Happy Tuesday, everyone!
It's
Valentine's Day, the day we come together as a culture with our significant others, friends, or family to celebrate love, romance, red and pink balloons, and all the other glitzy lures of this Hallmark holiday. (Or, if you're
cheap frugal like Captain Nemo and me, you might be celebrating Valentine's Day on WEDNESDAY because that is when all the chocolate is on sale and the restaurants are less crowded).
Anyway, in honor of all this February 14th lovefestery, I thought I'd play a little game. I saw this idea on BookRiot a month or so ago, and then again yesterday someone brought up the subject on KindleBoards. It's...
Fictional Character Mashups, baby!
It's pretty simple. Take a character, any character, and pair them with another character from a completely different book. Explain your reasoning about why you think they'd make a good match. You aren't limited to the same time period or genre, either. It's fun!
I thought I'd pick some literary characters and play match-maker! I've even included
obnoxious helpful shipper names for you guys!
Sydney Carton (A Tale of Two Cities) and Emma Woodhouse (Emma), AKA Symma
 |
| Symma! |
Sydney Carton was one of my first literary crushes. He is handsome, brilliant, clever, caustic, and desperately in need of love. I wept like a baby at the end of ATOTC when I read it in high school, and I think it's high time Sydney found some love. He loved Lucie, but I never really cared for her--she was a little too much "conventional sweetness and happy homemaking" for my taste. I think he needs a woman with a little fire, someone as sharp and clever as he is, someone who will appreciate his intelligence while also inspiring a little gentleness in him. Emma is clever and snarky while still being a bit of a "girly girl," which I have a feeling Sydney likes given his attraction to Lucie. I think they could really enjoy each other's company.
Alternate option:
Elizabeth Bennet, AKA Syzabeth (those Austen ladies... what can I say?)
Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games) and Valek (Poison Study), AKA Katlek
Who (besides Peeta and Gale) do you think would make a good match for this fearless heroine? She's tough as nails and capable of taking care of herself, but I think she needs someone who could be a good partner for her, equal to her strength and skills. She also probably needs someone who can deal with the fact that she's been through so much, plus gracefully handle her celebrity status. I think Valek fits well because he is clever and ruthless like her, but her fierce love for her family would probably soften him a little. Since Valek was a former assassin, Katniss won't have to take care of him in dangerous situations, and as the right-hand man for the Commander of Ixia, he won't be star-struck by her fame, either. Win-win situation.
Romeo (Romeo and Juliet) and Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre), AKA Jomeo
Okay, this might seem like an odd pairing. But I've always felt that Juliet was disappointingly passive. Rather than run away with her new husband that she's secretly married, she stays with her family while he is banished and then FAKES HER OWN DEATH rather than fess up to to her 'rents that she's been, well, previously claimed. I can't say that I really blame the girl, given her age, the time, and the circumstances, but... I think Romeo might have benefited from a slightly more stalwart lady. And Jane is pretty spunky in a way that doesn't completely defy all convention, AKA she's clever, so she'd be totally sneaky about it too. I can totally see her climbing down that balcony to Romeo and running off with him under the cover of night.
Harry Potter (Harry Potter) and Katarina Bishop (Heist Society), AKA Karry
Okay, I know what you're thinking. This list is getting more and more ridiculous. But admit it. Harry falling for a muggle would really throw a wrench into things. Would it even work? I confess I'd really love to find out. And Kat is no ordinary muggle, either. She's a brilliant thief--practically magical. She's smart, spunky, and cool during a crisis. And if you're dating the Boy Who Lived, that last quality is a MUST.
Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables) and Huck Finn (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), AKA Hanne (with an "e")
Shut up, people. They would be AMAZING together. She's totally the spunky dreamer, and he's the scruffy bad-boy who would probably find himself simultaneously repelled and fascinated by her. It WORKS.
TEAM HANNE WITH AN E.
Somebody needs to make me a .gif with that, STAT.
Happy Valentine's Day, folks!
--------------------
PS
(upon reading the draft of this post)
Captain Nemo: I think you've used the word "spunky" to describe every girl on this list.
Me: Duh. That's because SPUNKY LADIES ARE THE BEST!!
