History CharacterGush / Literature

** McGonagall. A no-nonsense professor that showed potential from the very start. She grew over the series into a balanced character who wants the best for her students, and pushes them to work toward their full potential. She genuinely cares for the other teachers and kids at Hogwarts, defending them when she believes they've been wronged. She's also revealed to have a brilliant dry sense of humour that comes as a refreshing breath of comic relief. And as of Order of the Phoenix, she's quite badass. Honestly, she took five stunners square in the chest to protect Hagrid, and lived to tell about it.

* Any mystery lovers here? My favorite fictional detective of all time has to be Marcia Muller's venerable PI Sharon [=McCone=], the forerunner of Kinsey Millhone, VI Warshawski, Carlotta Carlyle, Stephanie Plum, and dozens of other American female detectives. Muller is such a gifted plotter and McCone is a great, down-to-earth character.

* [[TheElenium Sparhawk]]. An aging, world-weary knight whose conviction he's nothing more than an old soldier, driven almost entirely by loyalty. He might ''look'' far from the KnightInShiningArmor and have no shortage of flaws, but he's clever, poetic, compassionate, and noble. He was [[Roland this troper's]] first fantasy hero, and he remains one of his favorites.

** Niall- adorable. Just plain adorable. Complete woobie, fashionably scarred, strong enough to protect you, yet vulnerable enough to need taking care of, loving, trust issues, strong, a survivor through and through...and lets not forget his oh-so-adorable, if [[LoveHurts somewhat damaged]] relationships with [[YaoiGuys Irial]] [[BiTheWay and]] [[BodyguardCrush Leslie!!]]

* Any mystery lovers here? My favorite fictional detective of all time has to be Marcia Muller's venerable PI Sharon McCone, the forerunner of Kinsey Millhone, VI Warshawski, Carlotta Carlyle, Stephanie Plum, and dozens of other American female detectives. Muller is such a gifted plotter and McCone is a great, down-to-earth character.

** Ditto to each of the three above, but also [[XWingSeries Wedge Antilles]]. Just... god, Wedge Antilles. He's both so normal and so incredibly not, and his sense of [[SingleWomanSeekingGoodMan duty and responsibility...]]

* The reason that, despite my sincerely best efforts, I was unable to get interested in or enjoy SuperHero comics is no doubt because they no longer have characters as well-written as [[TheScarletPimpernel Marguerite Blakeney]]. Baroness Orczy accurately recognized that an invincible GeniusBruiser and paragon of manliness and perfection like the Scarlet Pimpernel is better as the BigGood than the protagonist. No, the protagonist -- who undergoes the [[TheHerosJourney Hero's Journey]], is given the SadisticChoice, and suffers a painful disillusionment leading to a HeelRealization -- is ''his wife!'' Marguerite's journey as TheAtoner culminates in an awesome midnight stalking mission requiring {{Ninja}}-like stealth and the courage and endurance that neither her husband nor her ArchEnemy thought she had in her until her interference completely ruins Chauvelin's plans. Percy regrets his [[DatingCatwoman Catwoman]] had to go the ends of the Earth for him before he realized he could love and trust her as much as he always wanted to. (Add points for female sexuality, especially in the sequels.) Radical feminists will disagree with me, but Marguerite Blakeney is one of my favorite literary heroines.

** Ron Weasley, because I don't think I've ever wanted to hug a fictional character as badly as I wanted to hug Ron after the locket scene in ''Deathly Hallows.'' Here is this completely normal, insecure kid who's not the ChosenOne, not wealthy, not athletic, not the smartest... and the poor guy ''knows it'', agonizingly well. And yet this profoundly normal, down-to-earth guy still ''chooses'' to risk his life helping his best friend destroy Lord freakin' Voldemort. I also love that Ron is as [[BerserkButton fiercely defensive]] of Hermione when she is a buck-toothed, big-haired, unpopular dork as he is when [[SheIsAllGrownUp she later turns out to be hot]] - although I can't deny the appeal of various DracoInLeatherPants characters, none of them make my feminist heart sing like Ron.

* ''{{Malazan Book of the Fallen}}'': [[{{Spectrum}} This troper]] maintains that Anomander Rake is the most awesome character ever. [[{{Tragedy}} Tragic]], [[ShroudedInMyth mysterious]] and radiating {{Badass}}itude in every direction. Only problem is that he has so few appearances that he is almost a OneSceneWonder.

*** Thirded. I simply cannot understand why some people hate Snape so much. So he's not a nice guy, big deal-- [[YourMileageMayVary If you ask me]], ''more'' fictional heroes should be [[KnightInSourArmor snarky and blunt]], not the "oh-looky-me-I'm-trying-not-to-be-an-{{expy}}[=-=]of-Jesus-Christ" people have become used to. (I blame the HaysCode.) Snape is also probably the most realistic character in the series, and the perfect example of a person who left behind a truly horrific past and more than atoned for his mistakes, all in the name of love. [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped Which was Rowling's whole point.]]

*** Thirded. I simply cannot understand why some people hate Snape so much. So he's not a nice guy, big deal-- [[YourMileageMayVary If you ask me]], ''more'' fictional heroes should be [[KnightInSourArmor snarky and blunt]], not the "oh-looky-me-I'm-trying-not-to-be-an-{{expy}}-of-Jesus-Christ" people have become used to. (I blame the HaysCode.) Snape is also probably the most realistic character in the series, and the perfect example of a person who left behind a truly horrific past and more than atoned for his mistakes, all in the name of love. [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped Which was Rowling's whole point.]]

*** Thirded. I simply cannot understand why some people hate Snape so much. So he's not a nice guy, big deal-- [[YourMileageMayVary If you ask me]], ''more'' fictional heroes should be [[KnightInSourArmor snarky and blunt]], not the "oh-looky-me-I'm-trying-not-to-be-an-{{expy}}-of-Jesus-Christ" people have become used to. (I blame the HayesCode.) Snape is also probably the most realistic character in the series, and the perfect example of a person who left behind a truly horrific past and more than atoned for his mistakes, all in the name of love. [[SomeAnvilsNeedToBeDropped Which was Rowling's whole point.]]

*** Not to mention the amount of Horcruxes you need to achieve that.

* The reason that, despite my sincerely best efforts, I was unable to get interested in or enjoy SuperHero comics is no doubt because they no longer have characters as well-written as [[TheScarletPimpernel Marguerite Blakeney]]. Baroness Orczy accurately recognized that an invincible GeniusBruiser and paragon of manliness and perfection like the Scarlet Pimpernel is better as the BigGood than the protagonist. No, the protagonist -- who undergoes the [[TheHerosJourney Hero's Journey]], is given the SadisticChoice, and suffers a painful disillusionment leading to a HeelRealization -- is ''his wife!'' Marguerite's journey as TheAtoner culminates in an awesome midnight stalking mission requiring {{Ninja-like stealth and the courage and endurance that neither her husband nor her ArchEnemy thought she had in her until her interference completely ruins Chauvelin's plans. Percy regrets his [[DatingCatwoman Catwoman]] had to go the ends of the Earth for him before he realized he could love and trust her as much as he always wanted to. (Add points for female sexuality, especially in the sequels.) Radical feminists will disagree with me, but Marguerite Blakeney is one of my favorite literary heroines.

*This Troper reads ''TheInheritanceCycle'' half because [[{{Fandom}} he likes it]] and half because [[{{Hatedom}} he hates it]]. But I recently was surprised to discover the one part that I really, ''really'' like---[[LadyOfWar Nasuada]]. She's maybe twenty, leading a massive army, out-politicking her own advisers and most of the world's major powers, and does it ''not'' because she's a super-awesome GodModeSue like Eragon and Arya, but through sheer grit and clever thinking. She has problems, ''tons'' of problems, but they tend to be practical as opposed to the "deep" issues those two face, and thus she avoids the overdone angst and [[CluelessAesop Clueless Aesops]]. And while not played up much, there are all sorts of subtle tensions within her---she's a determined general but also [[IJustWantToBeNormal wishes she could be a normal woman]], comes from a culture different than the one she's leading, etc. I'm actually really surprised when I look for fanfics or fanart and find out other people don't consider her the EnsembleDarkhorse that I do, because I just keep looking ahead hoping the POV changes to her again. (I just wish she wouldn't constantly say/think [[ShillingTheWesley how important and special Eragon is...]]))