Discussion Something that irk you when reading a novel?

1. When the author jerks around the readers. For example, foreshadowing something repeatedly only to have the end result be the complete opposite of the foreshadowing.

2. Plot-armor that is completely ludicrous. For example, to have the MC almost die doing a challenge, only to have some random action that he performed or didn't perform ending up saving him.

 

I'm a person who loves moderate descriptions, not too detailed and not ones with little detail. Too much detail kinda hurts my brain from imagining too much, but I don't mind it most of the time. The problem is little detail. Little amount of detail just makes me really confused on how the scene looks like or how the character looks, moves and feels. Ex: "After entering the mineral cave, they were ambushed but somehow managed to escape." How does the mineral cave look like? Who ambushed them? Where did they escape to? So many questions unanswered.

 

Tournament arcs that go on for too long because the author decides to describe every single battle between every person. I read one that went on for about 40 or 50 chapters. I was skipping whole chapters by about halfway and never felt confused about what was going on later so I clearly missed nothing important.

My other pet peeve is TL and ED notes that are just them making comments about the story. I mean if it's a footnote then go crazy do whatever you want but translators and editors shouldn't be having a conversation in the middle of a chapter. I really like a novel but I dont read it because that was happening every chapter or two

 

Yeah, I find this irritating too. The CEO will always X the drugged FL found in bed who will disappear the next morning which will then arose the interest of the CEO. Yet when the villain girl offer herself in the bed with the CEO, the CEO would get disgusted and shoved the woman out from the room. Two same actions but different reactions. This make me think like the CEO is very hypocrite.

 

Uhhhhh, bad translation, does that count? When I am reading a novel that has good plot but has bad translation I feel disheartened. Not saying that the translator should stop, but perhaps they should try practice translate newspaper or something as practice, Idk.

 

Utterly incapable/stupid faceless characters. Like... yes they are faceless and unimportant. But they are supposed to be the regular mob. The should still be somewhat capable. Many of them are professionals! I'd expect them to be able to do what'd be expected from a professional.

Soldiers should know how to fight, not fail even against some random poorly/untrained people. Random average in everything soldier would have years of training and at least some fighting experience. Random average 'graduated' cultivators would have decades. Scholars would at least know how to think even if the idea or concept is completely new. Officers should have some leadership and know to rally/throw orders.

Faceless mooks don't have to win, but I'd really appreciate if they do something. Seeing them really fighting before they fell. Officers rally or try to employ some common tactic which get countered or preserving their strength when they are obviously losing. Proper tactical retreat instead of pissing their pants. Know enough to avoid fighting strong enemy and focusing on buying time or retreating. Scholars asking the right question, being quick to understand, or giving good logical answers. Just... not being completely incapable.

IMO, MC struggling against elite soldiers then winning feels far better and more 'skilled' than one that can easily wipe out an elite squad. They get to show their skills against worthy challenge instead of just being OP or enemy being weak.

 

When someone insults / attack mc.
MC's eyes get cold.
Again
MC eyes get cold
Again
MC eyes get cold.

Ok author or translator needs to explain when MC eyes warm up. Or use colder!

 

English webnovel authors ripping off Japanese stories names.

Naming their shit story something like “reincarnated with ginormous titties that whoever drinks their milk falls in love with me”

The reason so many Japanese LN novels are named like that is because they’re so mediocre they have to do that to sell.

 

Abusive relatonship. There are too many of them.

And harem. One can be properly polyamorous/polygamy, but most harem are just forced and poorly done. Harem members are often nothing but obvious fanservice charater to appeal to certain preference. Especially those loli slave girl (possibly demihuman, beastkin or something), thingy.

 

I've actually never thought about that. Hmmm interesting, though It might be because I either don't pay enough attention, or I just always assume its the right hand since im right handed.

 

When there's notes in the story that explains the meaning of something, especially if it's the first time it shows up in the novel, I hate it when say the note is at the very end of the chapter (and the chapter is long too) and there's heaps of these notes, they're not properly foot noted (e.g. there's no hyperlink or the foot note doesn't specially say what the explanation is for).

It really throws me off

 

The love interest that is kidnapped but for whatever reason the MC takes the longest fucking route in the world to go save her often pulling in another harem member along the way and gets distracted so freaking easily, it's like he has the attention span of a toddler. Seriously I am shocked most of these captured women haven't been raped/killed or tortured to near death by the time the MC arrives the amount of time it typically takes for him to go save them.

Badly done harems, which sadly is most of them, instead of keeping the harem small and tight and focusing the interpersonal relationships between the characters we end up with one dimensional characters and far too many characters to keep track of, romance is already hard enough to write.

Repetition of everything, I don't need the cultivation system being explained every other chapter I don't need to know about someones jade like skin and phoenix eyes more than once I have a brain I can remember things. I started the book from the beginning and I have read all the words you do not need to provide all this information again and again like it is recap for an episodic tv series.

The MC hiding his prowess when it makes no sense and not hiding his prowess when he should. This kinda boils down to the MC is a fucking moron issue I have with most of these novels, I still enjoy them but I really should start using a facepalm rating based on how often the do stupid shit.

 

Rather Be the Chicken’s Beak than the Phoenix’s Tail

Non-stop petty internal squabbling in a sh*tty weak organisation, be it a family, clan or a school. Rather than improving themselves, they are so busy suppressing their own so that they can be the best among the worst.

Their organisation position isn’t as important as their position in the organisation. Even if their organisation ranked dead last, it’s fine as long as they are on the top internally. It is unacceptable to be a lower ranked member in an extremely powerful organisation. Although its fine for them to grovel at the feet of lower ranked member of an extremely powerful organisation.

RPG Style Progression

The MC usually starts at a place where LV 10 is the maximum level (e.g. starter village). When he maxed at LV 10, he will go to another place (a small town) where the lowest level is LV 10 and the highest level is LV 20. In this small town, even a talentless waitress at a small and ordinary shop is at least LV 10.

After the MC achieved LV 20, he will go to a bigger town with the highest level is LV 30. Again, the same situations just like the previous small town. In this small town, even a talentless waitress at a small and ordinary shop is at least LV 20.

These situations continue again and again for the next location and the next.

 

I want to shout at the author why isn't the MC trying to be a waiter they are clearly more op than a hero or stupid-ultra-rare-earthshaking-legendary-class that's subpar to a waiter.

 

The one thing that irks me when reading a novel is when the MC gets a harem but MC's male friend never gets even one girl. This happened to me several times and I hate this JP trope. The MC can get a harem for all I care, but please, give MC's male friend at least one cute and pretty girlfriend ( or one girl that likes only him ).

That would make it more fair, as I always feel sad and pity at the friend if MC gets all the chicks but he ends up alone and jealous of the MC.

 

The endless reminder or how good ML or FL are, like I get it after being told once and twice. Can't you use something else for fillers?

 

I hate a lack of agency. This shows itself in a few ways.

• pantsu on head level blackmail that really shouldn't work
  
• someone gets raped/sexually assaulted because the author just wanted it to happen???
  
• character has no brain/does things no sane person would do just to move the plot forward
• characters that exist only to be a bully, and the victim never does anything about it because ^ above
• edgy slavery (yes that includes those awful slave waifus/husubandos)
  
• character's brain turns into potato salad when MC is near (or the reverse)
  
• those black bellied characters that are somehow seen as romantic when they brainwash/kidnap/assault/rape someone, then that someone falls in love with them because they have jadelike skin or something???
  
• brainwashing in general

I could go on, but basically I hate when characters don't seem to have any decision making ability, or their own will is totally ignored just because 'reasons'. I have to lower my standards before my frowns get so deep they form a singularity and consume me.

 

I totally agree with the brain dead thingy. I’ll list some brain dead moments.

The MC just did something extraordinary that even their strongest ancestor can’t do, yet they thought it was a coincidence and keep on attacking the MC.

Sometimes, they will mobilised their entire forces to deal with the MC alone. However, the MC already destroyed 50% of their strength, they keep on fighting. No one can think that if they can’t beat the MC when they are in full strength, the chance of defeating the MC when they are down to 50% would be much lower.

Also, they didn’t have an acceptable casualty rates. There should have been a maximum number of deaths and injured that they can sustained. Once this number already exceeded, they will sue for peace or retreat, since survivability is more important.

However, most of the time, face is more important than survivability. They keep on pressing until each and everyone of them were killed, even the children, women and eldery. No one thought of ensuring the survival some of them.

 

So true. Sometimes I'm in awe that there are ever any people that survive since I doubt any of these groups could survive in a world even slightly more rational, what with constantly picking fights with strangers and all that. Then being so prideful they refuse to accept they made a mistake and would rather die than apologize (not that that works often since most people are so arrogant they want their victim to lick their shoes, then cripple/rape said victim because how dare that trash exist within one hundred trillion miles of my noble self!).

 

How many readers can't bear the usage of Chinese Pinyin as character's name in Chinese novels? Or you just can't bear those CN novels in the culture of the western world like Qidian's Lord of Mysteries?