So I was randomly wasting time on YouTuBe when I came across
a top ten fictional boyfriends tag, which was interesting in of itself. But
then I wondered if there was an equivalent for girlfriends. A quick search
revealed one video on top ten boyfriends and girlfriends tag, which quickly
dissolved into a top ten fictional couples tag. I had better luck with Google,
where I came across a few top ten best lists, (followed by some top ten worst
lists), and I got in a perusal before my head started ticking.
Readers, not just on the Book Lantern, but in general, have
commented on the deficit in quality female relationships depicted in mainstream
media, and in YA in particular. I did not, however, realise that this kind of
problem extended into the blogosphere (or maybe no-one ever thought to bring up
a fictional girlfriends tag.) Why, though? Even at the worst of it, for every
annoying heroine, there seems to be one we like. Surely, then, we can find ten
ladies we want to be friends/girlfriends/it’s-complicated with.
This is where this list comes in. I went through my shelves
and, sure enough, quickly came up with quite a few examples of girls I want to
be friends with. However, rather than rate them in a top ten manner, I decided
to showcase some of the variety of possible female relationships that can be
done. Thus, dear fledging and not-so-fledging writers, you no longer have the
excuse of not knowing how women interact.
As this is a girlfriends list, I’m only including those whom
I think I, personally, think I would make a meaningful connection with. Some of
my favourite badasses won’t be making it up here, not because I don’t want them
to, but there is a difference between Idol, Role Model, Favourite Wish
Fulfilment, and One You Love to Hate. Some of them make it. Others do not. As
such, no Fever Crumb or Hester Shaw, even though I love both of them, and also
I’ll be limiting myself to one lady per franchise because, let’s face it, Terry
Pratchett’s characters would make up a rather disproportionate number here.
Finally, Ima tag some people at the bottom of this post
because I want this hastag to spread (let’s see if that happens,) so you might
wanna read on to see if it happens.
Now with that out of the way…
The One Who Will Have
Your Back
Kicking off this list is Jack from Zoe Marriott’s “The Night
Itself.” (And yes, Jack is a girl.) Best friend to protagonist Mio, and
all-around-badass, Jack is the kind of friend who stays with you at a party
because she knows it’s not your scene and doesn’t want you bored, looks after
you if you overindulge, and makes sure you make it safely home in the end of
the night. She’s funny and understanding, but also calls you out on your BS if
she sees you. And, even though the supernatural stuff may freak her out
(understandably so,) she won’t hesitate to strap on a weapon and march into the
heart of the battle to help her loved ones.
The One Who Is So
Like You, It’s Uncanny
Ever meet someone and you just click? Like, not only do you
think similarly, but you have almost the same tastes, and even some of your
life experiences are the same? The kind of person that, were it not painfully
obvious, you would have thought you found a long-lost twin? In my case, this is
Bria from Kirsten Hubbard’s “Wanderlove.”
In all seriousness, that book made me cry, the first time I
read it. Part of it was the poignancy of the story, but I don’t think it would
have hit so close to home had it not been for Bria, who was so much like me, it
hurt. Like me, she was forced to give up a dream and re-evaluate her plans
after life screwed her over. Like me, she was pissed off because no-one – not
her family, not her friends – seemed to give her any sympathy. Like me, she had
to step outside of the feeling in order to objectively evaluate things, and the
way she took around it, her very thoughts and prejudices, were so much like
mine, it was like I was reading about myself.
And no, that does not make me a fair judge of that book, and
no, I don’t care one bit.
The One Who Is So
Unlike You, You Would Never Think You’d Be Friends
Harmony from “Bumped.” I
don’t feel like I need to explain that one, given how many posts I’ve
made deconstructing that book (and I’m not even halfway through yet,) but for
reference, here are some of the main points:
Harmony comes from a very different background from mine,
and, had I not seen some of the action through her eyes, I would have never,
ever, understood her. She’s the kind of person you just don’t know how to
handle. At the same time, though, she has the same core values as me – someone
who helps others and who strives to do the right thing, someone who is confused
by the complexities of life and tries to make sense of them while holding onto
the illusions of childhood. It’s definitely something I can relate to, but the
very different approaches Harmony might take from me are what makes a possible
friendship so difficult.
The One You Want to
Slap Sometimes
If we’re talking unlikable characters, Jeane Smith from
“Adorkable” would have been my pick. But Jeane is too much of a recluse for
that – she pushes people away and she’s quite okay with that, thank you very
much (or is she?) She’s not as in-your-face as some other girls I have known,
which makes her more like Bria to me.
So who fits this bill better?
I’d say Alona Dare from “The Ghost and the Goth.”
From the start, Alona is about as cuddly as a hedgehog. A
self-absorbed cheerleader and queen bee, she remains just as haughty and
arrogant after death as she is before it. She treats people like they’re
servants that are put on this Earth to bow to her every whim, thus alienating
them and making herself look untouchable, which makes her a lot like Jeane. Unlike
Jeane, however, Alona goes beyond words, doing things over the course of the
series that will make you both horrified, and strangely admiring. She’s a girl
who does some really terrible, selfish things, and yet is willing to admit to
being wrong and works towards making amends. She’s a friend you can’t stand,
yet love at the same time.
The One Who Will
Always Do The Right Thing, Even If You Hate Her For It
There’s always someone who feels older than her stated years,
or at least someone who behaves as if she’s always seeing the universe from the
outside, never as a participant. And it was hard for me to decide which one of
Terry Pratchett’s ladies I want to befriend most (because I want to befriend them
all) but in the end, I wanna go with Tiffany Aching from “The Wee Free Men”, “A
Hat Full of Sky”, “Wintersmith” and “I Shall Wear Midnight.” (Susan Death was a
close second.)
The reason why is probably because Tiffany is one of the
youngest witches, and as such, we see her making mistakes and be human before
she reaches Granny Weatherwax levels of awesome in her final novel. Much as I
love all the witches, (and the women from the Watch, and the ones from
Monstrous Regiment, and Susan, and Lady Sybill,) Tiffany was the one I
identified most, and she was the one who constantly evolved with each story. And
Tiffany’s attitude of getting things done is definitely something I love, even
if sometimes, it makes her seem kind of detached from the rest of humanity.
The Frenemy
Emily Kane from “Heart-Shaped Bruise” by Tanya Byrne. This
one’s slightly difficult because she’s a frenemy to a certain character, and
try as I might, I can’t see myself identifying with Juliet (who was, in many
ways, infuriating.) But Emily’s capacity for feeling is what makes her burn so
bright on the page, and I think she will easily take it into her daily life.
That same power of feeling is what sets her apart from the
one you want to slap sometimes – Alona sets herself apart, Emily is right there
with you. Alona builds walls to stop herself from being hurt, Emily jumps head
first. She loves you and hates you with all her heart, which makes a
relationship even scarier.
The Ones Who Have
Something Unbreakable
Bit of a cheat here, but Julie and Maddie from “Code Name
Verity” are that. These are the friends who are bound together by something so
strong, you can never be part of it, and you can never truly understand it. And
no, I’m not talking about a romantic relationship either (though those do
happen sometimes.) Julie and Maddie befriend each other during WWII and they go
through a series of truly traumatic experiences together. They do things that
change them forever and make them reconsider the very foundations of what makes
them human. They’re the kind of friends you can only guess about, but who make
your world more complete.
The Childhood Friend
Pippi Longstocking. Self-explanatory.
The Crush
There’s always one friend you’re not sure how you feel
about. To me, that’s Lyrael from Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom novels (although Fever
Crumb comes a close second.) Much like Bria, I identified with Lyrael to an
extent, but what really pushes her into crush territory for me is how much I
admired her for her attitude. Girl faces demons, learns magic through a crash
course to fix her mistakes, and goes around exploring by herself. Badass. Also,
her way of handling unwanted male attention rang a little too close to home. I
FEEL YOUR PAIN, LUV!
The Mystery
Holly Hogan from “Solace of the Road” by Siobhan Dowd. I
feel like I’ve waxed poetic enough about this book (so why aren’t y’all reading
it yet?) but Holly is the kind of friend that is always a little bit of a mystery
to you. Not a queen like Alona, not a frenemy like Emily, but a kind of quiet
presence that unexpectedly swallows you whole. It’s complicated. You need to
read the book.
The Underdog
Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Betcha didn’t see that coming!
Bit of a surprise to me as well, but the more I thought about
it, the more it fit. She moans and complains and cries, then makes pervy
remarks about cute boys, but personally, I like someone who keeps it real.
Being a ghost, Myrtle is out of fucks to give, and don’t we always have a
friend like that? Even if they sometimes overstep their boundaries, we can’t
imagine how life would be without them. They’re the ones who give the best
surprises. (See also: Neville Longbottom.)
So that’s my ten (eleven) top fictional girlfriends, and
because I want more people to celebrate ladies and friendship, I’m tagging
Whitley Birks, Zoe Marriott and Katie Babs, because they’re awesome and I’m
nosy and want to see who they pick. If you can’t find a perfect fit for all the
categories, you don’t have to, but maybe at least three?
And everyone else who wants to participate, of course.
Rock on, #topfictionalgirlfriends!
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