#strong characters

Tigger gives me the vibe of fitting the cliché "silly, goofy, and adorable strongman" label.

how to write a strong character who isn't physically strong.

give them a different kind of strength. many times, mental strength or even emotional strength can give them a grasp and advantage that others may not have.

give them an opinion. give your characters instincts and values, making them all the more real. maybe they don't want everyone to die in their crossfire. maybe they want to stand up, when others don't. adding those details adds complexity and makes the character more well-rounded.

make them feel. the strongest of characters still break under pressure. little things that go bump in the night may not make them stir, but something surely will. give them worries, give them habits and hobbies that showcase depth of character.

run from the old tropes. a character—especially female ones—can be smart and attractive. they can be muscular, they can be loud, they have all of the flexibility as any other character. so many characters are defined to the ones you see on tv: the "dumb cheerleader", the "nerdy geek". you can expand so much farther than that.

give them ticks. small actions, small tells that show they're human, not a supersmart robot. it's so easy to centre your characters around a singular trait, but ticks and habits help to round them out.

Any Marvel/DC superheroine female character is terrible. These characters do not have development. They’re all flash and no soul. They have no personality. I may as well be watching cardboard cut outs for all the dimension these “strong women” have to them.

They’re given superheroine abilities out of nowhere and basically believe if they don’t use them all the time - they’re weak-willed. They’re not “strong enough”. It’s completely the wrong way to do this. It’s toxic and dogmatic and can be very dangerous to naive and impressionable eyes and ears - to the young. To whom this superhero media is targeted.

Their true strength is when their superheroism is taken away and they’re able to survive regardless.

Like the fucking rest of us. Then they’re just like us.

This is why I don’t watch superheroine TV shows or movies. I can’t stand how they characterize gender. It’s not just female characters where they do this. The male characters suffer as well from the poor writing. Everything has to be specific and “by-the-book”. Some random book of rules and laws no one’s seen on how to write “strong” or “heroic” characters. And it’s just not it. That’s not what I pay attention to or spend my energy on. I know what a truly strong character is.

I’ve watched and engaged with truly strong characters all my life. Male and female. And it was never like the load of shite we get now in superhero-focused media.

I’m calling out this garbage writing once and for all.

You want a truly strong female heroine character?

She has bouts in her arc where she thinks she has to disregard love to remain powerful. Where if she gives up for even one second - she’s already lost the battle.

But she overcomes these bouts. She realizes they’re not what make her “strong” or “powerful” at all.

She even believes that she should go at it alone because she deserves to be alone. Guess what? The narrative doesn’t let her because that’s not what makes her strong or heroic or powerful or capable.

The writing is always “you need help and it’s okay”. That’s not to say that she doesn’t and can’t do things on her own. She does and she can. But it’s not the point. The point is that she allows herself the help.

And in allowing it - that’s what makes her STRONG. Opening her heart is what makes her worthy of love. Whether it be love from a romantic partner, her family or even the audience that watch and engage with her.

They see her and they see that’s what strength truly is.

It’s not because she wields a sword. It’s not because she can do insane kicks and acrobatics. It’s not because she is physically strong what makes her that.

It’s because she allows herself to be vulnerable when she otherwise believes she can’t and shouldn’t be.

A running gag is that she has “the strength of ten men” and yet she doesn’t look like a man. She possesses the traits and skills of a man, yes, but she’s not characterized as “male” for it because she has masculine energy. It’s because SHE IS a woman. The God of War himself acknowledges this about her. Even says “sometimes the only man for the job is a woman.”

Now they’re not saying this to throw men under the bus. They’re saying that “this too is completely fine.” It’s completely fine for a woman to lead an army of men. To wage war, to be a commander in the battle.

And all the while - this character expresses femininity. She doesn’t have to express masculinity to do any of this - to do it well - because a woman is just as valid.

There are times when the most powerful thing you see on the screen is Xena using her feminine wiles on men. And it’s powerful because they don’t ever shame her. They might say it’s wrong for her to do this but it’s not because it’s sexual or hedonistic or anything like that.

But because she’s using it as a manipulation tactic. The only reason why it’s wrong is because it’s literally not right to do it to someone. That’s it. Nothing about her being a woman doing it. She’s not a “slut” for it etc… in fact… they’re very heavily pro sex-worker in this show. There’s another character played by Lucy Lawless that is a sex-worker and even though she feels ashamed for it at times - the narrative does not let her. It’s constantly in her favour - in her corner. This is just a recurring character. Not even a main one. Still - the writing is always showing what true strength is.

And it’s never that Xena is a warrior.

It’s that’s she’s a woman AND a warrior.

There’s so many different ways to characterize this. The only wrong way is to not give a shit in trying to and instead just slap male characteristics on them until all people ever think “true strength” is is male.

And don’t get me wrong. It’s not that males or men aren’t truly strong. They are. But it’s not a requirement of being entirely physically powerful and brute force. This is what ruins a man. What makes them feel bad.

You make true strength all and only about physical power and force and you make a monster. Not a man.

So as I said. It’s not just with female characters where the writing in superhero TV shows and movies is fucked up beyond all recognition. It’s every gender. True strength is something made out to be enforced and not already what lies within. It’s FUCKED UP!

I’ll rant about this forever if I have to because I know better. I’ve learned better. And I’ve been given better.

My inspiration all my life has been Xena. It’s never been just the portrayal of the character that’s the reason why she means so much to me. It’s the writing as well. It’s the way they didn’t just write the character but the entire Universe in which the character lived in. The environment was realistic in that it was hard and brutal and predominantly harsh. But the writing was always saying “This isn’t what makes it truly strong. This is actually what makes it weak and fragile.” You have battle-hardened male warriors in this show come out of the war a shell of the man - character - they used to be. Including WAR himself. It’s powerful emotionally. It hits the heart. A palpable impact. The way these people - characters - lose themselves in the violence. In what’s often regarded as what “physical strength” is. But in this show it tears them down. Breaks them apart. They’re weaker because of it. Both male and female characters suffer this destruction. Have to grapple with the serious implications of it. What it makes of them to put power and force first. Or to make violence the only thing that matters at all.

It’s the way it’s written. It’s always the way it is written.

If you write a warrior as nothing but a warrior - you’re not depicting “true strength”. You’re destroying them. But I suppose it doesn’t matter because they’re not human in superhero media right? They might be humanoid in appearance but they’re supernatural so it shouldn’t make a difference, right? Well, it does.

It just fucking does. Because true strength isn’t about being “strong”. It’s about being weak but enduring anyway because life goes on regardless.

You can still show this with superhero characters. Have them still keep all of their superhero abilities.

You just have to care to write them the right way.

"Then we get comfortable in our new present."

Tarotoctoberbpc day 6

Strength - strong characters

Yukuharuya < The passing spring >

Tori naki-gyo no < Birds mourn, fishes weep >

Me wa namida < With tearful eyes. >

- A 17th century poem by Matsuo Bashō -

Finally it is here! The final chapter of the story! ⬇️

Of course I didn't go on hiatus for two months for nothing~

Keep reading below for a surprise! (Part 1 because the max is 10 pics apparently) 💀

Also read from Right to Left please 🥰

Anna Kyoyama

“Humans can only reveal their true potential during an absolutely critical situation”