solrocknroll Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 If you write a female character that's interested in sex, some people will call her a slut. If you write a girly girl, some people will accuse you of pushing a stereotype. If you write a female character that have flaws and show weakness, some people will say you think women are weak. Writting female characters can be a risky thing to do. And to be honest, I'm rather tired of the tomboy or the tough stoic girl archetype. I mean, I don't have a problem with these archetypes, but these days everytime I see a female protagonist that's a tomboy or tough girl, every other character will gush over her, saying how amazing she is. Examples are Lighting from FE13, Milla from Tales of Xillia, Athena from Ace Attorney, Lyn from FE7 and so on. Seriously, everytime there's a tomboy as the main character, everyone seems to love her, and she will be an amazing girl that never makes mistakes. Athena is a tomboy or is stoic? Not seeing how that definition fits her tbh Athena is plenty girly with her friendship with Juniper. She's certainly peppy and for the most part* wears her heart on her sleeve. She's energetic but not really tomboyish. *of course barring one spoilery plot point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunwoo Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) If you write a female character that's interested in sex, some people will call her a slut. If you write a girly girl, some people will accuse you of pushing a stereotype. If you write a female character that have flaws and show weakness, some people will say you think women are weak. Writting female characters can be a risky thing to do. And to be honest, I'm rather tired of the tomboy or the tough stoic girl archetype. I mean, I don't have a problem with these archetypes, but these days everytime I see a female protagonist that's a tomboy or tough girl, every other character will gush over her, saying how amazing she is. Examples are Lighting from FE13, Milla from Tales of Xillia, Athena from Ace Attorney, Lyn from FE7 and so on. Seriously, everytime there's a tomboy as the main character, everyone seems to love her, and she will be an amazing girl that never makes mistakes. Here's a nice little hint for writing women: WE'RE PEOPLE. That's really all there is to it. You don't have to make it more complicated that that. Edited January 19, 2016 by Sunwoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryhard Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Unfortunately a lot of people do make it more complicated then that, both writers and consumers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Oh, don't worry, there's far too many people out there who think that women are another species or something! But on a more serious note, I think that the world-building and culture within a video game have something to do with it. If the in-world culture has a lot of women who stay home and cook, then the woman who's out beating up monsters is going to look like a tomboy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loki Laufeyson Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Here's a nice little hint for writing women: WE'RE PEOPLE. That's really all there is to it. You don't have to make it more complicated that that. exactly. If you have to consciously try to place her into an archetype or fill some sort of quota, you are doing it wrong. Theres a lot of fictional works that do it wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angienessyo Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Just as I would ask for a topping on my bread sandwich, I must ask - What behavior did Korra actually have that was bashed? Also, I heard Legend of Korra is quite good. Should I watch it? And if yes, should I re-watch the original Avatar series first to refresh my memory? You totally should watch it! The first 2 seasons aren't quite as strong because they kind of get bogged down with a really dumb love triangle. But the 3rd and 4th seasons are so great it's absolutely worth it. As for things people criticized Korra over, people were mad she was more about brute force/kicking ass asking questions later so a lot of people called her bitchy in the first 2 seasons. But if she were a male character, she likely wouldn't have gotten the same criticism because a lot of things she did were the kinds of things popular male characters do all the time. Fortunately pretty much any legitimate or not legitimate flaw she had gets resolved through the series as she learns and grows as a character. As for what I meant when I said there aren't as many well written female characters in anime...a lot of female characters in anime are written with a male audience in mind. More female characters doesn't necessarily mean there will be more well written ones. Because they're often written to appeal to men, how they act is based completely around tropes and things men will like. For example smart glasses girl, shy girl that's also super busty, childhood friend, class president, etc. That doesn't mean I think the anime that do this are bad, I still love shows that are totally guilty of pandering to men and otaku. (I love Kill la Kill but I'm not going to tell you it's well written or is a great representation of women haha) That's just the business, they have to make money off BDs and figures so a lot of anime is trying to attract that crowd. And even shoujo can be guilty of this but in reverse. Do any dudes actually act like the dudes in shoujo? Nah, they're there specifically because that's what the female audience wants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Alear Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 It's all because of the madonna wore complex. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) You totally should watch it! The first 2 seasons aren't quite as strong because they kind of get bogged down with a really dumb love triangle. But the 3rd and 4th seasons are so great it's absolutely worth it. As for things people criticized Korra over, people were mad she was more about brute force/kicking ass asking questions later so a lot of people called her bitchy in the first 2 seasons. But if she were a male character, she likely wouldn't have gotten the same criticism because a lot of things she did were the kinds of things popular male characters do all the time. Fortunately pretty much any legitimate or not legitimate flaw she had gets resolved through the series as she learns and grows as a character. I don't think a lot of the complaints Korra got were because she was female and acting that way more than it was because she was the opposite of Aang and that the series came off a lot less mature than the original, despite having older characters and an older audience in mind. The former happens a lot with sequels that have different leads, especially when directly following a beloved series lol. I was watching the series when it aired and that's always the impression I got, anyway. I'm sure that some people did feel the way you described as well, though. @ Zera: Korra doesn't really compare favorably to TLA imo, and I had similar issues with the first two seasons as Angie described, but I still think it's well worth the watch in hindsight too. It's not like TLA didn't have its own problems (Aang/Katara drama is so cringe, but thankfully not forced down our throats), the Avatar writers just have issues writing relationship/romance drama it seems - and especially TIMING that drama. The final seasons are a huge improvement. Edited January 19, 2016 by Tangerine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ϲharlie Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 misread prudes and prunes I would much rather read a topic about media portraying women as prunes tbh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Refa Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Depending on the demographic, you'll get badly-written women who cater to even worse fantasies (go check out Idea Factory's stuff), You can't trust Idea Fuck with anything these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Alear Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 lol spectral forces genesis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peener weener Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Korra season 3 was imo some of the best the avatar franchise has to offer. The first season was bogged down by insufferable shoehorned in, shoddily written teenage romance drama and the last season had a really strong beginning and ending but an imo weak and incohesive middle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I.M. Gei Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 sure sucks for whomever had to clean up after p'li Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Alear Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Who knows how powerful those combustions were? Might not be much to clean up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solrocknroll Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 sure sucks for whomever had to clean up after p'li i think you mean [spoiler=spoiler idk]sure sucks for anyone who had to clean up p'li Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Alear Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 i think you mean [spoiler=spoiler idk]sure sucks for anyone who had to clean up p'li That's what he meant but what he said already was better due to a slight degree of subtlety, IMO. When I read it I went "who's p'li?" and then when I googled I was like "oh lol her." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Water Mage Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 To be honest, my point wasn't archetypes, it was just to use an example, my point was that it always seems that female characters are usually the ones being critized on how they are portrayed. Of course I know there are male characters that are also critized, but the critics usually focus on female characters. I know there's good for reason for this, and maybe I'm the one in the wrong. Perhaps I'm going nowhere with this, but sometimes I feel that when it come writing females characters, writers, both male and female, are too scared of offending someone, and it leads to female characters not being used to her full potential. Simply put, I wish the writers would be more daring when it comes to female characters. Then again, I may be reading the wrongs works, and there are writers that are more daring when it comes to female characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightmare Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 An old man and his grandson were travelling together. The old man was riding on a donkey, while the grandson was walking in front. When the people saw them, they were disgusted at how the selfish old man was riding the donkey and letting the poor child go on foot. So they decided to switch places, but the people were disgusted that the bratty child wasn't allowing his weak grandfather to ride on the donkey. So they decided to both ride the donkey, and the people were disgusted that they're wearing the poor animal out with all that burden. So they decided to both go on foot, and the people made fun of them for not making use of the ride they have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) To be honest, my point wasn't archetypes, it was just to use an example, my point was that it always seems that female characters are usually the ones being critized on how they are portrayed. Of course I know there are male characters that are also critized, but the critics usually focus on female characters. I know there's good for reason for this, and maybe I'm the one in the wrong. Perhaps I'm going nowhere with this, but sometimes I feel that when it come writing females characters, writers, both male and female, are too scared of offending someone, and it leads to female characters not being used to her full potential. Simply put, I wish the writers would be more daring when it comes to female characters. Then again, I may be reading the wrongs works, and there are writers that are more daring when it comes to female characters. 20 years ago, show called Xena was the most watched show on television and featured a multidimensional female lead; don't get much more daring in the 90s either! There are certainly writers out there unafraid to "offend" people by writing women as if they were human (imagine that!), lol. As for men, they're criticized just as much. You can find ridiculous criticisms for several popular male characters in any medium. They're certainly not looked past, it's just how people are. Edited January 19, 2016 by Tangerine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chen Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 An old man and his grandson were travelling together. The old man was riding on a donkey, while the grandson was walking in front. When the people saw them, they were disgusted at how the selfish old man was riding the donkey and letting the poor child go on foot. So they decided to switch places, but the people were disgusted that the bratty child wasn't allowing his weak grandfather to ride on the donkey. So they decided to both ride the donkey, and the people were disgusted that they're wearing the poor animal out with all that burden. So they decided to both go on foot, and the people made fun of them for not making use of the ride they have. should have used a plane! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightmare Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 should have used a plane! exactly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkhead Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) I dont know what youre talking about. Youre mistaking it for the fact they simply arent sluts. Prudes are cute, anyway. Edited January 19, 2016 by Soul o: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunwoo Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) misread prudes and prunes I would much rather read a topic about media portraying women as prunes tbh Never change, Charlie Edited January 19, 2016 by Sunwoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrostyFireMage Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 Because most writers are horny nerds that portray women as pure goddesses with no flaws Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryhard Posted January 19, 2016 Share Posted January 19, 2016 (edited) Because most writers are horny nerds that portray women as pure goddesses with no flawsDesiring sex is a flaw? I mean, if they were actually horny nerds wouldn't they want to write women that wanted to have sex in the most juvenile way? Edited January 19, 2016 by Tryhard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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