scarletmorning | (no subject)

You know, the quickest way to turn me off an author is to tell me that his/her book has "strong female characters". I love awesome characters as much as everybody else. But I am so fucking annoyed by all the stressing on ~strong female characters~ Those people are right, yes, we need more female role models. I, however, am a person who has never had a role model and very probably will never have one. So I do get annoyed when people always talk about "needing a character to look up to/identify with". Fine. You want that. I do not give a fuck, I just want an interesting character. As long as I like them I do not care what is between their legs. I want to read a story. I'm not interested in the sex of the characters.

Often enough those characteristics that make a character strong are utterly boring. And they're all the same. Yes, yes, everybody should always be able to solve their problems on their own and kick ass and get themselves out of their dire situations/lifes.I don't want to see them winning, sometimes. Sometimes (quite often lately) I want weak characters. Characters who lose, who suffer/die because they cannot help themselves (or get help), who give up, who cannot take it anymore.

Goddamnit. Most of the strong characters are just so fucking boring.

Also, the synopses of those books almost always sound just as boring.

Edit: Also, no fucking teen heroes anymore. I cannot stand that. More protagonists in their late twenties and maybe early 30ies, please. ~~Also with beards and long hair, lol XD~~

/is picky

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I approve wholeheartedly of this post.

What gets me is the whole female emphasis. No, giving a character a sword and muscles and making her shriek about how she's JUST AS GOOD AS THE BOYS!!!1ONE does not make her a well-written character. It's obnoxious and just as degrading as making piles of flat whiny damsels. Maybe it was revolutionary in literature, oh, 40 years ago, but it shouldn't be now.

Well written characters with strength of some kind to them aren't boring. The typical ~*strong*~, though? Gag.

Yesssssssss. I can understand (kinda) that some people are tired of the ~awesome and strong~ male characters who save damsels left and right, but the advocates for strong female characters are getting so freaking annoying.

Also, giving a woman "typically male characteristics" does not make her a strong character. It's very much degrading, in my opinion, because it says that a heroine can only be strong if she's "male". No. Girly girls can also be strong.

/has too many feelings about this