This delightful tag has been snurched from an inactive blog, Trivialities. I tried to find the original creator, but apparently that blog is now inactive and has fallen off the face of the interwebs. We are forever in Cait’s debt, regardless of her dubious existence at this point. She invented a tag for us to rant about our favorite fictional characters at the end of the year!! We shall never forget you, Cait. *moment of silence for all the inactive blogs that are now gone forever*
But now!! To the Characters of Interest!! Awards for you all!!
Most Relatable Character
Emma is terribly relatable, I’m afraid. She is clueless. She journals until she understands what she’s doing. She strives to be a better person on Mondays and Thursdays. She adores her cat. She mourns her lack of books. She is confronted by the ridiculous on the regular and is not afraid to acknowledge it. She gets overexcited and overwhelmed. She has moods.
We are all Emma, I believe.
Most Pure Animal Companion
C’mere, Pigeondove.
Look how sweet this lil bird is. Pigeondove’s only desire in life is to love and be loved by Noah.
Also can we talk about how gorgeous this section of the page is?? Look at Noah’s eye *swoons from the beauty*
[{edit} since writing this section, Pigeondove has been very naughty by refusing to deliver messages that she is suspicious have to do with Ruya, Noah’s wife, because she is a jealous Pigeondove. We have tried to take the trophy back, but she has stashed it in her Pigeondove house along with all the other notes she refused to deliver. Alas.]
Fiercest Fighter
Baileya, from the Crescent Stone. Her culture has this wild tradition in which after two individuals are engaged, the family of the bride tries to kill the groom for a year. If he survives, good for him. If he doesn’t, well, he probably wasn’t worthy of her anyway. 😬 This is her normal. She was born a warrior.
Am I Surprised That I Love You?
Crow….it’s complicated. He’s an alleged smuggler. He’s a piece of work.
BUT I DON’T CARE. I LOVE THIS GUY. And Beth is even working on a book for him…allegedly…I look forward to it. Honestly, I just need Beth to put her life on hold and do nothing but write nonstop for me.
Best Sassmaster
Jason Wu from the Crescent Stone has your classic sarcasm going. He’s a clever kid. He’s not perfect, but he’s precious.
But Quincy St. Claire has the driest, wittiest comebacks I’ve ever seen. More than surface-level banter, her sass connects to the human depths she conceals under the surface. She doesn’t want anyone to know she’s got vulnerabilities just like everyone else, and conceals it with sharp remarks.
Best Antihero
Kelsier from Mistborn, methinks.
Kelsier was very human. If he were born in any other era, he would have been the villain. But fortunately for him, and us, and his crew, he was born under the reign of the Lord Ruler and a time of great upheaval and thus became a hero (though if we think way too hard about it, his actions brought potentially worse things than the Lord Ruler on his people. But we won’t go there today). Alas. I miss him 😭
The Best Friends of All
EMMA, HAWKES, ISLINGTON, AND PIERCEEEE
Best Villain TO HATE
why are all these villains either mid-tier or all too human and thus redeemable…which of these villains makes me want to throw the book…
Uhhh…Kalmus from Sky of Seven Colors?? He was pretty self centered. Egotistical. Creepy. Colorless. Concerning.
Award for Best vs. Worst YA Parents
The parents from Hey, Jude Carpenter are near perfection. Love those guys. They were just…normal, sensible, parents. No nonsense here, folks.
Tessa’s dad (from the Riverbend Friends series) is pretty horrid. He needs to get some perspective. And protect his poor daughter from the trauma he put her through. You think she’s going to cope well with the fact that you just divorced her mother???
Ship of All Ships in 2025
I’ll spare you a ship war over Emma M. Lion. I’m honestly not 100% sure where I stand on that anyway.
I’ve been rereading The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine, and I’m shipping Emlyn and Laramie so stinkin’ HARD. They’re so cute!! Her reluctance to submit to instalove and other cliche tropes…his general Laramie-ness…
WE LOVE LARAMIE AND THANK GOODNESS HE WASN’T NAMED LARRY *breathes sigh of relief*
Most Precious Must Be Protected
HAWKES COME ACCEPT YOUR AWARD.
I know I’ve ranted about him in multiple areas (here, Substack, emails, letters), but he is just…so precious.
He has such a beautiful character. He ministers to others while pushing his own needs to the side. He is a breath of fresh air in a stale world. He is an absolute cinnamon roll. He is infuriatingly reticent regarding his past (which, knowing Beth, is probably full of trauma) and needs a cup of tea by Emma’s fireplace, posthaste.
Honestly Surprised You’re Still Alive
The entire City Spies squad. Who let these children play with bombs.
Honestly, the oldest is sixteen, the youngest is like…twelve. And they’re over here scaling buildings, defusing bombs underwater while running out of oxygen, and infiltrating dangerous groups. How are they still alive by the time book seven rolls around??
Actually, book seven has yet to be published. They stand a good chance to lose a member in that book.
Award for Making the Worst Decisions
THE KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES GANG OH MY GOODNESS.
Every single book, Sophie runs off to do what they decided they shouldn’t do. Every single book, Sophie makes nothing short of a dozen stupid decisions while off on her own, including but not limited to running off without her bodyguard in order to accomplish something that her guardians explicitly told her not to do. WHYYYYY.
Most in Need of a Nap
emma. we love your chronicles. but. sleep is also important. we thank you for documenting your life and all its eccentricities, but please go to sleep before midnight one of these days.
Want to Read More About You
dare i say hawkes again…WHAT ARE YOUR SECRETSSS.
We’ve had eight volumes and thus uncovered a lot about Emma, a smattering of Islington, and a bit of Pierce, but we truly only have the tip of the iceberg concerning Hawkes. Where did he come from?? Where does he disappear to?? How did he become…Hawkes?? What’s with the pear-scented letters??
Epilogue
I realize this is rather late. I realize I have been MIA for the past two weeks. Blame the holidays and school, if you wish.
But why talk about me when there are all of these characters to applaud?? One more round for this year’s candidates!!! *claps enthusiastically while subtly edging towards the exit* *slips through* *who knows when she’ll be back*
Always,
Ava
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20 Responses
HUZZAH AN AVA POST DROP EVERYTHING TO READ IT!!!! Honestly these are so very accurate. There is no point in me doing this now because I would pick the very same characters. 😆 (I actually do not know quite all of them though. But I am sure those ones are as well.)
Emma is very relateable indeed. And Pigeondove!!! We are a bit suspicious of Pigeondove in recent strips, but we can hope that she shall redeem herself. And KELSIER! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I shall never recover. And now we’re on the third book and everyone is dead. 😭 (I need Spook, in the very least, to have a happy ending. Otherwise I shall really never forgive Sanderson.) Gotta love Kelsier though. Oh yes. We are very sad that Beth Brower has a life. Good authors ought to refrain, really. Awful selfish of them. There should also be a ‘Most in Need of a Hug’ category, methinks!
😂 Starting out in all-caps again, I see. I kind of warranted that by disappearing for nearly three weeks though, I suppose. I am glad to inspire such enthusiasm!!!
But…it’s a fun tag and you should do it anyway. There are a few categories that I put characters you’ve never met, so we would differ there.
Naughty Pigeondove…perhaps I ought to have put Melly instead. I wanted to put Jewel, the lady-wolf, from the Nightingale trilogy, in that category. But…things happened and I could no longer in good conscience fit her in the pure animal companion category 😭😭😭
I love Spook. He is the last hope. Too many people died in those books…*stares vacantly into distance* primarily Kelsier 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I loved that guy so much; it broke me when he died and stayed dead (well, for the most part. It’s complicated, actually. I don’t fully understand what happened with that). #spoilers
Yessss, perhaps next year I’ll add that category for funsies. It would be similar to Most Precious tho…slightly different connotations I do believe.
Well indeed. T’would not be a true comment from me if I did not. I am committed at this point. 😆
I might indeed. Except mine would be in like, May or something because I am swamped with posts-to-post that I haven’t gotten around to yet. This is true. I would probably make different choices anyhow just to. . . differ. (I’m so very eloquent today. 🤦♀️)
MELLY! I adore Melly. She is the sweetest. Ah. This is tragic. It is always sorrowful when characters lose our respect and such.
Indeed. He was just sort of there in the first one but in the last he became a true main character and we adoreses him. Ah yes. We just finished the last book AND EVERYONE DIED!!! Twas wild. At least Sazed. . . Lived? Is he dead? The line there is somewhat blurry. We were mostly crushed about Kelsier though. HOW SHALL WE GO ON WITHOUT HIM?? I mean, we did for two more enormous books, but still. I kept hoping and hoping he would come back, but no. The mysterious Mistborns kept being OTher random people. 😭😭😭
Ooh yes. If I do it perhaps I’ll just add some random categories. No one shall probably care. We need a ‘needs a hug’ and. . . I’m sure there’s another we need as well. I could think it up.
AN AVA POST!!!! I was SO excited to see your post!!!!! Can I snurch this tag from you lol? XD I love this post idea so much. And YES EMMA M. LION! She is the best. All her wit and humor, the thoughts she writes down in her journals…. I love her so much! Methinks I ought to give the series a re-read actually…..
And lol Quincy St. Claire definitely takes the award for Best Sassmaster. There is no doubt about it. And oooh! I haven’t read City Spies yet actually. I have heard about it though! And I have seen it on my Recommened Books page SO MANY TIMES AND IT WONT GO AWAY, SERIOUSLY KINDLE?! 😭😭😭 But this must mean it Really Thinks I Ought to Read This Book then…… (Oddly enough the book recommendations that never go away on Kindle are the ones I end up enjoying the most.) Children playing this bombs? This intrigues me. I like the sound of this. And lol they are alive because of Plot Reasons. XD As an author, I confess our secret. We keep them alive due to Plot.
Best villain to hate this year for me was probably Ainsley from The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia. (Unreleased, actually… It releases in May 2026.) Gosh… I hate him so much…. He is so incredibly self-centered. And mean to his poor sister!!! And then the climax….
THE CLIMAX!!!
(collapses into sobs)
WHY AINSLEY WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
I was in more fury and despair over Ainsley’s choices than Frodo’s… And that is saying something.
I loved this post so much!!!!!! And ahhh yes, life. The thing that gets in the way of both author’s and blogger’s writings……. *sighs* Alas, it must be dealt with nonetheless. XD
And Happy Very Late New Year’s, Ava!!!!!!
AN ISABELLE COMMENT!!! I’m always very excited to discover that you have commented on my posts. You may absolutely snurch this tag; I was probably supposed to tag people at the end anyhow (I couldn’t tell though, since those who do it complete it year after year and the original blog is MIA).
You should read City Spies!! It hasn’t succumbed to modern-middle-grade-horridness yet!! And that’s saying something, since there have been six books thus far. A similar series (vibes-wise) by Lisa McMann devolved into content I didn’t want in book three-ish, I believe. James Ponti has been trustworthy thus far; he better not let me down *stares sternly in his direction* His children have some definite plot armor. It’s wild.
Ooh, a hatable villain…we shall have to investigate in due time…*steeples fingers and adds book to mental TBR*
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! A very happy late New Year’s to you too, Isabelle!!! 🎆🎶✨🎂💅
AN AVA REPLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Teehee. And of course I comment on thine posts. How could I not? Your posts are delightfully fun!!! AND HOORAH!!!!!! (snurches the tag) (adds it to my LIst of Tagses to Complete).
Oooh, it sounds fantastic!!!! I’ve heard SO many good things about it!!! T.T I so need to read it!!! And no!!! I think I know which series you mean. It’s on my To-Be-Read list. The Forgotten Five? (It looks like such a cool book! I’ve wanted to read it for…. well, forever. Is book one a standalone? I know a lot of book series start with a standalone book one and if it does well, then they make it a series.) And heheheeee. We authors adore our plot armor. *beams and pats my poor MC’s head who has fallen through the sky, fallen off a cliff, and fallen from the middle of the sky into the sea*
Yes, you really must read The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia!!!! Tis a brilliant book! (Tis on NetGalley, so if you’re a book reviewer who uses that, you might be able to get it from there.) Or purchase it when it releases. (I believe that’s… May something? May 5? Early May, anywho.) Art thou currently reading any good books?
Your posts area always so much fun!! I just finished the Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine, and I was very much anti-Emlyn+Laramie at first, but it got so cute!!! I am SO happy I have a complimentary copy of book two waiting on my shelf. 😛
Thanks!! I feel like this post was half fun, half last-minute late-night-brain 😂 I adore The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine and I’m so jealous that you have book two. I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENSSSSS. Not to mention it’s just gorgeous. Give that cover designer a raise, someone.
For real! XD
I am always amazed how well you write! Even if it’s just a blog post you are so eloquent. 🩷🪻
Aw, thanks so much!! I’m always a fan of your writing too lol 🥰😁 This post in particular was kind of last minute…I’ve neglected the poor blog for too long now and needed to dash off a few paragraphs to finish this post in time.
Kelsier is so *incoherent fangirling*
I know right?!?!? 🤩🤩🤩
This made me laugh and smile and had me making faces of agreement with every. single. one. (at least of the characters I know-and I was pleasantly surprised by how many I did!) I love this so much!
Your posts are always so wonderful!😊
And, yes, Emma M. Lion needs sleep.😂
(and I one hundred percent agree with Hawkes being the winner of MOST PRECIOUS MUST BE PROTECTED. Because he most definitely deserves it!!! He also deserves hugs and poetry and peppermints.)
Anyways, I am scheduling my attendance to the awards ceremony for these characters!
…wouldn’t that be a quite interesting gathering of people? All these characters in one room?😂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lola!! It was fun to put together (but also surprisingly hard. Who am I to judge which of these characters is the most in need of a nap?? Well, ok, bad example. It’s totally Emma. But worst villain was HARD).
I would purchase tickets to and popcorn for this awards ceremony. No questions asked. It would be an absolute riot.
Yes! One cannot forget the popcorn for the event!😂
This was flipping AWESOME!! XDDD I unfortunately don’t know any of these guys (😭) but now I want to.
Would it be okay if I try this too??? (Ik, I still gotta post the last one. XD DX)
Either way, loved this! Glad to hear from you again!
Glad you had fun with it, even though you haven’t met the characters I was talking about!! Maybe you’ll meet some of them one of these days…
Have at it!! Whenever you get to it is fine, ofc 😉
Ahh, so many good choices here! Glad to see Emma is well represented 😉 Awesome job, Ava!!
This is hands down the best bookish post of its kind I’ve come across.