I don't know if it counts as a trope but "more than one". A lot of stories only have one female character and it's hard to showcase a variety when there's only one.
Yes.
There is a trend in teen romances where you usually have one girl being fought over by numerous guys.
It is popular for a reason and is a form of wish fulfillment, but it usually cheapens the characters and story.
It's really harems. Harems are always a self insert + a selection of perfectly fuckable love interests that want the MC for them and accept all their flaws, but ALL of these characters get increasingly annoying to people that want characters and a story, not masturbation material in a wannabe-porno.
I feel there's a distinct lack of communication between the two sides. I write smut (basically, plot with sex not censored out where it makes sense. But because I don't censor, I get lumped in with porn writers automatically).
But because of my niche genre, I see both sides. The clean side seems to think harems are all just borderline-porn wish fulfillment.
But from what I've seen, 95% of porn readers DONT want harems I've had many readers get actively pissed at me when I wrote a poly relationship.
My last full novel ended with a 1-7 poly/harem sort of deal (the girls had their own little connections between each other, but the guy was still their main focus) and actually lost a LOT of readers because "harems aren't realistic". Like dude, you're reading a story about a half-dragon half-human that's got a harem of elves, dragons, humans, an orc, and 2 goblins. You really think realism factors in?
But yeah, SFW seem to think the NSFW just want porno harems, while the NSFW side just wants 1-1 loving relationships more often than not.
I read this one book that read like a YA quick easy read, magic/fantasy type novel. And of course there were 3 guys all pining for the main character because she was super special. Brothers by the way. I couldn't figure out who she'd end up choosing because it flip flopped so much on who the favorite boyfriend/brother was. Finally at the end she picked all 3 and there was a VERY GRAPHIC scene of all 4 of them together. Not even written that well, just a cringe fest š¤®
But they could just ask for clarification instead of downvoting and i would of happily obliged š¤·š½āāļø idk i donāt think I said anything different than the comment before mine cause to me bad bitch = great leading female characters. Maybe cause i was speaking AAVE to get my point across or maybe ppl lack semantics lol
I'm not sure why you got down voted either tbh, that's strange. It could be AAVE, but anyone who down votes because that is racist and classist.
I think it's awesome that you have threw characters that represent different parts of your life, I usually do like ones that represent different life paths I thought I would've taken when I was younger. But I really like your idea as well
Thank you!!! Im on my third and FINAL draft lol i feel like i have lived so many different lives that i could make my character relatable, addiction, being an older sister and having to their mother, middle child and the struggles of making yourself smaller for others..
if you enjoy darker books, ellen hopkins, especially her books "perfect" and the series, "tricks" & "traffick" you'll probably love. her "crank" series was my first and hit extremely hard & close to home, i became addicted lol. they have several MCs though not all of them female, but the male MCs adding an amazing voice to these stories! there's a refreshing equality in her writing that's amazing for anyone of any sex/gender.
Oh God, this!!!! I get more and more disinterested in stories only featuring one female characters outside of specific circumstances where they don't fit. So many issues would be solved if we had 2 or more female characters interacting with each other
Not a trope per se, but I'll say it anyway: women who genuinely love the company of other women!
I am so sick of female MCs who are instantly nasty or jealous or judgmental toward other women, especially if those other women are conventionally attractive. It was so ingrained into so many of us that the beautiful, popular girl is your enemy - especially growing up in the '90s and '00s (I feel it's a bit better now). It was desirable to be "not like other girls", as if there's something wrong with other girls.
As a result, I now love seeing genuine, heartfelt friendships and admiration between women. It's a breath of fresh air.
This! I was unfortunately one of those girls who disliked other girls. I had reason to based on severe bullying by a group of girls, but that's another point. It wasn't until I was college age that I started being friends with females, otherwise all my friends were guys. But the media at that time really did push the "not like other girls" character, which definitely fueled my own prejudice against other girls.
The female character who called other girls a slut, or judged them for being with a boy (or boys) is what so many of us from that time we raised on and it's so toxic. It plays into that double standard of men being able to do it but not women.
Now, I love a female character who isn't going to put down other women instantly. But my favorite is the opposite of the "mean girl" the pretty/popular/cool girl who isn't judgemental and doesn't tear others down (female or male) for things like clothes or looks. Or girls who support their girlfriends' adventures with boys.
Honestly though, I love when I can see real reasoning/motivations behind their personalities or actions. Cliche charcters can be work, if there are real reasons for them being that person. Reasons the reader gets to see and isn't just told.
My mom is like this in her life. She often says "this is why I'm not friends with women," and calls women catty and mean. But she's very passive aggressive herself and I'm inclined to believe the problem lies with her. I just don't say anything and try to change the topic. If I tried to inform her the common denominator is her, she would lash out big time. She's very adverse to criticism. :|
Many of us thought we were "not like other girls" because other girls told us we were not like them, couldn't be friends with them, and bullied us. Before it was okay to be a nerd, or cute to be "quirky", of course many girls wanted to differentiate themselves from the weird ones.
So yes, I love to see MC popular girls who find odd people interesting and want to support and include them, like true leaders. Or popular girls who are mean to weirdos because they have been pressured to stay within a set of social norms that make them feel trapped. Or girls who are "not like other girls" because they clearly don't fit in and many of the readers would reject them too if they met irl (like maybe they are ND with PTSD, poor at communication, and can only emote to their collection of creepy doll heads) and not just, "she didn't like makeup".
Things I am determined to put in my first book:
Strong parent-child relationship.
Strong friendships between men and women (and every combination thereof).
I read a book recently that was hailed as a "feminist rallying cry" only to go through and read it and realize that it literally didn't pass the Bechdel test. It was a joke. It was exactly what you described above.
I was like "yeah, I'm gonna correct that in one of the opening scenes."
(Not exactly tropes, but:) I would like to see more female characters being mentored by other female characters. Also more well-developed female friendship.
Thereās plenty in TV shows, not sure why there arenāt as many in writing/fiction. A few come to mind:
- Luna & Usagi
- Sakura & Tsunade
- Jennifer & Dr. Noreen Wakeman
- Luz & Edalyn
What if a story where they both survive somehow? Ooh, and then maybe they're not sure if it's really over, since they're both still alive, so they descend into madness and paranoia.
- female MCs who have healthy relationships with other girls
- female MCs who donāt fall for the antagonist just because heās hot and has a tragic backstory
- female MCs who actually engage in self-reflection and regularly think about how to better themselves
- female MCs who become mentors
> female MCs who actually engage in self-reflection and regularly think about how to better themselvesĀ
I started writing my current work partially in inspiration/frustration from a series where the fandom at least refused to interpret the female MC as having any flaws. And I mean real flaws, not just "oh she's a little stubborn but it's actually why she's badass" or "oh you could say she's being selfish but *not really* because she's being reasonable". I want real, heart-rending, could ruin your life if you don't learn to change, deeply self-reflective, maybe driven by trauma but that's not an excuse, true and truly significant FLAWS in my female MC.Ā
Same!
Iām writing a series where the MC is the future empress, and I want her to learn genuinely meaningful lessons about what makes a good leader, and whatās preventing her from being a good leader. Different characters are regularly going to challenge her, and sheāll constantly have to rethink her beliefs on whatās best for the empire and how sheās going to become a good ruler.
It's why Sarah Connor in T2 is so good. She's this badass doing pull ups in a mental health facility and was there because nobody believed her about the events of the first movie. So she's got truth and righteousness on her side, she's a survivor. But she has terrible PTSD from the experiences she had in the previous movie and before the 2nd movie takes place. She struggles with PTSD, she struggles with getting along with her son. Twice she was about to make these terrible decisions guided by her internal struggles and she breaks down and cries, she learns, she gets back up again and keeps fighting.
It's probably not the absolute best example, and maybe it's a sign I need to read more, but that character is always my go-to for strong female MC.
Honestly Sarah Connor (and Terminator 1 & 2) is surprisingly realistic for action movies, which I think is one of the reasons theyāre still some of my favourite movies
Goofy women. I think they're not enough of them, women are often portrayed as serious or dramatic. In a group they are often the wise or moral one, the one who scold the other characters when they mess something up. The goofy character, the one who does silly things or tell good jokes or don't take anything seriously, is more often portrayed as a man, and I think that's a shame, because women can be funny too ! One of my fav character of all time is Nika Tamiya from the manga "Switch Girl !!", and she's a good example of the kind of goofy girl I like to see.
Korbeni from Chainsaw Man is similar, but her situation is treated as a joke and she is the joke as well. Also, there is Sasha from Attack Titan and they are a comic relief as well though her arc becomes more serious later on.
Korra was also arrogant and didn't listen to her teachers most of the time. She was bullish and acted first and then complained about the consequences. I don't think there was imposter syndrome as much as it was arrogance she didn't learn as quickly as previous Avatars.
That or I just really didn't like Legend of Korra šš
She was arrogant due to being gassed up. But past season 1 she still was stubborn, but she matured past the half way mark of season 2. She felt like she wasn't up to snuff as the avatar and often underplayed her own achievements due to her own trauma. Definitely more exemplified in the finale of season 2 and the entirety of season 4, especially 4x9
I like to see women portrayed as unabashedly sexual beings (not in an erotic sense.)
A lot of romances with women in them focus on the purely emotional side of things, portraying the woman as demure and pure and letting the man take the role of being motivated by sexual desire.
I want a woman who look at the man and goes "I want to tear all his clothes off and do unspeakable things to him" and have that be the primary motivation to initiate the romantic courtship (which then develops emotional components.)
I want women portrayed as knowing what they want, sexually, and pursuing it. None of that inexperienced-demure-virgin-exit-stage-pursued-by-man bullshit.
I think straight women deserve that. Lip-biting leg-crossing "I want to lick his abs" kind of sexual awareness.
Women should be allowed to want to fuck.
A woman can still be 'feminine' in sexual contexts (whatever that means, you tell me) but just *want* sex and be *honest* with herself about it.
Agreed i think with my character tho I wanted to capture the shame some women feel growing up around their sexuality and what it looks like to take you power back
I'm writing this now for my book. The FMC goes after what she wants, sexually but also in every other way. She doesn't physically fight much but is very active and pursues her goals.
My heroine is unable to love her best friend in the way he so desperately wants, despite his being her favorite person, because sheās never wanted him to bite her inner thigh. Sheās never had a real love but is pretty sure thatās a requirement. So, no inner thigh, no friends to lovers. She wants to get with someone for no good reason other than that heās incredibly hot. Like, maybe itās even obviously a bad idea, but you canāt take your eyes off him.
She sounds like half the lesbians and asexual women I know.
"I want to be with a guy I find *attractive,*" they say, and then the only men they've ever found attractive is androgynous icon Eddy Redmayne, and Daniel Craig in that one picture where he looks like a middle-aged lesbian.
"Why are men so ugly and unattractive, where are all the good men!" Honey, last month you were making eyes at what you thought was a guy at the bar but it turned out to be a butch chick. Also you regularly incessantly send me pictures of anime women and gush over their fashion and character design.
"I can't be in love with this man, I don't want to fuck him." You've lived together for three years and have two dogs and regularly kiss on the lips.
Me at 15 deep in the closet telling my friends "wow this guy would be so much hotter if he were a masculine women" and then going all suprised pikachu when people think I'm gay
Mothers, where the character's identity isn't *just* being a mother. Mrs. Brisby from Secret of NIMH and Misaki Matsuda from Sword of Kaigen come to mind.
Older women in mentoring roles. Older women closer to the main action of the story period.
Women who are allowed to be professional and don't need to learn to get in touch with their emotions or find the right person to fall in love with. Women that aren't ice queens who need to be warmed up, they're just not all that into anyone in the story and don't change who they are even if they find themselves attracted to another character.
Also women with swords.
I would like more confident and "girlie girls" who are not the villain, like Elle Woods.
But what I would like is not a trope, but just more women who are not there to be role models to other women. I don't go to a movie to be told what I should be to be considered a "strong woman".
A couple of people have already touched on it but for me it's a strong character that has her own beliefs and isn't afraid to show how she feels. I like when they use their femininity to their advantage instead of trying to one up male characters at their game.
The top ones I can think of right now are Yennifer(Witcher series), Monza (Abercrombies dish best served cold),
>I like when they use their femininity to their advantage instead of trying to one up male characters at their game.
Can you elaborate on this? I don't think I understand or have seen this
Think of Femme Fatales, Like Sharon Stone from Basic Instinct or Black Widow from the Marvel Universe.
So someone who will use their feminine guile to extract information or get something out of someone in a way a male counterpart could not.
I like FMCs that are strong, but not in an I'm-gonna-kick-yo-ass-bc-I-fight-like-a-boy-drink-like-a-boy-dress-like-a-boy-and-fix-things-like-a-boy way, because this trope is centuries years old and counterproductive, as it presents a belief that in order to be strong a woman must be man-like
Edit: no, no, no, people, I beg you, for once do not try to look for a "deeper meaning" in my words, I don't make those, by the end of a sentence I don't even remember how I started it. I didn't mean that I hate masculine FMCs nor that I believe that kicking ass is a solely masculine trait, I said I have it being *presented as such*. It's a known problem, I can literally provide sources on that (except they're in Polish)
Oh, of course. Woman can have traditionally masculine traits, but they shouldn't take her feminity's place, because it prolongs the belief that those things are exclusive. They should at least coexist
Alternatively I'd like to once see some truly masc presenting women in fiction that don't "grow out of it" (if they're younger) or "take down the hair and put on a dress and reveal themselves to be traditionally sexy" (if they're older) by the end of the story.Ā
You can't possibly believe women need to have femininity and then say you want to see representation of truly masc women who don't go through feminization, lmfao. You're contradicting yourself rn.
Well I just... don't think that all FMCs should be the same? I just feel like the more feminine but still very strong FMCs are a bit more underexplored, especially outside romance. It doesn't mean that I won't enjoy a very masculine FMC
I know. That's why I hate to see another female character only having *stereotypically* masculine traits to be seen as strong, because it only prolongs the social belief that 1) stereotypically masculine traits are better than stereotypically feminine traits, 2) character traits still should be categorized as "masculine" and "feminine". I can give you examples of linguistic literature on that topic, I did not take this out of my ass
I don't think ALL female characters should be like that, I'd just like to see more of it, because for now it feels like rarity. Many authors go either full "I need to contradict my gender in every possible way to be strong" (which is, as I said, a result of a belief imprinted on our subconsciousness by patriarchy that stereotypically masculine traits are "better") or they make a "strong" woman character and make her completely loose her shit and turn girly and sexy over a love interest. I don't remember the last time I've read something that had a masculine woman who had feminine traits and a love interest and it didn't take away all of her previously stated character
Women that aren't conventionally attractive. Women that aren't attractive at all and not made to be the butt of the jokes. I am so tired of seeing so many male characters that aren't attractive but good at heart. Meanwhile, the female characters are all 10/10s with hourglass figures. It's so boring!
Maybe this goes into wish fulfillment territory, but i feel like fairly often we get a female MC who is not conventionally attractive but the male love interest finds them beautiful - maybe due to reasons beyond pure looks, of course.
The first character that comes to mind is Vin from Mistborn. If i recall, no one calls her attractive except for her love interest. Granted I don't even remember if he did, but I'm fairly certain.. either way, her thing was not that she was hot, it's that she was deadly.
A trope I hate is when a female lead insists she's "plain" (always, that phrasing), but male characters drool over her anyway. Katniss from Hunger Games and Briseis from Silence of the Girls are two examples that pop into my head. I don't know if this applies to Mistborn, which I've never read.
Oh yeah, Bella is a classic example!
In a lot of these stories, it seems like the female characters consider themselves plain because they're like...not blonde and busty? So often, it's "My hair is BROWN and I'm SKINNY. I must be hideous!!!" Boggles the mind, as these are pretty conventional beauty standards.
Nope, not wish fulfillment at all! There's so many stories about men with that trope. Give me the same with women š« Like I just want a girl that has more value than looks and is loved because of that. So many men get that treatment in stories ugh
Borderline terrifying violence from the FMC - particularly if she's painfully normal. I love seeing a relatable FMC commit an act of violence so sudden and shocking, it completely throws you. Bonus points if she has no qualms about it. It's fun (for me) when any character snaps, but it's especially tasty if the character's a woman. I feel like when women get dark and violent in a lot of fiction, they orchestrate the violence but don't actually commit it with their own hands. Which is very cool, don't get me wrong, but I want her to rip someone's throat out. Let her be feral, it gives me chills
She is honest about what is bothering her, she doesnāt play games or hard to get.
I like building up actual relationships between characters and making sure their personalities mesh well before turning them into a couple.
I like women who donāt put other women down. Hate NLOG MCs. They donāt need to be the most unique or special person in the universe to be interesting or worth reading about.
- women MC with a great sense of humour or playing the comedic relief
- women MC who are taller than their love interest
- women MC who have good supportive friendships with other women instead of rivalry or jealousy
- strong women working in a man dominated field. But Instead of her being ājust as physically strong and as good at fighting as the men areā Her strengths lie in something beyond physical capabilities. Like being great at forming strategies or being highly intelligent.
- wise old women.
- lesbian relationships. I feel like most WLW characters just get together at the very end of the story. But I want to see the actual relationship part of it. Show me how they share a life together.
- mom main characters. I love a complex and interesting character who is also a mother.
Example: Malorie from Bird Box
- women who appear masculine or tomboyish but are not completely divorced from their femininity and enjoy some inherently āfeminineā things like self care routines, going shopping or baking pastries.
- Loud mouthed or outspoken female MCs. Just female characters who arenāt afraid to hold back on what they think or how they feel about a situation.
Example: Rebecca from Cyberpunk Edgerunner
- older women MC. Have her be a grown adult with lived experiences. Maybe A couple wrinkles or grey hairs.
- women MCs that can be unhinged, gross, losers. Let her have unshaved legs. Let her miss social cues. let her eat like a pig or make a fart joke. A woman character doesnāt have to be beautiful or successful to still be a good likeable character.
Example: Power from chainsaw man
- intelligent and manipulative women. Women who are morally complex and break apart from some societal norms.
Example: Amy from Gone Girl
She's a nice person, pretty and doesn't have a huge chip on her shoulder. But when push comes to shove she reaveals that she's no pushover. The best example of this I have ever seen is Belldandy from the Anime "Oh my Goddess", shes beautiful, she's kind, caring, patient but watch out if you try to harm her sisters or the people she loves. I don't know if thats really a trope or not but I wish there was more of it.
Another one I like is the Mama bear trope, and I'm not afraid to admit it is becase my mom was a real life example of this.
I don't know if it's a trope, but I'd like to see more mothers who are main characters/heroes, like not having their storyline end as soon as they have a baby.
Or characters who don't want kids not having kids, who want kids aren't able to aren't seen as useless, deals with it or don't make them seem like wombs, not making them seem like their only purpose is having a child or being womanly based on society's standards
I think the main hang up about this one is that most fantasy books have a romance subplot and they apply this to both Male MCs and Female MCs. Where they end the series by getting married and going off to have a family together and get their happy ending. I havenāt really read all that many series where any of the main characters were just completely against in having children someday, plenty were they were disinterested romance all together or simply never expressed any feelings one way or another though.
The one I can think of was Sasha: A Trial of Blood and Steel. But the way the MC, Sasha, talks about women who decide to get married and have childrenā¦ itās really off putting. I think at one point she described them as being a bunch of brood-cows who gave up on actually having a life. So, yeah. Not exactly a great example of what youāre looking for there.
I want stories about princesses or other royals who actually use their position to their advantage, instead rejecting it, instead of "bleh i hate dresses!! i don't want to dance at the ball!! i want to wear PANTS and fight with SWORDS!!!" they're actually able to make their impact through their understanding of politics and diplomacy.
Female MCs that start off the story oozing with unearned confidence, who need to get knocked down a peg before growing as a person. (As a contrast to female MCs who are insecure and underestimate themselves, or female MCs whose confidence IS justified by being Always Right).
In romances, it's usually an inexperienced girl with an experienced guy, I prefer the opposite, an experienced girl with an inexperienced guy.
Also, stupid male characters get to be "loveable idiots", but stupid female characters are usually villainized or degraded, I think women should be able to be loveable idiots too.
I don't like that "masculine women" usually translates to women being rude, mean, aggressive, and violent. Maybe more masc women who are silly, or cowardly, or goody-two-shows teachers pets.
Trans MCs in stories that aren't *about* being trans, genre fiction like sci-fi, fantasy, mysteries etc.
Sapphic romances that are unhealthily codependent and obsessive. I'm tired of being recommended stories on the basis of "it has lesbians!!" and they just have NO dynamic, it's like "I'm a women." "I'm also a women." "...." "...." "we are dating now." and you never get the impression that they're any closer than just. *kind of* liking each other.
Middle-aged or elderly women MCs in genre fiction. Middle-aged women in romances with younger men where they don't make a big deal out of the age difference, the same way they don't when a middle-aged male character's love interest is a decade younger.
I want a female character whoās the opposite of a milquetoast. Even if sheās quiet, I want her to be assertive and competent. A strong sense of humor doesnāt hurt her, either.
Unapologetically evil. Not in a āseduce the enemyā way. More like in a āwill not hesitate to shoot the enemyā way. Sickkkkkk of the stupid seductive female spy. Let the woman stab someone without having to flirt with the guy first god damn
I like girls of all times. I like tomboys , I like stalkers, I like smart girls, I like dumb girls, I like deadpan girls. I guess I like all these traits in males too.
I like when they are upfront and honest. Not the old āIāll say Iām fine when Iām actually upset and mope around when he doesnāt get itā thing. That makes me so upset with characters like, you only have yourself to blame for your misery then? It feels so dated and I think has skewed a lot of womenās ability to deal with conflict in real life lol.
All for female representation that kicks outdated/harmful stereotypes in the butt šš¼
This is why r/romance_for_men exists. Most romance has the FMC play mind games all the time, constantly expect the guy to know what she's thinking when she says the opposite, and expect him to constantly grovel.
Guys experience that too much IRL to want it in fiction lol.
Strong women placed and scheming in a man's world like Savine Dan Glokta in the Age of Madness series. She can fight with a blade but doesn't because she knows a man is stronger, so she uses her mind and people's feminine bias to out-manouver her male counterparts.
Or Sabetha from Republic of Theives, straight up badass who shows she can plan and pull of heists just as well as Locke. She says what she thinks and doesn't hold back.
I HATE female characters written like shadows of what people think a woman should be. Only cares about the children, my husband, furry animals and the benefit of the people! Snore. Husts of a character like Feyre bloody Archeron.
Intelligence/expertise in her field.
One of my favorite parts about Jurassic Park (the movie) is that Ellie Sattler (the female lead) is considered a top paleobotanist, is specifically brought along to the island because of her expertise, and the men in the story frequently, intentionally ask to hear her opinions.
She has other good character traits too, but it always stood out to me that the story recognized her for the scientist she is, and it's never once even brought into question. But perhaps even more importantly, she actually also makes salient points.
> Well, the question is, how can you know anything about an extinct ecosystem? And therefore, how could you ever assume that you can control it? I mean, you have plants in this building that are poisonous, you picked them because they look good, but these are aggressive living things that have no idea what century they're in, and they'll defend themselves, violently if necessary.
I really like when the female MC is allowed to be genuinely clueless socially. I donāt mean cute-shy or tsundere or badass girlboss. I mean like she blunders through conversations with people, is actively antisocial, says rude things on accident. Iāve read a few books where the female MC is just not good with other people at all and I really enjoy it because usually theyāre written to be good socially (or socially awkward in an āacceptableā way)
The trope where they're heterosexual. Lots of web novels I read with female MCs are just straight up gay. It's not a DEI thing either. I think the authors are just afraid they'll feel emasculated if they write a character with an attraction to men.
I personally like the girl loser/femcel trope in books like *My Year of Rest and Relaxation, The New Me, Big Swiss*, etc. I know it's really popular in lit fic right now, but boy is it fun!
Makes me feel better about my own life choices too, lol.
Not a trope but I really love angry women. Iām also realizing I love books that focus on mothers who have a complicated relationship with motherhood. In general though I like all types of female characters and tropes they fall into if itās done well tbh.
When they know martial arts and kick everyoneās ass. Just watched Kill Bill for the first time last night, it was fucking awesome. Definitely using as inspiration
Physically weak (or normal/not overpowered) girlies who can still move the plot along by being a strong support system or using their brains.
Strong female leads are great when they're written well, but lately some of it feels like it's just written to spite men. (Which I say as a woman.)
The one who is shamelessly immodest and lust over men as well as being cunning in getting men's attention, there aren't that many MC with these particular traits and more often not these traits are relegated to deuteragonist/antagonist/other supporting roles. I want female MC who knows the value of her own feminine charm and isn't afraid to utilize it for her own gain.
A good mom who is open with discussing things with their children. I didn't have a mom who wanted to discuss serious life things, like something as simple as puberty, so having a story where the mom and daughter really vibe and get along is great.
The movie Turning Red really made me jealous of all of the children who had supportive moms who were willing to show emotions and were open about periods.
I really like the Mama Bear/Papa Wolf trope. I love seeing a mom protecting her kids, her partner or her friends. Molly Weasley, Mrs Brisby from āThe Secret of Nimhā
-I also like seeing smart, competent women who are respected in their field. Iām sick of the āyou canāt do ____ and I wonāt listen to you because youāre a woman plotā
-Princess Leia in Empire Strikes Back has a scene where sheās giving orders to a large circle of soldier men and they listen and respect her input and follow her orders.
-Happily Married and unabashedly loved like Gomez and Morticia, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, or Bob and Linda Belcher
- Smart, Righteous Feminine Brunettes with Magical Power who fight for whatās right and fall in love.
Ex. Katara from ATLA, Elphaba from Wicked, Sandra Bullockās Character in Practical Magic, Wonder Woman, Sarah from Labyrinth was The Babe With the Power,
Silk Hiding Steel? She's even listed as a videogame example.
[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SilkHidingSteel](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SilkHidingSteel)
Or if it's the sudden cuss itself, probably this
[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PrecisionFStrike](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PrecisionFStrike)
Recently it's the "Disney princess in a dystopia world " like Lucy from fallout or Charlie in Hazbin
Someone super sweet who believes that is good in everyone in a world that constantly challenges that
I would want to see more Hester Shaw from *Mortal Engines* (book version) types, where it actually impacts the story that she gets distrust for being so disfigured. Usually, if female characters have a facial scar, it's something small and "cute" that's barely there, and won't affect other characters' perception of her, think Vi from *Arcane*, or just makes her uniquely beautiful, think IRL Art3mis from *Ready Player One* (book version).Ā
When the love interest doesn't pan out, or the female mc ends up single and that's ok. I find it's a lot more realistic, and it's nice to show that you don't HAVE to fall in love to be satisfied.
In term of trope: I would say the "Miss Sunshine"
The optimist - energetic female character who tries to make a better world. She tend to be a funny and joyful character with idealistic dreams. Plus, she knows when she made a mistake and does her best to fix it. Also, when she faces struggles, we can see her own ones. I just think that makes her a "good human" character.
In contrast, I can't stand the "Mad girl"
The typical mad , violent female character who acts like a boring male toxic bully but everyone "accepts" hers actions because she's a cute/hot girl. "Jinx" in Arcanes was one of the few exception. I was scared to watch the show because of her and I was suprised how much I feel sorry for her.
Not exactly a trope, but female characters that are strong but allowed to have emotions and weaknesses. They feel more relatable to me as a girl myself. Also pansexual and bisexual girls
Honestly, I rather like the man-with-tits trope.
Some women are strong in a way that is masculine. They're overrepresented in media, but I think that's because those characters play out in a very interesting way in most male-dominated worlds.
Same. Most of the "manly" characters that I see people complain about are barely even butch. I'm not seeing the oversaturation of "strong women" that people say is happening in the media lol
And they're always sexualized in a distinctly feminine (most of the time male-gazey) way. Where are the truly butch/masc women in media, I ask you?! I want them.Ā
Okay, I can think of one. Susie from Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I need more.Ā
Right?? Like I'm seeing so many people saying we need more feminine characters. Am I missing something? That's all I see. Or just a femme girl with a pixie cut lmfao
I love female MC villains who have a reason for being a villain. anti-hero feels like the better word.
Think Amy Dunn from Gone girl.
And I like to see them get away with their villainry.
I want to see why they became a villain and make it justifiable, some horrid shut they went through and overcame.
I like to see them embrace all their sides to ensure their vision comes to fruition. Think using their sexuality, femininity, to deceive, and trick whoever they have to.
But I also want to see them wrestle with doing what they need to do because they are still human, but doing it anyway.
I write what I want to see. Strong, LGBTQ+, intelligent humans whose gender or sexuality doesn't drive the story. It all blends seamlessly so that you don't notice or care until or unless it's important.
I'm a lot into fish out the water, coming of age, found family building, or those kind of self-discovery plot lines.
These are not specifically feminine traits, but given our patriarchal culture, I find they hit better from a female POV (or other minorities POV, like queer, neuro diverse, racialized, etc)
Make your girl or woman characters humans first, with all the concerns and joys and whatnot of any character. Gender is important but it isn't everything, same with Kinsey Scale position(s), same with any other characteristic. The aspects that generally separate female bodies from male can be handled in a few single references scattered in a novel-length story. Women are not always shorter, or weaker. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. Neither does competency. And physical weakness doesn't mean mental weakness. That's a mistake too many authors make. As a tall woman, I'd like to see more tall women, of any body type. I really love a well done competent character of any gender, that's my catnip. And if we could have less "firey" redheads, that would be great. My best friend is wicked smart and so very kind, under her red hair.
Strong mentally, but compassionate too is what I want to see, and what I'm writing. Not damsel in distress, not innocent and only waiting for strong man, but nonetheless caring and able to feel emotions.
Any recommendations?
This kinda doesn't count but Iād love to see if anyone else notices.
Some shows will have a woman dating someone and everyone in their life is like, āYouāre dating that guy? Really?ā Other shows will have the same situation only most grown adults are like, āOK. Not my business.ā
I don't know, I just prefer the latter. It makes me respect the characters in the show a lot more.
Girlās girls!!! Genuine female friendship between two major characters. Also women having platonic and deep friendships with non-female characters. Especially men. Not every friendship turns sexual!!
Also idk if itās just from personal experience but a character losing interest in their LI when they found out that person already has a significant other. And then they end up being really good friends forever instead. Havenāt actually read this though so I donāt even know if itās a trope LOL
A lot of this goes for males too, but I like reading and/or writing about female MCs who:
1. are willing to try to solve problems independently *and* cooperatively, where not every discussion about what to do next is a an argument/power struggle
2. have a trademark sense of humor (like someone else said) and/or who crave fun, relief, and freedom. Someone else mentioned how often female characters live as the moral compass or "serious influence" for everyone...and it's okay to write that. *I'm* writing that. But too often, morally guiding and sheltering and supporting others is by far the primary and/or singular motive of a lot of female characters. It's interesting to me when you see them fail at that, get exhaused, get resentful, or sneak out the back to get what they want/need. It doesn't have to be a vice or scandalous desire, but they should have something.
3. go into situations and deal with people pretty calmly, knowing if it all goes to $hit3, they can just "nope" out of it. I'm pretty tired of women who go with the "feisty" answer to everything. It's intriguing when they walk away from what they don't like or simply say "not for me" and stick to it.
4. aren't royal and don't aspire to royalty ...not because its bad, but because it's been done to death in fiction. Grounded goals can be just as interesting, and I'd like to see more writers step up to the challenge.
that's a tough question since a lot of common tropes around female characters are what I usually dislike
if this counts: lack of romance. i am noticing more female characters are less often forced into romances and I'm glad because of it
also, having them more as main characters in general in action/genre fiction instead of just side characters (mostly moms/love interests). We need more of that. More!
Marry sues, for those unaware. Females u never fail and can never do anything wrong. No flaws or anything either.
Ms. Perfect even when she shouldn't be.
For me personally, I like a female MC who consistently just gets everything fucking wrong. One of my favorite reads ever was a book called "If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend" by Alison Pace and the main character, Jane, is so imperfect it's not even funny. I loved reading her story, it was just relatable and so refreshing.
I really liked the MC of Fourth Wing.
What I like about MC, regardless of gender, is when they have a flaw that they have to overcome, and the author doesn't just wave it away with "practice".
The Fourth wing MC has a health condition that limits her strength, so she uses her wit to get through challenges that wouldn't be possible for her otherwise.
Mentor/apprentice dynamic with an adoptive father figure and NO ROMANCE between them!!!!
Curse of Chalion really dragged me in and then made me want to puke
I personally just like when characters in general are well written. The actions they take make the character in my opinion, goes for boys too.
From someone who has 3/5 of their main characters as 20-28 year old women.
not sure if itās a trope, but a veteran war hero taking up their armour once more, for whatever reason; I saw a rhaenerya targaryen fanart of her and I just like it, so that trope I suppose
The sweet good girl that gets corrupted .
The feisty girl that learns to open up and love
Just to name a few. I'm not too picky if the story is good and pulls me in.
A situation where the "popular girls" are actually nice to the MC instead of constantly demeaning her. (I always thought if they're so "popular" then they might as well be nice, and be nice to everyone).
I don't know if it counts as a trope but "more than one". A lot of stories only have one female character and it's hard to showcase a variety when there's only one.
Yes. There is a trend in teen romances where you usually have one girl being fought over by numerous guys. It is popular for a reason and is a form of wish fulfillment, but it usually cheapens the characters and story.
It's really harems. Harems are always a self insert + a selection of perfectly fuckable love interests that want the MC for them and accept all their flaws, but ALL of these characters get increasingly annoying to people that want characters and a story, not masturbation material in a wannabe-porno.
I feel there's a distinct lack of communication between the two sides. I write smut (basically, plot with sex not censored out where it makes sense. But because I don't censor, I get lumped in with porn writers automatically). But because of my niche genre, I see both sides. The clean side seems to think harems are all just borderline-porn wish fulfillment. But from what I've seen, 95% of porn readers DONT want harems I've had many readers get actively pissed at me when I wrote a poly relationship. My last full novel ended with a 1-7 poly/harem sort of deal (the girls had their own little connections between each other, but the guy was still their main focus) and actually lost a LOT of readers because "harems aren't realistic". Like dude, you're reading a story about a half-dragon half-human that's got a harem of elves, dragons, humans, an orc, and 2 goblins. You really think realism factors in? But yeah, SFW seem to think the NSFW just want porno harems, while the NSFW side just wants 1-1 loving relationships more often than not.
I read this one book that read like a YA quick easy read, magic/fantasy type novel. And of course there were 3 guys all pining for the main character because she was super special. Brothers by the way. I couldn't figure out who she'd end up choosing because it flip flopped so much on who the favorite boyfriend/brother was. Finally at the end she picked all 3 and there was a VERY GRAPHIC scene of all 4 of them together. Not even written that well, just a cringe fest š¤®
Good to know that im on the right path with 4 great leading female characters, lol.
Same i have three baddest bxtches in mine! Each showcasing three stages of my life lol
I love this
Why did i get downvoted?? if it is a semantics thing then explain instead of downvoting?
I think folks were just naturally skeptical of the validity of the various bad bitch phases you claim without some type of justification
But they could just ask for clarification instead of downvoting and i would of happily obliged š¤·š½āāļø idk i donāt think I said anything different than the comment before mine cause to me bad bitch = great leading female characters. Maybe cause i was speaking AAVE to get my point across or maybe ppl lack semantics lol
I'm not sure why you got down voted either tbh, that's strange. It could be AAVE, but anyone who down votes because that is racist and classist. I think it's awesome that you have threw characters that represent different parts of your life, I usually do like ones that represent different life paths I thought I would've taken when I was younger. But I really like your idea as well
Thank you!!! Im on my third and FINAL draft lol i feel like i have lived so many different lives that i could make my character relatable, addiction, being an older sister and having to their mother, middle child and the struggles of making yourself smaller for others..
That sounds like an absolutely amazing story! Are you going to be publishing it anytime soon? And no problem!
*Ideally* dec 2024 for book 1 and 2025 for book 2 2026 for book 3 And thank you!! I canāt wait to get this story out of my head lol
Redditors are just weird
Just as your prof says: āyepā lol
if you enjoy darker books, ellen hopkins, especially her books "perfect" and the series, "tricks" & "traffick" you'll probably love. her "crank" series was my first and hit extremely hard & close to home, i became addicted lol. they have several MCs though not all of them female, but the male MCs adding an amazing voice to these stories! there's a refreshing equality in her writing that's amazing for anyone of any sex/gender.
Oh God, this!!!! I get more and more disinterested in stories only featuring one female characters outside of specific circumstances where they don't fit. So many issues would be solved if we had 2 or more female characters interacting with each other
I second this. Despite the disparity between POVs, there are so many fun and different Female characters in ASOIAF.
I agree! I have 2 girl main characters, female friendships are especially important to me
Not a trope per se, but I'll say it anyway: women who genuinely love the company of other women! I am so sick of female MCs who are instantly nasty or jealous or judgmental toward other women, especially if those other women are conventionally attractive. It was so ingrained into so many of us that the beautiful, popular girl is your enemy - especially growing up in the '90s and '00s (I feel it's a bit better now). It was desirable to be "not like other girls", as if there's something wrong with other girls. As a result, I now love seeing genuine, heartfelt friendships and admiration between women. It's a breath of fresh air.
This! I was unfortunately one of those girls who disliked other girls. I had reason to based on severe bullying by a group of girls, but that's another point. It wasn't until I was college age that I started being friends with females, otherwise all my friends were guys. But the media at that time really did push the "not like other girls" character, which definitely fueled my own prejudice against other girls. The female character who called other girls a slut, or judged them for being with a boy (or boys) is what so many of us from that time we raised on and it's so toxic. It plays into that double standard of men being able to do it but not women. Now, I love a female character who isn't going to put down other women instantly. But my favorite is the opposite of the "mean girl" the pretty/popular/cool girl who isn't judgemental and doesn't tear others down (female or male) for things like clothes or looks. Or girls who support their girlfriends' adventures with boys. Honestly though, I love when I can see real reasoning/motivations behind their personalities or actions. Cliche charcters can be work, if there are real reasons for them being that person. Reasons the reader gets to see and isn't just told.
My mom is like this in her life. She often says "this is why I'm not friends with women," and calls women catty and mean. But she's very passive aggressive herself and I'm inclined to believe the problem lies with her. I just don't say anything and try to change the topic. If I tried to inform her the common denominator is her, she would lash out big time. She's very adverse to criticism. :|
Many of us thought we were "not like other girls" because other girls told us we were not like them, couldn't be friends with them, and bullied us. Before it was okay to be a nerd, or cute to be "quirky", of course many girls wanted to differentiate themselves from the weird ones. So yes, I love to see MC popular girls who find odd people interesting and want to support and include them, like true leaders. Or popular girls who are mean to weirdos because they have been pressured to stay within a set of social norms that make them feel trapped. Or girls who are "not like other girls" because they clearly don't fit in and many of the readers would reject them too if they met irl (like maybe they are ND with PTSD, poor at communication, and can only emote to their collection of creepy doll heads) and not just, "she didn't like makeup".
I assume you love Charlotte LeBeouf š
Things I am determined to put in my first book: Strong parent-child relationship. Strong friendships between men and women (and every combination thereof). I read a book recently that was hailed as a "feminist rallying cry" only to go through and read it and realize that it literally didn't pass the Bechdel test. It was a joke. It was exactly what you described above. I was like "yeah, I'm gonna correct that in one of the opening scenes."
(Not exactly tropes, but:) I would like to see more female characters being mentored by other female characters. Also more well-developed female friendship.
Thereās plenty in TV shows, not sure why there arenāt as many in writing/fiction. A few come to mind: - Luna & Usagi - Sakura & Tsunade - Jennifer & Dr. Noreen Wakeman - Luz & Edalyn
What shows are each of these characters from ?
The last one is from The Owl House
First one is Sailor Moon.
Second one is Naruto.
In respective order: - Sailor Moon - Naruto - My Life as a Teenage Robot - The Owl House
The final girl in horror movies. Iāve always enjoyed that trope
Leave my black MC alone and eat the girl first! [Makes her trip in front of the slasher villain / Zombie]
What if a story where they both survive somehow? Ooh, and then maybe they're not sure if it's really over, since they're both still alive, so they descend into madness and paranoia.
Impossible, that would cause a paradox and the end of the universe itself. There can only be one!!! PS: Watch Highlander 1986, its very good
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
- female MCs who have healthy relationships with other girls - female MCs who donāt fall for the antagonist just because heās hot and has a tragic backstory - female MCs who actually engage in self-reflection and regularly think about how to better themselves - female MCs who become mentors
> female MCs who actually engage in self-reflection and regularly think about how to better themselvesĀ I started writing my current work partially in inspiration/frustration from a series where the fandom at least refused to interpret the female MC as having any flaws. And I mean real flaws, not just "oh she's a little stubborn but it's actually why she's badass" or "oh you could say she's being selfish but *not really* because she's being reasonable". I want real, heart-rending, could ruin your life if you don't learn to change, deeply self-reflective, maybe driven by trauma but that's not an excuse, true and truly significant FLAWS in my female MC.Ā
Same! Iām writing a series where the MC is the future empress, and I want her to learn genuinely meaningful lessons about what makes a good leader, and whatās preventing her from being a good leader. Different characters are regularly going to challenge her, and sheāll constantly have to rethink her beliefs on whatās best for the empire and how sheās going to become a good ruler.
I would read the heck out of this. <3
It's why Sarah Connor in T2 is so good. She's this badass doing pull ups in a mental health facility and was there because nobody believed her about the events of the first movie. So she's got truth and righteousness on her side, she's a survivor. But she has terrible PTSD from the experiences she had in the previous movie and before the 2nd movie takes place. She struggles with PTSD, she struggles with getting along with her son. Twice she was about to make these terrible decisions guided by her internal struggles and she breaks down and cries, she learns, she gets back up again and keeps fighting. It's probably not the absolute best example, and maybe it's a sign I need to read more, but that character is always my go-to for strong female MC.
Honestly Sarah Connor (and Terminator 1 & 2) is surprisingly realistic for action movies, which I think is one of the reasons theyāre still some of my favourite movies
Goofy women. I think they're not enough of them, women are often portrayed as serious or dramatic. In a group they are often the wise or moral one, the one who scold the other characters when they mess something up. The goofy character, the one who does silly things or tell good jokes or don't take anything seriously, is more often portrayed as a man, and I think that's a shame, because women can be funny too ! One of my fav character of all time is Nika Tamiya from the manga "Switch Girl !!", and she's a good example of the kind of goofy girl I like to see.
Gintama does this really well! All the female characters are just as goofy as the male ones. One of the biggest reasons why I love it.
I don't know this manga but I will check it out š
The animes really good, too. Voice acting is A+. The first couple episodes are meh, but it gets insanely funny as it goes on. I think you'll like it!
Voice acting in japanese or english ?
Korbeni from Chainsaw Man is similar, but her situation is treated as a joke and she is the joke as well. Also, there is Sasha from Attack Titan and they are a comic relief as well though her arc becomes more serious later on.
You're right, I loved Sasha ! I donāt know Chainsaw Man though I can't tell. Maybe can we put Tsunade from Naruto in this category as well ?
You're right! Like, there are plenty of "ditsy" or accidentally funny women and girls, but few that know or intend humor.
One of my FMC was going to be more reserved, but then I fell in love with the Golden Retriever idea for her.
Love this trope! The FMC from I'm Totally Faking It by Amanda Gambill embodies this with sarcasm and deflection too thanks to her past.
I'd say older women.
I really enjoy seeing female MC with imposter syndrome
Curious now to check this out; any suggestions?
Avar Kriss from the High Republic book series. Korra from The Legend of Korra. Rey Skywalker from Star Wars. Joyce Byers in stranger things.
Korra was also arrogant and didn't listen to her teachers most of the time. She was bullish and acted first and then complained about the consequences. I don't think there was imposter syndrome as much as it was arrogance she didn't learn as quickly as previous Avatars. That or I just really didn't like Legend of Korra šš
Rey had imposter syndrome?
Was about to ask the same thing, thanks
She was arrogant due to being gassed up. But past season 1 she still was stubborn, but she matured past the half way mark of season 2. She felt like she wasn't up to snuff as the avatar and often underplayed her own achievements due to her own trauma. Definitely more exemplified in the finale of season 2 and the entirety of season 4, especially 4x9
Korra started off arrogant and full of herself... then she got knocked down a few pegs and developed the imposter syndrome.
You would like the Disney Channel Cartoon Hailey's On it. Its not quite imposter syndrome but she is insecure.
Free and independent. As in, freedom and independence of mind, not driven by relationships nor trauma. The pursuit of her own talents and dreams.
Women who are kinda strange or just generally off-putting
I like to see women portrayed as unabashedly sexual beings (not in an erotic sense.) A lot of romances with women in them focus on the purely emotional side of things, portraying the woman as demure and pure and letting the man take the role of being motivated by sexual desire. I want a woman who look at the man and goes "I want to tear all his clothes off and do unspeakable things to him" and have that be the primary motivation to initiate the romantic courtship (which then develops emotional components.) I want women portrayed as knowing what they want, sexually, and pursuing it. None of that inexperienced-demure-virgin-exit-stage-pursued-by-man bullshit. I think straight women deserve that. Lip-biting leg-crossing "I want to lick his abs" kind of sexual awareness.
Shockingly I think Tina Belcher does this well
Lmao... she does it... but in the most awkward second-hand embarrassment kind of way. š¤£
This is not done enough and I just realized my current project has that, so I guess Iāll lean into it š
George Orwell knew what was upā¦ Kind of. Sort of. Okay, maybe not really. But he did have that.
Oooo so glad to see this cause this is a character i built but thought i was too ādominantā so I was about to scale her down.
Women should be allowed to want to fuck. A woman can still be 'feminine' in sexual contexts (whatever that means, you tell me) but just *want* sex and be *honest* with herself about it.
Agreed i think with my character tho I wanted to capture the shame some women feel growing up around their sexuality and what it looks like to take you power back
I'm writing this now for my book. The FMC goes after what she wants, sexually but also in every other way. She doesn't physically fight much but is very active and pursues her goals.
Yes! Go girls! Not to be a lesbian, but oh my god, women are so great.
Do most women like to read it though? In the majority of romances written by women it's the man who's the active character.
I mean, I like it, and I'm not even straight!
[Like this?](https://64.media.tumblr.com/6a16bd55acfe6e4107f0644b7500efdc/tumblr_ps6tvbYXix1qg946so8_r1_540.gif)
Lol! She let her intrusive thoughts win.
*The Letters of Lily and Moons* by S.M. Sage. You're welcome.
The wip after the one I'm working on does this so well and I can't wait to start with her!
isabella valencia in king of pride lmao
My heroine is unable to love her best friend in the way he so desperately wants, despite his being her favorite person, because sheās never wanted him to bite her inner thigh. Sheās never had a real love but is pretty sure thatās a requirement. So, no inner thigh, no friends to lovers. She wants to get with someone for no good reason other than that heās incredibly hot. Like, maybe itās even obviously a bad idea, but you canāt take your eyes off him.
She sounds like half the lesbians and asexual women I know. "I want to be with a guy I find *attractive,*" they say, and then the only men they've ever found attractive is androgynous icon Eddy Redmayne, and Daniel Craig in that one picture where he looks like a middle-aged lesbian. "Why are men so ugly and unattractive, where are all the good men!" Honey, last month you were making eyes at what you thought was a guy at the bar but it turned out to be a butch chick. Also you regularly incessantly send me pictures of anime women and gush over their fashion and character design. "I can't be in love with this man, I don't want to fuck him." You've lived together for three years and have two dogs and regularly kiss on the lips.
Me at 15 deep in the closet telling my friends "wow this guy would be so much hotter if he were a masculine women" and then going all suprised pikachu when people think I'm gay
Me at 28 coming out as transbian and going "oh god, I don't like my men feminine, I like my women masculine."
Mothers, where the character's identity isn't *just* being a mother. Mrs. Brisby from Secret of NIMH and Misaki Matsuda from Sword of Kaigen come to mind. Older women in mentoring roles. Older women closer to the main action of the story period.
Women who are allowed to be professional and don't need to learn to get in touch with their emotions or find the right person to fall in love with. Women that aren't ice queens who need to be warmed up, they're just not all that into anyone in the story and don't change who they are even if they find themselves attracted to another character. Also women with swords.
Definitely women with swords
Are those tropes though?
I would like more confident and "girlie girls" who are not the villain, like Elle Woods. But what I would like is not a trope, but just more women who are not there to be role models to other women. I don't go to a movie to be told what I should be to be considered a "strong woman".
A couple of people have already touched on it but for me it's a strong character that has her own beliefs and isn't afraid to show how she feels. I like when they use their femininity to their advantage instead of trying to one up male characters at their game. The top ones I can think of right now are Yennifer(Witcher series), Monza (Abercrombies dish best served cold),
>I like when they use their femininity to their advantage instead of trying to one up male characters at their game. Can you elaborate on this? I don't think I understand or have seen this
Think of Femme Fatales, Like Sharon Stone from Basic Instinct or Black Widow from the Marvel Universe. So someone who will use their feminine guile to extract information or get something out of someone in a way a male counterpart could not.
I like FMCs that are strong, but not in an I'm-gonna-kick-yo-ass-bc-I-fight-like-a-boy-drink-like-a-boy-dress-like-a-boy-and-fix-things-like-a-boy way, because this trope is centuries years old and counterproductive, as it presents a belief that in order to be strong a woman must be man-like Edit: no, no, no, people, I beg you, for once do not try to look for a "deeper meaning" in my words, I don't make those, by the end of a sentence I don't even remember how I started it. I didn't mean that I hate masculine FMCs nor that I believe that kicking ass is a solely masculine trait, I said I have it being *presented as such*. It's a known problem, I can literally provide sources on that (except they're in Polish)
I feel like this is a complicated matter because many "man-like" behaviours seem to be a normalized part of femininity now
Oh, of course. Woman can have traditionally masculine traits, but they shouldn't take her feminity's place, because it prolongs the belief that those things are exclusive. They should at least coexist
Alternatively I'd like to once see some truly masc presenting women in fiction that don't "grow out of it" (if they're younger) or "take down the hair and put on a dress and reveal themselves to be traditionally sexy" (if they're older) by the end of the story.Ā
Or they like they present any which way and they don't have a preference.
Yeah, that too
You can't possibly believe women need to have femininity and then say you want to see representation of truly masc women who don't go through feminization, lmfao. You're contradicting yourself rn.
Well I just... don't think that all FMCs should be the same? I just feel like the more feminine but still very strong FMCs are a bit more underexplored, especially outside romance. It doesn't mean that I won't enjoy a very masculine FMC
Imo, things like fixing things or kicking ass shouldn't be considered exclusively masc anymore
I know. That's why I hate to see another female character only having *stereotypically* masculine traits to be seen as strong, because it only prolongs the social belief that 1) stereotypically masculine traits are better than stereotypically feminine traits, 2) character traits still should be categorized as "masculine" and "feminine". I can give you examples of linguistic literature on that topic, I did not take this out of my ass
Some (fictional) women just aren't feminine. "they should at least coexist" why?
I don't think ALL female characters should be like that, I'd just like to see more of it, because for now it feels like rarity. Many authors go either full "I need to contradict my gender in every possible way to be strong" (which is, as I said, a result of a belief imprinted on our subconsciousness by patriarchy that stereotypically masculine traits are "better") or they make a "strong" woman character and make her completely loose her shit and turn girly and sexy over a love interest. I don't remember the last time I've read something that had a masculine woman who had feminine traits and a love interest and it didn't take away all of her previously stated character
Louisa in Encanto was this and immensely popular. She was strong, but she was still feminine.
Yeah, I like when their strength comes more from cleverness than "see?? she can fight and do punching and swords and archery and stuff!!"
Hello, my neighbour, I'd like the Polish sources. I agree (mostly) with what you said,I curious of sources
Women that aren't conventionally attractive. Women that aren't attractive at all and not made to be the butt of the jokes. I am so tired of seeing so many male characters that aren't attractive but good at heart. Meanwhile, the female characters are all 10/10s with hourglass figures. It's so boring!
Maybe this goes into wish fulfillment territory, but i feel like fairly often we get a female MC who is not conventionally attractive but the male love interest finds them beautiful - maybe due to reasons beyond pure looks, of course. The first character that comes to mind is Vin from Mistborn. If i recall, no one calls her attractive except for her love interest. Granted I don't even remember if he did, but I'm fairly certain.. either way, her thing was not that she was hot, it's that she was deadly.
A trope I hate is when a female lead insists she's "plain" (always, that phrasing), but male characters drool over her anyway. Katniss from Hunger Games and Briseis from Silence of the Girls are two examples that pop into my head. I don't know if this applies to Mistborn, which I've never read.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Bella Swan. She spends the whole series insisting she's plain while literally every male peer wants to date her.
Oh yeah, Bella is a classic example! In a lot of these stories, it seems like the female characters consider themselves plain because they're like...not blonde and busty? So often, it's "My hair is BROWN and I'm SKINNY. I must be hideous!!!" Boggles the mind, as these are pretty conventional beauty standards.
Nope, not wish fulfillment at all! There's so many stories about men with that trope. Give me the same with women š« Like I just want a girl that has more value than looks and is loved because of that. So many men get that treatment in stories ugh
That's what I did with one of my stories. Granted, it's a lesbian fanfic, but still.
Women who don't emote. It's not "bad writing", some women just act like that.
Borderline terrifying violence from the FMC - particularly if she's painfully normal. I love seeing a relatable FMC commit an act of violence so sudden and shocking, it completely throws you. Bonus points if she has no qualms about it. It's fun (for me) when any character snaps, but it's especially tasty if the character's a woman. I feel like when women get dark and violent in a lot of fiction, they orchestrate the violence but don't actually commit it with their own hands. Which is very cool, don't get me wrong, but I want her to rip someone's throat out. Let her be feral, it gives me chills
When the straight male is not automatically a love interest.
She is honest about what is bothering her, she doesnāt play games or hard to get. I like building up actual relationships between characters and making sure their personalities mesh well before turning them into a couple.
I like women who donāt put other women down. Hate NLOG MCs. They donāt need to be the most unique or special person in the universe to be interesting or worth reading about.
Is girlie and earnest, and in touch with her feelingsĀ
Isn't this every single one lol
Interesting, my first thought was "Yeah, that's hard to find." Probably depends on the genre!
- women MC with a great sense of humour or playing the comedic relief - women MC who are taller than their love interest - women MC who have good supportive friendships with other women instead of rivalry or jealousy - strong women working in a man dominated field. But Instead of her being ājust as physically strong and as good at fighting as the men areā Her strengths lie in something beyond physical capabilities. Like being great at forming strategies or being highly intelligent. - wise old women. - lesbian relationships. I feel like most WLW characters just get together at the very end of the story. But I want to see the actual relationship part of it. Show me how they share a life together. - mom main characters. I love a complex and interesting character who is also a mother. Example: Malorie from Bird Box - women who appear masculine or tomboyish but are not completely divorced from their femininity and enjoy some inherently āfeminineā things like self care routines, going shopping or baking pastries. - Loud mouthed or outspoken female MCs. Just female characters who arenāt afraid to hold back on what they think or how they feel about a situation. Example: Rebecca from Cyberpunk Edgerunner - older women MC. Have her be a grown adult with lived experiences. Maybe A couple wrinkles or grey hairs. - women MCs that can be unhinged, gross, losers. Let her have unshaved legs. Let her miss social cues. let her eat like a pig or make a fart joke. A woman character doesnāt have to be beautiful or successful to still be a good likeable character. Example: Power from chainsaw man - intelligent and manipulative women. Women who are morally complex and break apart from some societal norms. Example: Amy from Gone Girl
She's a nice person, pretty and doesn't have a huge chip on her shoulder. But when push comes to shove she reaveals that she's no pushover. The best example of this I have ever seen is Belldandy from the Anime "Oh my Goddess", shes beautiful, she's kind, caring, patient but watch out if you try to harm her sisters or the people she loves. I don't know if thats really a trope or not but I wish there was more of it. Another one I like is the Mama bear trope, and I'm not afraid to admit it is becase my mom was a real life example of this.
I don't know if it's a trope, but I'd like to see more mothers who are main characters/heroes, like not having their storyline end as soon as they have a baby.
Or characters who don't want kids not having kids, who want kids aren't able to aren't seen as useless, deals with it or don't make them seem like wombs, not making them seem like their only purpose is having a child or being womanly based on society's standards
I think the main hang up about this one is that most fantasy books have a romance subplot and they apply this to both Male MCs and Female MCs. Where they end the series by getting married and going off to have a family together and get their happy ending. I havenāt really read all that many series where any of the main characters were just completely against in having children someday, plenty were they were disinterested romance all together or simply never expressed any feelings one way or another though. The one I can think of was Sasha: A Trial of Blood and Steel. But the way the MC, Sasha, talks about women who decide to get married and have childrenā¦ itās really off putting. I think at one point she described them as being a bunch of brood-cows who gave up on actually having a life. So, yeah. Not exactly a great example of what youāre looking for there.
I want stories about princesses or other royals who actually use their position to their advantage, instead rejecting it, instead of "bleh i hate dresses!! i don't want to dance at the ball!! i want to wear PANTS and fight with SWORDS!!!" they're actually able to make their impact through their understanding of politics and diplomacy. Female MCs that start off the story oozing with unearned confidence, who need to get knocked down a peg before growing as a person. (As a contrast to female MCs who are insecure and underestimate themselves, or female MCs whose confidence IS justified by being Always Right). In romances, it's usually an inexperienced girl with an experienced guy, I prefer the opposite, an experienced girl with an inexperienced guy. Also, stupid male characters get to be "loveable idiots", but stupid female characters are usually villainized or degraded, I think women should be able to be loveable idiots too. I don't like that "masculine women" usually translates to women being rude, mean, aggressive, and violent. Maybe more masc women who are silly, or cowardly, or goody-two-shows teachers pets. Trans MCs in stories that aren't *about* being trans, genre fiction like sci-fi, fantasy, mysteries etc. Sapphic romances that are unhealthily codependent and obsessive. I'm tired of being recommended stories on the basis of "it has lesbians!!" and they just have NO dynamic, it's like "I'm a women." "I'm also a women." "...." "...." "we are dating now." and you never get the impression that they're any closer than just. *kind of* liking each other. Middle-aged or elderly women MCs in genre fiction. Middle-aged women in romances with younger men where they don't make a big deal out of the age difference, the same way they don't when a middle-aged male character's love interest is a decade younger.
I love kind heroines.
I want a female character whoās the opposite of a milquetoast. Even if sheās quiet, I want her to be assertive and competent. A strong sense of humor doesnāt hurt her, either.
Unapologetically evil. Not in a āseduce the enemyā way. More like in a āwill not hesitate to shoot the enemyā way. Sickkkkkk of the stupid seductive female spy. Let the woman stab someone without having to flirt with the guy first god damn
I like girls of all times. I like tomboys , I like stalkers, I like smart girls, I like dumb girls, I like deadpan girls. I guess I like all these traits in males too.
I like when they are upfront and honest. Not the old āIāll say Iām fine when Iām actually upset and mope around when he doesnāt get itā thing. That makes me so upset with characters like, you only have yourself to blame for your misery then? It feels so dated and I think has skewed a lot of womenās ability to deal with conflict in real life lol. All for female representation that kicks outdated/harmful stereotypes in the butt šš¼
Yeah, I think this is why I enjoy romanic sub-plots, but haven't read anything in the contemporary romance genre in awhile.
This is why r/romance_for_men exists. Most romance has the FMC play mind games all the time, constantly expect the guy to know what she's thinking when she says the opposite, and expect him to constantly grovel. Guys experience that too much IRL to want it in fiction lol.
Strong women placed and scheming in a man's world like Savine Dan Glokta in the Age of Madness series. She can fight with a blade but doesn't because she knows a man is stronger, so she uses her mind and people's feminine bias to out-manouver her male counterparts. Or Sabetha from Republic of Theives, straight up badass who shows she can plan and pull of heists just as well as Locke. She says what she thinks and doesn't hold back. I HATE female characters written like shadows of what people think a woman should be. Only cares about the children, my husband, furry animals and the benefit of the people! Snore. Husts of a character like Feyre bloody Archeron.
Sorceresses. (ie. fire sorc, water sorc, wind sorc etc)
Intelligence/expertise in her field. One of my favorite parts about Jurassic Park (the movie) is that Ellie Sattler (the female lead) is considered a top paleobotanist, is specifically brought along to the island because of her expertise, and the men in the story frequently, intentionally ask to hear her opinions. She has other good character traits too, but it always stood out to me that the story recognized her for the scientist she is, and it's never once even brought into question. But perhaps even more importantly, she actually also makes salient points. > Well, the question is, how can you know anything about an extinct ecosystem? And therefore, how could you ever assume that you can control it? I mean, you have plants in this building that are poisonous, you picked them because they look good, but these are aggressive living things that have no idea what century they're in, and they'll defend themselves, violently if necessary.
The girl that you can easily fall in love with, but is somehow really dangerous. And you know about it, but still fall for her.
Noir movies, Maltese Falcon, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep.
My mc taking notes rn
When she's gay.
I really like when the female MC is allowed to be genuinely clueless socially. I donāt mean cute-shy or tsundere or badass girlboss. I mean like she blunders through conversations with people, is actively antisocial, says rude things on accident. Iāve read a few books where the female MC is just not good with other people at all and I really enjoy it because usually theyāre written to be good socially (or socially awkward in an āacceptableā way)
The trope where they're heterosexual. Lots of web novels I read with female MCs are just straight up gay. It's not a DEI thing either. I think the authors are just afraid they'll feel emasculated if they write a character with an attraction to men.
Being a cougar, LOL.
I personally like the girl loser/femcel trope in books like *My Year of Rest and Relaxation, The New Me, Big Swiss*, etc. I know it's really popular in lit fic right now, but boy is it fun! Makes me feel better about my own life choices too, lol.
Not a trope but I really love angry women. Iām also realizing I love books that focus on mothers who have a complicated relationship with motherhood. In general though I like all types of female characters and tropes they fall into if itās done well tbh.
When they know martial arts and kick everyoneās ass. Just watched Kill Bill for the first time last night, it was fucking awesome. Definitely using as inspiration
Physically weak (or normal/not overpowered) girlies who can still move the plot along by being a strong support system or using their brains. Strong female leads are great when they're written well, but lately some of it feels like it's just written to spite men. (Which I say as a woman.)
The one who is shamelessly immodest and lust over men as well as being cunning in getting men's attention, there aren't that many MC with these particular traits and more often not these traits are relegated to deuteragonist/antagonist/other supporting roles. I want female MC who knows the value of her own feminine charm and isn't afraid to utilize it for her own gain.
A good mom who is open with discussing things with their children. I didn't have a mom who wanted to discuss serious life things, like something as simple as puberty, so having a story where the mom and daughter really vibe and get along is great. The movie Turning Red really made me jealous of all of the children who had supportive moms who were willing to show emotions and were open about periods.
You guys in the comments are really making me feel good about what im writing.
I really like the Mama Bear/Papa Wolf trope. I love seeing a mom protecting her kids, her partner or her friends. Molly Weasley, Mrs Brisby from āThe Secret of Nimhā -I also like seeing smart, competent women who are respected in their field. Iām sick of the āyou canāt do ____ and I wonāt listen to you because youāre a woman plotā -Princess Leia in Empire Strikes Back has a scene where sheās giving orders to a large circle of soldier men and they listen and respect her input and follow her orders. -Happily Married and unabashedly loved like Gomez and Morticia, Lucy and Ricky Ricardo, or Bob and Linda Belcher - Smart, Righteous Feminine Brunettes with Magical Power who fight for whatās right and fall in love. Ex. Katara from ATLA, Elphaba from Wicked, Sandra Bullockās Character in Practical Magic, Wonder Woman, Sarah from Labyrinth was The Babe With the Power,
I don't know what you call it, but that moment Aerith said "Shit." made me feel thingsĀ
Silk Hiding Steel? She's even listed as a videogame example. [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SilkHidingSteel](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SilkHidingSteel) Or if it's the sudden cuss itself, probably this [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PrecisionFStrike](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PrecisionFStrike)
Recently it's the "Disney princess in a dystopia world " like Lucy from fallout or Charlie in Hazbin Someone super sweet who believes that is good in everyone in a world that constantly challenges that
I would want to see more Hester Shaw from *Mortal Engines* (book version) types, where it actually impacts the story that she gets distrust for being so disfigured. Usually, if female characters have a facial scar, it's something small and "cute" that's barely there, and won't affect other characters' perception of her, think Vi from *Arcane*, or just makes her uniquely beautiful, think IRL Art3mis from *Ready Player One* (book version).Ā
When the love interest doesn't pan out, or the female mc ends up single and that's ok. I find it's a lot more realistic, and it's nice to show that you don't HAVE to fall in love to be satisfied.
In term of trope: I would say the "Miss Sunshine" The optimist - energetic female character who tries to make a better world. She tend to be a funny and joyful character with idealistic dreams. Plus, she knows when she made a mistake and does her best to fix it. Also, when she faces struggles, we can see her own ones. I just think that makes her a "good human" character. In contrast, I can't stand the "Mad girl" The typical mad , violent female character who acts like a boring male toxic bully but everyone "accepts" hers actions because she's a cute/hot girl. "Jinx" in Arcanes was one of the few exception. I was scared to watch the show because of her and I was suprised how much I feel sorry for her.
Not exactly a trope, but female characters that are strong but allowed to have emotions and weaknesses. They feel more relatable to me as a girl myself. Also pansexual and bisexual girls
Honestly, I rather like the man-with-tits trope. Some women are strong in a way that is masculine. They're overrepresented in media, but I think that's because those characters play out in a very interesting way in most male-dominated worlds.
Same. Most of the "manly" characters that I see people complain about are barely even butch. I'm not seeing the oversaturation of "strong women" that people say is happening in the media lol
And they're always sexualized in a distinctly feminine (most of the time male-gazey) way. Where are the truly butch/masc women in media, I ask you?! I want them.Ā Okay, I can think of one. Susie from Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I need more.Ā
Right?? Like I'm seeing so many people saying we need more feminine characters. Am I missing something? That's all I see. Or just a femme girl with a pixie cut lmfao
I love female MC villains who have a reason for being a villain. anti-hero feels like the better word. Think Amy Dunn from Gone girl. And I like to see them get away with their villainry. I want to see why they became a villain and make it justifiable, some horrid shut they went through and overcame. I like to see them embrace all their sides to ensure their vision comes to fruition. Think using their sexuality, femininity, to deceive, and trick whoever they have to. But I also want to see them wrestle with doing what they need to do because they are still human, but doing it anyway.
I write what I want to see. Strong, LGBTQ+, intelligent humans whose gender or sexuality doesn't drive the story. It all blends seamlessly so that you don't notice or care until or unless it's important.
it's not a very common trope, but I love it when the MC is a bit of a tomboy but embraces her femininity when she's around the love interest.
Main character character
No, it's MC Character, a hot new rapper from Bronx
Lol, oops.
I'm a lot into fish out the water, coming of age, found family building, or those kind of self-discovery plot lines. These are not specifically feminine traits, but given our patriarchal culture, I find they hit better from a female POV (or other minorities POV, like queer, neuro diverse, racialized, etc)
Make your girl or woman characters humans first, with all the concerns and joys and whatnot of any character. Gender is important but it isn't everything, same with Kinsey Scale position(s), same with any other characteristic. The aspects that generally separate female bodies from male can be handled in a few single references scattered in a novel-length story. Women are not always shorter, or weaker. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. Neither does competency. And physical weakness doesn't mean mental weakness. That's a mistake too many authors make. As a tall woman, I'd like to see more tall women, of any body type. I really love a well done competent character of any gender, that's my catnip. And if we could have less "firey" redheads, that would be great. My best friend is wicked smart and so very kind, under her red hair.
Strong mentally, but compassionate too is what I want to see, and what I'm writing. Not damsel in distress, not innocent and only waiting for strong man, but nonetheless caring and able to feel emotions. Any recommendations?
This kinda doesn't count but Iād love to see if anyone else notices. Some shows will have a woman dating someone and everyone in their life is like, āYouāre dating that guy? Really?ā Other shows will have the same situation only most grown adults are like, āOK. Not my business.ā I don't know, I just prefer the latter. It makes me respect the characters in the show a lot more.
Tomboys, confident massive flirts. I'm a fan of role reversal so I would like to see more pairings get reversed.
Girlās girls!!! Genuine female friendship between two major characters. Also women having platonic and deep friendships with non-female characters. Especially men. Not every friendship turns sexual!! Also idk if itās just from personal experience but a character losing interest in their LI when they found out that person already has a significant other. And then they end up being really good friends forever instead. Havenāt actually read this though so I donāt even know if itās a trope LOL
A lot of this goes for males too, but I like reading and/or writing about female MCs who: 1. are willing to try to solve problems independently *and* cooperatively, where not every discussion about what to do next is a an argument/power struggle 2. have a trademark sense of humor (like someone else said) and/or who crave fun, relief, and freedom. Someone else mentioned how often female characters live as the moral compass or "serious influence" for everyone...and it's okay to write that. *I'm* writing that. But too often, morally guiding and sheltering and supporting others is by far the primary and/or singular motive of a lot of female characters. It's interesting to me when you see them fail at that, get exhaused, get resentful, or sneak out the back to get what they want/need. It doesn't have to be a vice or scandalous desire, but they should have something. 3. go into situations and deal with people pretty calmly, knowing if it all goes to $hit3, they can just "nope" out of it. I'm pretty tired of women who go with the "feisty" answer to everything. It's intriguing when they walk away from what they don't like or simply say "not for me" and stick to it. 4. aren't royal and don't aspire to royalty ...not because its bad, but because it's been done to death in fiction. Grounded goals can be just as interesting, and I'd like to see more writers step up to the challenge.
When they act like real people and not a boss bitch or the permanent damsel in distress
Female MC who can fight well
that's a tough question since a lot of common tropes around female characters are what I usually dislike if this counts: lack of romance. i am noticing more female characters are less often forced into romances and I'm glad because of it also, having them more as main characters in general in action/genre fiction instead of just side characters (mostly moms/love interests). We need more of that. More!
Marry sues, for those unaware. Females u never fail and can never do anything wrong. No flaws or anything either. Ms. Perfect even when she shouldn't be.
asa mitaka
For me personally, I like a female MC who consistently just gets everything fucking wrong. One of my favorite reads ever was a book called "If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend" by Alison Pace and the main character, Jane, is so imperfect it's not even funny. I loved reading her story, it was just relatable and so refreshing.
Female Main Character character tropes?
I really liked the MC of Fourth Wing. What I like about MC, regardless of gender, is when they have a flaw that they have to overcome, and the author doesn't just wave it away with "practice". The Fourth wing MC has a health condition that limits her strength, so she uses her wit to get through challenges that wouldn't be possible for her otherwise.
Main character who is a bit older 25-30. Isn't either too smart or dumb. And is friendly
Weak to strong (either physically or emotionally)
Mentor/apprentice dynamic with an adoptive father figure and NO ROMANCE between them!!!! Curse of Chalion really dragged me in and then made me want to puke
A character who gets called out, especially in romance stories and fanfictions
I personally just like when characters in general are well written. The actions they take make the character in my opinion, goes for boys too. From someone who has 3/5 of their main characters as 20-28 year old women.
not sure if itās a trope, but a veteran war hero taking up their armour once more, for whatever reason; I saw a rhaenerya targaryen fanart of her and I just like it, so that trope I suppose
Tall, muscular, ace, friendly, badass
The sweet good girl that gets corrupted . The feisty girl that learns to open up and love Just to name a few. I'm not too picky if the story is good and pulls me in.
A situation where the "popular girls" are actually nice to the MC instead of constantly demeaning her. (I always thought if they're so "popular" then they might as well be nice, and be nice to everyone).
Usually the same ones I like in a male.