This month I’m writing a weekly post for this 30-day video game blogging challenge. It’s a list of gaming topics to write about. This week, it’s all the character questions I found interesting!

Favorite Protagonist

Commander Shepard from the Mass Effect series is the most badass hero of all time to me. You can create your Shepard as a man or a woman, a compassionate person or a tough-as-nails type. Either way, she’s going to do amazing things for the galaxy with a team of loyal friends at her side.

Favorite Villain

GLaDoS from Portal. In these games, you are a test subject in a stark facility, equipped with a gun that shoots portals in the walls. Your mission is to get out — it’s a puzzle game — and your guide is the AI computer system GLaDoS, whose robotic voice is a source of dry humor but little comfort. GLaDoS is kind of evil. I won’t spoil anything, but she’s one of the weirdest, most entertaining non-human villains I’ve ever encountered.

Character I Feel Most Like

Max from Life is Strange. I’m pretty shy, but in video games, it’s rare to see characters depicted that way. Usually they’re some sort of kick-down-the-door hero, which is really fun to play. However, when I started the choice-based episodic game Life is Strange, I was pleasantly surprised by the main character being an introverted teenage girl who feels totally realistic. She’s still vibrant, artistic, full of energy, and interesting to play as — she’s just shy in the same way I am. I love that.

Most Annoying Character

Miranda Lawson from the Mass Effect series. Maybe I can think of more Jar-Jar Binks-like characters who annoy me, but there’s something about Miranda that makes me just plain not want to be friends with her. She complains about how engineering made her hot and super badass at everything. Oh, poor Miranda. I’m not saying what she went through is good. But why is she so unfriendly and condescending towards you when you first meet her? Sorry, but I just don’t want to hear about what made her such an awful person.

Favorite Couple

The two that pop into my mind are not actually romantic couples — they’re friends. With Fran and Balthier from Final Fantasy XII being runner-up, I’d say Max and Chloe from Life is Strange is my favorite couple. They’re best friends whose relationship is stronger than any other in their lives. Max is caring, thoughtful, careful. Chloe is wild, weird, unpredictable. They complement each other in a very realistic way, and their friendship is what makes Life is Strange so unforgettable.

— Ashley