2015 - LOTR Blog Party - Day Four

Who is your Favourite Character?

DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG I'VE WAITED TO DO THIS?!?!?!?!?! *grins and dances around the room in glee* Finally!! It has come. Of course, now my endless rants will probably all drop out of my mind now that it's finally here - but let's hope not.

Faramir is definitely my favourite character, no other contestants.

Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's discuss him.

He's just...Faramir! He is noble and just almost to a fault, a good leader, one who cares for his men and takes his position of authority seriously, he is respectful and obeidient - but he isn't mindless, he's strong - physically, morally, mentally..., he's faithful and has faith...

What I like most about Faramir is his 'quality', as Sam would put it. The part that makes him "a captain that men would follow...even under the shadow of the black wings." The indefinable air about him that seemed to come from the past and permeate his every action - the wisdom he excersied that could not simply be learnt from books or speech.

He was loyal to his family, and to his city - he was not one to compromise on this.

He fought on the front lines of the battle, saw much death and sorrow, lost many of his friends and his men - but somehow he comes out on the other end of the tunnel believing that "This darkness shall not endure."

He is someone who will put his oaths, his friends, his family, his honour above all else.

(As I'm writing this, I keep hearing Balin's words from The Unexpected Journey: "There is one I would follow. There is one I could call King." As much as I disagree with the one they were meant to apply to - they work quite well for Faramir.)

He has patience, and perseverence. He has loyalty, and love - in a way. He's still hopeful, and faithful. He still believes that hope and Hope (AKA Estel) will return - and he is not bitter.

In my opinion, had Boromir somehow not become Steward and had the seat passed to Faramir, Gondor would have had a just and wise ruler - almost to the level of good that Aragorn brings. (Yes, alright - I'm biased. But still. My point stands)

Some of my favourite scenes in the movies and in the books centre on Faramir - although that's not hard to guess.

In the books, my favourite scene is the part in The Two Towers where Frodo and Sam are captured by Faramir's men - I like how he handled the situation. While it ended much the same in the movies (well, alright, I lied: I don't like how the part with Smeágol played out - but that's beside the point. Everything else then - how he judged them.), it wasn't the same. He was more regal, more strong, than in the movies - and more just. Yes, it probably wouldn't have worked as well, given how Frodo is essentially recounting their journey, and it would have been much longer - but still! It works much better.

Another marvellous scene in the book is where Aragorn heals him, and he awakes with the desire to serve his king. "My lord, you called me. I come. What does the king command?" Remember? Loyalty, faith, quality...All there. Pretty much the best scene here - if I could only choose one, this would be it.

Thankfully, I wasn't asked to do that though... *grins*

In the films, off the top of my head, my favourite scene is probably the one where he take Denethor's command to retake Osgiliath. I always. End up. Crying!!!!

*sighs* But 'tis part of the grandeur and wonder of the world Tolkien created...

My other favourite characters are Sam, Aragorn (preferred in the books), Eowyn (preferred in the books), and Elrond.

My reasons for liking them are much the same as Faramir - but he remains my favourite!

Civil War Day Three: Pick a Supporting Character

....Okay.

So it's sort of funny because I sat here for about five minutes trying to decide who to do it on because other than Steve the rest of the characters sort of...fade.

And then I realised that there was Bucky.

So I'm going to do Bucky! And probably Clint too!

Anyone surprised???

On a side note - sort of - I REALLY need to rewatch this film.

The thing is that I'm probably not being fair. Given I've only seen it once, I'm going on first impressions and prejudices and....  Well, I'll still want to hit Tony over the head repeatedly but...  I would at least be able to make a case for him.

(I can make a case for him now but...)

And on that note - why was this necessary? For what reason did we have to do this? Why not make THIS the Avengers movie and give Steve a movie ALL. BY. HIM. SELF? And Bucky. Hmm? Instead, Steve has less screen time and less....point; and I have to put up with Tony.

And they had done so well with him in the third film!!  I LIKED him! *sighs*

Why??

Alright.....

yeah. No idea. Most of these are just rants that get out of control.

Yes, yes...  i'm aware this is all sort of cliched....

BE QUIET I'M RANTING AND HAVING FUN AND THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR ME (the second part of that at least...) SO THERE I'M HAVING FUN!

*sighs*

I'm trying to shut the voices up....

Pray, right? Pray...

(Yes. These posts tend to devolve into streams of consciousness....  In my defense once I start thinking and planning them they turn into the Vampire set and stretch on forever...)

Anyway! Point. Bucky.

Honestly, I've got a feeling I liked him first because of MY writing. His (Stan's) likeness has turned up a few times in stories so far, and I think that might have turned my head first. Then I got to rewatch The First Avenger and I liked the interaction between Bucky and Steve. Older and Younger brothers. Family. Almost. Enough.

Where Steve is good and pure and all sorts of heroic, Bucky....isn't. He's a ladies man, about to go off to war, doesn't really want to go, doesn't want to put himself back into danger when he's rescued, and then he falls.

He is...really, he's a background character. He's barely there. He rescues Steve in the alley, says goodbye to him at the science fair, is rescued from Hydra, is in the bar with Steve, and goes on the train mission. That's...about it.

So tell me about this man. Tell me about this boy that helped raise and protect Steve Rogers. Tell me about this boy that wants attention, but gets over himself when the one he gives his attention to doesn't need it anymore. Tell me about this man that does what is right. Tell me about this man that had to be the anchor for Steve - had to remind him that he was human and breakable and....

Tell me about Bucky. Tell me about the brother that left, the friend that came back, the soldier who fell, and the monster that returned. Tell me about his life. Tell me what we didn't see. Tell me what went on inside his head. Tell me about the ups and downs, the women he's met, the assassins he's trained and covered. Tell me about the quirks that never were fully erased from the Asset. Tell me about the other times his programming failed while he was in the field. Tell me how they programmed him. Tell me what he thought about before Bucky died - before the Soldier came into being.

Don't tell me about the comics. Don't tell me about right and wrong. Don't tell me about Steve. Don't tell me about Tony.

Tell me about Bucky. Tell me his story.

He intrigues me.

So Tony? Step back. I don't care about the accords. I want the team together. I want Steve and Bucky together. I want to watch the leader and the sniper again. I want them to plan missions and snark at each other and make fun of each other and make fun of Tony and....

I like stories. Full, complex stories. I want to see all of the pictures.

Part of the reason Person of Interest was stunningly brilliant: because it played like an incredibly long movie, and we got to know all of the players. And when they drag ALL of the rest of the characters in there with the two I'm interested in???

Good grief. Go make a Hawkeye and Black Widow movie. Together. Separate.

No one would really care, I promise.  Just...go. Leave my Cap movies alone. They're the only ones I really like and trust me I'm NOT watching them for Tony or the Widow or Clint. (...maybe for Clint but.....)

So tell me about Bucky.

Or I'm going to go write his story. And that's probably not good for him. (although...then I could get rid of the girls.....)

Oh, Darling....

Steve and Bucky might be my favourite characters that come first to mind but.... I didn't ever want to watch the superhero films. I watched them for Hawkeye.

.....archery, snark, and no superpowers???  How amazing is that?? I LOVED him in Thor (he was hilarious!!  Yes, I watched that movie for him and Coulson - so shoot me....) and....he was underwhelming in Avengers. I prefer him in the comics.

Funnily enough, he and Deadpool are the only Marvel characters I've read comics for. I preferred Hawkeye's, but his depend a lot on which comic...  Not thtat I've read a lot either - only enough to at least be aware of his character. (Deadpool I read because he and Hawkeye together were.....something else...)

I love sarcastic characters, I really do. I love archery. I love normal people that don't have the advantage.

AND!!!  I love characters that have no subtext!!!

*grins* That he has a FAMILY???????

I don't CARE if it's not comical, that is...  C'est parfait. J'aimer.

And he doesn't have superpowers. NO superpowers. He trained. He practiced. He's a perfectly normal human. Even Nat technically is a supersoldier.... Or was.

You know what else I love? Snipers.

(I honestly didn't plan this, by the way..... I'd forgotten about this.)

I'm not sure why. Maybe because they're support? Background characters? Doing something that is....not entirely honourable, arguably? Killing anyone? I always liked them.

THAT TWO OF MY FAVOURITE SARCASTIC CHARACTERS ARE SNIPERS IS BEYOND PRICELESS!!

Good grief - can we just have a movie with these two? Please? Drop Tony and Steve off somewhere to argue, and let these two hang out. Clint was mind controlled, he'd understand that. They're both really, really sarcastic and impulsive.

Come on - it would be so much fun!!

*sighs* Can we have a good superhero movie??

Not to mention.

Imagine. the. pranks.

Actually, can we just have more of Clint??  I'd rewatch Civil War and just watch Clint at which point it would probably be all of five minutes long.....

And they'd get their two best friends involved and....  *grins* That is a movie I'd pay money to go see and I wouldn't even complain.

Also.

Can we just fix this??   Please?

And yes. I'm bending the rules. Technically the party is long since over so.... And he WOULD be on the Captain's team.

.....try plausibly convincing me otherwise.

But I want snarky, eternally competent, so underrated, so ignorable Coulson back!!! *sighs*

No. He's getting ruined by Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..... Figures.

Every now and then he'll have a good episode! But... On the whole...

it's just adorable....

I like Steve. I like Bucky. I like Clint. I like Nat. I like Sam. I like Tony. I like Pepper. I like Rhodey. I like Jarvis.

I like an awful lot of characters. For every 'best' character I find I can probably find at least two people better.

So if I could only choose ONE person? One character to admire and know?

Paul of Tarus.

Because while Jesus is good he is....God. He's perfect and....I could never relate to that. He's...above - exalted.

Paul was human and flawed and.... I'd rather read his stories and letters than any other character.

(....now i feel terrible because I honestly would prefer him over Jesus just on that level of....practibility. As a person. Because jesus is...distant.)

*groans and drops head on desk*