the narrative twist i hate most in the world wide world...

What's the opposite of a bulletproof narrative kink? Whatever that is, I have settled on my ultimate one.

I hatehatehatehatehatehate when Character A does something that Character B misinterprets. But there is a totally logical and reasonable explanation for what Character A did that if Character B just knew about it, would totally be okay with. But Character A doesn't explain, and so Character B feels betrayed/angry/whatever.

Now, there are very rare occasions when Character A has some actual reason when s/he can't explain--sometimes because of a promise or honor or very, very, very rarely because Character A is so timid or whatever that s/he can't work up the courage to.

But 90% of the time, the only reason Character A doesn't just explain what happened is because the narrative wants to prolong the angst and misunderstanding. And I hate this not only because it's hella annoying but because it privileges plot over characterization, which is something I can't stand. Good plot arises from the actions of the characters, actions that are consistent with who those characters are. Plot that overwhelms characters or demands that characters act a certain way...I have no interest in those kinds of stories. The best stories have excellent plot and characters, but I'll take characterization over plot any day.

Ugh. Why do fictional characters never just talk to each other? It's so unrealistic to me. Communication is the key to good relationships, and it's far more interesting to me to have characters who actually tell the truth to each other and then have conflict because they want different things or something than it is to see them misunderstanding each other at every turn. Ugh.

This post brought to you by romantic comedy kdramas: best OTPs, worst plotting.

the narrative twist i hate most in the world wide world...

What's the opposite of a bulletproof narrative kink? Whatever that is, I have settled on my ultimate one.

I hatehatehatehatehatehate when Character A does something that Character B misinterprets. But there is a totally logical and reasonable explanation for what Character A did that if Character B just knew about it, would totally be okay with. But Character A doesn't explain, and so Character B feels betrayed/angry/whatever.

Now, there are very rare occasions when Character A has some actual reason when s/he can't explain--sometimes because of a promise or honor or very, very, very rarely because Character A is so timid or whatever that s/he can't work up the courage to.

But 90% of the time, the only reason Character A doesn't just explain what happened is because the narrative wants to prolong the angst and misunderstanding. And I hate this not only because it's hella annoying but because it privileges plot over characterization, which is something I can't stand. Good plot arises from the actions of the characters, actions that are consistent with who those characters are. Plot that overwhelms characters or demands that characters act a certain way...I have no interest in those kinds of stories. The best stories have excellent plot and characters, but I'll take characterization over plot any day.

Ugh. Why do fictional characters never just talk to each other? It's so unrealistic to me. Communication is the key to good relationships, and it's far more interesting to me to have characters who actually tell the truth to each other and then have conflict because they want different things or something than it is to see them misunderstanding each other at every turn. Ugh.

This post brought to you by romantic comedy kdramas: best OTPs, worst plotting.

the narrative twist i hate most in the world wide world...

What's the opposite of a bulletproof narrative kink? Whatever that is, I have settled on my ultimate one.

I hatehatehatehatehatehate when Character A does something that Character B misinterprets. But there is a totally logical and reasonable explanation for what Character A did that if Character B just knew about it, would totally be okay with. But Character A doesn't explain, and so Character B feels betrayed/angry/whatever.

Now, there are very rare occasions when Character A has some actual reason when s/he can't explain--sometimes because of a promise or honor or very, very, very rarely because Character A is so timid or whatever that s/he can't work up the courage to.

But 90% of the time, the only reason Character A doesn't just explain what happened is because the narrative wants to prolong the angst and misunderstanding. And I hate this not only because it's hella annoying but because it privileges plot over characterization, which is something I can't stand. Good plot arises from the actions of the characters, actions that are consistent with who those characters are. Plot that overwhelms characters or demands that characters act a certain way...I have no interest in those kinds of stories. The best stories have excellent plot and characters, but I'll take characterization over plot any day.

Ugh. Why do fictional characters never just talk to each other? It's so unrealistic to me. Communication is the key to good relationships, and it's far more interesting to me to have characters who actually tell the truth to each other and then have conflict because they want different things or something than it is to see them misunderstanding each other at every turn. Ugh.

This post brought to you by romantic comedy kdramas: best OTPs, worst plotting.