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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 240731" data-attributes="member: 2067">It's a trite stereotype, and it was before the character....it's the Rebel-Chique image. The "Man, I'm so bad arse! I can do anything, 'cuz I'm a rebel!" The "I'm cool 'cuz I'm different."It's a very popular image. Peopple who don't fit in with the rest of society (e.g.: those who read a lot of fantasy) sympathize with it. "Hey, that guy's different like me! And he's cool!" It's successful, as far as I can see, because it taps into that angst that all the readers like to think they have.He's an outcast...so, of course, those he was outcast from have to be Wrong and Evil, and he has to be all angsty and goth about his life, and only comes out of his shell to make snide remarks and observations that are (of course) the deepest thing anyone's ever said.He suffers, at once, from the problem of being outcast (and thus depressed, angsty, dark, and cool), and being superman (and thus being invincible, witty, funny, skilled, and cool).It's like...look at the main character from Varsity Blues and I don't think you'll see much of a difference.The biggest problem I have is that He Can Do No Wrong. His rebellion was the Right thing to do. He only suffers from doubt to make him cool. The times he does get beat up (which he has to do, to show that he's not *all* kick-ass) he either gets beat up due to cheating or in order to make him cooler in the fall. If he falls, he can be angsty for a while before he can really win. What might be precieved as a mistake is something that makes him more understandable and empathic to the reader.Basically, he's nothing that I can't wipe off of my creative hind after using the facilities.If he was ever give a case where he *was*, in fact, *wrong*, and it made him look *bad* to be wrong, I may be more intrigued. If he ever made an honest mistake, *actually* screwed up, I would be very happy. If he ever, say, underestimated an enemy that everybody else knew he shouldn't overestimate, then got his crap handed to him, and had to admit his failing, re-evaluate his situation, and change something before he won, that would be a good start.Despite this, I'd actually look forward to something like a movie on him or something. He strikes me as a decent action hero, no worse than a million others. As a literary character, as artwork, he blows the big one. As a dispensible pop icon, I can handle him. I don't really have a problem with people liking him. What I have a problem with is when people say how cool he is and try to convince me to like him...because he's actually not worth it. You wanna waste your adoration on nothing more complex than a football player who is pushed too hard byhis parents, go for it. But don't tel me I should do it.The mimics simply tell me I should, and then I have to kill them.</blockquote>

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