The Unpopular Woman Love Post

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

Friends, halfamoon is here again! For me, that means it's time for The Unpopular Woman Love Post.

Personally I'm the kind of fan who always roots for the underdog, and there are many female characters who fill that role, and even more of them fill that role in fandom. This post is for people who want to fan the hell out of their unappreciated women and do it as loud as they can. It works like this:

1. Start a thread and put the character's name and the canon they come from in the subject line.

2. Those who love the character comment on the thread with squee, thoughts, fic/art/vid recs, picspams, essays, links and everything they can think of. Make sure your character gets all the love and the attention she deserves.

3. If a character has a thread and you want to talk about her, comment to the thread in question. General comments and threads for new characters go to the main post.

4. Focus on the love. This is an all positivity, all time post. Embrace your happy!

5. Absolutely no bashing allowed. Please avoid making negative comparisons to other characters, other character types and "well this character sucks more!" kind of comments. Those characters and character types have their fans too and hey, it's a love post. Save negativity for other things.

ETA:
5b. No bashing actresses or the other versions of the character either. Keep in mind that mileages vary and what doesn't work for you may work for someone else.

Threads

Valentine Wiggin, Ender's Game
Sgt. Sally Donovan, Sherlock (BBC)
Anastasia Dualla , Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Guinevere, Merlin
Lady Catelyn Stark, ASOIAF
Jules, The Vampire Diaries
Bonnie Bennet, The Vampire Diaries
Dawn Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Martha Jones, Doctor Who
Jaden, Nikita
River Song, Doctor Who
Karen Filippelli, The Office
Amy Gardner, West Wing
Briony Tallis, Atonement
Jennifer Keller, Stargate Atlantis
Gwen Cooper, Torchwood
Mai, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Ramona Flowers, Scott Pilgrim
Rebecca St. Clair, Warehouse 13
Rose, The Vampire Diaries
Sansa Stark, ASOIAF
Cally Henderson, Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, House
Leena, Warehouse 13
Jesse Flores, Sarah Connor Chronicles
Kate Freelander, Sanctuary
Jo Harvelle, Supernatural
Michelle Richardson, Skins
Bela Talbot, Supernatural
Ruby, Supernatural
Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Vanille, Final Fantasy XIII
Dahlia, Legend of the Seeker
Betty Draper, Mad Men
Nicola Murray, The Thick of It
Ziva David, NCIS
Dr. Allison Cameron, House
Lauren Reed, Alias
Ana-Lucia Cortez, Lost
Tea Gardner/Anzu Mazaki, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Rose Tyler, Doctor Who
Suki, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Elizabeth Weir, Stargate Atlantis
Zoe Washburne, Firefly
Shannon Rutherford, Lost
Amy Pond, Doctor Who
Anna Milton, Supernatural
Vanessa Abrams, Gossip Girl
Amy March, Little Women
Tara Thorton, True Blood
Inara Serra, Firefly
Emily Gilmore, Gilmore Girls
Liz, Sneakers
Kelly Hernandez, Warehouse 13
Nina Pickering, Being Human (UK)
Lily Potter (Evans), Harry Potter
Susan Rodriguez, The Dresden Files novels
Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter
Jess Parker, Primeval
Brienne of Tarth, ASOIAF
Donna Hayward, Twin Peaks
Becky Sproles, Friday Night Lights
Nymphadora Tonks, Harry Potter
Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of the Caribbean
Kara Thrace, Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Orihime Inoue, Bleach
Kaho Mizuki, Cardcaptor Sakura
Elle Greenaway, Criminal Minds
Kate Austen, Lost
Renee Walker, 24
Hannah Burley, Bones
Rinoa Heartilly, Final Fantasy VIII
Nell Jones, NCIS: LA
Renge, Ouran High School Host Club
Mai and Jin from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Yori and Lora from TRON
Ashley Williams, Mass Effect
Erzsébet/Elisaveta Hédérvary/Hungary, Axis Powers Hetalia
Arwen, Lord of the Rings
Momo Hinamori, Bleach
Kitty Pride, X-Men: Evolution
Rue, Princess Tutu
Dana Whitaker, Sports Night
Rue, Princess Tutu
Dana Whitaker, Sports Night
Veralidaine Sarrasri, Tamora Pierce's Tortall
Donna Noble, Doctor Who
Fanny Price, Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)
Relena Darlian/Peacecraft, Gundam Wing
Cersei Lannister, ASOIAF
Juliet O'Hara, Psych
Sara Sidle, CSI
Teyla Emmagan, Stargate Atlantis
Namine, Kingdom Hearts
Lucy Jaggat, Being Human (UK)
Willow Rosenberg, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Cho Chang, Harry Potter
Servilia, Rome
Women of Final Fantasy VII
Ariadne, Inception
Sakura, Naruto
Britta Perry, Community
Hinata Hyuuga, Naruto
Higurashi Kagome, Inuyasha
Anora, Dragon Age
Lynn Minmay and Ranka Lee, Macross and Macross Frontier
Yukari Takeba, Persona 3
Laurie, Watchmen
Lenalee Lee, D.Gray-Man
Ulala Serizawa, Persona 2
Miranda Lotto, D. Gray-Man
Terri Schuester, Glee
Seychelles, Axis Powers Hetalia
Priscilla, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword
Belgium and Liechtenstein, Axis Powers Hetalia
Caroline Forbes, The Vampire Diaries
Micaiah, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Asuka Langley Soryu and Rei Ayanami, Neon Genesis Evangelion
Sharon Valerii/Agathon, Battlestar Galactica
Katara, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Kairi and Xion, Kingdom Hearts
Stephanie Brown, DC Comics
Adelle Dewitt, Dollhouse
Maria Thorpe, Assassin's Creed
Jaina Proudmoore, Warcraft
Mystearica "Tear" Grants, Tales of the Abyss
Anise Tatlin, Tales of the Abyss
Colette Brunel, Tales of Symphonia
Juri Katou, Digimon Tamers
Lois Lane, Smallville
Jean Grey-Summers, X-Men
Madeline Westen, Burn Notice
Sheila, Army of Darkness
Miyako Inoue, Digimon Adventure 02
Song, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Eponine and Cosette, Les Miserables
Garnet til Alexandros XVII, Final Fantasy IX
Eiko Carol, Final Fantasy IX
ChiChi, Dragon Ball Z
Atoli, .hack//G.U.
Ninian, Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword
Princess Peach, the Mario series
Cordelia Chase, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
Meg Thatcher, Due South
Women from Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny
Sylvanas Windrunner, WCIII/Word of Warcraft
Mercedes Jones, Glee
Niobe, Rome
Carlotta Guidicelli, Phantom of the Opera (2004 movie)
Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Kate Brewster-Connor
Chibiusa Tsukino, Sailor Moon
Yuna, Final Fantasy X
Yuuki Miaka, Fushigi Yuugi
Anya Jenkins, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Kate Bishop aka Hawkeye, Marvel Young Avengers
Kendra Young, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lana Lang, Smallville
Molly Prewett Weasley, Harry Potter
Susan Pevensie, Narnia
Tohru Honda, Fruits Basket
Tess Fontana, Eureka
Jack/Subject Zero, Mass Effect
Francie Calfo, Alias
Judge Magister Drace, Final Fantasy XII
Kay Faraday, Ace Attorney
Iris, Ace Attorney
Egeria, Stargate SG-1
Desiree DeLite, Ace Attorney
Hoshi Sato, ST: Enterprise
Molly Carpenter, The Dresden Files
?
Helen Cutter, Primeval
Morgause, Merlin
D'Anna Beirs, Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Helena Cain, Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Alti and Callisto, Xena: The Warrior Princess
Niki and Jessica Sanders, Heroes
Claire Bennet, Heroes
Monica, Heroes
Elle Bishop, Heroes
Angela Petrelli, Heroes
Maya Herrera, Heroes
Koriand'r/Kory Anders/Starfire, DC Comics
Tory Foster, Battlestar Galactica (reboot)
Kali, Supernatural
Sarah Sawyer, Sherlock

In other words, this post is all about celebrating and loving our favorite unloved women. Now, love away!

Note: So for some reason there seems to be spontaneous comment screening going on in this post. I'll be unscreening everything I see, but poke me if I miss something!

Comments

Jesse Flores, Sarah Connor Chronicles

[girl-wonder.livejournal.com]

She goes to the past because she believes that John might no longer have humanity's best interest in mind. She kicks ass, takes names, doesn't let Derrik kill himself.

I like the idea that she's not against John, but that she realizes that he's getting very, very far from where the rest of the resistance is, both emotionally and in his politics. It's good to show that the resistance is not made up of people who are all in John's camp, that there's some different opinions.

Plus, girl worked on a submarine:

(http://s113.photobucket.com/albums/n223/fryadvocate/?action=view&current=terminator-218jessefuturetscc_1237810629.jpg)

Re: Jesse Flores, Sarah Connor Chronicles

[fly-to-dawn.livejournal.com]

Jesse! Fierce girl is fierce.

Kate Freelander, Sanctuary

[tielan]

It's hard being the 'replacement action girl' in a show, especially when your boss is Amanda Tapping Helen Magnus.

But Kate is awesome: clever, cunning, both principled and unprincipled, bold when she needs to be, and mischevious as a sack full of kittens!

Kate's the only reason I'm writing Sanctuary fic, but she doesn't seem to get any story arcs or fic of her own. I'm hoping there'll be a storyline that's solely and completely about her in Season 4, though!

Re: Kate Freelander, Sanctuary

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Kate is awesome.

The sad thing is, the writers are still stuck in One Girl In All The World mode. Even Ashley didn't get much in the way of character arcs, and Kate's mostly trotted out when they want to remind everyone she exists.

Jo Harvelle, Supernatural

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

It's not every girl who can be a hunter. It takes guts.

It takes guts to face down a pack of hellhounds for a guy who has become family. It takes guts to face an undead serial killer. It takes guts to face demons and ghosts and all manner of supernatural creatures, and Jo Harvelle faces them with bravery.

In a fandom where hatred follows anyone who dares interrupt the relationship between the Winchester brothers, Jo gets a raw deal, and is rarely seen for the kickass female she is.

Re: Jo Harvelle, Supernatural

[girl-wonder.livejournal.com]

I loved Jo SO MUCH and I was so, so sad to see her go. I loved the idea of her going it on her own and then with Ellen, working cases and finding out who she was.

Michelle Richardson, Skins

[fruhlings.livejournal.com]

I think that Michelle isn't necessarily hated in Skins fandom, but I do believe she's overlooked. I think she gets a bum rap a lot of the time, honestly, as compared to other characters.

Michelle is competent, caring, clever, witty, and funny, and she has to deal with so much terrible stuff, and she manages it well, in my opinion. And that was a run-on sentence, damn.

But seriously, I love her a lot, because of the great personality traits she has, and how well she handles life's misfortunes. Sometimes I don't always agree with her choices, but she has the guts to choose, at least. I admire that.

Re: Michelle Richardson, Skins

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Michelle is my POV character for the show, and I love her to distraction. She's so strong, and she loves so hard, even if there are lines she can't cross. She makes some mistakes, but I'm always amazed at how well she handles all the stuff she goes through. LOVE THAT GIRL.

Bela Talbot, Supernatural

[irony-rocks.livejournal.com]

Girl was fierce. She held her own in a world that was very, very ugly. And, yeah, okay, she made some bad choices and then paid for it, dearly, but I don't think you could ever call her an "evil" character. She had a self-preservational instinct that overrode all others, and given her life and the things outright hinted at regarding her childhood, can you really blame her?

I still can't believe that the PTB reversed course on her arc and then painted her into an irredeemable end just because the SPN fandom disliked her.

Re: Bela Talbot, Supernatural

[doom-cheesepuff.livejournal.com]

She held her own in a world that was very, very ugly.
This.

I loved this woman so much. She was sassy and did a hell of a job looking out for herself.

I don't understand the PTB. Or the fandom.
(There is a reason the only parts of this fandom I ever lurk in are the lady-friendly ones...)

Lauren Cohen, why does fandom hate you in everything you're in?
Supernatural, why do you create interesting women so that you can screw with their storylines and fridge them?

Ruby, Supernatural

[liliaeth]

She was a magnificent bastard and a total HBIC and she actually completely succeeded in her objective and imo was a million times more interesting than Crowley. Yet for some reason fans hated both versions of her.

Personally I always thought she was awesome and a part of me feels that if Ruby had been male, he'd still be around and one of the good guys.

Re: Ruby, Supernatural

[doom-cheesepuff.livejournal.com]

I LOVED BOTH RUBYS. So very awesome and badass.

And I love that she ended up not on the Winchester's side, honestly. I remember someone speculating about that partway through the season and it just made me happy that it turned out that way and and she pulled it off, because, oh, could she be more epic?

I don't understand this fandom, etc.
Of course I just said I was happy a character started the apocalypse, so whatever.

Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[delta-mai.livejournal.com]

So unpopular I'm not sure she'll even get a response but Kennedy (besides Dawn) is my fave hated character of the BuffyVerse. I wanted to rec my friend's spam on why she rules, but I fail and have no got a link. So have a brief list...

- She's brave. She doesn't hesitate to shoulder the responsibilities that come with being a potential slayer, although she's lived a pampered life. She isn't afraid to charge into battle, and she isn't afraid to die. How many of the potentials can claim that?

- She's resiliant. Although she's a self proclaimed "brat", she starts training with gusto, slipping into the hard life like she's always known in. The stereotypical bratty rich girl would be picking around graveyards in stilettos, shrieking at monsters. Be honest, can you even imagine Kennedy doing that?

- She's loyal. Just look at her relationship with Willow - though she barely knows the girl she sticks with her even after seeing her at close to her worst. It cannot be said that Kennedy scares easy. Plus she sticks up for Willow.

- She speaks her mind. Sure, this is what many hate about her, but do you know who else speaks up when no-one else will? Anya. Cordelia. Even Buffy. What's better, a phony or someone who will stick up for what they believe in?

There are other reasons but I cba to think of them now :P In any case, this girl rules and she totally deserves your fanworks :)

Re: Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[doom-cheesepuff.livejournal.com]

I have nothing to add at the moment, but you're not alone. Kennedy is hated on like no other character in the series and she is fierce.

[sour-idealist.livejournal.com]

There don't seem to be many video game fans about, but nonetheless, can I give a shout-out to Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII? She's little and pink and cheerful and sprightly and looks like the typical RPG shallow medic-chick, and then you find out [very vague SPOILERS] that she's been keeping her bright facade up and doing her best to cheer up the people around her and trying to survive not only as a hated fugitive, but as a refugee and a war veteran carrying this incredibly huge guilt, and she's hiding so much, and she's ready to die - actually, worse - to keep the rest of the world safe, and to take on these massive burdens to keep her lover 'friend' safe. And she's nineteen. And I just want to hug Square Enix for giving such power and depth and agency to the girliest character.

And I could talk at length about the awesomeness of her castmates, including her girlfriend 'best friend', but fandom seems to love them as they deserve, so FANTASTIC.

Vanille, Final Fantasy XIII

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

Game fan here who also likes Vanille! She took a little time to grow on me, but once she did, I came to enjoy her quite a lot, both on her own and in her relationship with Fang. I totally agree with your analysis.

FFXIII was a great game for women characters, and I've also noticed that the fandom mostly appreciates them, which is awesome. :)

Dahlia, Legend of the Seeker

[ivanolix.livejournal.com]

She's not completely unloved, but considering she challenges fandom's favorite femslash ship...well, she's certainly no fandom darling. But I love her, and here's why.

She's COMPLEX. Her motivations are complicated, and every time I watch "Eternity" and "Unbroken" my view of them alters just a little. She's a fantastic mixture of feelings and duty, all wrapped up in a Machiavellian ends-justify-the-means philosophy that—given her background and training—is not all it seems. And that's not even talking about how much she manages to keep ambiguous, while still expressing this strange kind of agency that...is horrifying and sweet all at once. And yet, does even all that describe her? SO MUCH TO SAY about a character who got such a brief appearance.

Also, despite her flaws and her role as almost a villain, she has potential to be a true protagonist. She's definitely a clever subversion of the "psycho lesbian" stereotype, and one who can really tug at your heartstrings. Laura Brent does a fantastic job of giving Dahlia such raw genuine emotions, all forced down under a facade (but is it, completely?) of severe emotional control. You see just how much her life revolves around Cara, and how there's a chance that maybe someday she'd see the light because of her. Canon even provides a back door (obliquely) for that possibility, which sadly we'll never see because the show got canceled. But that's what fanfic is for.

Re: Dahlia, Legend of the Seeker

[avendya.livejournal.com]

Dahlia is fierce! And I wish we had seen more of her.

Betty Draper, Mad Men

[delta-mai.livejournal.com]

Surprised I'm the first to post this, given that she's the header, but yeah. I've only just started watching this show, but I'm almost at the end of S2, and I while I understand why people may not warm to Betty I don't understand why she's hated.

She is a product of a male world, and has come from a patronising and repressive environment, no matter how idyllic. Yet she made her way into the world, working as a model and managing her own life before Don. It's true, she has a very childish mind and way with him and that's because SHE WASN'T TAUGHT DIFFERENT. She hasn't been able to grow as a person because she's never been shown how. That's why we get this odd childish reasoning from her, and her inappropriate friendship with Glenn - she identifies with him. No-one in her world understands her because she doesn't understand them. Plus she is terrible at communicating. There are so many things she should be screaming at Don, so many ways she should make herself clear, but she can't or won't.

This isn't a rant about her. I like her as a character, and I find her intriguing. Also, she serves as the perfect way to show us how messed up this life is. She's a repressed woman, stifled and unhappy, and even she can't admit it. And yet she found the courage to chuck Don out; even when she didn't have proof he was cheating she knew and instead of taking the easy road - forgetting about it and pretending everything was ok - she did the hard and frowned upon thing and chucked him out.

Of course, I don't know how it progresses from there, but what I've seen of her is not a character to be hated. It's a character to be pitied, and a character to grow to love.

Re: Betty Draper, Mad Men

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

Excellently said. Yes, she can be quite horrible and she's so flawed she can hardly operate, but her struggle to be more and be better touches me more than I can say. I think it's crucially important that stories like hers get told because no matter how much you don't like her, women like her exist and they're human, and they deserve to be recognized as human.

Nicola Murray - The Thick of It

[runawaynun.livejournal.com]

Not so much hated as ignored. Fandom tends to get caught up with all the sweary Scots and ignore her. So here's my non-exhaustive list of why I love her.

1. I love that even though she's intimidated by Malcolm, that she stands up to him.

2. I love how idealistic she is and how much she truly wants to make a difference in people's lives.

3. I love how much she obviously cares for her kids.

4. I love that she can curse with the boys.

5. I love her trainers. :D

6. "DON'T EVER FUCKING CALL ME NICKY!"

7. I love that she came on this hugely male-dominated arena and yeah, she may be fucking up but she still keeps on plugging away.

8. "What? You don't think I can still get it up?" *smile*

Re: Nicola Murray - The Thick of It

[remindmeofthe.livejournal.com]

ALL OF THESE. Goddamn, I love Nicola. From what I've seen fandom-wise, she gets treated much better than a lot of the women in this post (ie, with 99% less outright misogyny), but she does still get overlooked. This is sad in the grand scheme of things, too, as she's one of the best and most fairly portrayed women I've seen on television, but most people have never even heard of TToI.

Nicola has to be twice as tough as her male colleagues to get as far as they do, and she has to pick her way around gender-related landmines while she does it. I think that's what allows her to stand up to Malcolm when a lot of the men around her don't. She's used to having to fight harder, and while she generally gives way to his expertise (and her own less-than-perfect morals, another thing I love - she's a politician who acts like a politician, not the perfect boring female character surrounded by flawed and more interesting male characters), she lets him know EXACTLY what she thinks.

And the way the show treats her, oh yes. She's not written as A Woman Character, but just as a character. Her gender is an issue in regards to her career, but I can think of several other ways the show defines her as a character in addition to that. I don't feel with TToI that I'm having to filter out problematic subtext or justify to myself why Nicola is shown as doing [insert stereotypical behavior here] when it's something that is OOC for her to do. I can just enjoy her, for herself, as a fully-written three-dimensional person, and I savor that like I cannot even tell you.

Ziva David NCIS

[mari4212.livejournal.com]

Ziva.

Mossad Ninja. Deadliest person on the team, with the possible exception of Gibbs, and that's only because he's older and sneakier. She teases Tony and Tim, and gets teased back. She gives Abby cupcakes, and listens to her and gets hugs. She has awesome random sparkage with Courtney the FBI woman who wants more hugs. She speaks like seven languages fluently. She's incredibly strong emotionally, and grows so much over the course of her time at NCIS.

I've written rants (http://mari4212.livejournal.com/256402.html) and fanfic (http://mari4212.livejournal.com/285213.html) about her, but there's never enough Ziva love in fandom.

Re: Ziva David NCIS

[vaznetti]

I agree with all of this. And I particularly love Ziva's very wicked sense of humor, whenever she gets to show it!

the world needs more Ziva-love!

Dr. Allison Cameron - House M.D.

[highlander_ii]

Cameron gets a bad rap for all sorts of reasons. I love the character and feel there's a great void where she used to be on the show that hasn't quite been filled by any of the characters they've tried to shoe-horn into place behind her.

She's strong and diligent and that 'morals' thing she's got going on isn't a bad trait - it was a great counter to House's occasional lack of... =) She's also the one character who's family we've never met and who has the tiniest amount of developed backstory that can still be considered 'backstory'.

She needs some love!

Re: Dr. Allison Cameron - House M.D.

[downjune.livejournal.com]

I've only seen two seasons of House, but I loved Cameron! I loved that she was a good person but also flawed, and I thought her mini doomed romance with House was really well done! Yay, Cameron!

Lauren Reed, Alias

[mfirefly10.livejournal.com]

Talk about unpopular! This woman was hated before she even showed up on-screen. Heck, I don’t think there were many Alias fans who didn’t hate Lauren.

Sure, she got in the way of everyone’s OTP and turned out to be evil but she was so awesome and made such a great adversary for Sydney. I loved how manipulative and cruel she could be, but also how naïve she was at times.

Her relationship with Sark is probably my favorite villain/villain ship of all time! They were sexy and snarky and deliciously devious together. We never really knew what Lauren felt for Sark but it was clear that he fell in love with her and grieved for her after her death. I was right there with him.

Re: Lauren Reed, Alias

[pr-scatterbrain.livejournal.com]

I loved Lauren too - she was smart, strong and driven.

Ana-Lucia Cortez, Lost

[mfirefly10.livejournal.com]

I will never understand the hatred fandom has for this character. She was tough, snarky, driven, protective, and she truly cared about her people. After seeing everything the tailies went through & learning her back-story, it blew my mind that people still couldn’t empathize with Ana, especially after this conversation:

ANA: “People don't like me. I tried to get them to most of my life. I guess I just gave up a while back. I mean, I am what I am. But you -- you've got a good reason to hate me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I did.”

SAYID: “You were trying to protect your people. It wasn't you that killed Shannon; it was them.”

Ana was a capable young woman forced into a situation she wasn’t even remotely prepared for and she made a lot of mistakes. But she paid for every single one of them and in the end, all she wanted was to go home and get away from all of the violence and horror on the island. Sadly, she never got that chance.

Re: Ana-Lucia Cortez, Lost

[rose-griffes.livejournal.com]

I thought she was fascinating: flawed, but that's human. She had determination and useful skills. A really interesting character.

Tea Gardner / Mizaki Anzu, Yu-Gi-Oh!

[katarik (from livejournal.com)]

Tea Gardner is, in a series *built* on the concept of friendship and unity, the most loyal person it is possible to find. She is endlessly hopeful, endlessly bright, a healer down to the bone who still takes no bullshit from anyone around her. In a series with a badass like Mai Valentine and her Harpy Ladies, it's easy to scorn Tea -- soul card: Magician of Faith -- for not being as high-femme or as blatantly dangerous.

But scorning Tea misses the entire point of the series. It isn't power that makes you strong. It's the devotion you give and receive, your willingness to trust, your faith in the ties of chosen family.

It's everything Tea believes in.

Re: Tea Gardner / Mizaki Anzu, Yu-Gi-Oh!

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful way to sum up everything that is amazing about Anzu. I love her so much and would listen to her friendship speeches forever.

[doom-cheesepuff.livejournal.com]

OK, so she's not the most hated character ever, and she apparently has crazed shippers defending her to the death, but Rose Tyler gets a hell of a lot of undeserved hate, IMO. I'm not overly fond of some of the things they did with her toward the end, but I still adore the woman. She wasn't perfect and she never listened, but, she was a fantastic (pardon the word choice) companion.

I would write more, but, it's four in the morning. So. Sleep.

Ok, one more thing: ugh, I wish some people would stop seeing nothing but the ship. There really is more to her (even if sometimes it feels like the writers might forget this, too).

[doom-cheesepuff.livejournal.com]

Suki, Avatar: The Last Airbender

[elle-white.livejournal.com]

Suki really started garnering the hate of the fandom when she joined the Gaang. Many people think she's boring with little personality. But I think I don't think that's true at all! Suki is the leader of an elite group of warriors, she is confident, level-headed and kind.

She's not as developed as the others because she's a secondary character. However, I think she manages to be extremely compelling and awesome in the time she's onscreen!

Re: Suki, Avatar: The Last Airbender

[downjune.livejournal.com]

Word. AtLA was a BRILLIANT show b/c the balance between the characters was just so effortless. No, we don't know as much about Suki as we do about the rest of the Gaang, but she is just one of many AWESOME women who round out the supporting cast -- Ty Lee, Mai, Yue, June, etc. I'm so glad she got to be a part of the finale, b/c she's just so kickass and capable!! <3

Elizabeth Weir, Stargate Atlantis

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

It's always surprised me that Elizabeth is either so unpopular or so ignored in SGA fandom, outside of J/E shippers of course. Nonetheless, she's one of my favorite characters on the show. She's a strong woman in a leadership position, and she always holds her head high and meets the challenges, even when she knows she's not prepared for what she's dealing. She's not perfect - she makes mistakes - but it made her more interesting to me to see her struggle with the doubts and second thoughts and emotions that we all deal with all the time. I missed her a lot.

Re: Elizabeth Weir, Stargate Atlantis

[delta-mai.livejournal.com]

WHAT Elizabeth rules. I watched SGA first and she was by far my favourite character - she said all the things I felt needed to say, and when I watched SG-1 I kept wishing she were there (if Daniel ever slipped up with the ethical stuff).

Plus she's epic and strong and awesome and was totally replaced by Sam which was STUPID and just a way to attract viewers that the show ALREADY HAD and it was obvious they made a mistake because Amanda left the next year. Grr. Argh.

Anyway, so Liz rules.

Zoe Washburne, Firefly

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

One more. I admit I haven't spent a great deal of time in Firefly fandom so apologies if I'm off the mark on this one. I certainly don't get any sense that Zoe is disliked - just that she's not as popular as the other Firefly women. And personally she's my favorite of the whole crew - I'd watch a show with Zoe all by herself. :D

Re: Zoe Washburne, Firefly

[malana.livejournal.com]

I feel like Zoe is more ignored than disliked, but that is sad in itself. She's kickass and awesome and quite happily married to hilariously dorky guy who she obviously loves...I want to be Zoe, basically.

Shannon Rutherford - Lost

[malana.livejournal.com]

Poor Shannon, she really gets no love from anyone. She had a lot of spoiled rich girl going on, certainly. But there was so much more to her than that. I liked her from the pilot with her snarky comments to Boone, but I really fell in love with her when she started helping Sayid with the translations. I'm saddened we never got more of her backstory than she did and feel that the writers killed her off much too soon.

Re: Shannon Rutherford - Lost

[nocowardsoul]

Shannon! She was definitely my favorite in Season 1.

Amy Pond - Doctor Who

[malana.livejournal.com]

Certainly Amy is not hated by all of fandom. And nicely the love for her seems to extend to her in and out of 'ships (and in different 'ships at that). But there is a lot of hatred too, and of the sort that immediately gets my hackles up. The kind of slut-shaming that we've seen for her that you never saw for a male character (Jack Harkness leaping to mind) is just maddening.

I fell in love with her before the season even started. A few seconds in the trailer that ran after The End of Time and I was sold. My love has only grown from there.

Amy is awesome and kickass. I love her curiosity. I love her fierceness. I love how easily she throws herself in harms way to help others. I love that she's never jealous when it comes to the Doctor and other women (in fact, she seems to find it hilarious). I love that she saved a Star Whale by means of being epically brilliant an observant. I love that she loves Van Gough. I love that she thinks facing down vampires is something to squee and dance around excitedly over. I love the love that she has for her 'boys'. I love Amy Pond.

Re: Amy Pond - Doctor Who

[delta-mai.livejournal.com]

Amy is possibly one of my fave characters ever (and not just cos she reminds me of me). Anyone that hates her is just stupid.

*happy Amy love dance*

Anna Milton, Supernatural

[delta-mai.livejournal.com]

Ah, Anna. So unfairly treated by fans and writers alike.

Anna was the reason I started watching SPN. One day I tuned into the show, channel flicking, and it was her speech to Dean (in Heaven and Hell) about being an angel. Her emotion and what she described was so awesome that it stayed with me for years before I actually started watching the show.

She was a brilliant character whose potential was never realised. Reasons why she's awesome...

- Even though she thought she was insane, she stayed strong, seeking out what was happening to her despite the horrors around her.
- She was prepared to help the boys, even though it meant delving into her frankly traumatic past.
- She was willing to sacrifice her life as she knew it for them, giving up all she had known and all she could have with Dean.
- She saved Cas (omg epic scene is epic - only real woman power scene in the series imo).
- She rebelled against Heaven despite the INCREDIBLE risk, despite everything she had been taught as right.
- She recognised that emotions are good, and that an unfeeling and distant master isn't perfect.
- She is a fucking BAMF.

I will always loathe what they did to her - they turned her into a villian and made her act COMPLETELY out of character, just because the fans didn't like her. I wouldn't have minded her changing like that - after all, she was trying to save mankind - but they didn't explain it, didn't respect her enough to write her a good enough part in her own death episode... So many bad things happened to her because the fans of this show can't stand anyone touching their precious boys.

...

This turned into a rant. I'm sorry. SPN made me the angry feminist I am so... :S


(I haz no Anna icon, so have Illyria instead.)

Re: Anna Milton, Supernatural

[ghostrunner7.livejournal.com]

Anna was so incredibly strong. Anna was Castiel without the doubt or the self-pity. She was beautiful and smart and if she'd had the luck to be on any other show she would have rocked it.

Vanessa Abrams, Gossip Girl

[marchocias]

(I think this is becoming a teal dear of a comment. I apologize in advance.)

Vanessa's bashed by a lot of the fandom, especially fans of Chuck and Blair. Surprisingly some people outside the fandom, such as the Fug Girls, also dislike Vanessa's character. Some of Vanessa's hate has unfortunately spilled over into the private life of Jessica Szohr, the actress who plays Vanessa. That bashing gets sexist and misogynistic at times. For this post, I don't want to bring up any notable examples.

I admit, because of fandom's general hate towards Vanessa, I expected to hate her as well. But I don't hate Vanessa. Unlike several of the characters on Gossip Girl, her storylines actually revolve around high school/collegiate life and not a storyline heightened for drama, romance and/or pandering to shippers. There are times where Vanessa is not immune to the negative side of the Upper East Side, such as the backstabbing and the plotting. But sometimes in that plotting Vanessa is allowed to get the upper hand against people like Chuck and Blair. Blackmailing Blair so Blair can help a Brooklyn bar? Effectively scaring Blair and her minions over a speech at a NYU freshman dinner? All Vanessa.



If you follow the fandom too closely, you'll miss Vanessa's small victories against the UESers. And she's been a somewhat good friend to several of the characters on the show, especially the Humphreys. Unfortunately the loud fandom outcry against Vanessa has caused the writers to scale down her character. I'd rather watch a Vanessa storyline on GG than another storyline involving Chuck and Blair or Chuck trying to save his beloved family business...again.

Re: Vanessa Abrams, Gossip Girl

[corleones.livejournal.com]

Oh, perfection. This whole comment is my feelings about the show and how wonderful this character could be if the writers stuck to the bare bones of their intial inception of her instead of merely using her as a pawn in other people's plot lines. Jessica is stunning, talented and so, so charming. Sit up and take notice, fandom.

Amy March, Little Women

[nocowardsoul]

Why yes, I'm posting this again. I love her that much. She is a girl who grows into a woman of dignity, integrity, generosity, and of course artistic talent.

Re: Amy March, Little Women

[misstopia.livejournal.com]

Amy March knew what she wanted from life and she went and got it. I will never understand the hate for this character, jesus h christ do people not know that sisters fight sometimes? I always thought the power in the story was that Jo and Amy were still sisters despite, well, their different personalities, their fights, and the whole Laurie thing.

Amy's a great character, and I love her just as much as all the little women ♥