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ryanreacts1. Elphaba Thropp
My mom and I watched The Wizard of Oz together when I was very young, like four or maybe only three years old, and I fell in love with the Wicked Witch of the West. Roughly one decade later, I borrowed a Buffy guide book about monsters from the library and the section on witches mentioned a book about a little green girl who grows up to be her, so of course I read that and loved it. And then a few years after that, my best friend burned me a copy of the soundtrack, which I loved so much that I will never get over it. So I've fallen in love with her at least three different times, in three different kinds of storytelling, and to this day she is my favorite fictional character full stop.
2. Willow Rosenberg
She literally changed my life. I grew up in a very Christian family, so I had always been taught that witches were some of the worst creatures to ever exist, and once I discovered gay people, well, they were even worse. But then I met Willow, and I really started to wonder how either of those things could be true. She lit the spark that led to witchcraft being as important to me as it is.
3. Tara Maclay
A young queer witch whose family has repeatedly told her that she's actually a demon. Told her over and over and over, so that she not only believes it but doesn't even question it anymore even though magic doesn't feel evil.
She's also a big nerd who loves books so much that she's usually somewhat awkward around people.
What I'm saying is that, in many ways, she is significantly relatable to me personally.
Which is why I will never ever ever forgive Joss for killing her. With a gun. By accident.
4. Harriet M. Welsch
When I was eight years old, my sister and I joined our cousins at our grandparents' house for a month in the summer. Among many other reasons, this was fun because they had cable. Nickelodeon promoted the movie all the time because it was the first one they had produced. I don't specifically remember seeing it for the first time, but we all thought it was fun and I personally wanted to be Harriet. I pretended to be her, and she made me want to be a writer. I begged my mom to buy the VHS. I gathered my own spy gear and wore it as often as I could. I brought the movie to school and all of my classmates got composition books, but I started leaving mine at home when our teacher announced that no one was allowed to write anything mean in their notebook, because the thing about having a notebook is that you tell the truth when you write, and sometimes the truth isn't nice
Another thing I don't remember specifically is how old I was when I read the book for the first time, but I was still younger than Harriet, who is eleven. I haven't been eleven for almost twenty-five years (geez), but it is still my favorite book of all time. I sincerely give thanks that Louise Fitzhugh wrote it.
And I still want to be a writer.
5. Korra
She saved the world from ten thousand years of darkness. I don't want to go into all the gory details, but the first time I saw those episodes she also saved my life.
AND THEN, two seasons later, in the last scene of the series, we found out that she's in love with Asami!
6. Sunshine
"You are not consumed by the darkness because you are full of light."
Also, she makes me want to be a baker.
7. Buffy Summers
She may not mean quite as much to me as her BFF, but she is one of the best main characters in the history of television and one of the best heroes in the history of storytelling. These are not my opinions, they are empirical facts.
8. Trini Kwan
From the way my cousins talked about the Power Rangers, I thought they would be familiar cartoon superheroes with capes and stuff. When I finally got to watch the show with them, my mind was fucking blown. Again, I do not specifically remember details of that first viewing, but Trini was my favorite right away and she always will be.
9. All Six Animorphs
When I first discovered these books, circa sixth or seventh grade, my favorite characters were Tobias (who narrated the first book I read; plus, my little closeted nerd self had a massive crush on him) and Cassie. When I read the whole series again in my junior year of high school, I realized my favorites were now Rachel and Marco. And of course I love Ax and Jake too. If I had to pick one favorite today it would be Rachel, but I really do love all six of them more than words can say.
I loved these books so dang much that I occasionally tried to acquire animals and turn into them EVEN THOUGH I had never touched a blue box; and wondered if people in my real life might be Controllers; and continued to read them obsessively even when they gave me nightmares.
10. Storm
Of course she is a very popular character, but I don't understand how she isn't even more popular. She's just so fucking cool.
My mom and I watched The Wizard of Oz together when I was very young, like four or maybe only three years old, and I fell in love with the Wicked Witch of the West. Roughly one decade later, I borrowed a Buffy guide book about monsters from the library and the section on witches mentioned a book about a little green girl who grows up to be her, so of course I read that and loved it. And then a few years after that, my best friend burned me a copy of the soundtrack, which I loved so much that I will never get over it. So I've fallen in love with her at least three different times, in three different kinds of storytelling, and to this day she is my favorite fictional character full stop.
2. Willow Rosenberg
She literally changed my life. I grew up in a very Christian family, so I had always been taught that witches were some of the worst creatures to ever exist, and once I discovered gay people, well, they were even worse. But then I met Willow, and I really started to wonder how either of those things could be true. She lit the spark that led to witchcraft being as important to me as it is.
3. Tara Maclay
A young queer witch whose family has repeatedly told her that she's actually a demon. Told her over and over and over, so that she not only believes it but doesn't even question it anymore even though magic doesn't feel evil.
She's also a big nerd who loves books so much that she's usually somewhat awkward around people.
What I'm saying is that, in many ways, she is significantly relatable to me personally.
Which is why I will never ever ever forgive Joss for killing her. With a gun. By accident.
4. Harriet M. Welsch
When I was eight years old, my sister and I joined our cousins at our grandparents' house for a month in the summer. Among many other reasons, this was fun because they had cable. Nickelodeon promoted the movie all the time because it was the first one they had produced. I don't specifically remember seeing it for the first time, but we all thought it was fun and I personally wanted to be Harriet. I pretended to be her, and she made me want to be a writer. I begged my mom to buy the VHS. I gathered my own spy gear and wore it as often as I could. I brought the movie to school and all of my classmates got composition books, but I started leaving mine at home when our teacher announced that no one was allowed to write anything mean in their notebook, because the thing about having a notebook is that you tell the truth when you write, and sometimes the truth isn't nice
Another thing I don't remember specifically is how old I was when I read the book for the first time, but I was still younger than Harriet, who is eleven. I haven't been eleven for almost twenty-five years (geez), but it is still my favorite book of all time. I sincerely give thanks that Louise Fitzhugh wrote it.
And I still want to be a writer.
5. Korra
She saved the world from ten thousand years of darkness. I don't want to go into all the gory details, but the first time I saw those episodes she also saved my life.
AND THEN, two seasons later, in the last scene of the series, we found out that she's in love with Asami!
6. Sunshine
"You are not consumed by the darkness because you are full of light."
Also, she makes me want to be a baker.
7. Buffy Summers
She may not mean quite as much to me as her BFF, but she is one of the best main characters in the history of television and one of the best heroes in the history of storytelling. These are not my opinions, they are empirical facts.
8. Trini Kwan
From the way my cousins talked about the Power Rangers, I thought they would be familiar cartoon superheroes with capes and stuff. When I finally got to watch the show with them, my mind was fucking blown. Again, I do not specifically remember details of that first viewing, but Trini was my favorite right away and she always will be.
9. All Six Animorphs
When I first discovered these books, circa sixth or seventh grade, my favorite characters were Tobias (who narrated the first book I read; plus, my little closeted nerd self had a massive crush on him) and Cassie. When I read the whole series again in my junior year of high school, I realized my favorites were now Rachel and Marco. And of course I love Ax and Jake too. If I had to pick one favorite today it would be Rachel, but I really do love all six of them more than words can say.
I loved these books so dang much that I occasionally tried to acquire animals and turn into them EVEN THOUGH I had never touched a blue box; and wondered if people in my real life might be Controllers; and continued to read them obsessively even when they gave me nightmares.
10. Storm
Of course she is a very popular character, but I don't understand how she isn't even more popular. She's just so fucking cool.
