Fictional Character, Fictional LIfe--Lucy Whitman Sandmeyer

 I think if I’m being realistic, which this prompt is, of course, not, I would most like to be Milo from The Phantom Tollbooth. Okay, here me out. So Milo is this boy that’s just disinterested in everything. He’s very detached: he doesn’t like school but he doesn’t like home that much either. But nothing is actually wrong. Milo is not forced to fight to the death and he doesn’t have a tragic backstory that has to be reveled right before the climax when he’s trying to save the world. His parents are alive and that’s super rare in the things I watch/read. Like, incredibly rare. Both of them are alive! It’s practically unprecedented. The great thing is, even though he’s bored and pretty unhappy, Milo’s life doesn’t suck. AND THEN, a tollbooth shows up in his room. And this phantom tollbooth takes him on a crazy, incredibly punny adventure that restores his faith in humanity and doesn’t give him PTSD. It’s ridiculous. Did you know that for a good book to have a conflict and resolution no one actually has to die a heart wrenching death? 

            Of course, what Milo doesn’t have/get isn’t the only thing that attracts me to his character. Milo’s trip through the Kingdom of Wisdom is incredible. He gains two best friends, one who is a literal humbug and the other a literal watchdog; who doesn’t want that? He constantly outsmarts his opposition. Continually using his brain and not brawn to tackle his problems, Milo uses logic and creatively to deal with a bunch of literal idioms. It sounds like the best thing in the entire freaking world. AND THEN, bam, personal development. He comes home with renewed appreciation to for the world and all the opportunities that it presents. And, in the end, a respect for the world (and all it provides) on a daily basis is what I really want. It’s sort of the ultimate happy ending.