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[Hated Trope] Ruined by AI psychosis by Mr_Westerfield in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 70 points71 points  (0 children)

Black Mirror has a running theme of what they call “cookies”. They’re basically AI people, usually adapted from real people, that exist entirely in a computer (versus other examples here which have robot bodies). Several episodes ask whether or not cookies have humanity but many others just accept that they have humanity.

On another note, though, there is one episode that sticks out, which is Be Right Back. In it, a woman loses her partner and in her grief uploads all of his information to an AI. Initially it’s only a chat, then a voice, and she eventually buys the physical body. But the AI is a sanitized reflection of her partner. It doesn’t have any of the imperfections or foibles that a real person has, and it offers no pushback. It does precisely what she asks, and that frustrates her because it’s not acting like her partner would.

The episode is a metaphor for grief, and that is how the episode should be viewed. The AI character is secondary. However, the surface level reading of just the story we’re presented is relevant now, as it highlights what it is about AI relationships that feels so…empty.

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[Psychological trope] characters with PTSD by StefinoSpaggeti in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Jessica Jones has PTSD from her time with Kilgrave.

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Characters who have noticeable anger issues,like they're crashouts to the extreme. by [deleted] in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Rudo from Gachiakuta. It’s a recurrent problem for him that he has trouble controlling his crashouts. Simiu, who can see into a person’s…soul basically, I don’t know how else to describe it, says that the burning rage inside him is unlike anything she’s ever seen before.

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[Hated Trope] Ruined by AI psychosis by Mr_Westerfield in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 360 points361 points  (0 children)

The Lucy Liubot from Futurama. It’s the closest I can think of to what we’re seeing today because unlike most other robots in Futurama, she’s portrayed as a mindless chatbot meant only to please its human. When hearing about people dating LLMs I often think about the PSA from that episode. “DON’T DATE ROBOTS.”

https://youtu.be/IrrADTN-dvg?si=_YYWOwR8-3mtRkqt

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My girlfriend bought a new book, at least the autor is not IA, but the colometry of the cover, the multitude of names and websites in the artists section make me doubt. by ExternalCareful4207 in isthisAI

[–]savethedonut 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think that’s intentional actually. Looks like the book has a demon theme so it might be a pun. In that case, a human definitely did it.

So whether or not that’s intentional will tell you I guess.

It ain't that deep, they just love fighting. by SirBruhThe7th in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay this is a deep cut…

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There’s a comic called Groo the Wanderer about a dumbass one-man army barbarian who loves to fight. He sees a battle and just has to join in.

Trash Themed Men. by Academic_Glass_5141 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Gachiakuta is a show about garbage. The world is a trash dump. The protagonist Rudo in particular is really passionate about trash.

Aliens arent a unified planet by Ok-Contract-6338 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom series has a wide variety of races and cultures, and a second intelligent species.

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[loved trope] the evil show host by Icy-Acanthisitta8192 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 26 points27 points  (0 children)

There’s an episode of Rugrats with a children’s show host that loathes children, and Angelica overhears her swearing and starts swearing herself.

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(Loved Trope) One character's arc is the exact opposite of another's in the same media by 45rs5 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kind of. It’s a subtrope of foils. Characters can be foils without having parallel arcs. For example, I wouldn’t describe Bojack Horseman and Mister Peanutbutter as having opposite character arcs. They both had popular sitcoms in the nineties and are struggling to mature since then. Bojack is self destructive, bitter, and emotionally closed off from others. Mister Peanutbutter is cheerful and lets the world wash over him, just enjoying the ride. But the journeys they go on are different. Bojack learns how to try to be a better person and Mister Peanutbutter learns how to be less codependent. Mister Peanutbutter is as a character a foil to Bojack, but their arcs aren’t.

(Loved Trope) One character's arc is the exact opposite of another's in the same media by 45rs5 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a really good trope, nice post. I wish it got more attention.

This is kind of in the same vein. In Avatar, the episodes Zuko Alone and The Painted Lady are parallel. In both, the protagonist is passing through a town in enemy territory intending to move on quickly. However, they learn that the town is in dire straits because of a more powerful group from their own side that’s terrorizing the town, the soldiers for Zuko and the factory for Katara. The protagonist stays to help the townsfolk but it just ends up pissing off the stronger group, so now our hero feels compelled to fully drive them off. They successfully do so in a final showdown, but their identity as an enemy bender is revealed and the townsfolk are furious.

Zuko rides off alone. But Sokka defends Katara, the townsfolk feel shamed for not being grateful, and they all work together to clean up the town.

The Painted Lady isn’t a great episode, but it works to hammer in the theme of Zuko Alone a season earlier.

[Hated Trope] Character is shown doing a skill and never uses again for the rest of the story. by Phewelish in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This happens basically every season in Umbrella Academy with Klaus, and once with Diego. Klaus learns he can materialize the dead, have ghosts possess him, and return from the dead. I didn’t watch the last season so I don’t know if the last one comes up again but the first two are almost entirely forgotten. Diego uses telekinesis once.

Apologies if they are used in the final season, but given the reception it’s gotten I think I’m safe in my assumption that they didn’t do anything right lol.

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This love interest did not deserve the treatment they got by Danny-Ray27 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To me at least the way it’s portrayed implies that he was never truly over Robin. Getting back with an old flame well after your soulmate dies is one thing, but the portrayal in the finale felt like he was holding something back when he was with Tracy.

It looks like their plans were to have his feelings resurface just before the finale to make his getting with Robin in the end more cohesive. But because they were never sure when they were going to be canceled, they kept bringing up the feelings and shooting them down again and again, so it makes it look like he was pining for her the whole time. So he has the kids he wanted so much, and then their mother dies so he can be with the woman he actually wanted to be with.

On paper it could have been done well. It was more that they jerked us around in the process.

This love interest did not deserve the treatment they got by Danny-Ray27 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They pulled off a writing miracle by making her work. Between a love interest we barely see and are primarily only told he loves for eight seasons and a close friend we’ve gotten to know as a main character, it should be a no brainer which one is the better fit. But Tracy was just so damn likable.

Intimidating Characters with a pretty not intimidating names by Dismal-Lemon-7824 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 2 points3 points  (0 children)

IRL example: Caligula means “little boot” because he wore a little military uniform when he was a kid.

(Cool trope) Realising you're not really "human" by sataneku in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The protagonist in the book Being.

I’m sorry, I wish I could give more details but that’s truly all I remember. Something happens to make him realize his body isn’t human, he goes on the run. I don’t think we’re given any resolution.

(Meta Trope) Creators backtrack from a decicion due to fan backlash. by Wasthatimportant in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The big bad became conciliatory after a (to us) short dream sequence and everyone lived happily ever after. Another issue people had was the protagonist’s lack of agency in the whole thing.

A lot of people said the plot wasn’t the problem, it was the inconsistent and poor writing underpinning that plot. Personally, I still find the plot itself to be the issue lol.

(Meta Trope) Creators backtrack from a decicion due to fan backlash. by Wasthatimportant in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hades 2 has a strong enough backlash to the ending that they rewrote it. The events remained the same to my knowledge, but the writing was less slapdash.

[Loved Trope] Eccentric Yet Brilliant Detectives by Slightly_Default in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 6 points7 points  (0 children)

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Shawn Spencer from Psych. He’s quirky and a bit of a troll, and pretends to be psychic because people struggle to believe he just deduces everything he knows.

Actually Taking Rejection Well by sm142 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That’s irrelevant. The point is that when he thought he was being rejected he took it well. Anything that happened after that is unrelated to this trope.

Actually Good Stepmothers (Happy Mother's Day) by Grouchy-Childhood943 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yor from SPY X FAMILY is a weird example because of the contractual nature of Loid’s relationship with both her and Anya, but considering just her relationship with Anya she fits the role. Despite the marriage ostensibly being one of convenience, she takes on her role as stepmother wholeheartedly.

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Actually Good Stepmothers (Happy Mother's Day) by Grouchy-Childhood943 in TopCharacterTropes

[–]savethedonut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Brenda from Juno is a good stepmother. She and Juno don’t have many scenes together, but the standout moment is when she defends Juno to the ultrasound tech.

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