I've comprised a list of the top eleven characters featured in my work who I have had the most fun in writing and/or collaborating with their inspirations over.
#11 - "Meagan Tully" in The Disney Ghostbusters Series (based on/inspired by Meagan Forney)
Meagan's younger, female take on the Louis Tully character out of Ghostbusters was first introduced back in 2009 with Junior Ghostbusters. I forget exactly how I approached Meagan on the role (we were both on MySpace then), but I do remember her being incredibly excited about it. At the time, Meagan was the youngest friend I'd developed a character for, being in her late teens - although the "Meagan Tully" character was in her mid-20s when she was introduced. Meagan's real-life quirks made it easy to translate over to her DGB character, in addition to photos she took of herself (like the one above) to help everyone visualize her "quirky" actions as they're reading. As Meagan matured into the age of her character, she became less of a comic relief-type of character by The Dead End and more of a serious one when she was involved in complex plots. Like Meagan herself, "Meagan Tully" is an individual who has many shades to her life; she is a good-natured young woman who only wants to do what's right for both her friends and family, and she has a strong opinion of things when given the chance to express them. These special characteristics, as well as the chemistry between her and "Kimberly Venkman" (whose inspiration, Kimberly Nicole, also has chemistry with Meagan), are the reason "Meagan Tully" was such a fun character to develop and write in the DGB series.
#10 - "Heather Kelley" in Disney, DC: Rise of the Immortals (based on/inspired by Heather Kelley)
When I first wrote Disney, DC back in 2008, the story actually featured a leading lady by a different name. Halfway into developing the story, I met Heather Kelley and her husband Danny, who are both talented cosplayers and bodybuilders. Heather has become popular with her incredible Supergirl cosplay (pictured above), which inspired me to rethink the casting of my main heroine of "Rise of the Immortals," which had neared a point in the tale where events had been picking up. The character was a perfect fit for Heather: a human/Kryptonian woman created by genetic-engineering who has the exact powers of Superman. Basically, she was Supergirl! I shared my idea with Heather, and she gave me her blessing almost instantly. I finished the rest of "Rise" with her as the main character by late 2009. Her presence certainly made it more of an epic tale, especially with the real Heather highlighting her Supergirl cosplay on multiple websites and conventions (including her Facebook fan page). A sequel to "Rise" was planned, bringing Heather back as the protagonist, but I ultimately decided to forgo the sequel in favor of focusing on my World of Disney series, which I started in 2010. To this day, Disney, DC has been one of my favorite "one-hit" stories, all because of Heather Kelley and the strong brevity she inspired to me, her character, and the story.
#9 - "Adrienne" in Tales of the Disneyverse and World of Disney 3 (based on/inspired by Adrienne Wilkinson)
If you've seen Xena: Warrior Princess or played Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, then you've only gotten a glimpse of the brilliance Adrienne Wilkinson has brought to her many complex characters (see a demo reel of them here). Adrienne is in fact one of the first celebrities that I have ever written in one of my stories, once I got serious about what I was delivering to the general public. I first found out about Adrienne through her work on "The Force Unleashed" as the corrupt Jedi Maris Brood (a character designed with her own likeness). The character was the most terrifying and interesting one brought out of the Star Wars Universe, and Adrienne did an excellent job bringing her to life. It was by the time Adrienne made a guest appearance in an episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars that I became a real fan of her work. By chance, I found her on Facebook and added her to my friends list there.
While working on Tales of the Disneyverse (the "miniseries" in my ongoing World of Disney series), I came up with the idea of my character, "Sean Thomas," being reincarnated as different people after death (a la Doctor Who). In finding various friends to fill each reincarnation role, I had one character whose personality I'd developed to be unhinged, paranoid, and violent and the product of centuries in fighting wars (in this case, the Star Wars). It was then I realized that I basically described Maris Brood - Adrienne's character in "The Force Unleashed." When I pitched the idea of Adrienne being in my WOD series to her, she was rightfully confused as to what I was doing (it's not every day when people are asked to be featured as a character in a fanfic - especially not an actress). I managed to narrow it down for her, and she gave me her permission to develop a character based on her by name and appearance - as long as I kept attention to her involvement in the series to a minimum (for the sake of her professional acting career).
The "Adrienne" character is the most challenging one I've ever written. She is a balanced act that I have to maintain between "sane" and "insane," which leads to some interesting narrative throughout her appearance in Tales and subsequent WOD stories. She is not necessarily an "evil" character in her actions, but she is - like Maris Brood - a corrupted one because of how she was born and all that she has been through. There's still much of her character to be explored in World of Disney 3 this December. From what I managed to come up with in Tales, she is certainly a woman who has a lot of twisted history that's waiting to be untangled, which will be fun for me to write and everyone else to read.
#8 - "Joie" in Disney's Men In Black (based on/inspired by Joie Dunham Parent)
Although "Disney MiB" has yet to be posted online, one character in this upcoming story has already been exciting to write, and that's "Joie," the lethal main antagonist of the tale. Part of an alien race known as the "Venusians," "Joie" is set to be the most vicious, foul, and brutal character I've developed. Without giving too much of the plot away before Disney MiB's release, I can tell you that her goal in the story is not a lone one. She is part of a group of alien terrorists called "The Coalition," which consists of "the galaxy's worst nightmares come true." The woman behind the character, Joie Dunham Parent, has been featured in previous tales like World of Disney and Disney's Ghostbusters: The Dead End and portrayed as intimidating characters with threatening appearances but no evil tendencies. The reason for this is the real Joie being a woman who carries much toughness in her real-life persona; she certainly is a force to be reckoned with, and that type of characteristic is what translates well into the characters I write for her. Whereas her roles in WOD and DGB are more heroic, "Disney MiB" is her first foray into antagonism and will showcase a side of her character that is dark, twisted, and sinister - traits that are far associated from the real Joie. But it's these traits that have made the character such a blast to write and will give readers quite a thrill when "Disney MiB" debuts June 13th!
#7 - "Ciciley Livingston" in The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2 and Marvel Mayhem (based on/inspired by Cici Michelle Valdez)
"Ciciley Livingston" is one character that I hold nearest and dearest to me for one reason: she is partially based on my actual mother. She has a very tough, take-no-crap-from-anybody personality and speaks her mind so often that she sometimes gets herself in more trouble than she's worth - two common traits of my mother. She is also overly protective of her son, who is based on myself (the closest fictional representation of me written so far), and rightfully so - he is an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Pitching the idea of having a character based on her based on my mother to Cici was part of the enjoyment I got from writing her character in The Marvelous World in 2012. The idea of the character was to make her the polar opposite of Joanie Navarro, the main heroine of World of Disney, in that she's more take-action, aggressive, violent, and outspoken. When she's first introduced, she's sixty-something years of age and carries a couple of 50 lbs. However, by the second act, an accident rejuvenates her body back into a young, fit twenty-something, which she spends the rest of the story and its follow-up, Marvel Mayhem, as for the sake of tying the character to the real-life Ciciley. Her character is a flattering one to both me and her with the "Mama" connection (I often tell Ciciley how, even in reality, she bears a strong resemblance to my mother).
#6 - "Diana Zeddemore" in The Disney Ghostbusters Series (based on/inspired by Diana Navarro)
At the time that the "Zeddemore" character was first conceived in The Disney Ghostbusters, Diana Navarro wasn't who I originally had the role written for. However, when I revised the first story, Who Ya Gonna Call?, for multiple sites to post it on and included Diana into the "Zeddemore" role, she essentially became the only version of the character I committed to memory in my experience writing the DGB series. Just as Ernie Hudson's Winston Zeddemore was in the Ghostbusters films, Diana was the "straight woman" of the group, standing out from the wackier crew of Ghostbusters featured in the "Disney-ized" take on the franchise. But Diana Zeddemore became more than that by The Dead End; she turned into the team's den mother or surrogate mother, especially to Kimberly Venkman. The final scene between them in the epilogue of The Dead End proved how much Diana meant to Kim in their rough relationship during the series. It was a scene that I dedicated putting much emotion into, showing off Diana Zeddemore's motherly nature (which was inspired by Diana's real-life motherhood), and it turned out to be one of my favorites in the entire DGB saga.
Diana has been one of my best collaborators in my work with not only her role in DGB but in World of Disney and the upcoming Outatime! (both of which she is portrayed as legitimate mother figures to the main protagonists). She has an innocent, heartwarming personality that goes with her sweet-natured voice (which is a bit difficult to hear when her character's depicted yelling or screaming at someone). This is why her characters are the same way. But it was Diana Zeddemore that started a lineup of characters I've had fun in portraying as "motherly" and "kind-hearted." There is only one exception and that is the character I'd written for her in Disney, DC: Rise of the Immortals - a corrupt member of the Gotham City Police Department whose career took a nosedive (along with her morality) when Darkwing Duck interfered on a bust that led to the loss of her right eye. For that role, I'd tapped into a much darker side of Diana's persona that was anything but motherly or kind-hearted. To this day, it is the only villainous role I'd ever written for her, and I've promised myself never to give her another (unless it's groundbreaking for both her and me).
#5 - "Genevieve" in Tales of the Disneyverse, Marvel Mayhem, and World of Disney 3 (based on/inspired by Genevieve Marie Nylen)
When I first added Genevieve to the World of Disney cast, a tidal wave of inspiration soared my way. Being a fan of Disney and Marvel (as well as a cosplayer of their characters), it was a no-brainer to bring her aboard during my production of Tales of the Disneyverse. In the WOD series, she is portrayed as the supposed "final reincarnation" of my character, Sean Thomas. She is a lone spirit on a journey to live out the remainder of her life protecting the Disneyverse while watching over the life of her original identity and ensuring his path follows in the right direction before his death. Genevieve has a beauty that is definite in both her appearance and personality, being a confident and caring young woman, which is how her WOD character is portrayed. She also reminds me a great deal of Joanie Mars (the inspiration for my primary hero in the WOD series, "Joanie Navarro-Thomas") in her demeanor and lifestyle; it's even more amusing that Genevieve is a West Coast girl (Disneyland), while Joanie is an East Coast girl (Walt Disney World). I plan to play more on this in World of Disney 3 this December with a plot that'll team up their respective characters.
Genevieve's epic cosplay as Black Widow has led to a plot device in Marvel Mayhem, in which her character takes on a disguise that's inspired by the legendary Avenger. Much of her cosplays or choice of wardrobe has inspired certain attires for her character that have become iconic for her. In fact, Genevieve currently holds the record for the most "costume changes" I've featured in a single character with a total of three. For now, the stories in the WOD series are the only ones I've attached Genevieve to as a character, but there's a strong chance she might find herself in one outside of WOD (possibly based on one of her cosplays).
#4 - "Seraphim" in Disney's Ghostbusters: The Dead End (based on/inspired by Theresa Rousselot-Vandiver)
Before The Dead End, I've never written a "tragic hero" character in one of my stories. The opportunity provided itself with the storyline involved in the final installment out of the Disney Ghostbusters series, dealing with the satanic Disney villain known as "Chernabog." In the story, Chernabog has two offspring: a son named "Gorin" who is grotesque in appearance, and a daughter named "Seraphim" who abandons her demonic heritage in favor of living as a beautiful human named "Theresa Rousselot" in a 1980s New York realm parallel to the 2010s world of the DGBs. Both the name "Seraphim" and her character were inspired by my very close friend Theresa Rousselot-Vandiver, who (until Dead End came into fruition) had been promised to be featured in one of my stories but was unable to be placed in a role (or story) that stuck. Thankfully, the "Seraphim" role was one destined for her to be portrayed in. The real-life beauty that Theresa possesses was a perfect genetic makeup to hide the true hellish form of Seraphim that wasn't unleashed until the latter half of the story. This complexity in character and appearance was what made this character so enjoyable to write, and Theresa was an excellent support when it came to her development through Dead End's production. Being a fan fiction writer herself, Theresa understands the fun that comes with expanding a well-known franchise by creating a world within it. This made it much easier for her to take in the tragic demise of her character at the end of The Dead End.
In addition to DGB, Theresa is currently featured as one of the reincarnations of Sean Thomas in the World of Disney series, portrayed as a less tragic character and more of one that's in control of her destiny. And, with her WOD character taking much inspiration from Doctor Who (a show Theresa and I are major fans of), it seems we are having much more fun than we did with her DGB role.
#3 - "Lisa Marie" in Disney's Ghostbusters: Ghosts of War and Disney's Ghostbusters: The Dead End (based on/inspired by Lisa Stevens)
Lisa was added to The Disney Ghostbusters cast after much of the main cast was established from Junior Ghostbusters. She was brought in through her connection to Kimberly Nicole ("Kimberly Venkman") when they both were involved in actual paranormal study and investigation between 2008 and 2010. Following her debut in Ghosts of War, Lisa was kind enough to announce the story on her blog radio program, Splinter of Reality - the first time any friend I've written in my work publicly made their involvement known outside of my own promotions. It was this wonderful gesture that convinced me on how I made the right choice in casting Lisa for what became one of the most entertaining characters I've written in DGB. Throughout Ghosts of War and The Dead End, Lisa's character had been put through hell (literally) - having her body swapped with Shan Yu and losing four years of her life - but she has found a silver lining in her boyfriend, Patrick Creel (based on Lisa's real-life BF and silver lining). Much of the fun and inspiration that comes with developing Lisa's DGB character is from her charity work with The Real Tampa Bay Ghostbusters (of which she and Patrick are known members). She has been seen in her own GB uniform (pictured above), which was incorporated to her character when the DGBs bestowed the gift of her own flight suit for helping Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Max, and P.J. on a paranormal case dealing with the Black Cauldron, prior to the events of Ghosts of War. Lisa's overwhelming support and collaboration on DGB has contributed to so much of the series' success that she has been considered for roles in my other stories, such as Disney's Men In Black. So far, outside of DGB, she can be found as a "cameo character" in The Marvelous World, the second installment of the World of Disney series, with "Agent Lisa Stevens," a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who is actually Yen Sid in an elaborate disguise.
#2 - "Kimberly Venkman" in The Disney Ghostbusters Series (based on/inspired by Kimberly Nicole)
I would be pretty disappointed in myself if I didn't include Kimberly Nicole's "Kimberly Venkman" character at the top of this list. Much like Diana Navarro's "Diana Zeddemore" character, Kim was not originally involved in the insurrection of the DGB series, with an entirely different woman brought in to represent the female take on the Bill Murray character. Being a fan of Ghostbusters (as well as Disney) and known to fit in an actual flight suit and strap on a Proton Pack (as shown in the photo above), Kim was a shoe-in for the "Venkman" role, taking the series to the next level shortly after her debut in Junior Ghostbusters. Most of my praise on Kim's inspiration for the "Kimberly Venkman" character can be read here. So much fun has been had with her involvement in the DGB series that it alone has inspired her involvement in World of Disney with the first story from 2010 and next year's The Disney Access.
#1 - "Joanie Navarro-Thomas" in World of Disney (based on/inspired by Joanie Mars)
It wasn't very difficult to determine which of my friend-based character deserved the #1 spot. Truth be told, if Joanie Mars had not given me her permission to write her into World of Disney, I would not have gotten very far with this series in 2010. Beautiful, intelligent, kind, funny, and an all-around wonderful woman, Joanie has given me much to put into her WOD character, from her love of Star Wars to her signature purple hair (a trait that wasn't added into her character until she actually dyed it that color near the end of the first installment of WOD). Joanie has costume-played as many Disney-based characters, which was the biggest reason for her being cast into WOD, one of which was Ariel. Like most cosplayers who I've developed as characters, I've taken their cosplays into consideration for plot devices, and Joanie's Ariel became one during the third act of WOD. Much of the fun that comes with having Joanie as the main heroine in WOD is what I like to call the "Back to the Future/Terminator Aspect" of the story - a parental figure whose younger self doesn't realize her future potential as one until she meets her son or daughter. In the first WOD story, Joanie is not very sure of herself and frets much over what her future will bring; it isn't until she meets Sean (her future son) and inherits her power of guarding the Disneyverse that she realizes what she's destined to do, making her the most powerful and emotional character I've written. A lot of that emotion I owe to the real-life Joanie and the empowering, personal character she's developed with her successes and lifestyle.
Since the first WOD installment, Joanie has appeared less prominently in other installments, such as The Marvelous World, Tales of the Disneyverse, and Marvel Mayhem - either receiving a passing reference to her character or showcased in fewer scenes than usual. That will change significantly by World of Disney 3 and The Disney Access, which Joanie is poised to headline in alongside current WOD headliner, Genevieve Marie Nylen.
There are dozens more people I've worked with on characters that didn't make it to this list, but that doesn't mean theirs weren't fun to write. Many I'm just starting to work with and find that one character based on him or her who stands out from the rest. For that reason, this list may change after the next stories I'm developing in the near future. One thing is for certain though: having friends who are characters in their own right has made my job a lot easier! :-)
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