Top 3 Fictional Character Everyone Loves – But I Hate
For every character out there that the masses seem to rally behind, there are people, like me, who hate them. Does that mean the character is bad? Ask me in a certain mood and I’ll say hell yes, but if I’m being honest, it must mean that character is memorable if I’m willing to express such ire for them.
So here are my top 3 fictional characters that everyone else seems to love, but I just plain hate.
1. Katniss Everdeen
Wow, Hunger Games is huge. My pretty much entire family read the series before the first movie came out. I had not, but was all on board to give a new movie franchise a chance after finally being rid of Twilight, that I agreed to see it for the midnight showing.
Back when Harry Potter was growing in infamy, I wasn’t interested in reading the books…until the first movie came out and I fell head over heels in love and proceeded to read all four of the books that were out at the time. So I figured maybe that could happen again, and after seeing the first Hunger Games movie, I’d be a book convert too.
Yeah, not so much. I don’t remember the last time I hated a movie so passionately, and I refuse to see the others, or read the books. Sure, part of it is because I’m not the biggest fan of dystopian future tales, and the shaky cam made me nauseous, the lack of blood and gore that would have to exist in reality, the poor storytelling at times that had me whispering to my nephew to explain why the hell that Peta guy was throwing bread into the mud, which after hearing the explanation I realized was in no way accurately portrayed in how the movie showed it, not to mention many other elements. I felt like as someone who hadn’t read the books, I was given no lifeline to enjoy this story.
But even all that aside wouldn’t make up for how unlikable Katniss is to me. Now, my sister admits to feeling the same way even as a fan, that she read on to see what became of Peta and other characters, not Katniss, but…she’s the protagonist! You expect that person to be someone you would want to rally behind. And I just never cared about what happened to her, making her in my eyes a terrible character to follow.
2. Mako Mori
I actually feel bad about this one now, because it is not Mako’s fault that I hate her so much. You see, when Pacific Rim was first on its way, the previews didn’t show her even once that I remember, at least not clearly. I remember seeing Raleigh and Chuck’s interactions and thinking, oh, we’re going to go for a very classic anime story, where two rivals who hate each other end up having to be partners and form a lasting friendship that aides in saving the world. I was all on board.
So when Raleigh’s brother died at the beginning, I was certain I had guessed right. Then Mako shows up and gives me this queasy feeling, and it soon becomes more and more obvious that she’s intended to be Raleigh’s partner instead, and my headcanon went BOOM and exploded all over me. I couldn’t help resenting her for destroying my expectations.
It’s interesting, because it’s not like I dislike her character, her acting, anything about how she was portrayed, it’s all on me and what I took with me into the theater that causes me to just sneer every time I see her, because she ruined what I thought I wanted the story to be, and what I expected. Her presence will always ruin the movie a bit in my eyes because I wanted something different, even though everything about her otherwise creates a character I would normally love.
3. BBC Sherlock- Moriarty
And finally, this hatred is unique in that it deals with an existing character with history and depictions I normally adore, but for whatever reason…this one rubs me wrong.
I honestly think my initial love for the character of Professor Moriarty in general comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and all of the holodeck episodes with Data as Sherlock. But in so many other versions as well, something about someone who could be as genius and adaptable as Sherlock Holmes but also evil is just plain thrilling, and with how much I loved BBC’s Sherlock from the start, I really could not wait to see how they presented this classic character. Clearly they could do no wrong.
And god, everything about him is just grating. No offence to Andrew Scott, who seems lovely himself as an actor and person, but why they directed him this way, I’ll never understand. He and Benedict are the same age, but Andrew just looks younger, and I’ve always envisioned Moriarty as slightly older than Sherlock at the very least. He came across as a spoiled rich kid who just happened to be smart enough to want to go after Sherlock to subdue his own boredom. It felt so cheap to me. I wanted drama and magnetism, and I got a whiney brat with a very nasal, high-pitched voice instead. It just leaves a sour taste in my mouth, and I hope they don’t bring him back to life as seems to be so very possible.
Now, I’m sure there are many of you who disagree with me on these points, and hey, maybe there are some of you who are right there with me on all three, but it still brings me back to what I first said – me hating these characters doesn’t change that they are very, very memorable.
Of course I beam every time someone tells they love the title character of my series The Incubus Saga, Sasha Kelly (even though he’s not actually the protagonist), that they fell for him so quickly, and even in several cases that they enjoyed M/M romance for the first time largely in part because of Sasha’s portrayal.
That’s what we all hope for, right? Well, the loving our characters part, though maybe the converting people to M/M romance part too. And while I know there will be people out there who will end up hating Sasha, just because that’s how the world works, you can bet that love or hate, if anyone ever made a list like this that included one of my characters, at least I could sleep well knowing they were written memorably.
The Incubus Saga
Book 3
Amanda Meuwissen
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Gay Paranormal Romance
Publisher: BigWorldNetwork.com, LLC
Date of Publication: July 2, 2015
ISBN:
ASIN: B00Y1WDVK4
Word Count: 180,000
Cover Artist: Mario Hernandez
Book Description:
Nathan Grier returns from the Veil a changed man. The consequences of his time with Malak, the dark sidhe king, and the deal made to free him may be more than he can bear. The weakening of the Veil and new enemies foretell of a greater battle still ahead.
With Nathan’s brother Jim now an Awakened changeling, and Nathan’s role in Malak’s plans finally revealed, Nathan’s love for fae hunter and incubus, Sasha Kelly, may not be enough to save him after all.
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
“Nathan, it’s
us,” Sasha tried to say calmly, inching closer with hands held up in seeming
surrender. Jim did the same.
Nathan knew he
had to be a pitiable sight with that weakly held knife, but he’d use it, damn
it, he would. Somehow he’d use it.
His back hit the
corner of the room.
“Playing that
game?” Nathan scoffed. “I know better.
You haven’t been them in…in so long, I…I don’t even remember. I don’t remember…”
“Nathan,” Jim
pleaded, moving closer with one hand outstretched. He looked so strange to Nathan, almost
believable with those dark blue eyes so caring, so concerned. “I can’t imagine what it must have been like,
but it’s over. You’re not in the Veil
anymore. We got you out. You’re safe.
With us.”
“Please believe
us, Nathan,” Sasha said. “Just look at us.”
He gestured to himself; to Jim.
Sasha too looked so normal, so honest and how Nathan remembered him. “It’s really us. You’re safe, Nathan. Please recognize us…”
He recognized
them. But it had to be a trick. Another damn trick like all the others.
“I gave you what
you wanted,” Nathan said again. He was
so cold. Nothing looked right. Nothing felt right. He couldn’t understand why this was happening
when he had finally given in.
“Nathan, it’s
us,” Sasha said more firmly, like maybe Nathan just couldn’t hear them.
“Malak took you
and we’re so sorry,” Jim said. “We wish we could have gotten you out sooner,
but you have to know us. Please tell me
you still know us…”
“Malak…?” Nathan
glared at the false images before him, knife still held firm, warning them not
to get closer. “It had nothing to do
with that, you know that, you know. I
didn’t…I didn’t go to the Veil.”
Jim and Sasha
stopped their progression toward him, their eyes wide and disbelieving. They shared a pained look, not knowing what
to say until finally Jim spoke, slow and gentle.
“Nathan, don’t
you remember? Malak said killing the
spriggan instead of banishing it broke the deal. That’s why we couldn’t win,
why we couldn’t save you. You went to
the Veil, Nathan. You’ve been in the
Veil. But you’re out now. I don’t know what Malak did to you there, but
we got you out.”
It almost made
sense, as if a second reality were trying to push into Nathan’s mind: memories
of what Jim was saying, memories he knew weren’t fabrications, and yet…how
could he remember things happening two different ways?
The Veil? Had that been the Veil? To him it had felt like life.
About the Author:
Amanda Meuwissen is the author of The Incubus Saga and The Collector. Amanda also serves as COO and Managing Editor for BigWorldNetwork.com. She oversees editing and series selection, and is featured as a narrator for several BWN series. Amanda lives in Minneapolis, MN, with her husband, John, and their cats, Helga and Sasha (no connection to the incubus of the same name).
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2 comments:
Thank you so much for being one of the final stop along this blog tour, and with an opportunity to guest blog on something fun (and a little controversial). I hope your readers enjoy the post, and consider checking out my series. Thanks again!
What an interesting list of fictional characters to hate and I wonder if a forth was added that maybe Bella from Twilight might be added, as she would be on my list and perhaps more from the films rather than the books :) thank you for the giveaway chance
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