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I really like Litmus Tests for characters. I'm also rather feminist and I really hate seeing submissive, dopey lead females sucking up all the screentime in my RPGs. I played Grandia II over this past week and found myself disgusted, but the more I thought about it, a lot of RPG main females have a lot of the same problems, just arranged in different flavors.

I found myself being really fed up with female characters in RPGs in general, and so I wrote up a Litmus Test for them. I hope this isn't too out-of-place, feel free to move this if it doesn't belong here.

HOW TO TAKE THIS TEST:

Consider your favorite female character; score her one point for every "Yes" answer, unless otherwise directed.


THE NAME

1. Does her name bear any resemblance to the word 'crystal'?
2. Does it begin with a hard C sound?
3. Does it end with a short A sound?
4. Is it a relatively normal feminine name, but with an unnecessary, yet fashionable "y" in place of a vowel (does not count for romanizations)? (ie, Mylyssa, Lynda, etc)
5. Does it mean something having to do with the concept of purity, holiness, virginity, love, or light?

THE LOOK

1. Does she wear all or mostly white (doctors and nurses count)?
All or mostly pink?

2. Is her outfit generally as wide/ wider than it is long (very wide skirts, poofy pants, extremely short skirts, etc)?

3. Is it impractical for the setting she's in, with needless and potentially cumbersome accessory (stud earrings, short chains/necklaces, and unnecessary non-ring/hoop-shaped-pendant necklaces don't count)?
Is the pendant an important plot-related item?

4. Does the outfit reflect, whether it is a uniform or tailored or has a design, or whatever else, a theme of purity, holiness, virginity, love, or light?
Does it have wings?
Does SHE have wings at any point?
Angel wings?
Is the outfit a uniform?
Is it different from the uniforms that other members of her profession wear?
Is it a uniform that only she wears; ie, she has a named job/rank/profession, but she's the only one ever seen in-game?

5. Is her hair high maintenence (such as complex braid styles, braided buns, or anything else that takes much time to style; use of Anime Hair Gel doesn't count)?
Is it pigtails? (Add two points if they're held in with anything fuzzy, pink, white, cute, or requires a hat or bonnet; girls younger than 12 don't count)

7. Does she wear high heels? (if not, move on to 8.)
If she is regularly in a battle situation, is she capable of physically fighting in them? If not, add 1.
Does she trip while wearing them?

8. Does she have a cute animal companion (does not include lizards, arachnids, or non-butterfly insects)?
A cat or dog?
Revoltingly cute rodent? (add 2 pts)
9. Is she short, very thin, and have expressive, beautiful eyes?
Are they blue?
Does the hero comment on them?

10. Does she ever change outfits through the course of the story?
To a dress?
A party dress?
11. Does she wear unnecessarily revealing clothes? (Tight doesn't count; short and skimpy does)
If she goes to or in lives in a cold climate, does she have no reaction to her lack of preparation for cold weather?

THE SKILLS

1. Is she better with magic than with weapons?
Mostly white magic (healing/ally stat-altering spells?)
ONLY white magic? (add 2 pts)
Because she can't bear to hurt anyone? (add 4 pts)

2. When she uses a weapon, is it a simple one that takes little skill to use (marksmanship aside)? (ie, crossbows, automatic flying disclike things, automatic handguns (rifles don't count), staffs, rods, or other simple, lightweight blunt things you can bash people with)

3. Is her primary concern in battle "healing" or "saving" the enemy?
Even when her life is directly threatened?
Do her peers praise this attitude, despite the fact that they have to save her life due to this behavior, or the fact that the party regularly mows down the enemies she tries to redeem (corrupted humans count)?
When rebuked by someone who disagrees with this viewpoint, does she kneel, sit submissively, cry, or yell at them ineffectually?

4. Do most or all of her special abilities affect the party/herself (not including interchangeable magic- these are skills that the character always has)?
Healing them?
4b. If she has special attacks, are they Holy/Light based?
Are they cute? (Sparkles, bubbles, cute sound effects, butterflies, happy animals, flowers, etc)
Is her highest-level special attack some sort of holy judgment attack?
And it STILL does crappy damage?
5. Does she have a culturally obscure, typically feminine talent that gives others confidence, peace, or other positive influence when she uses it?
Is it singing? (Add 2 points if it catches the hero's interest, add 4 if it has some relevence to the hero's past, add 6 if unity is achieved through her song)
Is she a bad cook, but she tries anyway because she's the girl in the party?
Despite the fact that the party has seasoned adventurers, who presumably had to eat before they met her?
And the rest of the party complains?

6. Does it seem like she's always dying (low defense, low HP, low stamina)?

7. Does she have an uncanny knack for dealing with children and small animals?
Only when the hero is watching?

8. When she fights and suddenly finds it in herself to try even harder, is it only for the sake of her love interest (ie, not because the threat could mean the unravelling of existence itself, etc)?
Does she give up unless he's around to inspire her?

9. When approached by someone/something unsavory, does she back away from it slowly (does not include jumping back out of shock)?
Does she yell for help without trying to fight it off? (add 2)
Does she yell for her love interest? (add 4-- and add an extra 1 if she just screams his name, add an extra 3 if he's not actually present)
If she doesn't back off slowly, does she sit there and cower with trying to get away at all?

THE LOVE

1. Does she have a crush on the hero?
If she's known him for a long time, after being his "little sister" figure?
Does she flirt with him to the point where it becomes obnoxious?
Is he at all interested? (if no, add 5 points)
1a. Does she develop a crush on him even though he treats her poorly? (add 3)
After forgiving him because she finds out about his painful past/crush on her that explains why he's so nasty to her?

2. Does she teach her love interest "how to love" again?
By consistently forgiving or indulging his brooding, cold behavior?
By smiling?

3. Does she help him cope with his dark, painful past?
When there are other, perfectly good, less developed characters who could do it?
Are any of those characters a Best Friend or Mentor figure?

4. Is she naive about her relationship (imagined or real) with her love interest?
Does she angst over it? (add 2)
While something important is going on? (add 5)

5. Does her love interest go through a 180-degree personality change?
Solely because of her actions?
Because he's had to save/protect her periodically since their first meeting? (add 3)

6. Does she cry for him/their relationship?
Because she's afraid that she can't save him/he can't save her?

7. Does she ever need to be rescued from a situation that she ought to be able to get out of on her own?

8. If she ever rescues her love interest, does she do it in a passive way?
By calling out to him, singing, praying, or manifesting in his soul?

THE WOMAN INSIDE

1. Is she naive about the real world?
Does she remain ignorant throughout the course of the game?
1a. Are her goals naive? (I'm going to help everyone!)
Do her goals remain that way over the course of the game, despite experiencing situations that a reasonable person would learn from?
Does she usually despair, blame herself, or run away from the other party members after these situations?
Does the hero comfort her and tell her that she's right to have those naive goals?
Is she mollified by this?

2. Is she sweet, caring, and delicate when left to her own devices?
Does she get teary/mopey during her monologues?

3. Does she form plans that depend on the enemy failing in some way? (falling for a trap or disguise, not noticing that Something Isn't Right Here, etc)
Does she try to carry them out on her own, without telling anyone?
In an attempt to prove herself to her love interest? (add 2)
Resulting in her capture? (add 4)

4. Does everyone in her hometown know her?
Purely on the merits of her kindness, piety, beauty, or sweet nature?
Is she famous without ever having accomplished anything noteworthy (ie, is she ONLY known for being kind, pious, beautiful, or sweet?)

5. Is she highly religious/have a religious or holy theme?
Does she lose her religion/belief system before the end of the game?
Because the religious institution/god is evil?
Is she the last one to realize the instituion/god is evil?
Does it take the highest-ranked member of the institution/meeting the god itself trying to kill her to convince her of this?
If not, does the hero convince her? (+5)

If she does lose or come to disbelieve in her religion, does she fall apart over it?
Does she angst for long periods of time/often?
Does it keep her from participating in discussions about what's going on?
Does she finally come to terms with it with grace and spiritual serenity?
All at once, by way of revelation?
If she has powers based on her religious nature/god/institution, does she retain them after her religion changes?
Does her life change only peripherally? (ie, does she still maintain the same status, profession, uniform, or other lifestyle element, without actually having to learn anything new, or unlearn anything from her religious lifestyle?)

7. Does she hold a power of influence among her own people?
Does she try to exercise it over others who don't know or care who she is?
Is that power based on the fact that she's got connections to someone important, but she has no office or authoritative station otherwise?
Is the important person her father? (If she's a princess, but no mention is ever made of her actually inheriting the throne, add 1.)
Does she get special treatment based on this relationship, despite not wanting to be associated with that person?

8. Does everyone like her?
Because her peers see her as having no faults?
Are her faults not an issue, except in a positive light/in comparison to another female? (ie, "She's much stronger now, isn't she?" or "Wow, that girl's even more annoying than SHE is!") Add 1 if there hasn't been any significant improvement.
Is the hero the only person who acknowledges these faults, but only because he's in love with her and picks on her?
If she has someone who doesn't like her, is it another female character in competition for the hero's love and attention?
Is it a villain?
9. Does she never get angry?
Only in immature, attention-getting arguments with or about her love interest, or at the villain for hurting innocent people?

10. Do any of her unique mannerisms involve curling up in the fetal position, hugging her knees, or putting her hand up against her neck/chest?

11. Does she pout or whine a lot?

12. Does she argue semantics with the villain, or try to reason with him to get him to turn to the good side/see the error of his ways?
Does it WORK?
13. Throughout the course of the story, does she ever do anything of her own volition, by herself, that isn't for the benefit of her love interest/for his sake? (if not, add one point)

14. If she mentions her dreams when she is first introduced into the story, do they change by the end?
Do they now include the love interest?
Have they been discarded completely, because of the love interest? (add 3)
Are they never mentioned again?
15. Does she somehow receive any kind of blessing, advantage, power, magic, ability, etc through her own incompetence?
From a villain? (add 2)
By trying to heal or save him/her?

THE EPILOGUE:

1. At the end of the game, is she or does she become any of the following:

A maid
A nurse
A schoolteacher
A priestess
A traveling entertainer
A saint
A princess (but not a queen)
A caregiver at an orphanage
A housewife
An angel or goddess
The last or the only one of her kind

2. Does she die over the course of the game?
Sacrificing herself for the rest of the party/the world?
Does she come back to life somehow?
Through her bond with her love intereset?


0 - 15 Excellent-- Strong female, awesome.
16 - 30 Good - Nothing wrong with that
31-50 Fair - Meh.
51 - 70 Poor -- ... No.
71+ Failb

Not having any favorites among video-game females, but being somewhat of an equalist (belief of equal rights between most different groups) and looking at the test, I found that many of the questions have absolutely nothing to do with "weakness", but are merely gaming cliches. Take, for instance, the "pendant is an important plot element" thing. It doesn't make a male character weak to have a plot-important accessory, why should it for a female?

Gah, this is great xd I'm testing Penelo, Ashe (ff12) and Ritz (ffta). Simply because they're cool like that. I'll total as I go.

THE NAME

All three pass on the name. Unless we're scoring Ashe's Whole first name, in which case (because Ashelia ends in a short A) Ashe gets one point. She's hardly ever referred to as anything but Ashe though(#3).
(1 pt)

THE LOOK

Ashe wears White with a pink mini-skirt(#1)
She has a miniskirt and a top that reveals her midriff. Skimpy? yes. I don't remember how she responded to snow, but I think she shivered... (#11)
(3 pts)

Penelo has braided pigtails (#5)
Short one-piece bodysuit thing, not too revealing-she shivers in Paramina Rift-no score (#11)
(1 pts)

Ritz is in red and pink(#1)
Er, she gets a special outfit, but it's because she's a main character, not because she's a special fencer, but score anyway(#4).
Ritz has high maintenence hair (dye every morning) until the quest begins-no score (#5).
(2 pts)

THE SKILLS

Ashe is like the party's paladin-she's balanced for magic and weapons, but it is white magic, so score (#1)
Er, her mist abilities are holy-related...(#4b)
Again-a dancer, but she fights more than helps out, no score(#5)
(5 pts)

Penelo is good with magic, but it doesn't really have a type set to her. She's more a red mage than a white one, though...score anyway (#1)
She's a dancer, so her Mist abilities are pretty-no score because they aren't cute (#4b)
(2 pts)

Ritz classifies as a viera, so natural magic bonus, but she's a fencer so she uses a sword no score (#1)
(2 pts)


THE LOVE

Ashe appears to be canonically paired with Balthier, who dubs himself "The Leading Man," however she shows only minimal interest, no score (#1)
She actually has the dark painful past... but Basch also helps resolve that by being Ashe's knight score once(#3)
(6 pts)

Penelo goes on the quest to be with Vaan (the hero), and in the upcoming ff12 sequel they're travelling together, so score twice(#1)
(4 pts)

Ritz there are near non-existent hints of Marche/Ritz, just enough to say maybe (#1)
There are a few missions to help out Ritz, where she and Shara are perfectly capable of obliterating the enemy (#7)
(4 pts)

THE WOMAN INSIDE

Ashe is not naive, but she does quest to save her kingdom, though the way she goes about it is hardly naive no score (#1)
Yes, everyone knows her, but mostly because she's the princess who is supposedly dead score (#4)
Er, she's sorta holy-ish, she works for the Occuria for a bit, too, but then goes against them and decides to win with her own power score one (#5)
She's a princess, but supposedly dead, so yes, and no, no score (#7)
(8 pts)

Penelo is sweet, caring, and not really delicate score (#2)
No one seems to actually dislike Penelo score (# cool
(6 pts)

Ritz fights Marche, but I don't think it was a trap no score. (#3)
She tries to talk the hero out of turning the world back-doesn't work. no score (#12)
(4 pts)

THE EPILOGUE:
No change


0 - 15 Excellent-- Strong female, awesome.
for all three biggrin Woo!

Lin from Saints Row got a 5... figures, she's the smart and stubborn woman

Most of the Final Fantasy girls do pretty poorly on this test.

So far the highest scores on the test were Elena (Grandia II) and Rinoa (FF cool , both 71+

I decided to do Kairi from Kingdom Hearts. I don't really like here, but I'm curious as to how badly she fails. (I'll do seperate scores for her in both games, because her character does change slightly. And she spends most of the first game in a coma, which has got to hurt her score...)

The name

Well, it's the same for both.
Her name does resemble "crystal" in a way (#1)
It begins with a hard C/K (#2)

KHI: 2
KHII: 2

The Look

KHI: She was doing pretty well until #9.
Her skirt is a little short, but not overly so. So that seems to be her only point here.

KHII: She is a solid mass of pink (#1) And again with #9.

KHI: 3
KHII:4

The Skills

KHI: Well, it does seem like she spends most of the game in a death-like state, so I suppose that counts. (#6)

KHII: Well, it's a keyblade. You whack things with it. (#2)
I suppose you could say #8, because she wants to get to Sora. And #9. She backs away slowly until someone gives her something to whack with.

KHI: 4
KHII: 7

The Love

KHI: I would say #1, deffinately. (I laugh at number 2) And she does have to save Sora (#8 )

KHII: #1 still. (Still laughing at #2. And #3 now that I look at it) And she does angst over Sora a bit in the beginning. (#4) And she does require rescue from bad situtations several times, most of which could have been avoided. (#7)

KHI: 6
KHII: 10

The Woman Inside

KHI: You get the impression everyone knows her. (Though it is an island of about 100 people....) (#4) Number 7 is deffinately possible. She is a Princess of Heart. And thus, she does have a great deal of power over the universe ending and such. So this a kind of debatable. I'm going to go with no, it doesn't count. Number 8 for sure. The game itself tries to lead you to believe she has no faults. She does act in a very feminine way as far as #10 goes. I have to say she fails #13.

KHII: Whoa. Seven points there on #3. That's gotta hurt. Everyone in her hometown still knows her. (#4) And she still has no faults. (#8 ) Her mannerisms haven't changed. (#10) And she's trying to prove herself to Sora throughout the game. (#13)

KHI: 10
KHII: 21

The Epilogue

KHI: She does "die" in the game. And comes back to life. (#2)

KHII: Clean here.

KHI: 11
KHII: 21

Final analisis: A strong female in the first game, but she loses a lot of it in the second.

I'd like to just compile a list of games and take the test for each of them.