1. Mercer Frey (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim). Right now, this character is the most interesting to me. I was able to see not just his cruel and vicious traits, but also his softness, vulnerability, and tenderness. I've been spending a lot of time writing stories about his personal life in an alternative Skyrim universe, as well as his backstory - childhood, youth, working with Gallus. I've tried to answer the questions of why he became the person he is. And I'm exploring specifically his "good" side. I've actually noticed a lot of traits in Mercer that remind me of characters from my favorite writer - Dostoevsky. And on top of that, he's fucking gorgeous and hot.
2. Prince Myshkin from "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The brightest example in literature of the kindest, most empathetic, purest person in thoughts and intentions, who cannot survive in a real world filled with chaos, evil, greed, and cruelty. And it really hurts.
3. Daenerys Targaryen (TV series "Game of Thrones," I haven't read the books). A beautiful strong woman. Her power, confidence, and strength drove me crazy throughout all the seasons. It's a pity that in the end, she couldn't handle her own greatness and ended her life fatally.
4. James Sunderland (game "Silent Hill 2). A character who perfectly conveyed endless suffering from loss and guilt. I still haven't been able to answer the main philosophical question of the game: can you forgive a person for a serious crime if it was committed under tragic and extenuating circumstances, and if the person truly repents?
5. Saga Noren from the series "The Bridge." An interesting character in terms of professional activity - it's incredibly fascinating to watch her work. And in terms of personality - straightforward, uncompromising, principled, but unable to understand social rituals, hints, and other people's emotions (the last one is literally me lol).
6. Woland from the book "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. A very interesting interpretation of the devil and the embodiment of universal evil. In the book, he acts not as "pure evil," but as the embodiment of true, higher justice beyond good and evil. By the way, I highly recommend the 2024 film "The Master and Margarita" - actor August Diehl did a phenomenal job with the role.
7. Hugo de Rune (from the game A Plague Tale: Innocence/Requiem). An infinitely beautiful and sweet child. It's hard to put into words how much tenderness he evoked in me. I cried while playing the first part, and after the ending of the second part - I cried all night. I should mention that I rarely cry and almost never cry over movies or books (even though they can stir strong feelings in me). The game literally broke my heart.
8. Edward Scissorhands (from Tim Burton's film). This is almost like Prince Myshkin in the world of modern cinema, lol. Edward is incredibly sweet, talented, and naive, but too "different" for a cruel world. It's very touching and painful.
9. Farkas (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim). The ideal of male beauty, personality, and character for me in real life.
10. Brynjolf (The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim). I can't say he's an absolute favorite character, but right now I find him very interesting, especially in relation to Mercer. I'm slowly starting to write a cycle about his childhood and youth, trying to imagine how he came to live the life he did. I'll pay special attention to the question of sexual objectification of men and the question of "beauty as a curse."