TO WRITERS, FROM READERS: FEMALE CHARACTERS

TO WRITERS, FROM READERS: FEMALE CHARACTERS
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#femalecharacters #fromreaders #towritersfromreaders

[@viktoriabazyk8193]

the coolest thing about mulan is that she does have to act like a man HOWEVER in the climax her fellow soldiers have to dress up and pretend to be women in turn for the plan to work. the moment when they show the gang in their courtesan disguises, about to scale a wall using the method mulan came up with during the training montage, as "be a man" is playing in the background is one of my favorite moments in the movie (and also probably in cinema history) bc it's such a perfect payoff both narratively and thematically. just ties the gender related themes of the movie together so well. gosh i love mulan😭

[@samsparks4035]

The damsel in distress can work as long as you give the damsel some character, like giving her a personality. 😂

[@rrraven369]

Yes, I don't like this "hating on tropes" attitude no matter how it is written. You can do any trope you want as long it is different enough somehow.

[@amateurcrastinator9523]

I absolutely love the Earthsea miniseries. Kristin Kreuk's character Tenar is the sweetest "good-est" character ever. But when she is betrayed and thrown in the dungeon, she stands strong. She's not a fighter. But when they threaten to torture and kill her, she, very clearly scared, lifts her chin, looks the villains right in the eye, and essentially tells them, "Go right ahead. But the information you want will follow me to my grave.". THAT is a strong character. Eventually, the protagonist, Shawn Ashmore's Ged, comes to rescue her and she is extremely grateful and then helps him defeat the villains. Not by suddenly being a badass warrior. But by doing what she can do.

[@justwonder1404]

Fr, just don't make being in distress the damsel's only purpose in the story and it works like a clock. We love a good rescue plotline.

[@vtrwriter]

I don't remember the movie's name, it was a modern fantasy/comedy where monsters like zombies, werewolves, vampires, etc. lived hidden among humans. And I really liked the twist of the useless damsel in distress. Spoilers: The useless damsel in distress was only pretending to be useless, and was the main villian all along. She was a powerful monster hunter, and allowed herself to be captured so she could absorb the magical mcguffin and gain unparalleled powers.

[@amateurcrastinator9523]

@vtrwriter Oh come on! Ya can't just leave me hangin like that!

[@thejeswith1s]

I’m so sick of reading headstrong/stubborn FMCs…. It’s so overused and it’s frustrating to read because they refuse to take advice(usually from Male characters) and ultimately make poor decisions which lead to some avoidable catastrophic event. What’s worse, is that there usually isn’t much character development following their actions, and they will most likely not learn from their stubbornness!! I would personally like to see more FMCs be more reasonable and trusting, overall see more personal growth and relationship building.

[@bosssavage3325]

But this scenario you wrote is actually IRL reality.

[@MistbornPrincess]

My FMC is headstrong and speaks her mind when goaded but she does suffer a great deal bc of her actions.

[@kingatom904]

Because everyone is brainwashed by feminist propaganda these days. Women aren't supposed to be women anymore.

[@kingatom904]

Because of all the f*minist propaganda going around. Women aren't supposed to behave like women anymore.

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

I actually like stubborn/headstrong FMCs, but when they refuse to even consider being open to any outside influence from anyone ever no matter what and never learn....I feel like that's diverging beyond just stubborn and/or headstrong and right into full-on bullheaded or even outright pigheadedishness, and I really can't stand that either.

[@vivenya]

That comment about people not knowing how to write subtle characters changes without losing the core really hit a spot with me

[@gryranfelt5473]

Honestly, people can’t read subtle character stuff, either 😂

[@AllyEmReads]

One of the best female characters I've read about it a very long time is Yona from the manga Yona of the Dawn. She starts out a spoiled princess, someone who doesn't care much about anything other than her hair and her crush, but she's forced very quickly to grow up and get stronger, and we see her learn so many things, like shoot a bow and arrow and lead an army. She turns into a super strong woman who also recognizes her emotions. She never loses her inner kindness, but instead learns how to turn it into a weapon. She reminds me a lot of Katara from Avatar. Highly recommend Yona of the Dawn!

[@jeyrhum6620]

I agree. At the start of the story Yona was annoying and then her story line growth so well that she became very likable. Specially cause her development feel real for a person and a girl in term of maturity, specific skills, self-confidence, mindset,... and not pure force.

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

Oooh, that's a classic! Personally one of my favorite characters of all times is Shion Sonozaki, from Higurashi (the VN/manga, she's a lot more well developed than in the anime).

[@johnnyritenbaugh1214]

MORE female villains. I grew up absolutely loving Maleficent and the White Witch as some of the coolest characters of all time. That kind of character doesn't seem to exist much anymore. Instead, they are watered down just to be the real victims, and I should actually hate some guy instead? Weird modern villain requirement.

[@emackenzie]

Honestly, I'd love more female villains who aren't r-pists. More villains just in general who aren't as well, but I seem to be stumbling into a lot of books where the female villain starts off promising and then just turns into weaponized sexuality because the author doesn't know what else to do with them. We need more good, well-written female villains

[@laisphinto6372]

Probably the result that villains arent allowed to BE ugly anymore and mostly Look Like gorgous Models. Like Imagining a twisted grandma villains WHO Takes Care of her children by Experimenting ON them Like Frankenstein to improve them

[@acedemi5229]

Yes to this! Give me some more pure evil women

[@emackenzie]

@@laisphinto6372 maleficent and the white witch were both beautiful, I don't think you understood their comment. It's not about physical beauty, it's about their motivations as villains

[@scarletteshadow]

I would like to see more happily, healthily married couples in fantasy...

[@AngelaCSpears]

If you like sweet/clean romance, try A Keen Mind and A Phantom Song. It's a slow burn, but I did try to capture a very healthy family dynamic in that one. Can also recommend Catherine Stein's Love at Second Sight and The Earl on the Train. Hmm, I liked Bet Me by Jennifer Cruisie. She plays with hints of fairytales throughout, but the main plot is Beauty and the Beast with a misunderstanding or two between them.

[@scarletteshadow]

@@AngelaCSpears thank you for the friendly recommendations!

[@lilyanlytle623]

@@AngelaCSpears Where are your books available?

[@faramirbutnothatone]

Faramir and Eowyn from LoTRs tbh. They're not married until later, but their romance is lovely.

[@giuf175]

Personally I think that female characters should be the same as male charactes in that they should span the whole breadth of human experience. Just like men women are individuals with different personalities and experiences and most importantly women are humans. That means women can be anywhere on the spectrum of good and evil, stupid or smart, competent/incompetent, caring/selfish etc etc. As long as theyre fully formed and not a charicature and make sense in the story and world

[@kelleyceccato7025]

A good example of a quiet healer and a loving daughter would be Sorcha from Juliet Marillier's "Daughter of the Forest." Marillier actually does "soft" women characters incredibly well throughout her body of work, especially with the heroines of "Daughter of the Forest," "Son of the Shadows" (both healers), "Wolfskin" (a priestess), and "Foxmask" (a young woman with a talent for embroidery and the textile arts). I really wish this author were more popular, and I'm glad to hear her get a mention in this video.

[@maryjanechilds6138]

So glad to see Juliet Marillier get some recognition! I haven’t read Daughter of the Forest yet, but I loved Harp of Kings and Dance of Fate. It was so refreshing to have a warrior girl allowed to be feminine. And the romance is nicely developed.

[@thegnome73]

I love her! Ever since I finished Wildwood Dancing like 8 years ago I've loved her. I've yet to get to her Sevenwaters series but it is most definitely on my tbr. She writes a lovely sort of softness into her men--well, her male leads at least--that I really love. The emphasis on vulnerability and being good to each other making it safe to fall in love is a through-line theme in her writing that really resonates with me and I eat it up every time

[@Mongoose-n7y]

I am a male writer writing a book with 2 female POVs (3 male). I'm trying really hard to write them well an not fall into some of these cliches. This video helped tremendously, thank you so much 🔥🙏

[@Tamietwist]

It depends. If you write them like how the woman in your life are it will be a lot easier. It also depends on the womans skills, likes and dislikes. For exemple if you are not writing a comming of age woman or a big age gab damsel or villain situationship and write adult woman. I am sure it would be a blast 😊 I hope you have fun writing.

[@19Rena96]

My favorite female character is Nausicaä from the Studio Ghibli movie (and more importantly the Manga) Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. She's is fiercly compassionate and kind towards others, and can also fight for what she believes in and to protect the ones she cares about. The movie is nice but doesn't show her full character as the manga does, i would still recommend watching it though :)

[@natasagajic1061]

I'm currently reading chapter 5 of Nausicaa and I actually think she's basically written as a perfect person and a martyr rather than an interesting character😅 Having everyone - people, creatures and even mold! - fall head over heels for her (albeit more in sense of a messiah rather than a romantic interest) after a single interaction with her makes me roll my eyes every few pages. And of course, she has the exact superpowers she needs to play her role of a savior and a martyr 🙄

[@19Rena96]

@@natasagajic1061 Yes, she is a messiah type of character, but achieving her goals requires a massive amount of effort and struggle on her part and it doesn't come easy just because she is the savior. And you seriously think you can judge a character after only 5 chapters?

[@natasagajic1061]

@@19Rena96 After having read about 700 pages (I'm currently mid second book in the 2 big hardback bindups of the series - which _is_ chapter 5 in these editions)? And having watched the anime? And knowing the story in general? I would say yes, at that point you absolutely _can_ judge a character🙂 I'm glad she works for you as a protagonist ☺ but I just don't get the appeal. And yes, about three quarters into the story, I do think that everything comes pretty easily to her (and especially if you compare what other significant characters of her age have gone through - Asbel, Ketcha or Kushana, take your pick), because she has the _exact_ set of skills (and unreasonable, imo, adoration of others) she needs to succeed. She's in trouble? Other characters sacrifice themselves for her. She tries to sacrifice herself for others? The adversary stays their hand. She cannot speak a language? No problem, she has telepathy! Just to name a few instances among many 😅 Again, I'm glad she works for you ✨, but I can't agree that, for my taste at least, she's an interesting female character 🤔

[@19Rena96]

@@natasagajic1061 People love Nausicaä because of her actions and how she treats others, friend AND foe! Just in real life, kindness and compassion is what compels others to like (and follow) you. Everything you just mentioned is a non issue because that's simply how the story goes and doesn't make her a worse character in the slightest? Just out of curiousity. What are some female characters you consider "well written" ?

[@LunaMia-g6t]

@@natasagajic1061 If Nausicaä gets everything handed to her, 99% of characters in general get it as well.

[@linaria__]

I love these long chatty videos😊 And Mulan is still one of my all time favourite movies, in large part because of the reasons you listed.

[@ebnovels]

After filming this, I wanted to rewatch it 😂 Might have to squeeze that in sometime!

[@katharineelizabeth7689]

At 23:00, remember that for much of recorded human history women did not have much say in who they became a wife to. So a fantasy in which a princess can tame a beast into a prince would be highly valuable amongst women of those time periods.

[@petitmains]

The original Beauty and the Beast novel was written to help condition young aristocrat girls into what their future was going to be. It was a manual on how to try to turn your ogre old man husband into a tolerable partner while keeping track of vital court gossip (the conceit of "Faerie courts" was fleshed out in Beauty and the Beast but we never get that live action movie!)

[@StephanG007]

I think we need more female characters who are genuinely humble and/or tragic. I think of Spiderman who is struggling in his own life, but still sacrifices deeply to serve, normal everyday people. Or Harry Dresden who is extremely hard on himself, and is terrified of what he might turn into, but over and over again he makes difficult choices that cost him deeply because he desperately wants to be someone who will do the right thing, even though he doesn't always know what that means. Too many female characters keep whining about how they 'deserve' more than what life has dealt them, or how unfair society is. Give me more tragic female characters who selflessly sacrifice themselves without getting bitter about it.

[@duvetboa]

Signalis

[@JeanetHenning]

I would love to see this for "Male Love interests/Female love interests" cause I feel like they're their own beasts.

[@dienercontent6872]

I’ve started saying, “we need less strong independent women and more strong competent women” in our stories. Competence is key to me because it’s flexible enough to encompass many attributes without pigeon holing someone into a stereotype. Side note, my author friend, McKenna Rowell, writes some of my favorite female characters. I don’t care much for historical fiction (I prefer science-fiction and fantasy), but she writes excellent characters and stories that I really enjoy reading.

[@mediabunny4016]

That's what l really like about Ilona Andrews' books - everyone is competent! (Men and women, main characters, side characters)

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

​@@mediabunny4016Is there a standalone that I could give a try?

[@LancetheLibrary]

The timing of this is perfect! I'm a male who is currently writing female characters and working on making sure they're primarily nuanced human beings. I agreed with most of the points brought up and it's super helpful seeing these points all laid out in one video. :)

[@oneslikeme]

When you spoke about teeth, all I could think about was a podcast called Welcome to Night Vale. When the character of Carlos arrived, his description was that he had "teeth like a military cemetery". Always loved that description. I'm sure they meant it to mean straight, white rows, but I imagine that it could also include gaps between them. I personally prefer not to read descriptions of things like periods, or other gross things, because reading is escapism for me and I just prefer to leave that kind of thing behind. However, I've never complained about it when I've come across it. If the story is compelling, those kinds of descriptions are not going to ruin anything. And I completely agree that if you are writing a book where someone is going to war, it makes sense to include those details. Or if a writer simply wants to put descriptions of bodily things in their book and periods are the only thing someone complains about, that person needs to reevaluate their priorities.

[@AwkwardBookworm]

lol “end game” is the phrase you were looking for when you’re talking about who the character will be with at the end of the story…maybe lol

[@sakunaruful]

Yes, “End game” is the correct phrase.

[@xianxiaemperor1438]

I think some of the stuff we see in contemporary fiction regarding female characters is a pendulum swing from the previous position of women on extreme end to the other extreme side. Also authors should show both* masculine and feminine aspects of their female characters.

[@veroc86]

I really love the FMC in the YA fantasy series Folk of the Air, Jude Duarte. I think she was a complex character, written pretty well with many emotions and insecurities as a mortal. She discusses her body odor, her injuries (and her injuries do stick around and inhibit her), especially her missing finger tip and all the trauma she's gone through. Her trauma is the reason she does what she does and thinks the way she thinks, but I love how its discussed and she grows from it.

[@abbyk.6410]

the point about the old wise mentor never being a woman is a really good point. If there is such a character, they usually end up being 1 The villain or 2 kidnapped/ unalived just for character and plot motivation. Like an old lady, damsel in distress lol

[@Shadow_0013]

Moiraine from the Wheel Of Time is an incredible female mentor

[@booksandwoollysocks]

Not finished the video yet but shallan is such a great example of the naive character from all angles, with the growth she goes through while keeping the sunny disposition but also the things she’s gone through that maintain her naivety to a degree throughout her personal journey

[@orionsbelt25]

A few years ago I read The Sword of Winter by Marta Randall and the FMC (Lyeth) was really interesting. She was a bit "I'm strong which means I beat things up and have no emotion" but it was because she had a lot of issues with trusting people and being vulnerable which was worked on throughout the book. She also accidentally adopts this boy right at the start and she grows to love and care for him without losing her whole personality to become super maternal and soft. I really loved reading her story

[@JonArrynGarza]

1:01:07 the fact you mention not many fantasy stories having parents that are fathers is actually crazy. Because that’s literally the entire thru-line of my novel lol nice. Also, almost everything in this, is what Ive implemented in it. So, I feel pretty good about writing characters.

[@writerducky2589]

36:20 Injuries, yes! Let them remain and affect the plot. I love well done injuries in books, let me feel the angst, even if I know they'll be fine eventually since they're the mc. (Injuries irl tho can stay away). There's a game "Radiant Hostoria: White Chronicle" (something like that) that actually had a good delivery on this. Early in the game the MC loses his companions and is mortally wounded, but then gets to travel back in time to change what happened. But while the world changes, his own self remains in the same condition he was before he traveled. Meaning he's still mortally wounded. The best part is, while the gameplay had healing mechanics those did not affect the plot injury, so even if he's healed in battle, storywise he's still injured. The situation eventually gets resolved, he collapses and is taken to the doctor, hovers at the door of death for a while and is fine again after some time, with all his friends worrying and telling him not to overdo it. I noticed it particularly because there was another game I'd played before where the character got mortally wounded and started battle with low health, but then was healed in battle and the story wound was magically healed too, and I felt cheated out of my emotions😅

[@sarahlentz507]

After watching this video you should absolutely read the Sevenwaters Triology Juliiete Marillier. It meets so many of the things you said about women of all kinds of personalities, motivations, and all aspects of strength. Not just physical strength. (TW for assault. It's explored so well though, and addresses the complaints in the video)

[@vikillustrations]

the descent into madness/evil is exactly what my female main character is going through in the series I am writing. She starts as a hero, has a villain arc, and then has a realizaton and tries her best to climb back to good

[@mormengil]

I'd love to see more characters who just happen to be female, they do not have to be a love interest, someone who has to prove they rise above their status, someone who is a strong, or anything female. Just a normal character who just is a female and is not defined as "not male"

[@Dragon94760]

I find personalities really interesting to explore because they are determined by both experiences and genetics. I find it really fun to see how two people, maybe siblings, are different or similar because of their experiences. I have two characters, brothers, who are both very similar to their mom, but drastically different from each other. All three are intensely loyal, but one brother is really naive and optimistic, whereas the other is cynical and pessimistic. The mom, who has more rounded experiences, is more in between and tries to see the best in people, but understands that not everyone can be trusted. Anyway.. that is MY rant; I like comparing/contrasting similar characters. It's fun.

[@jaginaiaelectrizs6341]

Thank you for acknowledging that "just like a man" and "just pamper me" can legitimately come from valid or good intentioned places, even we do also need to see my nuance and/or progression away from or beyond just those things now. 🙂 I really don't think shaming these things is the way to actually grow or move beyond them at all in reality. I think looking at them and seeing/understanding/sympathizing/acknowledging where they came from and why and treating it gently[ much like we should do for our flawed/imperfect past/younger selves] for doing the best that it could at a time, in addition to recognizing that it shouldn't just stop there and only there all the time forever, is the only way to really progress. But, I dunno, maybe that's just me or something. 😊💖💖 Completely agree with you on love-triangles, too! With the small added caveat of maybe sometimes it's actually okay if a character is torn between two or more love-interests specifically because when you know you know and they know they love more than just one of them and they just don't know if their love-interests would all feel similarly okay with that but why-choose if not for that possibility-monogamy or even voluntary singledom is all wonderful, but not the only possible options that could be perfectly good and wonderful too; so long as it's all voluntary and informed and consenting, to each their own. 😊

[@docstockandbarrel]

I came from a family of male healers who are protectors, and strong women A type personalities who are also happily homemakers and mothers as their chosen profession. It's always been frustrating to see stories where women are pushed as weak or submissive and stupid for being mothers when my own chose it over a medical career, raised multiple kids to be successful people, refusing to let them fail, fighting challenges against her family, etc. Super complex and amazing character who could be described as many things but never weak, stupid, or submissive.

[@lexi8445]

Dungeon Meshi delivers on a lot of the points raised in this video and everyone should read/watch it!

[@amateurcrastinator9523]

I just want to add that it's also fine to write a story in which nobody is interested in bucking the system or redefining society or traditions. If your story is set in an "old-fashioned" society in which men work and do the warring and women stay home and take care of the kids and the house. It's totally fine if all the characters are on board with it. You don't have to be interested in it as a reader. But that's fine. It's also fine to like it and not want to read a story that is filled with lots of "destroy the patriarchy" messaging.

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

Yes, I agree!!! I myself have a problem with the "woman written by a male autor" being looked down upon. That books are our history. It is so many times sad that book do reflect the time in which they are written, also meaning RL. We should be gratefull we didn't experience some kind of " The Handmaden story" distopial world order in RL but instead world does more forward in so many ways. So let it be please. One doean't need to read those books if one has a problem with it BUT also stop that allmighty judgy looking down upon as well. I want to read about a warrior woman in tight skin-revealing outfit like The Princess of Mars. Also 🤔 why is it a male writer folt that woman is wearing a short pants & wielding a sword on warm Martian climate and not in-book-c?FMC-choice, for example. It does tie in to the above "strong woman acts like man" trope in a way. Thank you for reading my rant.

[@SitiSha-hh4pg]

Yeahhh Also one point I wanna bring up, There’s a funny saying I’ve seen, I don’t remember it accurately so forgive me if I’m wrong, but it was something like; the strongest man of England loses to the weakest woman of Scandinavia, just because of the magnitude of strength it took back then to do chores without the modern conveniences of today. We don’t give the women of the past enough credit for the lives they led. Also feel like back then people had less choice to do as they wanted and follow their dreams, both men and women, they just worked hard and took care of their families ( I’m not talking about the 1800s or even 1700s, I’m saying wayyyyy back when, especially in rural areas where people lived simple lives.) It was just decided to divvy up the chores and workload like that, honestly I respect it. As long as there’s no abuse or taking advantage or laziness, I can respect it.

[@Srbthmlnsmth]

I love these long discussions

[@CathysEnchantedReads]

I'm also missing so much representation for tall female characters. I feel almost every single book has a petite perfect female character that everyone has a crush on.

[@damon5733]

YES! Holy crow is a thing! That was not a typo. 😉 6:10 “Has a tendency to see something that does well, that’s eye opening, creates empathy, it might make people think, etc., to they say, “THAT MADE MONEY! LET’S TO MORE OF THAT!” so they focus on and look for that one thing, because it made money, and do it over and over again.” THIS! So much THIS! I hate how traditional publishing is only in the biz to make money. I have zero doubt there are piles and piles of manuscripts of wonderful stories that get overlooked and rejected because either the plot, the characters, the genre, the sub-plot…. whatever, isn’t what is making money right. Support Self-Publishers! I know there is a lot of crap from the SP world because some authors aren't spending the time/money on editing, beta readers, peer review, etc., but many of us do. We take pride in our work and want to put the absolute best product out there for folks to enjoy, and most of us self-published because our stories aren't what will make money for the trad publishers. Look us up. You might be surprised!

[@okasart]

You have no idea how proud I was of myself after watching this realizing I’m mostly writing this stuff naturally into my story already

[@lasennui]

Ah, the mention of the strong female character who finds someone reliable and feels like, "Oh, thank God. I can leave these heavy responsibilities to this guy/share burdens finally and relax and I don't have to be so strong all the time" - yes. If this was actually written well I'd believe it more often because it's a real feeling that isn't based on gender even. That relief factor of sharing burdens is written better in found family tropes than romance when...honestly, shouldn't some romance be a kind of "found family"? Someone you can trust completely, rely on, has your back, and feels like home? Rather than "man has muscles and a mermaid line, def can trust him and turn into a damsel now." This has been my unsolicited internet person opinion.

[@BookKovers]

38:25 It's a basic stereo type that isn't based on historical facts for every country or time period. Men traveled a lot, especially if they owned a business or were in a position of power: Duke, King, or Earl. Usually it was the woman who was in charge of the business or land (depending on country & time period) well the men where away. In fact some jobs considered to be a men only industry wasn't 100% accurate. I'd recommend the following books for aspiring or current authors of fantasy: 1) A Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones - think of it as a glossary for terms that are clichés in fantasy writing. 2) Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference by multiple authors. 3) Putting the Fact in Fantasy by multiple writers I recommend them all but if you get just 1 of them I'd recommend #3. It talks about men & women rolls, ranks, wounds, etc.

[@petitmains]

Also IDK if this "counts" but if you want the ladies and gents well rounded and human... discworld's Tiffany Aching arc. Some of the best complex nuanced female portrayls by thoughtful men than actual women. Terry Pratchett evolved so hard, but even early protagonists like Conina the girl who wants to be a hairdresser but is genetically gag gifted with Conan the Barbarian level strenghr and warrior ability who takes care of her sweet noodle boyfriend. Then you get Vimes and Lady Sybill as individuals and a parental units. Lady Sybil is breifly a damsel who...saves the day in one instance because of her love of art and law. Vimes literally survives one book because of how devoted a father he is. Tiffany Aching and crew get the whole megillah - crushes had and recovered from, envy too, friends from rivals, friends from old crushes, friends from new crushes! Magic! Clarice Starling is my gold standard. That warped me in the right way as a kid because even at 11 I could see what Harris was doing. Clarice having particular markers of femininity and "taste" show her efforts to be seen as female in her role as an FBI agent. Her intuition and emotional intelligence, and her willingness to watch, wait, and even sacrifice a small part of herself are what crack the case. Not brute force approaches. She recognizes things the men around her sont because shes had to live in the world of men and women by default. Its fucking great work! And then he got super mad and revenge wrote Hannibal!

[@tftf9337]

Balsa from Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Everyone needs Balsa. She is one of my all time favorite FMCs (only talking about the anime because I haven't read the book yet). I love the whole show in general. She gets hired to be a bodyguard for a prince and goes on the run from assassins cause he's possessed by a water demon. She's a strong warrior but she has zero maternal instincts cause she grew up without a mother on the run from assassins with a male body guard. She's good at spear wielding and martial arts but she has whole team working with her. She's got her healer friend (a guy who is super into her but RESPECTS HER CHOICES), a duo of street kids who work as runners, and an old shaman lady who is their sprit world expert. She regularly meets with them for help and to plan what to do. She earns respect from not just being strong with a spear but because of the strength of her character. She also screws up sometimes with decisions and she admits she's wrong and makes an effort to change. We see her challenged physically and we see her struggle with her conviction. She's also still single at the end of the show. Also she's older. It's got a great sub, a great dub, the story's good, there's humor, the show has beautiful art. Please anyone watch it. It needs more love.

[@a.j.kinney7991]

24:37 I also have a problem with saying "female" for the exact same reason. Until watching this video, I haven't heard someone else voice the same concern.

[@JGirDesu]

59:51 love the comment about lack of father MCs in novels. The only one I can recall is “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy, that I surprisingly read in college for a course, and it was a gut-wrenching read. Leaves you feeling empty by the end, and I love it so much as I was so invested in it. What a wild ride

[@Pondemonium89]

I agree with everything and would also like to add my love for the doggy contributions 😂❤

[@LoveBooks-co8gp]

Hey can you make a video about fantasy series with female protagonists

[@ka3lstrom]

I agree on the "bad boy" being a twisted protector. I would add - from what I've seen in a lot of my recent reads with this trope, it's somehow more believable that the "bad boy" would do anything to protect an FMC because they are already familiar with crossing a line into morally grey or downright evil. The image of a shining knight inspires more of a rule follower who may hesitate to protect an FMC if it's at the expense of others.

[@hikarusigma7485]

I, unfortunately, DNFed quite a few books this month due to the exact problems mentioned in this video! I got the idea that the authors (surprisingly most of them are women) want to give us a strong female character, but for some reason they never celebrate the feminism by allowing their character to be a woman. Quite the contrary, they have to wear men's cloth, and/or adopt manly manners, they have to be, or can only be able to be recognized as a strong woman by....being a man? By completely giving up all the feminine features that (should be) celebrated? And unanimously, these FMC did this for survival purposes. I was so annoyed.

[@jessiehermit9503]

Showing older women as main characters is a good reason why Sleeping Beauty is actually a good feminist movie. Also, it was really the older women who defeated Maleficent, not Prince Philip, who is only the pawn.

[@nonnahswriter]

An excellent mad scientist female main character is Maomao from Apothecary Diaries. It's not a fantasy, but a historical drama set in imperial China, but highly recommend it for anyone interested in exploring that time period. I especially love the way the story explores the gender politics and realities women face in imperial China, and the way our main character navigates those realities without beating us over the head is fascinating and such a breath of fresh air.

[@LisaMarieFord]

I agree with overuse of “female” being annoying. Every time I hear it instead of woman or girl I hear the droning old science guy voice, “The female of the species….” 😂

[@kelleyceccato7025]

I hear it in a Ferengi voice, dripping with contempt. Can't stand it.

[@quinn0517]

Ok. I'm gonna be controversial (not really...) Mom characters are an issue. When the mc (or even a important side character) is a mom I have yet to see a story told that doesn't reduce that person down to a person whose only motivation is her children. Her only personality is her children. She is now completely utterly defined by the expectation of being a mother who will sacrifice it all and is only driven by the well-being of their offspring. Wanna save the world? Of course it's for my children! Uhh...or because it's the world? Maybe just need to save the world? It's reductive and irksome. It's that expectation that people lose their personhood once they become a mother. More moms? Yes, please! But if they're mom characters like that? No thanks. I'd rather not.

[@LisaMarieFord]

Why do you consider a mom or a dad character for that matter, saving the world for their children a negative? Saving the world for one’s children doesn’t negate the fact at all that the character saved the world. Becoming a parent should change or alter one’s core and one’s children should be #1 in their life. This doesn’t mean a person loses their personality, but it’s called being responsible and caring. Granted this is my opinion being a person who had one parent like that and another who left their child to focus on her own interests. I think a character putting their own shtuff first and not their kids would be a bad character. There are a number of villain characters that do that. I understand what you mean by the character should not lose their personality by becoming a parent. Becoming a parent should add to a person’s character. However, a character needing to save the world for their child is still the character needing to save the world. Most characters that need to save the world do so for others that they love; even those they haven’t met yet, and oftentimes even for those they do not love. Harry Potter for example; Lily died to try to save him but also she was fighting to save the world. Molly Weasley was fighting and risking her entire family for her children AND the world. Harry was willing to die to save others, everyone else that he could. There are a bunch of books where the FMC or side characters are moms with tons of character to spare AND still put their kids first. I read a lot of romance where this happens a lot, but there’s fantasy too. Have you read the Howl’s Moving Castle Series? Sophie has A LOT of character. Brittany Fichter has some. In her Autumn Fairy Trilogy a mother gives the ultimate sacrifice to save everyone and that happens to include her child. Robin McKinley’s “Spindles End” has Katriona a motherly figure (without giving away the story) and she has plenty of character throughout; even when she goes from a main character to a side character.

[@kingatom904]

Something tells me you are not a mother.

[@PrabhaRaani9]

Agreed!

[@kelleyceccato7025]

Agree completely. You don't stop being a person with your own interests, ideals, and principles the minute you become a mom. You're still YOU. I'd like to see more mother characters who are devoted to their children but still find room in their minds and hearts to be interested in other things (e.g. music, art, politics) as well.

[@19Rena96]

@@LisaMarieFord Because it's literally THE defining character trait of 99% of all the mother characters and hardly ever of father characters, which says a lot..

[@LisaMarieFord]

Cue that epic movie version with synths of Mulan making her decision in the rain and cutting her hair before heading out in her father’s armor!

[@jamicassidy7955]

I'm surprised she did not name her channel 'Brooks Books' but I guess people might think her first name was Brook lol but that would be so tempting.

[@ValieNion]

Around 22 minutes, do I have a book recommendation about a girl falling for a reliable good guy! There's this series, it's fantasy/scifi, the setting is a war between two countries/empires and the main character (adult woman) is am academic who cracks the other side's cryptography and so wins the war. Years and years later she gets dragged to decipher something else and ends up meeting a war prisoner from the other side and they fall for each other, but their relationship is very adult and respectful and supportive (while there's still cool banter). First book in the series is called Encrypted, by Lindsay Buroker

[@hyenaedits3460]

I think the whole bad boy thing is in a lot of cases related to masochistic fantasies. Sometimes a little bit of fear adds a thrill to a fantasy. It's kinda like how a lot of women have r*pe fantasies but it's not the same as wanting to be r*ped in real life because in a fantasy you are in complete control. I get the appeal and sometimes I'm in the mood for something like that, but generally not a whole book. And if it's not internally consistent with the characters themselves, it's a no from me.

[@iateabagelonce]

This was a great discussion! Thanks Elliot

[@writerducky2589]

35:33 Reminds me there's this comedy trio where I'm from who in different series portray three brothers going on hilarious adventures. (They also play most of the other characters they meet and it's fantastic🤣) At one point they were time traveling and ended up meeting reverse Robin Hood - his name was Hood Robin and he stole from the poor and gave to the rich. He was in love with the beautiful maiden Maryann, as the story goes, whom he had only seen from a distance and never talked to. She was blindingly beautiful on the outside, and then she smiled. And oh, what a smile. Toothbrush? Who's that?😂 Welp, no wedding bells there. And before the brothers left they suggested he do some rebranding, which is how we ended up with the Robin Hood we know and love🤣

[@justwonder1404]

Shoutout to Leigh Bardugo for giving two loving, supportive parents to Inej and a loving and well-meaning, but not very competent mother to Alex Stern. Both were refreshing. I'm glad the "strong female lead who's by default good at everything and never requires help" trope is getting some push back. Maybe let's not teach young girls they can only be strong if they never ask for help to get out of danger. P.S. you're watching ATLA for the first time? I'm so jealous, you're in for a treat.

[@crystalfairy912]

I love Leigh’s different dynamics with women. Alina and Genya’s friendship is among the best I have ever read. I’m in the middle of Ninth House and appreciate how Alex and Dawes know when to put their differences aside for bigger matters.

[@justwonder1404]

@@crystalfairy912 Dawes is such a queen🙌🏼

[@handeoktay819]

Dany from game of thrones is the example of ‘hero turning villain’ but it was so rushed and poorly done on show (not happened in books yet) that almost everyone hated it

[@NoelleTakestheSky]

The ingenue in the book series I’m writing goes through HELL, and she’s so different at the end. My co-writer and I didn’t like the idea of a character going through so much, and there not being ramifications. No one in 1930’s mafia noir/“dark romance” (I don’t think that applies, but I’ve had several readers say it does) can come out unscathed.

[@AtlanticGiantPumpkin]

"Holy crow" is specifically a phrase most well known for appearing in Twilight. Stephanie Meyer is/was Mormon (we'll see if she's Rebecca Morrow) and Mormons like to come up with unique ways to avoid cussing or using the lord's name in vain.

[@katrinatrigari6190]

I really like the Alanna the Lioness series from Tamora Pierce because Alanna did start off weaker and have to get strong to compete physically with the boys - but it's technique that set her apart rather than raw strength. She had to mature into realising that she can be a warrior and a woman (pretty dresses, earrings, love, etc) as she went through her teens and had to be helped into realising you could be both. It's either a children's or YA book but its one I've re-read from in my young teens through to my mid-30's.

[@Marie45610]

I can relate to the topic of growing up in a very religious conservative area. There was a girl my senior year of high school who was engaged. He was a guy she started dating as a sophomore and he was a senior. (Edit: to note, I graduated in 2005)

[@codyp9416]

I would love to get back to the stories that treat male and female like character traits instead of personalities.

[@laisphinto6372]

The irony i find about the stereotypical strong female Characters IS that their Male counterpart isnt the Chosen one Hero or the Action Hero but the OP edgelord with a "DARK" past and He IS "mysterious" and He IS so "cool" and never struggles

[@mistfallenandicantgetup]

One of my favorite books with a good father is Kings of the Wylde. Such a good protag who loves his family.

[@isobeltotten4402]

i think the idea of the "bad" male character taking care of everything instead of just like, a nice dude, comes from people with low self esteem not finding it realistic that a nice person would do that for them without ulterior motives. idk just a theory.

[@falcons_child]

As an exhaused working mom, the submissions trope is one of my favorite escapes. (Not 50 shades that book is awful) but the idea of someone having their shit together and making decisions for me feels like a relief. Irl id also want nothing to do with a man who treated me like but novels are a place where i can enjoy things without any risk of real harm. This mom dreams of someone else making the 10000 decisions i make in a day.

[@sickgrrl]

OK, I really need to know what hair dye that is! Looks amazin

[@ElizabethMoon-n8m]

As a female person who pushed hard against the limitations forced on me as a little girl, including in books, I started writing stories (and later books) that had female characters who were more like me--tomboys, interested in science, good in science and math, etc. With the exception of some horse books, every girl character was selfless (selfish was a bad trait), gentle, sweet, compliant, never angry, never physically strong *except* she was doing a lot of physical work (sweeping, cleaning, washing clothes by hand, sewing, weaving, knitting, etc, etc,. I don't use my real first name because so many girl characters of that type were named what I was named. YUCK. Now in real life, I'm a wife, mother, can cook (hate sewing), can knit (can't crochet), ...but I used to sling bales of hay from the ground onto the back of a truck; I can drive a truck, a tractor, build things, etc. my mother was an engineer. I"m a military veteran, too. I hate the pressure to be "feminine" and girly; I like wearing jeans, boots, etc. I wear makeup rarely (and don't like it) . I'm more at home on a horse, even at my age (almost 80) I can still move hay, move gravy, make small batches of concrete, and except for writing and cooking and laundry, I'd rather be outside hiking, riding, cataloging native plants. As a reader, I find most romance plots (and subplot) boring and unbelievable. And I make it a point to write female characters who are not "conventionally" strong even in the areas I am, but try to show that strength looks different in different situations. Have to mention that my mother-in-law was shocked to discover that my first big heroine type was NOT going to marry a prince, a king, a general, etc, etc. No, her "thing" was growing into a real, major, effective hero. In her world that included becoming proficient with weapons and military matters. She was a strong, stubborn, ignorant farm girl with a hot temper but not mean. Her progression toward her dream (which she admitted was unrealistic though she got there) took time and experience...and it was clear that romance and sex was not her main interest. Not all relationships are romantic or sexual. Many of my characters are middle-aged and up to their 80s.

[@SGTIvan921]

This video is awesome to listen to. 21:15 Can relate - why with the guy being a bad boy haha 25:52 Precisely... one box to another 30:05 Personality and growth 32:53 "Authors, please include more gross stuff about women" 37:27 Mentor-mentee relationships 41:21 An example 42:55 Female characters with positive relationships with parents 46:03 Female MCs who are allowed to be weak 52:20 Female MCs who listen to others/ask for help

[@gryranfelt5473]

I disagree about the damsel. The damsel crybaby is a wish fulfillment for men, she’s an embodiment of classical helpless femininity that a man can rescue and conquer. The female wishfulfillment damsel typically comes with a VENEER of strength/brattyness and plot relevance so that the woman reading it can feel kinda badass but also be rescued and taken care of. The two tropes look similar, but they are different. Think Marian in Robin Hood 1991 vs. Feyre from ACOTAR/Bella from Twilight. The female wishfulfillment character will often be holding BACK her emotion. She is repressed, like the reader, and part of her ‘strength’ is holding back and keeping it together.

[@LoveroftheSun]

Oh my gosh the comment where he said this female became submissive. If I said these things to my wife she would slap me in the face and I'm like THANK YOU THIS! I'm like 20 minutes into the video and I'm already like glad this isn't just me because I was so into fear the flames. So happy about everything and then she fell in love and became submissive like she was just like killing people with no fear fighting all these people challenged everyone's way of thinking and was confident about herself and her life and then suddenly because she was in love with the captain ....those things didn't matter anymore and "he was ridiculously jealous and thats fine"and became a toxic human being because he felt entitled to her because he loved the idea of her for so long that because they're in love now she was fine to be taken care of. And become submissive to everything and no longer challenging beliefs she originally didn't stand for the part that got me was If sex scenes trigger you please skip They just got to this part in the book where she was about to hope to see her dragons again like it could be possible and they have been flirting this whole time and things got spicy, I skip spice personally. But this sentence morally feels wrong. "Now get on your knees, and open your mouth" right after they had a conversation about her not being his property. The one and only time she called him out on being nasty jealous. She was fine with this like girl if you lay a boundary maybe you should enforce it?! Rant over.

[@duccccccccccc]

I feel like I’ve seen the stories where protagonist’s family is dead and they try to get vengeance or live up to them or something, but now I want a story where the parent’s child dies and both of them have to go through a story arc (not just one of them, bc I feel like that’s also sort of prevalent, a la gladiator or something. I want parents who love each other and are also going through it!!) the only thing I can think of that’s sort of close is Monstrillio, but that’s more of a horror w inter and intrapersonal drama and I want like, a fantasy with an adventure plot 😭

[@thomasanthony5021]

My favorite character of all time is a female. Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop… It’s a vibe thing. He has this thick cloud of mystery, and tragedy surrounding here, and she funny and cool. 😎 🚬

[@woodlandlady7011]

I enjoyed this video. Thank you💯🤺

[@thomasanthony5021]

Ursula K Le Guin…, Everyone needs to read her.

[@nazimelmardi]

Facts!

[@phantomcosplay8281]

21:00 I think it’s a fantasy girls have of making the bad boy go good or the bad boy who is only good for her (aka the reverse of the good girl who goes bad for the guy). Like the girl is so “special” that the bad boy is willing to change or be nice to only her.

[@stuartgriffin1001]

Wouldn't normally watch a 1 hour 18 min video. But this one was quite interesting. Thanks for doing it

[@GregPrice-ep2dk]

Not just publishing. Media in general has the "gimme more just like THAT" problem.

[@hbookreviews]

If you're interested in a subverted gender oppression novel where women are trying to free men from a radical matriarch, I'd recommend 'Sunset of Tyranny'

[@aldan7812]

Yup, I agree with you man - the differences between men and women are at the edges.... JP spells this out the best - we have in general so much in common, it's just beyond frustrating living through this dystopian nightmare atm. Being set against each other continuously is exhausting.

[@AtlanticGiantPumpkin]

One of my favorite things about writing my current book is that the FMC is kinda gross a lot of the time. She's in military school pretending to be a guy so she can't shower as often as them, so she smells awful when she can't sneak off to go bathe. She's chronically ill and often mentions how she has problems with her bowels and bladder and period among other issues. She gets her period in the book and has to figure out how to work around that. And I don't write it so she seems gross, I write it so she seems human.

[@sanguinetiger]

Kind of knives chau in steven universe. Even Ramona to an extent. Both grow bitter by their world experience. At least in the movie, I hear the comic is a bit deeper

[@mouhitorinoboku9655]

i think some people also forget people can put on airs and appear naive or weak while actually just manipulating people to achieve their ends. great example in a chinese drama, Ye Bingchang in til the end of the moon, she is stone cold, but plays the naive weak woman real well. they can also be naive in one way, and strong in others, Jiang Yanli from MDZS, she literally raised her brothers while her parents were busy fighting with each other over rumors, but she's still very sheltered and protected from most of the worlds darkness, partially because she's sickly and thus spends most of her time at home. personally i love snarky woman in books-- snarky men too XDDD i can't get enough. on the note of SA, its important to remember that while its less spoken of, it happens to men as well-- and it's even harder for them to admit when they've experienced it because people down play their trauma or make fun of them for it; it's not cool, we need to recognize that its wrong regardless of the persons gender. once upon a time in lingjian mountain, if you want a funny quirky female master, there is your show XDD

[@albertozalon8477]

He cant be a good guy because. Then it would be to similar to what people have at home. Alot of people blame thier partner for their own plate, which they filled up. The aggressive partner trope is just that thier way of getting the feeling of responsibility removed from thier shoulders quickly and different from the slow transition of actually speaking to your partner and transfering some weight over.

[@esmayrosalyne]

For all those looking for more amazing older women/mom characters in their fantasy: Partial Function by JCM Berne and Sistah Samurai by Tatiana Obey! This was such a fun chat, amazing input from the viewers and loved all your reactions to them 🤩

[@ReadingNymph]

I love these discussion videos 😊

[@morleywritesbooks]

"someone write that story" working on it, gimme a moment 😅

[@mediabunny4016]

Thorn by Intisar Khanani has an unusual heroine - quiet strength rather than a warrior. And she develops over the course of the book. I really appreciated Raven's Shadow duology by Patricia Briggs because it featured both mom and dad and 3 kids!

[@ioanabuzz]

you caught my attention from the first minute, 1 thing my books will have the "not normal" women. my female characters will smoke, swear, drink, get drunk and fight and etc but they would also "be feminine". I guess as the saying goes you can be attracted to masculinity not males, if that makes sense

[@miyayume_eclectic_dream]

I am at 20min in section...I believe it is the target audiance but also writers story itself or if autor is more skilled [ finds it easy] in writting "bad boy". Would writting the other "nice guy" make the book longer 🤔 Also "bad boy" has always a tension going on for a reader and some "action" feeling to it also some twist is more easy to happen than with that other grounded kind of a man [here is more effort to be put. Is it that difficult?] Yes, maybe the combination of "fixing the man" + "different that other woman". Can someone make book sugestions here? Thx.

[@merivial8661]

34:49 I write historical fiction and MAN it's so difficult to get this right. I want to appeal to a modern audience, but I also want to get the historical part right. About teeth, the best visual example I can think off rn is the Les Misérables movie. The director and the costume + hair and makeup departments were VERY worried about Jean Valjean's teeth; since he was a convict for nineteen years, his dental hygiene would've been awful. So, they put a layer of plastic or something on Hugh Jackman's teeth, so they were changing throughout the movie, indicating his evolution. It's very clear by the end of Valjean's Soliloquy (comparing him to the next scene after At the End of the Day). That movie had a LOT of wrongs, but boy did they do their homework on some stuff.

[@twilightguardian]

So what I'm hearing is a lot of these books with masculine female characters is just a bunch of people from one very small section of the world forcing us to experience their personal traumas instead of going to therapy. Got it lol It's such a wild thing to hear about how Victorian England a lot of places in the US remains to this day. I didn't really grow up all that much with any of that in my day-to-day life. I had influences from wider society (TV) sure, but growing up in a matriarchal family (sure my grandpa was around but he wasn't the head of the household he was away working half the time, y'know?) and having a lot of strongly written female characters from books, movies and shows growing up, I never felt this desire. I had characters like Serena from Sailor Moon, who was a clumsy, piggy loser yet could still kinda rock the girly thing. I had Rachel from Animorphs, who was a beautiful gymnast but was still the most violent/bloodthirsty of the group and Cassie, the animal-lover. I had Lina Inverse as I became a teenager, a greedy, gluttonous genius badass who got into trouble for those things and because she was so ridiculously powerful. And Tohru from Fruits Basket, the kind, jumpy and wiser-than-her-years girl hiding away her abandonment issues to lift other suffering people up. Kim Possible, the cheerleader-by-day, action-hero-by-night girl. Elisa Maza from Gargoyles. I've been out of the reading loop for a while since I couldn't really read while I was in school (and even before that I stopped reading actual novels and got into regularly reading fanfiction) and that took far too long. And after that I didn't know what was considered good anymore. More than anything my books nowadays tend to be either non-fiction research for my own novel or much much older books (like 40-100 years ago) but it turns me off to hear how bland and personality-less a lot of women in YA and adult fiction are now. I guess what I'm saying is I don't read much anymore because I don't hear a lot of good things and I have incredibly high standards for female characters or just books in general from all the good media I had as a kid lol

[@goosewithagibus]

In my fantasy world, there just isn't sexism or racism because I decided that was part of the fantasy. Definitely been interesting trying to write women in it and keep my biases in check. It'll probably never be finished or see the light of day, but I hope I do well enough that people enjoy it.

[@silver9wolf6]

I would like to request a video where you talk about all the reasons Mulan is amazing! Please! 😂😁

[@docstockandbarrel]

I'd like to see less archer women and more with weapons like a longsword that would be much easier for them to athletically use (assuming human musculoskeletal average physiology)

[@yetz2291]

"Seasons and seasons" lmao

[@christhewritingjester3164]

57:18 - I have this story already in mind (and partially outlined). Heroine is corrupted by the very thing she needs to use in order to be the hero. It's a slow decent over several books, becoming harder to resist due to plot reasons. It starts off with kind of a sweet love story with POVs with the male and female MCs (this part is already a short story I wrote that's a historical fiction, but it became the basis for an Authorian legend based fantasy) and you'll see how the decent happens over time and the strain it has on their relationship. And in the end, who knows how shattered her world will be? I do want to get dark with it with the arc going from, "I know the school children are in the way, but we must save them" to "I said burn it, I don't care if the school children are in the way." Unfortunately, it's a few books out on my project timeline! I'm just glad to hear when people want to read something I have planned :)