8 years ago when I first started writing my story. It was centered around a character named Shizuka Raion. In my eyes, he WAS the perfect OC. A calm, cool, and collected scythe-user with lightning powers and a tragic back story.

But as time went on, I realized that him being in the center of the conflict was NOT what the story needed. It needed someone with flaws, someone that was vulnerable, someone that needed help, but at the same time could help others. That's when I fell in love with one of the side characters named Hinan Okami. After building on her storyline and realizing that she was a much more interesting character. I decided to bite the bullet and push my "perfect" OC to the side and put her in the spotlight. And to this day, that was the greatest creative decision I've ever made.

After being accused of tokenism/racism by a professional editor, I was so mentally beaten up that I didn't even want to continue this story anymore. Despite the work, time, and love I put into this this world and it's characters, I was ready to throw it away in the blink of an eye. Having someone you respected greatly tell you that your magnum opus is nothing more than a cash grab aimed towards minorities and LGBTQ+ communities is absolutely heartbreaking. Which is why I haven't been active in these forums for months now.

But recently I've been sharing my work with friends, artists, bookworms, co-workers, and geeks alike. Despite all of the different opinions, all of the different POVs, and all of the different reactions. The general consensus amongst all of them is, "This story will be amazing. " I know my writing isn't great at the moment, but learning that people still enjoy reading it, feels awesome.

I wouldn't say that my story is "needed" but it's clear to me that it's "wanted". Which is why I will continue to work hard. So that it can become a Tapas or Webtoon Original.

Here's my MC Hinan Okami (left) and her girlfriend Kakusan Okami (right), who is the story's deuteragonist. For those of you who are curious.

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I seem to have forgotten the original reason, so I made a new one. "Fun and practice", that's it. That's my excuse to keep drawing.

I feel you about RWBY... So hard.

I'm continually frustrated by series where there's a cool lady with a cool looking big weapon and then she does absolutely nothing, and she seems to be protagonist in name only because the actual active characters in the story are the guys... And then people act like a comic like mine doesn't need to exist because there are all these other things with ladies with big weapons or super-strength in them, and it's like... those exist... but the heroines in them don't do the things I want to see a heroine with super-strength or a big weapon do (like beating up big monsters and stuff!), OR the character is drawn in this weirdly over-sexualised way that makes her hard to relate to, OR she's written by a guy and doesn't really feel like a woman at all so much as a pile of stereotypical "girly" behaviours.

I guarantee you, there is an audience out there for "it's like RWBY... but actually written decently and living up to the premise", and they are HUNGRY for your content. You should do it! MAKE YOUR THING!

Honestly, guilty of this, at least in my head. More precisely, sometimes when people say 'there isn't enough representation for X', my first thought is "whaaat? there are lots of things with X. Like that show, and that comic, and all those stories. I haven't read most of them, but there are lots of them!"

But me not having watched them is kind of the problem (as well as me not being in the demographic being represented poorly, and thus not instinctively picking up on poor representation). I'd actually have to consciously go into something with the intention of analysing how it represents characters to realise 'oh yeah, you're right, the way those ladies are being written is kinda cringe'.

i just came back to this thread and it made me think of my desperation for black characters in roles outside of a lot of the usual stereotypes or like in more varied genres and it was literally so hard to come by for a while and even with side characters it was always these like really minor roles or the designs were some kind of messed up.

Like I'm so grateful for indie platforms that allow for folks to share stories that often end up rejected by traditional means or worse grossly altered from the source material but it just makes me think of my reasons for making the stuff i want to see because if i cant find it why be not make it myself

thats like it gets discouraging very often seeing certain debates or discussions with very weird stances on these kinds things but its like if media wont provide it then feel embildened to make those things and its one of yhe few things that keep me encouraged even if i may not always be able to work on things coz no ones gonna be able to tell my stories the way i want to see them except me, so ive gotta put in the work to execute that vision and will do anything i can to make certain its done

As someone that somewhat still a fan of RWBY, I feel you on that. Often times while my other friend while watching the side show Ice Queendom that I wished we had some types of writing like that on the show. Granted, IQ wasn't perfect across the board, but the way the characters were written there was decent enough in IMO. I feel like all the characters in the OG RWBY show deserve better overall.

Oh, I totally get you on that. One of the reasons in my older stories ( which some of them will probably be reworked for Tapas) is that I started go like " Yeah, I'm going to write a black protag doesn't fit the stereotypes myself if no one else going to make that." when I was a teen. It's wonderful that Indie comics and novels are filling in that gap that mainstream media isn't doing. Nowadays, I prefer to write the story that I would like to see and maybe hopefully there will be an audience for it.

Hmmm it is truee, as a woman, I'm actually tired of women only existing in anime as fan service material >_> So I appreciate when they're actually badass and contribute to the plot in meaningful ways, I also like when women are the ones to help the guy and appreciate when plots aren't about a guy saving a girl XD

Hmm when it comes to girls that fight and aren't sexualized, I'd say would be Toaru Kagaku no railgun, I really enjoy the character of Misaka and the spotlight given to her in that series! Wish she did more in the Index ones though ú_ù

Another badass character would be Kashii Rin from deatte 5 byou de battle. She isn't the main character but she is a recurring character and her fighting style is neat BD

The main girl in re:creators is badass as well <3

Kurisu from Steins; gate, although it's not an action anime and it does have a theme of saving girls, Kurisu is one of the most intelligent characters I've seen and I love her character!

This is a magical girls one though with a battle royal theme (Maho shojo Ikusei keikaku) not perfect but I enjoyed it a lot x'D

I think you'd like Dr. Stone too as the girls are resourceful and given a role, there's a not sexualized badass girl in the main group too.

But yess, I totally get you, I really would like more badass girls done right! Oh I also tend to appreciate girls that are perverts in anime cause women are mostly portrayed as innocent with no sexual desire. (There's a girl that wants to peek at the boy's bathroom lol which is a thing I haven't seen in other animes XD I was like omggg finally, a girl showing interest in peeking lolol) Not like I love the idea of peeking, it's more the fact that she seemed more human to me and finally it broke the cliche of guys wanting to peek XD It was in the binbou gami ga

I also loved games like Suikoden ll in which there were girl characters that were kickass oh and Rhapsody a musical adventure in which you're a girl in an adventure to save her prince the rival character was so feminine and badass I really loved her too (She summoned guns and machine guns)

Ahhh there's an anime called "Blood +" in which the main is a girl and the villain is also a girl though I haven't watched it (a friend of mine really liked it though)

One of my faves is called Mirmo zibang and the girl main character is really likeable (she turns into a fairy in some episodes but it's mostly a really cute show about a girl wanting to win over her crush haha)

Princess tutu would be another rec! Ah... Anyway...

I wonder if Mikasa from shingeki no kyojin counts, I mean she was really badass and not sexualized on the show. Sasha is awesome too.

Oh and this one is sad but it has a girl mc which isn't sexualized "Made in Abyss", she has no powers but she is an interesting character.

Aside from throwing those recs and stating I second your opinion... I personally like brotherly love and would like seeing it more in anime T-T I also want a BL which is more than just the relationship, like the main BL couple with a more interesting plot. I believe there's webcomics with LGBT tag that have that but I mean as in I haven't watched animes like that, I think the closest to it would be "No.6"

As for my own story, I'm reworking it and I'll pull through with it! As long as I enjoy what I'm conveying with it, I'm sure more people will like it too C: The best thing one can do is have fun with their own stories! It doesn't matter if you don't think it's needed, cause you need it! And by working on it and sharing it, you'll eventually find those who need it as well <3

Sometimes our reasons for telling a story are very simple, such as my case, where I'm just making my webcomic/project for fun and because I want something to read through instead of just keeping it in my head

OMGG​ Here's the new Cover Art (draft) for my on-going novel "Behind The Scenes"
Yippieee~~~SO PROUD!!! ☆☆☆ !

Tapas: https://tapas.io/series/Behind-The-Scenes-By-Rism

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