Overused annoying tropes?

Discussion in 'Author Discussions' started by shyshan, Nov 8, 2020.

  1. Beren

    Beren Holy Saint

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    1. Girls falling in love with MP or ML at first sight.
    2. Yandere ML. They are all the same.
    3. Abrupt endings that invalidate the entire plotline e.g. the big bad was a copy of ML all along and god!ML could crush him but he's allowing all the bad things to happen so FL can level up. Or FL gets stuck in an untenable position/author wants to start a new novel so ML resets everything.
    4. Adult!FL crossdressing and tricks everyone into thinking she's a man. This is so unrealistic. I can understand if it's a prepuberty child dressing up as the opposite sex but a full grown adult? It's really hard to suspend my disbelief.
    5. Endless amounts of useless cannon fodder for minor faceslapping. They're all the same. Add some variety please.
    6. In Xianxia/Xuanhuan novels, there's always a sidekick of the FL/ML that appears in a story arc and then disappears, never to see the light of day again. It would be nice if there's closure for that character.
    7. Double awful if said sidekick turns up 2000 chapters later. I don't remember them at all!
    8. Endless recapping - you don't need to summarise what happened 1 story arc ago, I can go back and reread it if I need to.
     
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  2. whitespade

    whitespade Well-Known Member

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    :blobpats:I like all these tropes and cliches
     
  3. imreallyanarwhal

    imreallyanarwhal Well-Known Member

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    This! Esepically if the Adult!FL is curvy and fairy-like in her unearthly beauty. She can't just put on men's clothes and magically look like a effeminate man that captures all the girls' hearts and makes the guys question their sexuality. At least add some details like: she puts on a binder to flatten her chest, applies makeup and facial prosthetics, ect the stuff actual crossdressers, actresses, and transmen do.
     
  4. Darius Drake

    Darius Drake A poster of verbose posts

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    I don't even read BL, but I do know that most BL stories are written such that it could become BG with little to no differences to the story or plot, just from the occasional blurb/description I read. This becomes a certainty if the story contains Man-Preg, and I have seen inklings of "there are no girls in this universe" in most BL Smut.

    Actually, that brings up a better point. An annoying, overused trope in all stories is to over-focus on one gender (usually male), and only have the other gender pop up for love interests, minor side conflicts, or "eye-candy". Basically, 95% of the time either the world is 95% Male and 5% Protagonist's Family/Harem, or 1% Male & 99% Potential Harem Members. Even stories with female protagonists aren't necessarily exempt, if they aren't a major long-term character or a bit enemy they probably aren't going to be female.
     
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  5. daviteqinc

    daviteqinc New Member

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    what I mean by that are those MC that even the slightest bump can somehow scratch or bruise their skin, & then they proceed to cry or act as if they're insanely pitiful. & in need of constant pampering.???
     
  6. eeeee

    eeeee Well-Known Member

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    I'm kind of tired of reading the protagonist time traveling to when they were a baby. I love these stories, don't get me wrong, it's just a majority of the authors do the same thing as one another. For example, when the protagonist becomes embarrassed to have their diaper's changed (as well as all the other little things that follow). I guess it was okay to read this plot the first time, but then all the novels which used this plot is an exact copy paste with no originality. Unless the author brings something new to the table, I wish authors would stop plagiarizing each other. lol.

    There is also one more huge problem with these type of stories. It's when the author tries to incorporate any sort of serious romance. The most recent story time travel baby novel I read was really fun until I reached the latter portion of the plot. I was cringing and had a hard time trying to read it. The protagonist was a little baby with a lisp, she couldn't even pronounce words properly, but she was promising marriage and acting like an adult in random moments. It was really jarring and strange.
     
  7. imreallyanarwhal

    imreallyanarwhal Well-Known Member

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    In the line of the ones Nagisa11 and Raebit mentioned earlier, other overused time-travel or transmigration tropes in both BL and BG that annoys me: the MC who did so suddenly does such a 180 in personality and skills. and its not treated with extreme seriousness? like, here in the real world, if you wake up with a completely different personality after bumping your head or being really sick/comatose, you'd be under medical supervision and/or visiting with a psychiatrist... Or deemed possessed in fantasy/historical genre.

    And the MC with their personality change/new skills suddenly getting the attentions of men who treated them (or the person they transmigrated into) like shit and act like it all never happened... Its like, how many of these time-travel/rebirth stories does the MC end up with the guy who literally abused and killed them?? Way WAY too many and often the author realizes they made the "ML" too horrible and starts with whitewashing his past behaviors and use another trope I absolutely hate...

    ..the 'I had to act like I hated you and treat you so horribly in order to protect you' trope. With the understanding that means instantly forgiving the guy (or girl in very rare cases) because if you don't understand it was "for your own good" you are a terrible person, MC!! (“Do you know what the worst justifications I have heard for a man abusing a woman? ‘It was for her own good’ and ‘it was to protect her’. I see it less often with women, that excuse. But regardless, I hate it. Because when it boils down to it, it never is. Its all about ego. That person is saying: To protect you, I must inflict mental and at time physical abuse on you, make you despair often to the point of suicide, and then when its over you will be forced to take me back because otherwise you’re a bad person because it was all to protect you. And that is not love. Its a sickening mixture of obsession, control, and coercion. With a hearty dash of moral hostage taking for good measure.”)
     
  8. IReadWhenBoredSoWhat

    IReadWhenBoredSoWhat Well-Known Member

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    Nothing will get comments like asking for hate :blobhero:
    To reiterate some points...
    CONSENT IS IMPORTANT
    TRUST
    I will DIE for a well written foes to lovers troupe, but only if they can meet the two points above. If it fails it irritates me beyond any other troupe, besides rape/abuse vic getting stuck with their abuser because love. So, no. I haven't died yet.
    Rivals to lovers is also a very good thing, and tends to work out a lot better, see Last Game or Special A, and the ones that are almost more like parodies rather than serious shows have more health relationships that build nicely, like the "weird" Addams Family.

    I will drop a story if A] a situation that can easily be solved, is not easily solved with in a reasonable amount of time(i.e. TALK TO EACH OTHER) B] if any character could be replaced by a potted plant and it'd make no difference. Side characters are characters too, as mentioned please give them brains and/or their own strengths. C] COMUNICATE YOU 2D FICTIONAL WISH-FUFILLING KNUCLEHEADS OR COMMUNICATE YOUR FACE WITH THE FLOOR
    but we are adults and can maturely move on with our lives and not hold a grudge.
    ....I'm an adult
    You probably got more opinions than you wanted, but here's more fuel to the fire!
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2022
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  9. Gin_Hindew

    Gin_Hindew Well-Known Member

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    People changing due to love, and becoming perfect for each other, specially if one of them is an asshole
    Its much better if they change due to some personal stuff that has nothing to do with romance, and their previously rocky relationship now becomes smooth
    Like, a character having to rebuild a failing business and learning perseverance, having to care for a sick relative and learning patience, and so on
     
  10. hypersniper159

    hypersniper159 Creator of NuF’s 7th Enigma

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    In manhua, there's always that annoying weak little sister that the older brother always has to protect and she always appears in the third panel with a full body picture, and it's annoying since I know she will do nothing for the plot, or she will just be another unofficial harem member or be just like the other girls who are strong but can not think for themselves so MC does all their 'thinking', or they will be just a giant burden like a hostage/damsel in distress. In general, they add absolutely nothing to the plot and are not worth reading about.
     
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