Like I'm not asking for an alpha male mc, just like I'm not asking for a brain dead or demon level smart mc, all I'm asking is average, or above average maybe, not the extremes of either brain dead or really smart (latter option rare as qilin horns and Phoenix feathers). Is it so hard to ask for an mc that's not so obviously a beta, One of the extremes? Is it too much to ask for an mc that is in the middle or SLIGHTLY leaning to one of the extremes not too close to it.
Because majority of us ARE losers. How often do you see people on the street and think "that guy is having a blast, i wish i had a life like him" Not very often. Only 20% of men are doing their best in life. The rest of us watch Netflix and Disney Plus.
When you ask for "average", do you mean "average" "average" or "Evil God/Make my Abilities" "Average" "average"?
I'm afraid that it's a social problem Japan has with its herbivore men epidemic. Most western web novels on RoyalRoad, on the other hand, has MCs with standard levels of assertiveness if you don't wanna go facefirst in China's "I will fucking end seven damn generations of your greasy family for disrespecting me u little walking dipshit."
Behavioural average. Like "No I don't want to, I'm busy" Average like normal person. Who doesn't let people walk all over him nor is he an overlords with insane charisma people bow down to. So a normal person in essence.
hey what is beta? dense? got flushed red as lobster when touch girls? refuse to bang girls? refuse to kill? kick alpha and gamma?
if that is a serious question i would say a beta is someone with sycophantic and servile tendencies, although they are not in a position to be a sychophant or be in a service oriented position. A lack of spine or guts would probably be a easier way to describe it.
They're popular. People like reading about them, people like writing about them, they feel relatable for the authors/readers of those stories. That's it.
and why they lack of spine? imo its normal~ people do have thing they scare of~ sure on fiction it kinda irksome if such thing exist but imo thats ok~ the problem may lay on change perhaps? thing change, but not everything need to change~ is it because reader think lack development of character? lack of author ability? poor execution? or just hate trope? seriously this cat think alpha, beta, gamma or stuff is become annoying stuff to see on review~ its like annoying fly buzzing around~ this cat like when character grow to confront it weakness, or at least know and see it~ at another times it kinda fine to use it as comedy~ although overuse can lead to boredom~ so sometimes this cat wonder.... do those who scream toward alpha, beta concept have grudge irl or it problem of personality? for the later this cat can understand cuz this cat personally can't stand Sherlock Holmes prickness or Rudeus way from mushouku tensei~ but if da former then meh~
Helps enhance any escapism novel. If the MC is more of a loser than you are, then those chicks would probably also like you too. That is the way I've always looked at it anyway. Though it would be nice if those novels would have better character development (and not the type that just makes the MC go through a horrible event and turn them into an edgelord/asshole) just imagine it... genuine character development that has meaning then such MCs would be realistically bearable imo
ai this cat know that feeling~ there also novel where the character seem just suffer for the sake of suffering cough kuro no mao cough
nah~ its ok~ this cat just think most rant about alpha beta thing is like old man only know term of first, second and third country which come from cold war era~ don't they know its now da term is develop, developing and poor county? yare yare desu~
Preach. (Warning, I got carried away and wrote too much, like I could fit everything below on an entire book page probably.) I said it before but statistically speaking in the game of probability you'd assume with the sheer amount of novels, you'd find a decent ratio of non brain dead mcs, who are just average and don't say things dic for brains like "Hit me girl, I know I'm wrong, I made you cry, that's an unforgivable sin; let me risk my life to save this stranger cuz she's cute and get rescued by plot armor, let me knowingly or unknowingly get manipulated by this female character and do nothing about it, let me not have a voice of my own and just go with the flow where people subtly or blatantly tell you to do stuff and you do them; let me start a charity and give away VERYY precious hax useful to me just because you are cute and we are not even in a relationship yet but I give you them anyway so its not fulfilling my boyfriendly/husbando duties but instead being a simp since technically nothing is confirmed and I'm just giving away stuff, let me spoil this annoying younger sister/person who is so obviously dead weight and causes trouble and in danger but is rescued by plot armour and doesn't die because they are spoiled and ignorant, let me...god my fingers are getting tired, basically FUDGE THOSE SIMPS!!!" So yea, despite the probability if looking from a statistical perspective, there are way less stories with non beta male mcs who are either average or just have goals and actively and assertively take steps to reach that goal they made themselves without anyone telling them, where they know exactly what they want and act like normal men who have different types and taste, no matter how much of kingdom toppling beauty someone is us men don't drool so openly, stutter and act like simps (we do that inwardly) eventually we see the light and either act pretentious like we don't like them slowly getting closer or just going on about our ways since we DO HAVE LIVES. One girl you just saw once isn't going to change everything. These writers truly underestimate the level of poker face us men are capable of, even if she's hot we won't act like her servants just to look at her, besides they really underestimate taste so what if she's beautiful a lot of men like personality better, or figure better (sizes not just shape), not just face. There's no one size fits all beauty.....is in the eye of the beholder as they say. Also no one is as righteous as these brain dead mcs are, its like they see fire and jump without so much as testing the heat, if they were righteous and smart like Fang Yuan (not evil at all) then it would be toreable, but plot armour saves their skin 80-99% of the time and we all know I'm not exaggerating, eg. goes against an entire clan with resources and influence and doesn't get poisoned by a bribed friend, threatened friend, assassin with skills like a 4 year old payed to prick you with a poison needle, not sending waves after waves of disposable minons and skip straight to the elders who just kill you and be done with it instead of junior-brothers-fathers-grandfathers-grandelder-entire sect-ancestors cycle, seriously no enemies are that dumb some would actually investigate, find out you are a simp, set a hiney trap, and poof you're dead. We'd accept the brain dead and simp if they would live without plot armour butttt they don't. Personally, I think its a shounen or just a manga thing, the bosses back in the studio or wherever they make the stuff, see the trend and approve the trendy plots, characters etc. That people like and rinse and reuse, encouraging writers to do the same thing and not be even so much as slightly unique. Just to play it safe and rake in the cash. They only do what makes money for certain and don't take risks with unique and different story types, in addition to the Confucianism in Chinese culture and the government way of running things over there and all the annoying stuff they support, the jp and kr novels are not so different so.....Money grubbing bosses is the main point I think. Those are universal and the source of our woes. Otherwise we'd have more diversity then, staiscally speaking, then a lot of us would have at least a handful of novels 80-99% to our individual tastes not just with non-beta male mcs who lowkey are doormats other characters walk all over objectively (cuz you know, family members walk all over them too not just strangers. do this please they say and the mcs, in the end, fulfill their wish to no personal benefit, most stories if you want to beta male check can be oversimplified to this, just analyze a mini arc or arc and check it against that, see if it fits, they usually do) but actual novels and characters that deeply resonate with us, where we don't just like it but borderline love the story.
(This is just a rant tbh, im also sick of beta mcs. Ik im a little late for this post but pls let me continue. Ima speak my true feelings and wont sugarcoat anything so i might be slightly offensive...im sorry in advance) I say its society's fault IMO, authors write usually what tends to be more trendy. So if Brain dead/Masochist/Simp/Loser protagonists are what's trendy... And do note self insert is usually a huge part of protagonists'...then something must be wrong with the readers. Sigh i wonder why almost every main character gotta be so righteous? Too blinding to the eyes. I could imagine people getting sensitive and angry if the mc was evil. We need more mcs like Reverend Insanity nowadays. So yes, its not the authors fault its the readers...author write whats trendy for the cash but readers 'control' the trend in a sense. Which in turn can control what authors write. Btw I get why loser/timid/meek mcs exist but i dont get why 'heroes' exist...should readers really relate to them, feels like antiheroes are more relatable to everyone, or more realistic in a way. Also off topic but im noticing something interesting. I wont be saying im right, do correct me if im wrong but i feel like cruel and more morally grey female character are more accepted...like in beta stuff where fml orders or gets mad at mc and then he apologizes for no reason and obeys her..., but we never see the reverse now do we? Also when Male leads are rude and cruel they are portrayed as edgelords sometimes but females arent...tho its no problem, just saying male protagonists should become more unique but readers dont want that... I got much more to rant, like 6 pages but ill stop here. Im sorry if i upset anyone, just spoke whats on my mind