(no subject)

[meganbmoore]

 For better or for worse, based on a few posts on the f-lists today about shipwars in their fandoms, I've created the LJ user interest liking multiple female characters.  (Though, if there's a better version of this, someone tell me.) 

ETA:  Related interest that's been around for a bit:  all the fictional women you hate.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but "liking female characters" often ends up "there are 15 male and 15 female characters in this property. I like 14 males and 1 female, and hate the other 15. But it counts! Be impressed! I like 1 girl!"

[danyellalot.livejournal.com]

Ah. True. =/ God how I wish it wasn't...

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I always have to bit my tongue when I see posts and comments about hating multiple female characters because they suck, then being impressed with themselves for liking one that fits strict guidelines of what's permissable to be a decent female character(without the application of similar guidelines to males.) Never mind that I usually always like the liked girl...

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

That happens to me all the time, usually with Integra Hellsing. I love her very much but I hate to see her trotted out as the one example of a good female character.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I loved her in the anime. I didn't really plan to read the manga, but a friend made a few comments at A-Kon that made me decide to. (Though...uhm...I haven't yet...)

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

The manga is even crazier. I read it for a while then dropped off for some reason, but it's fun.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I think that's usually the case, unless the "crazy" is a pseudonym for "incomprehensible," in which case, it usually ends up the anime.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

No, this is 'batshit insane.' There's an author's note at the end of one volume featuring two of the characters who just got killed that might be the funniest/wrongest thing I read that year.

[annwyd.livejournal.com]

People who say that generally don't claim to like female characters, though. They're usually quite proud of disliking most of them, because, like, they usually totally suck, because they're not just bad characters but Bad Women, and proclaiming this loudly and dismissively is totally the best way to deal with flaws in their writing.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yup. Which just adds to the irritation. Because...uhm...when I listen to rants about how most suck and it's only natural to nitpick their flaws and hold them to stricter standards than the men, and it totally isn't jealousy if being rescued or pursued by the guys is a factor(Why would the guys like her? How dare she get into a bad situation that she probably couldn't help!), I'm not going to feel very inclined to clap when you declare one worthy...

(Mind you, I don't like every female character ever. It's just that if I don't, I probably don't bother to read/watch more. I'm much more likely to stick with something with girls I like and guys I hate than guys I like and girls I hate. Though neither is really very likely.)

[annwyd.livejournal.com]

Heh, yeah.

I don't like every (female) character ever either, but...yeah, I often don't quite understand why people will be so eager to praise certain aspects of a fiction (i.e. whatever character they most identify with/crush on) and so thoroughly bash others. They were written by the same person, most of the time. Some might be more inspired or better-constructed than others, sure, but in the end, if a character is badly written enough to make me dislike him or her as a character, there are probably going to be other problems with the work as a whole.

But I've long since recognized that most people don't think of characters the way I do.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I mean, if the criticism seemed to be based on the same standards being applied regardless of gender or status as love interest, it wouldn't bother me. But it oh-so-clearly rarely is.