26 Women I Love vs. 26 Men I Love
byGrouped, categorized, and talked about.
Competent, Professional, and Efficient (If you stay out of her shit, she'll stay out of yours; otherwise, she'll fuck your shit up.)
1. Susan Ivanova (B5)
2. Teyla Emmagan (SGA)
3. Barb Henrickson (Big Love)
4. Heylia James (Weeds)
5. Snow White (Fables)
6. Jadzia Dax (Star Trek: DS9)
7. Lisa Cuddy (House MD)
8. Zoe Washburne (Firefly)
9. Sister Pete (Oz)
10. Elizabeth Weir (SGA)
11. Dana Scully (X-Files)
A lot of these women are high-level administrators of one kind or another. And they're either in charge or the second-in-command who's the one who does the practical, shut and execute planning. I wouldn't pick a fight with any of them because you're either going to get your ass kicked literally or shot by Armenians or pwned through God and psychology. You want them to have your back and your bed.
Evil Overlords (Expands her power by fucking your shit up)
12. Lilah Morgan (AtS)
13. Celia Hodes (Weeds)
14. Emma Frost (Marvel)
15. Murphy Brown (Murphy Brown)
16. Lois Henrickson (Big Love)
All these women are in charge or working their way up to being in charge. And none of them are afraid to leave a trail of dead bodies - figuratively or literally - in their wake. Sometimes they're sneaky - Lois and the poison - and other times, they're straight forward - Lilah and Holland Manners' head.
Fun-Loving, but Smarter Than She Looks (Surprises you as she can fuck your shit up)
17. Ellen Tigh (BSG)
18. Jen Walter aka She Hulk (Marvel)
19. Anya Jenkins (BtVS)
20. Cordelia Chase (Buffyverse)
21. Vala Mal Doran (SG-1)
At first glance, you might think they're dumb, but they're not. Foolish perhaps at times. But they're partying and ass kicking. Vala takes a hair dryer with her on missions, but it came in handy for more than just dry hair. They also will do really sincere and heartbreaking acts of self-sacrifice - Ellen kills herself to save Saul and Anya trying to own up for her vengeance.
Is "Better" Than She Realizes (Journeys that are about finding how much she can fuck your shit up)
22. Rene Montoya (DC)
23. Buffy Summers (BtVS)
24. Addison Montgomery (Grey's Anatomy)
25. Jessica Jones (Marvel)
26. Cristina Yang (Grey's Anatomy)
These women all know they're special in a certain way - super powered and the awesome doctors. So they're all set professionally. They're journeying to try to find what makes them as a person special and better. I think Rene and Buffy are the closet to being there and Jessica would be closer if not for Civil War.
The Good Guy (Competent, Professional, Efficient and sometimes the Hero)
1. Charles Gunn (AtS)
2. Evan Lorne (SGA)
3. Eric Foreman (House)
These are the guys that you take home to mom and she loves them. They're loyal and have a few personal flaws, but they can't be perfect. They're the guys that you want to have your back and your bed.
The Accidental Hero (Has emotional problems and wants to be badass so he can't be the Good Guy)
4. Jayne Cobb (Firefly)
5. John Sheppard (SGA)
6. Saul Tigh (BSG)
7. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce (Buffyverse)
8. Brian Kinney (QaF)
9/10. (Cable &) Deadpool (Marvel) (Shut up, they go together.)
11. Ryan O'Reilly (Oz)
12. Greg House (House)
13. Black Adam (DC)
14. Stanley Raymond Kowalski (due South)
They might seem like bad boys, but they're just to weird/smart/emotionally damaged/loyal to be so. Jayne has his hat that his mom knitted. Deadpool is crazy. Sheppard likes ferris wheels. Ryan is a horrible, yet wonderful, big brother. They also end up doing shit that makes them survive life when you think they should be dead/in jail/living on the streets and saves others.
Saves Puppies (Hero who speechifies and is too much of an idealist, which is his greatest strength and flaw)
15. Benton Fraser (due South)
16. Steve Rogers aka Captain America (Marvel)
9/10. Cable (& Deadpool) (Marvel)
17. Alan Shore (Boston Legal)
18. Angel (Buffyverse)
19. Huey Freeman (Boondocks)
20. Jean-Luc Picard (Star Trek: TNG)
21. Bill Adama (BSG)
22. John Sheridan (B5)
I have this thing for the Saves Puppies kind and the speeches these guys make. Wow, can they speechify about life, heroics, and how the universe should be. Some of them cast themselves a little bit like Jesus. All of them are incredibly smart and with the exception of perhaps Sheridan (which I do think has to do with Bruce's acting and personal charisma), all of them have kooky personal relations flaws. Picard can't talk to children and Alan has a tendency to sexually harass women. Huey's a kid and black so no one listens to him and Adama can't talk to his own son.
Achilles Heel (Almost Good Guys or Saves Puppies, but fails)
23. Geordi LaForge (Star Trek: TNG)
24. Rupert Giles (BtVS)
25. G'Kar (B5)
26. Michael Bluth (Arrested Development)
All four of them have far more apparent flaws and dark sides than the Good Guys or Saves Puppies and aren't bad enough to be The Accidental Hero. Giles comes close, but he's purposefully chosen to be good. G'Kar's too violent and reluctant in S5 to be a Saves Puppies. Geordi isn't personable enough to be Good Guy, and Michael isn't as different from his family as he thinks he is.
I find it interesting that all my guys, with the exception of O'Reilly and sometimes Black Adam and Deadpool, are technically white hats where I'm far more flexible to include the female villain. Or does tropes just declare that the type of woman I like is as likely to be a villain as a hero? Or have all my guys just been born into an idealistic place instead of Communist Russia and would they be like Superman in Red Son had they landed somewhere else?
Most of the characters I like have hidden dark sides or weakness that can make them go bad or corrupt them. For many of them, especially the more controlled ones like Dax or Fraser, family is a key trigger. Personal failings is also another big trigger. They often like to right wrongs without anyone knowing. Except the Evil Overlords when they're not being sneaky. The Evil Overlords (and Cristina) tend to want everyone to know.