Crushes & Humour

[donnaimmaculata]

Meme, gacked from flist:

List five fictional people -- from television, movies, books, whatever -- that you had a crush on as a child (or early teens). Then post this on your LiveJournal so other people can be assured that you're as weird as they thought.

I started doing this meme and then realised that limiting myself to five characters is not possible. I don't remember a time when I didn't have a crush or two (or three) on some character or other.

1. Unnamed tin soldier from a Scandinavian children book. I don't remember the crush, but my mother fondly reminisces on how I would blush and giggle when she read the tin soldier passages to me. I think he belonged to a boy named Nils, and he got lost, fell into a gully and fought sewage rats. So brave!

2. Edmund from "The Chronicles of Narnia" (traitor-turned-hero; and he's reasonable and sarcastic!)

3. Athos from "The Three Musketeers" (Book! Book!) (Cynical! Tortured! Mysterious! Drunk!)

4. Brian de Bois-Gilbert from "Ivanhoe" (Book!) (The hottest character Alan Rickman's never played. Hot-blooded and sadistic. Proud and selfish. Intelligent. Redeemable! He's the true hero of the novel, not the bland Ivanhoe.)

5. Havelock Vetinari from the Discworld novels ("I will have silence!" *melts*)


1. Remington Steele from "Remington Steele" (British. Stylish. Thin and dark-haired.)

2. Scott Favor from "My Own Private Idaho" (Leather collar. Has sex with men.)

3. Gilbert Grape from "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (Apart from the fact that Johnny can sell me almost everything: His outburst of suppressed rage against Arnie just does it for me.)

4. Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus from "Galaxy Quest" ("By Grabthar's hammer!")

5. Puss-in-Boots from "Shrek 2" (Who can resist a fluffy, purring killing machine? And look at his wee lil' boots!)



And on a similar note (and because I don't want memes to be the only thing that appear on my LJ these days), I want to take the opportunity to talk about another major crush, which is so obvious that I didn't include it in the list.

neotoma asked about how authors would cope with writing Remus seeing as his character is largely defined by inaction and that his passivity gets in the way of action while trying to write a fic.

I, obviously, like to write Remus. I did have problems writing him when I started up as a HP writer, but now I've found my Remus and enjoy this character immensely, because his passive-aggression is a source of great amusement to me.

There can be hardly any doubt that Remus acts only reluctantly and only if there is absolutely no other way. However, this quality exactly is what I like about him and about writing him. The fun thing about writing Remus is that I can make him say all sort of nice inoffensive nothings while I know and the other characters know (and hopefully the reader too) that he really means something entirely different. Remus can drive a person up the wall without changing the tone of his voice, which is something that amuses me greatly and which I love using in fics.

You know how many fans say that they love Snape because of his snarky, caustic sarcasm? Personally, I find Remus' method of insulting without insulting much more appealing.

The key to Remus' character is that he is highly indifferent about most things. He doesn't seem to want. Consequently, if you want to make him act, you need to put him in a situation where he really wants something (difficult) - or in a situation where acting is the right thing to do and people are watching. Remus acts rarely, but if he does, he acts correctly (most of the time at least). He gives the impression of following a manual: A child faints? Give him chocolate. A woman cries? Give her an handkerchief and a pat on the back. Think writing an android who's been programmed to copy human behaviour patterns without understanding them. Or a Jane Austen anti-hero, with smooth, plausible manners that hide an abyss of wickedness.

Also, Remus has a sense of humour that appeals to me. He often seems as though he was privately amused about things - sometimes things he's just said. For me, this speaks of an ability for introspection to a high degree. Remus realises the absurdity of the world around him.

I was pondering the question of how different brands of humour appeal to different people in the fandom and how people recognise humour in some characters, while it is completely lost on others. Personally, I think Remus and Bill have a great sense of humour, even though they never actually make jokes of a flashy nature. Ron and Harry have both a self-depreciating, dark sense of humour that I like a lot. Ron makes me laugh quite frequently.

Draco, on the other hand, I don't find funny at all. My musings on different brands of humour were actually triggered by somebody's comment in which they stated that they like Draco's sharp remarks regarding Hagrid (I think). I don't get this at all. It's not that I think Draco hurts other people's feeling and thus I don't laugh at him. I don't laugh at him not because he is mean, but because he is not funny. Mimicking someone's speech impediments is not funny, nor is saying thigs like "You're fat and your mother is stupid," which is the level around which Draco's 'witticisms' usually revolve. I could find him funny if his remarks were hurtful and cutting, but as it is, they're just stupid.

Snape, now, Snape's got potential. He's certainly very smooth-tongued and I would appreciate his sarcasm - if he didn't direct it against children. This is so pathetic. I think my affinity for Snape/Black derives to a great degree from my wish to give him a field to exercise his skills. It is rather telling that I find Snape most appealing during the confrontation with Umbridge where she wants more Veritaserum which he cannot (and doesn't want to) deliver: In this scene he employs Remus' method of polite indifference and he applies it against his (at that time) superior. What can I say? I so dig this.

Comments

looong post!

[rosina-alcona.livejournal.com]

Oh! I did a similar meme on kaalee recently, but without the tv bit:

1)Jan from 'The Silver Sword'.

2)Mark Herron from 'Then there were five' - Elizabeth Enright. He was an orphan! Who lived with a mean ol' drunk cousin! Who made him milk cows! and he was LOVELY!

3) Dick from The Famous Five (Enid Blyton)- just a bit less pompous than Julian.

4) Prince Caspian - he's hot, brave, hot, royal and hot!

5)Phillip Bosinney from The Forsythe Saga. H saved Irene from her horrible husband and sexed her up and he died tragically.

But really, that is only the tip of the iceberg...I could go on and on and on...

TV:

1) Tristan from 'All Creatures Great and Small' so embarrassing, but I was about 6!

2)The oldest son in 'The Sullivans'. (John?) He died tragically in the war! And Kitty was sad for the longest time! as was I.

3) Bobby from Twin Peaks. All that leather and angst.

4) He-Man. No further comment, thank you!

5) Mike from Neighbours (Guy Pearce). Who I continue to fall in love with on a regular basis, in all roles...

Yes. The famed Draco snark. Which is entirely the creation of fandom. Because, as you say, he is decidedly unfunny in canon. He does lame impressions and his typical response in an argument is 'Y tu mama tambien!' Although props to the boy who plays him in the films (can't remember his name - wtf?) because he does make me laugh. He really seems to get him!

But Ron I find hilarious. One of my favourite Ron-bits is when Dean asks him how he and Harry managed to get the two best looking girls in their year to go to the ball with them.

'Animal magnetism' replied Ron gloomily, pulling stray threads out of his cuffs.

Slays me every time. *g*

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

Or a Jane Austen anti-hero, with smooth, plausible manners that hide an abyss of wickedness.

I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of Remus Lupin as Wickham.

[skylark97.livejournal.com]

I love the way you see Remus. (I still have the idea of him as scarless stuck in my head and how that might affect his personality from one other post you made about that ages ago...) And Amen to him and Ron being funny. They just are!

Think writing an android who's been programmed to copy human behaviour patterns without understanding them.

That looks so bizarre and yet it seems so true.

[babycakesin.livejournal.com]

yes! that's it! there's something very 'taken from a Jane Austen novel' about him! damn you're good...

I think Remus and Bill have a great sense of humour, even though they never actually make jokes of a flashy nature. Ron and Harry have both a self-depreciating, dark sense of humour that I like a lot. Ron makes me laugh quite frequently.

amen! Now I have to go and find some HP books if you don't mind *craving*

[soawen.livejournal.com]

Brian de Bois-Gilbert from "Ivanhoe"

Yes! Yes! Yes! The tragic love! The bastard-ness! *swoons*

Also, must get around to watch My Own Private Idaho. I can see I'm missing a great deal ;)