h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It's no secret (here, elsewhere and among my closest family members) that I have been in "love" with Aragorn since I was about 12. In fact, it has always been a source of wonder to my parents (mostly my mum) that I ever managed to agree to marry someone who doesn't walk around with a sword and a whole sackload of angsty doubt.

Knowing about Aragorn and me, it is probably not much of a surprise (especially if you've waded through the bibble that is my PS here) that I also deeply admire Ivanhoe. Although he's not really darkly angsty enough for me, I do love the way he seems almost to fall in love with Rebecca before going off with his blonde Saxon girl.

Then there is Richard Sharpe. Well, here's a surprise. An outsider with the common touch. Extraordinarily brave and foolish in almost equal measure. He gets sweaty and has a sword. What's not to fall in lust with?

Let's move on to the reason I'm writing this. I am an avid reader (well, I've read each one at least twice) of Harry Potter. I particularly like the 3rd one (the Prisoner of Azkaban) - more so now I have seen the film (and Gary Oldman was perfect for the part of Sirius Black, as well as the brilliance that is David Thewlis as Prof. Lupin). Er... if I'm not careful we'll be having The Slash Thing again.

Sirius Black: angst ridden hero who has been locked away for a crime he didn't commit, on the run etc etc...

At this point if you like HP and haven't read The Order of the Phoenix go away.

I was so angry and sad when JK Rowling killed him off. There is (IMO) a lot wrong with that book. Lots. Over written, over wrought, over angsty (all that HP being an abandoned misunderstood youth...) and it is way too long (not least because I have the hardback and can't read it in bed). However, there is a lot of good stuff in there. And when I'm feeling like wallowing in that sort of thing, if I can't be bothered reading angstfic (which I normally like, but all the good writers have vanished - I haven't tried HP fic yet) I get that book out.

And the silly bag killed him. I nearly cried the first time I read it.

Getting to a point.

Sort of.

So, here it is. How silly/foolish/juvenile is it to fall in "love" with a character from a book? And if anyone did get this far: have you ever done that? and if so, who was it?

As you know, I share your weaknesses for a certain sword wielding piece of gorgeousness and for Stephanie Plum's Boys.

But I also have a penchant for 'flawed' hero types in crime fiction - Hieronymous Bosch (known as Harry) in the Michael Connolly thrillers, Elvis Cole in Robert Crais's thrillers.
Marcus Didius Falco is another of my heroes - can't go wrong with a good pair of legs under a toga.

There's just something magnetically attractive about these poor misunderstood, brave, intelligent, witty guys who try to do the decent thing at all times, make a few mistakes - and are also devastatingly handsome (in my mind, anyway) and know how to do proper snogging.

I suppose it's part of the old Knight in Shining Armour on a white charger thing; thundering into my life to rescue me from mundanity and tedium.

did you mention togas? I think I have to get away from the boys with swords for a bit of a break

So, why flawed heroes though?(apart from their obvious snogging prowess and devastatingly good looks)

Toga man also does some sword wielding - and is quite deft with a short knife, when needs must.

Hmmm - flawed heroes. Let me see.
I think I'm attracted to them because they're somehow more real and attainable - and possible - than a Mr Perfect would be. And those particular writers - Connelly and Crais - are so good at characterisation that their heroes do seem very possible - even if the plots can sometimes be a tad implausible.

Sho: If you haven't read any Falco yet, while I really love the early books in particular I went off the later ones and it's soured the series for me a little (pro faction, take note!). I'm likely never going to read them again at this stage so they've been in my 'to sell or Oxfam pile' for months. I can let you have anything up to the first fifteen if you like.

Also, it can't be the looks, surely, since Aragorn only felt fair; he was clearly reported to _look_ foul (and with all that time on the road with minimal toiletries and changes of clothing he can't have smelled so good, either).

Roberts, of course, does indeed look fair and feel foul...

It's odd - Aragorn is described as looking a tad... not washed. Sharpe has a scar, but he's deffo handsome. Ivanhoe is handsome. Sirius Black was handsome before he was in prison.

I think for me, anyway, they have to look interesting first. Then being handy with a sword comes in handy. Plus, the characters that I go for, seem to have more than one female admirer.

Mr. P, the only Falco I have heard of is the late (lamented by me) Austrian Singer. So, no, I haven't read any of his books. But take them to Oxfam. Today, under pressure from I sorted all our books that I haven't read onto one bookshelf. Actually, to his surprise I didn't fill it, but I have 3 shelves of books (each shelf is 2m wide) to read. (the prospect fills me with glee, even if he did rather pointedly remove my LOTR books which I tried to sneak on there).

Roberts... I hadn't forgotten him. He is a flawed hero. Give him a scar, whydon'tcha?? Oh, and can he have a sword too?

and before someone jumps on me for "not reading Teuchter's post" ... what I meant was, the only Falco I have come into contact with.

Right, gruesomes are in bed. is off cooking.

It's just me and some sword weilding sweaty men. The only question is: which ones? skirts and sun, or leather trews and trolls?

"Oh, and can he have a sword too?"

Not until Season 3.

sheesh, Mr.P, you're so mean! No sex, no snogging and no sword.

so come on... what lady characters do you lust after? (and don't say a militarised ex-nun...)

All I said was not until Season 3.

And, while I'm not as bad as you (and I certainly never lust after my own characters) I did always think that your beloved Aragorn was a total twonk! I mean, you usually won't find me exhorting anyone to go for the blonde, but really. Arwen over Aowen; what was he thinking?

Twonk? *leafs feverishlly through the OED*

never heard of it...
and don't mind Eowyn or Arwen. Legolas is the lad for ol Strider, surely?

or maybe only in my overactive slashy imagination. I've always always maintained that he should have ditched ol' pointy ears for the horsewoman. But since when did anyone (least of all sweaty sword bedecked kings) listen to me?

It's interesting about not letching your own characters though. In my 2003 NaNo, I based one of the characters on a guy that I fancied the pants off (not literally, alas) which made him a lot of fun to write.

I can't believe I misspelled Eowyn.

If I write characters that I fancy too much, they start to lean in a kind of Mary-Sue-by-proxy direction.

well, there is that. But at least with an original novel, only the people who know me will spot me.

I'm writing a bit of a Mary sue at the moment with mini Jack. But not really too Mary-Sueish because even for me, mini-Jack (and this is 3 years on from Fragile Balance) is too young. And most likely it will never see the light of day, unless I completely change it around and make it into an original story.

About time I actually got down to some writing, instead of just doing it in my head when I'm running.

With me it was Robin Hood, Prince Caspian (Narnia) and Tom Dudgeon (Coot Club)!

Jules

ohhh Coot Club! I can't wait to get the Gruesomes into those.

It's the only one I ever read. I tried one of the others but the characters were different. I think most of the other books have the same characters and Coot Club is the odd one out. Unfortunatley I read it first so that did it for me!

When we went on a family holiday on the Broads it was a dream come true! (Didn't see Tom though )

Jules

Just to let you know, Roberts' first sword scenes were actually scheduled for 1.9. Since then, the action scenes in episode 7 have undergone a few dramatic shifts and in the end it made a lot of sense for him to get a sword then.

*swoons*

The beta will be on the way in the next couple of days, once I can get the pacing of the fight scenes right and write the epilogue.