A couple years ago I noticed a pattern in novels with female protagonists, mostly xianxia. My conclusion is that: An FL that keeps being described as "independent" is more likely to depend on someone, usually the male lead. It has plenty of good reasons after all why that kind of thing happens. One of which is that one doesn't need words to prove anything but their actions. (Y'know the classic phrase 'action speak louder than word). When an FL keeps claiming that she wants to be independent, you just know they're going to depend on their ML throughout the story. Exhibit A: Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss (Ch. 500) (Ch. 743) (Ch. 805) (Ch. 1061) Yet time and time again, she's always being protected, supported, backed, rescued, and saved either by the ML or her plot armor. Anyways, it's not only North Night MCs that I have a problem with. Many novels I see also have this red flag of calling the FL as independent then immediately depending on ML for his strength. Exhibit B: INEBM The Female Supporting Role Shows Out 100,000/Hour Professional Stand-in Male God Shine Bright (or any other Mo Li novels really) Heroic Wife Reborn Not ONCE have I heard the author describing the MC as being independent or wanting to be one—They just are. It's usually the ones who don't call themselves independent who are actually capable of standing up for themselves. They don't have to prove anything because their actions would do it for them. THESE are the type of independent FLs that I love. Sorry for the clickbait-y title, but it's true that I don't generally like protagonists that are described as being "independent" because they're the ones who are usually...not. What do you guys think?
Yes most of them are like that and it happens with every other genre too. There are really few novels with actual power balance. There's one author on wattpad i have read around 4-5 novels by her and they are really good. @joymoment I have read: A secret service (1st one i read and loved it) A pirate's tale Holding back It all happened one night Three weeks
Here's my theory for why it happens: The "independent female lead" is not written as independent because the author values independence, but because it provides a way to show the FL's feelings for the male lead. The fact that they wouldn't depend on someone else, but are willing to depend on the ML is evidence of the growing feelings. The more they depend on the ML, the stronger the relationship has become. It's an annoying trope, especially for those of us looking for Strong Female Characters, but it does serve a purpose to the plot. In a way, the author is trying to "show-don't-tell" that the FL loves the ML by juxtaposing her independent backstory with her increasing dependence after meeting the ML.
uh huh anyway this cat wonder, what actually the criteria for strong character? sometimes it like a jerk, sometimes it like drama sometimes it only have strong impression~ meh
I think a strong character is one who has good boundaries. They respect both others and themselves. They are responsible for their decisions, including being able and willing to admit when they are wrong. They are resourceful and self-aware. They have good problem-solving skills, and also know when to ask for help. For example, if someone has repeatedly been kidnapped, at a certain point she should hire a bodyguard and take self-defense classes. I don't even mind if she keeps getting kidnapped - after all it takes time to learn self-defense - the point is that she's proactively solving the problems in her life in a reasonable way.
Hello. Excuse me, my English is not very good. I am not a native English speaker. I really like the strong female swordsman Monghwan in the novel "Dusk Howler" (shounen, VRMMORPG). So far, only a prologue and a fragment from the first chapter of this novel have been translated into English, but I have read several fragments in Korean using Google Translate. The English translation of the novel has been abandoned, but I hope that someday a translator will be found who will continue this translation. The novel "Dusk Howler" is a comedy action about the adventures of the villainous guild Dusk Howler in the virtual game "Trikia". The protagonist is a weak male wizard Jaiha, who is an aspiring player in "Trikia". He dreams of becoming the king of the dark kingdom, so every day he completes dungeon quests for many hours a day and trains his craft skills to get the best weapons and equipment, become the best player on the server and take over the dark kingdom. But Jaiha is a cowardly and peaceful guy who does not want to kill anyone, so he does not kill other players and he tries to befriend them. Also, he may even cry out of pity for monsters (wild rabbits, forest cats, etc.), when he completes quests in the game where he needs to kill monsters. Jaiha is a shy, handsome, feminine, heterosexual man who has a "harem", which consists of about 10 women and about 10 men. Jaiha has never played an active role in a romantic relationship: he does not kiss anyone and he does not try to win anyone's heart. Women occasionally kiss him on the lips, and men occasionally try to seduce or rape him. But in the real world, these women and men don't even try to kiss Jaiha, because in the "Trikia", Jaiha is a sweet bishounen with long honey blonde hair, while in the real world, Jaiha is a sociopathic hikikomori named Kim Jee-Ha (Kim Jiha), a skinny guy with an forgettable face and short brown hair. Monghwan is one of the women in Jaiha's "harem". Monghwan is one of the top ten player killers on the server. During their second meeting in "Trikia", Monghwan stated to Jaiha that he was her boyfriend from now on and that she would kill any player (male or female) who tried to flirt with Jaiha. Monghwan helps Jaiha complete quests in high-level dungeons and protects him from other men and women who are trying to win Jaiha's heart. Since Jaiha is a talented cook, blacksmith and tailor, he regularly makes and repairs high-quality swords and battle clothes for Monghwan, and cooks delicious food for Monghwan in "Trikia" to express his gratitude to her for helping him in "Trikia". Monghwan is an androgynous woman with short dark hair, a masculine voice and loose-fitting men's clothing, so Jaiha mistook her for a homosexual man for a long time because Jaiha couldn't figure out if Monghwan was a woman or a man. Monghwan often kills other players and she doesn't even greet them before attacking them. She usually acts like an arrogant, cruel, silent and sloppy kuudere who attacks other players with a calm expression and takes away weapons, food, and other things she likes from them. If she is tired, she can easily enter the virtual home of some unfamiliar player, lie on the floor in the corner of the room, cover herself with some rag for washing the floor instead of a blanket and fall asleep while the owner of the house looks at her in confusion. If any player refuses to obey any of her orders, she becomes an aggressive and hot-tempered killer for a couple of minutes, which instantly kills with one blow of her sword this player and those players who tried to help this player in the battle against her. Although she often acts like a stupid and rude caveman who impulsively and intuitively hunts bears with a wooden club, Monghwan is actually reasonable and prudent, for example, she chooses quality swords and buys them at a bargain price. Monghwan doesn't know anything about love and doesn't know how to flirt, so Jaiha perceives her as a male friend, not as a beloved woman, and because of this, their romantic relationship develops very slowly. Unlike other stories about a strong woman and a weak man, Monghwan does not hit Jaiha or sexually harass him. Monghwan is usually dressed from head to toe and she does not wear erotic clothes. She tries to be a noble knight who protects his beautiful lady (Jaiha) from various dangers, so Jaiha perceives her as a reliable and caring older brother, and not as a stupid and cruel woman.
wow now i really want to read this lol. ıt looks like a different story and a bi harem? Seriously? I dont like harem but its interesting. Rape part made me a little unconfortable thou
What other story is this like? I think "Dusk Howler" is PG-13. There are no rapes, there are only attempted rapes. This book can be read by 13 year old readers. In terms of the level of eroticism of the plot, this book is similar to such anime as "Kyo Kara Maoh!", "Black Butler", "Revolutionary Girl Utena", "Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play".
Hmmm then I am gonna give it a try. I read the manhwa but it wasn't like the thing you told I guess they changed it quite a bit. I am currently in the process of learning Korean Altought I am lacking too much I guess I will try to read it. I can always use Google translate