Favorite Inspirational Characters From Fiction? : Othor Games

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:49 pm

So... I thought this will start an intriguing conversation... What are some of your favorite inspirational fiction characters? Now, I know myself that there's a lot out there. Especially ones we all probably know (such as characters from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and other very famous stories)... Because of this, I'm gonna pick a favorite from a source which most of you (if not all) don't know about... I guess to be unique and not repeating others... Eh?

Spoiler

Anyways... That character I'm picking as my own favorite for this thread will be, surprisingly, http://pre13.deviantart.net/52cc/th/pre/i/2014/286/7/b/blackjack_poster_by_drawponies-d82qelj.png (from Fallout Equestria - Project Horizons. A fanfic of a fanfic!). I know she's a pony though but hey, it's my personal favorite, not yours. Sadly, Project Horizons isn't really a grand story in my books, especially when compared to other stories mentioned above (at most, I give it a 7.6 out of 10). But it had amazing characters, including Blackjack (who is the main character). Now, I'm not gonna go into much details about the story (it's extremely long... Like over 1.6M words long) so I'll just give some quick info about her and why I like her so much, and why I think she is an inspiring character...

She was born in Stable 99 (Vault 99), which was a rather screwed up one... (Males are born to only breed and never taught much. Females rule the place primarily. Jobs going from mother to daugher, which led to a young girl being the Overseer at one point... Recycling EVERYTHING into new metal, food, etc... Including dead bodies of former dwellers. Ye'h...) and Blackjack herself was a little messed up a bit herself, with her attitude, addiction to alcohol, and so on... (Though there was that hint of heroism, so to say).

Basically, the story begun with everything just starting to fall apart... Bad leadership, failures, and being attacked by diseased raiders... This led to Blackjack leaving the place and getting the story going (in order to at least get the raiders out of there) and start a long journey... Over time though, her time in the wasteland grew on her as she caused mistakes and issues, which actually got to her.. Before so, most of her mistakes hadn't have much effect but in the wasteland, she caused accidental deaths... That and piling with her learning about males being equals and such. Ye'h... She started developing.

Over time, she went into this phrase where she believed that she is a bad person, due to her previous mistakes and actions (despite her being a hero in the current times) and that she doesn't deserved positive attention... She believed she deserved negative attention (this including her being [censored], getting limbs cut off, and basically being killed temporally)... A quote she heard from another character pretty much summarize her up throughout most of the story:
-"You do everything you can to make up for it, knowing that you'll never succeed in getting rid of the guilt. You devote yourself to spending every second trying to do better despite the fact that it will never be enough. And you pray with every single good act you do that somehow, when your life is over, that you came close to making up for the wrong you committed."-

This all leading to her being, well, an inspiration... Eventually, she started to forgive herself and rethink on her enemies a lot... Whenever she gets the chance to spare a life, she usually tells them "Ante up. Do better." (Anybody who plays actual blackjack probably knows the phrase "ante up")... Basically, what she means by that you should become a better person by standing up and doing better, rather than being a negative person who steal, murder, or other things... Basically, as her main phrase goes, Ante up. Do better...

I know I'm not doing this explanation any justice, as I svck at explaining things, but hopefully you get the idea why I enjoy her a lot and why I consider her as an inspirational character...

So what about you now? You know one of mine, I bet you have some favorites as well. Maybe characters that others most likely won't know?

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:32 pm

Commander Varus of the 13th Roman Legion in the book "The Lost Legion" by Warner Munn. Varus was a soldier dedicated to duty and totally loyal to Rome. Even though he is a fictional character, he exemplified the true meaning of honor and duty.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:28 pm

Edmond Dantes, a.k.a. the Count of Monte Cristo from The Count of Monte Cristo

If you've read the book, you probably agree. Edmond is the one of the greatest characters of English literature.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 5:03 pm

Feanor the Jewelmaker from Tolkien's Silmarillion. Spirit of fire, warrior, craftsman, loremaster, artist, poet, leader, master.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:14 pm

Paksennarion, from the books by Elizabeth Moon "The Deed of Paksennarion" (Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold). She is my ideal of a Paladin and her journey is truly epic yet very personal

Tinker would be my second place winner, from the series (Tinker, Wolf Who Rules, and Elfhome) by Wen Spencer. She is a small, spunky, highly intelligent and humorous character.

I just can not get enough of these 2 characters and have re-read their books many, many times.

Wolverine is a very close third, from the older X-Men comics. When his "origin" was a mystery, I really enjoyed his character. Those forgotten years endeared him to me. And his lack of a code against killing

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:33 pm

Granny Weatherwax. Never before read a character who's so unconventionally awesome. Cool-headed, intelligent, and dismissively contemptuous of anyone she considers as below her. All qualities we should aspire to.

Also Odysseus. Not that I'm particularly enamoured of Greek ideals of manliness and virtue, I just can't help but feel inspired reading about his badass adventures.
I agree that he's one of the greatest characters of French literature :tongue:

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:35 pm

Cthulhu.

» Tue Sep 01, 2015 4:25 am

My nominee for most inspirational fictional character might shock many familiar with the books in question. He is Thomas Covenant from both the First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. (But NOT the much later written Third/Final Chronicles, which I consider an abysmal letdown.)

Were I making a multiple list, I can see Paks belonging to it, no lower than second-tier and quite possible first-tier.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:52 pm

HK-47

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 11:16 pm

One of my favourite characters in fiction is Sturm Brightblade from the Dragonlance Chronicles books. It's hard, in my opinion, not to like Sturm. He's such a human character. He's a character who hides a lot of his conflicts and insecurities behind the codes of conduct of the Knights of Solamnia and I really love him because of the way he tries to always do the right and correct things even when the world around him might prefer the wrong way.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:11 pm

Scott pilgrim.

These ones.

This one as well.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 9:06 pm

The Count of Monte Cristo is an amazing story... I hadn't read the book yet, though I really want to. Did watched the movie and know about the musical.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 10:09 pm

Bertie Wooster, he has a good heart and endevours to please. He is also the source of of my favourite line:

"Your assassin arrives with a smile and a handshake."

I do not know where this originates. I think he only say's it in the TV series and

so may be a Hugh Laurie ad-lib.

At times in my life, I have identified myself with Alfred Polly and John Yossarian, and like most

men I have shared a feeling of empathy with Alexander Portnoy.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 6:29 pm

probably Ferris Bueller.. when I was a kid in highschool, hearing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91lJhEzMaH4 at the end of the film really made me reevaluate what i was doing with my life...

» Tue Sep 01, 2015 3:12 am

Outstanding book.

» Tue Sep 01, 2015 1:01 am

I enjoy Sturm, too. His conflicts, struggles, and ways of dealing with them are easily identifiable with, for me

Another I forgot is Spike Spiegel, from the Cowboy Bebop anime series. The reason I like him is that he is a male lead character that is not lead around by his male appendage. He has one love in his life. He meets lots of beautiful women on his journeys. He may flirt a little, but nothing more than that happens. I really get tired of male characters too stupid to think with the big head :lol:

» Tue Sep 01, 2015 4:50 am

Ah yes, thank you for the correction

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 3:21 pm

Bartimaeus of Uruk from Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus series. He's absolutely hilarious.

Larry Underwood from Stephen King's The Stand would be another one of mine.

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:56 pm

Meursault "The Stranger" by Albert Camus

Turkish farmer "Candide" Voltaire

Cohuld "Knights of Bretonnia" by Anthony Reynolds

Strider "Lord of the Rings"

Mr. Pink "Resivoir Dogs"

Iago "Othello"

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 1:28 pm

Rocky Balboa...he inspired me to get in shape and push through impossible odds.

» Tue Sep 01, 2015 3:42 am

I have to admit that this was the man I always wanted to be

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 8:03 pm

Samwise Gamgee

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 3:29 pm

Sera from DA:I for being consistently vulgar? :laugh:

I dunno, as a child, probably Tom Baker's version of Doctor who in that he always tried to do the right thing with the least violence and most irreverence. Also his predecessor, Jon Pertwee, whose Doctor was described as someone whose approach to any situation was to be the perfect gentleman to his enemies and perfectly rude to his friends!

» Mon Aug 31, 2015 7:19 pm

As a kid I used to admire Tom's outfit with the long scarf and the leather boots he wore in the later years. Him falling to his death and thinking back to all the friends and enemies that called him "Doctor" was heartbreaking.

» Tue Sep 01, 2015 5:28 am

Eek! the Cat.

"It never hurts to help!"