I completely agree. I love my strong female characters as much as the next person, but sometimes they seem to be oversaturated in this genre. We have to remember that not everyone has the ability to be so strong willed. I would love to have this genre explore the characters who have no voice, and instead of using wicked schemes and violence to make an impact, they grow as a person who learns to love themselves. I think Under the Oak Tree is a perfect example of an mc who is the timid woman that a lot of people hate, but the story let's you know how she was pushed into that role and how with care from the people around her how she's able to grow and become more confident. I wish these types of characters were more prevalent, not just for the character growth, but also for the angst factor. Sorry for the long rant, but I just get tired of people bashing characters just because they don't fit into the strong, badass female character archetype.
True!! It’s really fun watching characters grow confidence to stand up over time too, I think watching a character learn courage over the course of the story and learning to live and love and feel emotions is so powerful, and i agree that it also makes for v good angst. I think there’s a time and place for both kinds of stories, and i appreciate that the genre has both stories focusing on the revenge side of getting back at others/exploring the fl’s ideas of justice, and also ones focusing on healing, learning to trust others and moving forward stronger with those you love. I hope people someday learn that there is strength in both sides ( ⌒▽⌒)
Glad we're in agreement. The wonder of reading is that you can experience multiple different scenarios that apply to the exact same circumstances. People just have to see the potential for all of them and not get stuck in one lane.
I get why people get annoyed at “doormat protagonists” but i feel like a large amount people miss the very obvious fact that. If you are in a position like this, being an asshole to a ROYAL PRINCE would 100% get you and most likely your entire family imprisoned or executed. YES, it sucks watching characters not stand up for themselves sometimes. But in many of these cases i see people complain about including this one, doing an insanely large revenge plot would be both extremely stupid, and extremely dangerous to both the political landscape and the lives of everyone they care about. In irl situations, going up and doing a whole stink just makes you look worse.
In the case of this story, her dad and her classmates are the two social points of contact she has outside the prince. If she were to directly disobey her dad or the royal family, she’d probably be disowned, lose access to school (and therefore her friends and the house she grew up in that contains the last memories of her mom) AND all the classmate connections she has. She wouldnt be able to get a job, since disrespecting the prince would likely make every company in the royalty owned continent not want to associate and anger the royal family. She wouldn’t have money since she pissed her dad off.
I respect other people’s opinions and understand why people feel this way, i just really wish people didn’t always see power in terms of physical strength or ability to do sick roasts. Just like how it’s important to stand up for yourself at times, understanding when it’s dangerous and unrealistic to play hero is important too.
Apologies if you read this far, i’ve had this on my mind for a while, and not just w this story (￣∇￣") I think learning how FLs can handle, adapt, and learn to love again despite hardships is part of the fun part of this genre, so it saddens me when people accuse FLs of being weak for not lashing out at their aggressors. I think there are many ways to deal with things as an adult, and sometimes, letting someone’s mistakes catch up to them without doing anything and leaving them w their regrets can be the greatest hell you can grant them ( ❀╹◡╹) <3 Thank you for coming to my ted talk rant essay