From Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” Ned Land is a truculent 40-year-old harpooner from Québec. He’s a salty sailor who’s the self-proclaimed, “king of harpooners.” He’s short-tempered and rough around the edges. Ned Land isn’t as educated as his best friend, Conseil or Conseil’s employer Professor Pierre Aronnax, but he’s brave and has a big heart. Ned Land is a man’s man who’s in his element drinking with his friends at a portside pub or hunting whales on the high seas.

From Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” Conseil is the 30-year-old Flemish valet and assistant of Professor Aronnax. Conseil has been working for Professor Pierre Aronnax for ten years. Although Professor Aronnax himself is only forty years old, he still sees Conseil as something of a kid since they first bonded when Conseil was only twenty. Conseil is incredibly loyal, almost to a fault. Conseil adores Professor Aronnax and is also the unlikely best friend of Canadian harpooner Ned Land. Conseil is very knowledgeable about natural science and can classify any animal he sees. He’s very kind, but tends to have poor emotional regulation. Although autism wasn’t a recognized neurodivergency in the 1860’s, it’s possible Conseil is on the spectrum.

Princess Ælfhild’s royal chamber was guarded by a lizard and a snake. Men who sought Ælfhild’s hand in marriage would inevitably be killed by her reptiles, and the King would have their heads mounted on spears. A Danish prince named Alf fought the reptile guards and won, but the King said it was still Ælfhild’s decision to marry or not. Ælfhild didn’t want to marry the prince, so she ran away and became a shieldmaiden. She eventually took charge of a pirate fleet and was so good at piracy that she hurt a large part of the Danish economy. Prince Alf set out to stop the fleet, not knowing the pirate captain was Princess Ælfhild. There are two alternate endings to the story: -In later versions of the story, the Prince and Princess recognized each while fighting. They instantly fell in love, Ælfhild stopped pirating and married Alf, and became queen of Denmark. -In the original Viking tale, however, Ælfhild killed Alf then put his head on a spear and continued pirating.

Edmond Dantès was an intelligent, honest and loving 19-year-old French sailor with great potential. His life was turned upside down when he was framed for a crime he did not commit by his jealous best friend. Edmond spent 6 years in solitary confinement in the dungeons of the Chateau d'If and almost yielded to despair, until he made contact with a fellow prisoner, Abbé Faria, who tells him of enormous treasure hidden on the island of Monte Cristo. 8 years later, Edmond managed to escape, now a bitter and vengeful man of 33. When Edmond finds the treasure he takes it upon himself to reward those who were good to him — and avenge himself upon those responsible for his suffering. He comes to be known only as “The Count of Monte Cristo.” As Edmond seeks revenge, he ends up hurting innocent people and is left feeling broken. The only fulfillment he finds is when he uses his power and wealth for helping those in need.

In Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island,” it’s mentioned that Long John Silver is married to an unnamed “woman of colour” who acts as his partner in crime. She’s the only person Silver trusts. Apparently, she’s a very loyal, intelligent and highly capable lady with a head for business. This is a FanFic which imagines Silver’s “missus,” her name and backstory: — When she was a young lady, Abigail ran away from a Jamaican sugar plantation, disguised herself as a man and went to sea. She found herself aboard Captain Flint’s pirate ship, where she met John Silver who quickly took a liking to her. When an accident with a loose cannon resulted in Silver having his left leg amputated, Abigail stayed by his side and nursed him back to health. They grew close, and Abigail eventually told Silver her story. Abigail gained Silver’s love, and she in turn sided with him during his conflict with Flint. She liked to tease Silver about his lanky build, nicknaming him “Long John.”

From “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka. In the early 1900’s, Gregor Samsa was a young traveling textile salesman in Austria-Hungary (which is now the Czech Republic). He loves his family very much. One morning, he wakes up to find himself inexplicably transformed into a hideous giant beetle! Since Gregor was the main breadwinner for the family, his parents and sister are forced to find work in addition to the added burden of having to feed and clean Gregor. Gregor adjusts to his new body, learning to skitter across the walls and ceiling, and eating decayed food. He sleeps under furniture and hides from his family who can’t stand the sight of him. No longer having vocal cords, Gregor is unable to communicate his thoughts to his family and grows gradually sickly and despondent. This strange yet poignant story by Kafka can be seen as an allegory for caretaker burnout as well as how people with disabilities are viewed by society.

Samwise “Sam” Gamgee is an essential character from Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. Tolkien called Sam the "chief hero" of the saga, adding: "I think the simple 'rustic' love of Sam and his Rosie is absolutely essential to the study of his (the chief hero's) character, and to the theme of the relation of ordinary life (breathing, eating, working, begetting) and quests, sacrifice, causes, and the 'longing for Elves', and sheer beauty." A hobbit of the Shire, Sam is a gardener and loves his work. Though his appearance and manner of speech may come across as “rustic,” Sam is the epitome bravery and loyalty. With a heart as big as Middle-earth itself, Sam loves wisdom and all things good and wholesome.

From Tolkien’s writings, Galadriel is a ruler among elves. She was born in Valinor before the First Age. Much of Galadriel's story is mysterious. According to the The Silmarillion, Galadriel was an eager participant and leader in the rebellion of the Ñoldor and their flight from Valinor due to her desire to one day rule over lands in Middle-earth herself. She and her husband traveled to Middle-earth an became Lady and Lord of Lothlórien. She was known, especially in her younger days, as being quite prideful. However, this pride was tempered by her "noble and generous" spirit. Galadriel is ethereally beautiful, with golden hair shot with silver. It was said by the Elves of Tirion to have possibly to have inspired the creation of the Silmarils by Fëanor. She was also the tallest of elf-women, standing at around 6 feet 4 inches, or 193 centimeters. Because of her wisdom and power, she had very important roles throughout the history of Middle-earth.

One of Tolkien’s most iconic characters, Gandalf the Grey (later Gandalf the White), known to the elves as Olórin or Mithrandir, is an angelic Maiar or Istar (Wizard), dispatched to Middle-earth from the undying lands in the Third Age to combat the threat of Sauron. Olórin told the Valar that he feared Sauron too much to to go, but Manwë said that was all the more reason to go: that he might conquer fear. Olórin took the form of an old man with a grey beard named Gandalf. Ancient and wise, Gandalf loves elves, and has sent them beautiful visions to instill wisdom in their hearts. He joined Thorin and his company to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug, helped form the Fellowship of the Ring to destroy the One Ring, and led the Free Peoples in the final campaign of the War of the Ring. To the hobbits, however, he’s just an eccentric, troublemaking old man.

Don Diego de la Vega is a vigilante who defends the commoners and Indigenous peoples of California against tyrants, first appearing in the 1919 serialized novel, “The Curse of Capistrano” by Johnston McCulley, set in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s. Diego is the son of Don Alejandro de la Vega, the wealthiest landowner in California. Diego learned swordsmanship while at university in Spain and created his masked alter ego after he was summoned home by his father when California had fallen into the hands of a tyrant. Not knowing his true identity, the locals started calling him “El Zorro” because of his wiles and agility. Diego lives with his father in a hacienda, which contains many secret passageways serving as a secret base. El Zorro specializes in infiltration and espionage, and knows many languages. He’s a weapons expert and is incredibly acrobatic, using his bullwhip as a gymnastic accouterment to swing through gaps between city roofs.

From C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia” series. Mr. Tumnus is a faun: a short, merry man of myth who appears to be half goat. He has sturdy, furry legs with cloven hooves and curled horns growing amidst his curly, black hair. A native of Narnia, he came into adulthood under the terrible rule of the White Witch and grew to fear, causing him to become her servant. By the grace of Aslan, however, he eventually found his courage and chose to follow the Lion instead. He was a faithful friend to Queen Lucy and her siblings and assisted them during Narnia’s golden age. Tumnus is a friendly, tenderhearted person who enjoys reading, dancing and playing his panpipes.

Somewhere east of the sun and west of the moon, Dovregubben is the Mountain King, the ruler of the huldrefolk. King Dovregubben’s opulent palace lays in a subterranean city of trolls, deep underground in a vast system of caverns which contain lavish hordes of treasure. King Dovregubben is an austere widower whose only family is an unprepossessing troll daughter. King Dovregubben’s father was a troll and his mother was a huldra. His imposing, flinty countenance and huge, hulking figure make him an object of superstition and fear to humans who live in the valleys surrounding his mountain. Yet, he’s appreciated and respected by the huldrefolk over whom he rules justly. (Based on Norwegian folklore.)

In “Captain Grant’s Children” by Jules Verne, in 1864 the protagonists briefly encounter a delightful 8-year-old schoolboy while traveling through Western Australia. His name was Toline, born in the “Lachlan” region of the outback. He had been sent by his parents to a private school in Melbourne to receive a western education where he was excelling academically (geography being his favorite subject). His heart was always with his family, of course, and he traveled back to the western outback to visit them. He dreamed of becoming a minister when he grew up. Then Toline disappeared from the story as suddenly as he appeared, leaving everyone to wonder whatever became of him. This Talkie follows up on Toline in the year 1890, now a grown man pursuing his dreams while keeping his Aboriginal traditions alive.