Five story cop-outs that need to be retired

1. The Shaman.
   We need our character to have a drastic change of heart, remarkable physical/emotional/spiritual healing, or receive some piece of advice from beyond-the-ken-of-mortal-man. Sort of like, a religious experience. But without the religion. Is there any kind mystic tradition we can distort to our purposes that people will recognize but not really know anything about?
2. "Love."
   Why is our character doing things...er...out of character? Why is he leaving his family? Why is he spending all his savings on a boat ticket to the Mariana Islands? Why is he risking his life for a stranger? Let's say "Love." It conquers all or something, right?
3. Sex.
   So how can we get the audience to believe our character is actually in love with someone they've only known five minutes? You know, without actually having any good interpersonal dialogue? Or acting? Cheap.
4. Nutso Technology.
   In the distant future year of 2009, our hero has, say, a 100 year old skull, and needs to find out what it looked like before it lost all of its skin and hair. Why not just stick it in the Amazing Analyzotron 4000? You can get a nice holographic representation of the head in its heyday, as well as any tattoos it may have had. With a few tweaks from the geek on staff, you may even be able reverse-interpolate its vocal cord DNA and hear it speak.
5. Swiss Army Magic.
   We've given our hero the "Mantle of Jove" which enhances all of the bearer's natural abilities. Also, with enough concentration, and when the plot paints itself into a corner, it enables our protagonist to see through walls, read minds, fly for brief periods of time, communicate with animals, and, if he really concentrates, reverse the flow of time and, depending on audience feedback, resurrect the dead.

Comments

[Enna Isilee]

Did you read a bad Sci-fi novel recently or something?

[Marcus Aurelius]

That's the last time I ever send you a manuscript.

Jerk.

Also, even as a kid, I remember watching the ending of the first Superman movie and thinking to myself: "Um... I don't think time works that way."

[Taiger]

Agreed.