#whoever wins they're all winners to me including the ones that didn't make the shortlist

[quantomeno]

I was tagged by @speedygoreman to do this.

As far as I can tell, you're meant to pick from one of my favourite female characters. You can use whatever criteria you like, or just pick the only one you know.

I'll put info about them under a read me because some of them might be a bit not well known, in case you want to weigh up why I like them before you pick.

Also you can only put 12 options so not only have I had to pick only one character from each book/show/game, I have had to leave out a lot of really good female characters I love. This is cruel and mean.

Hahli: it was a toss-up between Hahli and Gali but ultimately I feel Hahli has better moments. Whether she's flirting with Jaller, facing down Karzahni, showing off her more brutal side in the Pit or sharing a quiet moment of reflection with Kopeke, she is amazing.

Clarice Bean: Lauren Child writes such fun characters and Clarice Bean is no exception. I also love the way she talks and I still say "etc etc non-non-stop" and "naming no names, i.e. Grace Grapello". If I were the sort of person who'd diagnose fictional characters, I'd say she comes across as having ADHD (to some extent) and her diary entries are full of little tangents and day dreams.

Bunnie: OK she's only on here because I used to pretend she was my girlfriend in Wild World. Then my younger sibling started a new game (in retrospect, giving a 5 year old (thereabouts) free reign of a DS was poor judgement, but still) and she was gone forever. Until she showed up in the campsite in New Horizons and now we are reunited and our houses are next door to each other. She's so cute and sweet and I love her.

Vera: she is a hard-nosed detective with occasionally unorthodox techniques and an intuition that never misses. She is also an avid birdwatcher and she loves a cup of tea. She calls everyone pet or love and while she might look a bit like a grandmother, you underestimate her at your peril. Also she said trans rights (I'm not joking about this).

Katara: I really like water-themed female characters and so I was drawn to Katara the instant I saw her as a child. I feel she was better in my memory of her than when I rewatched the show, but she is still so cool. Like Hahli, she is a perfect water-themed character: she can be both calm and soothing, but when she's angry she can bring the full force of the ocean.

Lynne: no one has faced death as much as she has and kept such a bright attitude about everything. She's fiery and I love her and Sissel's banter. I just really like girls with energy and she has it in spades.

Ema Skye: enthusiastic, aspiring forensic scientist Ema is fun and all, but jaded detective Ema who hates her job is better. I love her interactions with Apollo and Klavier and it's fun to see her become a little less grouchy as the game progresses. She hasn't quite lost the spark from her youth and I like when it bubbles to the surface.

Fluttershy: she's cute and I relate to her being pretty shy myself but also really wanting to be kind and help others. Fluttershy does have her ups and downs in terms of stories she gets saddled with, and I would say I prefer watching Rarity over her, but Fluttershy has my heart and she is just too cute.

Emmy: I think Level 5 made a good choice pairing her with Layton because she fills the willing-to-resort-to-violence-if-necessary niche that Luke and Layton were missing. Also I love how she teases Luke and is competing with a literal child. She's strong, clever and even has a tragic backstory. What's not to love?

Josie: this book has a special place in my heart and so it was inevitable that I put Giuseppina on this list. I love her introspection, and I relate to her feelings a lot. I'd say more but then I'd start talking about myself too much. But she's such a romantic and it is such a joy to watch her develop her sense of self as the book progresses.

Elaine: I want to make it clear that I think all of the Seinfeld quartet are not good people, but that is the point of the show. Elaine is the part of us that wants to do good, that feels guilt but it's too much effort, or our actions fall short. She's not one to back down though and that's why I love her. She can be so pathetic and downtrodden, but can also be so biting and acerbic. She is just so fun to watch.

Lara Jean: when I first read this book I thought, wow, I am Lara Jean. She's a romantic and a daydreamer, but she is happiest at home baking or doing crafts. Not that I bake or do crafts as much as she does, but you get what I mean. Her pining ("longing is its own kind of perverse delight") just really made me empathise with her. Anyway I'm not here to talk about my unrequited crushes or about the times I've sent letters to people that told them I had crushes on them. She's another one I don't want to discuss too much because then I'll be discussing myself, but yeah, I like her a lot.