Favourite female characters meme
A while back, marble_rose posted about the sad lack of love for female characters in fandom and I responded with "OMG, THIS SHOULD BE A MEME." So I... made one. I imagine this is how all the best memes start.
1). List your favourite female characters.
2). Explain why you like them or what makes them particularly awesome.
3). Post a picture and your favourite quote.
4). Tag five people to do the same.
Gwen Cooper, Torchwood
Rhys: But wouldn’t it be better if we gave ourselves up, you know, tell someone what happened?
Gwen: When I know what’s happened, I’ll tell someone. Until then, we’re going underground.
Rhys: Well let me carry the bag!
Gwen: Huh?
Rhys: You want your trigger finger free, don’t you?
Gwen was the best part of Children of the Earth. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT THINK SO IS CLEARLY CRAZY. I was so excited to see a pregnant female character who still SHOT THINGS while her husband hid behind her. She didn’t just stay at home and wring her hands while the men went out and fought on her behalf. I especially love the bit where Rhys offers to carry her luggage so she can keep her trigger finger free. MORE TV LIKE THIS, PLEASE? If Torchwood S4 becomes The Gwen Cooper Show, I might legitimately have to start liking Torchwood. Plus, she has an adorable Welch accent that I can’t understand half the time. Everything just sounds better with a British accent. THIS IS A FACT.
Inara Serra, Firefly
Mal: Inara, think you could stoop to being on my arm?
Inara: Will you wash it first?
Inara naturally takes care of others, but she’s also fiercely independent and true to herself. There’s a lot going on under the surface, and she’s reluctant to form close ties and lean on others. I love her relationship with Mal and that, much as he might wish it, he's not there to swoop in and rescue her. Her Companion status is something that she chose and something that she takes a lot of pride it. It even puts her on equal footing with him since she’s not quite crew and he’s not really her captain. Also, she has this dry, sarcastic sense of humour that I love. And she's really pretty! Which is relevant.
That said, I do have some reservations about the “Inara is secretly dying” plotline Joss had in mind, and am kind of glad we never got that far.
Martha Jones, Doctor Who
Doctor: Martha Jones, you saved the world.
Martha: Yes, I did. I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best. But you know what? I am good.
Martha got a rough deal travelling with the Doctor. The Doctor was kind of a douche bag and couldn’t seem to move on from his last companion, she got stuck in 1913 England as a maid, and - oh, yeah - she travelled a post-apocalyptic Earth for a year on her own to bring down the Master. The end of S3, where Martha realizes her own self-worth and it gives her the courage to leave the Doctor and move on with her life, is one of the most empowering moments on the show. She didn’t seek validation through the Doctor’s “love” or something like that-she realized she was good enough on her own. Then she went to work for UNIT and continued to be awesome and I just want to be like her one day.
Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angelus: No weapons, no friends, no hope. Take all that away, and what's left?
Buffy: Me.
Re-watching S2 of this show has reminded me why 12-year-old Frances loved it so much. Buffy: The Early Years is about growing up and high school. The vampires and monsters are there to make it more fun than, say, Dawson’s Creek. (Also, the fact that Buffy was a much better show probably helped with that.) Not everything about Buffy is perfect-she tends to descend into moping, being-chosen-is-a-burden melodrama a lot, but she is seventeen and it is high school. There’s something about her raw pain and the way she always, always manages to overcome it and save the day that still speaks to me.
Robin Sherbatsky, How I Met Your Mother
Kurt: By the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to give you. [pulls out a gun]
Robin: My snub-nose 38 police special! I knew I left that somewhere! Every time I watch the news, I’m like: “Oops, hope that wasn’t my gun.”
Kurt: Breaking up was the right choice.
Robin Sherbatsky: Reporter of Awesome! Robin is Canadian, loves hockey, and fears babies and commitment. UM, OBVIOUSLY SHE IS ACTUALLY ME IN DISGUISE. There seriously needs to be more women like Robin on sitcoms. And while the majority of her relationship with Ted made me cringe, I do like the honest and real way they broke up. They still loved each other, but obviously wanted different things out of life, and I appreciate that it didn’t end with Robin accepting that she actually wants marriage and babies so she could be with the man. (Why is that proponents of Ted/Robin never suggest that he should give up his search for a wife and kids to be with her? Just something I wonder.) Also, she enjoys guns and cigars and will continue to be very awesome with Barney next season. DON’T EVEN TRY AND TELL ME OTHERWISE.
Rose Tyler, Doctor Who
Rose: There’s still a Torchwood on this planet, it’s open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens.
Doctor: Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth.
I’ve loved every version of Rose Tyler. S1 Rose - out on a brand new adventure, throwing herself into trouble and getting kidnapped all the time. S2 Rose - more competent in the face of danger, and completely in love with the Doctor and dealing with the ups and downs that came with it. S4 Rose - hardened and gusty and determined. My favourite thing about Rose is the way she fights to make her own choices - she doesn’t just stop and accept what the universe hands her. She got stuck in a parallel universe and instead of moping and pining or settling, she went out there and built dimension cannons and time machines and found her way back.
Lilah Morgan, Angel
Lilah: Oh, forget about that evil witch. Let's talk about me. I'm good and pure and science turns me on, and-and one day if I pray hard enough and eat all my vegetables, I just might just have hips.
Wesley: Are you finished?
LILAH IS SO AWESOME. Television needs more evil female lawyers who are snarky and fuck with the good guys and sleep with Wesley. I was totally rooting for her, and then she... died. Anyway.
Harriet Jones, Doctor Who
Mr. Nuellan: You seem to be talking about aliens as a matter-of-fact.
Harriet Jones: There's an act of Parliament banning my autobiography.
Harriet Jones is an example of just how well Russell T Davies can write women. She had that right mix of kookiness and determination. She only appeared in about four episodes, but she became Prime Minister, stood up to the Doctor, and then fell from power and made a Heroic Sacrifice. When I’m Prime Minister of Great Britain Canada, I want to be just like her. Plus, she was middle-aged, and I think television needs more awesome middle-aged women.
Other female characters that I love:
Donna Noble (Doctor Who), Jackie Tyler (Doctor Who), the Sex and the City girls (except maybe Carrie), Veronica (Veronica Mars), Sun Kwon (LOST), Aeryn Sun (Farscape), and Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development).
PRETEND I SAID GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM, TOO.
I tag: shinyopals, hjea, lily_268, _thirty2flavors, AND ALSO EVERYONE ELSE ON MY FLIST.
1). List your favourite female characters.
2). Explain why you like them or what makes them particularly awesome.
3). Post a picture and your favourite quote.
4). Tag five people to do the same.
Gwen Cooper, Torchwood
Rhys: But wouldn’t it be better if we gave ourselves up, you know, tell someone what happened?
Gwen: When I know what’s happened, I’ll tell someone. Until then, we’re going underground.
Rhys: Well let me carry the bag!
Gwen: Huh?
Rhys: You want your trigger finger free, don’t you?
Gwen was the best part of Children of the Earth. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT THINK SO IS CLEARLY CRAZY. I was so excited to see a pregnant female character who still SHOT THINGS while her husband hid behind her. She didn’t just stay at home and wring her hands while the men went out and fought on her behalf. I especially love the bit where Rhys offers to carry her luggage so she can keep her trigger finger free. MORE TV LIKE THIS, PLEASE? If Torchwood S4 becomes The Gwen Cooper Show, I might legitimately have to start liking Torchwood. Plus, she has an adorable Welch accent that I can’t understand half the time. Everything just sounds better with a British accent. THIS IS A FACT.
Inara Serra, Firefly
Mal: Inara, think you could stoop to being on my arm?
Inara: Will you wash it first?
Inara naturally takes care of others, but she’s also fiercely independent and true to herself. There’s a lot going on under the surface, and she’s reluctant to form close ties and lean on others. I love her relationship with Mal and that, much as he might wish it, he's not there to swoop in and rescue her. Her Companion status is something that she chose and something that she takes a lot of pride it. It even puts her on equal footing with him since she’s not quite crew and he’s not really her captain. Also, she has this dry, sarcastic sense of humour that I love. And she's really pretty! Which is relevant.
That said, I do have some reservations about the “Inara is secretly dying” plotline Joss had in mind, and am kind of glad we never got that far.
Martha Jones, Doctor Who
Doctor: Martha Jones, you saved the world.
Martha: Yes, I did. I spent a lot of time with you thinking I was second best. But you know what? I am good.
Martha got a rough deal travelling with the Doctor. The Doctor was kind of a douche bag and couldn’t seem to move on from his last companion, she got stuck in 1913 England as a maid, and - oh, yeah - she travelled a post-apocalyptic Earth for a year on her own to bring down the Master. The end of S3, where Martha realizes her own self-worth and it gives her the courage to leave the Doctor and move on with her life, is one of the most empowering moments on the show. She didn’t seek validation through the Doctor’s “love” or something like that-she realized she was good enough on her own. Then she went to work for UNIT and continued to be awesome and I just want to be like her one day.
Buffy Summers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Angelus: No weapons, no friends, no hope. Take all that away, and what's left?
Buffy: Me.
Re-watching S2 of this show has reminded me why 12-year-old Frances loved it so much. Buffy: The Early Years is about growing up and high school. The vampires and monsters are there to make it more fun than, say, Dawson’s Creek. (Also, the fact that Buffy was a much better show probably helped with that.) Not everything about Buffy is perfect-she tends to descend into moping, being-chosen-is-a-burden melodrama a lot, but she is seventeen and it is high school. There’s something about her raw pain and the way she always, always manages to overcome it and save the day that still speaks to me.
Robin Sherbatsky, How I Met Your Mother
Kurt: By the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to give you. [pulls out a gun]
Robin: My snub-nose 38 police special! I knew I left that somewhere! Every time I watch the news, I’m like: “Oops, hope that wasn’t my gun.”
Kurt: Breaking up was the right choice.
Robin Sherbatsky: Reporter of Awesome! Robin is Canadian, loves hockey, and fears babies and commitment. UM, OBVIOUSLY SHE IS ACTUALLY ME IN DISGUISE. There seriously needs to be more women like Robin on sitcoms. And while the majority of her relationship with Ted made me cringe, I do like the honest and real way they broke up. They still loved each other, but obviously wanted different things out of life, and I appreciate that it didn’t end with Robin accepting that she actually wants marriage and babies so she could be with the man. (Why is that proponents of Ted/Robin never suggest that he should give up his search for a wife and kids to be with her? Just something I wonder.) Also, she enjoys guns and cigars and will continue to be very awesome with Barney next season. DON’T EVEN TRY AND TELL ME OTHERWISE.
Rose Tyler, Doctor Who
Rose: There’s still a Torchwood on this planet, it’s open for business. I think I know a thing or two about aliens.
Doctor: Rose Tyler. Defender of the Earth.
I’ve loved every version of Rose Tyler. S1 Rose - out on a brand new adventure, throwing herself into trouble and getting kidnapped all the time. S2 Rose - more competent in the face of danger, and completely in love with the Doctor and dealing with the ups and downs that came with it. S4 Rose - hardened and gusty and determined. My favourite thing about Rose is the way she fights to make her own choices - she doesn’t just stop and accept what the universe hands her. She got stuck in a parallel universe and instead of moping and pining or settling, she went out there and built dimension cannons and time machines and found her way back.
Lilah Morgan, Angel
Lilah: Oh, forget about that evil witch. Let's talk about me. I'm good and pure and science turns me on, and-and one day if I pray hard enough and eat all my vegetables, I just might just have hips.
Wesley: Are you finished?
LILAH IS SO AWESOME. Television needs more evil female lawyers who are snarky and fuck with the good guys and sleep with Wesley. I was totally rooting for her, and then she... died. Anyway.
Harriet Jones, Doctor Who
Mr. Nuellan: You seem to be talking about aliens as a matter-of-fact.
Harriet Jones: There's an act of Parliament banning my autobiography.
Harriet Jones is an example of just how well Russell T Davies can write women. She had that right mix of kookiness and determination. She only appeared in about four episodes, but she became Prime Minister, stood up to the Doctor, and then fell from power and made a Heroic Sacrifice. When I’m Prime Minister of Great Britain Canada, I want to be just like her. Plus, she was middle-aged, and I think television needs more awesome middle-aged women.
Other female characters that I love:
Donna Noble (Doctor Who), Jackie Tyler (Doctor Who), the Sex and the City girls (except maybe Carrie), Veronica (Veronica Mars), Sun Kwon (LOST), Aeryn Sun (Farscape), and Lucille Bluth (Arrested Development).
PRETEND I SAID GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM, TOO.
I tag: shinyopals, hjea, lily_268, _thirty2flavors, AND ALSO EVERYONE ELSE ON MY FLIST.