Nov 2021
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Nov 2021
Jan 2022
NickRowler
Nov '21
1

I like giving my character unusual names because it just a fun thing to do. I don't think I really need to explain myself at all. I think it sort of silly to expect writers to stick to only American names, it just get boring after awhile.

I don't know why you are being to hard on Xavier, that name is not that weird. And it might be a bit more popular than you think. At least in the US, it is more common as an African American name.

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I think names get annoying when the author goes out of their way to make a name difficult to read or pronounce. Example, Elon Musk's child. With stuff like that, I would gladly prefer Apple or Frog instead.

DokiDokiTsuna
Nov '21
HGohwell

I feel like it's not really fair to expect that from any given author...it really depends on the name, and on the setting. Like, let's say Siobhan moves from Ireland to, like, Middle-of-Nowhere Tennessee, and no one there knows how to pronounce her name, and the other characters mistakes come up often in conversation. The author has good reason and opportunity to explain the pronunciation.

But there are plenty of settings in which most people should already know how to pronounce her name...to give one example, in that name's country of origin. If I don't know how to pronounce it (and I don't think I learned how until I was, like, 17) and the author decides not to explain it in that context, since it would be unnatural, that's just...understandable. Like, it's my loss; at some point they can't be expected to make up for the reader's ignorance...especially considering the fact that it's a fairly common name. Maybe not everywhere, but still. =/ It's not their responsibility.

And honestly, you never do know the context a new name is coming from...a lot of Irish names would probably look equivalent to 'McKayleighnenanee' to those who don't know any better, simply because they tend to use more letters to represent certain syllables. But...it's not fair to judge them for that. I mean, that's how they're legitimately spelled in that culture; just because it's unfamiliar to you doesn't mean it's wrong or unnecessary, or needs to be justified.

I'd rather err on the side of caution and respect a 'weird' name, rather than criticize someone for using it and end up looking like a fool if it turns out to be common in a country I simply don't happen to live in. =/ But that's just me.

HGohwell
Nov '21

I think this is the thing for me with name guides. Like, if someone asks I'll tell them, but like when you start saying "give the readers a pronunciation guide for everything not common in America" that's a bit... not great? America-centric? Like at that point, I'd just say, give a pronunciation guide to all names. Who's to say my readers from countries where English isn't as common know how to pronounce Michael or Rebecca? I think as long as you're not making a name up and sticking a load of new letters in, I'm not that bothered by how people pronounce my characters names anymore. Who does it actually harm if they're pronouncing them wrong? Did it change Harry Potter than apparently lots of people didn't know how to pronounce Hermione? And if you're reading on Tapas, you probably have the internet and can look if up if it bothers you so much.

It's like, taking a step slightly to the side, I once had to explain to someone the reason a manga didn't explain how the Japanese school system works, is because they assume you know. Would you expect an American show to pause to explain how the American school system works? That's where I am on names; if people care, they can look it up or ask.

arxianfall
Nov '21
cherrystark

DiegoPalacios
Nov '21
1

What annoys me is fake character development, so the character learned a lesson, sometimes even got a significative haircut, became more mature while keeping the original traits that makes them endearing......

but suddenly, all that is forgotten and the character behaves exactly like before their so called development.

Is understandable when a character struggles to learn the lesson.....but when said change of heart is dropped like an electric pencil, one has the urge to roll their eyes for all the wasted scenes that led to that so called development.

Another one that rubs me off is when a character changes so drastically that they are basically another character. Without a justification like a brainwash machine or possession, these changes becomes weird and breaks the willing suspension of disbelief.

Swamp
Nov '21

I end up reading A Lot of web novels for work, and my current Absolute Least Favorite things to see are

Relatable Pathetic Lead - The lead whose main characteristics are "eats a lot", "is stupid", and "somehow everybody loves them or they need to save the universe". The dude version of this is usually horny, the girl version is usually clumsy and easily flustered. Especially in a drama, it really throws me off if the main character never seems to take things seriously or work towards things and that's not treated as a conflict. None of those are bad traits. Like, Luffy from One Piece may be a hungry dumbass, but he's also a pretty complicated character, if a very simple person.
Honestly, I'd rather have a character with no flaws than somebody who seems genuinely irritating and incompetent with no particular interesting points beyond a generic good heart and it's always played as cute and funny. It's supposed to be a 'relatable' thing, but isn't that... pretty harsh on your readers. I want leads who are active and driven, or at least inactive for interesting reasons!
I prefer my incompetent characters to be stone cold, unrelatable weirdos with baffling side skills. Like the entire cast of Noazaki-kun.

Surrounded by Props - My biggest nemesis is Dude Isekai where everyone just stands around to make the main character look good. Every lady is helpless and in love with him, or an evil seductress (and also in love with him). Every dude is a irredeemable asshole or the main character's lackey.
It speaks to a worldview I find genuinely creepy and upsetting, like the author can't imagine seeing people as anything other than "mine or in my way". (To be clear, this isn't limited to dude isekai, but it is where I see is the most) I also worry about young readers who read nothing but this stuff and talk about a character acknowledging flaws or apologizing as weak and uncool, and people who don't suck up to the lead character as evil.

The Trauma Chain - I like stories dealing with how we react to extreme circumstances, but so many authors seem to attempt to accomplish this by bring in a new trauma every five chapters. People can spend their entire life recovering from one terrible experience, but protagonists in these stories can lose their entire family in a fire and then, at the end of the season/book/arc, the author declares it dealt with and moves on. It's especially frustrating when a character I really love dies, and it's supposed to have this huge impact, but then they're just never mentioned again and nobody seems impacted by it. American TV seasons are particularly bad about this IMO.
For a good inverse, I love in FMA that Nina remains a guiding force for Ed and plays a role in his final decision at the gate. She's a side character, but, even if they didn't say her name, her impact stayed.

joannekwan(ง ˙o˙)ว here to help~
Nov '21

Characters who worship their sibling to an uncomfortable extent.
Not just praising their actions but like they get jealous if their sibling is interacting with potential love interests or whine if their sibling isn't paying them the utmost attention. It's annoying and frankly gross. I hate all the incesty vibes.

Fix it by having them not do that. :joy:

cherrystark
Nov '21
NickRowler

There's nothing wrong with the name, it's just not a favorite. In my head, I picture Professor X whenever I read the name, not the hunky leading man they are trying to paint.

Agreed about the names that are extra hard to read like Elon Musk's kid.

IndigoShirtProd
Nov '21
DiegoPalacios

Oh, I've been burned by that before. It can make it hard to get into things for me because of how I haven't gotten the return on my emotional investment in the past. And at that point if feels less like I'm reading/watching a story and more like I'm observing a creator drive a perfectly functional car into a wall.

Kann
Nov '21

When every character in a story talks about how this character is so smart, but it ends at that. The character in question never does anything to prove they're smart. Just one dumb decision after another.

ratscout
Nov '21

I don't like it when the only arc a character has to go through is getting physically stronger. XD To me, this is a meaningless change unless there is an appropriate reason why that character needed to get physically stronger (like, maybe he was previously getting beaten up because he couldn't defend himself?) but even then, I also need evidence that the character has become mentally stronger, too, where he doesn't let other people's jerkiness get the better of him anymore.

I also dislike romances where the only goal is to "get" the hot guy or girl. Like, neither character has to change in any significant manner to earn each other's affection and the only drama is wondering whether or not they're going to pork, LOL.

Honestly, I don't read BLs, but sister told me about a funny trend where the guys are all named like "damon" "damien" or "dominic" XD I was curious about whether this trend was true or not so I clicked on a few BLs and to be honest, I do think I saw quite a few damiens, damons, and dominics.

HGohwell
Nov '21

I remember a similar trend in YA urban fantasy/paranormal romances back just after the Twilight craze thing, where those were the kinds of names you got for the demon/half demon/actually the devil bad boy love interests.

Ordinaryaverageguy
Nov '21

Isn't it kinda off-putting when the writer gives you a "recommendation letter" for a character? Explaining them in detail, mentally & emotionally, instead of revealing their nature as the story progresses.

AmysGames
Nov '21

I think my biggest pet peeve is when the character development happens too fast, or is explained really sloppily. For example, a villain turning good suddenly just because the hero said something nice to them once. Like, no, a complete paradigm shift is going to take some time?

Also, related to what @eliseswarren said, when characters go through a lot of really traumatic/gruesome stuff for no particular reason. I love me some good angst, but there's a point where it starts to feel really gratuitous, like the author's just throwing in trauma for trauma's sake.

cherrystark
Nov '21

I am also not a fan of writers heaping on the tragedy for the sake of a backstory. Not every backstory needs to be tragic to make the character relateable or sympathetic. Tragedy happens, but it gets to be too much when even before we get into the story, we learn that the MC was orphaned, abused, sickly, etc. Can a character just be happy? A character can be orphaned, but maybe they were placed with loving foster parents? They could help take care of a sick family member but they have friends or other family members willing and able to share the responsibility.

I like characters to have a support network, instead of the lone wolf or lone orphan all the time.

DokiDokiTsuna
Nov '21

I got one-- protagonist-centered morality:

RWBY Villains : The "Hero's"

It's just dawned on me that I never even knew this was a problem until I encountered how it affects RWBY. ^^; I feel like most authors who are inattentive/ignorant enough to fall into this trap don't bother trying to write convoluted stories like RWBY is trying to be. They just write simple good vs. evil where the badguys are mean and the good guys are nice, even if they have to follow overdone stereotypes to do it. And maybe it's lazy writing, but at least it works.

This, on the other hand, does not. The heroes are never in the wrong...but not because they happen to be unrealistic angels who always choose the most helpful and least harmful options. Nah; they're never wrong because the story dictates that whatever they feel like doing is automatically right. And the unrealistic part is that the audience is expected to believe that, and never question the reasoning behind their actions OR the consequences thereof. =/

Breezy
Nov '21
Swamp

Oh my gosh! Yes!! I hate this too! I think the term you are looking for is “fridging”. It’s basically when a side character is reduced to a prop to make the protagonist relatable with depth. Their parents died so they could have that tragic backstory, but the ramifications of that death are never really felt or explored. Hate that.

arxianfall
Nov '21

I was bitching about something else today. I think it's an age(mine) and culture thing, But I can't watch romance with boneheaded characters like:

"she only walks home with me. what does that mean!?? huh you confessed your love to me, what does that MEAN?"

Or the lack of skinship between couples of any kind. It drives me up the wall. There's not one couple I know, one! even the ones that fight that don't subtly flirt and tease each other in public, are stuck together so hard that their molecules created new bonds or make fun of each other.

I would absolutely love to see stories where characters like these get abandoned and people move on. Even better if they move to that "enemy" character. "Enemy of women" or the one that's always portrayed as the NTR hentai protagonist.

Heck, I should do this as a oneshot if I get the time. A story about a man who's seen as an absolute dick through the eyes of the harem protagonist and his girls. Until one of them gives him a chance and the filter gets taken down.

InTheEndlessMidnight
Nov '21
2

Yeah, although I choose my character names by etymology or having a long scroll through the naming list. And man, I often can't take the character seriously it's like I'm numb to these names in particular.

Same, I find it kind of weird to be honest, even if I were to create character sheets, I'm just drawing the line at briographies, and their professions, the rest I like to leave it up to the reader to decide.

I agree actually, my characters do have a very strong support network, and even for characters with less than stellar backstories, I never leave them completely alone. It's just unrealistic and well, it would make them really antisocial, with humungous trust issues and also a complete lack of willingness to accept help. Or they are likely to be absolute martyrs. And probably because I've seen enough of it that I don't want to write it.

Although they have their traumas and they have lost their parents but their parents have been around in their lives up until their teenaged years and they are in a loving stable home till then, but they have a lot of other people supporting them and they are the furthest thing from being abused and all that. In fact, I just let them be regular young adults who are probably most likely definitely creating their own problems and committing their own mistakes.

cherrystark
Nov '21

Definitely! And if you start exploring different angles and avenues for character development and connection, I think it makes the story 10x better. I'm a big fan of dreams coming "true" in different ways in my work. In my series, my MC and her dad were separated when she was a kid. She spends most of her life wanting a family. She does get her dad back, but now she also has a partner she loves and adores, friends who are like siblings, etc. She's got a family she never dreamed of having. The same with her dad.

Although they have their traumas and they have lost parents but their parents have been around in their lives up until their teenaged years...

This actually reminded me of my parents. My mom lost her parents as an adult, but she said it's still hard from time to time, because sometimes, you just wanna call your mom. But she can't. Years ago, one of her fabulous coworkers decided that my mom needed a mom and "adopted" her. They haven't worked together for years, but she still calls frequently to check up on us and invites her out to eat. Since my mother became a daughter to her, that meant that my siblings and I are her grandkids. And I gotta say, it's nice to have a grandma again.