Ok, story mechanics question;

[J. T./Jessica]

What over-used plot device (or even just plain plot) do you hate the most?

[JP Gibb]

Deus ex machina; especially the "character thought to be dead swoops in to save the day" chesnut. That, or Trekian techno-bable to cover the (lack of) plot.

[J. T./Jessica]

I hate a lot of ones, depending on the series.

I hate how any girl who doesn't faint at the sight of a male or any guy who doesn't drool over a girl have to be automatically homosexual.

I hate how if someone's a Goth they HAVE to be self-mutilators.

I hate how people can't just accept some things as they are instead of always nitpicking about things. (Who CARES if the Teen Titans don't have to go to school!)

I hate how right when one of the heroes or heroines (or one of the heroes WITH one of the heroines) is starting to adjust to life with their new love, their old one always appears to try and reclaim them.

I hate how characters will appear JUST to fill a plot device role and then completely disappear again, nevermore to be seen.

I hate how some authors make the villian just plain evil, with no reason behind their actions.

I hate how there are characters who are heroes just because its 'the right thing to do' and have no idea what things are really like (Example: Superman, pre-"Legacy")

I hate how characters will be created with no backstory just because the author wants a character to have a romantic interest, a sibling, etc.

I hate how people will write stories without doing any research on what they're writing about and just have a story with the names of the characters right, but nothing else.

I hate overused plot devices. (Examples from Teen Titans: Azarathian or Tameranian traditions, Gypsy spells cast on Robin's eyes, Raven's mirror... Not that some of the stories aren't good, but too often people just have formulmatic ones.

There's one story I like because it depicts Love in a white outfit... or is it Maroon? No, I think that's two different stories. But I like them both because they avoid the overused - Love wears purple theme for Raven's emotions...

In case you're wondering, I personally think that even though Brave wears dark green, Love wears a lighter green, like Beast Boy's skin, because that's who she loves.)

[J. T./Jessica]

Another plot device I hate: Jump City suddenly decides to no longer fund the Teen Titans or decides that they're no longer needed.


As part of my Research Before Writing Campaign, I present the following facts.
FACT: Titans' Tower was built by Elias Stone and upon his death became the property of his sole living heir, one Victor Stone, also known as Cyborg. The city has no control over the Tower, who lives there, or what happens there. (Fact Basis for Cartoon: Several times you hear Cyborg refer to it as 'MY tower'.)
FACT: The funding for the Teen Titans comes from Wayne Enterprises and later also Grayson Industries. Not from the city, therefore the city cannot disband the Titans as they have no control over their funding.
FACT: The Teen Titans, New Teen Titans, Titans and New Titans (Same group, just at different time periods) is headed by Richard Grayson and Victor Stone mainly, with Garfield Logan, Roy Harper, Donna Troy, et. al. as members, nowhere in the hierarchy does the city fit in.

CONCLUSION: These idiots need to... you guessed it... RESEARCH BEFORE WRITING.

[J. T./Jessica]

I just realized that I have an almost overused plot device, the Dimensional Tuner (from the classic G.I. Joe episode "Worlds Without End"... similar to the Flash's Cosmic Treadmill except you don't have to run on it, just hold onto it.)
I've used it twice and plan to use it two more times:
1. In "Magnus" to bring Artemis, Skywarp, Checkpoint and the Mega Marines back in time and across divergent timestreams. (DONE! - www.fanfiction.net/s/2509269/1/ )
2. In "M2" to give Turbo and Athena the grand tour of different ways things could've turned out (In Progress - www.fanfiction.net/s/2511450/1/ )
3. In "A Tale of Two Leagues" where the Justice League (Extremely different) from my universe crosses over and teams up with the Justice League Unlimited of the DC Animated universe (Planned)
4. At some point it will also be used to bring Snake-Eyes 2099 from my G.I. Joe: 2099 universe to my regular universe (Although since there's already a Snake-Eyes there, he'll call himself Smokescreen when he gets stuck there.) (Brainstormed.)

I think that at some point I need to just have the thing overload and a chain reaction destroy all of the Dimensional Tuners in all the varient realities...

[JP Gibb]

turbomagnus said:

...
I think that at some point I need to just have the thing overload and a chain reaction destroy all of the Dimensional Tuners in all the varient realities...

That would be so cool...

[J. T./Jessica]

It's so I don't have the temptation to use that plot device again, Gibb...