Houston, we have a problem...Life on Mars looks eerily familiar.

Hooray! I finally figured out how to add people to the side of my blog. Now, I know this is not exactly a triumph which warrants a whole piece of architecture set in the middle of a country's capital devoted solely to the grandeur of it, but still, a triumph nonetheless. For some reason, I could figure out all of the confusing "sh-tuff" that was really only superfluous to the whole reason for this, but the "easy," more vital things were a bit of a difficulty. I can finally leave comments now, as well. The few occasions before, when I tried this, something wasn't recognizing my existence. It was kind of that "Mr. Wordsworth, you are obsolete" feeling. (If you don't know what I'm alluding to, just hang around and watch the New Year's Day marathon of the old (natch: good) Twilight Zone. The Rod Serling, standing in a corner, narrating while ensuring his premature death with a continual stream of half-burned cigarettes Twilight Zone. They just don't make t.v. like they used to.) So, now it will be even easier for me to be increasingly annoying.
Anyway, there actually is (well, in a way) a reason for this post. Here's the thing. I had a thought (more than one, but this was the only one to come near being interesting), and so I have a question to pose. I am currently reading a study on "A Tale of Two Cities." (I know this sounds unbearably insipid, but it is really quite interesting, truly. There are so many aspects I had never really scrutinized, which is something you must do in order to really come to appreciate Dickens. So, all these years I've been missing some of the most interesting points of the whole book. Like: consider that Carton and Darnay are not only remarkably physically similar, but are actually an antiphonal (something sung alternately in two parts; sorry, I get carried away sometimes) expression of the two halves of one man; a man which could have been an only slightly ambiguous representation of Dickens's perception of himself. Incredible, isn't it? It is actually insanely interesting. Anyway, I digress...I'm coming to the question presently, I promise). Reading this has only intensified something I decided the first time I ever read that novel. It sounds ridiculous, but at twelve or thirteen, I fell completely and unequivocally in love with the fictional character of Sydney Carton. I know, I know, it sounds idiotic; but, if you haven't read it, do, and trust me, you'll understand exactly what I mean. It isn't just the immolation Carton voluntarily serves as, twice, actually, for someone he loves, there is more to him than that. It is only in these instances that he is able to show his true nature. He seems to have always been caught in the throes of the "looking glass effect." This is when you subconsciously tell others what you think of yourself, they subconsciously read these messages, take your word for it, and treat you accordingly, you read this as their own self-determined perception of you (when it is actually your perception of yourself, projected outward) and it reinforces your perception of yourself. This can be both beneficial and detrimental. Anyway...Carton is a good guy, a really good guy, but never seems to be given, or indeed, give himself, credit. So, this brings me to my question. I have always had a HUGE crush on the character of Sydney Carton, and wished that I could find a real Sydney Carton. The question is this, what characters (movies, books, any characters or real people) do you all have a thing for? It can be an amalgam of different people. Mine would be an amalgamation of (of course) Sydney Carton, Atticus Finch (from "To Kill a Mockingbird), C.S. Lewis (his imagination, insight, and creative abilities), Nicholas II of Russia (if you care to ask, I'll explain, but it would take too long in writing. He just seemed like a genuinely good man.) Edmund (from The Chronicles of Narnia. After he is grown up, at the end of the books, of course. Which is, incidentally, the character Lewis most identified with). The musical abilities of Thomas Newman and Yann Tiersen (listen to their stuff on my playlist; you'll develop a crush, too), and Mr. Darcy (what girl in her right mind doesn't love him?). Those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. There are plenty more, I just can't remember them right now.
So, what is everyone else's "ideal?" It was just a thought I had; figured it would be fun and interesting to see what everyone else had to say. (Note as of 10/24/08: I read the comments (which were wonderful, by the way) and had an epiphany. I realized that, "Brother of Pete!" I forgot to add Mr. Knightley (from "Emma). How can you forget Mr. Knightley (especially after he is played by Jeremy Northam)?! He adds to the 'ideal' for a lot of reasons: his kindness, his astuteness, his honor, his compassion, his humor, his patience, not to mention the age difference (in his favor) of sixteen years. This is an attribute, trust me.)