Stories that left you disappointed for a reason

[seneya]

classic RPG mechanics

any other wayfarer could have done including Aeran

Funnily enough I thought of like... Might and Magic, or Icewind Dale. Y'know, where you create the entire party yourself and they have no personalities of their own - interchangeable not-special adventurers that still go on to do big things.

Wouldn't that mean that the MC is useless outside of being a magic nullifier? I feel like the MC has no personality outside of being a tool for others.

This being a special trait, that's what gonna make them stand out and what people are gonna focus on. MC can, theoretically, eventually start using it to their advantage, too, not just someone else's. Their entire path can be (I mean that as a guess, as I'm not the author) at least partly about stopping being a tool and claiming agency for themself. Right now, they are lost, but they can grow.

Funny you say that lol, I talked about this too.

I missed it, then.
It might be difficult to handle inner narration for largely customizable/blank-slate MCs, which is why it might not be used as much as with the more set MCs. One more reason I prefer partially-set personalities.

 

[ImmortalDoe]

Speaking of mcs what do you guys think of the Ronin from samurai of hyuga? They used to be my favorite mc back in the day but after book two, I started to slowly like them less and less. I can't put my finger on why, though.

 

[game_hunt3r]

Speaking of mcs what do you guys think of the Ronin from samurai of hyuga? They used to be my favorite mc back in the day but after book two, I started to slowly like them less and less. I can't put my finger on why, though.

SoH has never been a literary masterpiece by any means, but I used to have a lot of fun just messing around in the world. Like you, I really liked the ronin—not because they were a deep character or anything, but because they were a fun vessel to play around in such a little weeaboo world even as they struggled.

But then they kept struggling… and kept struggling… and then they’d take two steps forward just to get dropkicked right back to being the weakest character in the series after we worked so hard to build them up again that it started to feel like a chore with no finishing line in sight or real development. That, and the fact that the author can’t seem to close a plot point to save their life really finished my care for the series.

Literally every single thing that has ever happened to the ronin has no conclusion, instead we are constantly meeting new characters, plot devices and lore drops that the author just drags us away from for the next one—like the possible pregnancy, Momoko and her demon, Jun/ko in Hell, the reveal of the ronins cannibalistic demon powers, the emperor and Toshi/o etc—and then suddenly in this new book, we’re not even the ronin anymore, we’re Masa/mi and in a goddamn high school of all places trying to pretend to be them. Which could have been a fun little side plot if the author hadn’t decided to make it the whole book instead and (surprise, surprise) didn’t give us closure again by ending it early because they wanted to post half a book. It’s just… disappointing.

The ronin was once fun to play as because of how ridiculous it was, but then they became an eternal cycle of misery pawn and “throw every trope at the wall and see what sticks but make sure you don’t give the readers any closure or answers even after years” that I’m honestly tossing in the towel.

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

Speaking of mcs what do you guys think of the Ronin from samurai of hyuga? They used to be my favorite mc back in the day but after book two, I started to slowly like them less and less. I can't put my finger on why, though.

Misery p*rn. I can understand a helpless situation but after book 2 and especially book 4, it just felt like the writer was just dragging Ronin through the mud for no reason.

 

[Gone_Dead]

Lmao what a coincidence that there is a mention of counterbalance the same day I was arguing about there being none.

 

[Gone_Dead]

The author clearly doesnt give a **** about the MC and has no clue how to write them. I really enjoy the setting and the story but i cant stand the stupidity of the MC and the force at which the narration steps all over them. This is not even the first time, i just got fed up with the narration at this point tailored to make MC look as dumb and descriptevely incompetent as possible but put out the occasional texts saying MC is very skilled to placate the readers. The MC has nothing smart to say, has nothing witty to say, They are just plain bland. Only thing they are good at is swinging a sword but apparently even Aeran is better than them at it. Also hes good with a bow too. Aeran has 100 times more plot relevance than the MC. The MC is plain boring and infuriating. The amount of stupid questions you ask malsara on the boat and to aeran when climing the tower only for them to berate you like you were a 10 year old (those questions werent even from choices mind you, The MC asks them on their own. Although, no matter what choice you choose, youll ultimately get chided most of the time). They cant even string together proper statements to argue against Aeran, He manages to shut down the MC like an adult would to a toddler. All their stat checks are superficial at best. A few of them have a good amount of impact but most of them are useless, outside battle i mean. Btw if MC is not in the story, it wouldnt change ****. Everything would have gone the same way. They contribute literally nothing other than being a backup.

 

[yourstalkeroutside]

View attachment 39442
The author clearly doesnt give a **** about the MC and has no clue how to write them. I really enjoy the setting and the story but i cant stand the stupidity of the MC and the force at which the narration steps all over them. This is not even the first time, i just got fed up with the narration at this point tailored to make MC look as dumb and descriptevely incompetent as possible but put out the occasional texts saying MC is very skilled to placate the readers. The MC has nothing smart to say, has nothing witty to say, They are just plain bland. Only thing they are good at is swinging a sword but apparently even Aeran is better than them at it. Also hes good with a bow too. Aeran has 100 times more plot relevance than the MC. The MC is plain boring and infuriating. The amount of stupid questions you ask malsara on the boat and to aeran when climing the tower only for them to berate you like you were a 10 year old (those questions werent even from choices mind you, The MC asks them on their own. Although, no matter what choice you choose, youll ultimately get chided most of the time). They cant even string together proper statements to argue against Aeran, He manages to shut down the MC like an adult would to a toddler. All their stat checks are superficial at best. A few of them have a good amount of impact but most of them are useless, outside battle i mean. Btw if MC is not in the story, it wouldnt change ****. Everything would have gone the same way. They contribute literally nothing other than being a backup.

Dude just admit the story isn't for you.

 

[Gone_Dead]

Dude just admit the story isn't for you.

Nah i like the story, The author messed up writing the MC. They clearly cant juggle the RPG mechanics and writing a compelling MC at the same time. I still dont see any arguments from anyone saying something other than "Youre supposed to be frustrated and helpless".

 

[Ireth313]

Nah i like the story, The author messed up writing the MC. They clearly cant juggle the RPG mechanics and writing a compelling MC at the same time. I still dont see any arguments from anyone saying something other than "Youre supposed to be frustrated and helpless".

Honestly, idk what to tell you in a way that you'd hear, because there are narrative reasons as to why MC doesn't know about things, and there are narrative reasons for them being disliked. Someone being in unfavourable circumstances is not to their detriment. Someone not being violent or sarcastic is also not to their detriment. I'd say one fixed trait of Wayfarer's MC is that, unfortunately, they don't have a sense of humor.

And there are narrative reasons for Aeran being 'cool', too. He looks cool only because it's MC's PoV: it's clear that MC idolises him to some degree (like yourstalkeroutside has already pointed out) or feels some sort of twisted kinship with him: he's either their first crush, first friend or a first peer. I bet if he was written through omnipresent narrator, we'd get a very different, way less pleasant picture. Like, I wouldn't say that Aeran shuts MC down like an adult; to me he always comes off very frustratingly juvenile in his outbursts and shutdowns. Especially if you approach him with patience and compassion. You tell him that you should know about the Order, and it's your right (and it's also damn useful when both of you are in danger, duh), and you get a load of half-baked justifications and anger. You cannot torture the answer out of him because it's not that kind of a game, so you have to step around his trauma (while he, btw, for the most part, doesn't concern himself much with MC's feelings unless he has seen MC about to bleed out on him). So to me Aeran is an interesting character (hell, I do like him), but oh boy,he's a HUGE loser (and a kind of tragic one).

 

[jaded]

Dude just admit the story isn't for you.

Why? That's his opinion, and he's explained his reasons in great detail

Just a quick reminder that this thread is for sharing different perspectives. We're not here to debate who is right or wrong, so please keep your comments respectful and openminded

@yourstalkeroutside and @Ireth313 THAT'S HIS OPINION!!!

 

[Ireth313]

THAT'S HIS OPINION!!!

Lol I literally said I understand why he could feel frustrated with the story tho? I am not policing how he should feel. I am just giving my perspective on how it can be interpreted differently since he himself mentioned there were no counterpoints given (which I interpret as an invitation to discuss).