I just want to point out that this was pretty much a topic we had just two months ago so the list will be somewhat repetitive and because we just had this topic I'm going to unashamedly reference TV shows in this post to entertain myself.
1. Love Triangles: I know that this is a plot device that's been around longer than paper has but I hate it and I think that 99% of the time it's done badly which is a big problem considering how common they are. I'm also pretty sure that most people hate love triangles because they generally destroy the characters or even the entire series example season 4 of Vampire Diaries the whole concept of love triangle between two brothers has always made Elena look bad because one shouldn't could between brothers but season 4 complete destroyed anything remotely likable about her character just to further the love triangle that really shouldn't have ever happened in the first place considering that Elena and Damon have zero common interests other than Stefan which is not something you base a romantic relationship off of. Anyway I dislike love triangles because they bring out the worst in everyone and are really unrealistic because they almost never happen in real life which means the main character is impossible to relate to when they're trying to decide who they want more.
2. Conveniently absent parents: I'm just really bothered by this because when your a teenager who lives with your parents you see them everyday and they tend to be a big part of your life whether you like it or not so I also find it odd how in YA books the parents are often not home for no real reason or don't care if your out all night with no explanation given or fail to notice you have snuck in a member of the opposite sex into your bedroom late at night. Parents in real life tend to worry about their kid when they don't show up at home or are notified that their kids aren't going to class or their kid is acting really strangely or they hear an unfamiliar voice coming from their kids rooms so what I'm asking for is that parents be in the story and act like actual parents.
3. When characters you love have crappy love interests: Do you ever just really love a character you think their the greatest and you want the best for them and you couldn't be happier to see their series but then you discover they have an awful love interest and it kind of starts to ruin your enjoyment of the series. I hate it when I see a character I love trapped in a relationship with someone who constantly dismisses them or just generally treats them like crap for no reason or the other character just doesn't understand the character you love and tends to make everything about them even when the character you love is the actual main character of the series. I hate to see a character I love being in a relationship that won't ever make them happy because I like to see the characters I love happy.
4. Anti-femininity: I'm a girly-girl so I really hate how a lot of books like to call all girls who like to wear dresses and skirts and are generally non-confrontational to be stupid, shallow and weak because being girly doesn't mean any of those things and I really wished that people in general could accept that femininity isn't a weakness in fact sometimes it can be strength. There are some characters that I love to an extreme degree that receive a ridiculous amount of hate simply because they are girly such as Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones she is a character that is exactly what a lady of her environment should and for that some people think she deserves more hate than Joffrey(someone who is pretty much pure evil) which is something that pisses me off first off I relate to Sansa quite a bit so I take the hate a bit personally. Secondly I think Sansa is one of the strongest characters in the series now her strength isn't a physical one or even an obvious one but I think it takes a lot of inner strength and self control to spend everyday being kind an gracious to the people who have killed your father because one wrong word and you're dead, I think it takes a lot of strength to endure abuse on a regular basis and still say all the right things so that you'll never give anyone a reason to hurt you again. I think it takes a lot of strength to believe that their are still good people in the world after having been treated as awfully has Sansa have and I think that this notion is one that most people see as a weakness but to me it's one of her greatest strengths not giving up on humanity even though she has plenty of reasons to. There is also of course the fact that Sansa is one of the only people that can manipulate Joffrey even a little bit which is a strength that comes from Sansa knowing
her courtesies which is seen as a primarily feminine thing but it's also her greatest strength. There are of course plenty of other girly characters who are in situations a lot less dangerous than Sansa who also show that there is nothing wrong or weak about being a girl but I wish the trend of calling anyone girly weak or lesser would stop because it isn't true and it's really annoying.
5. Inconsistent mythology: I just really hate it when writers break their own rulers and expect you not to care I mean when you set up your mythology you expect the audience to remember it don't you well the same rules ably to you once the series is publish whatever rules you set up you have to follow it.
6. Relationships that involving changing one characters entire personality: I really dislike bad boy good girl relationships because they are generally about either the boy becoming good or the girl becoming bad even though that goes completely against their characters. While I know that sometimes a relationship can change you I really hate how a lot of these stories are about the other person trying to change their love interest because they don't like the personality of the person in front of them but their good looking so they think that through the power of love they shall save that person which first off wouldn't work in real life and shouldn't work in well written fiction and second off if you want to change everything about the person you obviously don't love them. I feel like a good relationship is one in which you feel free to be yourself so one in which you have to change who that is I feel like it's not going to work out.
7. When friendships randomly disappear: I hate it when a book starts off with telling you that two characters are best friends and then the main character spends the rest of the book ignoring said best friend and the best friend doesn't seem to mind all that much which seems weird but in all honesty by the point we see the best friend character again you don't honestly believe that the two of them are even friends. I really wished that YA books would value friendships more because friendships can make you just as emotionally invested in a story as romantic relationships can for instance one of the main reasons I decided to watch the second episode of Teen Wolf was because I loved the Scott and Stiles friendship in fact it's still my favorite relationship of the show and another example is the show Revenge with the Emily and Nolan friendship being the emotional hear of a show where almost every other relationship is based on deception this one of the only ones based on trust. Anyways I'm just saying friendships are a good element to add to the story and I feel YA is lacking in them.
8. Hypocrites: I hate it when a character acts like their all sweet and innocent but they're actually really mean but they just never take responsibility for their actions. There are few things I hate more than hypocrites because I honestly will like a character more if they admit they enjoy murdering puppies than I would like a character who enjoys murdering puppies but lies about it, I just prefer it when the character admits to their faults then act like they're perfect.
9. Main characters who focus more on their love life the more dangerous things get: I find it really weird that main characters in paranormal YA mostly, when things start to get really bad as in everyone the main character cares about is in danger of dying yet the main character only seems to care about their love lives which seems weird to me because that really shouldn't be what you're thinking about in that kind of situation.
10. When the characters never go to school but some how still get good grades: I just don't get how characters can miss so much school and never do their homework and somehow they do better than me in school it's just not fair that they can get straight As while never being present or doing the work.
Good list. Yeah, the absent parent thing seems too convenient. Especially when it's cliche (the rich parent is always shopping and the poor parent drunk)
ReplyDeleteMy TTT
Conveniently absent parents is a great addition to your list! A lot of YA books have teenage characters, and their parents would obviously not be happy about them going on a bunch of dangerous adventures. I am so used to parents being absent in these novels that I don't even notice it anymore.
ReplyDeleteGreat list! Check out mine: http://booksavvyblog.blogspot.com/
This weeks topic is very similar to the one we did a few weeks ago, which is why I did not participate this week.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read and only have watch Game of Thrones up to season two, but I agree with the Sansa thing. All her kinsman are dead. She is alone in a hostile environment, and she is still a child. I think that shows the strength of her character, to still be able to survive. People don't see her as threat because they think she is a thoughtless girly girl. But she clearly isn't fool, we see her word the things she says and put that extra girly touch to appear harmless. She uses her femininity to her advantage.
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