Shy Richard Armitage lurker lured out by Guylty’s A to Z challenge

Continued …

Part One and Two are here:

Hello here are my final responses to Guylty’s A to Z Challenge. I’ve really enjoyed completing the challenge and reading the contributions by everyone – the differences and similarities in our answers were fascinating. It also gave me the opportunity to articulate my thoughts about Richard Armitage for the first time. Such stimulating questions – so thanks Guylty.

R. OTPS – what’s your favourite pairing? Aside from John and Margaret in N&S, Esther Klug and Daniel Miller’s relationship in Berlin Station has convincing tension, passion, and chemistry. I’m looking forward to seeing if/ how it develops.

Mina and Richard

S. What actor would you like to see him paired with in the future? Romola Garai is a wonderful sensitive actor so I do hope that Bridget Cleary will still be made. I would be thrilled for Richard if he acted with Elizabeth Moss as he has spoken of his admiration for her. The real or imagined romance between RA and Lee Pace was a glorious and much-missed (by me) fancy so an on-screen relationship with them would have been amazing – but unlikely. I’ll plump for Sean Bean who is finally getting accolades for his acting. He has a similar understated sensibility to RA, so they would be great paired together as maybe a couple of sparring northern brothers or cat-and-mouse protagonists.

T. First thing ever contributed to a fandom? Does a birthday message to RA on richardarmitage.net count? The second was this rather freaky Frankenstein mash-up, in ‘Virgin Media Magazine’ from April  2013, which I sent to Ali at ‘.net’.

Frankenrichard

U. Have you added anything stupid etc to the fandom? I see Richard’s likeness everywhere, in literature, sculpture, paintings and in ventriloquist dummies it seems, so I did tweet this picture from Channel Four’s Friday Night Dinner, that reminded me of John Thornton.

 

 

John Thornton

John Thornton

An uncanny likeness

V. Your favourite fan artist/ author gives you one request? There have been some astonishing representations of RA but generally I prefer the real thing (i.e. photographs, film or better still in the flesh). The hyper-real photographs by Ann Boudreau are fantastic and cleverly done, so maybe I’ll ask for a new character to be given her special treatment.

Yes, even with the beard

W. A prompt or AU for a piece of fan art/fiction? RA being dastardly, potent and sexy in a tricorn hat.

X. Is there a fellow fan who got you into delurking or convinced you to contribute? Guylty again – for inspiring this blog! She may have opened Pandora’s Box.

Y. Choose a work of art or song that reminds you of RA
Typically I have more than one: the unearthly beautiful androgynous men painted by Edward Burne-Jones remind me of RA, in particular as Guy and particularly in the painting, The Beguiling of Merlin, c.1875.

 

 

The Beguiling of Merlin, c.1875, by Edward Burne-Jones

Guy of Gisborne

I’m also struck how similar this pose of RA, as the Red Dragon in Hannibal, looks to The Ghost of a Flea, c.1820, by Richard’s constant screen muse, William Blake.

 

 

The ghost of a flea, c.1820, by William Blake

Jolly Green Dragon

Z. A chaRActer headcanon you have? I’m not sure that I properly understand this term. If I could use his persona, rather than a character, then I like to think that he has a wicked streak and prefer not to see my fantasy figure in this sense emasculated or made dad-sy. I did enjoy reading (as others did) a sado-masochistic side into the relationship between the Sheriff of Nottingham and Gisborne,  why, I don’t know – “Kiss my ring”, still makes me laugh.

Guy of Gisborne and the Sheriff of Nottingham together

Thank you for reading

Please let me know if I have used any of your images and I will either remove them or credit.