Okay, I already did a part on backstory before, for the females, but I've noticed this a lot with Tranformers fanfictions (probably because that's what I browse the most lol).

Now, before we get into this, I just want to say I'm not trying to shame anyone, or make anyone want to delete their story. But I have seen it way to many times to ignore it now.

The "my parents/boyfriend/girlfriend/nobody likes me so I'm bullied a lot" backstory. For every. Single. Goddamn. OC. In. The. Transformers. Fanficton.

It's not just one "subsection" of the Transformers fanfiction either. It's across all storylines and continuations of the Transformers universe. Since TFP and Bayverse are most common, I see them the most often. And it's the same damn thing.

"My name is Alyx Gemstone. I come home every day to my father beating me and my mom making me go buy her beer even though I'm only sixteen. My life is rough, as you can tell. Nobody at school likes me and the teachers do nothing about the bruises and bleeding orfices that I arrive to school with and the ones I get from my bullies at school because 'Murican school system. When I meet this loving and kind Autobot/Decepticon I find it hard to love them back (but it only takes two chapters because they save my life and I am eternally grateful and reward them with kisses and sex)."

I just pulled this out of my ass so don't get on me for stealing your plot (because I bet I just did).

Holy shit, how is this girl (I guess it could be boy, but I intended it to be a girl) not either dead or insane? The abuse that some people put their characters through is enough to turn them into psychopaths, but somehow they come out all fine and dandy! And this abuse happens for maybe two to three chapters before a) they are just never mentioned again or b) they are killed by vengeful Autobots or Decepticons.

First of all, what kind of character development are you going for, because I'm not seeing it. If you told a story about a character that is facing home troubles (for more than one chapter) and you demonstrate their ups and downs through life and the eventual conviction of their abusers, then sure, you can turn it into a great story. Have Optimus Prime hold their hand before entering court. Have Ironhide sitting right behind them in court and shooting eye-daggers at their abuser(s). Tell a story about how the Autobots (or Decepticons, but I find that highly unlikely unless it's Shattered Glass) help this OC learn that not everyone is going to sock them in the gut just for looking at them wrong. Develop this character!

Second, this plot is so overused. Are you not skilled enough in your own writing to write a badass character that you have to give them some half-assed "street cred" or make them victims of some poorly written (and savage) abuse?

On a side note there, a lot of the depictions of abuse, in my opinion (though I'm not a victim myself so honestly I could be completely wrong) is over-the-top physical. There is zero mental and emotional manipulation, which makes this abuse unrealistic. Yes, an abuser could be purely physical, but I would like to say that 9 times out of 10 the abuse is physical, mental, and emotional. There are sadistic fuckers out there who enjoy dominating an entire person, not just physically. So don't just go into graphic detail of a poor girl (or boy) getting the shit beat out of them by their parent(s). There are so many other ways to make an abuser unlikeable, especially if they are playing mind games with their victims.

And as a conclusion, I want to say this: I'm not telling you how to write good abuse because I think it's a good storyline or plot enhancer. In fact, I'd rather if a character (or real life person) wasn't abused at all. There are so many other ways you can make your story interesting than just by torturing your character. Find those alternative plots! Maybe it will help your story garner more reads.