What is the worst Charcter Cliches you can possibly name?

Discussion in 'Character Development' started by Fullmetal Xeno, Jul 23, 2011.

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  1. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    Re: dwarf fishermen from a couple of pages back.
    Maybe the dwarf stereotypes exist because people perceive them as being part of the definition of dwarves. Dwarves might be partly defined as creatures that live underground and occupy themselves with mining.

    If an Eskimo moved to the Caribbean and became a sugarcane farmer, would he still be an Eskimo? Maybe genetically, but he wouldn't be living like one. Perhaps more to the point, if a Caribbean sugarcane farmer moved to the Arctic and hunted seals, would he become an Eskimo? And these questions pertain to slight variations within the same species. Differences may be much more important between species. Perhaps dwarves CANNOT become fishermen. Perhaps if fishermen tried to live in dwarf mines, they would die from lack of sunshine and concentrations of underground gases and so on.
     
  2. Ice Queen

    Ice Queen New Member

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    Re: Viktor being male...

    I wrote an essay on this a few years ago- I think Shelley was making a comment about nature and the creation process, and how when the woman is removed from the creation process; it goes completely wrong. Something of a sociological observation about man needing woman and woman needing man etc. Equality and jazz. I loved Frankenstein; a great book. I also loved Viktor even though I wanted to strangle him...
     
  3. Pythonforger

    Pythonforger Carrier of Insanity

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    Anyone who gains magical powers that are any more than twice as powerful than the average mage.

    There are some exceptions, like Pug from Magician, mostly because the average mage started to increase in power.

    But let's look at it. Harry Potter was not an exceptionally powerful magician. Dumbledore was, but he wasn't the one who stared down Voldemort, and died in the end anyway.

    The elves in LoTR aren't overtly powerful, maybe slightly more powerful than your normal fantasy elf, but maybe that was because of the Rings of Power they had.

    In contrast, the vampires from Twilight are slightly overpowered. Nearly invincible, super fast, super strong, an optional special power etc. etc. Don't get me wrong, I love Twilight and possibly the most overpowered two characters, Alec and Jane(the former can cut off all your senses, and the latter reduces you to a shivering wreck), were my favorite characters, but sometimes I wish they were weak to SOMETHING.

    Maybe that's why I liked LJ Smith's vampires more; they were weak to wood so badly, "a pencil in the right place would do it".
     
  4. Islander

    Islander Contributor Contributor

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    The pen is mightier than the stake?

    This made me think, "Why do you need spoiler tags when you spoil one movie, but not when you spoil two hundred in one go?" ;-D
     
  5. WriterDude

    WriterDude Contributor Contributor

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    Depends on whether eskimo is a profession or not. I'm a white guy, but if I moved deep into the Amazon jungle where no one has ever seen a white person, I will still be a white person. If a dwarf moves out of the mountan and settles down in a desert, he will still be a dwarf. If you take the whole species and move them into the desert, they will still be dwarves. They will change from being mountain dwaves to desert dwarves, but they will still be dwarves.
     
  6. Melzaar the Almighty

    Melzaar the Almighty Contributor Contributor

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    *amuses self with the thought of a desert eskimo trying to make a sand igloo*
     
  7. HorusEye

    HorusEye Contributor Contributor

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    And that is sorta one of the major points in the novel...

    It may seem like a stereotype or cliche to you that the ugly character is shunned (which also happens in Hunchback you mentioned before), but both these novels are examinations of a human trait, which is sadly a real-world cliche: People are often judged superficially, and misfits, unless exceptionally strong of character, are pushed onto the fringe of society, while the beautiful can get away with having horrible personalities.

    Victor Frankenstein is an unsympathetic, self-centered upperclass twit, but because he's upperclass and presentable, he "deserves" to be the hero of the story and have his way. Well, so he thinks, at least until his actions end up ruining everything for him and his family.

    Frankenstein is a social critique of what you criticize Frankenstein of being, so to speak: the cliche of Handsome = good, Ugly = evil. It teaches it by example.
     
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  8. Boriol

    Boriol New Member

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    The only thing I used from established archetypes for my elf characters was their ears. I love the pointy anime elf ears for whatever reason. Otherwise, in my first fantasy book (written when I was 12), the elves lived in a technologically advanced city, perhaps more so than the rest of the world. They were EQUAL to humans, not superior (as in Eragon, etc) or inferior (Dragon Age, etc). They used all forms of combat, not just arrows. And they didn't commune with the trees and have strong natural bonds with nature.

    That mass of anti-cliches was ruined by my 12-year-old self when I made all of them the most boring characters of all time, cliched by the standard non-elf archetypes. Back then, I didn't have any concept of character flaws. Therefore, the story failed.

    I often feel like I maneuver myself out of one cliche and into another, but I think it was said the best awhile back: "THERE ARE NO CLICHES: JUST PREDICTABLE ARCHETYPES."

    And it's how those archetypes are portrayed that makes the difference between run-of-the-mill Shonen mentor #1 and Kamina.
     
  9. TobiasJames

    TobiasJames New Member

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    I'm a fantasy reader. Four phrases that will immediately make me put down a book:-

    1) "The evil wizard"
    2) "The ancient scriptures / prophecies / scrolls"
    3) "The only one who can defeat..."
    4) "The mythical sword/axe/etc. with magical powers"
     
  10. Mallory

    Mallory Contributor Contributor

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    ^ Mwuahahaha. Idk, I don't see evil wizards in themselves as bad, because there are 100000s of ways to make an evil wizard unique. But #2 is definitely a ruler-outer, because it implies a Chosen One or prophecy, and I've made it clearer earlier on this thread how I feel about those. (Ditto #3.). And #4 is too often used as a plot device cop out. The author can't think of an intelligent way to have the hero outsmart the bad guy, so resorts to "and he killed him because his sword is the only one in the whole wide world that possibly could." Oh, how handy-dandy! *eyeroll* ;)
     
  11. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

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    By jove it's HARRY POTTER!!

    There were certainly many evil wizards, there was a prophecy, Potter was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, and of course, let's not forget the Elder Wand :D

    Did you read the Potter series may I ask? :D
     
  12. Steerpike

    Steerpike Felis amatus Contributor

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    I think this underscores the point that most of these things come to mind because they're used so often and used badly. But anything mentioned in this thread could still be used effectively - it's just that the odds of doing so are quite long.
     
  13. Patrick94

    Patrick94 Active Member

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    My thoughts exactly :D

    Which proves stereotypes CAN be used to great effect
     
  14. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    That's...also the plot for The Legend of Zelda series. A boy named Link is fortold by scriptures/prophecies that states that only he can defeat the dark wizard Ganondorf to save the kingdom of Hyrule and the princess. He can only do this with a magical sword. If he has a companion, it's a fairy, a talking boat, an imp from another dimension, etc. Nevertheless, he's the sole chosen hero by the Goddesses to save Hyrule. That one time that he didn't, they
    flooded Hyrule which would eventually lead to the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.

    The new Zelda game that is coming out explores the origins of the Master Sword (the magical sword and in the games, it's referred to as "The Blade of Evil's Bane").
     
  15. AfterBroadway

    AfterBroadway New Member

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    This is more of a plot cliche, but I really dislike when a director or author decides there just isn't enough in the story, so they make some half-ass romantic side-plot that no one cares about at all. Steven Spielberg tends to do this. Then they end the story with one of them lying in the others arms dieing from a gunshot wound, telling each other how much they loved one another and you're left thinking, "Can we get this scene over with?"
     
  16. Ollpheist

    Ollpheist New Member

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    It's really a character group in apocalyptic fiction, but I severely dislike the concept of "a cop/soldier, a nurse/doctor, a blue collar worker, a hot chick, and a token minority character" grouped together. Can it be done well? Yes, I've seen it before. Is it often done well? Not in the least.
     
  17. CatsPaw

    CatsPaw New Member

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    Here's a really morbid one. Doesn't it seem that whenever a morgue has to be visited (especially in movies) the M.E. is so often chomping away on something kind of gross like a meatball sub while he nonchalantly shows the cop (or whoever) the decomposing corpse? I've never been sure why it's so important for the writers to make the M.E. jaded to the point of sickening callousness. They never seem to be depicted as quietly respectful of the deceased.

    Also, a lot of times the individual or team in a sports book or movie who is the underdog is honest, true and goodhearted. The opponent, whether an individual or a team, is almost invariably dastardly! Even the coach or trainer is pure evil. The only exception I can think of offhand was the movie Bring It On where there was actually mutual respect between the two teams. But in general, it seems that Underdog equals Honest and Good, and Opponent equals Conniving and Vile.
     
  18. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    In some cop shows I've watched like CSI, the M.E. is very respectful of the dead.

    But I concur about sports.

    No offense, but it seems that most football movies that comes out these days are set in the 1970s. :/ I get that it's because a lot of radical things happened during the 1970s, but I'd like to see a football movie...not set in the 1970s.
     
  19. minstrel

    minstrel Leader of the Insquirrelgency Supporter Contributor

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    Speaking of football, why does it always seem that the bigger the football player, the stupider he is? Isn't there any such thing as a great big guy who's smart and well-educated? Why are all big guys portrayed as mentally sub-standard apes?
     
  20. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    I know!

    I'm-a thinking that whoever writes those movies had a bad experience with a big football player and this is their way of having vengeance by protraying the big football player as an unintelligent ape.

    The coaches? Dear lord, don't even get me started on that. They're protrayed as soulless, cruel beings who will not care if one of their players drop dead due to some medical condition they (the coaches) knew about, but didn't care. I mean, I know there are some coaches that are absolute dicks, and football players who apparently look and act like your stereotyical Neanderthal with more brawn than brain, but must that be shown in almost every football movie??
     
  21. Mallory

    Mallory Contributor Contributor

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    I second that, but also the point about how the underdog/outcast is ALWAYS kind-hearted? Why aren't there any people who are outcast for good reason - i.e. they are mean, or creepers, or etc?
     
  22. EMSchell2009

    EMSchell2009 New Member

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    The irony is that in my story the elves (who aren't fading away) are hiding in caves underground.

    I hate helpless females. I am somewhat obsessed with strong women in literature and in life. Do we really want our young women being empowered by swooning women who fall at the feet of some man? DO we really want them rushing after men who are portrayed as fools. No! We want young men and women who are strong and independant and form a team when they get together.
     
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  23. Mallory

    Mallory Contributor Contributor

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    HELL YEAH on the strong females...WHOOT!

    And your underground cave elves sound awesome...haha I just gave you some +rep....
     
  24. Link the Writer

    Link the Writer Flipping Out For A Good Story. Contributor

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    I like strong females myself. =) Most of the women in my stories, protagonist or not, are strong poeple who can take care of themselves.
     
  25. Mallory

    Mallory Contributor Contributor

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    I don't mind if a female is weak because the story calls for it, but not when it's glorified as the way an ideal woman should be. (Unless the POV character is a sexist old git or something)
     

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