What does your female lead do that's different from how female leads are usually portrayed? (How does she break away from the mold)

joannekwan 2024-01-10 01:26:43 UTC #13

Thanks! And yep, they are burn scars tthat she got at a young age, and they continue to give her headaches/pain which comes up in the story.

And by 100% beast I mean he's a sapient monster. One that doesn't turn into a human at the end

Chronomel 2024-01-10 02:08:09 UTC #14

thinking about it, my story has almost exclusively female characters...anyway, going with the 3 main girls, I have Tart and Treat, who break away from the mold in a very specific way, in that they are adult magical girls who live up to that title 100%. I feel like there are never proper adult magical girls, and if there are, it's almost always a weird parody that make fun of magical girls for being what they are as if they aren't just traditional superheros with glitter and bows. And even in classic magical girl shows, adult magical girls never get cool transformation sequences or anything, which really annoyed me when I was younger (still does tbh). It also completely solves the "kids with guns" issue (although I don't mind it too much)

Then there's also Strawberry, who is kind of a subversion of a subversion, basically I never liked how the "answer" to damsel in distress characters is to just make the character invincible or imply it makes them weak to be in danger or something, because in real life, tons of people (especially women) get into serious danger and absolutely need someone to help them. So I've planned a character arc for her where she realizes she doesn't have to always just get out of danger on her own. For a phrase that represents my story, it's definitely "Teamwork makes the dreamwork" it's a bit cliche, but that's because it's really true!

morganicfoods 2024-01-10 02:21:34 UTC #15

I try to ignore what tropes are trendy and just write my own thing, rather than trying to follow or subvert them. There's nothing really many opportunities for my characters to actively subvert any tropes about them.

I'll try to explain the uniqueness, but it's hard to be accurate.

One of my main characters, Hrann, is the only prominent religious character. Her religiousness is a major part of her character, but it's a very personal thing, rather than trying to impose it on someone else. I don't usually see religion written the way I do, and I'm not super able to describe why that is.

skidiggy 2024-01-10 03:20:54 UTC #16

Iris is timid and shy at work, but really comes out of her shell when her friends are under threat or she can get out of her comfort zone. She has an amazing adaptability to adversity, is a somewhat unreliable character (due to memory lapses), and has abilities I haven't seen in a female lead before.

lexenrandom09 2024-01-10 10:33:43 UTC #17

That’s a very interesting topic !

Hm, I would say for my main character that its the fact that she is the « popular blond dumb girl » archetype that is usually write as the « side best friends character » or fall in the « mean girl » trope when it comes to romance.
The « dumb blonde » type of character who is usually mocked for its hyper feminine woman and makes them appear as superficial with no complexity or feelings. ( not always, but I saw a lot of movie/series who do that especially in horror or romance)

I don’t know if I’m explaining my point well here sorry

lexenrandom09 2024-01-10 10:36:03 UTC #18

I love it, the chaotic but bubbly personality, it sure contrast with the stereotype we can see around

KevinReijnders 2024-01-10 10:53:56 UTC #19

I've been racking my brain over this question, I honestly find it difficult to say. Not that I think Kyara is just a bog standard female protagonist you could find a dime in a dozen. Rather, I really think about how she compares to other characters, putting all my thought and energy in realizing her to her fullest potential as a character.

That being said, I think that on the surface you could argue she is just another strong female character that is super mega talented and can do no wrong. But that would be a mistake. In fact one of her core character traits, her impulsiveness, is what causes most if not all the conflict that she finds herself in. And while at the start of the story she manages to luck her way out of the trouble she causes, as the story progresses her mischief will catch up on her, forcing her to finally stop and think for once.

On a side note, I also like to think her design stands out from typical female protagonists.

CarltonIsaac 2024-01-10 11:21:38 UTC #20

Fem-lead Char Delphine from my main webcomic series here on Tapas has absolutely no inhibitions, and doesn’t miss a beat even when she’s changed into a child or a male version of herself from time to time by dark magic.

Stargazer31 2024-01-10 12:06:03 UTC #21

Carmilla is a perky goth who's accidentally shacked up with 4 famous monsters. She also likes 80s arcade games and hash browns

https://m.tapas.io/series/Haunted-Housemates/info

MK_Wizard 2024-01-10 12:23:08 UTC #22

Well... if we're looking at how females are portrayed now, she's engaged to be married instead of being single and staying that way and she's not a tomboy. She's very feminine and sexy. But she takes her job seriously.

Rai_Muffin 2024-01-10 12:55:57 UTC #23

I wrote one of my characters, Rose as a critique on traditional feminity.
Giving her a traditionally feminine body (large bust, hips, long flowing hair), as well as stereotypically girly hobbies (romance novels, tea drinking etc),
but the most abrasive, masculine personality possible.
The kind of person who will doll herself up in a pretty dress because she wants to, but will break off your arm and wear it as a trophy if you make a pass at her.
It's why her name feels apt; a beautiful flower that is likely to make you bleed if you grab it wrong (though it was initially named after my sister, so the connection is accidental).
I'm also forbidden from drawing her crying, blushing or in a sexual way, or the next panel would be drawn in my own blood, though I have an exception planned for the crying and blushing thing.

A lot of her more bitchy traits will get evened out over time as she reflects on how she treats other people,
but ultimately hers is a story about seeking respect despite how she looks and not compromising who she is to fit a stereotype.

I also tried to buck a trend by having a close male friend from childhood who she doesn't get romantic with; her relationship with Keanu was written to by a plutonic symbiosis, with his cooler head stopping her wilder tendencies while her assertiveness gets his lazy ass moving if he's holding back.

Leyelle 2024-01-10 16:08:29 UTC #24

That's a fair point, there are a lot of situations in which women, or people in general, need help to be rescued and it's totally okay to realize you need help and can't just rescue yourself always. I think the important thing is balance, so that being helpless isn't all there is to the character.

@KevinRejinders It's virtually impossible for your character to share NO tropes whatsoever with any of the stereotypes, the point is more how they diverge. I.E. Alicia is shy and passive, which is a trope, but she also has tendencies that move beyond the shy-girl trope. 1. she's not a 'good' model person sort of shy girl (she's actually a bit of a lush with kind of a bad attitude) 2. And she has a level of depth of emotional understanding that I feel like is rare for the 'shy girl.' She does try to believe the best in people, but she can also see reasons behind their emotions that lead her to not just settle for being whiny and whimper-y when they hurt her feelings.

So if Kyara is a bit talented and tomboyish, that isn't a problem, it's more about what individualities does she have that make her a character of her own, or help her to lean away from an arch-type and become her own person.

Leyelle 2024-01-10 16:11:22 UTC #25

I agree, as if all black women just have to be intense and aggressive! there are a number of black women in "Lion Proof" as it's about an afro-haircare brand, but they all have different personalities, because they're PEOPLE not tropes.

kyupol 2024-01-10 17:10:15 UTC #26

Claudita isn't like how redheads are usually portrayed. She's not loud, aggressive or short tempered (unless provoked by callousness or cruelty). And she isn't fire magic user.

BoomerZ 2024-01-10 17:17:26 UTC #27

I would say what makes Baul different is she literally doesn't care about much as she doesn't have to. She is so completely overpowered to make most encounters trivial. But her being overpowered in not the point of the story. The story is about the relationship of a supernatural creature and a normal 20 something dude, Gavin. So you see the daily interactions of life and how this type of relationship would actually take place. She isn't quirky or weird, or have random weird ways of acting. She acts like someone that knows what she is. I tried very hard to make everyone as real as possible, no sterotypes.

Leyelle 2024-02-04 13:29:05 UTC #28

One thing I also think makes Alicia different, though not exactly in a good way, is that she is preeeetty (extremely) messy. Not anime girl with a dirty room messy, but, I'm too depressed to shower or wash my hair messy. She often doesn't wear makeup, not because she's confident, but because she's either to depressed to care or try, or too anxious to be able to keep her hands steady. Also she's not a cliche tomboy who doesn't care about fashion, but has really really poor fashion sense, so we still get to have that trope moment where her bf/crush styles her in a way that's actually pretty (more than once, with different bfs)

(Art by Mariel Leister)

Leyelle 2024-02-07 17:39:48 UTC #29

Just a bit of a teaser now, with more detail when the series comes out, but Kimberly is the only Melanesian female lead I've ever seen anywhere:

Also lets be honest, weird girls aren't a sort of lead i see very often.

Sissiarte 2024-02-08 23:29:42 UTC #30

I think the main thing about Nínua is that she could be considered a "strong female character" but she is also flawed. And she has some traits that might be considered unattractive on a woman (she is loud, sometimes harsh) she speaks her mind and is very stubborn. And these traits are usually viewed as worse in a female character than in a male one, while they aren't always inherently bad. I try to break gender norms with most characters in Orbital Decay, mainly in presentation. And she presents pretty masculine, while Eadam (her brother) presents more feminine. I have sometimes people thinking Ní is a boy and Eadam a girl. But that's okay, the point is to make people think about their biases. Check it out if it sounds like something that interests you! Thanks <3

Leyelle 2024-02-09 00:27:05 UTC #31

orbital decay is a really unique name

Leyelle 2024-02-09 01:37:26 UTC #32

I mean this face: need i say more?