# Character for a Day—Who Would You Be?



## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

If you could be any fiction character for a day, who would it be? And why? 

Because I read and write mostly crime fiction, I choose Archy McNally, a private investigator for his father’s law firm. (McNally’s Luck, McNally’s Secret, etc., originated by Lawrence Sanders) Why Archy?

He lives on an estate in South Florida near the ocean where he swims every day. He has a live in-cook who makes exquisite meals, often on demand.  A typical breakfast is “duck pate on toasted bagel.” Archy drives a red Mazda Miata and spends his days playing tennis, having lunch at the local Pelican Club, drinking vodka tonics, and sleeping with beautiful members of the opposite sex, who often give him expensive gifts such as gold lighters and cashmere pullovers. 

He worries about nothing (including calories or liver disease) and has almost no responsibilities. In his world, an investigation involves a little snooping around (more fun), attending rich people’s parities, eating exquisite meals that end with “warm New Orleans pralines and chilled Krug,” and getting involved with suspects, i.e., “sexual romps where realization exceeds expectation.” 

I could live with that self-indulgence for a day.  What’s your favorite character-for-a-day fantasy?


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## Margaret (Jan 1, 2010)

I would be Peter Pan.  It would be great to fly, have adventures, and never have to worry about growing up at least for a day.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

Hands down, no doubt about it: Elizabeth Bennett!  (I'd prefer to have Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, but you didn't ask me about that.)


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Captain Carrot Ironfounderson of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. He's tall (even ignoring the fact that he's a dwarf -- by adoption), good-looking, young, healthy, loves his job, loves the city he lives in, almost everyone loves him, and he has a pretty and intelligent girlfriend. (OK, so she's a wolf a few days each month, I'll live with that.) On top of all that, he's probably the rightful king, should he ever decide he wants -- or more importantly, needs -- to be.


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## egh34 (Jan 11, 2009)

Absolutely positively I would be Eve Dallas from the J.D. Robb In Death series so I could be with Rourke for 24 hours. Yum.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'd be Superman.

David Dalglish

p.s.

Oh come on, who _doesn't_ want to fly around, bowl over a couple buildings, zip into space and back, and just overall be invincible for one heck of an awesome day?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm in a Scarlet Pimpernel mood, so either Sir Percy or Lady Marguerite Blakney.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

How about God?


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## Taborcarn (Dec 15, 2009)

Bond.  James Bond.


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## Sunshine22 (Feb 18, 2010)

Sookie Stackhouse... but really only for book 4 of the series.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Beauty in Robin McKinley's version of _Beauty and the Beast_. The Beast's castle sounds like a wonderful place to live--all those books, even books from the future that haven't been written yet.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Morgan le Fay.  But with a few 20th century conveniences.


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## davidhburton (Mar 11, 2010)

Gandalf - AFTER he fell into the abyss with the Balrog.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

Scarlett O'Hara...

because, frankly, my dear, I do give a damn.


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## Imogen Rose (Mar 22, 2010)

Sunshine22 said:


> Sookie Stackhouse... but really only for book 4 of the series.


Me too


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

Anne Shirley


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## Daniel Arenson (Apr 11, 2010)

Pepé Le Pew


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## John F. Blair Publisher (Apr 27, 2010)

Travis McGee


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

I also agree Elizabeth Bennet with Colin Firth. But just one day wouldn't be enough.


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

vickir said:


> I also agree Elizabeth Bennet with Colin Firth. But just one day wouldn't be enough.


How true! A lifetime sounds about right.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

Okay, now I want to be Beauty, Gandalf, Elizabeth Bennett (definitely for more than a day), Scarlet O'Hara, Anne Shirley, and the Scarlet Pimpernel!      This thread has my multiple personalities arguing with each other.


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## blackbelt (May 4, 2010)

Dent in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.  I want to learn how to fly (the secret being to throw yourself at the ground... and miss).  HI-larious.


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## luvmy4brats (Nov 9, 2008)

Hm, tough choice.

I could be Eve from the In Death series. I'm not so sure about being a homicide detective, but I'd certainly spend every last second of those 24 hours with Roarke!  

Or I could be Claire from Outlander. Then I'd have Jamie... <sigh>

Do I want the Scottish Highlander or Irish rogue?


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## CCrooks (Apr 15, 2010)

A Bene Gesserit witch, from Dune. The Voice would be handy.


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## MinaVE (Apr 20, 2010)

I would actually want to live on day of Anne Elliot's life (of Persuasion). The other days, not so much. 

Not sure if anyone here has heard of this character, but I'd like to try being Alexandra Trese for a day. Or a few hours.


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## AnelaBelladonna (Apr 8, 2009)

Cindy416 said:


> Hands down, no doubt about it: Elizabeth Bennett! (I'd prefer to have Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, but you didn't ask me about that.)


Me too! Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is still my dream man!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

AnelaBelladonna said:


> Me too! Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy is still my dream man!


I just watched the Pride & Prejudice DVDs (restored ones) again last Sunday, and the movie and Austen's writing never fail to take my breath away. Both the movie and the book are among the best.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

No question, I'd be Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon (the 1980 movie version). Who could resist?


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

NogDog said:


> Captain Carrot Ironfounderson of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. He's tall (even ignoring the fact that he's a dwarf -- by adoption), good-looking, young, healthy, loves his job, loves the city he lives in, almost everyone loves him, and he has a pretty and intelligent girlfriend. (OK, so she's a wolf a few days each month, I'll live with that.) On top of all that, he's probably the rightful king, should he ever decide he wants -- or more importantly, needs -- to be.


Carrrot...maybe, a bit too squaky clean for me. I'd rather be Samuel Vimes...a man of principle who collects enemie slike others collect stamps....


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## Silver (Dec 30, 2008)

Too many good choices! Can I just keep going from one character to another? I could use up at least a year one day at a time. The Colin Firth thing almost made me change my mind on who I would be. <sigh>

But I finally chose Daine from Tamora Pierce's _Immortals_ quartet. Communicate with every animal in nature. Heal any of them with my mind. That would be brilliant. (Okay, I really just want to get into my little dog's head for a while. I know she's got some profound stuff going on in there.)


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

OMG, I would SO choose to be Claire from Outlander.  Don't know if my heart could stand 24 hours with Jamie, but if it were my last 24, what a way to go...........


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

PG4003 said:


> OMG, I would SO choose to be Claire from Outlander. Don't know if my heart could stand 24 hours with Jamie, but if it were my last 24, what a way to go...........


Guess I'd better get busy reading the Outlander series, as well as the JD Robb one. I don't think Mr. Darcy is in danger of being replaced, however, as he will always hold the distinction of having won my heart first.


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## Rob Steiner (Apr 14, 2010)

Spencer!  Would love to use his one-liners in some of my customer support calls...


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Einstein in Dean Koontz book Watchers. *s* Or maybe Cheshire Cat.

amy


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> No question, I'd be Ming the Merciless from Flash Gordon (the 1980 movie version). Who could resist?


Can I be Ming the day after you? Ming is deliciously evil and at his best in the 1980 movie.


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## J Bee (May 17, 2010)

Henry from The Time Traveler's Wife. I'd love to pop back in time and meet myself. We'd have so much to talk about!


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## Cindy416 (May 2, 2009)

sibelhodge said:


> Stephanie Plum or Bridget Jones


Now, those are good choices, too! Bridget would fit right in with my desire to be Elizabeth Bennett, but would be more modern, yet would still end up with Colin Firth! (The final scene in BJD is one of my all-time favorites.)


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

jonconnington said:


> Carrrot...maybe, a bit too squaky clean for me. I'd rather be Samuel Vimes...a man of principle who collects enemie slike others collect stamps....


Nah...I already have enough stress in my life: I don't need to experience Sam's stress for a day.  (Vimes is by far my favorite Discworld character, but I don't think it would be particularly fun to be him for a day.)



blackbelt said:


> Dent in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I want to learn how to fly (the secret being to throw yourself at the ground... and miss). HI-larious.


Seems to me that it would be a lot more fun to be Zaphod Beeblebrox.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

Normally, I would say Elizabeth Bennet because I am a Janeite and Colin Firth makes me happy just by walking on screen, but my son is reading the Harry Potter series for the first time. We watched "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" over the weekend, which reminded me how much I loved Rowling's universe, so I think I would like to be Albus Dumbledore, wise and in control of most of the wizarding world.


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

I like the way you think Karen, but I'm gonna go with Fred or George Weasley. Doesn't matter which one to me. They both suck the marrow out of the bone of life and enjoy every minute of it.


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## Dawsburg (May 31, 2009)

Harry Potter any day. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts?


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I'd be Superman.
> 
> David Dalglish


Me too


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

Sherlock Holmes. For one day it would be nice to have a clue about the people I meet.


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## 13500 (Apr 22, 2010)

ScottLCollins said:


> I like the way you think Karen, but I'm gonna go with Fred or George Weasley. Doesn't matter which one to me. They both suck the marrow out of the bone of life and enjoy every minute of it.


Good call.


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## Kristen Tsetsi (Sep 1, 2009)

Easy: Nancy Drew. I've never read a female character who had more fun.


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## Madeline (Jun 5, 2010)

Being that I just started the In Death Series by JD Robb, I'm going to have to go with Eve Dallas.  I always wanted to be a homicide detectice.  And man, 24 hours with the sexy rich guy would be awesome!!


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## A_J_Lath (Jun 6, 2010)

williemeikle said:


> Me too


Nah. Lex Luthor, mate - that'd be me. Think about it - he's a guy who's going up against a near indestructible demigod with only his wits to protect him. Balls of titanium!

I also have the perfect plan to defeat Superman: use my super-intelligence to seduce Lois Lane and Lana Lane at the same time ('This ain't no bald noggin, ladies - it's a solar-powered dome of love!'); secretly video it; put it on youtube and await Superman's crushed spirit as he watches it and cries.

Job done!


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## Joseph Rhea (Nov 9, 2009)

Paul Atreides from Dune (but, maybe before he left Caladan) 
Less "adventure" there, but it seemed like a nice place to live.  

Side note: Frank Herbert and I were both born in Washington State, and I have always thought Caladan was more than a bit like the Pacific Northwest, so maybe that's part of the appeal...


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

imallbs said:


> Can I be Ming the day after you? Ming is deliciously evil and at his best in the 1980 movie.


HAH! I'll take on the third day...assuming I can do my evil deeds to a totally awesome Queen soundtrack.

FLASH!! AAAAAAHHHH.....SAVIOR OF THE UNIVERSE!


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

This is hard, but I'd probably be Lucy Pevensie. I've always wanted to go to Narnia.


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## dlafavers (May 4, 2010)

Do you remember Star Trek TNG?

....

Q


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

dlafavers said:


> Do you remember Star Trek TNG?
> 
> ....
> 
> Q


My favorite character!


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2010)

Cthulhu.  I see no reason to setting for anything less than perfect evil and madness.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

bardsandsages said:


> Cthulhu. I see no reason to setting for anything less than perfect evil and madness.


You want to be stuck asleep for the whole single day given to you? The stars haven't aligned yet, or are there oceanic cities breaking to the surface already and I just haven't paid enough attention to google news?

David Dalglish


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## Guest (Jun 10, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> You want to be stuck asleep for the whole single day given to you? The stars haven't aligned yet, or are there oceanic cities breaking to the surface already and I just haven't paid enough attention to google news?
> 
> David Dalglish


You say that as if the Great Old Ones need to actually be awake to reign havoc and mayhem among the terrified masses. In fact, that is the beauty of it all. I get to sleep all day AND make everyone insane. It really is a win/win...for me anyway...


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

bardsandsages said:


> Cthulhu. I see no reason to setting for anything less than perfect evil and madness.


Cthulu...or maybe Sauron. A day as the ultimate source of evil....what wickedness!


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

The girl in Rebecca, because I would sack Mrs Danvers in chapter seven and go on to have a happy life with Max at Manderley.


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## Eric C (Aug 3, 2009)

Bond. James Bond.


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## Jaasy (Feb 28, 2009)

Mrs. Roarke, most definitely.


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## Susan Petrone (Jun 7, 2010)

Interesting, I was going to start a thread about what fictional character you'd most want to be, but not for a day. Forever. (My novel, A Body at Rest, is about two slackers who turn into fictional characters. The sarcastic one turns into Emma Woodhouse; the slutty one turns into Don Quixote. It's kind of chick lit magical realism.)

For a day, possibly Lucy Pevensie. I've always wanted to see Narnia too. 
Forever, not sure. Maybe Emma Woodhouse.


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## blackbelt (May 4, 2010)

Does it have to be a fictional character?  I'd be Buddha... just walkin' around lookin' mellow with the cool belly.  ;o)

Failing that... Darth Vader.  And if you have to ask why, you're just not cool enough to understand the answer anyway.  Hyuk.


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## Patricia (Dec 30, 2008)

sibelhodge said:


> Stephanie Plum or Bridget Jones


I agree, Stephanie Plum. Two words....Ranger....Morelli


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## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

Hermione Granger - I have that kind of personality anyway, as well as the bushy hair. And I'd love to be able to do all the magic.

As Dawsburg said above:


> I mean, who wouldn't want to go to Hogwarts?


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## A_J_Lath (Jun 6, 2010)

blackbelt said:


> Does it have to be a fictional character? I'd be Buddha... just walkin' around lookin' mellow with the cool belly. ;o)
> 
> Failing that... Darth Vader. And if you have to ask why, you're just not cool enough to understand the answer anyway. Hyuk.


Yeah, but Darth Vader was Palpatine's bitch for most of his life 

Still, I guess he turned the tables in the end...


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## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

Fingolfin from the Silmarillion on the day he fought Morgoth. 

Yes. He died. 

But to stand beneath the god of evil, towering like a thunderstorm, and not let courage fail. To fight with heart, strength and skill. To strike at the very body of that evil and to wound it, not one, but seven times. Morgoth's anguish for the wounds you inflicted -- the last sound in your ears. 

Death, in this way, does not seem so terrible a thing.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Your answer above got me to download a sample of your books, Vyrl.

David Dalglish


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## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> Your answer above got me to download a sample of your books, Vyrl.
> 
> David Dalglish


Thank you sir. I hope you enjoy what you find.

By the way, you're already on my list of 'to read and review.' I will msg you when I've read your first book and have posted the review. It may be a little while. I have four on my plate at the moment.

That said, I'm looking forward to it.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Awesome! Quick question: which book is first in the series, or are they even a series? I can't find a number or anything anywhere. I don't want to start in the wrong spot.

David Dalglish


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## segsurfer (Jan 5, 2010)

It's a tie between Robert Muldoon and Skip Wiley.  Skip because I share his deep-rooted love of the state of Florida, specifically it's natural beauty; and Muldoon because he hunts freaking raptors, that would be an amazing experience.  At least until the whole being eaten alive thing, I would imagine at that point raptor hunting would lose a bit of it's charm.
-segsurfer


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

> Or I could be Claire from Outlander. Then I'd have Jamie... <sigh>


Wow... I have to agree on that one. I was hearing so much about Jamie from the Kindeleboards forums that I decided to jump in and read them again. My housework and homework are all piling up while I bury myself in the world of Jamie and Claire. He is the perfect man.

Anyway, my other character would be Daisy Fay Harper from "Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man" by Fannie Flagg. Loved Daisy Fay's outlook as she grew up and how she viewed her parents and the world around her. Would love to have that kind of innocent/positive outlook on people and life in general. All was in chaos in her life but Daisy Fay thought it a "just fine." Daisy Fay loves life, is a great friend, and a true adventurer. And she makes me laugh out loud everytime I read her story.


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## Noni (May 1, 2010)

Patricia said:


> I agree, Stephanie Plum. Two words....Ranger....Morelli


Can't agree more. Ranger and Morelli!!!!


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

Surprised no one has mentioned anyone from the Twilioght series yet....

But for me...Conan. Definitely Conan. Who doesn't want to be a sword-swinging Cimmerian  crushing the jeweled thrones of the world beneath his sandled feet? (Which sounds kind of painful, on reflection...)

CROM! (cue basil Poledouris's soundtrack...)


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