Monday, April 26, 2010

Viable Variety

You know... there are an awful lot of character stereotypes with V names. I thought maybe we'd explore the pros and cons and choose some favorites...


Virgins

This is a category I just can't abide. Oh, sure, if someone wants to make this choice in real life, that's their business (though I certainly don't want to hear about it *shivers*), but there is a lot of literature that glorifies this, and you know what? It annoys me.

In my American Literature class in college, my professor was clear—sex was fatal until the eighteenth century, at least (and still in, in horror movies), but mostly this whole lot of literature comes across as sanctimonious to me.


Victims

Here we have a category where I don't mind someone starting OUT this way, but they sure as heck better find some cajones somewhere along the line, or they are pathetic and dull. I find Victimization can tell us some very interesting things about a character. REvictimization on the other hand... THAT, I have a hard time stomaching...


Victors

These I find almost as hard to stomach as victims, oddly enough—only the part of the book I can cope with them is the END. Anyone who is too stereotypically heroic gets my vote for lingerie training, preferably sprinkled with a little public humiliation... ESPECIALLY if they start out in a suit *shivers*. (suits are EVIL—even more evil than just pants, as people who wear suits tend to think a lot of themselves. NOT MY THING).


Visionaries

These come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and mostly I dig them. I also dig visionaries with faulty vision—in fact I've got a book planned with a visionary FRAUD and I think he makes quite a suitable villain. After all, what is more evil than telling the world you know something is going to happen when you know no such thing... you just want to manipulate them... *cackles madly*


Vicars

And by this, I mean anybody with silly hats. *cough* Okay, so not all of them wear hats, but... this is another category of people I am probably likely to put in a villain category... not that I have so much against religion, but ORGANIZED religion and I don't always get along, and a VICAR as I understand it is a FILL-IN for the REGULAR clergy, and so PRIME suspect material.


Vice-Squad

Oh, I'm ALL FOR anyone with vices... seriously though-- I am a bit picky about my cop lit... I need approachable, and so it needs to be written well—the Iain Pears ones were good, as the cops also have humor to their characters. I'm more likely though, to enjoy cop material if there is a dirty cop involved, so it becomes a conspiracy of sorts, or turns in on itself.


Vixens

I love my sisters in naughtiness, and vixens are right up there. Oh, sure, they are a flashier sort than we subtle tarts, but I can get along with that—provided they are smart and there is no moral lesson to the story making a 'wrongness' out of this vixen behavior.


So there we have it... Any more V-characters you can think of? Any you love or hate? Any rules you'd apply—only tolerate WHEN....

25 comments:

Jessica Bell said...

This is a very fun post, but I can't think of any others!

Steel Magnolia said...

Clever ... and oh so true (in my book, at least). Have a VIVACIOUS Monday. Cheers!

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

I loved your choice of "V" words they were not too Vulgar. I had Visions of something a bit more risque.

Have a good day.
Yvonne.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I wouldn't have thought there were so many V characters!

No, I think you must have named them all. Except Vulcans, I guess. I'm kind of neutral on them... :)

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

M.J. Nicholls said...

How about Vacillators? Those who cannot make their mind up and hold back the story. I ADORE them.

Or Vultures. Like Glenn Beck. Or Vampires. Like Glenn Beck.

More alliterative fun, please!

Jan Morrison said...

Vultures who prey on the emotions of others...and while we're at it - vampires who do likewise, especially time vampires. And voluputates - those who live for pleasure especially voracious vuluputates. Oh and vroom vroom boys who never give up their toys and Visitors from outer space or next door and Voodoo practioners and voyageurs (very big here in Canada - the 'Voyageurs' were a group of French-Canadian/aborginals who canoed between trading stations). Vegetables or those who act like them (sub-species 'couch potato), shrinking Violets, viscounts and Virginians and my most favourite a VIRAGO - to designate a turbulent or scolding shrew! My kind of woman - in fact there is an imprint called Virago. There, back to my retreat - just could not resist this one.

Hart Johnson said...

Oh, very nice! Vulcans, vultures and vampires are GREAT, but yes, Mark, I also lean toward the vacillators!

And EXCELLENT list, Jan! *giggling* I've missed you! And you've reminded me also of Virgos... An anal retentive, picky character, if I did marry one myself!

B. Miller said...

Haha! Great post, Hart!

I also have a hard time stomaching the traditional, stereotypical "victors" and "victims".

Wonderful V post! Have a fantabulous Monday! :D

Sugar said...

Yeah..the virgins almost always turn out to be victims. lol. I am partial to the vixens, but I do love me some vampires! *sorry*

Hart Johnson said...

Thanks, B!

And Sugar, you've reminded me of the only happy exception to my issues about virgins... The Buffy twist, where sleeping with Angel caused him the moment of happiness for him which triggered the curse and lost him his humanity--THAT was a nice twist on the virgin angle... (Vampire related)--Angel and Spike are my vampires of choice--actually Dru is appealing, too--like that whole set.

Kierah Jane Reilly said...

Great post! I personally can't stand VICTIMS. I hate reading a book where the MC gets walked all over, and spit on, and then gets run over a few times, and she NEVER SAYS A WORD TO STOP IT! It's like, if only she spoke up, everyone would stop treating her like fecal matter. I HATE that!

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

I never realized how many V words can actually portray characters in a novel!)

Raquel Byrnes said...

That was great. Loved the observation that sex in horror movies is usually fatal. Made me laugh.

Hart Johnson said...

Kierah--yeah--I can live with 'starts a victim then overcomes' but it needs to have some really promising other stuff, or I hate it, too.

Jane--surprise me, too--I started trying to develop one or two, but more kept occurring to me!

Raquel-I think that all originated with the Friday the 13th movies, but I think now it's a running joke in the industry.

Helen Ginger said...

A definitely fun post. The only addition I have is to add to your vixens - I don't like vapid vixens.

Helen
Straight From Hel

H.B.Markor said...

So many v's.
I think you missed voyeurs (my favorite voyeur being Petunia Dursley),how THAT happened is a mystery.
I hate victims as well, and virgins. Voluptuous virgins seem a waste to me.

Hart Johnson said...

I'm with you, Helen--I don't like vapid ANYBODY, for the most part, except an occasional 'semi-villian'--those I can deal with (the minions of the bad guys).

Maria-you caught me off guard there, and YES, Voyeurs can be very amusing! Voluptuous virgins... *snickers* (does that happen?)

H.B.Markor said...

I'm sure they do. Somewhere...

joe doaks-Author said...

Very clever post. How DO you come up with these things? Quite creative, no wonder you're a good and prolific writer. I could think for two weeks and maybe come up with, Victim...maybe.

Best Wishes, Galen
Imagineering Fiction Blog

Not Hannah said...

How about the vulpine folks. I seem to see this adjective popping up a lot in teen lit lately. And while I know it means "fox-like," my brain translates it as a person with a grotesquely protruding lower jaw who wears overalls.

Ahem.

I don't know, lady. You asked.

Hart Johnson said...

Galen- you always TALK like that, but I know better! You're a clever guy! Me? I just talk a lot and sometimes something comes out.

*snort* NH, you crack me up. I definitely like your definition better. Those Vulpine characters are surely Virgins....

Anonymous said...

Victorians? Though they could also be any of the above... :)

Marjorie said...

I like them all if they feel real. If they don't feel real it will get on my nerves.

Ella said...

Wow, great V post! You are so right on so many accounts. I think you missed Vamps and Vampires, that is all I can think of. I enjoyed reading this!

Lisa K. said...

I think I'll be dreaming about Vs tonight (hopefully good ones like Vibrant Vacations).
:-P