Silmaril Awards 2019 Voting Round – Top 5 Strangest Characters

Last week, your enthusiastic nominations came pouring in. I so enjoyed seeing old friends and new faces show up to participate. This week, we’ve come to the voting period! The top five nominees in each category have risen, and now it’s up to you to choose the most worthy!

Before we get to our top five strangest characters, let me just say—hosting forty-two oddballs at my place for a week has been… interesting, to say the least.

Howl has been hogging the bathroom and Calcifer has utterly blackened the inside of my oven. Various and sundry royal personages have been complaining about the tight quarters. Todd Crane—a centaur with two stomachs—has nearly eaten me out of house and home. A little Feechie boy has been climbing on everything. A handful of bard-ish folks keep everyone up late with their storytelling. Lieutenant Lockwood started target practice in my backyard and shot the neighbors. Toothless—who’s familiar with my house since he lodged here last time as one of the Most Magnificent Dragon finalists—unfortunately sneezed and obliterated half of my basement.

And I now have an infestation of mice and bugs thanks to one particular wizard who turns into a tree while he sleeps.

But I really can’t complain. Some of the other hosts are probably faring much worse. (Kyle’s and Zachary’s lives could very well be in danger, thanks to the proliferation of dragons and villains, and DJ and Jenette are extremely overcrowded with heroes and heroines, just to name a few!)

Anyway! Onward! I don’t know where Tom Bombadil has gotten to. He’s disappeared… probably off singing in the forest somewhere. But he’ll be back in time to present the Silmaril for the Strangest Character of 2019, don’t you worry!

Speaking of which, I am honored to present our TOP FIVE STRANGEST CHARACTERS.

Gurgi // The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander

No one is really sure what Gurgi is. A dog? A boy? A dog-boy? He’s a hairy creature nonetheless, with skinny, woolly arms and flexible feet that allow him to climb trees. He refers to himself in third person and often uses rhyming phrases. He dearly loves food. Although often fearful, he possesses great agility and is an excellent spy. But most of all, he’s a loyal friend.

“Now Gurgi’s head must be chopped off,” the creature moaned. “Do it, great lord, do it quickly. Gurgi will squeeze up his eyes so as not to see hurtful slashings.”

The Book of Three // Lloyd Alexander

Laura the Doorkeeper // The Rizkaland Legends Series by Kendra E. Ardnek

Laura has the ability to see and manipulate the doors between worlds, traveling through them at will. She has lived a very long time, and may look and act differently depending on when and where you meet her. Naturally curious and extremely high-energy, Laura is a force for good—though sometimes her actions bring pain to others, which she regrets.

“The name’s Laura, though most people call me the Doorkeeper,” she answered. “As for what I’m doing here—well, it’s a room full of powerful weapons from all sorts of worlds. I sorta belong here.”

Water Princess, Fire Prince // Kendra E. Ardnek

Wizard Fenworth // DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul

Fenworth is a 72,000-year-old bog wizard. He’s rather eccentric and knowledgeable, but his magic doesn’t always turn out quite as planned. Living in a secluded castle with his trusty librarian, Librettowit, the two of them are rather particular about grammar and not leaving dangling participles at the end of sentences. When Fenworth falls asleep or stays still for too long, he begins to turn into a tree. Mice, birds, bugs, and other small creatures frequently drop from his robes.

Fenworth nodded. “Yes, yes. Urgent, deadly, insidious. The world is in peril and we must rise against evil.” The old wizard released the general and patted him on the shoulder. “Tea and cake first, don’t you think?”

DragonQuest // Donita K. Paul

Uncle Andrew // The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Ever since his godmother gave him a box containing dust from another world, Andrew Ketterley has been a practitioner of magic. He created magical rings that can transport the wearer to a different world… and proceeded to manipulate his nephew (and said nephew’s friend) into testing out the rings for him. Self-important, greedy, and considering himself to be above the rules, Andrew nevertheless turns into a groveling sop in the presence of his superiors. However, certain terrifying events made him a little nicer later in life.

“No, Digory. Men like me, who possess hidden wisdom, are freed from common rules just as we are cut off from common pleasures. Ours, my boy, is a high and lonely destiny.”

The Magician’s Nephew // C.S. Lewis

Luna Lovegood // Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Luna is a Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts, known for her bewildering personality and crazy fashion sense. She cares very little what others think about her, and has an underlying strength and defiance that comes out when her friends and family are threatened. Her ideas about the world are a bit odd, as she believes in some things that aren’t supposed to exist. People can get frustrated by the way she blurts out truths they’d prefer she didn’t mention, and she seems to be perpetually in a state of dreaminess.

“Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.”

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix // J.K. Rowling

Now for it, folks! You have from Monday the 9th until Friday the 13th at 11:59pm CST to cast your votes using the voting form below.

Keep in mind that although I strongly encourage you to visit all ten blogs to learn more about the characters in the running for each category… you only need to enter the voting form ONCE.

Here are the links to everyone else’s announcements of their top five:

• Most Epic Heroine — Jenette Mbewe
• Most Epic Hero — DJ Edwardson
• Least Competent Henchman — Christine Smith
• Most Magnificent Dragon — Kyle Robert Shultz
• Most Silver Tongue — Deborah O’Carroll
• Most Faithful Friend — E.E. Rawls
• Most Nefarious Villain — Zachary Totah
• Strangest Character — Tracey Dyck (you are here)
• Most Mischievous Imp — Madeline J. Rose
• Wisest Counsellor — Jenelle Schmidt

May the best characters win!

Choosing who to vote for is always the hardest part of the awards! Which strange character are YOU hoping will win this year?

P.S. Important linky things you might want again: the official Silmaril Awards website is here, and the official Facebook page is here.