...

[lyssie]

Steps 7 and 8, people. PAY ATTENTION TO THEM. IF YOU PULL THIS, I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE.

Step 7. Explain to your friends list how you like this one movie/show and the woman (possibly plural) in it because it subverts gender types and tropes, and how AWESOME it is, but how sad you are that you can never talk about it (or women) because everyone you know is a boyslasher. And you wouldn't want to dare harsh their squee by talking about vaginas.

Step 8. Be comforted that all of your comments will be replies telling you that there are only a few well-written women, and they're the only ones anyone can like. Badly-written women are so common, after all, and even if the men are badly-written, they're easier to understand (boys are so awesome, squee, did you know about that minor male character/male character in two seconds of that one episode Big Bang? Wasn't it wonderful?).

Particularly the bolded bit.

Comments

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

Oh lord, do I want to know where this is?

Nevermind I think I saw it. Good fucking grief.

[ultranos-fic.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to wonder if drowning myself in a bucket of bleach isn't less painful.

SOME PEOPLE.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

It could be more painful. But! Think of never having this revolving door conversation again! why did I fall for it, this time around? *headdesks

[dashakay.livejournal.com]

I don't get it. I DON'T GET IT, OKAY.

Sorry to shout, but I don't.

I'm not saying that our male-dominated media doesn't have problems writing decent women. They often fail. But, to use TV as an example, there are plenty of shows that have/had interesting, frequently well-written women. And some of us get involved in certain fandoms because of those interesting, frequently well-written women.* The reason why I got so heavily involved with X-Files and BSG (which has more awesome women than you can count on fingers and toes) is because of the women. I wanted to think about them, talk about them, write about them and squee about them.

In my newish fandom, Big Bang Theory, the main (and really only) female character, Penny is sometimes extremely well-written and and sometimes it's pure *headdesk* time. (For example, we're into S3 AND SHE STILL DOESN'T HAVE A LAST NAME.) But another thing I love about fandom is how we sometimes subvert the failure in writing and go off on our own, creating history and backstory and motivation for our characters. Most of the really good BBT fic writers take a lot of care to do this with Penny, instead of dismissing her outright and focusing on the guy. In fact, a new comm just started, penny_career that solely deals with fanworks and discussion about Penny and her acting career and any time she's being a BAMF in general.

*Not to say that being involved with fandom primarily for the women is superior to being in it for the guys. Just that I don't buy excuses like "There aren't any good women!" when I can think of plenty of fandoms that do have followings built around women.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

HAH.

Yeah, media is sometimes awful with women. And I don't think that women can hang it better? But... er, variety and feedback are GOOD. And it has gotten better.

I am SO glad Penny has a following. She was one of the awesome things about the episode I watched. =D

Sometimes, I wonder if I should sit down and write out my thoughts and start mailing them to show writers. Just to see if it does any good, or if they ignore them. Sigh.

And BSG is awesome for its women, even if there were bits where it really failed at them? It still had a LOT, and they influenced the plot.

[scifiaddict86.livejournal.com]

Who is this idiot exactly?

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Nonono. I already snapped at them. I am good. I am zen. I have chocolate and should possibly check on the potatoes.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*plots*

[havocthecat]

LAURA CADMAN IS NOT AMUSED.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

I KNOW. Also, she is missing Atlantis.

[havocthecat]

I firmly believe that Cadman is in the process of hijacking a ship to fly to Atlantis. Because, for fuck's sake, that's where she belongs.

[ladielazarus.livejournal.com]

Like I said, even with as clueless as I've been the last few days, I can't believe that there are people stupid enough to claim that there aren't well-written women out there, or that women aren't interesting.

Ridic.

Oh, and also, the 'not wanting to upset slashers' bit... For serious? Wow.

Head? Meet desk.

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know, darlin'. It has just been a recurring conversation, and after a while, there is no response other than rage.

(I still can't believe I managed that slashers bit of hyperbole. *facepalm*)

[amaresu]

In regards to 7: I have plans to do epic pimping posts for both St. Trinians and Make It or Break It. This is not a problem. (I did kinda want to smack the person who was talking about how they couldn't talk about their love of Whip It though.)

I've not seen anyone on my flist commit 8 and I hope to never have that. Despite seeing it said I still can't believe people say it.

[lizbee.livejournal.com]

WHIP IT WAS AWESOME. ASIDE FROM THE FACT THAT REAL ROLLER DERBY IS MORE EXCITING THAN IT LOOKED THERE, AND THE SWIMMING SCENE WENT TOO LONG. *handwave*

[amaresu]

I've not seen it myself becaue I am poor and can't afford to go to the theater. But I do want to see it.

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

I moved it up to the top of my Netflix queue after all the discussion of it. :)

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

WHOOT! My roommate watched St. Trinians recently, and I want to see Whip It (I would go gay for Drew shamelessly), but I am ridiculously crap at managing to see movies in the theatre.

I keep meaning to sit down and picspam/talk about more women.

I don't think I've seen anyone on my flist do it before, but I've seen it in some of the wider discussions around this.

[amaresu]

I have plans for picspam and stuff. I shall do it tomorrow as I will have time. It will be awesome. Or at least have rambling squee because I've watched the thing twice in as many days.

I need to see Whip It. It does look fantastic.

[crazedturkey.livejournal.com]

St. Trinians is awesome :D.

[emmiere.livejournal.com]

See, I understand that this is written in a language I supposedly understand, but it. makes. no. sense. Huh?

*cuddles your earlier character list for reassurance*

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

*g* I need to update that sucker. When... I am not eating and pondering bed.

[stexgirl2000.livejournal.com]

I will hand you the boxing gloves if you need to punch someone. (Because really, you shouldn't hurt your own hand while punching someone in the face.) :firm nod:

[dkphoenix.livejournal.com]

I think that you tend to find what you're looking for, and those that say there are no interesting women in fiction aren't looking hard enough, or just don't want to find them. Because there are compelling female characters as far back as fucking Shakespeare.

[iainjcoleman.livejournal.com]

There are compelling female characters as far back as Aeschylus.

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

As far back as the Bible (Leah, Ruth, etc.). As far back as Gilgamesh.

Pretty far fucking back, in other words.

[curlyjo1.livejournal.com]

OR when the "OMG, Boy 1/Boy 2!!!11@!!!" gets into a discussion of the het ship you like?

Someone posted scans of a nice, romantic Wonder Girl/Superboy scene from Adventure comics. It did not take long for it to get to, "OMG, now he needs to go cuddle Tim, squee!" *headdesk*

I know it's scans_daily, but there was nothing slashy there.

[the-jackalope.livejournal.com]

How you don't reach through the computer and strangle some people I'll never know. I mean aside from the whole impossibile thing, we're ignoring that.