Writing Prompt Give your MC a "reason you suck" speech

Anon_Y_Mousse

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Nobody is perfect(probably). And so are the main characters that we write, they may have some obvious flaws in their personality and/or have made some questionable decisions in the past. Whatever the context may be, write a speech that points this out, from the point of view of another character(an existing one, a self-insert, some random villager A) in your story. If you already have one, well you can just copy and paste it in this thread. I don't recommend this prompt for stories that are still starting out, since the personality of the protag may not be very clear yet, steer clear of spoilers and all. I thought this thread would be a interesting and maybe help authors to get to know their MC a little better.
Bonus: Write how your MC would react as well.
 
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Paul_Tromba

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The main character from my main story has had plenty of these moments. All of the speeches or conversations are different as they are gauged towards different characters. However, they all boil down to "go fuck yourself! Nobody's perfect but I'm trying my best. Yeah, everybody blames me for their problems and many of them are right. That said, I am still trying my best to fix it. Even if I am never acknowledged for it I will still do what I can for the sake of those around me." Usually he says this kind of thing after the villain, some of his friends, or even the lord of time itself tells him to stop being an idiot.
 

Agentt

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"So," he said, as leisurely like he was talking to a baby, "I shall start."

"Ara? Won't you let the lady have the first punch?"

"Oh, missy. You aren't a lady, no. You are a disgusting disease."

Kun?! That was damage. Okay, witty answer, witty answer. Think of one.

"I, If I am a disease, then you are communism"

Okay, that was bad.

That was soooo bad.

Oh my god, I wanna die now.

That was so embarrassing!

I wanted to say that communism failed to remove diseases, but, but.

I wanna cry.

The man however, didn't seem to cringe at my comment at all.

He just looked up, at the ceiling.

"You had such a bright future."

That...awakened something in me.

Don't say things like that, please.

"You ruined your future you know, just because of your stupidity."

I was. I wasn't stupid.

"Do you even feel remorse for what you did?"

"I am evil. I do bad things."

"You aren't a child. Excuses won't take you anywhere"

Stop talking to me!

"Fight, you coward!"

Despite my outburst, the man just seemed to be more disappointed.

"I gain nothing from this. I am just...just. I want you to live a happy life. This path you are walking on, it is simply a dream."

Shut up, please, I can't hear anymore.

"I know exactly what you are thinking, you defeated the demon lord, so you let it get to your head. You got arrogant. Shelfish. Overconfidence leads to failure.

Are you even listening to me?"

"No."

"You know what we call those who don't listen even after being told many times?"

"No."

"Idiots."

"I am not..an idiot." I spoke for some reason. I didn't wanted to speak, yet my mouth was ruining everything.

"Hoh? How are you not an idiot? Just for...no reason. For no reason at all. You destroyed your life, and that of countless others, for no reason at all."

"I...am not."

"I heard you wanted friends, but now you are lonely. No one shall even remember you ever lived. No, they would be glad you died."
 

Anon_Y_Mousse

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The main character from my main story has had plenty of these moments. All of the speeches or conversations are different as they are gauged towards different characters. However, they all boil down to "go fuck yourself! Nobody's perfect but I'm trying my best. Yeah, everybody blames me for their problems and many of them are right. That said, I am still trying my best to fix it. Even if I am never acknowledged for it I will still do what I can for the sake of those around me." Usually he says this kind of thing after the villain, some of his friends, or even the lord of time itself tells him to stop being an idiot.
People don't grow without struggles, after all.
"So," he said, as leisurely like he was talking to a baby, "I shall start."

"Ara? Won't you let the lady have the first punch?"

"Oh, missy. You aren't a lady, no. You are a disgusting disease."

Kun?! That was damage. Okay, witty answer, witty answer. Think of one.

"I, If I am a disease, then you are communism"

Okay, that was bad.

That was soooo bad.

Oh my god, I wanna die now.

That was so embarrassing!

I wanted to say that communism failed to remove diseases, but, but.

I wanna cry.

The man however, didn't seem to cringe at my comment at all.

He just looked up, at the ceiling.

"You had such a bright future."

That...awakened something in me.

Don't say things like that, please.

"You ruined your future you know, just because of your stupidity."

I was. I wasn't stupid.

"Do you even feel remorse for what you did?"

"I am evil. I do bad things."

"You aren't a child. Excuses won't take you anywhere"

Stop talking to me!

"Fight, you coward!"

Despite my outburst, the man just seemed to be more disappointed.

"I gain nothing from this. I am just...just. I want you to live a happy life. This path you are walking on, it is simply a dream."

Shut up, please, I can't hear anymore.

"I know exactly what you are thinking, you defeated the demon lord, so you let it get to your head. You got arrogant. Shelfish. Overconfidence leads to failure.

Are you even listening to me?"

"No."

"You know what we call those who don't listen even after being told many times?"

"No."

"Idiots."

"I am not..an idiot." I spoke for some reason. I didn't wanted to speak, yet my mouth was ruining everything.

"Hoh? How are you not an idiot? Just for...no reason. For no reason at all. You destroyed your life, and that of countless others, for no reason at all."

"I...am not."

"I heard you wanted friends, but now you are lonely. No one shall even remember you ever lived. No, they would be glad you died."
Cool speech and all, but 'Shelfish', was that intentional? Idk, made me chuckle though.
 

Agentt

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People don't grow without struggles, after all.

Cool speech and all, but 'Shelfish', was that intentional? Idk, made me chuckle though.
Oh, I didn't noticed that at all! I usually use shelfish with my friends as a joke and typed it as a force of habit
 

KoyukiMegumi

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I don't think I have one of these in my story yet. Well... I do? Edit out some stuff cuz this is from a future chapter in one of my stories.~

“The voices are so clear to me. I could probably find her like this.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“You aren’t ready,”

“What are you doing?!? I can do this!”

“Oh, stupid little girl. Where do I even begin? Your magic is highly unstable. You are not combat-ready. As a matter of fact, everything about you is volatile at the moment. Using that might lead you to another trap or worse. A liability I can’t allow to happen.”

“But…”

“I didn’t just get you back so I would lose you again! Get that through your head. I don’t care if you want to get even. I won’t lose you ever again.”
 

SakeVision

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most of these "reason you suck" speeches only reveal stuff about the speaker, not the one who is being spoken about.
basically, the person ranting lays down all the insecurities and jealousies and other nasty feelings they have been suppressing within themselves using their perception of another person as an excuse.

example:

person 1:"you're lazy, you're not paying enough attention to me, you are privileged(unlike me), you fail at even basic tasks(even though I want you to succeed and I've been bailing you out of trouble all the time), and s-stop waving this ass around all the time!"

person 2: "...wut"
 

rain-090

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"So," he said, as leisurely like he was talking to a baby, "I shall start."

"Ara? Won't you let the lady have the first punch?"

"Oh, missy. You aren't a lady, no. You are a disgusting disease."

Kun?! That was damage. Okay, witty answer, witty answer. Think of one.

"I, If I am a disease, then you are communism"

Okay, that was bad.

That was soooo bad.

Oh my god, I wanna die now.

That was so embarrassing!

I wanted to say that communism failed to remove diseases, but, but.

I wanna cry.

The man however, didn't seem to cringe at my comment at all.

He just looked up, at the ceiling.

"You had such a bright future."

That...awakened something in me.

Don't say things like that, please.

"You ruined your future you know, just because of your stupidity."

I was. I wasn't stupid.

"Do you even feel remorse for what you did?"

"I am evil. I do bad things."

"You aren't a child. Excuses won't take you anywhere"

Stop talking to me!

"Fight, you coward!"

Despite my outburst, the man just seemed to be more disappointed.

"I gain nothing from this. I am just...just. I want you to live a happy life. This path you are walking on, it is simply a dream."

Shut up, please, I can't hear anymore.

"I know exactly what you are thinking, you defeated the demon lord, so you let it get to your head. You got arrogant. Shelfish. Overconfidence leads to failure.

Are you even listening to me?"

"No."

"You know what we call those who don't listen even after being told many times?"

"No."

"Idiots."

"I am not..an idiot." I spoke for some reason. I didn't wanted to speak, yet my mouth was ruining everything.

"Hoh? How are you not an idiot? Just for...no reason. For no reason at all. You destroyed your life, and that of countless others, for no reason at all."

"I...am not."

"I heard you wanted friends, but now you are lonely. No one shall even remember you ever lived. No, they would be glad you died."
What story is this from?
 

K5Rakitan

Level 34 👪 💍 Pronouns: she/whore ♀
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Most people would give my MC an earful of slut shaming, but accepting who she is and seeking happiness makes her a much happier person than most, so the joke is on them for letting society take away their happiness.
 

Anon_Y_Mousse

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most of these "reason you suck" speeches only reveal stuff about the speaker, not the one who is being spoken about.
basically, the person ranting lays down all the insecurities and jealousies and other nasty feelings they have been suppressing within themselves using their perception of another person as an excuse.

example:

person 1:"you're lazy, you're not paying enough attention to me, you are privileged(unlike me), you fail at even basic tasks(even though I want you to succeed and I've been bailing you out of trouble all the time), and s-stop waving this ass around all the time!"

person 2: "...wut"
I don't fully agree with this, in the "you suck" speeches, the character has actually thought things through and makes a good point. Otherwise, it would just be another braindead insult.
 

EternalSunset0

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I'm not sure if this counts, but this is an excerpt from my second volume. Pretty long like most of the stuff I've written so I'll spoiler tag it. It's not a full "speech" per se, but more of an extended sequence where the Mandatory Goofy Bro in a Harem-y Show ™ loses it on the protag. Probably a tough love "get yourself together" thing too.

Kazuki felt the full impact of the blow as he landed back-first on the ground.

It was both a combination of being surprised at the power of the blow and the fact that the blow came to be in the first place. After narrating the events involving Amagi, nothing could have prepared him for what just happened.

"Shiki! Calm down!"

Uehara proceeded to reprimand Kazuki's spiky-haired friend, but Kazuki simply put out an outstretched palm, stopping her with a surprised expression.

He rubbed the cheek that took the blow with his hand and spoke softly, "It's fine, Uehara."

"Still trying to play it cool?" said the indignant Shiki. "You're hopeless, Arata."

Breathing heavily after throwing the punch, Shiki stood over his friend as a completely different person from before.

"You actually went and did that knowing how much Amagi revolves her life around you? When you're at your lowest, who was it that stuck by your side? Who was it that looked up to you so much that you managed to get back to your feet?"

Kazuki remained silent.

This act only seemed to prompt Shiki to continue his rant, "Don't try to play dumb. You know there's no one she cares for more than you, and you just had to hurt her in the worst way possible."

When Kazuki looked up, the only thing that he saw was a look of frustration on the face of his friend as he began his reply.

"For the record, I did not reject her directly. I said was how I really felt in the safest manner possible."

"That makes it even worse. You can be an asshole, you know?" replied Shiki, who was now visibly shaking.

"I know, Shiki."

"You pull a lot of shit on me, too. But it doesn't matter. I couldn't care less. But this one... This makes me upset. Don't you dare subject Amagi to that! The sweet girl who looked up to you for so many years didn't deserve that crap at all."

Giving a look of disgust, he resumed with an intensity that caught everyone by surprise.

"You're terrible. Can't you learn a bit of empathy at least?"

He proceeded to approach his fallen friend, and with a grip that Kazuki never knew he had, grabbed the black-haired guy by the front of his uniform.

Kazuki let himself be raised back to his feet and simply looked at the floor, avoiding Shiki's gaze.

"Then tell me what I should have done."

"You're unbelievable. Maybe you should have tried to acknowledge her at least, instead of playing it cool. Saying something to make her feel better is the very least that you can do. Who knows how she felt after hearing an answer like that?"

A sigh escaped his lips, and he released his grip and shrugged.

"If I were to reckon, she'd be crying her heart out somewhere in that forest right now. She's not coming back anytime soon and pretending that nothing ever happened. What now, Arata?"

Kazuki faced the full pressure of his childhood friend staring daggers at him.

Shiki had every right to be upset, but despite everything, Kazuki felt calm. At least that's what he tried hard to project. He cannot afford to look shaken in front of this friend, not after everything.

"What are you gonna do, Arata?"

Shiki asked again.
 

Anon_Y_Mousse

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I'm not sure if this counts, but this is an excerpt from my second volume. Pretty long like most of the stuff I've written so I'll spoiler tag it. It's not a full "speech" per se, but more of an extended sequence where the Mandatory Goofy Bro in a Harem-y Show ™ loses it on the protag. Probably a tough love "get yourself together" thing too.

Kazuki felt the full impact of the blow as he landed back-first on the ground.

It was both a combination of being surprised at the power of the blow and the fact that the blow came to be in the first place. After narrating the events involving Amagi, nothing could have prepared him for what just happened.

"Shiki! Calm down!"

Uehara proceeded to reprimand Kazuki's spiky-haired friend, but Kazuki simply put out an outstretched palm, stopping her with a surprised expression.

He rubbed the cheek that took the blow with his hand and spoke softly, "It's fine, Uehara."

"Still trying to play it cool?" said the indignant Shiki. "You're hopeless, Arata."

Breathing heavily after throwing the punch, Shiki stood over his friend as a completely different person from before.

"You actually went and did that knowing how much Amagi revolves her life around you? When you're at your lowest, who was it that stuck by your side? Who was it that looked up to you so much that you managed to get back to your feet?"

Kazuki remained silent.

This act only seemed to prompt Shiki to continue his rant, "Don't try to play dumb. You know there's no one she cares for more than you, and you just had to hurt her in the worst way possible."

When Kazuki looked up, the only thing that he saw was a look of frustration on the face of his friend as he began his reply.

"For the record, I did not reject her directly. I said was how I really felt in the safest manner possible."

"That makes it even worse. You can be an asshole, you know?" replied Shiki, who was now visibly shaking.

"I know, Shiki."

"You pull a lot of shit on me, too. But it doesn't matter. I couldn't care less. But this one... This makes me upset. Don't you dare subject Amagi to that! The sweet girl who looked up to you for so many years didn't deserve that crap at all."

Giving a look of disgust, he resumed with an intensity that caught everyone by surprise.

"You're terrible. Can't you learn a bit of empathy at least?"

He proceeded to approach his fallen friend, and with a grip that Kazuki never knew he had, grabbed the black-haired guy by the front of his uniform.

Kazuki let himself be raised back to his feet and simply looked at the floor, avoiding Shiki's gaze.

"Then tell me what I should have done."

"You're unbelievable. Maybe you should have tried to acknowledge her at least, instead of playing it cool. Saying something to make her feel better is the very least that you can do. Who knows how she felt after hearing an answer like that?"

A sigh escaped his lips, and he released his grip and shrugged.

"If I were to reckon, she'd be crying her heart out somewhere in that forest right now. She's not coming back anytime soon and pretending that nothing ever happened. What now, Arata?"

Kazuki faced the full pressure of his childhood friend staring daggers at him.

Shiki had every right to be upset, but despite everything, Kazuki felt calm. At least that's what he tried hard to project. He cannot afford to look shaken in front of this friend, not after everything.

"What are you gonna do, Arata?"

Shiki asked again.
Ah, thanks for reminding me why I hate most JP harem protags, not because they have a harem, but because they won't accept it.
 
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