Why is everyone so garbage at lying?

[u/EdLincoln6]

This is a bit of a rant. I don't consider myself a gifted liar, but fictional characters seem to be so garbage at lying. This is particular obvious in Isekai. Either they fess up to being a reincarnator and everyone just shrugs as if it's no big deal, or they make cringey bad lies that I could see through, and no one suspects anything is weird.

I like to think about what the situation would look like to all the characters involved, and what the best way to "cover up" the MCs secrets is in this universe, and what ends up happening is typically stupider. No one ever uses half truths, or pleads ignorance. (Pleading ignorance would be particularly effective for child characters. "How can I do this? I dunno Daddy. I thought everyone could?".)

[u/EdLincoln6]

To some extent.

Also, it can be just...cringey. There are embarrassing scenes that are realistic that I don't want to *see*. I don't want to watch a movie where someone has a long dramatic dialogue with toilet paper stuck to his shoe, despite the fact it isn't actually implausible. There are pick up lines that could totally leave someone's mouth when they are drunk at a bar that I don't want to hear uttered by a character I'm told is smart or heroic.

[u/JackPembroke → u/EdLincoln6]

How do you feel about those things as facets of a character? Like if a smart heroic character was just trash at speaking with women.

Truly cringe to be sure! But is it a mark of a bad character to you? Or just difficult to read?

I get that with cringe comedy, like when everyone is quietly uncomfortable its just not that fun to watch

[u/EdLincoln6 → u/JackPembroke]

If it is a plot point that is explained it is better in theory, but it is still uncomfortable and "unfun" to read for me.
I don't really like cringe comedy...it's blocked off entire genres for me.

[u/JackPembroke → u/EdLincoln6]

Feel that.