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It's actually 30 days, but I condensed it down into 10 days, and then typed it all up this morning while waiting for someone to bring around the work unit I'll be working on.
My only regret is that I don't have time to put together picspams of each of the characters in question.
Day 1: Favourite lead female character
Sam Carter: Honestly, I was sold the instant Captain Carter turned out to be a woman. The subsequent dialogue - yes, even the reproductive parts line - only reeled me in. And by the time she and Daniel were nattering at each other in the chamber on Abydos and she uttered the MacGyver line, I had a new show and a new favourite character.
Super-Sam? Gimme more! Blowing up a sun? Oh, yeah, baby! Evil Twin? Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! A room full of Sam Carter? MADE OF AWESOME.
Day 2: Favourite supporting female character
Teyla Emmagan: She only ever got to supporting status, mostly because there were, apparently, no stories about her that might be 'interesting' enough for either the writers of the show or the writers of fandom.
Oddly enough, all the things that fandom found 'boring' about her were the things I found fascinating: an non-Earth mindset, a trader's mind looking for bargains and diplomatic ways through, a personality capable of dealing with the people of the Atlantis expedition, someone who could change her lifestyle from low-tech to high-tech in a matter of months, and fit more or less seamlessly into the expedition.
Day 3: A female character you hated but grew to love
Faith Lehane: Faith wasn't of any interest to me when I first watched her in Buffy S3. I was 'eh' on her in Buffy S3 - , Buffy S4, and Angel S1. I skipped a couple of years of Buffyverse: Buffy S5-6, Angel S2-3. Then I was dubbing some old tapes from a friend, and ended up sitting through the backend of Angel S4. Faith walked out of the prison cell in Salvage, and by the end of the episode, I was a convert.
By the end of the episode 'Orpheus', I adored the woman who'd gone into prison ashamed and repentant and come out changed and challenged, but with the dark still inside her - just more controlled.
Day 4: A female character you relate to
Kate Freelander: Somewhat amusingly, the thing I like about Kate Freelander is exactly the reason why, I suspect, a lot of viewers don't: she's tapped into her ruthless side and uses it when the need comes out. Basically, she does the right thing in morally questionable ways.
When she needs to protect her family? She takes out the kingpin threatening her. She's not ashamed of her past or repentant of what she's done; it's done, she did it, she'd do it again if she had to. And through it all she keeps her sense of humour, holds position, and does what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
This isn't something that most people usually say about themselves, but I have a fairly ruthless streak - held in check by the fact that I don't really care to go to prison, and there are usually other options. But I can't guarantee that I wouldn't go all out if I felt it needed to be done that way. I might regret what I felt I had to do, but I'd still do it.
I have a post on seven things I love about Kate Freelander; I just need the time to put some pics together.
Day 5: Favourite female character on a male-driven show
Ziva David: Another character I fell in love with from the moment she walked into the room. Banter! Challenge! Giving Tony the once-over! Truthfully, NCIS story arcs are primarily driven through the men: Gibbs, Tony, Tim, and Ducky. Ziva and Abby have their parts, but they're rarely the ones pushing the storyline.
Still, I adore that Ziva's out there with the team, her spirit and pointed questions, the crisp, no-nonsense manner of her. I love that she kicks ass physically and can be tough when the situation calls for it - as well as tender and broken on occasion.
Day 6: Favourite female-driven show
Fringe: I am a late convert to this show, having only just begun watching it. But I'm really digging that Olivia is very much the action hero in this show. She's the Fox Mulder of Fringe, asking questions, driving the stories, keeping things together. There's a part of me that adores that the female character is the one always out and about in the action, while the male character (Peter) is the one functionally 'keeping house' more often than not as he manages his father.
Granted, there aren't more female characters to drive the plot - Astrid is regular but very minor in S1, and Nina Sharp is mostly an antagonist and mystery card - but the storylines of Fringe hinge entirely on Olivia.
Day 7: Favourite older female character
Victoria in RED: Two words: Helen Mirren.
Sarah Connor comes a close second, whether played by Linda Hamilton or Lena Headley.
Day 8: Favourite warrior female character
Wonder Woman: Diana of Themiscyra from the Justice League animated series is the epitome of the female warrior - she's even explicitly coded as such in the DC canon: she's an Amazon, FCOL! Tough and tender, capable of punching out goons one minute and dancing with Bruce Wayne the next, gentle as doves and cunning as serpents, she's the female warrior archetype.
(The female warrior is a big kink of mine. Sam, Teyla, Faith, Kate, and Ziva are all physical fighters in their lexicons - almost all of them fighters as good as - if not better than - the guys in their canons.)
Day 9: Favourite female character growth-arc
Eve Dallas of JD Robb's In Death series: Over the course of some twenty to thirty books, Eve Dallas goes from being a loner in a burnout job with a past she's trying to forget, to being part of a pairing with a support network and dealing with her history, even if she knows she's never putting it entirely behind her. It's one of the best growth arcs I've seen written about any character, male or female, and it happens over the course of years and with a whole bunch of spinoff issues.
The In Death series is enjoyable fantasy-mystery-romance-scifi, with a great female protag who drives the plot and pushes the action. JD Robb has...certain biases and problematics in some of her supporting character choices, but overall the series - and Eve - is one of my perennial favourites.
Kris Longknife of Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife series came a very close second: from marine grunt to Princess-and-leader, she finds out just what she can do over the course of the 6-7 books, and she hasn't reached her limits yet!
Day 10: Favourite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Not fictional: my own relationships with my mum and sisters.
There aren't any fictional mother/daughter or sister/sister relationships that really speak to me on TV, so I'm going into RL for this one. Plus, it's Women's Appreciation Day - which, to me, says appreciating the women in my real life, and not just those who initially drew me into online life.
I wouldn't swap my relationships with my mum and sisters for anything in the world; there's just no price I could put on the love and support they give me. It's not perfect by a long shot, and there are times when we grate on each others' nerves or frustrate each other or hurt each other with what we say, do, or don't do.
But I know I could count on them for non-judgemental advice and assistance above and beyond what I asked for if I was in any kind of trouble. I know they would keep loving me no matter what I did or said. I can't say they'd help me bury the body, but they'd stand behind me all through the trial - not approving or condoning, but there when I needed them.
Happy Women's Appreciation Day, f-list!
My only regret is that I don't have time to put together picspams of each of the characters in question.
Day 1: Favourite lead female character
Sam Carter: Honestly, I was sold the instant Captain Carter turned out to be a woman. The subsequent dialogue - yes, even the reproductive parts line - only reeled me in. And by the time she and Daniel were nattering at each other in the chamber on Abydos and she uttered the MacGyver line, I had a new show and a new favourite character.
Super-Sam? Gimme more! Blowing up a sun? Oh, yeah, baby! Evil Twin? Ohboyohboyohboyohboy! A room full of Sam Carter? MADE OF AWESOME.
Day 2: Favourite supporting female character
Teyla Emmagan: She only ever got to supporting status, mostly because there were, apparently, no stories about her that might be 'interesting' enough for either the writers of the show or the writers of fandom.
Oddly enough, all the things that fandom found 'boring' about her were the things I found fascinating: an non-Earth mindset, a trader's mind looking for bargains and diplomatic ways through, a personality capable of dealing with the people of the Atlantis expedition, someone who could change her lifestyle from low-tech to high-tech in a matter of months, and fit more or less seamlessly into the expedition.
Day 3: A female character you hated but grew to love
Faith Lehane: Faith wasn't of any interest to me when I first watched her in Buffy S3. I was 'eh' on her in Buffy S3 - , Buffy S4, and Angel S1. I skipped a couple of years of Buffyverse: Buffy S5-6, Angel S2-3. Then I was dubbing some old tapes from a friend, and ended up sitting through the backend of Angel S4. Faith walked out of the prison cell in Salvage, and by the end of the episode, I was a convert.
By the end of the episode 'Orpheus', I adored the woman who'd gone into prison ashamed and repentant and come out changed and challenged, but with the dark still inside her - just more controlled.
Day 4: A female character you relate to
Kate Freelander: Somewhat amusingly, the thing I like about Kate Freelander is exactly the reason why, I suspect, a lot of viewers don't: she's tapped into her ruthless side and uses it when the need comes out. Basically, she does the right thing in morally questionable ways.
When she needs to protect her family? She takes out the kingpin threatening her. She's not ashamed of her past or repentant of what she's done; it's done, she did it, she'd do it again if she had to. And through it all she keeps her sense of humour, holds position, and does what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
This isn't something that most people usually say about themselves, but I have a fairly ruthless streak - held in check by the fact that I don't really care to go to prison, and there are usually other options. But I can't guarantee that I wouldn't go all out if I felt it needed to be done that way. I might regret what I felt I had to do, but I'd still do it.
I have a post on seven things I love about Kate Freelander; I just need the time to put some pics together.
Day 5: Favourite female character on a male-driven show
Ziva David: Another character I fell in love with from the moment she walked into the room. Banter! Challenge! Giving Tony the once-over! Truthfully, NCIS story arcs are primarily driven through the men: Gibbs, Tony, Tim, and Ducky. Ziva and Abby have their parts, but they're rarely the ones pushing the storyline.
Still, I adore that Ziva's out there with the team, her spirit and pointed questions, the crisp, no-nonsense manner of her. I love that she kicks ass physically and can be tough when the situation calls for it - as well as tender and broken on occasion.
Day 6: Favourite female-driven show
Fringe: I am a late convert to this show, having only just begun watching it. But I'm really digging that Olivia is very much the action hero in this show. She's the Fox Mulder of Fringe, asking questions, driving the stories, keeping things together. There's a part of me that adores that the female character is the one always out and about in the action, while the male character (Peter) is the one functionally 'keeping house' more often than not as he manages his father.
Granted, there aren't more female characters to drive the plot - Astrid is regular but very minor in S1, and Nina Sharp is mostly an antagonist and mystery card - but the storylines of Fringe hinge entirely on Olivia.
Day 7: Favourite older female character
Victoria in RED: Two words: Helen Mirren.
Sarah Connor comes a close second, whether played by Linda Hamilton or Lena Headley.
Day 8: Favourite warrior female character
Wonder Woman: Diana of Themiscyra from the Justice League animated series is the epitome of the female warrior - she's even explicitly coded as such in the DC canon: she's an Amazon, FCOL! Tough and tender, capable of punching out goons one minute and dancing with Bruce Wayne the next, gentle as doves and cunning as serpents, she's the female warrior archetype.
(The female warrior is a big kink of mine. Sam, Teyla, Faith, Kate, and Ziva are all physical fighters in their lexicons - almost all of them fighters as good as - if not better than - the guys in their canons.)
Day 9: Favourite female character growth-arc
Eve Dallas of JD Robb's In Death series: Over the course of some twenty to thirty books, Eve Dallas goes from being a loner in a burnout job with a past she's trying to forget, to being part of a pairing with a support network and dealing with her history, even if she knows she's never putting it entirely behind her. It's one of the best growth arcs I've seen written about any character, male or female, and it happens over the course of years and with a whole bunch of spinoff issues.
The In Death series is enjoyable fantasy-mystery-romance-scifi, with a great female protag who drives the plot and pushes the action. JD Robb has...certain biases and problematics in some of her supporting character choices, but overall the series - and Eve - is one of my perennial favourites.
Kris Longknife of Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife series came a very close second: from marine grunt to Princess-and-leader, she finds out just what she can do over the course of the 6-7 books, and she hasn't reached her limits yet!
Day 10: Favourite mother/daughter and/or sister relationship
Not fictional: my own relationships with my mum and sisters.
There aren't any fictional mother/daughter or sister/sister relationships that really speak to me on TV, so I'm going into RL for this one. Plus, it's Women's Appreciation Day - which, to me, says appreciating the women in my real life, and not just those who initially drew me into online life.
I wouldn't swap my relationships with my mum and sisters for anything in the world; there's just no price I could put on the love and support they give me. It's not perfect by a long shot, and there are times when we grate on each others' nerves or frustrate each other or hurt each other with what we say, do, or don't do.
But I know I could count on them for non-judgemental advice and assistance above and beyond what I asked for if I was in any kind of trouble. I know they would keep loving me no matter what I did or said. I can't say they'd help me bury the body, but they'd stand behind me all through the trial - not approving or condoning, but there when I needed them.
Happy Women's Appreciation Day, f-list!
Tags:
no subject
It's interesting what they did with Diana in JL--she's much younger and way more naive than she is in comics. I'll admit, though, that I never quite grokked her until "Star-crossed" when she was such a bad-ass. I really liked that she was so clearly angry at Hawkgirl and refused to forgive her.
no subject
WW in comics was never something I particularly read. I got a little into Marvel, but WW was just one of the big three of DC and I never managed DC. Then I got annoyed with SG1 and stopped watching, and picked up JL around the same time (maybe a bit later) as the Buffyverses.
And yes, it was nice that Diana wasn't willing to forgive and forget just that easily.
no subject
ETA: Also found this tag for her on Tumblr.
no subject
But thanks for the links: I shall attempt to check every now and then...when I remember. Which won't be too often, because I just don't seem to have time for anything.