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Favorite Female Characters



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Mon Dec 19, 2016 6:05 am
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Featherstone says...



Beka Cooper from the Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce. She is strong, yet still human with her weaknesses. She is loyal and ethical and brave, but also very shy and makes mistakes. <3 Kind of like me. Or I'd like to think so, anyways XD
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:03 pm
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AlyTheBookworm says...



The first strong heroine in fiction that comes to mind is Shallan Davar from my favorite series The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson.

Somehow Sanderson made her a tough character without resorting to putting a sword in her hands. She's a "harmless" scholar, but stronger than you'd think. The reason why I really love her character is that even after a messed-up past she didn't seek revenge or always hold a grudge afterwards- she just kept going. She smiled and never let herself become depressed.
  





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Sun Jan 01, 2017 9:19 pm
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BeTheChange says...



Flame Princess from Adventure Time. I'm still mad about the way the writers found a way to quickly tie up her good-vs-evil arc in season five, rather than develop it like they should've done, but she was and is an amazing character! Even though she started out as a love interest, she's a lot more than that now, in my opinion.

Peridot from Steven Universe. Now, this is how you turn an evil, conflicted, or neutral character into a full-on protagonist. She's womderfully nerdy. She doesn't magically become perfect once she allies with the main characters. From the same show, I also think Lapis and Connie are amazing.

In books, Mary Lennox (The Secret Garden) is great. Yes, as you can tell, I like redemption arcs, lol. (Martha Sowerby and family aren't far behind)
  





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Sun Jan 01, 2017 11:55 pm
BluesClues says...



Right, so I have more again!

September from the Fairyland Series, which p.s. is a FANTASTIC series overall, but don't read it while you're writing something, because it'll probably make you feel totally inadequate (or is that just me?)

ANYWAY. September wears a dress, loves the color orange, knows how to use tools, and is intelligent and kind. She's a bit ungainly and doesn't think much of her looks, but most of the time her looks don't bother her anyway.

And, as previously stated, the series is awesome in its entirety. Or at least its as-far-as-I've-read-ity. It's super whimsical fantasy with ideas so original that they make me feel like a potato by comparison. So if you're interested in looking into it more, here you go.
  





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Mon Jan 02, 2017 2:01 am
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Pentavalence says...



BlueAfrica wrote:Right, so I have more again!

September from the Fairyland Series, which p.s. is a FANTASTIC series overall, but don't read it while you're writing something, because it'll probably make you feel totally inadequate (or is that just me?)

ANYWAY. September wears a dress, loves the color orange, knows how to use tools, and is intelligent and kind. She's a bit ungainly and doesn't think much of her looks, but most of the time her looks don't bother her anyway.

And, as previously stated, the series is awesome in its entirety. Or at least its as-far-as-I've-read-ity. It's super whimsical fantasy with ideas so original that they make me feel like a potato by comparison. So if you're interested in looking into it more, here you go.


I've read the entire series and I had to repost this because it is fantastic and the prose is just...undescribable. Here's a quote if you need convincing:Image There's five books in the series and I highly recommend it.
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Thu Jan 05, 2017 12:39 am
BluesClues says...



@Pentavalence YES.

Oh, and I remembered the other one: basically every girl in Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray, which is the most aggressively feminist book you could ever hope to find and yet also manages to be tooooooootally ridiculous. She rocks the representation, the girls discuss a lot of different problems that girls face in society (and in all sections of girldom, be it disabled girls, queer girls, genderqueer girls, or girls of color), and there's hella girl-supporting-girl action.

Also, did I mention that it's TOOOOOOOTALLY RIDICULOUS?

Because sometimes it's toooooooootally ridiculous.

And super hilarious.
  





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Mon Apr 10, 2017 10:39 am
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ShadowPrincess16 says...



The first would be Aelin Galathynius/Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass

Aelin is one of my all time favorite female characters for so many reasons. She's tough as nails but she's also very vulnerable at times. She does what she thinks is right, even if it could potentially hurt her. But she's also flawed and she's very aware of these flaws. I could rave about her all day and still have more to say, honestly.

The second is one that most people don't agree with. Bella Swan from Twilight

Bella is my favorite for a lot of reasons. Her capacity for love is just beautiful. She's able to love a creature that most sane women would run from but she also stays her own person. When Edward tries to stop her from spending time in La Push, Bella does it anyways. She's willing to send her daughter away with her best friend when the Volturi come to Washington, something that, as a mother myself, is too difficult to even think of. Yes, she's also flawed in many ways as well. But that's the beauty of her character.

Third would be Isabelle Lightwood from Mortal Instruments

Isabelle is such a beautiful character. She's not only a bad-ass Shadowhunter but a loving sister and friend as well. She falls in love with Simon, a character you wouldn't have expected her to fall for. She's always down for a crazy adventure with her friends and family. She's flawed in some ways, yes, but she's beautiful as well and I just adore her.

Fourth and last would be Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter

While I wasn't so fond of the movie version, I loved her book character. Ginny starts out as this shy fan girl who can't even speak in front of Harry. Over the course of the books, we watch her mature into a fierce yet kind woman. She's beautiful and funny and mischievous and I just love her. I wish they would have incorporated more of her book personality into the movies, actually.
“wanting what you could not have led to misery and madness”
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Thu Jun 15, 2017 1:57 pm
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Stori says...



Recently I read the first two books in the Firebird trilogy by Kathy Tyers. I'd like to cite both the author and Firebird herself as strong women.

Tyers is a Christian who's twice written Star Wars novels- something I aspire to do, because I love Star Wars. And Firebird is a "wastling"- an extra heir who's supposed to give her life in battle- but when captured by the enemy, she refuses to give any secrets to her telepathic interrogator.

I wouldn't have appreciated Firebird as much if I hadn't first read Cordelia's Honor by Lois Bujold. Also captured by her enemy, she finds it in her heart to forgive and help Sargent Bothari, who nearly rapes her at the command of his master. She falls in love with and marries Aral Vorkosigan, survives an assassination attempt and raises her son, a cripple on a world that's deathly afraid of mutations.

In real life, I'd have to say my grandmother. She took in all six of us- my siblings and I- when we had to leave home for a year. And then, more recently, she did it again- there are seven of us, one of whom is married and lives in another city.

I'd have to disagree with the notion that having feelings makes one less strong. Like my character Tilor said, "a man crying shows strength, not weakness." It takes courage to show one's emotions in a world that labels such displays as "wimpy".
  





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Thu Jun 15, 2017 2:43 pm
BluesClues says...



Stori wrote:I'd have to disagree with the notion that having feelings makes one less strong. Like my character Tilor said, "a man crying shows strength, not weakness." It takes courage to show one's emotions in a world that labels such displays as "wimpy".


Agreed! Definitely men are taught emotions are "girl things" and that Real Men(™) Don't Have Feelings (except the Manly Ones, like Rage), so for a man to actually let himself feel emotions and do it openly takes a certain amount of strength.

Meanwhile women are neither allowed to have emotions or not to have them - considering if we ARE emotional we're Hysterical because it Must Be That Time of the Month, but if we have a stiff upper lip and exhibit traditionally masculine traits, we're Frigid.

Anyway, I think characters who have emotions and really feel them - especially "weak" emotions like sadness or fear - and have to try to overcome the effects of those feelings are more interesting than characters who just don't feel them, and that goes for characters of either gender. I love a good strong character who is also vulnerable and needs support sometimes.
  





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Thu Jun 15, 2017 8:05 pm
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beccalicious94 says...



Fiction:
Lizzie Bennet from Pride and Prejudice
Hermione Granger from Harry Potter
Kate from The Taming of the Shrew

TV/Movies:
A lot of the girl-power Disney Channel Original Movies from the 90s/00s
Elle Woods from Legally Blonde
Annie from Covert Affairs
Jane Villanueva from Jane the Virgin
Most of the doctors from Grey's Anatomy, specifically Christina/Bailey/Erika/Callie/Kepner

Music:
Garfunkel & Oates

Real Life:
Rachel Maddow
Alison Bechdel

so many more, just a few for now...
  





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Thu Jun 15, 2017 10:29 pm
BluesClues says...



Omg Elle <3 I love Legally Blonde so much, because she gets to be girly and pink and interested in fashion and hair and everything, but also she gets to be an awesome lawyer. I mean, in the courtroom scene she actually is an awesome lawyer because of her fashion knowledge, which is so BA!!!

Also, she beat Sam Winchester's score on the LSATs, so there's that.
  





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Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:07 am
BluesClues says...



*reviving because Dr. Blake Mysteries*

Mrs. Jean Beazley. Dr. Lucien Blake's housekeeper and probably future romance (which I kind of ship but also their friendship is so pure that I don't want it to change). She puts up with his shenanigans and agrees to pretend to be a dead body fairly frequently so he can visualize what must have happened at the crime scene, but she also won't put up with disrespect, cruelty, or a bad attitude. She knows her son's a total loser but also defends him like the mother bear she is. She's very traditional and stubborn, but she's also supportive, a loyal friend, and good to the other women in her life. She's. UGH. I love Jean. Season 2 is unkind to her so far.

Mattie O'Brien. She was on track to be a doctor, but she's taking a year off to try out social work instead. Lucien was a bit disappointed, probably because he's all in favor of women defying gender roles, but she's really good at it so far. She doesn't fall for guys' dumb tricks (like when Jean's bum son tried to seduce her and then Jean warned her off because he's such a bum, but she was like, "Yeah, I wasn't interested") and isn't out looking for love - if it finds her, great, but she's focused on her studies and future career and wouldn't want to give that up. She'll stand up for what's right and punch a guy three times her size in the nose if he manhandles Jean.

Honorable mentions: Dr. Alice Harvey, a female doctor in a time in history when women aren't allowed to do much, and Mrs. Joy McDonald, a dogged journalist.

There are so many great women on this show - now we just need more diversity, but since this is Australia I won't hold my breath. (I just keep think of Noah Trevor talking about how Scotland has no brown people but not in a bad way, unlike Australia where you go, "...where are all the brown people?" and the locals shrug and squint and *Australian voice* "I dunno. They left.")
  





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Sat Jul 08, 2017 5:07 pm
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Featherstone says...



From Books

Beka Cooper from Tamora Pierce's Beka Cooper trilogy is one of my all-time favorites. She's not unrealistically powerful like some of Pierce's other characters, and she's so human. She makes mistakes and has evident flaws. She's extraordinarily shy but also has a lot of integrity and a strong personality.

From TV/Movies

Zoë from Joss Whedon's Firefly. She's got a sense of humor in her own, undying loyalty, and keeps her head when trouble comes. But she, too, is also very human - fear hits her just like it does others of the crew and, though she'll go down fighting, it's not without difficulty and struggle. She knows where she stands with the crew and she's got honor and integrity.

Real Life

Emma Ford. Not the actor, the falconer. She is one of the worlds most well-renowned falconers and was actually invited to breed falcons for the ruler of Arabia (can't remember his title). She has such skill with animals and is such an extraordinary falconer. I admire her ability.
"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."


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Thu Aug 03, 2017 4:31 pm
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LucytheBrave says...



I would have to say my favorite fictional female is ALL OF THEM... I read a whole lot so it's really hard to decide. If I had to pick one though, I would probably say Hazel Levesque from the Heroes of Olympus. She's a strong woman, even though she's awkward and nerdy. Also a major part of her personality is that she can defend herself, and doesn't have to constantly depend on her friends.

My favorite real-life woman is probably ellen. I know that seems very stereotypical, but I've always appreciated the fact that she' s a female comedian, and she doesn't only make sex jokes. Plus she dances on television even though it's not part of her job.
  





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Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:31 pm
BluesClues says...



LucytheBrave wrote:Plus she dances on television even though it's not part of her job.


Ellen is so awesome.
  








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