Ardainian Right on Nostr: The Female Hero's Journey is perhaps one fundamental concept that's in an even worse ...

The Female Hero's Journey is perhaps one fundamental concept that's in an even worse state than the more traditional male one. In modern times it rarely even gets off the ground because the standard egalitarian approach is to just write the male version but without any real flaws or shortcomings. If society can't even acknowledge the difference between men and women it can't begin to understand the basics of the concept. The natural line of development is from Dumb Bitch to Heroic Feminine, but standard feminism basically treats the Dumb Bitch as already perfect and the Heroic Feminine as patriarchal oppression.

Even where the concept is permitted to exist and be attempted, both poles are rarely able to be properly integrated into a singular character arc. Xeno- series does emphasize both the male and female heroic journeys, but has never completely nailed the female side quite as well as the male. Elly absolutely nails the Heroic Feminine, but doesn't quite develop from Dumb Bitch mode. Same applies to Melia. Shion had all the potential to pull this off were Soraya Saga able to stay on through the whole trilogy, but she never really got out of Dumb Bitch mode. Mythra came closest in the Blade games, but Pyra/Pneuma take most of the spotlight for the Heroic Feminine side and overshadow just how much Mythra actually grows. I would like to see if Takahashi can actually pull it off in Genesis, because we desperately do need role models for girls who start out in a relatable place while elevating themselves to what women are capable of becoming.