Character Tropes I'm Tired Of

  

  Everyone has read something that made them want to rip a page out, burn it, and stomp on its ashes. Triggers are different for each individual; for instance, some people hate the Chosen One trope while others live for it. Here are a few of my least favorite things to read about:

1. The Copy-and-Paste Protagonist

    Every book needs a protagonist, so can we PLEASE SHOW A LITTLE ORIGINALITY? Let's take a look at the standard protagonist:

    - She's not like other girls. Even though it's never specified why. She's just not like them. Which is kind of insulting, because what's wrong with other girls? Honestly, I'd dissolve into a puddle of relief if I found a YA book with the first sentence: "Hi, I'm _____, and I'm just like other girls."

    - She thinks she's ugly, but everyone else is constantly remarking how beautiful she is. Seriously, authors. We need some average-looking people in these books. I don't want to read about beautiful people doing beautiful things, because that's not how life works. If they're warriors, they should have scars (and not ones that somehow accentuate their beauty.) When people say they're seeking flawed protagonists? I think that applies to looks, too.

    - She's special among the special. Not only is she part of some secret society/warrior race, she's half fairy or has angel blood or secret powers or something that makes her super-super-super special. Plus everyone is always reminding her how special she is and talking about how special she is, just in case the reader was going to forget.

    - Horses like her. Horses always like the good character. This is not how it really is! There are plenty of good people who dislike horses, and vise versa. Can we please have a protagonist who hates horses/is hated by horses?

- She's clumsy. Authors are always like, Oh, I need to give her a flaw! How about clumsiness! News flash, people: clumsiness is not a valid flaw! While it can lead to good character development (I'm looking at Frank in The Heroes of Olympus), they should have other flaws, too. It's like authors are too afraid to make their characters selfish or reckless or anything except clumsy. And if they dare to give her an actual flaw, it's insecurity. Which goes back to bullet number two.

Gee, whoever I just described sounds like a Mary Sue! Oh, wait...

2. The Bad Boy Love Interest

I would rather pick my eyes out with a toothpick than read another fantasy series with a Mary Sue/Hot Bad Boy relationship, especially if there's a love triangle thrown in (and we all know there will be). 

Here's the story: Bad Boy is a jerk, but he's also super hot, so Mary Sue is attracted to him. She decides that she can change him, and while she gets to know him, she discovers that he's hiding a heart of gold because of his tragic backstory or whatever.

He normally has sad/fierce golden/green/blue eyes. He's muscular. He's described as "dark and brooding." And he has serious emotional baggage that he dumps on the main character. Sometimes he's controlling and verbally abusive, but that doesn't make our heroine break up with him. What kind of example is this setting for young, impressionable teens?

3. The Wise Old Mentor

We all know him. Long, white or silver beard. Glasses. Piercing eyes that make the main character feel as if they're being X-rayed. He usually dies in the middle, leaving our hero(ine) lost and pretty much helpless. The hero(ine) desperately tries to figure out the last cryptic clue that was handed out. It's never said why the mentor is so cryptic when he could just tell the hero(ine) what to do and why the villain is so evil, but he is. The mentor's only traits are that he's a) mysterious and b) powerful. He normally has a tragic or semi-tragic backstories. 

Having a mentor is fine. But does he have to have a beard and piercing eyes and always speak in riddles? If you're an author who's writing someone like this, just mix it up a little. Add some character development.

4. Villains Who Are Evil Because Evil

Exclusive interview with a standard YA villain!

Hi, Villain. Why are you evil? Because evil.

When did you become evil? I was born that way.

What do you gain from being evil? Uh... being evil. Duh!

That pretty much sums it up. Motivation is everything, people. People aren't born evil; they become that way over time. That saying? You either die a hero or live to see yourself become a villain? It applies to books, too. Take Luke from Percy Jackson. He's bitter because he felt neglected by his father, Hermes, and he wanted revenge. THAT's motivation. 

5. The Loyal Best Friend Who's Secretly in Love with the Protagonist

Why does this always happen? Is it just a convenient way to make love triangles? Because news flash: I don't care whether the heroine chooses Bad Boy or Loyal Best Friend. (And from what I've read, she always chooses Bad Boy.)

Why is the best friend always a boy? I mean, most of the girls I know have girl best friends. Authors think it gets their protagonist points if she's best friends with a guy, but most YA main characters (as discussed in number one)... well, they don't seem like anyone would want to be friends with them. 

If the Loyal Best Friend is a girl, she's always dropped as soon as the love interest enters the plot. Why, authors, why?

I don't particularly hate the Loyal Best Friend. It's more like I hate their relationship with the protagonist. It always seems one-sided. Real friendship isn't supposed to be like that. This could be a valuable trope if authors put a little effort into the friendship. (Where are the code names for people? Where are the inside jokes? Normal YA friendships don't even remotely resemble real-life ones.)

And there you have it! Those are the top five character tropes I'm tired of. Thanks for reading!