Depends on the age of the female writer. Older females tend to write about strong masculine men. Younger females write about inept, incompetent, and neutered men. Does anyone else notice how almost every chick flick out there is about cheating?
It’s a hard thing to describe, but in particular in erotic or explicit stuff, setting aside that he’s always The Type (tall, muscular, large with a deep voice), it’s how the character acts when it comes to how he behaves toward or describes a woman he is interested in. The way he expresses sexual desire is not how men typically express desire, but how women want men to express it.
Considering that the answers here are neatly divided between “I clearly don’t really read, so I’m just going to mention something that male authors do all the time, but that I imagine feeeemales do all the time” and “The only books by female authors I’ve ever read were pulp fiction “romance” books or fanfiction, so let me just describe a man from there”, I think that if you’re asking this question hoping to improve your writing, you might be better off asking it in a subreddit for readers (and/or writers)…
He’s brooding, he’s a massive jerk, he’s very handsome, he has lots of money, but falls for the most mediocre girl that changes him after just meeting him
I read Fourth Wing because my wife loved the series. Fucking hell, it was a slog.
Xaden was clearly written by a woman. He’s aggressively protective. Dark and mysterious. He’s an arrogant, abrasive shit, but he’s soft spoken and kind to Violet. And he’s also inexplicably in love with Violet despite the fact that she’s just an incredibly average and unremarkable horn ball.
Why is his jaw constantly clenching, straightening, ticking, or tightening? What the fuck does that even mean. And it’s happening multiple times every goddamn chapter. Find a different way of conveying whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean.
6ft+, muscular AF, rich af but has time to get bouquets of her favourite flowers, knows her favourite smallest thing and gets her exactly that at exactly the time she needs it without her having to express anything. Reads her mind from the faintest of signs
He is incredibly toxic and abusive but it’s fine because he is hot and she wants it. That or he is a some sort of mythical monster. Could be a vampire or werewolf or any other beastly figure. Granted I am going off of some of the most popular romance books not necessarily the most written books.
They’re oftetimes alpha types, and either broken or byronic, and for some inexplicable reason are super-monogamous as soon as they meet the overall pretty unremarkable female protagonist because she’s the only one who manages to heal his inner torment.
They’re aloof yet protective, they’re mysterious, they’re arrogant but with a soft side, their clothing accentuates their muscles, they don’t have friends and if they do it’s a competing male love interest, they don’t really have any hobbies and if they do they’re stereotypically manly hobbies, their entire personality revolves around advancing the female protagonist in some manner, they always need a deep emotional reason for something, and they’re emotionally intelligent.
If he’s the love interest, he’ll be impossibly conventionally attractive (super tall, jacked, probably tattooed, maybe with some aesthetic scarring for a little razzle dazzle) and mysterious with some kind of copy paste tragic backstory. He’ll also be either super high status or dirt fucking poor with little inbetween. If he is high class he’ll be written as a “not like other rich guys” rich guy. He’ll be brooding and sarcastic and a complete dickhead to everyone except the girl-next-door main character who is also somehow the chosen one every male in the story wants to fuck. He’ll do psychopathic shit that would get you arrested or cancelled irl but it’ll be sexy when he does it cause he’s hot.
Honestly I see a lot of the same mistakes, like using male characters as props instead of people with agency. I see male love interest written like asexual martyrs, sacrificing everything just for the protagonist’s happiness. Those guys definitely exist but they still have their own desires and need.
I read Crescent city by Sarah J Maas. Obviously I went in knowing it’s a female fan favorite so some things were bound to be off. The only thing I could not let go of was how often the male characters called other dudes “asshole.” If men are trying to start shit we’re gonna call someone a little bitch, not an asshole.
If it’s the tv show new girl – he is an English aristocrat who gave up a career in finance to come teach under privileged kids in Southern California, he is overly polite and his family has a castle. He is also incredibly dull.
This happens a lot in reverse, but I’m noticing it more and more (because there are higher frequency of female writers)
Where every woman on the page (or screen) is a fully dynamic person with strengths, flaws, and desires.
But every male character is seemingly Perfect with a capital P but is quickly shown to be secretly pathetic, aggressively emotional, or full-blown toxic.
Oh man, I just went through this in Mary Kubica’s Just The Nicest Couple.
One of the main husbands was like a doting puppy dog, had almost no personality because of how “agreeable” he was to his wife. Just kind of served as a prop to her, which is actually the same issue a lot of people have with female characters actually.
Overall I liked the book, but the husband was just kind of a spineless nothing.
He’s a family man who works 60 hours a week, loves family activities and spending time with the kids. He supports his wife in her career. He’s also super jacked because he lifts. Apparently, he doesn’t need sleep and days have 30 hours.
He has an inner monologue full of poetic musings about love, longing, and self-discovery rather than “That looks heavy, Superman could lift it, but could Ironman?”
They will fall into certain very specific archetypes. Here are the most obvious.
The bad guy They are selfish and malicious, and everything they do is to subjugate others. Their actions actually aren’t often for direct personal gain, but for the specific detriment of others, as if how they feel is more important than how the villain feels. It’s always much more deliberate.
The hunk They always know exactly the right thing to do or say, have almost zero concept of self. Like they straight up won’t have needs whatsoever, and just let every woman walk all over them as if they don’t even acknowledge that’s what’s happening. They act as if they know exactly what the women are thinking before the women do, like they have some magical power that allows them to cut right through any inner turmoil the women might be experiencing. This is especially true with romance, they will make moves that would 100% be rape if not well received, but they act like they have the benefit of knowing exactly what the woman is thinking and experiencing and how she will react.
The Doofus Most non essential male characters, and maybe a friend or family member will fall into this category too. They are idiots, with no real depth or motivation. They are generally well intentioned, but you question how they could even survive if not for the tireless and unappreciated efforts of the women around them to save them from themselves and their own stupidity. They don’t have a romantic bone in their body and are basically completely sexless.
The female fantasy is to meet an uncivilized monster and civilize him. He could kill everyone in the room, but because she’s so beautiful and empathic he responds to her gentle touch. She teaches him how to be a gentleman and they get married so he is exclusive to her and only her.
Male fantasy is to be on a heros journey where he saves a princess who thinks he’s awesome and doesn’t want to fucking change him.
My guess would be any male character that acts like the male lead in a Lifetime movie. Perfectly handsome or attractive, is super charitable and empathetic, but also makes a ton of money and is super successful while still finding time to spend time with her or kids.
Dude is somehow both a genius, rich, model good looks and a body worthy of an ambracromby and Fitch (fuck spelling idc) ad. Add to this he’s also a doormat who instantly forgives all the bullshit his newfound love interest puts him through because she’s completely unable to communicate her feelings and horrifically insecure.
Tall. ripped, perfect at everything they do. big dick (if a we’re talking about a romance or erotica book), tragic past that only the heroine can save him from.
Works indefinitely but still manages to maintain a perfect physique. Is often a selfish or insufferable cunt that doesn’t turn people off from him
There are certain male archetypes that only women write. I like to call them Sarah J Maas Men.
The “bad boy” who has a dark past and takes harsh actions against his foes. But after a rocky start, he will treat his love interest the MC perfectly and is the best partner a girl could ask for. Sorry girls, a guy who starts a relationship by being borderline abusive and is a ruthless warlord isn’t going to let his wife do whatever she wants while also dedicating his life to her.
the strong man who is a master combatant but is emotional weak and lonely. Basically a guy who’s perfect at everything, but folds like a napkin when interacting with the MC.
the catty and possessive, but also perfect man. Slightly more realistic, but this type of guy doesn’t communicate his feelings to MC, but is also obsessed with her and extremely jealous. But hey he still has a lot of power and is obviously extremely handsome.
Now that I’ve finished this list, the common traits here is “man that has all the positive traits girls like, but whose negatives are also generally positive.”
– constant allusions to his physical appearance, with particular emphasis on his hair, skin, and eyes.
– should always have an air of mystery (most of the time, unjustified).
– should never have significant or deep interactions with any secondary character, other than the protagonist, who should be the only one able to see him “as he really is”.
– despite having material wealth, he must always suffer internally, whether it be from unfulfilled artistic aspirations, some past trauma related to previous relationships, pressure to fulfill some family or social role, or any superfluous “need” that (coincidentally) is satisfied by the mere presence of the heroine of the story.
– the character “thinks” and expresses himself as the woman’s image of how she believes a man should express himself or think.
There are next to no men/guys who have an average/chubby/fat physique and they all have chiseled faces (if it’s like a book we’re talking about). They’re a mafia boss or someone similar in that vein where they basically barely work (or always work overtime). They never show their emotions or are overly emotional all the time (think either a super stoic type or an unrealistically empathic type that has no real personality of his own and usually acts like a golden retriever).
Handsome but dumb, not overly intelligent. Overly dominant/assertive to the point of violence sometimes, can have psychotic and creepy manners that will never be acceptable in reality. They’re either a secretly really insecure and immature macho dude with fake bravado or a staunch feminist pretty boy and there’s often no middle ground provided. Good chance that the character in question also has a sky-high libido and apparently is independent yet can’t function without women, for some reason.
A third type I’ve also encountered in fiction (albeit less frequently) is the type of guy who’s meant to be funny yet reliable and hangs mostly around his love interest, suspiciously cares about only women’s issues and has a big dong. He cares about her and comforts her when things get rough but is mostly emotionless when it comes to his own emotions. That’s it, those are literally his only redeeming qualities, yet the women in the story view him as flawless and a genuinely good guy, even if he fakes it.
Also, none of these guys dare challenge the female MC or her views and misconceptions about men. If they do act assertively, then they just go straight down the misogynist route…
In general, they just sound robotic, annoying and superbly unreal; selfless to the point that it’s immediately obvious they weren’t written with a real person in mind. Almost comical, if it were more than just bad writing.
Whenever I’m doing something and come across one of these fictitiously perfect but fundamentally flawed guys I just roll my eyes and get to doing something else instead. It’s just not worth your time.
Having read the famed book “A Little Life” a while ago, it really struck men that it seemed as if the all male friend group was actually a female friend group, but they just happened to have male names.
The protagonist is definitely a young woman despite being a male character in the book.
The only “male” character seemed to be the guy who eventually fell for the protagonist, and even that, of course, felt more like a heterosexual relationship between a man and a woman, than the homosexual relationship it is meant to be
For me, it’s most obvious when male characters are talking to each other. Men just don’t communicate the same way that most women in my life tend to. My wife gives me so much shit when I get home (jokingly) from a friend trip or birthday/bachelor party camping trip because we just don’t talk about the details that she wants to know about.
There are things we don’t talk about that. We don’t really need to talk about. I can learn everything I need to know with video game talk and his reaction to a bad golf stroke ha ha
She wants to know specific words, how they were said and in what context and I’ll just be like “his vibe is good, everything is fine” and it blows her mind
Overly interested in rape of the female character or very interested in helping her but not interested in sex with her at all or in love with main female lead and not interested in any other women
All characters wriiten by the opposite sex are all full of red flags that turn out to be exceptions to the rule. When women write men they imagine strong-willed, dominant or distant men and imagine an excuse for their behavior.
He’s 6’7, very detailed description of his face to detail his chiseled jawline, brown hair and green eyes, lowkey a horrible person but (sometimes) he treats the female MC like a princess, is both pretty popular and sociable but also quiet and mysterious, funny dude without doing anything funny
Tall, flawless good looks, can have any woman he wants, but instantly falls madly in love with the bland protagonist and will wait patiently while she chooses between him and another, also extremely good looking guy but with a different hair colour.
Anytime he ignores a pretty, likeable, interested woman for no reason.
I guessed the writer of Fool’s Rush In was a woman when I saw Matthew Perry’s character run for the hills everytime the gorgeous, kind, wealthy, stable, friendly blonde woman tried to find him for a date. She was flawless yet he avoided her like the plague just because she had liked him for so long, lol.
Women sometimes make male characters overly complex. If he is single and she is pretty, kind and fun, he is going to give it a chance.
I really like Fool’s Rush In, but that part always makes me chuckle because it is silly.
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Depends on the age of the female writer. Older females tend to write about strong masculine men. Younger females write about inept, incompetent, and neutered men. Does anyone else notice how almost every chick flick out there is about cheating?
Brooding without rage. I only brood after something has pushed me all the way to the brink.
Eye colors are mentioned. At all.
It’s a hard thing to describe, but in particular in erotic or explicit stuff, setting aside that he’s always The Type (tall, muscular, large with a deep voice), it’s how the character acts when it comes to how he behaves toward or describes a woman he is interested in. The way he expresses sexual desire is not how men typically express desire, but how women want men to express it.
men chase the women
Considering that the answers here are neatly divided between “I clearly don’t really read, so I’m just going to mention something that male authors do all the time, but that I imagine feeeemales do all the time” and “The only books by female authors I’ve ever read were pulp fiction “romance” books or fanfiction, so let me just describe a man from there”, I think that if you’re asking this question hoping to improve your writing, you might be better off asking it in a subreddit for readers (and/or writers)…
Daniel from Ugly Betty.
He’s deeper than he seems.
He unironically compliments his male friends without prompting, especially if it’s about appearance or clothing.
He’s brooding, he’s a massive jerk, he’s very handsome, he has lots of money, but falls for the most mediocre girl that changes him after just meeting him
I read Fourth Wing because my wife loved the series. Fucking hell, it was a slog.
Xaden was clearly written by a woman. He’s aggressively protective. Dark and mysterious. He’s an arrogant, abrasive shit, but he’s soft spoken and kind to Violet. And he’s also inexplicably in love with Violet despite the fact that she’s just an incredibly average and unremarkable horn ball.
Why is his jaw constantly clenching, straightening, ticking, or tightening? What the fuck does that even mean. And it’s happening multiple times every goddamn chapter. Find a different way of conveying whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean.
6ft+, muscular AF, rich af but has time to get bouquets of her favourite flowers, knows her favourite smallest thing and gets her exactly that at exactly the time she needs it without her having to express anything. Reads her mind from the faintest of signs
He’s romantic.
He is incredibly toxic and abusive but it’s fine because he is hot and she wants it. That or he is a some sort of mythical monster. Could be a vampire or werewolf or any other beastly figure. Granted I am going off of some of the most popular romance books not necessarily the most written books.
Guy listens to every detail of her social problems. And then he makes dinner to make her feel better.
Overly describing his scent, specially if it involves wood lol
He speaks with lots of detail, uses euphemisms, and never gets straight to the point.
Oh, and he can magically read women’s minds, senses their feelings and desires, and picks up on all of their “subtle hints.”
Ignacio (Ugle Betty’s dad).
He has a sibling who he only refers to by a nickname like Cricket
Erections happen instantly upon arousal.
They’re oftetimes alpha types, and either broken or byronic, and for some inexplicable reason are super-monogamous as soon as they meet the overall pretty unremarkable female protagonist because she’s the only one who manages to heal his inner torment.
He’s not talking about food at least once in conversations with other characters.
They’re aloof yet protective, they’re mysterious, they’re arrogant but with a soft side, their clothing accentuates their muscles, they don’t have friends and if they do it’s a competing male love interest, they don’t really have any hobbies and if they do they’re stereotypically manly hobbies, their entire personality revolves around advancing the female protagonist in some manner, they always need a deep emotional reason for something, and they’re emotionally intelligent.
They talk too much
“His jaw ticked”
If he’s the love interest, he’ll be impossibly conventionally attractive (super tall, jacked, probably tattooed, maybe with some aesthetic scarring for a little razzle dazzle) and mysterious with some kind of copy paste tragic backstory. He’ll also be either super high status or dirt fucking poor with little inbetween. If he is high class he’ll be written as a “not like other rich guys” rich guy. He’ll be brooding and sarcastic and a complete dickhead to everyone except the girl-next-door main character who is also somehow the chosen one every male in the story wants to fuck. He’ll do psychopathic shit that would get you arrested or cancelled irl but it’ll be sexy when he does it cause he’s hot.
Source: Dating a Booktok girly fucking blows lmao
You’re all describing Christian Grey (50 Shades)
Minimalist home decor.
He somehow manages to sit on his balls.
He refers to the all knowing wisdom of the girl bosses around him
He’s telepathic with women
He is of equal physical strength to women
He breaks down often, showing us that not enough men cry
For a good writer, none really.
For the bad ones there’s too many different reasons to list.
They love to write about the male love interest growling for some reason.
When he growls or snarls some other dumb shit. I’m looking at you ACOTAR
Honestly I see a lot of the same mistakes, like using male characters as props instead of people with agency. I see male love interest written like asexual martyrs, sacrificing everything just for the protagonist’s happiness. Those guys definitely exist but they still have their own desires and need.
The inner dialogue is off. Too many words.
I read Crescent city by Sarah J Maas. Obviously I went in knowing it’s a female fan favorite so some things were bound to be off. The only thing I could not let go of was how often the male characters called other dudes “asshole.” If men are trying to start shit we’re gonna call someone a little bitch, not an asshole.
If it’s the tv show new girl – he is an English aristocrat who gave up a career in finance to come teach under privileged kids in Southern California, he is overly polite and his family has a castle. He is also incredibly dull.
Zoned out of the show when they did that.
This happens a lot in reverse, but I’m noticing it more and more (because there are higher frequency of female writers)
Where every woman on the page (or screen) is a fully dynamic person with strengths, flaws, and desires.
But every male character is seemingly Perfect with a capital P but is quickly shown to be secretly pathetic, aggressively emotional, or full-blown toxic.
Women’s physical characteristics are described using fruit.
Oh man, I just went through this in Mary Kubica’s Just The Nicest Couple.
One of the main husbands was like a doting puppy dog, had almost no personality because of how “agreeable” he was to his wife. Just kind of served as a prop to her, which is actually the same issue a lot of people have with female characters actually.
Overall I liked the book, but the husband was just kind of a spineless nothing.
He’s a family man who works 60 hours a week, loves family activities and spending time with the kids. He supports his wife in her career. He’s also super jacked because he lifts. Apparently, he doesn’t need sleep and days have 30 hours.
He has an inner monologue full of poetic musings about love, longing, and self-discovery rather than “That looks heavy, Superman could lift it, but could Ironman?”
They will fall into certain very specific archetypes. Here are the most obvious.
The bad guy They are selfish and malicious, and everything they do is to subjugate others. Their actions actually aren’t often for direct personal gain, but for the specific detriment of others, as if how they feel is more important than how the villain feels. It’s always much more deliberate.
The hunk They always know exactly the right thing to do or say, have almost zero concept of self. Like they straight up won’t have needs whatsoever, and just let every woman walk all over them as if they don’t even acknowledge that’s what’s happening. They act as if they know exactly what the women are thinking before the women do, like they have some magical power that allows them to cut right through any inner turmoil the women might be experiencing. This is especially true with romance, they will make moves that would 100% be rape if not well received, but they act like they have the benefit of knowing exactly what the woman is thinking and experiencing and how she will react.
The Doofus Most non essential male characters, and maybe a friend or family member will fall into this category too. They are idiots, with no real depth or motivation. They are generally well intentioned, but you question how they could even survive if not for the tireless and unappreciated efforts of the women around them to save them from themselves and their own stupidity. They don’t have a romantic bone in their body and are basically completely sexless.
The female fantasy is to meet an uncivilized monster and civilize him. He could kill everyone in the room, but because she’s so beautiful and empathic he responds to her gentle touch. She teaches him how to be a gentleman and they get married so he is exclusive to her and only her.
Male fantasy is to be on a heros journey where he saves a princess who thinks he’s awesome and doesn’t want to fucking change him.
My guess would be any male character that acts like the male lead in a Lifetime movie. Perfectly handsome or attractive, is super charitable and empathetic, but also makes a ton of money and is super successful while still finding time to spend time with her or kids.
Dude is somehow both a genius, rich, model good looks and a body worthy of an ambracromby and Fitch (fuck spelling idc) ad. Add to this he’s also a doormat who instantly forgives all the bullshit his newfound love interest puts him through because she’s completely unable to communicate her feelings and horrifically insecure.
Looking at you Abby Jimenez!
Tall. ripped, perfect at everything they do. big dick (if a we’re talking about a romance or erotica book), tragic past that only the heroine can save him from.
Works indefinitely but still manages to maintain a perfect physique. Is often a selfish or insufferable cunt that doesn’t turn people off from him
See Christian Grey.
He’s either really dumb, really evil, or both, while at the same time being submissive to the woman in a relationship.
Go read 50 Shades or Twilight. Those are everything wrong that makes it obvious.
He thinks and speaks like a woman.
He’s either a woman’s idea of her perfect man or a 2 dimensional villain.
He’s funny but not on purpose.
Describes other characters eyes first
A man desperately looking for the right woman to open up to emotionally
Their description features detailed info on how they smell.
There are certain male archetypes that only women write. I like to call them Sarah J Maas Men.
The “bad boy” who has a dark past and takes harsh actions against his foes. But after a rocky start, he will treat his love interest the MC perfectly and is the best partner a girl could ask for. Sorry girls, a guy who starts a relationship by being borderline abusive and is a ruthless warlord isn’t going to let his wife do whatever she wants while also dedicating his life to her.
the strong man who is a master combatant but is emotional weak and lonely. Basically a guy who’s perfect at everything, but folds like a napkin when interacting with the MC.
the catty and possessive, but also perfect man. Slightly more realistic, but this type of guy doesn’t communicate his feelings to MC, but is also obsessed with her and extremely jealous. But hey he still has a lot of power and is obviously extremely handsome.
Now that I’ve finished this list, the common traits here is “man that has all the positive traits girls like, but whose negatives are also generally positive.”
You have zero acquaintenances that act like this “man”/projection.
– constant remarks about his social status.
– constant allusions to his physical appearance, with particular emphasis on his hair, skin, and eyes.
– should always have an air of mystery (most of the time, unjustified).
– should never have significant or deep interactions with any secondary character, other than the protagonist, who should be the only one able to see him “as he really is”.
– despite having material wealth, he must always suffer internally, whether it be from unfulfilled artistic aspirations, some past trauma related to previous relationships, pressure to fulfill some family or social role, or any superfluous “need” that (coincidentally) is satisfied by the mere presence of the heroine of the story.
– the character “thinks” and expresses himself as the woman’s image of how she believes a man should express himself or think.
They apologize, and they lay validation of the female MC on thickly
He tells her about the “complicated” thoughts he is thinking.
Most men don’t overthink things to the point of agony.
“The man penised penisingly.”
How do I say this politely
He cares about things in action or belief that men don’t think about but women obsess over
Flip side.
They make him dumb, disorganized, confused, and generally just not together.
There are next to no men/guys who have an average/chubby/fat physique and they all have chiseled faces (if it’s like a book we’re talking about). They’re a mafia boss or someone similar in that vein where they basically barely work (or always work overtime). They never show their emotions or are overly emotional all the time (think either a super stoic type or an unrealistically empathic type that has no real personality of his own and usually acts like a golden retriever).
Handsome but dumb, not overly intelligent. Overly dominant/assertive to the point of violence sometimes, can have psychotic and creepy manners that will never be acceptable in reality. They’re either a secretly really insecure and immature macho dude with fake bravado or a staunch feminist pretty boy and there’s often no middle ground provided. Good chance that the character in question also has a sky-high libido and apparently is independent yet can’t function without women, for some reason.
A third type I’ve also encountered in fiction (albeit less frequently) is the type of guy who’s meant to be funny yet reliable and hangs mostly around his love interest, suspiciously cares about only women’s issues and has a big dong. He cares about her and comforts her when things get rough but is mostly emotionless when it comes to his own emotions. That’s it, those are literally his only redeeming qualities, yet the women in the story view him as flawless and a genuinely good guy, even if he fakes it.
Also, none of these guys dare challenge the female MC or her views and misconceptions about men. If they do act assertively, then they just go straight down the misogynist route…
In general, they just sound robotic, annoying and superbly unreal; selfless to the point that it’s immediately obvious they weren’t written with a real person in mind. Almost comical, if it were more than just bad writing.
Whenever I’m doing something and come across one of these fictitiously perfect but fundamentally flawed guys I just roll my eyes and get to doing something else instead. It’s just not worth your time.
When he’s presented as a funny character, but never says anything funny, only snarky.
Having read the famed book “A Little Life” a while ago, it really struck men that it seemed as if the all male friend group was actually a female friend group, but they just happened to have male names.
The protagonist is definitely a young woman despite being a male character in the book.
The only “male” character seemed to be the guy who eventually fell for the protagonist, and even that, of course, felt more like a heterosexual relationship between a man and a woman, than the homosexual relationship it is meant to be
No way to know what gender the writer is if they are good.
Author’s name is a woman’s. Not 100%, but a good indicator.
For me, it’s most obvious when male characters are talking to each other. Men just don’t communicate the same way that most women in my life tend to. My wife gives me so much shit when I get home (jokingly) from a friend trip or birthday/bachelor party camping trip because we just don’t talk about the details that she wants to know about.
There are things we don’t talk about that. We don’t really need to talk about. I can learn everything I need to know with video game talk and his reaction to a bad golf stroke ha ha
She wants to know specific words, how they were said and in what context and I’ll just be like “his vibe is good, everything is fine” and it blows her mind
Hyper neurotic inner monologue (Harry Potter)
They’re super handsome, but cold and distant the entire time, but then save the day and secretly have always loved the main character
The dude always has a freaking hammer of a schlong
Overly interested in rape of the female character or very interested in helping her but not interested in sex with her at all or in love with main female lead and not interested in any other women
All characters wriiten by the opposite sex are all full of red flags that turn out to be exceptions to the rule. When women write men they imagine strong-willed, dominant or distant men and imagine an excuse for their behavior.
He’s 6’7, very detailed description of his face to detail his chiseled jawline, brown hair and green eyes, lowkey a horrible person but (sometimes) he treats the female MC like a princess, is both pretty popular and sociable but also quiet and mysterious, funny dude without doing anything funny
the average guy looks like this
Tall, flawless good looks, can have any woman he wants, but instantly falls madly in love with the bland protagonist and will wait patiently while she chooses between him and another, also extremely good looking guy but with a different hair colour.
He has a lot of internal dialogue, fusses about smal things
The dialogue is cheesy
they’re passive and spend a whole lot of time feeling things
Anytime he ignores a pretty, likeable, interested woman for no reason.
I guessed the writer of Fool’s Rush In was a woman when I saw Matthew Perry’s character run for the hills everytime the gorgeous, kind, wealthy, stable, friendly blonde woman tried to find him for a date. She was flawless yet he avoided her like the plague just because she had liked him for so long, lol.
Women sometimes make male characters overly complex. If he is single and she is pretty, kind and fun, he is going to give it a chance.
I really like Fool’s Rush In, but that part always makes me chuckle because it is silly.