This or that... Tropes edition!
Thank you @echoweaver for tagging me, this was really a fun one! As with anything else, tropes can be great when done well. But they are quite personal and will resonate with some people more than others. I have my favorites and if you read my story, you'll know I use them lavishly. ;)
Slow burn or love at first sight?
My preference goes for slow burn, because that is the most effective and plausible way to start a relationship in my book. I love dissecting why two people click together.
But who am I kidding? Love at first sight can be so damn romantic! Instalove is only annoying when based purely on physical appearance.
Fake dating or secret dating?
Secret dating all the way. Forbidden love is one of my favorite tropes ever. Like, how is it ever going to work?! The angst! The risks! Fake dating just seems hypocritical and hollow. I know it's a trend, but I don't see any sensible reason that could justify that situation in real life. It doesn't speak to me at all.
Enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers?
Friends to lovers always seems a bit like a waste of a good relationship. (don't you dare throw Erik and Laurie at me - sometimes you just have to accept it, okay?) Enemies to lovers has a lot of potential but in reality often translates into one of the characters being an ass to the other. Unfortunately, unkindness and pettiness turns me off. I prefer a situation when the characters start off on the wrong foot or have very different goals/perspectives, then gain a sort of grudging respect for each other from working together and getting to know each other better (think Anh and Laurie).
Okay, I know amnesia is a thing and I can roll with it, even if it has a sitcom, old-fashioned vibe. It's kind of an easy and unrealistic plot device. I had never heard about hurt/comfort being a trope, but YES QUEEN. That is the way to push my buttons.
I like both. Together too.
Mutual pining or domestic bliss?
Pining all the way. Me want drama and angst. Domestic bliss is good for epilogues.
Although I would like to see more stories with couples already formed. It absolutely does not mean domestic bliss for me, because life is like a boat, you know?
Smut with fluff? I mean, I enjoy reading smut like the next person, and I do like to sprinkle some of it in my story, but it needs to have meaning. I like a sex scene that unravels the characters. Maybe not exactly fluff, but smut with feels, y'know?
Reincarnation or character death?
Sue me but I like the reincarnation trope. Probably from my time as an Inuyasha fan. Some of my favorite stories have a reincarnation element to it, and I can't help liking it a bit? It's like love at first sight, loving someone through time is pretty darn romantic. But it can be unnerving when it's unclear whether the person is loved because they are a reincarnation or for themselves.
Character death... yeah, that can go very wrong. Like, when death becomes another tool for the writer to wring emotions out of the reader or to make the plot move forward. It's a double-edged sword that can also be very powerful when used well and with caution. Overdo it and you'll lose all that emotional engagement.
One-shot or multi-chapter?
Have you ever read anything by me? No? Maybe you thought it was too long? There you go.
I don't know how to say goodbye.
Kid fic or road trip fic?
Road trip fic wins by default but fails to inspire.
Arranged marriage or accidental marriage?
Arranged marriage! So many good combos for that trope. Only recently, @eljeebee suggested that Anh and Laurie should be in an arranged marriage and I had to agree. ;)
Accidental marriage... is that when two characters are drunk and happen to be in Vegas, and then bam, they're married the next day? We've seen it in Friends, it was fun, but let's not get carried away.
High school romance or middle-age romance?
I like teen romance, when everything is a first time. Unfortunately, I'm starting to be too old to relate. Middle age romance deserves more recognition, but I don't recall ever reading a good one. The characters either sound jaded or immature. I'm sure there's a way to reconcile experience with passionate feelings. Or the type of quiet love that comes only with time.
Time travel or isolated together?
Don't get me started on time travel. Worst decision in my life. I am now resentful of writers who manage to pull it off.
I'll go for isolated together because I used that trope myself quite recently, didn't I?
Neighbours because it's cute and convenient. I've never had a roommate in my life and I'm quite sure I would thoroughly dislike having to endure someone's quirks if I'm not romantically involved with them. Having a roommate seems to me like a terrible idea, and falling in love with them a recipe for disaster. I don't want to read about that mess.
Once upon a time, I thought I was so clever to genderbend Ash and Sam. I actually like those tropes. Body swap is maybe slightly outdated (I get 80s vibes, don't you too?). But both are fun, and I loved writing Boy!Sam and Girl!Ash still sounding very much like themselves but with different body parts and endocrine systems.
Obviously, considering all of the above, I would go for angst. Crack is just for funsies.
I've stayed away from the dystopian trend in apocalyptic stories. Mundane sounds boring at first but can be brilliant if pathos is correctly dosed. There is a lot to say about slice of life if you add just the right amount of ANGST and DRAMA.
I'd like to tag @nekrophoria, @anamoon63, @danjaley, @kimmiessimmies, @simcatcher, @simdreams, @tia-amorosa, @nornities, @heldhram, @ennysimmer and @eljeebee :) I'd love to read your views!