Before I begin, I just want to point out that this piece is inspired by the lovely from who shared her soul characters post back in July.
Sometimes you read or watch a piece of fiction and one of the characters just clicks with you. It might be their interests, their personality type, or just everything about them - they speak to your soul.
A ‘soul character’ is different for everyone. You might see parts of yourself in that character or they might be the type you typically gravitate towards in real life. For me, my soul characters are a mix of the two.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games series
Spoilers coming up, but if you’re not familiar with what happens in The Hunger Games then where have you been?!
Do I think I’m capable of winning The Hunger Games twice, being the face of a revolution and essentially saving my people from a dictatorship? Absolutely not.
However, I see a lot of myself in Katniss. We both have quite prickly exteriors but are fiercely loyal and kind, and often actually just softies at heart. I have her sarcastic grumpiness and, devastatingly, her being the black cat to Peeta’s golden retriever is similar to my own relationship - everyone loves my boyfriend while I often take a little longer to warm up to. “You could live a thousand lifetimes and never deserve that boy,” comes to mind.
We’re both also introverts who enjoy their own company, or spending time with our close-knit circles. Katniss hating every second of any social event is literally me.
April Ludgate, Parks and Recreation
April is grumpy and introverted and a little weird. She is sarcastic. Intelligent. A tough cookie with a soft centre. Sometimes she is mean. She is yet another black cat with a golden retriever partner, who people typically gravitate towards. Noticing a theme here?
Put her in front of a dog and she will melt.
I am her, she is me.
As I’ve grown up I’ve become even more like April. I used to be an anxious wreck (I sometimes still am) who was terrified of showing ‘the real me’ for fear of judgement. Now, like April, I’m not so afraid of who I am or what I’m interested in, and I own my quirks and weirdness.
Tairn, Fourth Wing series
Slight spoilers ahead.
I am not Tairn. In the sense that, I am not a centuries-old dragon.
Xaden is my favourite character in the Fourth Wing series, but there is no doubt I *clicked* with Tairn so much more. His sarcasm, wit, boldness and loyalty are all things I look for and enjoy in other people (or dragons, in this case).
If we were ever to come across one another, I think we’d be friends… or, at least, he wouldn’t eat me.
Cameron Tucker, Modern Family
I am a three-dimensional being, and therefore part of me is prickly, sarcastic and introverted, while other parts of me are energetic, emotional and colourful.
Cam and I have a lot in common; we are both a little erratic (I am always coming up with big crazy life plans) and sometimes dramatic (‘sometimes’ in my case, ‘always’ in Cam’s).
We’re both people pleasers who will do all we can to help out others, sometimes to our detriment, and we pour our love into those around us. I would also say Cam’s an empath, which I am too - something that is more a curse than a blessing when I’m crying over a complete stranger possibly being in pain.
We are definitely not the same person, but share a lot of the same core values and traits.
So, there are a handful of my soul characters! While I was writing this I thought about other characters who aren’t necessarily soul characters for me but they’ve had a huge impact on my life and how I view the world, so keep your eyes out for that list soon.
Now it’s your turn to tell me! Who are your soul characters and why?