Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Wednesday Factoid: Fandoms

Today's Wednesday Factoid is: List your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with.

Believe it or not I kinda hate questions like this, but.

I consider myself a part of very few "fandoms." To me, being "in a fandom" means you like a thing and then participate in celebration of that thing in some way--meaning you don't just consume the thing but you have contributed to or interacted with its fan content in some meaningful way, and that this is a somewhat regular thing for you. I don't do that with most of the stuff I like, even if I really like it. So I guess I'll just pick out a short list of stuff I'd consider myself a "big fan" of (like, that I would buy or have bought merchandise associated with it, I guess), and I'll name the character I identify with and why.

Adventure Time: Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum. She's really driven by her own passions that most people around her don't get; she feels no obligation to return romantic attention just because someone likes her, and demonstrates this repeatedly; and she created an empire and populated it, and then got kind of crushed under the responsibility she brought upon herself. Let's say I relate.



Animaniacs: Yakko--mostly because I just like him, but he's also an eldest sibling of three who talks a lot and loves to sing, so yeah.

Animorphs: My favorite character is Jake, but I relate most to Cassie. She's empathetic and sometimes makes the dumber decision because of mercy and compassion.

Artemis Fowl: Holly Short. She's used to being underestimated and doesn't let that stop her, and has proved herself many times.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: I guess it's gotta be Katara. She's not my favorite character, but I've been in her shoes trying to be the moral compass for a group.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra: Jinora. Again, it's an eldest child thing, and she's a bookworm, and she established herself as an early master through an interesting mixture of following established wisdom and inventing her own techniques.


Digimon: I guess Sora from season 1 is the one I most relate to, though I think Rika from season 3 is my favorite character. Sora does the same kind of stuff Cassie from Animorphs does--makes some kind of overall not-so-great decisions because she thinks she's protecting others.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: Gotta go with Penny? She's more idealistic than I am, I think, but our hearts are in the same place.

Eyeshield 21: Sena Kobayakawa. He's talented, but he has to work really hard and demonstrate dedication before it will be useful to anyone. Hiruma is my favorite character but I'm definitely not very much like him.

Gravity Falls: Mabel! She's silly as hell and has her own personal style, collects her own band of misfits, and caves to idealism over cynicism every time.


Harry Potter: I guess Hermione because I've definitely been the know-it-all in a few groups and I share her frustration over that awful thing where you have to drag your teammates through all the steps of doing it right.

His Dark Materials: Mary Malone. Not that I ever became a scientist after being a nun. I think I wouldn't have done what she did so much as I understand very intimately why she did.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: I don't really relate to anybody in particular, so let's just say Arthur Dent, because I've been in that position many times where I wish the foolishness would just stop for long enough to have a friggin' cup of tea.

House, M.D.: Let's go with Dr. Cameron. She does a lot of stuff I would never do and never want to do, but I kinda relate to (again) that "being the moral center for the group" thing, keeping people in touch with the humanity aspect of their decisions.

The Hunger Games: I relate to Katniss Everdeen. I don't believe, as she does, that love gives a person a weakness, but her perspective on doing something because she can where others can't resonates with me, and the fact that so many people are way more preoccupied with her romantic life than she is feels familiar to me too.

Kodomo No Omocha: I guess I relate to Sana the most? But not particularly strongly? She has a good heart, but there's this mischievous aspect to her (and a related element of need for justice) that I really enjoy.

Invader Zim: Oh, let's just say Gaz, because she wants everyone to STFU so she can play with her video games. Who cares if there's an alien?

Lord of the Rings: Aw, I relate to Frodo the most. Sometimes I do feel like when I have a central mission that others are depending on me to complete, I will put myself at risk to get it done because it's the right thing to do. And sometimes that kind of screws you up forever, but the alternative is unthinkable.

Mahou Tsukai Tai: I dunno really, I guess I'd like to say Sae because she tries really hard and is earnest about it, but I kinda get Akane too--she knows exactly what she's doing and is surprisingly competent at it for someone with no real instruction, but she's not all that invested in the thing personally.

Red Dwarf: Everyone's kind of too ridiculous for me to say anything meaningful here, but why don't I go with Rimmer? Just because I've been the asshole with steam shooting out of their ears because their roommate is obnoxious.

Rent: Mark. He documents everything, and sometimes lets that interfere with experiencing it. Sometimes that's me.

 
Sandman: That's a hard one. I find everyone pretty fascinating but I'm not very much like any of them. I guess I'll go with Death because she has a difficult job and manages to do it with a smile.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: How about Klaus because he reads to find out how to do things.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast: I just love this show but nobody on it is relatable to me. I'll just say Zorak because he's the musician and a big fan of snark, which I have been known to engage in.

Steven Universe: Everybody knows my answer to this, jeez! I may not be a seven-foot-tall queer space rock with a sweet afro but I relate to Garnet probably more than just about any other character I've ever "met." Mostly because she knows when and how to speak to help others (though unlike me she doesn't say much otherwise), dives into the line of fire to protect others because she knows she can take it, and is independent and self-sufficient--the one who has her crap together. And she's responsive to emotional appeals and is quick to make amends if she's unintentionally hurt someone. And she's no-nonsense when shutting down unwanted romantic interest.


Tenchi Muyo: I guess it's Ryoko, but I'm not sure why exactly--we're not much alike, and she's brash and selfish. Maybe it's just her passion and some of her protectiveness that I'm responding to.

The Tick: Arthur? I'm not really a sidekick type, but I've been the person in the everyday world who just wants to wear a super suit, and I have to say I relate to his battle cry: "Not in the face! Not in the face!"

Welcome to Night Vale: Uhhhhhh. Hard to say but Tamika Flynn might be my answer here, just 'cause she became a dangerous force to reckon with through what she absorbed from books. This does not mean I condone killing librarians. She's suffered for her cause and been beaten down for it, but that didn't stop her from continuing to be an inspiration and a leader. I try to do that.

Wicked: Nobody really strongly, but I guess it would be Elphaba since she's felt like a black sheep and built a life around it after being punished for the good she'd done and realizing she had nothing to lose. I can be idealistic like that sometimes.

A lot of the time the characters I relate to the most are also my favorite characters, but I've also noticed I find characters who are utterly unlike me to be incredibly compelling too. When they're both relatable to me and really awesome, that's the best combination. :)

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