Character Appreciation

Let's just take a moment to appreciate the amazing characters that can be found in any good fandom. Though created by an author/script writer, they have minds and personalities of their own. They have their own goals and purposes that drive them, and they have their own failures and shortcomings. They seem so real that you wish you could meet them. You fall in love with these characters and read every page (or watch every moment), enchanted by their fascinating stories. You dwell on their backstories and see how they became the characters you know them as. If a character does not have much information about them given, you write fanfiction devoted entirely to discovering that character. The plot lines and settings  might be great, but it's the characters that really make or break the story.

Here's to the villains, the evil masterminds without whom there would be no need for heroes. They come up with clever, cruel schemes that have us hating them and loving them at the same time. They create a disaster in the world of the story, and only then can a real plot begin. 

Here's to the heroes, the courageous, adventurous men and women (and children) without whom the story could not happen. These are the people who save the day, no matter what the odds. They know that good triumphs over evil, and they strive to be good and do good in a world of people doing evil. 

Here's to the sidekicks, the loyal friends without whom the heroes would be dead. They may not be the main focus of the story, but they are every bit as important as the main characters, sometimes even more so. The sidekicks keep the story running and the heroes going. Often the sidekicks face terrible danger, sometimes more than the heroes themselves, but that's no obstacle. Without a sidekick, there would be no hero. 

Here's to the supporting characters, all the other people who somehow play a role in the story. They may seem minor, but they often set up key elements of the plot. And where there is little characterization, fanfiction writers have an opportunity to develop those small characters and make them matter. 

Here's to the fallen ones, the characters who died protecting the heroes. Or maybe they were the heroes. These are the characters we fell in love with, who suddenly disappeared. We cried over each one of them, and we will never forget their sacrifice. 

And here's to the writers who created these characters. Thank you so much for showing us these amazing people. Thank you for giving us people to look up to, and thank you for showing us all the people we don't want to be like. Thank you for the characters.