Character meme

[owlmoose]

Haven't done an interactive fandomy meme in awhile, and this one looks interesting. Ganked from hinikuish and lucil_luzzu. (Note! There are now spoilers for Fruits Basket #17 in comments.)

Choose a character from a fandom that I know--video game, movie, book, tv show, etc.--and I'll answer the questions below.

1) What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her. Likewise if you dislike the character.
2) Is he/she important to the general plot?
3) Can you relate to this character at all? Do they grip you emotionally?
4) How much do you like the fandom that this character comes from?
5) Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by their relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)
6) Is there anything about the character you would change? (Personality wise, not anything pertaining to the plot.)
7) If you were in the fandom with this character, how do you see yourself interacting with him/her? (Would you get along well? Fall in love with? Dislike? Friendly rivalry? etc etc)
8) Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or most hated?
9) Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about (if you dislike) to someone who's new to the fandom?
10) Is this character popular with the fanbase?

Comments

[lucil-luzzu.livejournal.com]

I was going to say Auron, but I'll say Paine instead (and Wakka, if you feel like it) ^_^

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Paine

1) What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her. Likewise if you dislike the character.
Loved her from the very beginning of the game, and still do. Why? Many of the same reasons as Auron, actually -- the mystery, the backstory, the lines. I want to know what's going on in her head. I like that she's tough but caring, blunt but secretive.

2) Is he/she important to the general plot?
Given that she's one of only three player characters and that her subplot turns out to be one of the main drivers of the game, I'd say she is.

3) Can you relate to this character at all? Do they grip you emotionally?
I can relate to her somewhat, since I've been the outsider many times in my life. Emotionally, definitely, and more so as we learned her backstory; the kind of betrayal she had to face was compelling to me.

4) How much do you like the fandom that this character comes from?
Although FFX was a better game than FFX-2, and ultimately it remains my favorite, I have a deep and abiding love for X-2, even with all its flaws. I wish it got more respect in the FF fandom and in fandom at large.

5) Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by their relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)
Hmm, I wonder. ;)

No, okay, I'll state the obvious. Paine/Nooj is my OTP, not just of the FFX-2 fandom but of all fandoms. Not that I don't love other 'ships, I do, but this is the 'ship that claims the largest share of my attention and support. As for secondary pairings, I've also written Paine/Baralai, Paine/Rikku (but I can only ever see that as a fling), and Paine/Buddy. But I can only see her in other relationships if Nooj is somehow out of the picture. Platonically, I find Paine's relationships with her two groups of friends equally compelling. The bond between the CS4 is wonderful, and I love seeing them together both before and after the game. And YRP is an excellent group as well, although it's a very different dynamic.

6) Is there anything about the character you would change? (Personality wise, not anything pertaining to the plot.)
She'd probably be better off if she could open up to her friends a little more.

7) If you were in the fandom with this character, how do you see yourself interacting with him/her? (Would you get along well? Fall in love with? Dislike? Friendly rivalry? etc etc)
Good question. I think, assuming we could both break through our reserve and find things to talk about, that we'd get along well. But finding common ground might be a challenge.

8) Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or most hated?
Yes. Absolutely. Top ten for sure, possibly also top five.

9) Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about (if you dislike) to someone who's new to the fandom?
I am more than happy to talk up Paine and defend her.

10) Is this character popular with the fanbase?
Yes. She has her detractors, but overall I'd say she's fairly well liked. Ironically, I think people who played the game but didn't like it are more likely to be fond of her than people who loved the game.

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Wakka

1) What is your opinion of this character? If you like, explain why you like him/her. Likewise if you dislike the character.
I like Wakka even if he is a jock and a religious fundamentalist. He's genuinely good-hearted; he just doesn't like change, and he likes to know who the good guys and the bad guys are. Which makes him basically a regular guy. I appreciate that about him.

2) Is he/she important to the general plot?
An important secondary character, I'd say. He's more there to react than to act.

3) Can you relate to this character at all? Do they grip you emotionally?
I can't relate to him much, but his emotional arc does grab me. Here's someone who's had to question every single thing he's ever believed, and how do you deal with that? It's interesting to see him face it and come out the other side.

4) How much do you like the fandom that this character comes from?
See above.

5) Do you ship this character with any other character? Or, are you particularly intrigued by their relationship with any other character(s)? (romance-wise or platonic)
I always liked the idea of Wakka/Rikku, from the first time I played the game. The idea of worlds colliding, and of Wakka being forced to face his prejudices on an even *more* personal level than he already was, intrigued me a lot, and I think they have a fun dynamic. I also liked the connection between Wakka and Lulu in FFX, which I saw as a younger brother-older sister relationship, and I wish we had seen more of how that evolved into romance between the games -- I think that would have been interesting.

6) Is there anything about the character you would change? (Personality wise, not anything pertaining to the plot.)
His stubbornness, if anything, although in some ways it also served him well.

7) If you were in the fandom with this character, how do you see yourself interacting with him/her? (Would you get along well? Fall in love with? Dislike? Friendly rivalry? etc etc)
Depends on whether we were on the same side of an issue. I could see enjoying his company and I could see getting really tired of arguing with him but not getting anywhere.

8) Does this character make the cut as one of your all time favorites (if you like) or most hated?
I like him, but I don't think he'd quite make the all-time list.

9) Would you hype up this character (if you like) or warn about (if you dislike) to someone who's new to the fandom?
I don't know that I'd hype him, but I wouldn't put him down either.

10) Is this character popular with the fanbase?
This varies a lot, I think. In certain segments, he's very popular; in others he's dismissed or disliked. Which is a shame, because I think most of his detractors take a fairly shallow view of him.