get me off this crazy thing

dsudis writes, So I was adding some new interests to my LJ profile (because I, uh... have some new interests. Yes.) and found myself feeling defensive every time I typed a female name, thinking, basically, FUCK YOU, SHE'S AWESOME, because I felt as if someone somewhere was going to be criticizing my love for them.

So, anyway, then I made a list of women who make me want to say FUCK YOU, SHE'S AWESOME. They are far from the only women who are awesome, or the only women people need to be told to step off of, but they are the top ten I feel that way about, right now, off the top of my head.

If you want to argue with me about the awesomeness of any of these women, I am afraid I will simply be referring you to the subject line. THAT IS ALL.


1. Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, Donna Noble, Astrid Peth, Sarah Jane Smith (Doctor Who)

I would list all of the Doctor's female companions, just on principal, even those I have yet to meet.

2. Tyra Collette, Lyla Garrity, Julie Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

All of the women on FNL are awesome, but I love these three in particular.

3. Jane Bennet, Fanny Price, Emma Woodhouse (Jane Austen)

Jane is routinely slagged against for being so sweet and good, and so is Fanny for being weak or too pius or something. Whatever, I love them both. And I love Emma, period. *g*

4. Gwen Cooper, Toshiko Sato (Torchwood)

I have *huge* issues with TW the series, but I really like these two women, and it feels great to be able to say that.

5. Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan

I hope and pray that both these women rise above their circumstances.

6. Anne Lindsey, Tessa Noel, Amanda Darrieux

Say what you will about Duncan MacLeod but he has a string of awesome girlfriends. *g*

7. Elizbeth Swann Turner (Pirates of the Caribbean)

I love Elizabeth Swann more than I can say.

8. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Star Trek: Voyager)

I never could understand why people dislike Janeway. I certainly don't share the sentiment.

9. Lana Lang (Smallville)

I stopped watching Smallville ages ago, but I always loved Lana.

10. JK Rowling

I deeply respect JKR as a woman and a fellow writer and I always get a little twitchy when I see criticism against her (as apposed to crit against her writing).

ETA: and one more...

11. Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Lavander Brown, Cho Chang, the Patel sisters, Luna Lovegood, Tonks

This is probably tantamount to poking a large untethered wild animal with a pointy stick. Sometimes I'm fearless! *poke poke*. And, uh, I don't think my flist is that into Doctor Who anyway. *g*

Also, I confess that I've largely recoiled away from most Doctor Who communities. Plus I'm late to the party (as usual), so my impression of things in the fandom might be off. Feel free to correct me, I suppose. Also, people might be long past discussing this, which I totally understand.

This post is in large part a kneejerk reaction. I confess that it is, but I can't help it. After years in fandom when each time I find myself enchanted with a female character I find that she is then roundly slagged by fans... well, it gets a little tiring. I'm sort of over it. I'm just done. I'm over judging women. Even fictional women. Even fictional women written by men. It's tiring. I'm exhausted!

And just to say at the start, I do not consider myself a Doctor/Rose 'shiper. Seriously not at all. I don't think you can 'ship (in the TrueLoveForever! sort of way) the Doctor with anyone, personally. If I were into Doctor/Rose, which I can't even wrap my head around, I think it would work better with Nine/Rose, however Ten/Rose is where all of the interesting things happen, imo, and yet everyone is "no ten/rose" and I'm like buh? Anyway, more on that later.

Honestly, I sort of just want to know the lay of the land so I can navigate appropriately. I'm not trying to be accusatory.

( So, yeah, what's with the Rose Tyler hate? )

( the Doctor and Martha )

And now I mewl pathetically for recommendations. Gimmeeee. *makes grabby hands* I still can't really read yet. (and no I haven’t' been reading already.... I really haven't! okay maybe I have but only short shorts....mostly. ) I'm not free of the thesis until April (SOB) but I kinda can't help myself so let me have 'em. Any pairing at all, I want them all (and hell yes I want Ten/Rose, but not shippy, unless it's really good, then yes. LOL.). Even Classic Who, although those I'll have to save until I've seen more. I'm good with angsty and dark but also happy, healthy, and whole. Particularly stories in character that DO NOT disparage or belittle any of the companions, but in particular Rose who I think ends up being belittled or written meanly a lot and quite frankly I just can't deal with that. Adult or not, either way. I'll read anything if it's good. :D :D

I've been thinking. About a lot of things, so let's pick one, shall we? Strong female characters. Where are they and why aren't there more of them? What do I mean by "strong" anyway? I had more thinky thoughts about it, and then my work day got in the way. So annoying.

In my opinion, "strong" should encompass both "positive" and "negative" traits. I'm putting quotes around them, since I would rather not make a judgment on what any one person views as either positive or negative -- that's rather subjective. I love flawed characters, be they female or male, and think that sometimes a character's flaws are what makes that character strong. Currently, I've been focusing more and more on female characters, particularly with my original writing, and find that the more flawed they are, the more I love them. I find I want them to be spectacularly flawed.

Also, I feel the need to make a point, which is, I'm not interested in judging. That is, on judging a (female) character's actions as being right, or correct, or wrong, faulty, absurd, outrageous, exactly right, stupid, detrimental, hurting, or whatever. They could very well be those things, but I'm more interested in what those actions *say* about a character, rather than judging that character for being right or wrong. I'm trying to get at what defines a, in this case female, character as being that character, if that makes any sense.

(also, as an aside, neither am I interested in criticizing the writing behind these characters or the tv shows/movies/books. We can complain all day long about TPTB, or the writers of tv/movies/books, but, at the end of the day, we are not the one's driving the car, here, and what's on the screen or on the page is what we have to play with. Complaining about it, pointing it out, doesn't change it, imo.)

Anyway, I don't really have much of a point other than listing some female characters that I find fascinating, as much for their awesomeness as for their what might be viewed as their flaws.

( female characters that I love: )