Meme from Zelda_Queen

[aikaterini]

Meme from zelda_queen

Just pick a category and I'll tell you my top five female characters for it!

1 - Protagonists

2 - Villains

3 - Superheroes

4 - Magical Girls

5 - Queens/Empresses/Royalty

6 - Who are adorable dorks

7 - That I'd invite to a sleepover/dinner party

8 - That I'd want to go on an adventure with

9 - That I'd want to be friends with

10 - That I'd want to kiss

11 - That I will love till the end of time

12 - Who I think deserved better endings

13 - That I wish had better development/writing

14 - That I wish had better a love interest(s)

15 - Who I want to rescue from their horrible narratives

Comments

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

1, 11, 13.

1 - Protagonists

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

1. Belle: I know that some people have said that Belle isn’t that relatable a protagonist because she doesn’t have that many flaws and her character change isn’t as big or dramatic as the Beast’s. But for me, Belle is an admirable protagonist. She’s compassionate, brave, intelligent, and knows who she is and what she wants. She doesn’t let anybody boss her around or tell her who she should be, be it Gaston, the Beast, or an entire town. She may isolate herself from her village because she’s hoping for something more, but she’s someone that you’d like to be your friend. And as someone who’s also a big bookworm, I could definitely identify with Belle the most out of all of the Disney princesses.

2. Elizabeth Bennet: Now, unlike Belle, Elizabeth certainly is flawed, but she still remains charming and likable regardless and she learns to overcome her flaws. Elizabeth is an interesting protagonist for her story in that she’s both a witty observer of the foibles of her society as well as an unwitting victim of them. She may comment on other people’s foolishness, but she herself is not immune to misjudgment. But like Belle, Elizabeth knows what she wants (or rather, doesn’t want) and she doesn’t back down from anyone. She is confident enough to stand up for herself while humble enough to admit her mistakes and learn from them, making her a fine protagonist indeed.

3. Christie Hope: Basically, she disproves every criticism that people say about OCs, especially the OCs who are relatives of canon characters. She loves her female friends, she loves her uncle and Dr. Watson, and she’s proud of her brilliance while at the same time admiring of her uncle’s. She encourages her friends to be the best that they can be and she happily joins her uncle’s adventures without being a pest or burden. She invites the reader to come along with the ride when it comes to her uncle’s cases, while maintaining an interesting story arc herself.

4. Jane Eyre: I can see why some people may question why Jane chose to go back to Mr. Rochester after learning that he had a wife and was intending to trick her into bigamy and wonder if she’s still a strong-willed protagonist after that. For me, Jane is admirable because despite forgiving Mr. Rochester for his actions, she still stands by her principles. Yes, she loves him, yes, she understands why he did what he did, but she refuses to lose his regard and betray her own sense of honor by becoming his mistress. Like Elizabeth, she rejects her love interest, but unlike Elizabeth, she leaves the love interest whom she *loves,* which makes it an even harder decision. Jane forgives, but she is not a pushover.

5. Canaan: Because this woman is *awesome.* She has synesthesia, hardcore fighting abilities, and still manages to balance a normal life with her work/revenge. She’s also devoted to her friends and works hard to avenge the death of her mentor. She’s not unstoppable – her enemy, Alphard, manages to defeat her despite not having supernatural abilities – but, man, is it cool to watch her kick rear.

Re: 1 - Protagonists

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

So very much agreed about Belle and Elizabeth Bennett. Haven't read Jane Eyre yet, but Jane herself sounds awesome. Haven't gotten around to reading about Belle and Christie Hope, but they also sound awesome.

Re: 1 - Protagonists

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

Oh, you should read “Jane Eyre,” it’s a great read!

Christie Hope is from the manga that I reviewed here: http://aikaterini.livejournal.com/65759.html

Re: 1 - Protagonists

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

I might give it a read when I can. :)

Oh, I remember that! Seriously, I should pick that up sometime. It sounds awesome. :)

11 - That I will love till the end of time

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

1. Belle: Yes, I’m repeating her again, but I love Belle so much! She’s my favorite Disney princess and I will always love her, regardless of what people say about her romance with the Beast or about her story goals.

2. Elizabeth Bennet: I’m cheating again. Yes, I will love Elizabeth, despite how many people misunderstand her romance with Mr. Darcy. I love her for being so witty, I love her for standing up for herself, and I love her for being willing to laugh at herself and move on.

3. Jade Chan: Yes, I can understand how some people might find her annoying at times in certain episodes, but I still like this girl. She’s gutsy, smart, gets into trouble but also finds ways to get out of it, and is always up for an adventure.

4. Dorine: Because she calls out both Orgon and Tartuffe (so much so that it’s a shame that she didn’t have more scenes with Tartuffe) and is the hilarious voice of truth for the entire play. She’s basically a proto-feminist of the 17th century when it comes to her lines: “You’re marrying for yourself, not for him” (when referring to Orgon’s attempts to bully his daughter into an arranged marriage with Tartuffe); “If he loves Tartuffe so much, then let him marry him,” etc.

5. Marguerite Blakeney (1982 film version): Yes, one of the reasons why I prefer the 1982 film version of “The Scarlet Pimpernel” to the book is the improvements that it made to Margerite’s character (they made her more sympathetic and more active in the story). She’s intelligent, determined, protective of her brother, conflicted, and she’s a match for the Scarlet Pimpernel in every way.

Re: 11 - That I will love till the end of time

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Belle and Elizabeth are awesome. :) And I haven't really heard of the others, but they sound really cool.

Re: 11 - That I will love till the end of time

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

Jade is from the animated show “Jackie Chan Adventures” and Dorine is from the play “Tartuffe” by Moliere. And they are indeed awesome. :)

Re: 11 - That I will love till the end of time

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

Good to know! I may yet check them out.

13 - That I wish had better development/writing

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

1. Padmé Amidala: Yes, I know that I’ve ranted about this in the past, but her role and character in the third prequel film really were so disappointing. I wish that her romance and marriage with Anakin had been written well, but I also wish that *she* had been written well. George Lucas set her up to be an awesome character (queen, senator, and fighter) and then he dropped the ball on her.

2. Korra: Again, so much potential and her writers failed her. Korra didn’t learn anything at the end of Season 1 and she’s barely learned anything since. Her show is called “Legend of Korra,” and yet it seems to be about everything *but* her. Where’s her personal journey? Where are the episodes where she fully learned from her mistakes and grew as a result? Where are the positive changes that she made as Avatar (did she solve the Equalist issue? No. It just went away. Did she solve the issue with the spirits? No. It’s just brushed under the rug.)?

3. Sakura Sakurakoji: Because she just got derailed. At the beginning of her manga, she was a tough, principled, and no-nonsense girl who knew how to fight and didn’t back down even when facing a boy who could burn her to a crisp. Then, for some ungodly reason, her writers decided to transform her into a preachy, useless, and annoying tag-a-long whose sole method of attack was to glomp people.

4. Misa Amane: Because I get the feeling that Tsugumi Ohba just didn’t know what to do with her. She started out as a bubbly owner of a Death Note who learned who Kira was and ended up being Light’s devoted minion. Seriously, she could have ended the manga early by just going to the police and telling them who Kira was. She could have used her knowledge to threaten or blackmail Light into doing her bidding. But no, instead she ended up being a deluded airhead who put up with Light’s abuse, was shunted to the side to make way for more minions for Light, and ended up as an afterthought.

5. Hermione Granger: Oh, Hermione, where did you go wrong? How did you go from a bossy, insecure, but loyal, intelligent, and hardworking friend to a ruthless fanatic who branded Marietta’s face, sent Ron to the hospital wing, and mind-wiped her own parents? Why, Hermione, why?

Re: 13 - That I wish had better development/writing

[ladyhadhafang.livejournal.com]

1. Yeah, I know what you mean. I love Padme dearly, but I do think she got shafted quite a bit in the third prequel film.

2. I haven't seen much of Legend of Korra (haven't exactly seen Season Two or Three yet just because I've been pretty busy and all), but man, that really bites.

3-4. Haven't seen either of those, but man, that really sucks.

5. Ugh, yeah. I remember reading the whole Marietta scene in OOTP and being really disturbed by it. I mean, even if Marietta betrayed them, she didn't deserve that. I wish someone had at least called Hermione out on it. And the whole "Oppugno" scene -- yeah, that was not cool. I definitely agree Hermione's character went pretty downhill in terms of the last three books.

Re: 13 - That I wish had better development/writing

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

1. Yeah, I definitely prefer Fanon!Padmé.

2. Trust me, you’re not missing anything by not watching Season 2 (except maybe Wan’s story and the finale, which a lot of people liked). Many people liked Season 3 (or, at least, thought it was better than Season 2), but for me, the finale of Season 1 was when I decided to switch canon for headcanon.

3. Sakura is from the manga “Code:Breaker,” which I reviewed (ranted about) here: http://aikaterini.livejournal.com/47530.html

4. Misa is from the anime “Death Note.” I like the show, but I'm not a fan of how the show treated its female characters.

5. And the worst part is that Hermione used to be my favorite HP character. I really identified her and looked up to her. :(

[zelda-queen.livejournal.com]

14!

14 - That I wish had better a love interest(s)

[aikaterini.livejournal.com]

Would I be cheating if I said “the heroine of every bad, abuse-glorifying ‘romance’ ever?” Okay, I’ll narrow them down to five:

1. Nora Grey: Because I fail to see how a sleazy, abusive, and homicidal stalker who sexually assaults and terrorizes her is supposed to be her One True Love.

2. Anastasia Steele: Would a Dom who was actually pleasant, kind, and patient be too much to ask for?

3. Cassie Dasent: Because tampering with a teenager’s birth control so that she winds up pregnant without her consent is *not* okay. Cassie’s an ambitious girl who wants to go to college, have a career, and find her long-lost mother, and she ends up with a manipulative liar who thinks that the most important thing that she can do is bear his children, even if she doesn’t want to.

4. Kurumi Akino: Because a guy who literally tears your clothes off without your permission just so he can put a new dress on you, drugs you, kidnaps you, and rapes you is not your friend, let alone your One True Love.

5. Rosaura: Because it’s totally a happy ending when the shallow creep who seduced you, abandoned you to marry someone else, and refused to marry you because you weren’t of noble birth conveniently changes his mind when he finds out that, hey, you’re a noblewoman after all! Sorry, not buying it. I hope that Astolfo either dies quickly after they’re married or Rosaura gives him hell for the rest of their marriage.