1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. List four fictional characters (use pictures if you want! They can be from movies or books) and, if you like, describe what they're like and why you believe they relate to you.
3. Tag a few other blog people! Three, or four, or even twenty. :) Share the fun! Be sure to let them know you've tagged them!
1. Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015). Illya and I share the tendency to get obsessive when we're on a quest for something. We follow what we want in the most relentless way we know. We're also both hesitant to begin new relationships, be they friendships or romances, and very cautious about who we trust. And I'm afraid we both tend to want to smash stuff when we're angry. He actually does it, I just want to, but it's still there.
2. Lucy Moteratz (Sandra Bullock) from While You Were Sleeping (1995). Lucy is the first fictional character that I ever looked at and said, "That's so me." If I were single, I would decorate a Christmas tree just for me and my pet. I've totally worn my dad's old clothes just to feel close to him (even though my dad's still alive). We're both helpful, we both like to feel needed, and we're both fond of giving Christmas presents to random people who might not expect them.
3. Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) from The Hobbit films (2013-14). Everything Bard does, he does for his kids. He's a devoted, caring, protective parent. Me too. Bard and I both tend to reluctantly assume authority if no one else is willing or able to step up to the task. And like Bard, I tend to give people second chances even when others say they don't deserve them.
4. John Reid from The Lone Ranger (2013). John and I are both loyal -- sometimes so loyal it causes us problems. Once you gain our trust, we will trust you forever, and with just about anything. We both like boxing. Neither of us are quite as cool as we'd like to think. We both will take only so much annoyance before we blow our tops and start stomping around shouting. Shouting very sarcastic things, I might add. And we're both prone to rescuing kittens.
Okay, those were my four! I'm going to tag four people:
Cordy at Write On, Cordy!
DKoren at Sidewalk Crossings
Eva at Coffee, Classics, and Craziness
Hayden Wand at A Singular and Whimsical Problem
Play if you want to :-) And if I didn't tag you and you want to do this, I hereby tag you too!
Thanks for doing the tag!
ReplyDeleteOf the four here I have only seen Illya Kuryakin. I am not sure why, but I really like that movie. I can't stop watching spy movies. Only my dad and I like The Man from U.N.C.L.E., all my sisters think it is really weird. :)
Hey, I feel like throwing things and being sarcastic when I'm angry too. :)
Thanks again for doing it!
I take that back, I have seen the third Hobbit movie.
DeleteOhhhhhhhh my goodness, you haven't seen While You Were Sleeping??? Do you like romantic comedies at all? Because it is amazing. I first saw it when it was in theaters, when I was 14, and it has been dear to my heart ever since.
DeleteI really like The Man from UNCLE too. Kinda obsessed with it, in a fun way. My dad thinks it's fun, my mom doesn't care for it, my best friend loves it, and my husband tolerates it. So yeah, not everybody loves it.
Oh, I love that I'm familiar with all four of these characters! That isn't always the case with these kind of tags, so I'm very pleased. I'm not sure I could choose a favorite out of those four. What great picks! I like that two of Armie Hammer's characters made the cut. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog anymore, but tags like this make me want to resurrect it - they're so fun and interesting!
Claire, how fun that you know all four of these! I agree, it's pretty rare for me to know all of someone's picks for stuff like this.
DeleteI'm also intrigued by the fact that I've seen Armie Hammer in 4 movies and identified very intensely with his characters in two of them. Not sure what's up with that -- if it's about roles he picks or is suited to, or what.
You are always welcome to answer tags in comments on my blogs if you want to share!
Oh, good to know! In that case, I'll share them here. It was tough picking four - there's enough fictional characters I relate to that narrowing it down proved to be quite a task.
DeleteI relate a lot to Cinderella (particularly Lily James' portrayal) because she has such a gentle understanding of the world around her. She tries to maintain a graceful attitude when she's treated like a servant, and does not particularly try to draw attention to herself. I relate a lot to the fandom enthusiasm of Ben Wyatt (Parks & Recreation) and the quiet strength of Violet (The Incredibles), too.
Most of all, though, I identify really well with Elinor Dashwood. She puts everyone before herself, sometimes to the point of overlooking her own needs. Her feelings are equally as strong and deep as Marianne's, but Elinor does not express them as openly - she knows when her own feelings need to be governed for the sake of propriety, and she doesn't necessarily want to be an open book where her feelings are concerned.
I think I generally identify with characters who are quiet and logical. The other day I was telling someone I always wished I was like Jo March, with her strong will and boldness, but I'm really more of a Meg. But there's beauty in that, too. :-)
Claire, I relate to Cinderella a lot too -- more than any other Disney princess, certainly.
DeleteAnd of Jane Austen's heroines, I relate to Anne Elliot the most, but Elinor Dashwood second-most.
There's definitely beauty in being a Meg! Thanks for sharing -- that was fun to read :-)
I'm not familiar with any of these guys! I mean, I've definitely heard you talk about all of them--but I've not seen the movies myself.
ReplyDeleteWho do I relate to most? I think the one character I relate to MOST, of everything I've ever read, is Cath Avery from "Fangirl." She's just so me. She's shy, and awkward, and fiercely introverted; and she isn't confident about herself, but she WANTS to speak up and make herself heard anyway. And she has anxiety. Lots of anxiety. Every single page I turned in that book, I was nodding my head like "yes . . . yes . . . yes . . . I GET you." Plus, she's an unabashed bookworm--and a writer!!! Could there be a more perfect match anywhere? I think not.
I also relate to Cecile Auclair in "Shadows on the Rock," because she loves taking care of people, and she's very, very attached to her home and doesn't want to leave it. And I relate to Fanny Price in "Mansfield Park," because she hates conflict, but she won't run away from it as long as there's an important principle at stake.
Do I relate to any male characters? Not as much as I do women characters, certainly. But I do relate to Father Brown in the "Father Brown" stories--because he's so interested in the people around him, even though he's quiet about it--and I also relate (kind of) to Sean Kendrick in "The Scorpio Races." Because everybody's always telling him he's so much older/more mature than his actual age; and he's just like "yeah . . . whatever." Because he knows it's true ;-) I get that a lot, from a lot of different people. Also, he's very future-oriented and he has a clear vision of what he wants out of life; which I can also relate to.
Jessica, I've really got to read Fangirl one of these days, because it sounds just quirky and awesome. Ditto for the Father Brown stories -- it's a crime I've never read those.
DeleteVery cool that you have lots of book characters you identify with! DKoren and I were just discussing why it is we both have reams of movie characters we relate to, but not many book characters at all. My theory, for my own experience anyway, is that books delve more deeply into a character's interior self, and I often find that characters are not as much like me as I might first think. But movie characters, you mostly only see what characters do and what they say, not what they think, and that gives me space to kind of fill in gaps and possibly make connections I don't with books.
To be very honest, Lucy is one of the few female characters I identify with. The other is Miss Pettigrew from Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day -- at least I think so, but I've only watched it once, so I need to see it again before I can decide. And I'd like to read the book too.
Fangirl is such a beautiful story. The author is one of those writers who you can tell REALLY CARES about everyday life, and everyday people, and works really hard to re-create the magic of those ordinary experiences; and it's like . . . aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So comforting to read. (Especially for me, given that the main character is not only the exact same age as me--born in the same year--but also has such a similar personal life and struggles with a lot of the same issues. I FEEL SO VALIDATED NOW. No kidding, I really do.)
DeleteThat's fascinating! So I guess when you read a character's thought processes in a book, you rarely have the experience of thinking "oh, wow, this person thinks just like me!" I don't have that happen OFTEN, but there are a few specific characters I can pinpoint who clearly do share my thought processes. I discover a new one on an average of every three years, I would guess.
I'm not really used to relating to movie characters. Yet. I think because I'm so used to getting all their behind-the-scenes thoughts, without that it's a little hard for me to truly feel like I "relate" to them? I'm not sure, though.
I really want to see While You Were Sleeping now! I'm not sure how much I will enjoy the story itself (I'm not MUCH of a rom-com person); but I really want to meet Lucy :-) I don't think I related to Miss Pettigrew at all, but I did like her very much. She reminded me of my mom, because she was so practical and take-charge, but in a really nice and helpful way. And she knew a lot about Life, but she didn't necessarily open up about that knowledge right away; you had to listen carefully in order to gain the full benefit of her wisdom.
Jessica, While You Were Sleeping is an unusual rom-com, more focused on the comedy than the romance in some ways. My entire family loves it.
DeleteWell, I am sick and in need of a cheery movie--so I will check it out! :-)
DeleteAww, that's a bummer. Hope you feel better soon! It's definitely a cheery movie :-)
DeleteThese are probably the first four that sprung to my mind for you! I really love your descriptions of each, and I like how each shows a slightly different angle.
ReplyDeleteI'm working on mine. Thanks for the tag!
DKoren, yeah, these 4 are just ME. I had a lot of fun writing this up -- and trying not to repeat myself. "They're helpful and nice and loyal and caring" would have worked for all of them, but been kinda boring.
DeleteThey are indeed! I love it.
DeleteI've finally posted my character list here
Cool tag! I like the characters you chose. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, SW! I like them too :-)
DeleteThis is such a fun tag. And I love knowing you relate to Lucy. She is an amazing character, which reminds me: why haven't I watched While You Were Sleeping lately?? :)
ReplyDeleteRissi, I have been loving the way this tag has made the rounds of blogs I read -- I learn stuff about all my blogging acquaintances from it!
DeleteLucy is just a sweetheart. And you know, I haven't watched WYWS for over a year either. Hmm. Well, at the very least, I think I'll pull out the soundtrack to listen to while I make breakfast this morning!
I'm sensing an Armie Hammer trend here! I expect million-megawatt smiles also help viewers relate to characters....
ReplyDeleteJohn Smith, it cracks me up that two characters I deeply relate to are played by Armie Hammer. Like, what is going on there? Nobody else plays multiple versions of me! I've got oodles of characters that remind me of myself, but even actors at the top of my favorites list don't get multiples. So he must be drawn to playing characters that I will relate to, somehow. Though I've seen him in several other movies and didn't relate to his characters in those, so... could just be a crazy random happenstance.
DeleteBut yes, his infectious grin doesn't hurt. I don't relate to characters who don't smile, to be honest.
Hello! I really enjoyed your answers for this tag! It's so fun to see my tag everywhere, with all the different answers. :D Anyways, I really like your blog! I hope you have a good day.
ReplyDelete-Amaris
Hi, Amaris! Not sure why I didn't see this comment weeks ago. Anyway, glad you liked my answers :-D And my blog. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
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