Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Favourite tropes?

OneThingToAnother

OneThingToAnother

The Unsundered
Joined
Aug 5, 2021
Location
Elpis
Heyoo!

What's your favourite tropes in stories, things that maybe are a bit cliché but just hit that beautiful chef's kiss spot.

My ultimate favourite is enemies to lovers. And a "goofball turns out to be a badass" kinda character.

Feel free to discuss down below, but stay civil! 💖
 
I have a few! Don't know all of their official names (for now), so I'll perhaps fill in the blanks with what I refer to them as. :)

1)Enemies To Lovers : It can also be used in conjunction with "Change Of Heart". It's a trope I feel can go a lot of ways, and each of the two characters explaining their motives is always an endearing sight. Something the "good guys" may view as a positive action, or placing too much trust in someone could lead to their downfall. Similarly, the "bad guys" can grow and learn to live with other people's point of view on the matter and be influenced by their lover's own personality.

2)Badass Normal: Someone who lives in a setting where a certain source of power is predominant, and through one hoop or the other, they end up being able to go toe to toe with them despit not possessing an inkling of said power or a very limited/untrained source of it, instead making up for it via weapons, gadgets and tactical thinking...or simple, straight-up bluffing. Joseph Joestar from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate/Zero are good examples of it.

3)Childhood Friends : I think it's pretty clear where we are heading, and it simply is a very cute dynamic, whether life has caused them to drift apart, or they are still in contact.

4)Genre Deconstruction : Sometimes, I like having characters break the fourth wall to an extent and think about how absurd certain situations they find themselves in may be. It can also be conveyed through the way they present themselves, and if the setting has some action bits, how they may be unveiled. Unlikely Heroes fit into this.

5)Dude Looks Like A Lady : One thing I absolutely love is having my more feminine characters crossdress for one reason or the other, and absolutely own it. It happens often, much to the chagrin of the rest of the cast or even the villains.

6)Reincarnation : It's a theme I have been exploring through one of my more recent RPs, where a couple has through one way or the other met through the centuries, only for their romance to end in tragedy. With the current timeline, I hope to be able to give them some peace through closure.

7)Wolf/Bitch In Sheep's Clothing : Where a character may appear as sweet, demure, perhaps even innocent or childish in their behavior...but they really are twisted little assholes that will backstab you the first chance they get, if it happens to benefit them.
 
Not clear on all the official names either.

1/ Fish out of water - Characters who are doing or contemplating doing things they are not suited to/find challenging.
2/Nice Guy pushed bad - self explanatory but at heart a good or nice guy who is pushed to do something "bad".
3/Past lovers reunited but under different circumstances with different "rules".
4/ Childhood crush meets object of their desire but now as an adult. (Usually a man who was too old for her at the time)
5/Mismatched couples - Not so hot male or female with hot(ter) male or female.
6/Playing against Tropes and Stereotypes, no idea if this is really a trope at all but I like flipping the usual ideas around. So M stripper instead of F stripper, M sex object instead of F sex object, Naked Male with Clothed Female etc.
 
1. Ugh! I can't stand you! -> I can't imagine my life without you...
2. My friend's mom is like 25 years older than us but looks so good and young.
3. Obligatory MC who has some sort of survival skill on lock for some reason.
4. One of the supporting characters will probably die, and make YC's resolve unbreakable.
5. We're siblings... we shouldn't be doing this... *Do it anyway*
6. MCs get bodied by the RP's final boss at it's opening. Somehow they get strong enough to defeat their enemy by the end.
7. Girl you used to pick on has become a beauty over the summer.
 
Enemies to lovers, especially if it remains slightly tense but still fluffy in the end.
Love hate. see above
Villain gets the girl. Each one make a step toward the other, and/or some corruption, but no full on redemption nor corruption
Pretending until it's true (not nec sexual)
Good ending. Can even be dark, as in the heroine embraces that she wants to be with the villain, but to HER and to HIM it is good
Obsession. His toward her, or both. Absolutely no "ow" stuff.
Triangle with 2 M 1 F leading to MMF... or MFM but ideally the first one
 
Shared wife scenarios would be the common trope term I guess. The woman who might be involved with two men, the men might even know but don’t discuss it. Something like that would fit in a WW2 type plot where the woman is involved with two pilots from the same squadron etc

Another one is where the guys and dies and she is inherited by his brother etc

or a woman who loves the poorer more masculine or creative man but also likes the lifestyle the wealthy man can give her.

Husband goes to war is presumed dead. By time he returns his wife has remarried.

Those are traditional takes on it. I’d be even more curious to explore it with more of a Female Led Relationship vibe as well as the backdrops and stories that would open up.

I also like it when games come to life like two people playing a RP and then decide to meet and live it for real.
 
I'm more for character than story tropes. With the right character, I can love almost any story trope (sans, yanno... betrayal/adultery/cucking). Let's see...

Playing against --
Underdogs. My absolute favorite. A man that is beaten down by the universe. Unloved, uncared for, for whatever reason. There's a certain hangdog look in a man's eyes, a stoop to their shoulders, that calls me like a fucking dinner bell.
Gruff men with hearts of gold.
Playful tricksters.
Sarcastic but sincere assholes.

Playing as --
Single moms (even though I hate watching or reading 'single parent finds love', mostly because I think there needs to be more 'single parent does a fine job on their own and their life is neither complete nor incomplete with a love interest' stories... but writing 'em, yeah).
Guy was a girl the entire time.
 
Here are some story tropes I've always had a soft spot for, not in any particular order mind you.

- Hate turned love, any characters who seem annoyed by the other but they're hiding a deep passion inside of them will always get me going!

- Super villains or really bad people falling in love. I don't know what it is about horrible monsters finding love and showing their softer sides but I've always loved playing out those situations. Like they're mean, direct, horrible and rude to everyone they know but their true love, they treat their love with so much respect and care that it's almost sickening. But that doesn't mean that their love isn't twisted and weird compared to others.

- strong women. Just a lady who isn't afraid to do things, having someone who doesn't know what to do to progress a story is always a bummer and having a female character who's reactive instead of active is just.. ho boy.
 
I, too, like an enemy to a lover - whether it's actively trying to kill each other somehow leading to a friendship, then becoming lovers. Or just people who don't get along, without an actual battle. Punk and a prep, competing co-workers, etc.

Lately I've been stuck on strangers willing (or, somewhat willing) to spend what they think is one night together - only to find out later they work together, one works for, or they study together and recognize the other from that evening. Writing of the discovery, how they choose to progress, the struggles of keeping it private - or not.

So, basically, angst. It's my city.
 
I tend to like a lot of the basic tropes because well my tastes are quite vanilla compared to most but:
1. Childhood Friends (Absolute weakness!)
2. Love (or I guess attraction) at first sight.
3. Touch starved characters finding someone who enjoys cuddling and kissing them.
4. Stoic boyfriend who goes along with whatever his flirty/playful girlfriend says and despite having almost nothing in common still love each-other more than anything.
5. Angry/grumpy character having a complete soft spot for one character.
6. Cocky guy getting put in his place by a confident and powerful gal who knows how to work him.
7. Small woman completely dominates massive muscle dude-- there is something I love about this dynamic ha!
 
I'm into the antagonist and protagonist forced to work together out of necessity or survival, and having a small, almost negligible gap in strength and ability. Individually they're tough, but together they're a force to be reckoned with. Though they end up making a good team, they can't rightly take the other's side in an ongoing conflict or longstanding dispute.

Also a major fan of redemption arcs that don't lead to character deaths by the end. Redemption/atonement always ending in the person's demise has gotten old and only earns an eyeroll unless done exceptionally well. Not last minute redemptions, but something a character has slowly started to work towards throughout the story.

Kinkwise, women being unafraid to initiate physical intimacy.
 
As I've been playing FFXIV, one more cropped up due to a character in particular.

Villains who are doing the wrong thing but for the right reasons.
Emet-Selch. No, I don't think he did "nothing" wrong. I think he did a lot of very wrong things. I think it's beautiful though, that he'd damn his soul in pursuing the resurrection of his people and his world. (Not gonna JADE this point. Nor this one: Zenos is such a lame character comparatively, and while I'm absolutely looking forward to Endwalker, I hope he's only the villain for five minutes of it and we quickly get rid of him and move on to someone more interesting.)
 
I identify mostly as a whump writer, especially lately, meaning that there's always a level of angst in what I write, with almost no exceptions made. Here's a few themes that I am absolutely weak in the knees for:

  • Hurt/comfort
  • Dying healer/ sickly mage
  • Bad ends
  • Ill-fated love. Be it if a character is terminally ill, or if both of them are heading down the path of no return, so to speak. Think of Bonnie and Clyde here.
  • Redemption. Not just a character making amends for past misdeeds, but in terms of mending their ways by wanting to be a better person for their friends or loved ones.
  • Ideological/cultural/religious differences. I really have been going ham with this one lately, because it scratches my slow burn itch. What better payoff is there than characters learning to see things from another perspective, and learning to love each other despite those differences? Also gives me a dose of credibility. Because let's face it: even your IRL OTPs definitely do not agree on every single thing.
  • Enemies to lovers can be another version of the above
  • Competition
  • Sparring to lovemaking. Just... Yum.
  • Grumpy character who falls in love with a ray of sunshine type character. The sappier the eventual admission of love, the better.
  • Sexual healing
  • Strong, independent woman who don't need no man... until the right one comes along.
There's so many more, but these are some of the ones I've been doing a lot lately.
 
  • Ex-lovers. Second chances, rediscovering their feelings for each other, dealing with what drove them apart in the first place and trying to become better people. It's kinda hard to do because there's a pre-set dynamic between the characters, but when it works, it's amazing.
  • Characters forced together. Arranged marriage, two warriors destined to save the world, quarantine, zombie apocalypse, one night stand that leads to a pregnancy, homework assignment, any circumstance that brings the main characters together.
  • Young couples. Plucky, optimistic kids looking to take on the world, navigating all the obstacles life throws in their way. This has to do with my actual age I think, because I get absolutely nothing out of playing a 40-year-old man against a 20-year-old woman. The age disparity is a bit too much that I just can't connect with the character. Doesn't mean I never play them though.
  • Whump. Hurt/comfort ftw.
  • Strong, powerful, but broken men. War veterans, kings, knights, overworked husbands, tired college students, people who put up a stoic, impassive face to the world, finding comfort and love in the arms of their beloved.
  • Witty, sarcastic characters. The kind that smirks a lot.
  • Twincest. Bit weird, yeah. It's almost always the 'we were meant to be together' angle that gets me going, along with the intense possessiveness/jealousy that follows.
 
Oof, forgot another one that I do all the time! That being beauty and the beast types, sometimes gender-flipped to where the woman is the monster. I have a few of these, and they are so much fun. I really like the whole "taming" and differences and similarities between such opposed people.
 
* Characters doing something they wouldn't normally do is a fave of mine especially in my role play plots.
* Past lover(s) and lives.
* Time travel by accidental means.
* Alternate universes.
* Finding a magical item or genie.
* Falling in love with someone that you do not know is famous/wealthy etc.
*Gay/Straight for you. Someone who is 100% Gay or Straight yet finds themselves falling for a gender they don't normally like.
* Gay/Straight for pay, sexualized version of above.
* Unlikely romances.
 
Been thinking on this, got a few more.

Non-fatal redemption.

Unlikely best friends saving the world together (and definitely have feelings for one another) - ala Dragon Quest 8 and 11 (Yangus and Hero, and Erik and Hero specifically).

People who wouldn't normally notice one another being forced together in a "panic" situation - or one person who didn't have the courage to speak up being forced into a "panic" situation with the person they're interested in. Like, two people stranded, and it may be a while before they're rescued, and they don't know each other well but they have to rely on each other until rescue.

I've recently discovered I'm a slut for the pairing of... "big (not necessarily physically big) mean woman who has found a soft man that she's oddly head over heels for and who gentles her". Lots of fun there in how she deals with it and comes to accept that, oops, she's got a heart.
 
Not gonna lie I’ve been Isekai trash ever since I read the first chapter of Mushoku Tensei all those years ago. That trapped/reborn/sent to another world fish out of water trope always gets my gears going.

I’m a filthy Isekai trash can I can’t help it.
 
Variation on fish out of water I guess. Where an expert/elite in a certain field finds themselves in a new experience or field and all of their knowledge is useless, even a hindrance or potentially harmful in some way.
 
Tokio said:
I’m a filthy Isekai trash can I can’t help it.
Click to expand...
Right there with you. I absolutely adore Isekai.

Favorite for me would be a certain kind of relational trope. One character is hardtack and cold, but when it comes to another special and particular character, they're soft and warm. I love it when a gentle character claims the heart of a rough character.
 
Character being offered money for sex, especially by someone they know.
As above but the one doing the offering is a stranger and the one being offered is attached (Indecent Proposal)
Character taking care of someone and falls in love with them.
Student discovers teacher is a stripper/model or some kind of sex worker.
Teacher discovers student is a model/stripper or some kind of sex worker.
First time artist model sees one of the artists is someone they know.
 

  1. jealousy/possessiveness. i can write this on either side of the coin all day. varying degrees of healthy/unhealthy
  2. forced together by fate. forced to cooperate. arranged marriage. whatever. ideally with some overlap in agenda but not entirely
  3. opposites attract. live, love, breathe character contrast
  4. can you keep up? bedroom competiton. general competiton. fighting for the same objective. banter, wit. 'rivals'. one-upmanship and friction, but like hot and not dickish. You're rolling with the best, can you keep my pace / Greedy for your touch, and I can't be tamed / There's a million reasons you should run away / But you look like a fighter
  5. i hate that i love you. love/hate generally. toxicity. maybe hurt/comfort. maybe not. high intensity high emotion high
  6. bad boys/bad girls. ngl it's all i wanna write lately. that 'ima a rebel, watchu gonna do about it?' streak. fuck the system. screw hierarchy and establishment. leather jackets and motorbikes and vice. that 'i'm bad news baby' kinda vibe. Gonna break rules / And hearts in twos / 'Cause that's what the baddest do
  7. you are my kryptonite. fuck basic man. i wanna write badass extraordinary whatevers against badass extraordinary whatevers. that too-good-for-you kinda energy. as or against. haughty. ladykillers and fuckbois. but redeemable. Fight for me like you mean it / You will see why I am all that you need / Feel my touch that you've dreamed of / Forget all the ones I left to bleed
  8. distracted by sexy. girls so hot that you forget what you were doing. that very anime 'ran into a pole wtf' kinda vibe.
  9. evil is sexy. self-explanatory.
  10. in over their heads. taming brats. cocky whatevers that get put in their places. paper tigers. that 'baby you think you are so bad but you haven't met me yet." as or against.
 
1. Gruff father figures that slowly learn how to express their affection in healthy ways.

2. A villain so far up their own ass they blame the hero for all the terrible shit they do. (Example is, "If you'd just surrendered and let me kill you, I wouldn't have had to kill all those people!")

3. Found family. Just found family in all it's aspects

4. "Humans are the real monsters" when it's handled very well.

5. Someone who's been exposed to so much insane supernatural nonsense they treat any and all encounters with unnatural beings with the same surprise as an office worker having another stack of paperwork thrown onto their desk

6. Once horrible people swearing an oath of pacifism to find redemption for their actions

7. Former enemies in a war finding common ground and forming a forbidden friendship/romance

8. Scrappy rebels rising up against a tyrannical establishment
 
Character breaks free of their confined existence and begins to discover themself. I don’t even do it intentionally. That’s simply where most of my lead characters start at.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom