Being quarantined has left a lot of time for people (myself included) to watch a bunch of shows and movies, and many mediocre ones, with insanely annoying main characters. Thus here is a list (in no particular order) based on my observations of how to not be a dumb main character, more so in a romance plot.
Do Not Bottle Up your Feelings
Pent-up frustration is not that great for you mentally, physically, emotionally, and much more. You’re going to have to take it out somewhere, so assure yourself it is in the right place. Maybe you feel as if talking to people about your feelings (if that is your chosen away of expressing them and releasing these thoughts or emotions) puts a burden on others or is selfish. The people who you want to talk to about this probably really care for you, and I assure you there will likely be someone you can talk to. Take your chance to have a conversation with those you care about and care about you before your pent up feelings push them away.
Do Not Be a Doormat
This means you shouldn't be letting people walk all over you. You don't always have to be the nice one that is non-confrontational. Being assertive doesn't make you any less of a "good person." Now you might think, “Oh, but I just can’t say no!” well, you absolutely can, and you should sometimes. Especially if your own safety is at stake, think things through. Oh, these people have put you into dangerous situations before? Maybe reconsider inviting them or being around them. Tropes I see more so in romance plots are the main character just loving to deny their feelings for the person they have feelings for. That's when these toxic side characters come along and spread the message that, “yOu'Re noT inVitinG thEm beCauSe yoU liKe (insert name of the person you/main character likes).” They feel pressured to invite these people and usually do, causing a whole other commotion that could have been avoided.
Denying Things to Yourself Usually Means Something
When you have tears streaming down your face as you scream at your love interest that you don’t like them anymore after you saw them being romantically involved with someone else, you are most likely in denial, extremely hurt (because *gasp* you actually like that person!), or have the idea that liking someone who doesn’t reciprocate your feelings makes you weak and vulnerable. Usually, these situations occur because the main character/you misunderstood something. Keep this in mind before you tell off the person you like because this trope includes the person you like having developed feelings for you, or being about to confess their love to you. Additionally, if you have to convince yourself that you did the right thing, then you probably didn't.
Although this can depend on the situation and person a lot.
This is a very basic and shortlist, and of course, it can work for any character, not only the protagonist. Essentially, this is a criticism of protagonists in fictional worlds and how you should take note of their mistakes. Although we feel like yelling at the characters when they do these things, I'll admit that it does keep the story interesting. We would really love to hear your thoughts about this and other reasons you may come up with, perhaps with different genres!
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