Strength Without Fighting - WLTWTFH Day #1
Okay, so I didn't officially sign up for womenlovefest because by the time I decided if I had the time to do it, they'd already thrown up their hands and said, "Too many people, do what you want!" But I still want to try to do something for it. So, since I didn't claim a character (or several) I'm planning to post about a different awesome female character each day this week. Starting with this one:
(banner by deaniebtvs)
Elizabeth Weir is my hero. No, really, she is.
Of all the fictional characters that I have loved over the years, she is one of the few that I can truly say I look up to and admire as a role model. Not just because she got to run Atlantis (which is right up there with running Oz on the list of "cool jobs I will never have because they are fictional and I would suck at them") but because she did so--and did lots of other awesome stuff too--without ever personally picking up a weapon. (That time she was possessed doesn't count. ;-) ) Elizabeth fought her battles with words, and did it so well that most of the time, she won ("The Siege" anyone?). For someone like me, who decided a long time ago that while violence is sometimes unavoidable, it is never *good*, having someone like her on my TV screen was a refreshing change.
It wasn't an easy principle for her to stick to, and all too often she was reluctantly forced to condone the violence of others, but what gave her depth and believability was how much you felt the impact of every one of those choices. Elizabeth had a strength of character at her core that enabled her to acknowledge increasing shades of gray while also still believing in the foundation of nonviolence that she'd built her life on. She was someone who could learn from her (sometimes tragic) mistakes and adapt to the necessities of her situation without losing herself.
In a nutshell, Elizabeth Weir meant a lot to me, as a fan and as a person, because she was someone I could aspire to be like without sacrificing *my* principles. You can't put a price on that.
This entry was originally posted at http://azarsuerte.dreamwidth.org/36959.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
(banner by deaniebtvs)
Elizabeth Weir is my hero. No, really, she is.
Of all the fictional characters that I have loved over the years, she is one of the few that I can truly say I look up to and admire as a role model. Not just because she got to run Atlantis (which is right up there with running Oz on the list of "cool jobs I will never have because they are fictional and I would suck at them") but because she did so--and did lots of other awesome stuff too--without ever personally picking up a weapon. (That time she was possessed doesn't count. ;-) ) Elizabeth fought her battles with words, and did it so well that most of the time, she won ("The Siege" anyone?). For someone like me, who decided a long time ago that while violence is sometimes unavoidable, it is never *good*, having someone like her on my TV screen was a refreshing change.
It wasn't an easy principle for her to stick to, and all too often she was reluctantly forced to condone the violence of others, but what gave her depth and believability was how much you felt the impact of every one of those choices. Elizabeth had a strength of character at her core that enabled her to acknowledge increasing shades of gray while also still believing in the foundation of nonviolence that she'd built her life on. She was someone who could learn from her (sometimes tragic) mistakes and adapt to the necessities of her situation without losing herself.
In a nutshell, Elizabeth Weir meant a lot to me, as a fan and as a person, because she was someone I could aspire to be like without sacrificing *my* principles. You can't put a price on that.
This entry was originally posted at http://azarsuerte.dreamwidth.org/36959.html. Please comment there using OpenID.