Gems in the Shadow

[bookishbabe.livejournal.com]

Supporting Characters:

We all have a lot of love for our main characters, but I'm contemplating the place of the supporting roles within the QT universe. These supporting characters have so much personality, voice, and story of their own that they are not only real to us, but absolutely beloved. Some may even earn the title of Honorary Main Character(Hello, Ornon). Others pass through briefly or pop back in but are so brilliantly characterized I can't fail to love them (Oh, Terve, you lovable drunk). Or perhaps they interact with our Kings and Queens and help me to know the monarchs better. (Sophos, meeting Basrus again at the Baron's meet, shows us who he is now. No longer the sniffling little man who hated everyone as he lay helpless in the hull of a boat. He came face to face with his enemy's handtool, and behaved like ...a King.)
And my all time favorite: Phresine. *sigh* I love that our MWT doesn't tell us, "Wise old Phresine is wise, loves her Queen, and is to be trusted." Nope, she shows us Phresine in action and her character just unfolds.
So, what supporting characters do you love, and why? What do they add? Why are they there? And how in the world does MWT do it?

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.

Comments

[chubbyleng.livejournal.com]

Phresine all the way! She's just... I feel like in a book where many of the main characters do not have mothers (erm, let's see.... Gen, Irene, Helen, Costis), she sort of plays the motherly role for all of them at the same time (except for Helen). And that's just too awesome!

And can I say that I love Aris? He makes Costis look so honourable. And I loved his little cameo in ACoK.

I also love Sophos's mother and sisters. I think his whole family is just genius, lol. No wonder there's so much pressure on the poor guy; even his little sisters can take on a few bad guys.

And Stenides!!! He never appeared in any of the books, but I still like him so much from what I know about him from Disney.

Well, I forgot his name, but that big Eddisian nanny. I like him too.

There's just too many!!!

[booksrgood4u.livejournal.com]

I LOVE Phresine too!! I think that she is such a fascinating charachter....She probably has a really interesting view of the royal couple...I wanna see more Phresine!!

Oh...Do you mean Aulus? Or Boagus? Or Both? Cuz they're both great!

And for some reason LJ won't show my icons...hmmmm.......LJ hates me!

[chubbyleng.livejournal.com]

Oh, I forget.... *too lazy to look at the books*

But I do know one of them is smelly, and he says in ACoK that he can take out a whole swarm of Medes by just airing his arm hair. Hahaha!

I know!! Phresine would know all the dirty little sekrits the Attolian couple would have, bwahahaha. I'm thinking of maybe writing about her for the next challenge, but we'll see.

Yah, there's something wrong with LJ. It doesn't let me change my icons.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

LJ changed how you select and switch between your icons. There should be a link right under your currently selected icon when you're in new comment mode, and that will bring up a gallery of your icons.

Or it could simply be that LJ is not working... *wacks LJ*

[booksrgood4u.livejournal.com]

Thanks....Actually, the box that usually shows my default icon until I pick a new one isn't even there. I think it's LJ. *joins you in whacking LJ*

I haven't been using my defualt icon much latey anyway....it's good for it to get some excercise! ;P

[helle-d.livejournal.com]

For me definitely the Eddisian nannies in KoA, Boagus and Aulus. They have so many great lines!
There is a guardroom,' said one of the attendants pointedly as Aulus settled into a chair.

'There is a guardroom, Your Highness, I am sure you meant to say,' said Aulus as he leaned back and hooked a table closer with one booted foot and then rested the foot on top of it. Both chair and table creaked alarmingly. 'I'm sure it's a very nice guardroom.'

[rosaleeluann.livejournal.com]

YES to this. Love the Eddisian nannies.

I love poor whats-his-face, Petrus? The Attolian physician who Gen gets all upset when he tries to put in stitches. And Galen is also awesome now we're on the subject.

Also, Heiro has awesome earrings.

[gauroth.livejournal.com]

Iolanthe, one of Attolia's ladies. Because of the Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta of the same name - and, guys, if you don't know G & S, you are missing a treat! Clever, clever words and earwormingly (in a good way!) singable tunes!

[1221bookworm.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the big Eddisian nannies, and how they really did care about Gen, even if they (maybe) held him face down in a rain cache once (and I'm not entirely sure Gen didn't deserve it ...)

Galen, who completely messed up when he told Gen he would make an exception to his hypocratic oath to cut off Gen's foot if he got out of bed ... he SHOULD have said, "Cutting off your foot is the best way to do you no harm - if you get out of bed, you'll kill yourself with another fever!"

And Phresine, who is always there for both of them, and really takes good care of them, and is more like a grandmother, and takes liberties with them ...

Can't think of anymore off the top of my head ....

[checkers65477.livejournal.com]

I've always had a soft spot for Galen. He's so no-nonsense, but the part where Gen wants to drink a cup of lethium and die, and Galen pauses and softens up a bit always gets me.

[agh-4.livejournal.com]

I love all the characters everyone has mentioned (and, well, ALL of the characters), but I'd also like to mention the two Ions. I know there's probabl a lot of layers to them I haven't yet understood, but I enjoy their interactions with Sophos and how they both have issues of loyalty and all that.

Also in aCoK, Berrone! I love the way she fits into the book as someone Sophos and his family have known and as someone who helps Sophos (who he uses to help him) become independent. And then when he deals with Hanaktos & co's nasty motivations, poor Berrone is there...

[aged-crone.livejournal.com]

Wait, you mean you haven't yet figured out that Phresine is actually Nahuseresh's twin sister, cleverly disguised and sent to spy on Attolia?

Well, my goodness, and here I thought you were all brilliant!

[bookishbabe.livejournal.com]

You reprobate!

[crazededdisian.livejournal.com]

That is an awesome icon.

[bookishbabe.livejournal.com]

Oh, you sweet talker. Thanks. *(shy wave)*

[drashizu.livejournal.com]

In addition to all the characters everyone else has mentioned, I love Pol, and how he keeps coming up throughout the series, which just goes to show how important a character he was in Sophos's life and even in Gen's, for the short time he knew him.

I second the Ions. Love both of them, for entirely different reasons, but they're both amazing.

Kamet. I hope SO MUCH that we get to see Kamet again when Nahuseresh finally comes back.

[ninedaysaqueen.livejournal.com]

I love Gen's mother (the little we know of her), as well as the MoW (if he qualifies as a minor character). Their relationship appeals to me, because I think grumpy/cynical guys with quick-silver, rule-bending, hyper girls is deliciously entertaining and funny.

I also seem to have a soft spot for Dite. His hopeless crush on the queen is equal parts funny and sympathetic. And with a father like his... I can't help but feel sorry for him.