Try something different, please!

[gryphonsegg]

I think I'm starting to experience Generic Hero Overload. You know that guy, the one who is the viewpoint character and designated hero of that movie/book/TV show that everyone's posting about? The one we're all supposed to admire and identify with and cheer for? He has a lot more than a thousand faces, and I find myself getting really tired of him. Admittedly, he was never my favorite character. His supporting cast was much more interesting and endearing to me, and I've been wishing for a long time that canon and fandom alike would give more attention to his mother/mentor/sister/adviser/comic relief. But I didn't used to mind him. I just accepted that if I wanted to read about that sort of thing-- the dragons and spaceships and grand tales of epic scope-- I'd have to ride along with him. And he's not always annoying. I've known him all my life, and it's not that he's always bad, it's just that I am getting tired of him blocking my view of so many fantastic worlds and so many other characters. I don't want him to die a fiery death, I just want him to stop talking over everyone else. Frankly, a lot of these generic hero-boys are blurring together anyway.

Comments

[holyschist]

Only just starting? They do blur together, sigh.

[gryphonsegg]

Yeah, just starting. I used to be able to focus on the fights or the worldbuilding or the other, less generic characters and ignore how the guy on the cover was so very similar to so many other guys on so many other covers. I knew I shouldn't have to do that so much. I knew it was less than ideal. But it didn't require an effort or make me actively irate. I've finally been doing it so long that I'm just fed up.

[holyschist]

Ah, yeah. :-/ I have been pretty avoidant of that kind of fiction book-wise, but I hit Generic Hero Tolerance in movies quite a while ago. :-(

[gryphonsegg]

This is going to be a problem for me, with the kinds of stories that entertain me. I flipped through a book the other day because it promised me dragons and robots and aerial battles all in the same story. But in all the sections I saw on my flip-through, all the viewpoint characters were human men with English names who seemed to differ mainly in their external circumstances and ability to witness different parts of the story. Oh, and their was "funny" prostitution too, including Exotic Eastern Courtesans as described from the POV of a Western man.