable that it gets me every time. When he says to Vesper “I have no armor left, you’ve stripped it from me. Whatever is left of me – whatever I am – I’m yours” it just rips my heart out.
I fully admit that every single guy on this list is tortured and brooding in some way. This amuses me to no small extent because I married and am deeply in love with the most loving, emotionally well-adjusted man I’ve ever met. Just goes to show you, I adore all of these guys on paper/screen, but they would all drive me bananas if they were real.
I suppose that’s the point of fiction, then, isn’t it? To give our minds a chance to go beyond the confines of reality.
(for Kindle)
(printed book)
12 comments
Comment by Diane on November 12, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I’m a sucker for Sean Connery’s Bond, myself. I haven’t seen any of the Daniel Craig movies yet, but I definitely plan to.
ROFLing at Louis making Edward look like a chump.
Comment by Erika on November 12, 2009 at 4:57 pm
-Diane, Seriously! Louis makes Edward look like that kid in high school who thinks he’s tortured and misunderstood because he put on some guyliner and his parents had the audacity to suggest he might want to shower more often and get a haircut.
The Daniel Craig Bond movies are terrific, they completely resuscitate the series.
Comment by Corina on November 12, 2009 at 8:20 pm
You won some points with my hubby for Harry Dresden. I think he would be on his five too.
Comment by Maria on November 12, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Is Harry Dresden from a book series?
Comment by Kelly on November 12, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Your description of Louis followed by Erika’s description is priceless. I loved Louis. Maybe he’s the reason I just can’t get into Edward.
Comment by Erika on November 12, 2009 at 10:42 pm
-Corina, Ha! Your husband’s a Dresden fan as well, then? Glad to hear it! I wouldn’t blame him at all if Harry was on his five :)
-Maria, He sure is! Jim Butcher writes this marvelous (and I do mean marvelous, as it is full of marvels) series called “The Dresden Files” and they are SUPERB. They’re well-written, the characters are well-rounded, flawed enough to be believable, and set in a world that is so tangible you have to continually remind yourself it’s not real. And Harry Dresden is the glue that holds the whole thing together.
-Kelly, DUDE. Yeah, Louis RUINED Edward for me. The whole time Edward is prancing around saying he’s tormented because Bella is mortal I’m ranting in my head about what a poser he is. Was Edward’s wife and daughter taken away from him? Did he fall in love with a woman trapped in a child’s body?! Does he have an existential crisis every time he eats?!?!?!? THEN WHY IS HE BROODING?!
Ahem. Clearly, I have strong opinions on the topic.
Comment by Melissa Dominic on November 13, 2009 at 7:51 am
My friend lent me a Dresden book! I’ve read a bit, but man, Thanks for reminding me how I need to finish it.
Comment by Erika on November 13, 2009 at 8:25 am
-Melissa, I thought the series started off a mite slow, but OH MY GOSH do they get better. I have some time off coming up soon and I have it in my head to re-read the whole series start to finish. Good luck!
Comment by Blanche on November 13, 2009 at 9:00 am
We watched Twilight last night and I couldn’t help giggling at how awful Edward and Bella are. (It just goes to show how much of a cold-hearted bitch I am that I rolled my eyes at his “you are my life” speech; then after the movie DH says that was one of his favorite parts. Guess who’s the romantic in our family?)
@Diane – Sean Connery’s Bond makes me swoon. I’m not a fan of Daniel Craig’s Bond. Too tortured, not suave or tall enough for my tastes.
Who else? The vampire Eric Northman from “True Blood” (he owns Fangtasia in both the HBO series and book versions). Seeley Booth from Bones. (Apparently I am drawn to alpha-men; and that would be why Edward fails in my eyes.)
Comment by Erika on November 13, 2009 at 9:28 am
-Blanche, LOL, my favorite awful part of the movie is at the end in the hospital when Bella just starts sputtering and spitting out half-words of outrage for a full minute. That always cracks me up.
I don’t think that makes you cold-hearted, I just think you realize that Edward saying that to Bella mere months after they’ve met for the first time is indicative of how shallow and unhealthy their relationship is.
I think Craig’s Bond is just the right amount of tortured! I apparently like my fictional men tortured and brooding and grumpy.
Seeley Booth ALMOST made it to my list, but I took him off because he’s just so smitten with Bones. I don’t need that kind of fictional competition.
Comment by Blanche on November 17, 2009 at 7:20 am
DH watched Quantum of Solace last night – Daniel Craig just isn’t my favorite. But I also think the writing/direction of the movies has changed from slightly cheesy to a more serious approach, so it’s not entirely his fault. The blond-ness is though. Bond should not be blonde.
When the DVD ended and we switched back the the tv channels, Dante’s Peak with Pierce Brosnan was on the screen. At which I breathed a deep sigh of relief (and lust) and DH and I agreed that he was a better Bond than Craig.
Perhaps we need to agree to disagree on this?
Comment by Erika on November 17, 2009 at 10:26 am
-Blanche, The new Bond movies are definitely more serious and I LURVE them for that. I never cared for Pierce as Bond, mostly just because I honestly couldn’t buy him as a hardcore spy who thought nothing of killing people.
I guess this is why they change up the Bonds, though, eh? To give everyone a little something they can appreciate!