Discussion Arc-Exclusive Characters

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by Alyuna, Dec 16, 2017.

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  1. Alyuna

    Alyuna Tactical Dove, Best Birb

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    Arc-Exclusive Characters are side-characters that mentioned in a certain arc in a novel but never make another appearance in other arcs.

    Usually, they are used as a plot device to push forward the story. I don't have a problem with that, but when authors give them too much spotlight in one arc so that they can be forgotten in the next arc, it makes me grumpy.

    What are your thoughts about Arc-Exclusive Characters, guys? And tell me your favorite forgotten side characters?


    OP will be away, I'll check this thread tomorrow... maybe I can get new reading materials out of this. Bye!
     
  2. Noche

    Noche New Member

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    I hate them
    Example: Desolate Era
     
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  3. chencking

    chencking [Daolord Grammar Nazi]

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    Montavo is the best thing to happen to Chikyuu Tenseisha no Koroshikata
     
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  4. DavidKim

    DavidKim Well-Known Member

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    The only arc-exclusive characters should be dead characters.
     
  5. elengee

    elengee Daoist Ninefaps

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    Especially the NTR childhood friends.
     
  6. Frozen ink

    Frozen ink Legally had harem『Cathulu』Power of Love & Evil』

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    #gameofthronesremembers desu~
     
  7. Nimroth

    Nimroth Someone

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    I don't mind it if there is a decent resolution to their plot arc and there is a good reason for not seeing them again.
    What I don't like is when authors feel forced to introduce an entirely new location and plot for each arc just to underdevelop, rush and throw it away without mentioning again.
    Often I get the feeling that those arcs should have been done as full novels in their own right rather than bit parts of a larger and thinly stretched story.
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2017
  8. elengee

    elengee Daoist Ninefaps

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    And new girls to love MC after first looking down on him or something. Like in SOTR. :facepalm:
     
  9. Xiongace101

    Xiongace101 Monkey

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    Haer-who? that the best arc-exclusive one :blobamused:
     
  10. Warlock Of The Void

    Warlock Of The Void Well-Known Member

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    I think immortal mortal has literally the most arc exclusive characters they give them so much spotlight u think to urself "yeah they are important" and then he goes to new place and just that's it but the worst part is it just left hanging with no resolution for most characters
     
  11. Salexe

    Salexe [Procrastinator]

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    There is good and bad sides to arc characters. They are good if they get ended correctly. I mean you cannot always have the same people around and some you just briefly have in your life. Also never fading out side characters isnt good either especially when it is foreign names that look alike. Example: martial arts master. It gets really hard to keep track of who they are.

    It just needs to be done right and then it is good.
     
  12. Phantom Starlight

    Phantom Starlight The Guiding Light

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    Theres a level above "arc exclusive" I've seen plenty of as well. Where they do a great big introduction on someone, only for them to be cannonfodder and removed from the story within a few appearences if even that. Why do hou need to go and do the huge background introduction of an unimportant chqracter you lewve behind a few pages later?
    This is particularly apparent in xianxia tournaments or competitions. Where there can be a whole damn chapter dedicatdd to describing some guy that dies in the next chapter with no lasting impact to the story.
     
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  13. Bluejay13

    Bluejay13 Well-Known Member

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    Most of the reasons that antagonist characters dont show up again is because they are dead. As for competitors or fellow cultivators, it is because Ji Ning has out-cultivated them and has other people/organisations to worry about. I don't believe the author just dropped characters for no reason, the books move forward at quite a fast pace to continue world building and progressing through all his challenges. Not to mention that at this stage, anyone that hadn't cultivated to a high enough cultivation level would be aged to death at this point.
     
  14. Nimroth

    Nimroth Someone

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    The worst part is when those throw away characters are more interesting than the ones they are replaced by...
     
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  15. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    I think this is about the same thing I feel.

    I don't mind arc-exclusive characters, they have their own reasons of existence and their own goals and things to do, it's not like the world revolves around the MC, so it's nice to show someone that is by the MC's side mainly due to the circumstances than because they want to... So, once the problem is solved, they go back to their own lives.

    They need to be well done, and need to have a clear reason to not reappear... If it's done like that, I like them.



    ... Sometimes though, the author just gives them an excessive amount of highlight, which makes the fact they'll never appear again quite depressing...
     
  16. ExQAlph03

    ExQAlph03 Well-Known Member

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    Well, same, and really, it's quite hard to find novels that did it properly, most just disposed of the arc-exclusive characters with reasons that aren't really good, or just some random reasons, or that the mc is always the center of the universe and others aren't that important. lol.

    Though there are still novels that did it greatly, there's really few ~_~. Just saying... but there popular novels that didn't even did this properly so other authors are also doing it even though it's obvious that proper conclusion and solid story, characters, lore etc. will bring results, they aren't doing it properly, I don't know if they are lacking knowledge, time or maybe just plain lazy. Dunno..

    I did noticed though that there's more in old novels that did this thing properly... But I don't really read much of those..
     
  17. Haxagen

    Haxagen Fallen's|Addicted to Gacha

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    Just read Katahane no Riku...plenty of arc-exclusive characters, and most of them die after the arc is over...tsk tsk
     
  18. ExQAlph03

    ExQAlph03 Well-Known Member

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    lol.!! I think it's a given in Katahane no Riku.
    hmm.. Now that you reminded me of it, I'm wanting more of something similar but it's hard to find ~_~.. or more like none.
     
  19. Haxagen

    Haxagen Fallen's|Addicted to Gacha

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    Genre like that is hard to find...just go read Overlord for the nth time or something...
     
  20. AliceShiki

    AliceShiki 『Ms. Tree』『Magical Girl of Love and Justice』

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    Well, doing it properly depends on the author's skills... Not all of them can do it well.

    I just trust my filtering capabilities for that though.
     
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