Discussion Author butchering MCs

Discussion in 'Novel General' started by hatoyin97, Oct 17, 2018.

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Is it worth to sacrifice mc for plot development when the plot is based on plot in the first place

  1. Oh hell Nooooooo

    28 vote(s)
    70.0%
  2. Kinda worth?

    12 vote(s)
    30.0%
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  1. hatoyin97

    hatoyin97 «Frigid Heart Petrification Manual»

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    Reading many novels.
    I have realised that many authors had failed to deliver proper MCs.
    Don't mention character development, many have been failing to even maintain the MC character.
    And the reasons for these have been is for plot development.

    So I wonder, is it worth butchering the MCs either by turning their character 180 or making them dumb just for developing plot?
    Doing all those just to avoid the cliche or forced plot development?
    Especially on the novels where MC matters alot.

    Share me your opinion on this topic.

    (Used to thought forced plots are worst...)
     
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  2. InvincibleDespair

    InvincibleDespair Well-Known Member

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    It would sound reasonable in cultivation novels considering MCs cultivation techniques
     
  3. Miku

    Miku

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    Lelouch death is good ending for me.
     
  4. hatoyin97

    hatoyin97 «Frigid Heart Petrification Manual»

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    How is a flawless mc related to this topic lol
     
  5. hatoyin97

    hatoyin97 «Frigid Heart Petrification Manual»

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    Wouldn't that be character development ?
     
  6. Miku

    Miku

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    Lelouch is sacrificing himself for "yasashii sekai" that nunnally wished.
     
  7. hatoyin97

    hatoyin97 «Frigid Heart Petrification Manual»

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    I believe we are talking about different mc then
     
  8. Astaroth

    Astaroth empty

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    No. That's one of the worst things for me.

    And it happens way too often in way too many novels, it's seriously awful.


    "MC is super smart"- Author. then MC goes and does the dumbest shit they could do, because of "plot".
     
  9. Cosmic_

    Cosmic_ [Novel Addict] [Lazy Writer] [Meh Editor]

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    Honestly, they should just do it right and not mess up either.

    There’s no need to sacrifice the MC for plot when they can make up a believable excuse for the stupidity or change and relate it to the plot. They could also just slow down and take the time to develop it.

    And I hate MC dumb moments and 180 personality changes. Makes me more likely to drop compared to lack of plot development.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2018
  10. otaku31

    otaku31 Well-Known Member

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    I don't mind inherently dumb MCs, but I can't stand dumbing down of MC for plot's sake. What's worse is trying to justify it with barely believable excuses (internal demons, anyone?).
    .
    .
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    The readers are smarter than u think, dear authors.
     
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  11. Just Another Cynic

    Just Another Cynic Well-Known Member

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    I'm assuming you mean the MC getting such a complete character change that its jarring? Yeah, no thanks. It can work with a sufficient reason (say happy go lucky guy has whole family murdered and becomes slightly less happy go lucky) but if there is no real reason for it then its just jarring and a sabotage of everything the readers want.
    I think that if a character is to change it should be gradual, like a lot of 1 degree turns instead of a 180.

    Though, I must say there are some MC's I would like to be butchered (in the permanent sense)
     
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  12. AliceShiki

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

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    Mmmmmmmm, depends on how much the novel relies on the MC and if the personality change makes sense because of proper character development I guess?

    I mean, I personally like novels that are more about the character than about the plot, so... Changing the MC because of the plot would be a pretty big annoyance for me.
     
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  13. Harem_lover

    Harem_lover Loves Spice, and works with Spite

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    Well one of my few complaints is that the mc's who are supposed to be geniuses have their IQ's dropped to sub-human levels whenever the author likes, that is something i can't tolerate, other than that i have not many issues cause the rest are basically the shift in the mc's moral character like for example murdering millions of people then he claims he is "righteous" which makes sense cause humans are hypocritical creatures and will rather shift blame than admit to their own mistakes or actions, so unless it's a huge change like a villain mc's suddenly saving a beauty just because he couldn't stand "injustice" like da fuq? since when did you care about justice?i don't really care

    gggg.PNG
     
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  14. Cashew Farmer

    Cashew Farmer Fastest horse in the land

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    Tranxending Vision and Extraordinary Genius have this problem where the MC concedes too much to the government/women despite them being perfectly capable of negotiating a good deal and are in most cases better off not dealing with them in the first place. Tranxending Vision has the MC agree to go on a dangerous mission to Afghanistan because a government agency threatens to not provide a permit to construct a weapons factory that they requested him to build. Talk about a bad negotiator.
     
  15. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    I think that the most memorable MCs are those that do not get a sudden character change. Eg Tokuchi Toua from One Outs (manga-anime). If he suddenly became dumb I would have been completely upset with the mangaka.
     
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  16. dalrant

    dalrant Well-Known Member

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    i think it depend on when author kill MC or what the story will develop when MC died.
    almost every isekai novel kill MC with the infamous truck-sama on prologue story to move the mc to another world setting.
    re-zero it's pretty good example to kill MC as he will get new information.
     
  17. Kurotsubaki

    Kurotsubaki Reincarnation of the Seven Deadly Sins

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    Dang, i though butchering the mc literally. If it those i agree, but because it isn't i disagree
     
  18. Demonic Poring

    Demonic Poring 『Well-Known Poring』

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    Not worth at all. This is why I rarely read a Chinese novels. At first the author said that the mc is super smart, but in reality he is dumb. Sometimes said mc is a good guy, massacred a sect cause one or some of the sect members touch his/her family.
     
  19. Cupcake Ninja

    Cupcake Ninja [Kind Sage][Lord Benevolence][ The Great Paragon]

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    because he didnt live long enough to get butchered too. Tho thats not true anymore i suppose, might still get butchered if he's really alive in the new season.
     
  20. Romashk

    Romashk Well-Known Member

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    At some point "genius" or "prodigy" became just words in novels that don'T mean anything. Especially in shoujo and wuxia. I've dropped a few manga and novels just for failing to live up to the standards that authors put themselves in place. It's not the words themselves that put me off, but the massive plot holes they leave.
     
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