What type of characters do you prefer to play?
Which woman fantasy characters work for you?
Which authors write women characters well?<Pulls up a chair. Sits down. Leans forward. "I'm listening.">
Tarma and Kethry - Oath Bound by Mercedes Lackey before Mercedes Lackey turned Valdemar into the asylum for the sexually dysfunctional.
There are more but I really liked those two... Maybe I'll think up some more later.
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What type of characters do you prefer to play?<Pulls up a chair. Sits down. Leans forward. "I'm listening.">
Aggressive one, either for sex or combat. For some reason, my fellow male players have a prob when I play the former but no prob with the latter.
Which woman fantasy characters work for you?
Xena, Gabrielle, She-Ra, Red Sonja, are the most well-known ones.
Which authors write women characters well?
Any female author. Heck, they're usual better at writing male characters!
What type of characters do you prefer to play?
Which woman fantasy characters work for you?
Which authors write women characters well?<Pulls up a chair. Sits down. Leans forward. "I'm listening.">
Tarma and Kethry - Oath Bound by Mercedes Lackey before Mercedes Lackey turned Valdemar into the asylum for the sexually dysfunctional.
There are more but I really liked those two... Maybe I'll think up some more later.
Ditto!
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What type of characters do you prefer to play?
Can't say I know, I try to mix it up.
Which woman fantasy characters work for you?
Strong heroic types or sex kittens. I don't much go for the cry babies that need to grow up and never do, or do but are still weak.
Which authors write women characters well?
Elaine Cunningham
Sara DouglasKate Elliott
Ed Greenwood's women are a guilty pleasure. ;)
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What type of characters do you prefer to play?
I like to play heroic characters, generally naive idealists who foolishly crave adventure and excitement. beyond that, they have little in common.
I currently have two female characters in active play.
Carmen Fortunato is a LG Human Knight 9. Her defining characteristics are her headstrong disregard for danger, her supreme overconfidence, her near total contempt for non-humans, and her total willingness to die for her comrades. So complete is her racism that last week a succubus attached itself to our mage, who is some monkey-man race from OA, I was able to justify attacking the succubus (who hadn't revealed herself, and appeared to simply be a woman thanking her rescuers with a kiss) on the grounds that Carmen would assume that the human woman was a monster in disguise simply because it was kissing the monkey-man (Carmen has never bothered to learn the subhuman's name) and Carmen was incapable of believing that any human woman would kiss a disgusting monkey-man, thus it must be a trick. The GM bought it, because Carmen is CRAZY racist. She's based on this insane Spanish (as in from Spain, not as in Mexican) chick I hung out with in Europe who was really funny, chic, and so racist it would blow your mind, but totally oblivious to it.
My other character is Aishwara Ramidipoor, a reincarnated sorceress who seeks to bring Vedic wisdom to others while rooting out demonic evil.
Which woman fantasy characters work for you?
Red Sonja, Sheena the She-Devil, Honor Harrington, pretty much all the characters in ElfQuest (Winnowill, Nightfall and Kahvi in particular), Alias (from Azure Bonds), Buffy, FAITH (I luuuuurve Faith soooo much it's probably unhealthy) Xena, Amelia Rothschild (from Jack of All Trades).
Which authors write women characters well?
Richard and Wendy Pini, Kate Novack and Jeff Grubb, Jim Thompson.
I currently have two female characters in active play.
Carmen Fortunato is a LG Human Knight 9. She's based on this insane Spanish (as in from Spain, not as in Mexican) chick I hung out with in Europe who was really funny, chic, and so racist it would blow your mind, but totally oblivious to it.
This avatar (with the horns) is actually INSANELY reminiscent of the appearance (minus the horns & goggles) of one my "gaming friends" from High School era, who was COMPLETELY racist (he half-heartedly denied it, of course, but only half) who always clashed with me because I always called him on his ways and wouldn't give him an inch... He could so clearly describe the process of how he came to be racist (racist ass parents, beat up by a few black kids when really young, spent rest of childhood in Texas) but could not take any critical distance from that to see the invalidity of those events in his life to justify continuing those prejudices for the rest of his life. 8-/ I think our culture where it's de rigeur for a racist to deny their own racism, is the fault: demonising the 'racist' rather than valorizing the will to question one's own self where it is most difficult and taking the next step to grow.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 8
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... I think our culture where it's de rigeur for a racist to deny their own racism, is the fault: ...
Critical discourse analysts have studied how denials of racism often accompany racist spans of discourse, eg., "I'm not racist but ...".
Van Dijk says it best: "One of the crucial properties of contemporary racism is its denial" (van Dijk, 1992, p. 87).
Uastis (Tanith Lee's Birthgrave novel)
Elyn (Dragondoom, by McKiernan)
T'Sais (Jack Vance, Dying Earth)
Arya Stark (GRR Martin)
Lyra (Golden Compass, Pullman)
Lauren Olamina (Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler)
Hazel D'Ark (Simon Green Deathstalker books)
Just some favorites that spring to mind.
RPG Superstar 2009 Top 32, 2010 Top 8
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Tamra, Kethry and Kerowyn
Arilyn Moonblade
The Simbul. There's something about her that attracts me and scares me.
My female characters,
Aethyr - battle sorcerer/ruathar/abjurant cheesewhore didn't really get into gender issues, but she was female, and straight.
Tschannen - Fey'ri rogue. Very flighty, very flirty, had a lot of fun with the shape shifting. She was played as the 'air head' type, until you got her mad, then (litterally) the claws came out.
Tis'neva - changling rogue. Female, and wore the female shape most often, but again, her gender was an aspect, not defining.
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Wheel of Time has some very influential female characters. Unfortunately, none of them are very likeable as they are usually scheming in some way (I haven't decided if this was the fault of Robert Jordan or just a result of the setting and the influence of the Shadow on the world - a great deal of the male characters are unlikeable as well, for varying reasons). Egwene was probably the best example of a well-rounded female character.
But, what does the OP mean by "best"?
Most accurate? Because all people have different personalities.
Least stereotypical?
Most powerful?
Most enjoyable to read?
I very much enjoyed Chani and Lady Jessica in the Dune books. I've always been fascinated by Morgan Le Fay as well, in any incarnation.
Wheel of Time has some very influential female characters. Unfortunately, none of them are very likeable as they are usually scheming in some way (I haven't decided if this was the fault of Robert Jordan or just a result of the setting and the influence of the Shadow on the world - a great deal of the male characters are unlikeable as well, for varying reasons).
WoT has multiple incarnations of the same female character with different names :)
... I think our culture where it's de rigeur for a racist to deny their own racism, is the fault: ...
Critical discourse analysts have studied how denials of racism often accompany racist spans of discourse, eg., "I'm not racist but ...".
Van Dijk says it best: "One of the crucial properties of contemporary racism is its denial" (van Dijk, 1992, p. 87).
Pulling this threadjack a little farther. It amazes me how I can live in China, have so many Chinese friends, and appreciate the Chinese culture yet almost daily, in reaction to the peculiar frustrations of daily life here, I still generate more than my share of racist remarks, more of them than I ever remember making when I lived back in Canada.
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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You guys are killing me, here.
I can't believe no one has mentioned JIREL OF JOIRY, the very first female sword and sorcery character and one of the finest women ever to wield a blade!
Paizo has published a complete collection of her tales in a Planet Stories novel entitled BLACK GOD'S KISS.
The stories originally appeared alongside work by Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft, and they have a very similar (though perhaps more vivid) style.
Anyone interested in female writers of SF should be familiar with Jirel's creator, C. L. Moore. Black God's Kiss makes an excellent introduction to Moore's work, and is a ripping good read.
--Erik
<Pulls up a chair. Sits down. Leans forward. "I'm listening.">
I have no favorites in fantasy, neither female nor male. I have just once been rabidly impressed enough by a character to call her my favorite, and it was in the sci-fi movie adaptation of Carl Sagan's Contact: Ellie Arroway played by Jodie Foster. It wasn't the same for me when I read the novel, either, so I chalk a good share of my response up to Foster's acting.
I can't believe no one has mentioned JIREL OF JOIRY, the very first female sword and sorcery character and one of the finest women ever to wield a blade!
Completely forgot about Jirel.
I also like Boudica as a character...not so much swords and sorcery as historical fic, though.
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This avatar (with the horns) is actually INSANELY reminiscent of the appearance (minus the horns & goggles) of one my "gaming friends" from High School era, who was COMPLETELY racist (he half-heartedly denied it, of course, but only half) who always clashed with me because I always called him on his ways and wouldn't give him an inch...
This chick had like Spanish racism, and I kind of got the sense that it wasn't something that got challeneged much back in Spain. Pretty much everybody I met in Europe was really racist, but not like American racist. American racists are like "White good, black bad." In Europe it was more "Polish people are boring and dull, Lithuanians will rob you blind, Germans are fat lazy tourist bastards, those Slovakians were rubbish anyways, Canadians are cheap, but not as cheap as Brits, and Americans are such incredible dopes with money." If you can't guess, I lived in the Czech Republic.
Taught english as a second language. It was interesting. I had a woman in one of my classes who was an avowed supporter of Adolph Hitler and believed that the wrong side lost WW2. She was like 70. Got real mad at me when I used Adolph Hitler as an example of someone who was infamous. The rest of the class, all much younger people, were shooting me the "Please don't challenge her, just ignore it, just ignore, please?" look.
So anyways, this chick was always saying things like "he is stupid like, like, a Moroccan, that is how stupid he is" (in reference to the guy she was dating) in this thick accent while she was waving her cigarette in the air. She would make references to ethnic groups I've never heard of (I can' repeat them because I literally have no idea what she was saying). Once she said "he spends money like a Belgian, it is terrible, so terrible." and I was like "What the f*** are you talking about? Spends money like a Belgian? What?"
The part of me that loves John Waters movies and camp in general thought she was such a euro-trash stereotype that it was hysterical. I wouldn't say we were close, but whenever the group of people i worked with at the language school went out for drinks we'd invite her along and laugh at her behind her back. I think she was totally oblivious.
So I play Carmen like her, and while Carmen is basically a good guy, she is always saying things like "No, no, your plan, this plan, it is stupid. It is stupid like a dwarf. All rocks in your brain." or "Your head is so full of facts. Amazingingly useless facts! You must have a gnome for a father, you are such a useless idiot!"
She's kind of a b~&$!. But, she has a +19 to hit, three attacks, 80+ hit points, and class special abilities activated by challenges to her ego, so tread carefully before calling her on it. ;)
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You guys are killing me, here.
I can't believe no one has mentioned JIREL OF JOIRY, the very first female sword and sorcery character and one of the finest women ever to wield a blade!
Paizo has published a complete collection of her tales in a Planet Stories novel entitled BLACK GOD'S KISS.
Anyone interested in female writers of SF should be familiar with Jirel's creator, C. L. Moore. Black God's Kiss makes an excellent introduction to Moore's work, and is a ripping good read.
I have it ordered to ship with the Setting book and the Beta softcover.
So, you know, you want me to read it so bad, send me my books. :)
I actually added Moore to my list of authors to look for based solely on your inclusion of her in the Planet Stories list, but haven't had any luck stumbling across any books in stores yet.
I don't know about fantasy per se, but I've always loved Joss Whedon's female characters, whether in Buffy (Buffy, Faith, Willow) or Serenity. And if you're interested in the "strong woman" archetype, look no farther than characters from Old Norse mythology and sagas. Or Greek mythology. In modern times, Ursula K LeGuin has some very interesting takes on classical works from the eyes & minds of what were originally "minor" female characters.
In D&D terms, 2 of my current party of 5 characters are women:
Mitra (15th level Psion/Shaper): originally from Athas; raised by the Villichi after her father, a psion in The Order, abandoned her (and was subsequently killed in their civil war). She started off cold to all but the other Athasian in the party, a lumbering half-giant w/ a crush on her (which will remain forever unrequited), but she's warmed up to her comrades. She's extremely headstrong and c***sure of her powers, which can be a detriment when your nominal leader is just the opposite, and wants to use her high Diplomacy skills to parlay...
Saveen (10th level Cleric, 5th level Contemplative): the leader, spiritual and otherwise, of the band; speaks softly but carries a lot of weight. Often forced to try and temper Mitra's hotheaded nature for the good of the party. Calm and reflective, as she continues to gain levels as a Contemplative, the danger will be that she becomes more and more removed from her humanity, as her desire for mystical union w/ the godhead becomes ever stronger in her...
Edited.
Chris Claremont (of X-men fame) writes strong women. The X-men comics are choc-full of 'em.
Usually in conjunction with absurd artwork, unfortunately.
I found Phedre from Jaqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart and it's sequels to be an interesting take on a strong female character.
Still, my favorites have to be the ones written by Jennifer Roberson. The heroines in the Cheysuli series were smart, tough and capable without the sexual supercharging that seems to be expected in the genre. Del from the Sword Dancer series is my favorite; a broken woman who hates violence, yet dives headlong into an obsessive quest for vengeance.
I also really like C.J. Cherryh's characters (Cyteen) because I never felt I was reading about a cartoony cardboard cutout.
I don't know about fantasy per se, but I've always loved Joss Whedon's female characters, whether in Buffy (Buffy, Faith, Willow) or Serenity.
I have to agree with you there. It took awhile for Buffy to grow on me, but the Serenity characters were just such nice changes of pace from what you would expect in the genre.
I've always been a huge fan of Tenar from The Tombs of Atuan / Tehanu / Etc. I developed a minor crush on her as a young lad when I originally read the Earthsea books, probably the first time I had romantic feelings towards a fictional person.
Patricia Briggs writes great female characters. The fact that they are all major smartasses amuses me greatly. I especially like the character Mercy Thompson from her books Moon Called, Blood Bound, and Iron Kissed.
The fact that all three books take place in the Tri-Cities (Washington state) is even cooler. I never knew my own stomping grounds could be so cool. Who knew all these vampires and werewolves were hanging around here?
I like "soldier-type" women in fantasy. Not like the Hollywood-"let's make silly jokes at each other while we butcher some barbarians"-type, but the professional one. But again, not those with emotional deficites.
It's basically one of the two types of characters I ever play in any games. ^^ Even when it's not a fighter, they are usually pragmatic, no-nonsense characters, who will always say their mind, but are generally kind people.
The other is a male half-elf-type, with optimistic character and joyful nature, but the experience and seriousnes of a frontier-man. I think I played about 10 characters, until I realized they are all versions of these two types. ^^
I also like this blue character from X-Men, though I don't even know her name.
And one of the greatest crimes against any trace of taste in fantasy, is the Chainmail-Bikini. Yes, I'm looking at you Larry E.!
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Too many possible places to start and no way to cover them all...
Growing up, the 80's version of Storm(you know, the punked out version when she was at her most interesting) was one of my top favorite female characters(minus the pedestal bit). That heavily influenced my likes and dislikes in female characters later down the line.
Greg Rucka writes some great tough and competant female characters. Ed Brubaker too.
I like "soldier-type" women in fantasy. Not like the Hollywood-"let's make silly jokes at each other while we butcher some barbarians"-type, but the professional one. But again, not those with emotional deficites.
It's basically one of the two types of characters I ever play in any games. ^^ Even when it's not a fighter, they are usually pragmatic, no-nonsense characters, who will always say their mind, but are generally kind people.
Unfortunately in movies, TV, and videogames, Vasquez Still Always(well, frequently) Dies. That's one trope that still infuriates. They get a better hand dealt in literature to a degree at least.
I also like this blue character from X-Men, though I don't even know her name.
It's funny that one could actually ask you to "narrow it down" even with that unusual a physical trait, even if the most likely candidate is Mystique(the shapeshifter).
Also, just wanted to be the first to say "Granny Weatherwax".
What type of characters do you prefer to play?
Generally magic types, if we're talking about D&D. In non-magic games, I prefer ranged attackers, the longer ranged the better (snipers are fun, especially when "sniping" with full-auto heavy rifles loaded with EX-Ex ammo ^_^).
Which woman fantasy characters work for you?
I really liked Ilsevele Miritar in "The Last Mythal". Most of the books I've been reading lately haven't been heavy in the likable female department though...
If we can count sci-fi in this, too, then I have a few more. Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell (especially Stand Alone Complex) is just awesome - smart, attractive, competent, and in charge (ok, Chief Aramaki's -technically- in charge, but Motoko makes all the field decisions). Kara Thrace (Starbuck, of Battlestar Galactica) is great, too, with the whole tough, badass, and take-no-lip-even-from-commanders thing. Come to think of it, quite a few of the BSG women stand out for me, but especially Starbuck (and Six, to a slightly lesser degree).
Which authors write women characters well?
Well, I'm not really well versed in fantasy authors, I'm afraid (I tend to read series so it's the same author for quite a while), but I seem to recall that Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind wrote women pretty well...but it -has- been quite a while since I read any of their stuff, so it may just be a case of remembering the good and forgetting the bad parts.
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Unfortunately in movies, TV, and videogames, Vasquez Still Always(well, frequently) Dies. That's one trope that still infuriates. They get a better hand dealt in literature to a degree at least.
Pfft. That's hardly fair at all. Meatheads always die, whether they are male or female meatheads. Whoever wrote that piece doesn't know what they're talking about, they're seeing everything skewed througha feminist lens and thus engaging in a whole lot of epic fail.
The author is correct that "If one woman is wearing combat boots and fatigues, and the other is wearing a miniskirt and high heels, the one in sensible footgear is going to die." But the author fails to connect that to its corresponding trope: "If one man is a trained ex-Navy seal, and the other man is a nebbish librarian who can't throw a punch, the nebbish librarian will beat the bad guy, get the girl, and mourn the heroic death of his warrior companion."
Characters like Vasquez don't die because of some misogynistic hatred of women soldiers, characters like Vasquez die because those who live by the sword die by the sword is the single most common trope in fiction. Violent people come to violent ends, and the meek inherit the earth.
And because they are supporting characters. Being a militaristic supporting character is the kiss of death in a action film. The reality is that it's the male Vasquezs who get the anonymous deaths. They're the guys who get whacked in large numbers in the alien hive, the guys who have zero character development and only exist to illustrate the ineptitude of the marine commander. The Vasquezes at least get to go out in a blaze of glory like a proper Spartan/Viking/warrior archetype. You never seen a female warrior character who just gets whacked anonymously, except in maybe the Barbarian Queen movies.
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Characters like Vasquez don't die because of some misogynistic hatred of women soldiers, characters like Vasquez die because those who live by the sword die by the sword is the single most common trope in fiction. Violent people come to violent ends, and the meek inherit the earth.And because they are supporting characters. Being a militaristic supporting character is the kiss of death in a action film. The reality is that it's the male Vasquezs who get the anonymous deaths. They're the guys who get whacked in large numbers in the alien hive, the guys who have zero character development and only exist to illustrate the ineptitude of the marine commander. The Vasquezes at least get to go out in a blaze of glory like a proper Spartan/Viking/warrior archetype. You never seen a female warrior character who just gets whacked anonymously, except in maybe the Barbarian Queen movies.
Kind of like how Spielberg killed off Muldoon in the original Jurassic Park, despite him being a key character in the book (and my favorite!). While I'm on the subject, try and figure out how many women get killed in the movie - the answer is none to my knowledge. The movie is one big sexist man-eating (literally) romp. ;)
EDIT: I would like to point out in relation to the Vasquez article, that Aliens vs. Predator Requiem completely disregards these tropes. The older capable army woman with a child survives, but the young attractive love interest gets toasted.
To respond to another question from the OP:
"What characters do you like to play?"
I play female characters about once every fourth game as a player, but all the time as a DM. My two favorites as a player or DM would have to be:
Ealissa Varturian (f human cleric of Wee Jas) -
The first female character I played, and my second character ever. She had a demeanour of a no-nonsense, hard nosed guardian, but at her heart she just wanted people to understand her emotions. She would get into awkward situations like pretending to use her sexuality to get her way, which would put off the party members, make her feel guilty but at the same time it was the only time she could break out of the shell she had created for herself.
Delrana (f human cleric of Nerull (NPC)
Probably my most memorable female NPC, she was an NPC in the town of Drellin's Ferry in Red Hand of Doom. She had murdered several prominent local people over the months leading up to the campaign start, even supplanting the local stable-owner and operating a death cult out of her home. She had the disturbing trait of wearing a slip made of human flesh under her gowns, used contact poison on her lips, and concealed a dagger in her hair. One of the PCs actually went along with her overt sexual advances, which almost led to his demise in a dark inn room if his friends hadn't come to rescue him with a few well placed web spells.
I'll have to second Del from Roberson's Sword Dancer books. I would also add Kit (The Blue Lady)from the Dragonlance books (on my mind at the moment because I'm listening to a dragonlance novel during my commute at the moment). Hmm.
How about Jiana from Heroing by Daffyd ab Hugh? I loved her.
For a science fiction one, I like Elizabeth Bear's Jenny Casey.
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Also, just wanted to be the first to say "Granny Weatherwax".
Arg beat me too it, oh well I'll still one up you and say that Nanny Ogg would be a great DnD character and is really well written if you've met someone like her (which I have).
But then Pratchett rights awesome female characters, Tiffany Aching, Cheery Littlebottom, Sergeant Angua, the list can go on and on with Pratchett.
Also wanted to put this out there, Polgara the Sorceress from David Eddings belgariad series is an awesome female character.
Me personally I try to play women characters as real as possible, usually to counteract seeing some other guy play a lame as hell dominatrix again and again, seriously, why do guys want to roleplay a female as slutty just cause they can't get a girl.
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Aeryn Sun (Farscape)
Faith (Buffy, also Cordelia and Anya, from the same series, as well as the Buffy and Willow of the first three seasons)
Mara of the Acoma (Daughter of Empire)
Sybel ( Forgotten Beasts of Eld)
Lt. Ellen Ripley (in the first two Alien/Aliens movies, where her gender is a non-issue and she's the one who *doesn't* get impregnated by the xenos)
Sarah Conner (in T2, where she's a butt-kicker who stands on her own. Not so fond of the T1 hapless victim presentation.)
From the comics, the pre-mohawk version of Storm who was serene and self-assured, and yet had a backbone of steel. When she became contemptuous of everyone around her and 'put up her armor,' she felt scared and broken, overcompensating by pushing people away. At some point the writers mistook 'strong' for 'angry black chick.'
She-Hulk, so often a bastion of confidence and snark.
Emma Frost. She's the Cordelia of the X-Men. Love her, and her bantering with Kitty during the recent Astonishing run made me actually like Kitty, whom I've never been a fan of.
Of the X-folk-by-association, my probable favorite is Dr. Cecilia Reyes, a doctor who happens to be a mutant, but spends most of her time doctoring, rather than parading around in spandex.
Rahne, from X-Factor, was literally the soul and moral center of the team. I'm not sure the book will survive without her. [Siryn, on the other hand, is like the poster-child for everything I hate. She's an alcoholic, she's a 'she' character with no powers or origin of her own other than to be the 'she-Banshee,' she's the one with all sorts of fears and doubts, she's the one that gets tied up and tortured, she's the one who gets pregnant. Ugh.]
Janet Van Dyne / the Wasp. A fashion plate (and professional designer) who was famous for changing her costume weekly, if not daily, and one of the most effective team leaders the Avengers have ever had. Sadly abandoned in the modern day, but that's probably for the best, since today's writers would probably have her killed to jumpstart some male characters plot.
From Star Trek;
Uhura in the Mirror Universe, flirting with and then slapping evil Sulu? All kinds of funny.
Tasha Yar. I could have done without the backstory and the 'rape gangs,' but she was a fascinating character (more interesting than Worf, IMO).
Jadzia Dax. [comicbookguy]Best. Star Trek character. EVER.[/comicbookguy] Pity the next actress to play the Dax character couldn't fill her shoes and played Dax as a fluttery wimp.
Kira Nerys. Very cool character, except when she's Intendent Kira from the Mirror Universe, in which case she's amazing.
[No honorable mention to Breast of Nine or that Vulcan-in-a-catsuit from Enterprise. Yes, pretty to look at, but not the best characters, IMO. Woman with super-strength does not equal 'strong female character.']
The Malazan Book Of The Fallen (Steven Erikson) is full of powerful female chracters, too many to list. Soldiers, mages, dragons, gods.
The Empress is Laseen. Her military leader is Adjunct Tavore. Hellian, Smiles, Feather Witch, Sinn, Aspalar, Lostara Yil, Seren Pedac, Tattersail, etc.
http://www.malazanempire.com/site/index.shtml
Kabuki from Kabuki (comic) By David Mack
Dizzy Cordova from 100 Bullets (comic) by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
Kei Nagase from Ace Combat 5
Tifa Lockheart from Final Fantasy 7
Samus Aran from Metroid Series
Lots more though. Generally wise all of these ladies are strong and independent. All easy on the eyes aswell, but that's more of afterthought really.
Also, just wanted to be the first to say "Granny Weatherwax".
Weatherwax indeed kicks serious ***. Tiffany is also pretty butt kicking. I had forgotten about Polgara, she's quite the tough one.
I'll kick one more out. Kitai from the Codex Alera, she's a little ball of dynamite.
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Also, just wanted to be the first to say "Granny Weatherwax".
Arg beat me too it, oh well I'll still one up you and say that Nanny Ogg would be a great DnD character and is really well written if you've met someone like her (which I have).
But then Pratchett rights awesome female characters, Tiffany Aching, Cheery Littlebottom, Sergeant Angua, the list can go on and on with Pratchett.
Let's not forget Susan from Hogfather. I love Susan. She's brainy and practical. She doesn't need anyone's help to get anything done. And everyone knows to not get in her way.
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Sarah Conner (in T2, where she's a b#&*-kicker who stands on her own. Not so fond of the T1 hapless victim presentation.)
Sarah Connor is awesome. The mom every guys wishes he had.
T1 is the story of how Sarah Connor became a badass. And given the whole Terminator mythology, the story wouldn't make much sense if you didn't start it with when Sarah Connor met Kyle Reese.
I was really glad when they announced they were doing a Terminator series that it would be about Sarah Connor. In actuality, the show has been a bit of a let down -- its really more about John Connor and his robot girlfriend -- but maybe they'll have more focus on Sarah in the second season.
... I think our culture where it's de rigeur for a racist to deny their own racism, is the fault: ...Pulling this threadjack a little farther. It amazes me how I can live in China, have so many Chinese friends, and appreciate the Chinese culture yet almost daily, in reaction to the peculiar frustrations of daily life here, I still generate more than my share of racist remarks, more of them than I ever remember making when I lived back in Canada.
Critical discourse analysts have studied how denials of racism often accompany racist spans of discourse, eg., "I'm not racist but ...".
Van Dijk says it best: "One of the crucial properties of contemporary racism is its denial" (van Dijk, 1992, p. 87).
The first time I really thought about whiteness as a race was when I did some volunteering at a Boys and Girls club. It was a really productive experience for me. It sounds like China is for you too.
This chick had like Spanish racism, and I kind of got the sense that it wasn't something that got challeneged much back in Spain. Pretty much everybody I met in Europe was really racist, but not like American racist. American racists are like "White good, black bad." In Europe it was more "Polish people are boring and dull, Lithuanians will rob you blind, Germans are fat lazy tourist bastards, those Slovakians were rubbish anyways, Canadians are cheap, but not as cheap as Brits, and Americans are such incredible dopes with money." If you can't guess, I lived in the Czech Republic.
Ah. Like the time when Archie Bunker filled out his ballot based on his ethnic stereotypes of who would be good for the job.
Actually, it's a feature of the sci-fi of the 1950s as a number of movies featured the split on whether the egg-head or the military man is the right hero, with movies taking on one or the other. I imagine that foolish egg-head trope has continued, as he again and again gets murdered by the aliens he should never have trusted. Xenophobia is also a pretty ancient narrative structure in literature.
Hermione Granger (The only thing that kept me in that series was rooting for her and Snape. I hates Harry so much.)
Pakesenarrion (One of the few novels that I've read that violate my "no torture" rule and didn't get thrown against a wall.)
Willow, Tara, Buffy, Drusilla, Joyce Summers, and Faith. (Buffy's a great female just warrior re-imagined. I love that they take Buffy off the pedestal and make viewers have to think without blindly following the title character. I also like the fact that we're always a little on the outside of her as viewers once she starts to grow up and become more complex. I love Faith as a villain with a completely legitimate grudge. I've never loved a villain more than when Drusilla wiped the floor with Kendra. Go goth girl go! And Tara... great life, an even better death. And Willow, such an involved and involuted character. As for Joyce, you don't see her heroism until everything falls apart when she's gone.)
Kaylee Frye, and, to a lesser degree, Zoe and Inara. (Best engineer ever. Zoe's got a great sense of humor and has a better military mind than Mal. Inara actually makes for a viable figure of a feminist prostitute, against all odds.)
Not sure if this counts on sex or genre grounds, but Genly of Left Hand of Darkness.
Sarah Conner (I like both the first and the growth to the second.)
Morgan Le Fey (The Mists of Avalon)
Kara Thrace, Laura Roslin, and Number 6 (Battlestar Galactica: best thing on TV, with The Wire running a close second. Kara's a great rake, Laura Roslin's a wonderful schemer, and Number 6 is trying to live her way out of her monstrous innocence. A great coming of age tale for her.)
Polgara the Sorceress (a complex mother figure)
Veronica Mars. Do not piss her off.
For me, the standard of greatness, is when a character becomes more than a fiction, even as they remain fictional. They have a life all their own. Willow and Buffy meet that very stringent standard. I've not fully thought through whether Veronica, Moran le Fey, and Laura Roslin quite reach that standard for me.
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I've never loved a villain more than when Drusilla wiped the floor with Kendra. Go goth girl go!
Joss decided to go with the hypnotism / claw swipe thing in that scene because *he forgot that Juliet Landau was a kickboxer / fitness nut!* She later mentioned regretting that they didn't have a big fight scene with kickin' and punchin' and he was like, 'DOH!'
And how did I forget Zoe, from Firefly? Every single time she outsnarks or outfights boring old Mal, I yearn for something awful to happen to him and her to be in command of that ship!
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Jirel of Joiry definitely gets my vote. And as for Polgara, a quote from her comes to mind. "If he has been harmed, strong men will tremble at the memory of your fate for a thousand years to come." Now that's a threat!
Sarah Connor was awesome, and I like the new take on her in the TV series. Yep, in the beginning of T1 she was an ordinary girl, but she found her strength and overcame her unstoppable foe.
Red Sonja was always enjoyable, even if her armor had only marginal protective qualities. ;o)
Shkai'ra and Megan from S.M. Stirling and Shirley Meier were a great pair of strong female characters.
Elektra from Marvel Comics was a favorite from the start. How can you not like a badass ninja girl?
I've never loved a villain more than when Drusilla wiped the floor with Kendra. Go goth girl go!Joss decided to go with the hypnotism / claw swipe thing in that scene because *he forgot that Juliet Landau was a kickboxer / fitness nut!* She later mentioned regretting that they didn't have a big fight scene with kickin' and punchin' and he was like, 'DOH!'
Incidentally, do you have a source for that anecdote? I teach a course on Buffy and I'd love to use it.