[ SECRET POST #2015 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2015 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 085 secrets from Secret Submission Post #288.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 1 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

17. http://i46.tinypic.com/33vkpiq.png

[(Anonymous)]

I am honestly curious as to why you found writing her as a female so much more difficult than "genderswapping" her.

[(Anonymous)]

You can't just write her as a person? It's not like men and women are completely different species.

[(Anonymous)]

whatever works for you, man

it's awesome you're fighting to keep your female chara

[(Anonymous)]

I can't write women anymore because fandom feminism has basically taught me that no matter how you write a female character, you will get shit for it. When you write male characters, people will only judge them as characters. When you write female characters, everyone will only look at how you wrote "a female character". Basically they've achieved the opposite of what they wanted to achieve.

[deadtree]

it sounds like you're attaching far too much of her identity to her gender, so the way you're doing it is probably the best option.

[dm21]

I don't see why you can't write her without genderswapping but if it'll help you write her character better then that's good for you.

[cloud_riven]

Would it help if you considered that the traits your male characters aren't uniquely male, or organised what you think are?

That perhaps the differences relate to how people are raised, perceived, and present themselves?

It always strikes me as odd when people say that you should, or shouldn't, write a dude and then just genderswap them, because that assumes the actions of this dude character are limited and traceable to dudes only.

[silverau]

Whatever works for you. Good for you for not giving up.

[(Anonymous)]

I weirdly wasn't a big fan when I was a kid and it came out, because I loved the fantasy, castles, saving the princess atmosphere of the more "traditional" Zelda games, and Majora's Mask felt weirdly modern. Also, the mechanics were a little annoying, of resetting time, and the final boss - literally a mask - to this day I think is just too silly looking to take seriously.

I played it a few years later, after I was not so pre-pubescent, and came to enjoy it tremendously. I like the dark, weird, semi-disturbing themes (for example, notice how the statues you can make of yourself in the different forms, to hold down buttons or whatever, are all dead versions of yourself? at least they really look it..) I still don't like the actual Majora's Mask, but I find the atmosphere pretty enthralling now. So much awesome stuff in there. The scene with the kids on the moon wearing the masks, too, always sends a chill down my spine for some reason.

Still, though, my favorite Zelda game is OOT - don't judge me for being mainstream, but I honestly think it's the best. haha

[(Anonymous)]

OP, You are implying that you find women sooo unrelatable you can barely think of them as fellow humans, only as people defined by their gender.

So you have to first right them as 'normal people' and then just do a gender swap.

Great, good luck with your book.

[childings.livejournal.com]

I would hesitate to write a female character "as a guy and then genderswap" because gender is so much a part of one's identity. Also the whole idea that you would have to write the character as a guy first in order for them to be "awesome" is all kinds of problematic. A better strategy would be for you to read books, comics, watch tv shows/movies etc. with female characters that you find interesting (even a little) and think about why you like those characters and what is appealing about them. You can also do this with people you know in real life. Think about women or girls that you know personally that you find interesting (you don't have to even like them). This is a better strategy than just developing a male character, then genderswapping them.

[(Anonymous)]

I write almost all of my characters (biologically male, biologically female, or neither) as if they have no gender identity beyond their acceptance of or rejection of society's expectations. So far, not one person has noticed this, and I've even gotten praise for my characters.

[(Anonymous)]

internalized misogyny lbr.

[(Anonymous)]

I might be the only one who's okay with it, but the genderswap has given us some of our best and strongest female characters. Ripley in Aliens was supposed to go to a man. Veronica Mars was originally conceived as a teenage boy. Harry in Harry's Law was originally a man.

I can't think of any other examples off the top of my head (I can't imagine there are many anyway), but so long as you respect the character and write her as a person (which you obviously want to do), then I can't see the problem.

[eaten_by_bears]

Hey, you do what you gotta do. That sounds like a perfectly valid technique, and I'm glad you're not giving up on her.

[rtydmartel]

Incidentally, this is why adore Gunnerkrigg Court. People asked the author how he manages to write such good female protagonists despite being a guy ("do you have a little sister?"), and he answered that he simply writes the female characters as people.

Women and girls are people. The social trials and expectations they go through might be different than what men go through, but beneath all that we all have goals, fears, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, senses of humor, hobbies, friends, family struggles, fun, disagreements... those don't really change according to gender as much as one might think.

Don't fall for the lies of those in power that want society to remain fragmented. They benefit from you accepting and not questioning or challenging those lies.

[ariakas]

If it works for you, it works for you. I say go for it. As many people have pointed out, some of the best female characters in fiction were created this way. Why? Because it's a simple yet effective way of bucking the patriarchal mores you've been steeped in for a lifetime. Don't let them browbeat and shame you over it. It works for you. You're fighting the good fight in your own way.

[(Anonymous)]

I like how you've chosen the most femininely feminine idealised picture of a woman you could possibly find. Is this how you think of female characters when you think female? Or was this juxtaposition with the secret deliberate?

[saiika_von_maou]

You know, sometimes it feels like it would be so much easier to just always write male characters, since it seems like there are much higher expectations of female characters. It's important not to give up on them, though, so I really respect that you're holding onto her. Don't worry. It'll get easier to write female characters with each one. :)

[thene]

I respect this and hope it works out for you but I also wonder if her femaleness isn't necessarily the reason you're having trouble writing her. There might be something else that's wrong. I guess genderswapping will let you find out.

[(Anonymous)]

OP, i know that feel, bro.

i found that after a year of writing only male characters, my female characters suffered as a result. they were all cariactures, cardboard cutouts, plot devices, and completely devoid of personality.

and it made me so upset and saddened to think that even though I was female, i could no longer relate to or write about my own gender.

turned out there was a lot of internalized sexism i'd been harbouring that was affecting my writing. so tried to deal with that.

i also conducted an experiment. i took every single one of my main characters and genderswapped them. and now, they are so much more well-developed as a result, and i can finally write female characters again.

i truly hope that you will be able to overcome this, too, OP. you can do it! :)

[darkmanifest]

As long as the final product is a compelling female character, I don't care if you perform handstands in a tree while barking at the moon to pull it off. How can you be a failure if you're determined not to give up? Do you, gurl.

[(Anonymous)]

taking out gender or rather writing characters as _humans_, not men or women exclusively, is probably the best idea. And seriously not being caught up too much by gender this or that.

our whole society is fucked up and hooked on this way of thinking. I mean a lot of people are reaming you for being implicitly misogynistic but like. Idk I don't think you didn't realize that?

One of my friends had a writing teacher who would look through her stories and be like "why is this character a girl? She's not character Y's sister, mother or love interest... "

I've found just following your character inspiration and using the right pronouns does wonders. I had a full female cast in my last story bt their characters were inspired by some more masculine ideas. Just focus on making a good character.

[(Anonymous)]

You write a character with their PERSONALITY in mind, not their gender.

Jesus fuck.