13 Favorite Fictional Characters

I'm not a meme person, but I saw one I liked. I'm ganked this from Susan. Hers is part of a weekly thing, but I'm not very good at keeping up with stuff like that. Here are my 13 favorite fictional characters in no special order except that Hermione is first.

Most of these characters are women, I know. I put the men at the end, and they're technically not even men, but they're definitely male. Four of them come from the Whedonverse and two from Harry Potter. I'm sorry, that's just the way I am.

1. Hermione Granger - She's smart, she's pretty, she'll tell it like it is, and if you piss her off she'll summon a flock of canaries to peck your ass to death. Don't tell me she doesn't reign. Hermione has grown so much and gotten her priorities in shape through the Harry Potter series so now she's my favorite young woman of all time.

2. Kaylee Frye - I have this thing for impossible optimism, and Kaylee is just so full of it. She has no class, no grace, and sometimes no clue, but she's just so happy wherever she is. Plus she does "man's work" and women in man's positions are automatically sexy, not like she needs the help. If I were a man... if I were a straight man, I'd want her only. She's seriously on the verge of knocking Hermione out of number one. Her adorable accent and pink frilly dress never cease to make me smile.

3. Amelie Poulain - Ditto on the optimism thing. Plus, her bionic imagination and infections smile. She sees the world in a unique way that everyone can understand. Also, we both love creme brulee.

4. Ginny Weasley - We're starting down the section of the list devoted to women who don't take shit from anyone. Ginny Weasley's bat bogey hex could knock Hermione's canaries out of the sky. She's gone from timid annoying child to serious boy-using vixen with a load of power. Seventh daughter and all (it's a superstition thing.) Look into her eyes. Ginny will knock you down.

5. Anya - Anya is hilarious and says what she wants. She talks funny and her hair color changes with the tide, but she still has some serious vulnerability, not that it'll stop her from telling you all the awkward truths you need to hear. I idolize her for that and wish I had the balls to do it myself. It's a project. This blog is a step, but nobody reads it so I haven't changed the world yet.

6. Piper Halliwell - She deals with a lot... running a business, raising a boy she knows will grow up ugly and another she knows will grow up to be the most annoying character in the entire Charmed series, fighting demons, melodrama with her increasingly chubby husband. She doesn't take it in stride at all. Bitch will knock you down if she don't blow you up. She has no patience for bullshit and will let you know. Again, this is another admiration thing. I wish I had her temper. Being nice to people who don't deserve it is so not my style anymore.

7. Nanny McPhee - She kicks ass without raising her voice. And she knows that it's ok to do horrible things to horrible people. She's the person you need.

8. Constance Trentham - The only person on this list who's not a decent person. She's also the reason Minerva McGonagall isn't here. I thought two Maggie Smith characters would be pushing it. Lady Constance is a rich bitch with nothing to offer the world but spite, snark, and nastiness. We need more people like her. All old ladies should be this rude. I can take it. Can you?

9. The White Queen - Wow, this picture's a lot like the previous one. The White Queen's presence here makes more sense when you realize I was not introduced to this character through Lewis Carroll's novel, but rather through a production of the Alice stories where the White Queen was played by Carol Channing. It is impossible for me to read the book without imagining her in the role. She's crazy! Living backwards in her disheveled hat, the White Queen is a total mess. Nothing she says makes the slightest bit of sense, but you can't argue with any of it. No jam for you.

10. Drusilla - Speaking of crazy women who make no sense, Drusilla has got to be my favorite undead evil thing. I almost put Spike here, but Dru sees the world in such a unique way it makes me want to live in her head for a day. A lot of it is frightening and horrible, but Drusilla feels things so intensely, which is something I can never claim to do. She speaks to the stars when I can't even see them. Plus, she has fabulous nails.

11. Loo - None of you probably know who this is, but Loo is a character in Joss Whedon's Fray, a comic about a vampire slayer in the future. Loo is this oppressively cheerful little girl that's been hideously deformed. She's got like one arm and one eye like she's this total grotesque Chernobyl disaster, but every time she opens her gross little mouth it brings tears to my eyes because she has such a strong spirit in the face of it all. She's innocent and optimistic and one of the main reasons I keep reading Fray over and over.

12. Larry the Cucumber - Larry's pretty retarded, but I love him. He's the only person (thing) I know who can put on a ridiculous hat with suction cup ears and feel absolutely fab. Larry doesn't do much of anything right, but he's happy and sings stupid songs and kinda reminds me of myself when I'm in a good mood. That's why he gets to be one of two males on my list. He doesn't kick ass at all.

13. Hobbes - Oh yes. Hobbes is brilliant and fun and can always find the bright side when Calvin's being all crabby. He rolls his eyes like a pro and has total panache. (I learned that word from him.) He looks awesome in a spotted tie.

Right, that's it. Looking at the list, it seems like everyone on it is either a cheerful optimist or a crazy no-nonsense bitch. So that should teach you something about me.