Top 10 Characters

I was tagged in a Tumblr meme to list my 10 favorite characters from any media. The catch is that I can't repeat franchises; only one character per "thing."

In no particular order:

1. Jude Duarte from the Folk of the Air series

I love how absolutely ruthless Jude is. How determined. How she's willing to go to such dark, self-destructive depths in order to win. She's been at a disadvantage since childhood, being a human in a world of immortal, powerful fey, and she's survived by becoming hard and cruel. She's dark in a way most female protaganists aren't "allowed" to be-- there is nothing she wouldn't do to achieve her ends. I love how she doesn't let romance rule her. She has feelings for "the enemy," but she wants the crown more. I relate to her because I, too, am the youngest of three sisters, and while we often fight, I would still die or kill for my siblings.
Nov 17 2021 Update: I absolutely hated what book #3 did to Jude's character. Hated it so much that I no longer read Holly Black books and I'm going to be changing this slot soon. I'm thinking either El from "Scholomance" or Zetian from "Iron Widow."

2. Georgia Mason from the Newsflesh series

Georgia is such a badass. I don't JUST love her aesthetic (caffeine-swigging, sleep-deprived journalist who doesn't have time for makeup or dressing up; she's too busy hunting zombies and unearthing truths), but I love how smart she is, and how unwilling she is to let injustice rest. She has a passion, and she's not going to let a society of fear stand in her way. (And there's one other aspect of her character that appeals to a more disgusting side of my tastes...)

3. Kaz Brekker from the Six of Crows duology [x]

Dirtyhands; the Bastard of the Barell; leader of the Dregs. A demon in the shape of a boy, with gloves up to his elbows and a crow's-head cane. I might be a wee bit predictable. All of the things I like about Jude Duarte's personality are the same things I like about Kaz. Kaz is willing to GO THERE, and then some. He'll carve out the eyeballs of people who mess with his crew, and he'll do it with a smile. He'll threaten the lives of children's dogs, and take on an entire gang in a fight for dominance. He does it all for his twisting plans and schemes; always one step ahead of everyone else. Like the author, he's physically disabled with mobility issues. His PTSD is another disability in itself, too. He's very much impacted by these things, and still he comes out on top again and again. (And to this day, he has the single MOST romantic line I've EVER heard in my life: “I would have come for you. And if I couldn't walk, I'd crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we'd fight our way out together-- knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that's what we do. We never stop fighting.” Guys, if someone said this to me, I think I'd just fall down dead on the spot. It's TOO GOOD; TOO MUCH. How can you NOT love him??? Need me a freak like this.)

4. Isuzu "Rin" Sohma from Fruits Basket

Fruba is a tale of fourteen very abused, isolated people learning to take control of their lives and break away from their toxic family.

Isuzu is my favorite of those fourteen. She's suffered the most physical abuse out of everyone in the family, and still she holds her head high and defiant. She's not willing to wait for her curse to break, or to wallow in the hopelessness that it never will, like all the rest of her cousins. No; SHE'S going to go out and break it herself if it KILLS her, and it very well might. Most importantly, she makes it very clear that she's under no obligation to EVER forgive her abusers. (I get really sick of media that says you have to do just that. No; you very much don't.) She will rebuild her life without ever having to eat that crow.

5. Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road (It was REALLY hard to choose between her and Max. They're Dad Max and Momiosa; why would you ever make me choose???)

MM:FR is a tale of reclaiming what was stolen from you; your life, your name, your body. It's a narrative that combats toxic masculinity to its very core. TAKE A SIP OF THAT TASTY, BODILY AUTONOMY-SUPPORTING FEMINISM, BABES.

I have never loved Charlize Theron as much as I did when she BECAME Furiosa. She just embraced this character. Every flick of her eyes, every tilt of her head, every set of her jaw conveyed the story of a woman who'd had Enough, and no more was she going to take it. She'd win, or she'd die trying, but either way, she and Joe's wives were NOT going back to begging for water at a misogynistic pig's feet.

Furiosa is the person I most try to embody when I need strength and courage. I love her more than air.

6. Wanda Maximoff from X-Men: Evolution (IT WAS REALLY HARD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HER, HER DAD, AND HER BROTHER. I JUST REALLY LOVE THE WHOLE FAM, OKAY?!?!)

For those unused to the nonlinear format of American comics, I advise people to think of them like myths and legends, rather than proper stories. The characters exist, and the Big Names that own them (Marvel, DC, etc), loan them out like children sharing their toys. No two writers will write the same stories, relationships, plots. Their personalities and backstories will change a little with every re-telling. Personally, I love Wanda best when she is the Jewish/Romani daughter of Magda Maximoff and Magneto, but that's just me.

I say all this to explain why I love Evo's iteration of Wanda in PARTICULAR. This Wanda is angry, vengeful, butch, queer-coded, and determined never to be caged again. She THINKS she HATES her father and her brother... Right until the very end, when she comes so close to losing them forever.

What can I say? I like tragedy, I like angst, and I like family bonds so strong that love still miraculously survives, even in the depths of hatred. (Plus, Wanda is arguably the most powerful mutant in the series; stronger even than her father. She's just badass, okay? Leave me alone.)

7. Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series

See my #4 and #9 entries for more on why I personally need characters who are "bad" abuse survivors in my life. I was a child when I grew attached to Severus; I still own a copy of Sorcerer's Stone where I drew little hearts around every mention of his name. I had so many intricite fantasies where I worked in his classroom as an assistant, and he protected me from the people who were hurting me. My love for him is very personal, and yes, I do get defensive when people hate on him.

Severus could not be any more of an obvious abuse survivor if he TRIED. He lashes out to protect himself. He is outright triggered by the mere implication that he is cowardly (he is, in fact, the bravest man in the series). He isn't a "good" teacher, but to his credit, he was forced into a job he hated at the tender age of 21. I, too, am an introvert who hates spending time in the company of other people-- If I was forced to interact with children all day every day, I'd be pretty dang grumpy, too.

I'm not saying people SHOULD like him-- to each, their own. I'm just saying Snape faces an extreme amount of hatred online that truly baffles me. I love that he's brave and self-sacrificing. I love that his selfless love for Lily (no, he wasn't an "incel," do you people even know what that word means???) lasted nearly two decades after her death-- I too am a "mate for life" type of penguin. I love that he's an absolute prodigy with potions, and he COULD'VE been a billionaire doing work he loved, had Dumbledore not stuck him in daycare as some weird sort of punishment. (I hate Dumbledore so much...)

No, Snape isn't "nice," but who cares? He's smart and competent and he gets shit done. Snape is the ultimate redemption arc, in that he was willing to keep going year after year while nobody ever understood or extended a single hand of kindness to him. His life was pretty much a tragedy from start to finish, and because of him, the war was won; a better world that he never lived to see was allowed to bloom.

8. Chloe Price from Life is Strange

Chloe is, in a lot of ways, the stereotypical rebellious teen. She's wild! Out of control! She drinks and sleeps around with people of any gender and gets high and steals guns! She's... She's free in the way all of us nerdy kids WISH we'd been as teens. Or, at the very least, who we WISH our FRIENDS were.

Because Chloe IS an amazing friend. She's loyal to a fault (loyalty is the one trait I prize above all others). Whether you play the game as her platonic friend or her romantic interest,
she'll go to any length to defend and keep you... Or to avenge you. She'll get you into the worst trouble, but then she'll still be right there to get you back out again.

There's a vulnerability, a raw honesty to Chloe, that really resonates with me. She's a wolfdog; misunderstood and untamed. I just love her. I wish I could explain it better than that.

9. Jessica Jones from Netflix's "Jessica Jones"

Often in media, rape survivors are presented in a way I just can't relate to: they're waifish and tragic, suffering beautifully, crying quietly. That's not what I'm like, and it's not what Jessica is like, either.

Jessica is a breath of fresh air. Jessica is angry. Jessica demands vengance. Jessica drinks and swears and sleeps with people she shouldn't sleep with. Jessica throws punches and runs away from her problems. Jessica says "screw you; I'm not a victim. I'm a survivor." She dares you to feel sorry for her. Just TRY it.

And yet despite ALL that, she's still a hero. She still pushes herself to injury and madness to keep everyone, even people she doesn't like, safe. And do not get me STARTED on her protective friendship with Trish... I JUST WANT THEM TO GET MARRIED AND BE HAPPY AND HEAL TOGETHER. (sobs)

10. Homura Akemi from Puella Magi Madoka Magika

I debated a lot on what character should fill the final slot... But something reminded me lately of this series, and then my choice was obvious.

Homura is so loyal it almost destroys the earth. She's self-sacrificing (in that she's agreed to sacrifice her entire life existing in a time loop, trying time and again to find SOME way to save the girl she loves. Failing hundreds on THOUSANDS of times, without anyone in the world knowing what she's doing or why.

She's bitter and cruel on the outside to hide how hurt, how fractured she is inside. She's exhausted and desperate and pushed to her very limits time and time again.

Basically, she couldn't be any more "my type" if she was written specifically FOR ME. I love that angst and star-crossed love, yo. (And also she's pale and has long dark hair. LEAVE ME ALONE, I'm gay.)

PMMM is a series about the way society uses girls while simultaneously ignoring their value. It takes the true horror of that concept and elevates it to an extreme, sci-fi conclusion. It's only 12 episodes long and, artistically speaking, the animation and score is breathtaking. And it's on Crunchyroll for free! I highly recommend it to everyone; especially anyone interested in animation as a career.

... Alright, that's it; that's my list. Go home now.