Which is your favourite fictional character?

Long John Silver because "Thems that dies will be the lucky ones."

Darth Vader.

The man reeked of cool. Still does.

Honorable mention: Speed Racer (what a surprise)

Sherlock Holmes. The character has captivated me since I was a ten-year-old. His eccentricities, his intellect, the way he's devoted every ounce of his energy to his chosen profession all make him a fascinating character. Also, the balance Conan Doyle created between the genius main character and his narrator, Watson, who is not a stupid man by any means, despite what some movies show, was a brilliant way of pulling the reader into the stories without trying to describe exactly what was going on in Holmes' mind all the time. Holmes' world was the first fictional setting that really made me feel like I had been completely transported to another time and place. Twenty-five years later, he's still my favorite character whether I'm going back to reread the original stories or watching one of the many movies or TV versions (many of which are very good) or working on the character myself which I've been lucky to have been asked to do more than once.

It's funny. If I'd been asked to choose, say, five favorite characters, I'd have a hard time narrowing such a list down, but to just pick one was easy. The top spot belongs to Holmes without a doubt.

Have to be the Nexis 6 in Blade Runner. His evolution from a brutal assassin to a being so damn aware of the human condition, the frailty and uniqueness of each person. His last line "I've seen things you humans can't imagine... and all those memories will vanish like tears in rain when I'm gone." Even as a kid before I saw the movie adaptive to Dick's short SF "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep", I was pondering the same irony of our lives. It was the spark that ignited my desire to write.

Not sure if I have a favorite, but I'm quite fond of Niles Crane!

"While dressing for the evening, she suddenly slumped down on the edge of the bed in her half-slip and sighed. I knew then that dinner was not to be."

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Duncan Idaho for some reason. How many times can they bring the dude back?

It's a toss-up between Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax. Because they're probably the best female role models evuh.

And an excerpt of Nanny Ogg's favorite song...

...With a giraffe if you stand on a chair
But the hedgehog can never be buggered at all

I mean, how can you not love her.

Cobra Commander, specifically as Larry Hama writes him. He has perfected tripping himself up with his own character flaws and digging himself deeper into any hole he lands in. He started out a guy with a straightforward quest for revenge and it spiralled totally out of his control, and he's never going to admit that. Nearly every goal he ever sets goes the same way in micro, but in a more subtle way than some other versions; these are human failings, not stupid mistakes. Plus his dialogue is, from a writing standpoint, downright admirable. He never falls into a comfortable autopilot pattern of just being snarky, just being quirky, just making speeches; nor does Hama ever correlate "serious threat" with "high body count and kitten eating." Hama's Commander is, ironically enough, never cartoonishly evil. *g*

Quantum1019 said:

It's funny. If I'd been asked to choose, say, five favorite characters, I'd have a hard time narrowing such a list down, but to just pick one was easy.

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Same here.

The first person that came to mind when I saw the question was Aiken Drum from the pliocene saga by Julian May. Has anyone ever reas those books?

Honorable mention:

Tyrion Lannister ( A Song of Fire and Ice Series)
Nick Andros(the Stand)

I'm terrified that one day you guys are goning to realize my incredible love for Stephen King and kick me out cause he's not "literary" enough *hides in fear*

Don't worry. We love the King here.

I can't pick just one. One of my more unusual favorites (I imagine) is Mary Crawford from Mansfield Park. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know her charms are supposed to lose their grip on me over the course of the novel, but they don't, so there. That's an even bigger triumph for Austen, if you think about it.

Of characters I love because I'm like them, I fear I must point out my avatar -- the guy hiding behind the blonde, that is.

Spike Spiegel.

There's something about a character who does close to impossible things, then lights up a cigarette and walks away like nothing just happened.

My brain kind of seized up in fear at this question, but I think Vlad Taltos from Steven Brust's novels is at the very least a top contender.

Fiddler from Malazan Books of the Fallen, or Baudolino from Baudolino (cause you could never tell when he was telling the truth or lying) by Umberto Eco. Can't make up my mind.

Difficult question. I think it's Edmund, from King Lear. My heart went out to him because of the way he's treated merely for being illegitimate. As if he had any control over that! As if it mattered....

Bless.

Miles Vorkosigan - major physical defects, but wins anyway.

And then there's Scarlett O'Hara.

Lord Henry from Dorian Gray

Gianelli from Thinner

Angel and Louis from Connolly's Charlie Parker books

I'll go with Mickey and Mallory Knox from Natural Born Killers. There are lots of other characters I love, but they've been consistently towards the top of the list ever since I first saw the movie 12 years ago, and my fascination with them has had a huge influence on my own writing and character development. They're the ultimate anti-heroes--spree killers who kill at random and generally without remorse. Yet they have their own twisted sense of morality ( "You killed life!" ) and by the end the audience is desperate to see them get away with it. They turn us against ourselves, making us cheer the very acts we're supposed to abhor.

But every single character I considered for this response, from Sweeney Todd to Inquisitor Glokta (First Law trilogy) to Hannibal Lector, are characters who did despicable things with little or no remorse, but were so incredibly awesome that they made me want them to have a happy ending anyway. Anyone can make a nice character sympathetic. Making people cheer the killers and cannibals takes real talent.

Indiana Jones. Just cuz he's so damn cool.

Uh oh, this is harder than I thought it would be...

I very rarely read books more than once, so the character has to make a massive impression on me to make my favourites list. I guess Kineas from Christian Cameron's Tyrant series could qualify...

Currently reading Game of Thrones and I'm liking Tyrion Lannister more all the time

Jayne Cobb. Although in fairness, most of the Firefly characters would make a top-ten list.

Acheron Parthenopaeus

He's from Sherrilyn Kenyon's 'Dark Hunter' series.... He's just the most ultimate hottest guy lol. Just something about him I love.

Used to be Anita Blake from Laurel K Hamilton's series of the same name, but after seeing the way Laurel treats her fans, and discovering Sherrilyn Kenyon I stopped liking her as much.

Jonathan Dalar said:

Jayne Cobb. Although in fairness, most of the Firefly characters would make a top-ten list.

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Well, if everyone's doing TV characters...

Mal Reynolds. Or Richard Castle. Or Mal. Rick. No Mal. Can I have both? And I mean... yeah. Can I?

And Khal Drogo! Obviously. That goes without saying.

Atticus Finch and Charlotte (Charlotte's Web) because they inspire.

Holden Caulfield and Billy Straight because they resonate.