[ SECRET POST #2199 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2199 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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06.
[Dragon Age 2]


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07.
[Baby-sitters Club]


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08.
[The Twelve Kingdoms]


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11.
[Dangan Ronpa]


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12.
[Homestuck]


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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 023 secrets from Secret Submission Post #314.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

10. http://i.imgur.com/rObIl.png

[morieris]

So how does Mars not break this stereotype? I'm asking because I don't know, not trying to be a smartass.

[funyarinpainahat]

The only thing that's coming to mind at the moment is W.I.T.C.H., but I doubt that's the kind of thing you're looking for.

[rmg]

Gunnerkrigg Court would like a word with you.

Also, in LoK, even though Korra isn't really a firebender, firebending kind of dominates her fighting style in a way it never did for Aang.

[(Anonymous)]

I think you would like Daja Kisubo of Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic book.s

[erinptah]

Wait, Sailor Mars is neither of the above. In the anime she's got a temper, which is a typical trait of fire-powered people regardless of gender, but she's often more emotionally mature than the heroine, and there are times when she's Sailor Moon's emotional rock and shoulder to cry on. In the manga she doesn't even have the temper -- instead, she's the admired and elegant "cool beauty" of her school. And in both cases there are moments when she takes a leadership/directing-the-party role, because when she's having reliable visions of the future the others recognize that this is something to be listened to.

[(Anonymous)]

uhh, what? Rei's not childish in Sailor Moon

I mean, she's not the leader, and she's got a bit of a bratty/stuck-up streak (though she's incredibly different depending on whether you're reading the manga or watching the anime) but she's also incredibly loyal to usagi and really seems to care about her friends. She's not quite as mature as she tries to make herself appear, but she's still one of the more mature senshi too. Her temper/'bitchyness' isn't really presented as something she has to get over, either - it's played for laughs at a few moments, but her development is more about learning to accept her flaws, and the flaws of the people around her. She tones it down as the series goes on, but it's still a part of who she is, and that's never presented as a bad thing.

Also, why do you have to try the literal element of fire into this? Decisive headstrong women are seen as 'bitches' while decisive headstrong men are seen as 'badasses.' This isn't news, nor is it tied to pyromancy. I can think of a thousand female characters who are fire-elemental in some ways who don't fit the mold you're talking about, but they're also not really that headstrong or decisive to begin with.

In short, I don't think you really have any idea what the fuck you're talking about.

[(Anonymous)]

Magic Knight Rayearth is exactly the kind of series you seem to be looking for.

[greenvelvetcake]

Can you give us more examples of what you're complaining about? Sure, Azula was a villain, but her two sidekicks were on the side of good and Katara, Suki, and Toph were all pretty "fiery" in their own rights, even if it wasn't their element of choice.

[fingalsanteater]

An accurate critique. I'm trying to think of female fire-elemental who wasn't unreasonable volatile or insane.

Think, though, fire is associated with strong personality traits that are desirable in men and not in women. (Power, strength, fierceness, etc.) Fire is associated with negative stereotypes that are typically associated with women (wrath and unpredictability especially). You need a villain or intense, maybe manic, woman character, fire elemental seems the easiest.

[pengychan]

I'm currently playing Chrono Trigger, so the first character I thought of was Lucca - one of the main characters. She's female, she controls fire, and she's actually pretty level-headed. She comes across as someone with more self-control than the main character, really. XD

[(Anonymous)]

Adventure Time hasn't really had enough episodes yet with Flame Princess in them, but given the series' track record with its other female characters, I'm hopeful.

[(Anonymous)]

But wasn't Zuko go through a whole thing where he had to learn to control his emotions? Maybe fandom thought he was the cool ~bad boy but he had some serious problems he had to get over.

[(Anonymous)]

This is...reaching a wee bit, yes?

The fire-use=hot-head trope really doesn't pull one way or another with gender. Heck, my first thought is Wheeler from Captain Planet.

[insanenoodlyguy]

But in the sequel, Korra regularly uses fire. More then her primary element, from what I can see.

[(Anonymous)]

Linares Inverse from the Slayers might not *technically* be a fire elemental character, since she uses other types of magic, but she does default to fireball, and has the typical fiery personality. And there's no question she's the leader of the show.

Also agreeing on Hikaru from Magic Knights Rayearth mentioned above.

[(Anonymous)]

Okay, someone's probably already mentioned it... but Slayers! Slayers! The main character, Lina Inverse, is pretty much a fire elemental and is a badass heroine.

This

[(Anonymous)]

This is actually kind of funny, because I'm writing an original novel featuring an elemental female character. I was contemplating making her a fire elemental, but she is quite well adjusted and reliable. She's a minor character, but I will definitely keep you thoughts in mind. :)

[yeahscience]

Yeah, I agree that Mars doesn't really fit this. She's a bit antagonistic at the very beginning of Sailor Moon and does get angry sometimes, but she's also the most loyal soldier and is a fierce friend without "getting over" her temper.

Also, Magma in the X-Men Evolution cartoon was definitely angry, but her personality was totally different in the comics.

[(Anonymous)]

Mai from Mai-HiME is a good example. She's the lead character, has a fire elemental, and is one of the most well-developed and level-headed main characters I've ever seen in an anime (plus she has a flying dragon whale mecha spirit thing that shoots massive fireballs).

[(Anonymous)]

Dude, Morningstar from the Elementals!

[othellia]

Seconding the recs for Daja from the Circle of Magic and Hikaru from Magic Knights Rayearth, and tentatively adding Jenna from the Golden Sun trilogy. She's not as present during the first game, but is one of the main characters in the second and is definitely a lot more level headed than the other playable fire adept in the games.

Also like the anon above, I'm also writing a original novel featuring a fire elemental as a main character who breaks the mold you've put up there. So go figure.

[(Anonymous)]

Actually having a temper is often presented as a bad thing in male characters, too. Being reckless, endangering others, overestimating himself, making rash decisions out of good intentions - those are the typical flaws of otherwise heroic male characters.

[ex_paola492]

I'm gonna second (third?) Slayers and Magic Knight Rayearth. Also Faris Sherwiz from FF5 represented the fire element and had a fiery temperament, but it was never shown as something bad.

But I do agree that we need more female fire-users who don't turn out to be either villains or background characters. Also adding that I hate the "MY RECKLESSNESS WILL SAVE US ALL BECAUSE I'M THE LEADER HERO!!!1" trope.

[(Anonymous)]

Uh Mars was badass, loyal and a totally good friend to have when the chips were down, wtf are you talking about?