Five attractive qualities

[vilakins]

From fannish5: Name five qualities you always find attractive in fictional characters.

I think the characters I like most fall into the following categories (sometimes more than one at once)

1. geeky: I fall for the geeks, some of whom can be so socially maladjusted or eccentric they could fall into the alien category even if they're human. Examples (in order of acquiring): Spock, Data, the Doctor, Sam Carter, Seamus Harper (before Andromeda jumped the shark), Kerr Avon, Rodney McKay and Radek Zelenka, just about the whole techy team on Bones (before the graphic gore finally squicked me out), and Hiro Nakamura.
   
   
2. witty: I can't resist dialogue that makes me laugh, whether it's good-natured or sheer cutting snark. Emma Peel and John Steed, Livia Drusilla Augusta, the Red Dwarf's crew, Jack O'Neill, Kerr Avon, Vila Restal, Gregory House, Earl and Randy.
   
   
3. alien: I realised early on that many of my favourites were alien, perhaps because they got better characterisation in many shows than the humans, but also because I am fascinated by the Other. Spock, the Doctor, Data, the Holographic Doctor, Garak, G'Kar, Londo Mollari, Vir Cotto, and Teal'c.
   
   
4. roguish: always a fun type, but not always well done; they have to be likeable too. Vila Restal, Marcus Didius Falco, Mickey Bricks and Albert Stroller, Earl and Randy.
   
   
5. vulnerable: a small category because often characters just come across as annoyingly wimpy, and I realise I don't like it in women because it's part of the clichéd frightened little female who needs looking after; grrr. They also have to be courageous and likeable; indeed, if it's done right, these guys are downright lovable. Claudius, Vir Cotto, Vila Restal, and Hiro Nakamura.

I've probably missed several out, but they're the characters I could think of right now.

Comments

[hafren.livejournal.com]

So much with you on 5. I can't think of a "vulnerable" female who doesn't annoy me. It should be possible, if they aren't stereotypically fluffy in the first place, yet it didn't work when Tanith Lee tried to do it woth Servalan. In books, it tends, to me, to feel like a betrayal of the character.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Or just out-and-out sexist.

I'm probably in a minority (once again) but I don't like either of Tanith Lee's B7 eps.

[hafren.livejournal.com]

I'm probably in a minority (once again) but I don't like either of Tanith Lee's B7 eps.

Nor I, but her child-adult crossover novel Piratica is a joy.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

So I've heard. I must get hold of that.

[executrix.livejournal.com]

Weighing in with another thumbs-down for the Lee episodes.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Support!

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I think Aeryn Sun has a few excellent moments of vulnerability that work really well and are affecting precisely because she's such a tough character, generally. And I find Kaylee from Firefly both vulnerable and appealing. She's probably helped by the fact that "genius mechanic" isn't exactly a job description that fits the usual damsel-in-distress stereotype, as well as the fact that the actress playing her is so cute in such a genuine, unaffected way.

But I definitely agree that it's a character quality that's easier to do non-annoyingly with men than with women, precisely because it plays less into stereotype with male characters. And, yeah, there is a fine line between "vulnerable" and "wimpy," just as there is between "angsty" and "whiny." :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Oh, you're right: Kaylee manages to be both vulnerable and capable. Yay for Kaylee!

Of course Aeryn fits into another one of my favourite categories of strong women which I didn't have room for (as do Livia Drusilla, Susan Ivanova, Jenna Stannis, and Zoe).

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I had a go at this one, but found that - being irredeemably illogical as I am - the trait that I adore in one character annoys the crap out of me in another :(

And re the vulnerability bit... I think the thing is, a bit of vulnerability is a lovely thing, but most TV writers don't know how to get the balance right for female characters. The ones I found that I liked, it was usually the actress who managed to pull the balancing act off - Aeryn occasionally, Margaret Houlihan an amazing amount of the ten year span of MASH, Murphy Brown (yes, really), any character played by Tyne Daley :)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I don't know a couple of those examples, but a common element seems to be that they're tough as well.