Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2018 July 20

= July 20 =

List of imaginary characters in fiction
I'm looking for zillions of them, like the rabbit in Harvey or Tyler Durden. Can you help think of some? Also, would this be a viable article if many were not standalones, but rather sections within articles or even black links?

Anyhow, I've stubbed it. If it does not get populated, I will delete it. Please give it a bit before the speedy tag. :)


 * List of imaginary characters in fiction

Anna Frodesiak (talk) 02:41, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Technically, nearly every character in fiction is imaginary. Or do you mean characters that are imagined by one of the other characters? And would The Unicorn in the Garden qualify? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:10, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * The rabbit in Harvey is named Harvey. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 03:13, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Bugs is right. This needs definition. Does it simply mean characters imagined by other characters? Or...? HiLo48 (talk) 03:17, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Thurber! Ah, I love Thurber. "Have it your way. You heard a seal bark!"


 * Yes, characters that are imagined by one of the other characters. Is this viable or an incredibly stupid article? Don't spare my feelings. This is Wikipedia. :) Anna Frodesiak (talk) 03:19, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Then please add that definition to the beginning of the article. HiLo48 (talk) 03:20, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Don't worry. It's done. HiLo48 (talk) 03:47, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * My more mischievous self was just wondering about adding almost all the characters from the major religious texts. But I don't think I have the courage or energy to take on that fight today. HiLo48 (talk) 03:47, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * I'll do it. Who are they? Anna Frodesiak (talk) 04:08, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * HiLo is trying to say that religion is fiction. But if it's only characters that characters imagine, that narrows it down considerably. For example, atheists consider God to be fictional, but in the collection of literature called The Bible, God is not fictional. However, there are fictional characters presented within, such as in dream sequences. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 06:23, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * I think it is better to avoid religion altogether. Adding a god would be opening a real can of worms. And, since the article is about characters in fiction, then religious people would not like adding imaginary characters in relgion that because it implies that the religion is fiction, right? Anna Frodesiak (talk) 07:03, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * We don't base what we write on what people like, but I won't be touching the god thing. HiLo48 (talk) 07:07, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * You might be missing my point. If you consider the Bible to be fiction, then God is a fictional character in it - but He's not an imaginary character in it. An imaginary character could be someone appearing in a dream of one of the fictional characters. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 08:10, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * I see your point. It's right, of course. I still won't be going near the god thing in that article. HiLo48 (talk) 08:43, 20 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Imaginary friend has a couple more (mainly in the "See also" section, including Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, of course). The Guardian's "Top 10 imaginary friends in fiction" might help as well. And TV Tropes's entry on "Imaginary Friend" lists a ton of examples (literature, film, comic books, TV, anime, ...) Sounds like a fun list, AF! ---Sluzzelin talk  08:23, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Thanks for the list, Sluzzelin. Please, someone, add them. I'm pooped. (Of course I mean 'tired'.) Anna Frodesiak (talk) 11:38, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Snoopy's brother Spike used to talk to cactuses. I don't know if that fits in your definition. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 08:26, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * That depends. Were the cacti imaginary? Anna Frodesiak (talk)
 * No, those cacti were real, and as far as I recall they didn't talk back. However, the lead character Hazel in the webcomic Girls with Slingshots owns a potted cactus which she perceives as conversing with her, often when she's drunk but sometimes apparently not. It is ambiguous as to whether or not other characters also sometimes perceive him to be talking (and performing various actions). {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.206.216.248 (talk) 21:17, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Rather like Hobbes. There would need to be a sublist of ambiguously imaginary characters. (Harvey, in the film version, becomes this when at the end we see a door moved by an unseen force.) —Tamfang (talk) 06:51, 21 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Elements of the Peanuts world, Snoopy in particular, are kind of surreal. Snoopy could be said to be his own imaginary character. And you have elements like the "kite-eating tree" which is sometimes presented as anthropomorphic. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:16, 21 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Been wondering about Life of Pi. Can one say for certain that all the zoo animals in the scenes at sea were imaginary, or is this getting too close to religion as well? HiLo48 (talk) 00:21, 21 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Isn't the movie ambiguous about it? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 13:16, 21 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Dunno. Haven't seen it. The book is, I guess. HiLo48 (talk) 23:12, 21 July 2018 (UTC)

Thank you all for your wonderful input that helped get this going. Please consider using Talk:List of imaginary characters in fiction for further discussions so others can weigh in. Anna Frodesiak (talk) 20:36, 21 July 2018 (UTC)

I can imagine the WP:LAME entry for the angry discussions about whether Drop dead Fred is or is not "imaginary". --Dweller (talk) Become old fashioned! 13:25, 23 July 2018 (UTC)


 * Another example whose classification might be tricky or ambiguous is Nicola Walker's character in River. She existed, unimaginarily, as a colleague and love-interest in the protagonist's real life, but is dead now, and her appearance is entirely fed by his memory and imagination. ---Sluzzelin  talk  13:39, 23 July 2018 (UTC)

story rights netflix amazon hulu OTT
friends,.. I wish to know the minimum/average story rights fee for a drama tv show (~10 episodes). Thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.206.126.2 (talk) 16:24, 20 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Such an enquiry might best be addressed to a professional Literary agent who deals with those organisations. Financial data of this kind are likely to be regarded as proprietory information and will not generally be available to casual public enquiry. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 2.219.34.253 (talk) 01:38, 22 July 2018 (UTC)