#but women are also more likely to write female characters as Women than to write men as Men

[thewistlingbadger]

All the shade in the world when we say we want complex women characters we want more Ellie Williams and other characters whose actions make our insides twist, not frustrate us. We want characters that we hold beloved to become corrupted by fate but still have the opportunity for some redemption.

Caitlyn Kiramman is an interesting character, but she does not fit the bill for the "complex female characters" we desire. Jinx, Vi, and Mel better fit that bill. All three of those women have given us reason to both love and despise them. Many a difficult conversation have they been the subject of. And to me personally Cait just falls flat. And I don't think it's her own fault I think it's the writing. Season 1 cait is 🔛🔝 but season two cait? I understand that she's grieving her mother, HOWEVER, we barely saw any interaction between the two of them and the little that we did see showed us that she wasn't fucking with her like that/they had a complex and somewhat negative relationship. Imagine how the season opened with Cait actually finding her mom's dead body. We would all feel sick, and we'd all pity her. Or imagine had we been given a flashback between her and her mother when she was a child in the garden, having a good time. Or imagine how they just even mentioned the fact that their relationship was strained. Losing a parent is bad, what makes it worse is having unfinished business with that parent (which is why people love the story of Ellie Williams, it's why we understand why she wants to go after her father's killer other than the fact that the killer murdered her father). Caitlin only having one motivation to go after jinx, to descend into hell, to avenge her mother is not even. "Jinx killed mom now I kill Jinx" there's nothing compelling about that. We've seen the story several times.

Just to give a direct comparison.

Jinx's dad was a man she had an extremely complicated relationship with and this relationship was showcased throughout the season. The fact that she essentially lost her sister and killed her father at the same time is what pushes her over the edge. We completely understand why she's going to burn the world down because the show told us over and over and over again. Jinx always manages to lose the people she loves the most, and this time it's happened directly by her own hand.

Jinx's missile only kills three people, blows up a building, and inspiresb fear in the hearts of pilties and amazment in the hearts of Zaunites. Her actions were bad, but ultimately very few people actually suffered from her actions. The council only lost three people, it's not like pilltover's governmentless now (like how zaun is). The damage to the building wasn't that bad and it's easily repairable. And overall from her actions alone the citizens of pilltover are still safe.

Now let's look at cait. She's actively ruining the lives of zaunites by mass gassing them (we also how many kids were on the street. We all know how many homeless and disabled people there are in zaun. Now they're all negatively affected due to cait's lust of vengeance) and by arresting them when they've committed no crime. She's parading around the city with deadly weapons, under the authority of which she does not have! Cait abuses her name and her position as an enforcer to DEMAND that the council follow her plan. She had absolutely no right to storm into there and act like she had the power to call shots. What's even more gross is that she completely lied to them! Her goal was never to locate jinx, it was always to kill Jinx. If she truly cared about bringing jinx to proper justice, she would have ensured she be brought alive. If she truly cared about dismantling shimmer, she would have done that first bc A. Vi knows exactly where the factory is and B. According to silco, the last attack already cut the supply in half. It would have been easy to finish that off. Caitlyn acts like she's judge, jury, and Executioner the entire time she's down there. Her prejudice increases exponentially AS does her willingness to he openly prejudice. She literally refers to Vi's countrymen as animals, and accuses vi of being disloyal several times! and must we truly mention the assault she did? Must we mention that she was willing to kill a kid? That's a line jinx herself has not even willingly crossed yet, and she's practically crossed all other lines.

At the moment Caitlin is not a character who's doing the wrong things for what she believes is the right reason. She's acting out of complete selfishness. Even jinx, who committed an act of terrorism, didn't do it for herself. She did it for her dad, who worked so hard to bring down piltover and didn't live to see it because he refused to trade his daughter for Independence and peace.

So these are just only a few reasons why people don't support her this season. And her level of oppression, arrogance, and maliciousness is exactly why people are calling out those who defend her, because the majority of her defenders are privileged and white.

"We want more complex female characters" you can't even handle an angry, grieving daughter who just had her mother killed by her future wife's sister, shut the fuck up

[s-soulwriter]

Do you have any suggestions from distinguishing the difference between male voice and female voice while they talk

And their accents

Or how to show that some characters speak less than others

Hey, thanks for your questions. I hope I was able to answer them as thoroughly as possible

1. Distinguishing Male vs. Female Voices

The first thing to understand is that male and female voices can be distinct in several ways, though these differences are not set in stone—individuals may deviate from these general trends. Here are a few elements you can consider when creating male and female voices for your characters:

Pitch and Resonance:

Male voices are often lower in pitch due to having longer and thicker vocal cords. This gives them a richer, fuller sound, often described with words like "deep," "baritone," or "gravelly."

Female voices are generally higher-pitched, more fluid, and can often be described as "melodic," "soft," or "bright." Women typically have shorter, thinner vocal cords that create a more airy or lighter resonance.While pitch is a significant factor, it’s important to avoid overly stereotypical descriptions—there are men with high voices and women with deeper ones. Focus on your character’s personality and the role their voice plays in the narrative.

Speech Style:

Male voices can often sound more direct and less emotionally expressive, although this varies greatly. A male character might use more straightforward language or fewer qualifiers. For example, they might say “I’m fine” without further explanation.

Female voices, traditionally, might use more emotive or detailed language, often adding qualifiers or hedging

Tip: A good way is also to observe the people around you. How do they speak and express themselves?.

2. Writing Accents for Characters

Accents add a lot of depth to a character’s voice and help give them a distinct identity. Here’s how you can approach writing accents:

Avoid Overdoing It:

A common mistake when writing accents is to phonetically spell out every word, making it hard to read. For example, trying to write out a Southern accent as “Ah reckon I’m gonna go fer a walk, y’all” can quickly become exhausting. Instead, subtly hint at the accent by using word choice and occasional phrasing.

Choose Key Words or Phrases:

Rather than altering every word, focus on incorporating distinctive phrases or slang that are characteristic of that accent. For instance:

Southern U.S. accent: “Y’all,” “ain’t,” “fixin’ to.”

British accent: “Blimey,” “mate,” “cheers.”

Australian accent: “G'day,” “no worries,” “mate.”

Phonetic Tweaks:

You can show an accent by slightly adjusting common words or sounds that reflect the accent’s uniqueness. For example:

A Scottish accent might have a rolled "r" or drop the "g" in words like "going" (e.g., "goin’").

A French-influenced accent might emphasize certain vowels, like turning "r" sounds into more of a soft "ah" sound (e.g., “I will hahve a drink”).

Consistency:

It’s essential to maintain consistency throughout the dialogue. If a character has a French accent, they should maintain it across the conversation, but you don’t need to overdo it in every sentence. Instead, sprinkle a few key phrases throughout the dialogue to remind the reader of the accent.

Tip: The goal is to hint at the accent without overwhelming the reader. Think of it like a background texture—it should support the character without overshadowing them. It’s also important to understand why this character has an accent. Why is it important to you? Why does it belong to the character or the story?

3. Writing a More Silent or Reserved Character

If you have a character who speaks less or is more reserved, you can emphasize their quiet nature in several ways without constantly having them “say nothing.”

Less Dialogue:

A quiet character doesn’t need to speak often, but when they do, it should be impactful. Short, concise lines of dialogue work best. For example: “I don’t know,” or “It’s fine.”

By speaking less, the character creates a sense of mystery or depth. People may start to wonder what they are thinking or why they are so silent. This makes every word they say feel significant.

Actions and Body Language:

Instead of always relying on dialogue, show what the character feels through their actions. A reserved character might communicate through gestures or facial expressions rather than words. A small nod or a brief glance can convey a lot.

Use body language to communicate their silence. “He didn’t speak, but his fingers twitched and his lips formed a grin.” Or, “Her gaze was steady, but her lips remained sealed.”

Internal Dialogue:

A reserved character might be silent in the external world, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking. You can give them internal thoughts to let readers into their mind without forcing them to speak aloud. For example: “He wanted to say something, but the words felt stuck, trapped behind the walls he had built around himself.” This is really important if the silet OC is your Main character.

Contrast with Other Characters:

The more talkative characters can help highlight the quiet ones. When they interact, the differences in speech can be stark. A talkative character might over-explain things, filling silence, while the quieter one answers with one or two words, creating a natural contrast.

Tip: The silence of a character can often speak louder than their words. The less they speak, the more meaningful their words become, and the more the reader may connect with their inner conflict or calm

[beanghostprincess]

A bit tired of people complaining about Sanji's principle of "not hitting women" being misogynistic when it has been clearly stated multiple times that he does not choose it and it's heavily tied to his trauma and admiration for his dad and respect for women and definitely not from seeing women as somehow weaker than him

[darkestmetamorphosis]

THIS THIS THIS. It's just the perfect woman/incompetent man sitcom couple that's been the standard for literal decades, now with ukefication yay :|

Like can people just... write female characters as people it's not that hard! If you're trying to write a woman - whether that's an oc, or a canon character who probably already has a personality beyond what you're flattening her to - and all you can think of is either "girlboss" or "cringefail" with no middle ground; if you really cannot comprehend a woman being a normal three dimensional person, do some fucking introspection PLEASE. Stop taking inspiration from media and tropes and look at real live people

And the obsession with "queering" relationships is... ugh where do I even start. First of all that does not make it any more or less "pure" or whatever. Second of all if you have a straight man and a straight woman, they're still both straight no matter who's doing what in the bedroom

If one or both of the characters is queer though that's its own set of nasty stereotypes. If one or both of them are bi it's the "all bi men are feminine so they must also be (insert laundry list of infantilizing stereotype)"/"all bi women are badass girlbosses because they're Not Like Other Girls". If they're trans it's "penis=dom/vagina=sub" reducing them to their agab and parts they may not even want. Like it's misgendering with extra steps, in complete denial of things like bottom dysphoria, surgery, or the fact that maybe trans people might have more reason than most to be averse to the whole gender role reversal thing because having that expectation imposed on you your whole life really fucking sucks and it sucks even worse to be pushed back into the same box. Except the box now has a thin veneer of fake wokeness, repackaging the same old shit

And for all the people in the notes going "where are you seeing this" it's not even just on this webbed site, it happens irl too. ime it comes from the girls who say things like "all men are trash" and people who make nasty jokes/assumptions about me because they think I look like a ~smol uwu soft boi~

All the stereotyping aside, the vibe I get from these sort of dynamics is like... neither of the characters is even really into it? Like it's not about love, not even lust, it's just about power and dominance with no aftercare (because surprise surprise, they don't know how bdsm - including actual femdom - works) Like it's just there because the writer thinks it's the only way you can have a straight relationship without being sexist

can't vibe with the pathetic sopping wet generic sub boy man/pristine feminine perfect goddess woman dynamic people try to put onto every m/f pairing in existence. don't you want something more interesting? characters don't need to have perfect psychologist approved relationships in fiction obvs but it's just so boring. don't you want something in character? don't you want something more interesting?? oh she pegs him? and you write this in a way that implies penetration is about domination and power? wowee. never seen that one before.

[bumblingbabooshka]

It's impossible to write a TOS x Any other Series crossover [for me] without having to think about whose lens it's going to primarily be from because the vibe of TOS is so distinct and I think quite different from all series that follow it. The way the characters speak and are presented is so theatrical and of course steeped in the past that I find myself considering if this is, say, Janeway meeting Kirk (through a VOY perspective) or if I should write Janeway as she would appear if she stepped through a portal and was in TOS' universe.

[sskk-manifesto]

Ep 6!!!

[fictionadventurer]

The Heir of Redclyffe is teaching me that what Little Women really needed was for the March sisters to have a clever, witty, sharp-tongued, disabled brother who was BFFs with Laurie.

[giantkillerjack]

ur post about queerbaiting and the dismissal of people in fandom to critical analysis is so incredibly true thank you. i feel like marcille's writing in the anime has been super misogynistic a lot of the time and every time i bring this up all anyone wants to say is "well maybe this isn't for you! and you shouldn't watch the show!" like. i don't think this is about taste lmao, i am analyzing the text in front of me and coming to conclusions about the craft of it.

[This is in reference to this post]

YES!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

It is so so frustrating!!!!

It's like being at a restaurant and being served a bunch of delicious appetizers, but then one of the bread appetizers is literally just a plate of crumbs; and then when you're like, "Hey, uhh, why are we being served literal crumbs?", a bunch of the other folks eating at the restaurant are like,

"WELL HOW ABOUT YOU JUST DON'T EAT HERE THEN??!? YOU MUST NOT BE THAT HUNGRY, SO JUST FIND ANOTHER RESTAURANT AND DON'T EAT WITH US!!"

And maybe they say it politely, but "Aw, sorry, maybe this restaurant just isn't for you 💖" is just trading out an aggressive dismissive tone for a patronizing dismissive tone. It's the same message.

And it's like! I was honestly happy to move on from the crumbs once my complaint was acknowledged because the meal overall is still delicious, but then all these folks got SUPER WEIRD AND DEFENSIVE ABOUT IT, so now I find myself double-checking all the other dishes -- and, actually, you know what those eggs DO look a Iittle misogynistic undercooked!!!!

[musical-chick-13]

"This show is SO good, you should watch it!!"

I gotta be honest. If I look at a character list on Wikipedia and get five characters down without seeing a single woman, it's probably not for me.

[seasaltmemories]

Having known the general plot of Penguindrum long before I watched it I would see pics of Ikuhara's heroines together and I was always quietly a hater about it bc how could "generic sick girl who barely does anything in the plot" have the same impact as genuine protagonists

And now just cut to me just rotating Himari in my head 90% of the time, LMAO amazing how wrong I was. Turns out plot summaries are no substitute for actually watching the thing! What a twist!

I do wonder how would read to ppl with chronic illness but her depiction feels so much richer than most sad sick girls in that she is painfully aware of her role as tragic symbol of innocence that must be struck down by the narrative, like if ppl only wanted a full character study on someone in her situation they'd be disappointed, but we're given just enough to know that this on some level a performance

she isn't not a sweet kind girl who loves her family but she's never really had the chance to be anything else, and she doesn't just sit there simmering in resentment or anything, she regards the whole Double H situation with remarkable maturity, but it just all comes back to the chasing love monologue, so much of her character comes down to having to make do with a shitty hand you've been dealt, and so even if she doesn't drive the 'action' it still feels like her story too, bc having that level of agency and freedom was never an option, every choice and option she makes has to be fought with by tooth and nail, making it all the more meaningful

[perenlop]

i do live in my own bubble, i forget that a cast being largely female is like. seen as an anomaly a lot of the time if it's not "intended for girls"

[cruelsister-moved2]

cant believe ppl on this earth still compare straight women who like gay fanfiction to the fetishisation of lesbians by men that gets us assaulted and killed daily but the former is literally more to do with misogyny than homophobia sorry to be a womanator but unlike fetishisation of lesbians it has very little do to with irl gay men and gay relationships, they don't want a gay relationship they want a relationship that feels "neutral" and between their own internalised misogyny and shame and detachment from their body and sexuality, and external misogyny that frequently reduces women to less than human and does not engage with women sexually in a way that makes them identifiable with, but only the man desiring them to be identified with.

they want a romance in which gender markers are irrelevant, it's NOT a fetishisation of masculine gender markers which you can see blatantly by comparing m/m media made for adult gay men. they don't want a relationship between two MEN they want a relationship between two PEOPLE and for the reasons mentioned above have found it impossible to see that in a relationship involving a women. the convoluted uke/seme roles and mischaracterised and/or tortured submissive men and the whole a/b/o thing are literally not reflective of their views of irl gay men, it's a psychosexual reflection of their own internalised misogyny!!!!! is this thing on can anyone hear me

[gendercriticalthinking]

The way that my friend felt disappointed when he found out as a kid that an androgynous character he idolized was a woman because he quote "couldn't relate to the character anymore" and the way that the creator of Celeste """discovered he was non-binary""" because he wrote a female character that he was able to relate to are branches off of the same vein of misogyny I think

[phagodyke]

ohhhhh my god girl i don't careeeee

[libidinous-weeb]

same with male writers who write all their female characters as the exact same girl with long hair and pale delicate skin whose sole purpose is to ensure the male characters can live happily ever after while making all of the male characters have diverse and interesting storylines that have major effects to the plot with paragraphs of descriptions about what they look like and how they think. btw.

male artists who draw every woman/slightly femme looking person with the same yassified disney elsa face while having the decency to draw men in different and interesting ways are not seeing the light of heaven. btw