Most Annoying Story Cliches (list)

Anyone mentioned athletes against the odds? Rocky, Cool Runnings, Eddie the Eagle, Mean Machine....etc?

Prefer maligned, I dunno, there's a comfort in familiarity sometimes. I think with books I always strive for something novel, but TV and movies, something tropey and formulaic as often as not makes for an easy-watching backdrop while I devour my noodles.

But for 'fantasy' I think you're bob on, it's become a very tight genre, with oft repeated stories, considering the word has such boundless possibilities.

 

Yes, definitely. I mentioned Glen Cook's Garrett, P.I. series earlier somewhere on this site, but fantasy only implies the real presence of magic. Heck, even the Harry Potter series turned a couple of things on their heads just by interacting with the modern age through the Ministry of Magic. Or, if you have to tell the story using the tropes, do it Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead style: Imagine being one of the orcs who let Frodo and Samwise into Mordor.

Sorry, I should be in bed, not entirely legally OK to drive, hope I'm making sense here.

 

I think I get your drift. There are writers who can pull this off - and their writings are remarkably refreshing - but they're largerly not known or
heard of. Some of the writers in the 70's pulled off great counter-clishés. Speaking of a traitor orc, it reminds me of Fin in the new Star Wars.
Kinda.

And to add to my most hated fantasy clishé - MC's family lost/killed/whatever, so that he has a reason to pursue sb. with a prospect
of killing/defeating them. Bah. I'd actually love to read a novel whose MC struggles as hell to get out from the grips of his/her
manipulative, manio-depressive parent. I mean, that's a real epic story in real life.

 

1) There's a killer in the building...

a) Of course don't call the police and investigate on your own and when the shit hits the fan
b) Run upstairs! As high as you possibly can! That will keep you safe.

2) The old "locked from the inside murder". Oh, another seemingly different explanation. Not again... Not ever!

3) The psycho killer will just not die damn it! You think you got him until proven wrong 3 seconds before the titles fall. (Sequel follows, with different cast except the psychologically traumatized victim from the previous cast that serves as a connective link to the previous story, just to die early on in this story).

4) Psycho killer that seems to have mental superpowers. He always knows where everyone is, even before twitter existed.

5) Psycho killer gets hit with something at the head (that should have killed him already, but oh well)... For some reason, the stupid victim finds no reason to make sure the psycho killer died (at least tie the guy up, lock him in a room or something!), furthermore leaves his weapon right next to psycho killer. (I guess it's survival of the least dumb, after all).

6) MC is so damn handsome that everyone thinks so or even says so! Of course he will end up with the prettiest girl. Oh, she is pretty; it's just that she haven't noticed yet due to her low self esteem. A match made in heaven... *Barf* (Dear writers... Control yourselves).

7) MC finds his friend, wife, whomever murdered. He grabs the knife that's impaled in the corpse's chest. He drops it to the ground. He leaves. Guess who is going to be unjustly suspected?

8) Another bimbo character in a thriller. (Who knew)? She'll die somewhere in the middle since her bitchiness intrigues you. It builds up to an illustrious death. (As I said earlier... Writers, control yourselves).

9) Angels vs demons stories. I hate them sooooo much. They are equally evil and uncaring towards humans. Why bother taking a side?

10) The MC was struggling for dear life in the ER. He lives. He/she looks awesome in bed, although he/she has been there, unable to move for quiet a while. He/she looks like they just had a clean shave and a new haircut. Hospitals do work as spa's as well.

11) The hair must always be perfect! Anytime, any place! God forbid a mediocre manicure. (This usually corresponds to series though).

 

Boy from the wrong side of the tracks and innocent girl as OP said
Love triangles
Boy falls for the damaged girl

 

The most annoying story cliche is the Cinderella Arch structure.

Perfectly fine story, perfectly enjoyable movie, perfectly funny comedy. But because Cinderella Arch makes more money everything must tragically go wrong right now! And then the rest of the movie is pasted on events that lead to a happy ending.

Story should have ended before it took a nose dive. Because it was good. Then it turned into 'well, here comes the everything goes wrong cliche... gee I hope they don't get raped in this one... sigh...'

It is so paper thin by now that everyone just gets bored when they see it coming.

 

A few from the westerns...

The Injun that climbs a mountain, silently and undetected... then let's out an obliging whoop so our hero has time spin round and shoot the jasper.

Sitting around the campfire at night, only the menfolk know it ain't really an owl out there.

The wagons are circled and under attack from Injuns when one of the menfolk gets struck with an arrow. His wife (who has never handled a rifle in her life) then picks up his rifle and...

They'll be back ('just as soon as they've chosen a new chief' is optional)

There's many more, I'm sure, and none of them really annoy me, but the Valance prize for the most cringe worthy goes to the rag doll found in the smoking embers, post massacre.

 

The plans that go exactly without fail, and the only casualties/injuries are of guy #58 (what like you cared, he was cannon fodder anyway).

The MC is so badass that he has impeccable aim, and never gets hurt or tired while fighting. And he never reloads his weapon. (Cause when
you are this sexy why wouldn't you have infinite ammo mode set on your gun.)

The Bad Boy/Good Girl thing.

Male MC's are mandatory to be at least 6ft and an adonis. Female MCs are mandatory to be supermodels that all the guys drool over.
(Because the bad guy is just not as hot as the good guy, that's how we know he is bad.)

Kissing scenes depicting the 'over the mouth' technique, and it was hot. (Oh please, it would be more original if he licked the side of her face at this point.)

The chosen one. (Yep because reasons and prophecy bullshit, right?!)

The 'One Man Army' types. (Yeah, no. One man versus thousands and winning is so far in the hole of negatives it is not funny.)

Plot demands it, for the plot is god.

The 'Expert' who can do it all, even if they have never done it before. (Jack of all trades, master of none.)

Aliens are always the aggressor.

Well endowed lovers by default. (Apparently Romance/Erotica authors have a need to cause more pain than pleasure.
Last time I checked the vagina is not a black hole inside of a woman.)

Playboy reforms for his perfect lady. (I give it two weeks before it's over.)

Unrealistic Hybridization in Fantasy/Sci-fi. (Yes because you have parts that can go together, does not mean you can make babies.
Genetics don't work that way, and Hybrid offspring would be incredibly rare (.000000000000000000000000000000000001 %)
and the Hybrid would be sterile (no grandchildren for you!)

Space and sound. (I can hear in a vacuum too. You would be lucky to see it depending on what it is, but hear it coming? Ha, Ha, no.)

Laser weapons. (Oh you mean your scary gun shaped flashlight, good thing I packed a mirror.)

Zombies. (Literally used to death and beyond.)

Evil robot take over. (I will believe it when you give Furbies AI, cause those little bastards are pure evil.)

Fighting an obviously losing battle, instead of retreating or surrendering and being rescued. (Better to live and fight another day, than die and never win at all.)

The 'I am good, and they are bad, no questions' characters. (Yes because it makes you morally superior to them because you say so. Murder is murder
no matter what side your on jackass.)

The effects of war on the psyche. (Yes because it is just a game of laser tag that could be lethal. No trauma to see here, move on.)

The last minute save the day thing. (How convenient they just happened to be there and save the day.)

Saving the day. (Because nobody in mortal peril will die because you showed up just in time to save them.)

Silencers and the never heard shot. (It is a suppressor, and it will make a noise.)

Magazines and clips are not the same thing. (Know your facts gun bunnies)

The Rich love interest in Romance/Erotica. (Because money is a huge and only turn on, right? Normal people don't do the nasty, I guess.)

Luck (See plot demands).

Killing is so easy a 5 year old can do it. (Well no, and it shouldn't be treated like a game.)


And one counter point to the Swords in Sci-fi when guns exist argument:
Close quarters combat is a thing. Also when the other guy runs out of
bullets, you can kill them more humanely and efficiently. It is much
to exhausting to fist fight a half dozen or so guys to death. Swords
don't run out of ammunition.

 

Muscle tone has nothing to do with strength. It's a mark of low body fat percentage which is determined by hormone profile and diet.

 

^ True, I'm so weak yet my arms look rather muscley.

 

Work Muscle is much stronger than workout muscle.
A mountain man could beat a bodybuilder in strength and
endurance because of the fact that work muscle is different
from workout muscle.

Body building adds weight which will strain those important
little things like joints and tendons over the long term.

That and who finds snuggling with a rock to be all that appealing.
(There is solid body, and then there is:
Rock solid body. (So sexy(eye roll)

 

That's a croissant connected to two chicken drumsticks by a abs.

 

That is an Epic discription!

Gotta remember that one.

 

Story Cliche I hate,

Main Character takes another person's life (even if it be in self-defense) and no psychological scars are shown. I'd love to read a story where it starts with the main character killing the villain and the story deals with the MC coping with what he has done.

 

@OJB actually a bit of lore from my novel and sequel. One of my MC's is remembering the past events
of a bloody war and the final king on his planet. The one to kill the king actually weeps and commits
suicide as he did not find any such victory in what he had done. Dropping his weapon he cried, to the
roar of cheers coming from outside the palace. He knew that he had done a good deed, it weighed far
more on his mind.

"I had severed the head of them that are responsible for this uprising. But I dropped my tool
after doing the deed. Though the masses cheer in victory, my heart is heavy. Falling to my knees,
the tears burn like molten metal. I had nothing left to live for. My mate and child swallowed up as
the field and street ran red. So with my final action I will have no place in this world. No court
be it of my fellow kind, or that of Ma'aShat (Mother of life), shall ever punish me for what I have done.
There is no honor greater than blood for blood as a sacrifice. While they will hail me a hero, I am not.
I deserve nothing for my efforts, be they right or wrong. I did what I had to, be it the harvest of my
field, or the harvest of many souls. I may be but a simple farmer half a world away from here, I can
not forgive myself for the hell that I have done. Though you will say I am but a coward for not
reveling in my action, I am not proud to have taken the head of the King. Only thing that I hope
will be inflected by my callousness is a unification of all. So leave this world a less of a mess
than what it was. Forever unified my people are as a result of my efforts, though I will not
be able to forgive my hand or action."
-The unknown Centurian of the the war to Peace- Arhcived at at the library of society,
Centuria historical records, found as a note writ in the blood of the Mournful. Revered
and powerful aspect of the revolution of the reunification of the Centurian sovereignty
from the edict of a Tyrannical King (Final King) and his taxationt of those who are
farmers. -
"Though I fear such an ugly a being will rise in the future. And as I will take no glory
for their effort, as they like I will feel the pain of their hate of ingrained. Only I pray
to Ma'aShat that they will find the will to live in the wake of their burden."
Circa Terran Year 2100's.

"For the just will suffer the consequence of their actions, and burn in the fire eternal
of all that have walked in their foot steps to bring peace when nightmare stand in the
wake of empire."

 

Cave Troll,

See that is good insight and thought you have on the subject matter. When I critique other people's work, one of the things I always ding them on is making light of taking another person's life, especially in adult literature. I can't tell you the amount of stories I've read where a normal person kills someone (even if it is in self-defense) and then continue on with their life with no emotional change.

 

Oh my gosh, YES.

Now, I live and work on a ranch and (while I was taught traditional gender roles) I was and am still required to do physical & tolling labor because everyone pulls their weight. Also my younger brother is closer to my age than my older sister, so with a lot of factors together I am/was something of a tomboy (although more often I've been called "Amazon" my whole life, mostly cause my height in conjunction to my strength).

Now I wrestled and fought boys and rough housed with the best of them, but let's be real here: Men naturally overpower women. And it has been scientifically demonstrated that where men & women receiving the same type of combat training & conditioning, the man inevitably outstrips the woman exponentially.

Can I still hold my own and even overpower or defeat a lot of men? Yes, but only because a lot haven't had the same type of physical coniditioning. But the moment I'm put in a fight with an opponent that has similar training to mine, I'm going to get my ass whooped.

So while I love cheering for female fighters and protagonists like everyone else (and sometimes even moreso, cause I closer identify with rough&tumble gals), I get frustrated to no end when unathletic or untrained women somehow pummel powerful male opponents, or even defeat someone with equal or greater combat training.

It's fine if they outsmart or out maneuver them, but sheerly physically overpower them?

Not unless they got hardcore training and the guy hasn't, or they have some mystical or magical ability or protection to compensate.

Also yes. Platonic relations are so underrated.

Hey now, there are plenty of old farts who have a thing for young, immature, or easily influenced individuals. Apparently the younger you are, the more malleable and impressionable. Why start with someone hardened into habit and tested & proven the strength of their own ideas & ideals by years of dedicated adherence? Young people, as ridiculously self confident as we are, can be molded and impressed upon. Our experiences and knowledge of the world is incredibly limited, and so our ideas can be shaped to better fit or conform to theirs. And there is nothing quite so ego inflating as wide eyed naive younglings in open awe of your greater wisdom & life experiences, hanging on your every word.

Immortals can be vain fools too, I'm sure.

But to be honest, I would love to hear a story written from that perspective.


"Damn it, Luciel took on with another mortal child again."

"Oh god, how old?"

"23."

"Dear lord, I thought he was over his immortality-revelation crisis?"

"Oh no. He says this one is different. She understands him."

"I bet he's wowing her with his collections from over the centuries. I bet he's playing the wearied, melancholic soul, pained by the burden of timelessness within time. He's probably name dropping all the history celebs, all careless and incidental. Sometimes don't you just feel like punching him?"

 

Anything relating to space:

* Seeing other stars in space even though the main character's host star should easily drown them out. You don't see them in pictures of the Apollo missions to the moon for this very reason.

* Ships turning in space like you would in earth's atmosphere.

* Sound in a vacuum.

* Getting from point A to point B in no time without using light-speed or FTL technology.

* Earth-like gravity on considerably smaller objects (Spacecrafts, space stations, moons, asteroids, dwarf planets, etc.). Everyone living, working, or visiting on Mars, for example, should be skipping from place to place instead of walking normally like they would here.

 

Well between Marckus and Graxis who are soldiers, the two are not strangers to killing. Both know how fragile life is.

Here are instances where Marckus (human) and Graxis (alien) showing compassion.


Nearing the fallen combatants, I slow my pace. Where are you Red? In mid stride just two meters to the lift, my left leg is met with resistance. Coming to a halt, I look down with a hard scowl. Looking up at me a dying Confederation soldier gripping my boot at the ankle. Fear and anger in his eyes, as he fights a losing battle with his rapidly failing body. Pain twisting his face, blood flowing down his right cheek, as he gurgles blood out the crease in his thin lips. Kneeling down, I remove his hand from my boot. Placing it firmly on his belly over a knife wound. The crimson river bubbles steadily between his fingers, like water over fallen trees. Emitting a groan at the pressure on the laceration. His expression twists in agony. He was so young, barely a man.
Showing him mercy. I align the muzzle of my pistol between his agony filled eyes. The instant drawn out, his eyes pleading with my hard gaze. Finger on the trigger. Feeling sorry for the boy, I end his suffering. The next moment his head explodes, from the bullet as it tears through his skull and brain. It sprays the floor with blood and gray matter. His eyes roll in their sockets. Rest child, you are the victim not the villain.


Down to the last Confederation soldier inside the maze of a base. Watching as he drags himself with his arms, missing his left leg. Taken from him by a grenade. He drags himself slowly away from us. Striding after him, sheathing the knife, and holstering my pistol. Feeling the immense blood thirst waning in my veins. I give way in this slow chase after the wounded man. Catching up to him, I grab him by the web belt harnessed around him. I drag him to a wall, setting him in a sitting position. The gaunt look on his face tells me that his time is running out. He does not try to strike me. Either from a weakening body, or in acceptance of the inevitable. Setting there squatting before him. He does not speak, and neither do I. Looking at him he looks a bit young for a Corporal, but that does not matter in his final moments. We just look into each other’s eyes. What I see behind the eyes of the dying man is grief. Not the grief of a mans regrets. The grief of a mother. A father. A waiting lover. All torn apart by the ever hungry maw of war. To embrace the cloaked figure in escort to his next journey. Relinquishing his body and soul to the keeper of the dead with his last breath. His eyes slowly close. Peace be with you son, silently I offer in reverence.


Coming across one chamber and taking out the butchers, I find that the victim is still alive despite being stripped of her vital organs. She looks at me but without eyes, she mouths something in her final moments. I take pity upon her unable to simply turn off the machines keeping what is left of her alive. Placing the muzzle of the 15mm to her head, I grit my teeth and growl. Turning my head with my eyes closed, I give her mercy from her pain. Nothing we could have done would have saved her, and I hated having to do these acts of mercy. Each one taking a little piece of me along with their lives.

 

Why so many fragments, @Cave Troll?

 

Because first person gives a little, compared to third.

 

Glad it's not just me! Grew up working like a boy, and I've done ranch work and zookeeping (wicked hard work, btw) for a living. It is a source of pride for me to keep up with the men. Oh, and I'm 6'2... so yes, I am familiar with "Amazon." And they always say it like it's the most brilliant thing anyone has ever come up with, and I should just laugh and laugh and laugh. I do think I make more sense when people see me with my husband- who is 6'5. It's like, "oh, ok, I get her now"... I know they are making all sorts of assumptions about me when I'm alone. I feel like a LOT of it comes down to intimidation. It's not "normal" for a woman to be taller than most men. And it's not "normal" for her to be able to buck hay like a man. Some like it, and respect her for it, and others (most) just have NO idea how to handle that.

I think there are different types of strength, for sure. I was one of the weakest in my college weightlifting class, for instance. Bench-pressing, and the like. But I could handle ranch work just fine. Weird.