Do you gravitate toward particular body types?

[Queshire]

I don't think Naru meant eccentric in universe here. I think it was more referring to how anime frequently use very distinct visual designs in order to ensure their characters are recognizable at a glance, though how far that goes depends on the series in question.

 

[Jackarandajam]

I don't think Naru meant eccentric in universe here. I think it was more referring to how anime frequently use very distinct visual designs in order to ensure their characters are recognizable at a glance, though how far that goes depends on the series in question.

Oh, then that's my bad. For some reason I assumed it was some kind of definition-adjacent anime genre slang.
Just tryin to stay on the up and up with the cool talk. Carry on.

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

Yeah, I think typically eccentric characters are in some position of authority, whether they're wealthy or a professor or some type of expert.
Storywise, I'd say that's to explain why people put up with them, or why their eccentricities are well known or carefully ignored.
And yeah, it's a behavioral thing. If I had a third eye in the middle of my forehead, that wouldn't be an eccentricity.
If I PAINTED an eye on the middle of my forehead every morning for some obscure personal reason, that would be an eccentricity.

When I think eccentric characters I tend to think characters with 'big' personalities, or extremely elaborate or expressive ones, to the point they seem foreign. Though they usually are paired with having some amount of fame/clout or wealth. Depends on the anime (One piece is full of two bit villains who are only as feared as they are by name alone)

As for actually writing the damn thing I am chipping away at it at my own pace. just procrastinating some scenes over others. Currently part way into chapter two right now.

Regarding the dragon thing, that's more to do with a bloodline than anything else, not being an actual dragon (I do have a race of dragon people)

 

[Renè Williams]

I can't stop imagining Rumi whenever I think of this and though i've been vocal about some things, I can't not want to see more of a character like that for reasons I don't want to spoil for anyone.

 

[pmmg]

I wouldn't call it 'sexy' (I mean it's not like the characters are walking around in the kind of stuff you'd see in Kill Bill) but it's 100% eccentric, that's a bit of the nature of writing something anime inspired. A lot of stuff in anime is quite off the rails, even if we remove all the 'sexy' stuff. Kinda falls flat on it's face when you try to appeal to people who don't understand anime.

It that what eccentric meant here? Wealthy?

I get an image of Maximillian Pegasus from Yugioh with that. Was he eccentric, sure, but I dont think that quite captures the meaning.

I suspect this just meant that a lot of anime characters in are strange dress or costumes that make them stand out, and tend to have unusual, over the top persona's. They are eccentric cause they get to do this, and its accepted that they can....cause...I guess they really are that far above the normal NPC fare.

Most of the complaints I get are from here tho. Half of the time from folks over-assuming what point I'm trying to make.

Who is complaining here about your bombshell character? I dont think I saw that float by.

I would still like to know how I could possibly describe a character as 'hot would smash' type of female character (curvy in the right places) without offending people. About 90% of the phrases in our dictionary (never mind the urban dictionary) are somehow offensive to someone out there even if the way you use them in the narrative isn't.

My answer to this is still from the frame of the POV character.

I ran into the room, and there she was. Two razor sharp kantana's in her hands ready to slice, but it was not they which drew my attention. Wide hips, ample...curves, the zipper of her black leather get-up pulled down to her navel, blonde hair and big eyes. She could cut me to ribbons and I'd still feel like I was in heaven already.

I think that's where I fail at it most of the time, these types of character descriptions tend to come from the narrator (and not the POV character) despite that not being the intention.

Where is an example of this?

In the room was a woman. Two katana's, one held in each hand. She wore an outfit meant to catch attention. Curvy hips and large bosoms, which she made sure would not be missed by wearing nothing but black leather, and the zipper pulled down to show her flesh. Her blonde hair and big eyes belied the killer that she must be.

There are many things that offend me, and I could list them out, but so what that they do? No one is going to stop writing their project because of my sensibilities, and I would never expect them too. In spite of it all, it is better that we allow for the free expression than to try and bottle it up to some approved set of values. My role in it is just what I chose to participate with or not.

But to play this game of, I must curtail my writing on some topic, or in some portrayal, because it will be offensive to some (or even most), is to the give others the power over your expression. Once you've done that, you've a long trip through hell. There is nothing wrong with writing something that objectifies women (as is the topic that inspired this), or anything else. Many people do objectify women, many women seek to be objectified. If its true to the story, write it true. So what is the story you are trying to tell?

I apologize for this one. I was skipping some of the posts in this, it being a lazy Saturday and doing weekend stuff and all, and did not get the context. My fault. My reply, while still having stuff in it I would hold as true, is not the proper context for the thread. Sorry Finch, You made a good post.

 

[Queshire]

Lol, well in light of the examples pmmg provided I will say that there's a difference between being offended by something and thinking that the author's writing with their dick.

 

[Mad Swede]

My answer to this is still from the frame of the POV character.

I ran into the room, and there she was. Two razor sharp kantana's in her hands ready to slice, but it was not they which drew my attention. Wide hips, ample...curves, the zipper of her black leather get-up pulled down to her navel, blonde hair and big eyes. She could cut me to ribbons and I'd still feel like I was in heaven already.

OMG. For me this illustrates everything that is wrong with so many stories written by men. For starters, it isn't realistic. Trust me when I write (from personal experience) that when you come into a room and a situation like that you aren't looking at their tits or their hips. You're watching their face, especially their eyes, and their hands. You ignore everything else about them, because it's the hands that will kill you and the face which gives away when they're going to try to jump you.

In the room was a woman. Two katana's, one held in each hand. She wore an outfit meant to catch attention. Curvy hips and large bosoms, which she made sure would not be missed by wearing nothing but black leather, and the zipper pulled down to show her flesh. Her blonde hair and big eyes belied the killer that she must be.

And this is even worse. This is, if anything, a clichéd teen fantasy. You might possibly get away with it if you described it from the woman's point of view and gave her reasoning for dressing like that, but even then you'd be pushing your luck.

And the thing is, you don't need to describe anyone in that way. Try reading Dashiell Hammet's stories. What is not appreciated about his writing is the way he describes people without ever objectifying or sexualising them. It isn't the katanas which tell you that someone is a killer, it's their stance and above all their eyes which tell you that.

To illustrate what I'm trying to say here is a translated extract from one of my stories:

The Lady Anneli was a well-built woman, with dark neck length hair and green eyes. She didn’t look fat, rather she looked as though she could swing a broadsword with some ease. Rumour said that she had once punched a man unconscious after he tried to take a liberty with her, and looking at her Torbjörn could well believe it. She wasn’t a woman it was safe to get on the wrong side of.

This is the only description the reader ever gets of Anneli, the rest of the writing about her concentrates on her character and actions.

 

[Queshire]

Funny as intentionally exaggerated examples though.

 

[Finchbearer]

I’m howling, please keep these coming.

It’s difficult to describe where the distinction gets made, between distasteful, good writing and good characterisation and just plain offensive material. There are some obvious one of course, but with most fiction, I don’t think writers are going into purposely offend anyone.

I think it’s often a fine line to walk down when writing female characters, particularly in a fantasy setting, because there are of course fantasy books that are marketed as ‘men’s fantasy’ or ‘romantasy’ that include explicit material and have areas of writing that are purposefully meant to titillate, and so with that sort of thing, really anything goes. However, there are some fantasy novels where the writers clearly want to be taken seriously, and where I as the reader have found it difficult to feel any connection to the female characters because they are just self-gratuitous plot devices, not actual female people with their own motivations, agency and arc. This is where the ‘offensive’ element comes in for me, though of course it’s more offensive as I said earlier when a book becomes super popular and then we have the deluge of other fantasy that mimics it, and says that it’s basically okay to characterise females in that particular way, when actually it’s just thinly veiled sexism.

 

[Ban]

when you come into a room and a situation like that you aren't looking at their tits or their hips.

Someone clearly hasn't seen the spy documentary "Austin Powers." Always watch out for the hidden gun bra.

 

[Queshire]

Because I can't sleep.... if I was aiming to do a similar scenario to pmmg's examples I might go with something like...

The assassin was wrapped in a Magic Treasure. Ribbons of solidified shadow twisted and turned around her like living snakes. She turned towards me, the shadows exposing flashes of pale skin as they shifted to form a pair of obsidian swords in her hands.

 

[Jackarandajam]

This is why writing based solely on an otherwise visual medium is difficult.
In a visual medium, your mc could walk into a room and have to fight a nine armed were-lizard who is upside down with its disembodied head balanced on its feet.
All the camera has to do is show the character and its job is done. The fight could be 10 seconds long and inconsequential. The character could have no previous introduction. Everything that needed to be done was done.
In writing, readers are constantly looking for meaning. No visual descriptions are throw-away, because it takes brain power to envision them.
So the first problem is the value of words in a book vs. The cheapness of visuals in cinema.

In cinema, a sexualized woman with a sword comes with a load of preconceived notions, even if it's the first scene she's shown in.
The viewer is instantly aware of the encroaching plot-significance of her sexualization and takes it for granted.
The writers know this, and don't have to try too hard to make the scene make sense.
Just by looking at her, because she's sexy, we relax. There's about a 98% chance this fight ain't gonna be that big of a deal.
Absurdly difficult to do that in a book and pull it off. We have to either introduce the character elsewhere or, to invest the reader in the fight, bring up the characters boobaliciousness later.
So the second problem is maintaining the readers suspension of disbelieve by not forcing them to look at something just because we prioritize it as the writer. Everything has to flow naturally and believably from the pov of the mc.

EDIT: The second problem could be summarized as: often cinematic tools are untransferrable to the novel format, or difficult enough to do well that we scarcely ever see them pulled off.

 

[Finchbearer]

The assassin was wrapped in a Magic Treasure. Ribbons of solidified shadow twisted and turned around her like living snakes. She turned towards me, the shadows exposing flashes of pale skin as they shifted to form a pair of obsidian swords in her hands.

I like this though!

…Maybe end it with ‘I could bang her’.

 

[Jackarandajam]

I like this though!

…Maybe end it with ‘I could bang her’.

I was thinking "Gods, I'd drink her bathwater."

 

[Finchbearer]

Well, my offering was purposefully crude

 

[Jackarandajam]

Well, my offering was purposefully crude

I mean so was mine, haha

 

[Naruzeldamaster]

I was thinking "Gods, I'd drink her bathwater."

Drink it? Nah, that's a waste, big brain is to bottle it and sell it (yes that actually happened....some idiot out there tried to market 'gamer girl' bathwater...)

I don't think Naru meant eccentric in universe here. I think it was more referring to how anime frequently use very distinct visual designs in order to ensure their characters are recognizable at a glance, though how far that goes depends on the series in question.

No I mean when I think eccentric, I think of characters who seem 'weird' or 'outlandish' (not exactly in a negative way, just strange) even compared to other characters within their own universe. Like if we think about Naruto for example, a lot of the characters seem normal for that universe, then we have 'eccentric' characters like that one shark guy. (Kisame if your memory is foggy) and a few others but I don't remember their names. (The guy with the weird bone ability was pretty odd too) For DBZ a lot of the villains are pretty eccentric, with maybe the most sane one being Cell.

In the rune factory series there's a family of characters who have a verbal quirk, where they say the opposite of what they mean. (If they were declaring their love, they'd say they hate you etc) which is odd at first but once you realize the gimmick it seems less eccentric. However the family has lived in the town so long, that everyone's adapted to their vocabulary quirk. (so the player gets used to it quickly too)

Gollum is another eccentric character who has no fame or wealth tied to him. if you want an example from literature.

 

[Renè Williams]

I like this though!

…Maybe end it with ‘I could bang her’.

Or, "I wouldn't mind if she hurt me a little just to feel her touch, but I couldn't let her kill me"

 

[Renè Williams]

OMG. For me this illustrates everything that is wrong with so many stories written by men. For starters, it isn't realistic. Trust me when I write (from personal experience) that when you come into a room and a situation like that you aren't looking at their tits or their hips. You're watching their face, especially their eyes, and their hands. You ignore everything else about them, because it's the hands that will kill you and the face which gives away when they're going to try to jump you.

For me, it would depend on context in the larger story. Have they met before, has this character fallen for this woman and now must face her in battle? Then the POV reaction makes sense and makes the battle more high stakes because he has to ignore those feelings and urges to fight. As far as the way she's dressed, yeah, that sorta kills immersion for me because no one is half undoing their clothes to go into battle when thats a clear way to get yourself grabbed and killed by the enemy. So i guess i'm fifty fifty on the example

 

[Jackarandajam]

Here's how I would do a scene where a boobalicious swordswoman meets a yolked male Mc in battle and the male Mc is distracted by her physically:

Previous POV from the woman:
She's at a party on a mission in which she is using her sexuality to get close to the target. She doesn't eat certain foods at the banquet. She's carefully selected her clothing. Her behaviour is fully directed to entice. Her internal dialogue is clearly in conflict with her behavior; she's a professional killer. Maybe she's extremely vain based on a long line of successful missions, also teetering on the edge of aging out of the blossom of youth, seeing less of the blatant interest of the younger men at the party and more intimidation and that concerns her.
Maybe her target is actually a really decent guy, but wrong place wrong time at some point in his career. She takes him out but hates it, thinking about disappearing. Her personal convictions are growing as she gets older and sees more of how the world works, getting in the way of her previously cold, clear purpose.
Her contact gives her another mission, she suspects the agency is done with her and trying to get her killed, but she accepts. She needs one more missions worth of money to disappear.
(Tropey as heck, but could be pulled off.)

Previous POV from the man:
He's also vain (interesting dynamic there).
Other than that, fairly typical big guy, good sense of humor, highly trained and very professional, a lot of battles under his belt.
(More backstory obv, maybe his father was a politician and he was raised to be hyperfixated on the importance of physical appearance.) Charasmatic candor is important; (the possibility of talking instead of fighting needs to be made a logical manifestation of his personality).

The battle:

The woman is out of her comfort zone; this is more battle than manipulation. Shes in a huge hurry between locations but does the best with the clothes she's got, cutting up dresses to make leg wraps, etc. She has to get to the location unnoticed so rigs a skirt to cover what is essentially a ninja outfit with a top that exposes the amount of cleavage society expects from a woman walking around town. Maybe she considers the possibility that she might get something out of the exchange by leaning a little farther into presentation since there won't be very many words exchanged.
She's very worried. She thinks she's probably going to die.
She goes in, confronts her target. They battle; her target is a eunuch and an extremely skilled swordsman. Toying with her. She's gonna die.
Meathead busts in, there's a brief exchange and he kills the eunuch.
Meathead turns to her. She's enraged at her failure and ready to cut her way out. She forgets how she's dressed until she notices a smile playing at the corners of his mouth and his eyes flitting up and down.
He says he has to turn her in, even they seemed like they had the same goal.
She attacks, he defends and eventually throws her off.
He's really serious for a sec and then laughs a little, eyes darting down and up again.
"It's just. This is not what I was expecting. Please excuse me. Again?" Brandishing the sword.

She realized that this guy wants to talk and relaxes a little. This is more up her alley.

---END ATTEMPT---

Best I can do off the cuff. I think I could make this version work without it coming off dumb.
Priorities would be:
1. making her sexualization make logical sense, and
2. making his willingness to be distracted make sense.