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

Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[fallingtowers.livejournal.com]

Since it came up in another comment above, I might as well add Sansa Stark from the "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels. Yes, she does start out as a somewhat silly and shallow young teen, whose naiveté eventually has terrible consequences. But she goes through a psychological hell of manipulation and abuse, and adopts passivity and courtesy as a survival strategy while all her illusions are stripped down one by one. She's a poor kid who's used as a pawn by everyone and whose comparative helplessness is actually quite realistic.

Let's fact it -- how many twelve-year-olds who were raised to be polite and demure and who don't have superpowers or prophecies or destinies on their side would suddenly turn into ass-kicking heroines when everyone's out to use or abuse or discard them at well? I think her POV is interesting -- albeit depressing -- to follow, and I'll vocally disagree with everyone who calls her "dull" or "dumb".

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[marketchippie.livejournal.com]

I loved this girl from the start. So much, even when she was naïve and idealistic and girly: I loved her fixation on stories, and her almost delusive parsing of the world through that narrative lens. I love that she decides who she wants to be and acts that part even when the world falls away around her. Just because the role she chooses isn't a subversion of gender roles doesn't make it a less powerful choice. She sticks to it. Aggressively. She's such a creature of the court, and there's something magnetic about her that draws in the most twisted, cynical people. Yes, there's a bit of a morality-pet (although ugh I hate that term) dynamic in some of those relationships, but the fact is, the girl has potential: queen potential. Even if she doesn't rule, she's growing into the ability to subvert ladyship; I see her as capable of achieving power in similar ways to Cersei, except where Cersei is constantly angry at her place in the world, Sansa embraces it. Not because she loves society for what it is, but because she believes in what it could be, believes in behaving in ways worthy of the myths she knows, and I think those patterns of behaviour will outlast the breakdown of her beliefs. Essentially, I think she could come out the perfect distillation of court power: her weapons are already deception and courtesy; she will, I think, learn to wield them as such.

It astonishes me to see that she's unpopular—but then, I'm very new to this fandom (and let me guess: ladies are only BAMFs when they hit people with swords? Sigh. Nothing against Arya or Brienne, but I am entirely more interested in the women built into the political system—which is what I think Sansa is going to become).

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[mir8lle.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes and yes.

Sansa has been my absolute favourite character for what feels like forever. I'm always surprised when I hear people in fandom slate her for being passive, or too polite, because they obviously do not understand the point of her character and her journey.

In books 1, she's essentially Arya's foil, and yes, she has some very annoying moments. BUT: I think it is very easy for people to forget that without Sansa, Arya would not be who she is either. Sansa being the older sister, groomed to be the perfect, courteous princess gave Arya as the little sister the freedom to be herself. Without Sansa, Arya would have been forced to play this role instead, and would never develop into the tomboy we know.

On the common criticism that Sansa is passive and gentle even when she shouldn't be: well, yes, that's the whole point! She was brought up to be the perfect lady, and she filled that role to perfection. Of all the Stark children, she was the least prepared for what would happen when her world came crashing down around her. In a sense, she was always told the wrong sorts of stories, so it is no surprise that she's so helpless for so long. That said, I think her passivity and her gentle nature are also her biggest strengths as a character. They allow her to survive, to bend rather than break. I honestly don't think that Arya would have survived what Sansa had to endure in King's Landing - her temper would never have let her weather such awful situations. Snasa on the other hand, knows what she needs to do to survive, and I love reading her chapters because they clearly show her to be anything but stupid: desperate, traumatized and terribly terribly frightened, yes, but also smart and resilient.

Despite all of her trauma, I think Sansa still stands the chance of one day becoming a kind, and fair ruler. Somewhat more cynical, certainly, and a much better liar, but her innate goodness is still there.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[littleshebear.livejournal.com]

Despite all of her trauma, I think Sansa still stands the chance of one day becoming a kind, and fair ruler. Somewhat more cynical, certainly, and a much better liar, but her innate goodness is still there.

This. She's learning so much and her development is really fascinating. Also, for people who call her dumb? I'm sorry but she's kept her head down while she was surrounded by cruel, sadistic enemies and survived. No she didn't run around bashing people with swords, she kept quiet and bided her time. That's not weak, that is frakking smart.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[twilightsocks.livejournal.com]

"That's not weak, that is frakking smart."

So much this. It bugs me endlessly, this notion that strength must always mean losing your cool and stabbing people. No. Just no. There are many kinds of strength. Sansa's is a quiet, patient kind. She's survived by, among other things, not giving anyone a reason to take her head off. Her time will come.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[vaznetti]

I think she's had some amazing character development -- and I think she's going to turn out to be one of the strongest characters in the series. She's lost so much that it's amazing that she's standing at all, really, and although she's certainly terrified some of the time (and who wouldn't be?), she's also slowly learning from everything she goes through.

I like that she's so utterly herself.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

I love Sansa -- at least to some extent because I think her reaction to the situation is probably what I'd do!

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[owlmoose.livejournal.com]

This, this! Really, how many of us, in her situation, would have been able to pick up a sword and fight our way out? We can't all be Arya. (Not that I don't love Arya to bits, because I do!) And yet what Sansa does do shows more strength than I would have believed her capable of in the first half of the first book. I have grown to love Sansa quite a lot.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[mir8lle.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

One of the common criticisms of Sansa is that she's too girly and not at all like Arya. I like Arya as much as the next person, but she's very much a larger than life character in the vein of Jon and Dany.

Sansa has no wolf, no sword and no dragons. She only has herself and her love of stories (and lemoncakes!)

Anyway, when did it become so objectionable to be girly and like pretty things. What's so wrong about that?

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[gk-rowena19.livejournal.com]

I prefer Sansa she way more real than Arya. I don´t understand why people don´t like her!

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[malana.livejournal.com]

The amount of hatred for female characters in general in this fandom pisses me off. Brienne, Cat, Sansa...it's really annoying.

I have to admit, I really didn't care for Sansa in the beginning. I just couldn't get a hold of her character and some of her choices drove me insane. I had to take a step back and remind myself that she was just a young girl, and one who had been brought up in a courtly system. Now on re-reads I find her much more interesting and sympathetic.

Though where I really started to fall in love with her was when her storyline intersected with Littlefinger. Her character has been through so much up to this point and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[esc-key.livejournal.com]

Fandom is so harsh on Sansa. She's twelve. She doesn't have the help of her mystical wolf protector. She's just a girl. I can attest that girls that age do silly things (I, for example, totally thought my life would be just like Sweet Valley High). But she's good hearted and in a terrible situation. I don't know how you can not feel badly for her!

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[misstopia.livejournal.com]

I rather think that people who call Sansa a damsel in distress are missing TWFP (The Whole Fucking Point). The story gives us a circumstance that makes the necessity of being a damsel in distress compelling, without whitewashing the fact that it sucks. Sansa would truly be in deep shit if she didn't adopt her passivity because she, more than any major character, has absolutely zero power base. Give her a break, people, that's an incredibly bad hand to be dealt.

I for one hope she retains some of her more positive and kind traits, they don't have to be her weakness if only she had a fair shot at the big picture.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[redcandle17.livejournal.com]

I, like many people, disliked Sansa when I first read AGoT. Then sometime during ACoK, I started to like her. After multiple re-reads and several years in the fandom, she's my absolute favorite character. She's super awesome fantastic!

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[haremstress.livejournal.com]

SANSA!!! <3 My number one favorite ASOIAF character. I wish she were real so we could be bffs.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[silvr-dagger.livejournal.com]

Yes, this. The thing about Sansa is that she's a survivor, no less than Arya is. She's been through hell, but she's shown an amazing amount of strength and courage under fire, and she's trapped but she's still alive and kicking. Also, I don't think she's passive. I think she's watching and learning and adapting to the things her environment throws at her, and, assuming the rest of the series ever gets written, I am so, so looking forward to watching Sansa straight-up win the game of thrones and manipulate the shit out of everybody in the process.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[nagasasu.livejournal.com]

I didn't like Sansa at first; I thought she was too bratty and preferred Arya instead. As there series progressed though, it wound up the other way; didn't like Arya so much, but loved Sansa.

As marketchippie mentioned, Sansa has huge potential to make some serious power plays in a Cersei-like manner. That she has the chance to observe Petyr (despite how skeevy he is) really makes me want her to become just a BAMF at playing politics.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Even when I wasn't so thrilled with Sansa, I was disturbed with the utter hatred that people had for her and how they seemed to forgive males and fighting women for their actions while calling Sansa whore and bitch and evil. :/

Re: Sansa Stark, ASIAF

[staringiscaring.livejournal.com]

Sansa is wonderful, her development in the series has been one of the best and most realistic. I always liked her but it wasn't until my re-read that I found myself in books 3-4 looking forward to see how many chapters I had to wait to get to a Sansa one. I'm sure that her storyline will only get more compelling in the later books.

Re: Sansa Stark, ASOIAF

[rebelmaiden.livejournal.com]

I agree, Sansa has potential to outplay all the power-players out there; look at how she survived at Joffrey's court. She might not become queen, or someone people would think a force to be reckoned with--but that would be her guise. ^^ With Littlefinger as her teacher, I have feeling she'll evolve greatly-and outplay him, eventually. ^^