The Unpopular Woman Love Post

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

It's pretty natural that some female characters do worse in fandom than others, right? And sometimes it's difficult, if not downright impossible, to find a place where you can fan these characters in peace, or fellow fans to fan them with. Not to mention trying to find fanworks about them. Experience says: It hard.

So, stealing the idea shamelessly from doyle_sb4's Women of Doctor Who celebration post, here is a love post for the unpopular female characters. Like in doyle_sb4's post, you start a thread with the character's name and their respective fandom in the subject line, after which people are free to share fic and vid recs, picspams, links to essays, defenses or simply thoughts of love about the character in question. Because unpopularity is a subjective thing most of the time, the character doesn't have to be somebody you know to be the fandom underdog for sure, but if the character also has a large number of fans it would be good to give some reasons about why they're hated and why it's wrong. Links to the character threads will be collected in this post.

Being a post for unpopular characters, this is a bashing free post. If you have any negative opinions about the characters discussed or the fandom rivals of the character of your choice, please keep them to yourself.

And now, knock yourselves out!

ETA: The character and the fandom should both be named in the subject line, I forgot to mention the fandom initially. Sorry about the inconvenience!

ETA 2: If you want to share you thoughts about a character who has a thread, please reply to the thread in question. General comments and threads for new characters go to the main post.

Threads:

Diana Fowley, X-Files (Vid rec, Fic Recs, Fic recs)
Jennifer Hailey, Stargate: SG1
Sakura, Naruto (Fic recs, Author rec)
Dawn Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Anastasia Dualla, Battlestar Galactica (Comic rec, Reasons why Dee is awesome)
Lana Lang, Smallville (Vid recs)
Maya Herrera, Heroes (Vid rec)
Relena Peacecraft, Gundam Wing (Fic recs)
Cally Henderson-Tyrol, Battlestar Galactica
Gwen Cooper, Torchwood
Jennifer Keller, Stargate: Atlantis (Community link, Fic recs, Fic recs)
Niki Sanders
Freya/Anise, Stargate: SG1 (Fic rec)
Maria Hill, Marvel Comics
Thirteen/Dr. Remy Hadley, House MD (Picspam links)
Bela Talbot, Supernatural (Fic rec, Fic)
Shiori Takatsuki, Revolutionary Girl Utena
Tifa Lockhart, Final Fantasy VII
Max Guevara, Dark Angel (Vid rec, Fic rec)
Elizabeth Swann, Pirates of the Caribbean (Author rec)
Cynthia Velasquez, Silent Hill 4
Allison Cameron, House MD (Meme rec)
Liz Sherman, Hellboy
Dr. Camille "Cam" Saroyan, Bones
Ruby, Supernatural
Chloe Sullivan, Smallville
Sakaki Ouka, Weiss Kreuz
Jo Harvelle, Supernatural
Inara Serra, Firefly (Fic Rec)
Lt. Colonel Hollis Mann, NCIS
Director Jenny Shepard, NCIS
Lilly Kane, Veronica Mars
Kate Austen, Lost
Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Teyla Emmagan, Stargate Atlantis (Link, vid rec)
Alex Drake, Ashes to Ashes
Anya Jenkins, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Fic recs)
Koriand'r, DC Comics
Sam Carter, Stargate SG-1/Atlantis
Ana Lucia, Lost
Padme Amidala, Star Wars
Arwen, The Lord of the Rings
Martha Jones, Doctor Who/Torchwood
Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lois Lane, Smallville
Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter
Shmi Skywalker, Star Wars
Mai, Avatar: The Last Airbender (Fic links, Fic links & recs)
Keiko Yukimura, Yu Yu Hakusho
Orihime Inoue, Bleach
Yakumo Tatsuro, Shinzo
Sakuno Ryuzaki, The prince Of Tennis
Tenten, Naruto
Anzu Mazaki, Yu-Gi-Oh!
Temari, Naruto
Himawari, xxxHOLiC
Karen Kouzuki/Kallen Stadtfeld, Code Geass
Yuuki Miaka, Fushigi Yuugi
Meg Griffin, Family Guy
Elliot Reid, Scrubs
Princess Zelda, Legend of Zelda series/Brawl
Mizuki Kaho, Card Captor Sakura
Colette Brunel, Tales of Symphonia
Kaoru Kamiya AND Tomoe Yukishiro, Rurouni Kenshin
Ninian, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken
Katara, Avatar: The Last Airbender (Vid rec)
Naomi Hunter, Metal Gear Solid
Scheris Adjani, Scryed
Silk Spectre II/Laurie Juspeczyk, Watchmen
Jun the Swan, Science Ninja Team Gatchaman
Hinata Hyuuga, Naruto
Momo Hinamori, Bleach
Miyako Inoue, Digimon 02
Misa Amane, Death Note
Juri Katou, Digimon Tamers
Asuka Tenjoin, Yu-Gi-Oh GX

Comments

Martha Jones, Doctor Who (and Torchwood)

[bethan-b-bad.livejournal.com]

I fucking love Doctor Martha Jones. Her plots aren't without issues (could we have some episodes where she doesn't get captured/kidnapped already, PLEASE?), but as a character she's tough, brave, funny and clever. She figured out for herself that the man she fell in love with was never going to love her back, and got herself out and made a life of her own away from it.

Plus, SHE SAVED THE WORLD. All by her ownsome, this student medic from London, with her family enslaved and her friends being tortured, and Martha Jones went off and did what had to be done. And that's what I love about her: this total willingness to do what needs to be done, even if it means losing her own life to do it. She laughed in the face of the man who was destroying Earth, in the face of her own imminent death, because she knew she'd won. She is that awesome.

Martha seems to incur a lot of hatred, especially from the Doctor Who side of the fandom, and this makes me sad. I think part of it is that she was the companion to follow Rose, who had a very vociferous fanbase, and part of it was some of the dodgy writing she got. But damnit, she saved the world, and she's one of the many reasons why I'm definitely a heroine addict.

Re: Martha Jones, Doctor Who (and Torchwood)

[ayasugi-san.livejournal.com]

I luff Martha, and wish she'd gotten a better character arc than unrequited love for the Doctor. Was cheering her strength at leaving until she found her own identity besides "in love with the Doctor" and could be just friends with him, and it hurt to see people bashing her for abandoning him (right after bashing her all season for not being good enough to travel with him, WTF?! Make up your minds, haters!).

And look at how quickly she befriended her "replacement", Donna! Martha's a good person with a good heart.

Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[alixtii.livejournal.com]

Almost universally reviled, she's still one of my favorite Potentials. Yes, she was assertive (in more ways than one), but then she knew what she was doing--her training far exceeded that of Buffy, for one.

Re: Kennedy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[ryf.livejournal.com]

I liked Kennedy and I never got why she was so hated in fandom. Just because she was so different from Tara? I really liked that about her, actually. She wasn't there to replace Tara, she was there in her own right.

Lois Lane, Smallville

[januaried.livejournal.com]

Lois is totally kickass. I just wish so many people would stop hating on her.

Re: Lois Lane, Smallville

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

Lois is just so awesome. I've loved both her and Erica Durance from the first day on, and I just can't understand why people are complaining about her. She's tough! She gets in your face! She's a little awkward with that emotion thing, but she doesn't deny she has them. She's just amazing, and deserves love.

Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter

[bethan-b-bad.livejournal.com]

Ginny gets some of the most breathtakingly vitriolic hatred I've ever seen directed against a character, especially since book 6. I think a lot of it is that the canon Harry/Ginny ship breaks up Harry/Hermione, and generally that many female Harry Potter readers identify with Hermione more than they do with Ginny.

Well, you know what? I love Hermione. But I love Ginny, too! YES, IT'S POSSIBLE. Okay, Ginny is the sporty, popular, pretty girl who gets the boy. I'm not sure what's wrong with this. I mean, there's a reason lots of popular girls are popular, and that's because people like them. Because, you know, they're actually pretty nice. (Also, four boyfriends by the age of sixteen does not make you the school bicycle, it makes you a normal teenage girl, and the sexist insults thrown at her because of her - gasp! - daring to date boys makes me want to lay about with a cricket bat.)

More importantly, Ginny is smart, talented, funny, loyal, fiercely individualist and independent, and BRAVE AS A FUCKING LION. I love the way she was friends with Luna when Luna was crazy unpopular, I love how fierce she is in defence of her loved ones, I love the way she understands Harry, I love her competitiveness on the Quidditch pitch, I love the way she refuses to be pushed around, I love her wicked sense of humour, and I love her handiness with a bat-bogey hex.

Ginny is a fantastic character, who really could have done with more page time (OMG her and Luna and Neville as leaders of Dumbledore's Army. STILL RECRUITING, bitches!), and I will never understand how people get so frothy with rage over her.

Re: Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter

[repmetsyrrah.livejournal.com]

As soon as I saw this post I thought of Ginny. I can never understand why people hate her so much, I can sorta understand being annoyed at the "breaking up" of the non-existent HG/HP ship but she certainly doesn't deserve the sheer level of pure loathing some fans give her.

I think she's pretty awesome personally, I mean even her older brothers know she's a force to be reckoned with.

Well, you know what? I love Hermione. But I love Ginny, too! YES, IT'S POSSIBLE.

Amen to that! I'm always confused by the people who think just because I like Ginny/Harry I have to hate Hermoine or vice versa.

Shmi Skywalker, Star Wars

[fialleril.livejournal.com]

She's not so much hated by fandom as she is forgotten, which is a damn shame. I adore her character, not least because she's the one woman in Star Wars who manages to come across as an incredibly strong character without having to kick ass in the process. I'm all for strong ass-kicking women, but I also love an acknowledge that strength can equal something besides ass-kicking. Shmi in TPM has that in spades.

Re: Shmi Skywalker, Star Wars

[bofoddity.livejournal.com]

Shmi really stood out to me in The Phantom Menace for those exact reasons. She could have easily been embittered by her life, but I saw no signs of that in the movie. She set out to make life as good for her son and herself as possible, and did a great job with it. Sometimes I wonder how differently Anakin would have turned out if she had been allowed to stay in his life.

Mai, Avatar: The Last Airbender

[fialleril.livejournal.com]

A large chunk of the fandom seems to regard Mai as the incarnation of all evil, presumably because she's paired with Zuko in canon.

I feel that this is slim grounds for hating a character who exudes as much awesome as does Mai. She's got a strong character arc, great development (especially for someone who's essentially a second tier character), interesting motivations, and a tendency not to coddle people.

Plus she's awesome.

Re: Mai, Avatar: The Last Airbender

[beccastareyes]

Mai is indeed awesome. And, heck, it was nice to see a competent female second-level antagonist who countered Azula's 'evil and also crazy' by being a bit more approachable. And who is also a somewhat normal teen girl, despite being a badass martial artist*.

* Okay, so a lot of the cast are 'normal kids/teens who are also badass martial artists'.

Sadly, my Avatar drabbles only has one Mai one, and one more with Zuko thinking about Mai.

Keiko Yukimura//YYH

[akai_senshi.livejournal.com]

Keiko Yukimura, Yu Yu Hakusho.

Bashed because people think she's too harsh on Yusuke, "useless", or gets in the way of their Yusuke-ship. I personally think she's awesome.

Re: Keiko Yukimura//YYH

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Aw, Keiko. She's a cutie and deserves pretty much sainthood for putting up with Yuusuke for so many years.

Orihime Inoue from "Bleach".

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Ex abused child. Raised by her now deseased older brother, Sora. Found solace with her friends, specially Ichigo, Tatsuki and later Rukia. Is a gentle, sweet, generous and forgiving healer with self-esteem problems.

Orihime is bashed because she commits the sins of being in love with Ichigo, loathing violence to the point of not even wanting people who *tortured* her to die, and choosing impriosonment rather than having her hometown destroyed. And she has huge boobs, can't forget that; boobs = worthless slut, in some fandom corners.

Sad, sad. >_>

Re: Orihime Inoue from "Bleach".

[dawnduskdancer.livejournal.com]

Hime is my favourite character in Bleach. I do wish, though that more people could accept that it's possible to love her as a character without shipping her with Ichigo (IshiHime fan here).

Yakumo Tatsuro [ Shinzo ]

[yincira.livejournal.com]

Despite this being a small fandom, there are still hate clubs that love to brutally murder this girl for daring to be a pacifist and later a pacificist in a world where things can only be solved by violence. Okay, so the writers do rather portray concepts such as forgiveness as ineffective, but that's no reason to pick on a girl who ultimately died to protect the planet and all those on it, including all those character they do like. She managed to be a very strong person without having to wave a sword around, whether or not she was "useless" at the start.
I've seen her called weak because she has no physical strength (I'd say facing all the crap she did without physical strength and not having her mind broken makes her all the more strong), I've seen her called retarded for her pacifism and I've seen her called evil simply because she occupies Mushra's mind. I've never seen anything in the show to support those statements.

Re: Yakumo Tatsuro [ Shinzo ]

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

I know. I damn know. Yakumo was a sweetheart, and even if her gentle ways weren't always succesful, she was damn brave and much stronger than others give her credit for.

Sakuno Ryuzaki from The prince Of Tennis

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Because being shy, quiet, slightly klutzy and having a crush on the local tennis genius does NOT equal to being a a cockblocker, a blind moron or a weak, anti-feminist bitch. >>

Re: Sakuno Ryuzaki from The prince Of Tennis

[akai_senshi.livejournal.com]

Exactly. She's such a sweetie.

Tenten from Naruto

[asgaja.livejournal.com]

Really, under appriciated or seen just a waste of space, completely useless or to just as something pretty to look at beside Lee and Neji. Come on, there are more to her than that, even with the very little info Kishimoto has given us.

Re: Tenten from Naruto

[dawnduskdancer.livejournal.com]

I do like Tenten. I hope she gets more character development.

Anzu Mazaki, Yugioh

[cypsiman2.livejournal.com]

She is not useless, she is not a bitch-harpy-whore, and she does not give a friendship speech every time she opens her mouth.

She is a support character, and she does a damn good job of it. Yuugi and Yami are both fully aware of how lucky they are to have her as a friend.

And if you need direct ass-kicking, look in the first seven volumes of the manga; she actually does kick ass on occasion in the more literal sense.

Re: Anzu Mazaki, Yugioh

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Indeed! Anzu deserves much more love. =D

Temari from Naruto

[dawnduskdancer.livejournal.com]

One of the best women in the series, IMO.

Re: Temari from Naruto

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

I've never seen her being downright bashed, TBH. On the other hand, though, too many fans use her to bash *others* for "not being super strong and super cool as Temari is", which is sad because it reduces Temari to some sort-of Mary Sue role-model and excuse for bashing of other female character types... when she's MUCH more than that. =3

Himawari, xxxHOLiC

[dawnduskdancer.livejournal.com]

One of the most unfairly bashed characters I've come across. Because she apparently "gets in the way" of Watanuki and Doumeki's relationship? But come on, people, she's an amazing character.

Re: Himawari, xxxHOLiC

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Aw, poor Himawari. I've always felt utterly sorry for the kid, both for her backstory and the horrible treatment she gets from the fandom. >>

Karen Kouzuki/Kallen Stadtfeld, Code Geass

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

... Since when being a strong Action Girl and Pilot who struggles with her mixed heritage, has a wonderful body AND is very devoted to her very complex leader, translates into "stupid", "weakling", "not cool anymore" (R2 times), "traitor" (for not guessing what Lelouch TRULY wanted from her), etc?

Re: Karen Kouzuki/Kallen Stadtfeld, Code Geass

[rezo-eris.livejournal.com]

Woah, I never saw any reason for Kallen to be bashed. If anything, she's one of the more good-hearted characters in that series, seeing as she never sold out her ideals for some greater good. That was particularly showcased in the "traitor" moment, which was awesome BTW.

Sure I'm probably WAY more of a C.C. fan, but she's not exactly the best person in the world now is she? =D

Yuuki Miaka, Fushigi Yuugi

[sarajayechan.livejournal.com]

Miaka was loved by a lot of people and got her wishes filled because she was a good person and tried her best. Hell, her pure heart and high spirits are what let her successfully summon her god in the end!

Re: Yuuki Miaka, Fushigi Yuugi

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

Hell, yes. =D

Meg Griffiin, Family Guy

[sarajayechan.livejournal.com]

You know a character is hated when even her own canon gets off on abusing her. Yes, I know offensive and assy is what the show does, but even at their unluckiest no other character gets as much shit as Meg does.

Meg isn't the most amazing, sexy or inspiring character ever created. She's ordinary. Which is part of her charm, IMO.

Come on, writers. At least go back to the days when her being screwed over was a matter of "everyone gets a turn".

Re: Meg Griffiin, Family Guy

[rezo-eris.livejournal.com]

(Must not say anything about the writing quality of the recent seasons of Family Guy. Or about how the writers are manatees, if anyone gets the reference)

Elliot Reid- Scrubs

[anthraxpretzels.livejournal.com]

I like her because she's funny and cares for her friends a lot, and is intelligent to boot, despite Dr. Cox's comments to the contrary.

She probably gets a lot of crap for her on/off relationship with J.D. Which is a shame because she's a pretty interesting character even if you're not thinking the relationship aspect of her life.

Re: Elliot Reid- Scrubs

[airie-fairy.livejournal.com]

Elliot is unpopular? Wtf. I love her kind instincts toward people and her piles of neurosis so much.

Princess Zelda- Legend of Zelda series/Brawl

[anthraxpretzels.livejournal.com]

Well, one of her incarnations is a pirate, which is in itself kickass.

Keeps the Triforce of Wisdom, Link's best friend and/or possible love interest, idk, helps keep Hyrule from blowing up.

Is the alter-ego of Sheik, so- is also capable of kicking ass at physical combat.

She just has the misfortune of being kidnapped/turned to stone and stuff. This is the aspect that a lot of fans focus on. :(

Also has a great Final Smash~

[queenie-z.livejournal.com]

I hate how fans tend to focus on how HAWT AND MYSTEERIOUS AND BISHIE!!! Sheik is and completely ignore her true self, Zelda.

Also, she's a pirate in Wind Waker/Phantom Hourglass. And no, she does not get "wussified" when she turns into Zelda. She freaking laughs at Ganondorf and busts light arrows up his -- well, you know.

Zelda love. ♥

Mizuki Kaho (Card Captor Sakura)

[ayasugi-san.livejournal.com]

Also known as, Miss Acceptable Target. Or she might as well be, since she's always tossed aside or demonized, and the ones who do it talk about her like she shouldn't have any fans.

The main reason she's hated seems to be that she ends up with Eriol. Corrollaries are that she's a dirty whore for leaving Touya for Eriol (she didn't; she left Touya because of her studies and Clow's plan, and fell in love with Eriol during the intervening three years), she's a pedophile (incorrect again; she was most likely a college student when she dated Touya, and Eriol is actually Fujitaka's age), and she's taking an eligible boy away from girls who need love.

It's the last one that really gets to me. What, Kaho doesn't deserve someone she loves? It's perfectly all right to take away her happy ending and give it to someone who has found her happiness in her love's relationship? While saying that it would be unfair to pair up Tomoyo with someone else, because then the "someone else"'s canon love interest would be left alone? Why is it considered romantic when Eriol abandons Kaho for Tomoyo, when Kaho is bashed if she does the same to Eriol?

Re: Mizuki Kaho (Card Captor Sakura)

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

I insist some of these fangirls are jealous because Kaho was Touya and Yukito's First Fangirl Ever. Or something. >>

Kaho is WONDERFUL. And adorable. And wise. And so damn pretty, too.

Colette Brunel (Tales of Symphonia)

[queenie-z.livejournal.com]

I'll let the link speak for itself (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3606136/1/Just_Die_Already).

Come on, fandom, don't hate the cute ones. ;^;

Re: Colette Brunel (Tales of Symphonia)

[kimelyne.livejournal.com]

RAAAAAAGGGEEEEFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF @ badly-written fic.

Anyway, HELL YES. Colette is extremely unloved; it's awful. I tend to like female characters that are demure and softspoken more than the independent, badass ones I see way too much, and Colette is definately one of them. She's my favorite female Tales protagonist ever, even over Tear. She's just so cute and huggable you can't help but to fall in love with her.~ :'3

(I was just going to post her too until I saw that you did!~)

Kaoru Kamiya AND Tomoe Yukishiro (Rurouni Kenshin)

[dropsofgleam.livejournal.com]

I don't care what fans say. Yes, Kaoru is emotionally needy sometimes and relays a lot on Kenshin, but Ken relays on her just as much - heck, when he thought he had lost her forever, he pretty much LOST it horribly. Kaoru was "his second love", his second chance, and the woman who gave him a home to return to.

OTOH, though, it's unfair to rag on Kenshin's first love and wife Tomoe. You know, she helped him back on his feet when he was this close to lose the rest of his sanity in the war; if not for Tomoe, Kenshin would've been dead or crazy before the Bakumatsu was over.

So yeah, both Tomoe AND Kaoru are awesome. =D

Re: Kaoru Kamiya AND Tomoe Yukishiro (Rurouni Kenshin)

[wingslapped.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen much of the series. I have seen the Samurai X OVA. I loved Tomoe and their love story is one of the best heartbreaking ones I've seen in anime. It makes me cry watching videos like this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yycg3M7baEk&feature=PlayList&p=701488A38643CA6B&index=11

[anya-chiyo.livejournal.com]

Sakura is awesome.

I never expected her to be as awesome as she becomes. I always liked her from the beginning. But I didn't expect her to grow and for her character to expand as much as it did. The episode that really did it for me was when her hair was chopped off. That was a significant self-realization moment for her.

Her original potential allows her to become a medic-nin, which she excels in. She grows into her own person and becomes incredibly strong. I don't think there's any other character in that series, or in a lot of series, that I have rooted for more.

Ninian, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken

[sarajayechan.livejournal.com]

Not whiny, not useless, not a crybaby, not "in the way" of Eliwood/whoever. Sure, maybe the writers do treat her and her brother as a plot device which kinda sucks, but Ninian is pretty damn amazing and given all she has to put up with, she has the right to break down in tears once in a while.

Re: Ninian, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken

[kimelyne.livejournal.com]

You know, I actually used to hate her. But over time she grew to be one of my favorite FE characters. Even though she's a little prone to being captured, she was extremely useful in the battlefield, giving my units extra turns and temporarily raising stats. And despite her heavy inner turmoil, she still cares immensely for everyone around her when she possibly could have instead been pretentious and self-centered.

Plus her design is so pretty!~ I love the things (don't know what to call them lol) hanging in her hair.

Katara, Avatar: The Last Airbender

[lexy-opal.livejournal.com]

It seems Katara gets bashed for either being a Mary-Sue or a complete bitch.

Katara can certainly be bitchy at times, but that's one of the things I love about her. She has distinct flaws and strengths. Katara's smart, determined and strong. However, she can be extremely stubborn and she constantly feels the need to be responsible for everyone.

Katara is a very human and flawed character. While she's not my favorite Avatar character, I think she's awesome.

Re: Katara, Avatar: The Last Airbender

[sarajayechan.livejournal.com]

♥ Katara~