Ace's Year of Heroines

A year-long project, started on a whim, about my favorite heroines, one a day for 365 days. Let's see if I can do it!

[yearofheroines]

Jean Grey (X-Men Evolution)

Day 122

X-Men Evolution is my favorite adaptation of the comics, and that's where my favorite Jean Grey comes from. She's just a teenager in this show, but she's still pretty powerful, and the important thing, at least to me, is that that's not all she is. The show strikes a great balance showing the power blossoming in Jean, and the teenager just living her life. The best part is that she's a still an actual person outside of her tremendous power, and that's the best way to write a character like that. I like that Jean is a pretty, popular, powerful teenager who is still intelligent, kind-hearted, and a great leader, well-rounded and amazing.

[yearofheroines]

Cordelia Chase

Day 121

The best thing about Cordelia is that while she does grow and evolve as a person, she’s still fundamentally herself. She starts as your stereotypical mean high school girl, but she does change and grow. She becomes this amazing woman dedicated to helping people while never letting anyone walk all over her. She, quite literally, speaks her mind, and while she seems like a ditz sometimes, she does know when to take things seriously.

In one of my favorite Cordelia moments, in season one there’s this episode when a ghost is trying to get her to kill herself by verbally berating her and beating her down, but she finds strength in being “the nastiest girl at Sunnydale High” and uses that strength to beat the ghost and save the day. I love her strength and power, that she’s independent with an iron core and loves her family so deeply. I love her so much.

[yearofheroines]

Princess Buttercup

Day 120

You know, in this day and age, Buttercup’s pessimism is so relatable.

I don’t think Buttercup is as personality-less as a lot of people make her out to be. True, she doesn’t do a lot and has to be rescued by Wesley, but that’s her role in this fairy tale, and she doesn’t really have a lot of power anyway in the context of the story.

But even still, she’s not completely passive. She doesn’t pick up a sword and fight, but she doesn’t shy away from telling Prince Humperdink exactly what she thinks of him, and even when she’s been kidnapped and being held captive, even with Wesley initially, she’s very vocal about how she feels and her opinions about everyone.

Not to mention that it’s really clear that throughout a large majority of the film she's suffering from depression. I make jokes about how the fairy tale princess who wears all the pretty dresses is suuuuper pessimistic, but really, she’s just very obviously depressed. When she thought she lost her one true love, it really broke her, and who could blame her for that? The way she drifts through, it’s like Wesley’s death left her a shell of a woman, and when she realizes that he’s really alive and then everything that happens, I’m not gonna be mad that she’s not a sword-swinging badass.

As I got older, revisiting this movie made me see Buttercup in a whole new light, and I really appreciate her a lot more now. As much as I love the other characters, and what’s not to love about them, I have to say that I really relate to Buttercup the most.

[yearofheroines]

Casey Newton

Day 119

I liked Tomorrowland. I did. And I really liked Casey, this Chaotic Good teenager who just wants to know what we can do to fix things. What I really liked and thought was unique was that her character is almost treated like a chosen one, but not really. She’s not the hero that will swoop in and solve everything and everyone’s problems, she’s just proof that maybe we aren’t completely lost. She’s not A Chosen One, but she can still save the day by showing what we can do too. I like that she’s confident and sure of her abilities, and wants to do anything she can to save the day.

[yearofheroines]

Sam Montgomery

Day 118

Second favorite Cinderella movie, and not just because of sheer nostalgia. Sam is very realistic, as a Cinderella, as a teenager, and as a heroine. She’s an abusive household (which is the only thing I don’t like about modern Cinderella movies, the abuse that the Cinderella character goes through is mostly played for laughs), which has just about worn her down, but she still puts up a fight and stands up for herself as best as she can. I like that she doesn’t put with the people who treat her wrong at school, and one of my favorite tropes is when the main character calls out the Prince Charming love interest on all his bullcrap.

[yearofheroines]

Josey Cirrini

Day 117

The Sugar Queen is my favorite book of all time, and Sarah Addison Allen is criminally underrated. Her books take place in the normal world, but there are small elements of magic that just make the story more enchanting. For example, in this story, there’s a character who, whenever she needs it, is followed by books, or a family who don’t make promises easily, because they physically can’t break them.

Josey is the main character, a woman in her late twenties trapped in a terrible situation, and one that is very relatable, at least to me. I don’t want to spoil the plot too much because the book is that good, but Josey is stuck in this very unhealthy living situation with her mother. She’s unhappy, but feels she has to stay with her mother due to how she acted when she was a kid, until something magical happens that shakes up her world, and she eventually realizes that she’s never going to be happy, but deserves to be, and she goes and gets her happy ending. And as someone in her mid-twenties who’s struggling to remember that she deserves to be happy too, this story means a lot to me.

[yearofheroines]

Cait

Day 116

Cait is a companion you can meet in Fallout 4. She’s a fighter in the Combat Zone, and after having a couple different companions, she might be my favorite. She’s a pretty tragic character, a woman who had to fight tooth and nail to survive, whose abusive parents sold her to slavers when she was eighteen, she was with them for five years, and joined the Combat Zone (which was a place people paid to watch fights) for three years. And as you journey with her, she shares more and more of her story, even more than what I just mentioned. I don’t want to spoil more of it in case you want to play the game with her. She is a great companion, and the different choices you make that she either likes or dislikes really speak to her character. She’s cynical and thinks people should take care of themselves, but she’s not completely heartless, and is willing to help when she can. Obviously, the rules and morals are going to be different in a post-apocalyptic world, and I think Cait is a good example of this.

[yearofheroines]

Gracie Hart

Day 115

Miss Congeniality is one of my ultimate I-Feel-Terrible-About-Things movies. I’m not smart enough to get into the early 2000s not quite feminism-feminism thing that goes on in it. I think I get what it’s trying to do, but again, I’m not smart enough to fully get into it, so I’ll let smarter people do it. I’m just gonna talk the main character and how much I love her.

I think Gracie’s transformation is less about her physical makeover, it’s about her realizing she doesn’t have to be alone. True, she’s an FBI agent, and one that takes her job damn seriously and is proud to have, but it feels like an excuse to self-isolate. And while she doesn’t have a lot of respect for pageants in and of themselves, she doesn’t treat the women there with contempt or condescension. She’s a little awkward around them, but she’s an awkward person and it’s a type of lifestyle she’s not used to. And the other contestants are just kind to her, not in a lazy screenwriting way to prove that pageant women aren’t all just brainless bimbos, which helps Gracie self-actualize that there’s no wrong way to be a woman and finally opening up to others. And while she does the whole transformation into a conventionally more attractive woman, it’s for a job to save lives, and she doesn’t really change who she is because of it.

[yearofheroines]

Melinda Gordon

Day 114

The thing I liked most Melinda, and Ghost Whisperer in general, is that Melinda was a fully grown adult who had her stuff together. As much as I like stories about character growth and all that, I will be honest that I also like stories where the main character starts off as comfortable and used to their gifts so that we can just skip right to the whole, “I’m using my powers to help people” bits.

And another thing I like is that while Melinda doesn’t go out looking for ghosts to help and is just trying to live her life, she doesn’t shy away when they come to her and immediately does everything she can to help them, and whenever she meets someone with the same ability, she encourages them to do the same.

Can we also get a round of applause for Melinda and Jim’s marriage? Because yesss I love this marriage. I love that they both get along so well and barely fight, and Jim supports her no matter what, and understands when she has to help the ghosts. And she’s just as supportive and loving, and it’s such a relief to watch a happily married couple who get along so well and I don’t have to worry about them splitting up. I know that things happened but I don’t mind it.

[yearofheroines]

Dayna Stenson

Day 113

Look. You need to see When Good Ghouls Go Bad. It is probably THE best Halloween movie made.

Dayna is one of the main characters of the movie but when I first watched it I figured that Dayna was going to be the bland love interest character who was just there to get kidnapped and saved by the main boy character or something. But no (I’m sorry I’m giggling right now) no that’s not the case. And I hate to give any spoilers here because I genuinely think that people should watch this movie as blind as possible, but I have to give a teeny bit in order to explain why Dayna is just amazing.

So, Dayna is just a background character the first few times she shows up, she’s a cheerleader that the main character, Danny, has a crush on, but then when someone he knows dies, Dayna comes up to him and you think that she’s just gonna give him some stock comforting words, but instead her first words of the movie is a philosophical monologue about how death is actually kinda cool when you think about it, and she describes in length the decomposing aspect and that eventually you’ll return to the earth you came from, leaving a memory of the place you took up in other people’s lives, calling it a reverse miracle about how beautiful it all it is.

AND THEN, she takes Danny to a haunted house she spearheaded and created with some of the other kids in town (they’ve pretty much banned Halloween because of a superstition) because she believes if you don’t get to survive being scared as a kid, how could you survive as an adult, because, and I quote, “When there’s so much more to be scared of.”

Like?!???? Who is this girl and why is she now who I wish I was as a kid?! She’s amazing, again, you think Dayna’s just gonna be this generic love interest but instead she has all these big speeches about the nature of life and death and she helps out with all the bizarre crap going on and she’s just amazing! Definitely a true RL Stine character, yet not one you’d expect in a kid’s Halloween movie, and she, not to mention the movie itself, deserves more appreciation.

[yearofheroines]

Moana

Day 112

I think Moana was the last Disney movie I saw in theaters, even before this whole pandemic hit. Not only was it hilarious and just absolutely beautiful to see on the big screen, but Moana herself was a great breath of fresh air. There were a few times when I thought it was going to go in a kinda cringy meta way, where she’ll make a note to mention that she’s “not like those other Disney Princesses,” like how they would eventually make that Belle’s only characteristic in the Beauty and the Beast remake. And yeah, there was one or two moments when they go slightly in that direction, but thankfully Moana stays as her own strong, amazing character. What I mean is that I expected her to take no interest in her future leadership role and not bothering learning how to help her people because of her dream of going to the ocean. But instead, she goes on the journey to help her people, and before the journey itself she’s shown helping people herself, and showing an aptitude for leadership, which is very much appreciated for her character.

[yearofheroines]

Vicki Dubcek

Day 111

Vicki was my favorite part of 3rd Rock. This woman made me bust out laughing every time she appeared and her relationship with Harry was incredibly funny and really sweet in a way that was all their own. She was so beautifully herself and completely amazing. True, she left Harry to go back to the Home Planet and shacked up with the Big Giant Head and that kinda of upset me because Harry and Vicki are my OTP, but I still love her.

[yearofheroines]

Martha Jones

Day 110

None of us appreciate Martha Jones as much as she deserves. This woman was in a fairly unhealthy friendship with the Doctor: more than once they find themselves stuck in the past and she has to get a job to support or look after him, yet he barely sees or registers that she’s there. I know he was still mourning the loss of Rose, but dude you cannot be that dense. And the best thing about Martha is that she didn’t just take it. The entire time she was very vocal about how she should be treated better and that she wasn’t there to be walked over. And dammit, she saved the world, and told the Doctor that she needed to get out of a pretty toxic place, yet still told him to call her if he needed her.

I really liked Martha’s role on the show, I just wish that the Doctor paid more attention to her or gave her the kudos that she deserved.

[yearofheroines]

Carrie White

Day 109

One thing that always struck with me about Carrie is that during the famous prom scene is that she actually runs away after the pigs blood is dropped on her, then goes back and slams the doors shut with her powers, then proceeds to watch her classmates die... which is infinitely more chilling and scary than what’s shown in any of the movies where she automatically kills them in a fit of rage.

Carrie’s one of my favorite Stephen King characters, and I think she’s a lot stronger and braver than she or anyone else gives her credit for. She deals with her incredibly abusive and horrible mother on a daily basis before going to school and being horribly bullied by her classmates. It’s just... she didn’t deserve the stuff that happened to her, and while it’s satisfying that she gets her revenge... it’s more tragic than anything else. It’s just so incredibly sad that this relatively normal girl is pushed to breaking by everyone in her life, and while that normally would lead to a life filled with therapy, the girl happens to have a powerful telekinetic ability that leads to the destruction of an entire town.

[yearofheroines]

Violet Baudelaire

Day 108

Man, I’m ashamed of myself. Violet Baudelaire was my favorite character when I was growing up. When I moved into my own place and got a cat, I named her Violet after Violet Baudelaire! And I’m only just now getting around to her!

So, we all know that the Series of Unfortunate Events movie is not terribly faithful to the books, which are superior in every way, I kinda give it a pass, because I love the cast and set design, and this is probably Colleen Atwoods’ best costuming work, Jim Carrey could’ve been a decent Olaf if they toned down the over the top goofiness because the few times he’s allowed to be creepy it really works.

But you know what I can’t forgive? That in the very first book, it’s VIOLET who tricks every adult there by exploiting a loophole by signing the marriage contract with her left hand instead of her right, NOT by KLAUS finding a giant magnifying glass and just... burning up the certificate! Just WHY?!!!!!!

Okay, moving on.

Violet is an incredibly genius inventor who can MacGyver her way through anything with anything on hand. When their parents die, she is taking care of her younger siblings to the best of her ability while they are passed around from guardian to guardian, trying to avoid someone who is attempting to either steal from or kill them. And she’s FOURTEEN.

(Her and Max Ride would get along really well....)

[yearofheroines]

Robin Buckley

Day 107

To be perfectly candid, I wasn’t gonna watch the third season of Stranger Things. I thought season two wrapped things up pretty well, and I didn’t really want to see more convoluted stuff. The show’s fine, but I kinda have a short attention span when it comes to tv and shows that follow like fifteen different story lines that eventually coalesce in the final episode really don’t do it for me.

But I saw all the gifs and the coming out scene for Robin, so I broke down and eventually watched it. And yeah, I like Robin, who is probably the only person with her head screwed on right.

She’s kinda who I wish I was in high school, and nowadays if I’m honest. Confident in a chill way while still having insecurities that are there but don’t get in the way. Bravery and intelligence that is an actual core of her character and not just something that is told to us. The show has a lot of great female characters, and like, I think, a lot of people, Robin is probably my favorite.

[yearofheroines]

Evie McLaren

Day 106

You know, I think Evie is literally the only person in Mako Mermaids and H2o: Just Add Water to question how people who turn into mermaids on contact with water actually, you know, clean themselves. And we STILL don’t know the answer!

But you know what? I like Evie. Hella underappreciated character in the shows. Starts as this kinda uptight character who’s a little concerned that her boyfriend is spending a lot of time with a mysterious new girl, but she eventually learns the truth. Side note, I do really appreciate that Evie and Zac have such a good relationship that’s built on friendship, trust, and respect. Honestly, I like their relationship more than Zane and Rikki or Cleo and Lewis.

When she becomes a mermaid, it’s because she dove without gear into the ocean in near darkness to find a cave to help her merman boyfriend against two other mermaids. And she struggles with having to lie to her best friend and becomes good friends with the other mermaids, which I also appreciate, friendship between women (something the original show struggled with but don’t get me started on that). I really liked her in the later seasons where she’s learning magic and having genuine fun with it (then she goes and loses her tail which is absolute bullcrap because they didn’t show after defeating the water dragon when all the mermaids get their tails back)(shut up that’s my headcanon).