RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#3
Personally I don't care for the gender of MC.

I care that MC characterization is consistent and well made, I care for them to have motivations for what they do and have a clear goals and personality. I like for MC to have qualities to root for. Basically I like for them to be good MCs.

Example:
I like the female Doctor in Doctor Who just as much as all male Doctors. It make sense in universe and I like her character.
I dread the female ghostbusters because none of it made any sense. At all.
https://www.royalroadcdn.com/reyadawnbri...TcjPAk.jpg
Twilight Over Arcania - My take on the resurrection theme

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#7
'SJ Reaver' pid='830846' dateline='1512732171' Wrote: I'll take a well-written female MC over a well-written male MC, but a poorly-written male MC over a poorly-written female MC.

I think I'd have to agree with this, if only because Well-written female MC's are rarer in general. And when women are written poorly, it tends to border on insulting and I say that as a man.
If you're into dark, low fantasy check out my book: Wings of Sorrow

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#8
'QueenDasha' pid='830816' dateline='1512682828' Wrote: Not very important to me, but I like imagining myself in the MC's skin. So I prefer a female MC.

Hated the female Dr who btw, feels so forced and unnatural..

curse my soul and may i get struck by lightening, i can't fuckking believe it! i just learned of it from a friend two weeks baack i refused to believe him and had to loook it up myself, it is a damn sad day for doctor who, the latest season was trash with none of the spirit of doctor who and now we are even making a female doctor, i just can't anymore do watch doctor who with the same eyes anymore.

But yeah i think the two comrades before me had it right, well writtenf femake mc just because of the rarity factor of female mcs is just good. and hhonestly as long as i am resonating on the characters on some level i like them. funnily enough though Female protagonist mary sues are a lot more common (or it just seems so because there are few of them in the first place) than their male counterparts and i just can't stand them. if a character is without faults (and i do mean faults, not knowing how to pilot a rocketship is NOT a damn flaw people.) they just feel like somebody's wet dreams and it leaves a bad taste reading that.

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#10
'Necamijat' pid='830852' dateline='1512738866' Wrote: To stray off topic — I think, as someone previously said, that Doctor Who will be more defined by the characterisation and the strength of the character rather than their gender. Same can apply to genders of the MC in novels, really.

I am not sure if you are a doctor who watcher or not but in either case you are just not getting it. The gender of the doctor is the straw that broke the camel's back. I have been watching doctor who since matt smith from season 5(all the way to 6), then i went back and restarted from season 4 when there were no more episodes and then i completed it, then i went back to season 3 and rewatched it again, then i went to season 1 and watched all the seasons through AGAIN! and then i rewatched from season 1 once again, the point i am trying to say is i am a doctor who fan through and through, i started from season 5 and was enchanted by matt smith's performance and the show was kind of a bonus up to season 6 when i thought to myself ''this show is fricking fantastic'' so i tentively watched season 4 and while the ''doctor'' was david tennant and his style was very different, and everything from tone to storylines to characters was noticeably different, but i still liked it and rewatched the series, then again after a while (ps this is all through over a period of time just so thats known) i went back and started season 3 and again finish, then i finally hoped all way to season 1 episode 1, which i tried out when i finished my first round with smith and just thought was outright garbage i couldn't even finish the episode man, but this time around when i watched it i found it to be highl entertaining.

Anyway, then season 8 finally came out, peter capaldi admittedly didn't capture me at once, i thought season 8 was meh, pretty weak but i still stuck with it and i am glad i did because season 9 was simply beautiful, that was the SPIRIT i loved and watched doctor who for (the zygon invasion in particular was just *insert italian sounds here* beautiful) and then season 10 rolled around, and my god it was HOT garbage, i stopped and questioned myself multiple times throughtout every episode if this was doctor who or not, everything from the acting (except missy, she was decent) the writing, the storylines, ok the light eater episode was aight as in passable, as in not complete garbage, and half the reason was due to the interesting preview, but even that episode gave rise to one of the storylthreads i found the most intolerable in the entire season, it served absolutely ZERO purpose. i could almost hear the people working on the show saying ''see guys? we got such a big actress here, wohoo very cool right? right?'' it made me nauseous that someone could let that storyline through. and to go back on the writing it was lazy at best, the dialogue was so fucking boring and so unlike doctor who, i just.......

And the final episodes.. Good God man the final episodes, what in the blue tarnashion was that? what sort of dogshit finale was that? who in their right mind thinks to themselves ''such a storyline will be very cool and well liked by the fans! a hit man a hit!'' i mean who even wrote such hot grabage? and more importantly who did they sleep with to get that high up in the writing team? because there is no way this person came this far on their own merits. and if the main writer turned out to be the man himself moffat, i can just say that he has lost all interest becauase he is not going to be on the show soon and thought up that storyline while he was having a stomach ache in the bathroom.

i couldn't even stomach those episodes, i have never in my 6-7 times of watching doctor who ever stopped an episode and just closed the tab, just like that. shit man shit.

and now we have a female doctor, i will tell you something, the episode the dcotors wife,there was this timelord who have many incarnations of both genders, and had this tattoo on him to always make him/herself the same person. and i remember thinking ''imagine having a female doctor'' with a tinge of exctiement/expectation. but that is when i was afirm believer in the spirit of doctor who, its never about the gender, characters or current tone, its always about the spirit! it has always been about an alien in a blue box going on ADVENTURES with some humans. that is the core of the show. all this crap about political statements and ''taking stand on relevant things'' is pureBS. fuck me man doctor who grew too big for its own good it became too mainstream. no longer that silly cheesy show with a few seriious moments and fantastic wildly imaginative adventures, i could maybe grit my teeth and push through to season 11 but when i heard that we have a female doctor now i just couldn't muster a single flicker of interest. i don't give two flying rats if they can characterize a female doctor or not , because she essentially at the end of the day is not the doctor, and ''doctor who'' is no longer doctor who. and that is a fact

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#11
I found Season 10 of Doctor Who weak as well. I liked S9 of Capaldi a lot, the travel inside the dalek and the diamond wall episodes were my favourites. My favourite doctor remains Tennant.

I think the female Doctor was a long time coming. We were introduced long ago with time lords who had female regenerations. I'm ok since there is an in-universe reason. I look forward to seeing her in action this christmas special!
https://www.royalroadcdn.com/reyadawnbri...TcjPAk.jpg
Twilight Over Arcania - My take on the resurrection theme

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#12
@nasir05

I certainly agree season 10 had its ups and downs, but I personally liked some parts of the finale, especially the relationship between the Master and the Doctor.

I'll personally give the female Doctor a shot. If she manages to pull the character through now that we're most likely getting a companion + doctor overhaul with all previous side characters most likely not appearing (for a while, at least, probably), the show can try to reboot itself with new ideas.

From what I've heard, the actress has done very well on her own right, so hopefully she does as well on Dr Who.

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#13
@Necamijat

i can respect that. but honestly i was also looking for something that will show what the doctor/master relatiionship is made of, but getting the previous master, i just felt insulted. On a personal level at that.
if season 11 does what season 5 did for doctor who the so called ''reboot'' and does it in a good way, then i think i can definetely learn to like it as well. Its just, its just. *sigh* i have ranted all i could about the show, but in the end of the day i am just an extreme fan, who want to be able to marathon doctor who back to back knowing i will get guaranteed quality content every time. i will be skipping on season 10 in all future rewatches for sure, i hope season 11 does well, like really well, like really really well, and whover this actress is i hope she brings her own style and character to the role of the doctor and blows me away instead of trying to imitate one of the previous doctors and just coming off as a cheap knockoff.

@Reya Dawnbreaker

i know it was a long time coming, just wish it was under better circumstances than the shitshow that was season 10. if the final was something like the one in season 4, you would hear me shouting at the top of the roof tops that the doctor is finally going to have a funny regeneration.

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#14
I didn't read many female-centered novels. In fact, I only read fantasy books with female leads (by Trundi Canavan) and I liked them a lot. However, I never came to 'want to look for' online novels with a female lead specifically. Just the fact that novel promotes itself as 'Look! MC has a vagina!' is a red flag for me and a signal that the story will be full of tropes I hate. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm too lazy to try and read some of those things to see and confirm for myslef.
Tale of Vjaira - My main work that I am slowly editing and posting on RRL, an amazing adventure already spanning over 100 chapters (well over 1500 pages) with hundreds more to come.

A Child Blessed by The Heavens - My fanfic for the ISSTH contest. Not in the top 5, but got honorable mentions, yay~ Check it out if you are bored!

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#17
I sometimes look for stories with a female MC. I want the different perspective a female has on some of the same ideas and tropes we are used to seeing from the male pov. This has to do with the overwhelming majority of males in the Litrpg/wuxia genres in general.
Females aren't just people with different plumbing, they are different in their minds as well.
As one that grew up with lots of sisters, and no brothers, I have gotten quite good at telling if the behavior of a female character is consistent with female behavior in general or not.
With the risk of sounding very sexist, but most guys should never attempt a female MC. There are exceptions, but 99.9% of the time they end up with it reading like gender-bending without the humorous parts of someone actually having their gender involuntarily swapped.
For the same reason, most females authors should never portray a male mc. The author's need to project themselves into the MC to breathe life into him/her will easily shine through and project their own biases into the character. be they male or female.
My fiction

Cheers!

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#18
Gender doesn’t matter when writing... unless you’re doing Yaoi/Yuri/Harem... write what you’re comfortable with.
If you’re writing a different gender... go for it, but make sure you’re able to write a realistic side character of the other gender first... dreams, likes, dislikes, etc...
None of these are definitive character traits and are more rough outlines from my perspective.

Males tend to be impulsive, emotion adverse (especially in male dominated company), not necessarily macho although problems are solved through perseverance and chutzpah, although guys are not outwardly emotional remember that still waters run deep, guys likewise form very close knit and strong friendships with the caveat being that they are generally between very few people, guys are risk prone and demonstrate greater variability in intelligence traits at the extreme ends, relationships are maintained and morale can be boosted by gentle good natured insult and teasing (bonding behaviour), guys also tend to have trust issues which can be exacerbated when girls are concerned, the general template for guys is Doing. And no... guys do not have an obsession with their genitals... sort of

Females are more risk adverse, emotionally open (although not necessarily more emotional), not macho but fiery when roused to anger, problems are more often solved through communication and strategic use of teamwork, express greater range of emotion and also prone to outbursts on either end, can become extremely frustrated by lack of communication lack of trust and being left out of the loop, form a greater spread of friendships and are generally more open however this is counterbalanced by greater effort put into forming friendships despite having a similar number or potentially less than guys, stability in intelligence traits, relationships and morale are NOT maintained by gossiping, they are maintained by sharing (whether that be stories, advice, items, or even just feelings on something), broken trust is a major thing and will cause issues even if not emotionally invested with the person, issues scale with degree of attachment, the general template for girls is Being. And NO... girls do not have an obsession with their boobs... sort of... (edit... oh, and try not to mention periods at all... it's fantasy and that sort of shit shouldn't exist except being mentioned once in passing in an entire series at most - if at all, if in doubt, don't... The book Graceling being the single exception and even then it is only dealt with once or twice, and after that NEVER AGAIN... it's uncomfortable to think about for both genders for two different reasons... and dear god... never mention that someone else is on their period in dialogue or in passing thought, it's not as funny as you think)

Now for the actual important discussion... doctor who... I’m inclined to give her a chance, I’m used to a male doctor, however far more important is the fact that the doctor is a quirky genius with a penchant for shining laser tipped screwdrivers at everything. I hope they get the doctor companion dynamic down pat and most of all I hope they don’t take the continual threat of Armageddon too seriously...
Dungeons, betrayal, a summoned hero, and the beginning of a magical revolution. Welcome to Era.

RE: What gender do you prefer for a protagonist?

#20
Similar to the trend I've noticed above, I'm good with any gender as long as they are well written. I don't necessarily seek out one over another, but I so find myself gravitating toward covers that portray "not a love story" by default. Love stories are fine, but I don't read the specific genre of them unless I'm told it's great.

I guess that means for me, it falls to genre being a defining feature on grabbing my attention. Then simply whether it's well written or not determines if I continue.
https://i.imgur.com/JBLglrm.jpg