snowflake challenge #9

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Challenge #9
Talk about your favorite tropes in media or transformative works. (Feel free to substitute in theme/motif/cliche if "trope" doesn't resonate with you.)

There are so many tropes that I love but I'll try to narrow it down, though I'm sure I will forget a couple.

Amnesia: I lean toward partial amnesia rather than complete, but I'll read both! There's something really appealing about a character trying to figure out what has changed in their life since the last thing they remember, especially when it comes to the love interest. Seeing them look at a relationship with new eyes or try to struggle to remember the already established one gives me both angst and humorous possibilities, both which I enjoy. And I love it from the other side too! Where the LI wants them to remember but also wants to help them heal at their own pace (while pining!).

Canon Divergence/Fork In the Road: There are always points in canon, or even pre-canon, where I wonder 'what if x had happened instead of y' and it's just interesting to explore the possibilities.

Fake Dating/Relationship/Marriage of Convenience: Whether it is for something low stakes like needing a date for a wedding or trying to escape the "helpful" matchmaking of friends/relatives or a little more high stakes like going undercover, this trope is just fun and full of pining, angst, and potential for others, like misunderstandings and accidental love confessions. All of which I enjoy. I like it when one half of the ship has feelings or both have feelings and think that this is all they can ever get. Or when they don't even consider each other and slowly fall for one another while they're "pretending". This extends to marriages where the ship gets married for "reasons" and then just doesn't want to divorce but thinks the other one doesn't want that.


Friends With Benefits: Even if it starts off as two people who don't like each other having "casual" sex. It's fun when they can't communicate properly but are having great sex and then start to open up in other ways or they're already close and are all "let's just do this because we're both having a dry spell ... no feelings involved ... oh whoops now I'm in love."

Groundshog's Day/Time Loop: Watching characters relive a certain day and try to figure out what they did wrong/why it's happening is so interesting! It can be chaotic and sad but also so triumphant when they finally get there.

Only One Bed/Sharing a Bed: There is an intimacy can come with sharing a bed with someone. Sure, it can be casual and not a big deal but when you want it to, it really can. This works for characters who are pining, characters who just got into a relationship but haven't gotten to that stage yet, or exes that still have feelings. It leaves room for exploring a tension and the UST toppling into something more.

Soulmates/Soul Bonds: I know they're two different things that are just often connected, but I'm going to put them together anyway. I don't really like the "can't see color" version but other types, like being connected in some way or having each other's names/certain words/symbols are all great. With soul bonds, both existing or formed, especially when it's unplanned (a side effect of saving someone's life or they touch something they shouldn't, etc) because these two have to deal with this whole new connection that they weren't expecting and figure out how to live with it/how it makes them feel about themselves and each other.

Triangle for Two: The classic Clark/Lois/Superman issue that comes along with falling for the same person twice without knowing it. Whether it's already having feelings for someone and trying to move only to fall for that same person under a different name (usernames on a dating app, etc) or it is an superhero canon where there is one person with a dual life, they just do it for me. It's the struggle to deal with having feelings for two people and being genuinely conflicted but really they are just falling for all the sides of that same person and it coming together in the end. And also from the other side, where they feel like they're deceiving the person they care about and don't know how they'll take it. Or they just genuinely don't know, like the dating app. Both ways are good.

Comments

[yarnofariadne]

Ohhhh FWB-to-lovers YES, every time.

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Right? It's always SO good! :D

[queenslayerbee]

Amnesia is one of the tropes I talked about in my post as well, and though I focused on other aspects, you're right that it's great fodder for romance! It allows room for the things I enjoy about established relationships, about pre-relationship stages, AND even, sometimes, about past relationships/exes, in a way.

Canon divergence and time loops are other two favourites of mine. And although I didn't mention triangles of two, those kinds of secret identity shenanigans are also great, and one of the things that keeps me coming back to superhero canons :P

[svgurl]

It really can be! I like when the character that has amnesia ends up going "we're not together? well why not?" And the other character just blue screens lol But yes, I agree there's also room for the rest and I forgot about past relationships/exes! It could be a good way to get them back together or if you're into it, accept relationships that didn't work out.

Same! I think I lean toward canon divergence the most when it comes to reading/writing but a time loop is so gripping. And yes on the identity shenanigans! I love superhero canons for many reasons but that is definitely one of them. :D

[tellshannon815]

Canon divergence is definitely a favourite of mine!

[svgurl]

Same! I think I read/write that the most. :D

[kitarella_imagines]

Oh I love some of the same tropes as you!

I love the fake dating/marriage one! People forced together but it ends with them in love. Or hopefully anyway. And the Only One Bed trope is similar, I love all this sort of thing 💗

Friends with benefits could fit with my Sex for Convenience turns Romantic trope perhaps? Where people are just having sex randomly but maybe it turns into more.

Amnesia- while I don't choose to read these generally, I wrote a long fic a long time ago about star crossed lovers, and to my surprise one of them lost his memory due to a terrible accident. I didn't know this would happen, it just suddenly did! Characters make sudden decisions. He lost 7 years of his memory, and his secret boyfriend had to look after him, everyone was against them and it was very difficult...but of course love triumphed in the end. It was a very poignant story though, I'm not sure I'd write it again as it was so emotional, but it's one of my favourites.

I like the tropes you chose 😊

[svgurl]

Awesome!

Exactly! I like the idea of people having to be forced into a romantic situation and then going "oh wait, we like this" and yes, one bed falls in to that too.

I haven't heard it phrased as "sex for convenience" before but it I would consider them similar/the same thing as well.

Sometimes, you don't plan for certain plots and your writing ends up taking you in that direction, which can be fun! And some things may not need to be repeated, but at least you had a good experience, even if was the one time.

Thanks!

[kitarella_imagines]

Yes all those tropes go nicely under one umbrella, don't they 😅

Oh that is exactly how it goes! We start writing and suddenly realise it's going in a direction we never thought it was. That is great fun isn't it 😊

And it's nice to deliberately try out different tropes. I tried writing a fic that was all letters from one character to another, and really liked it, I might write more.

🌸🌻🌼

[svgurl]

True, there are many tropes that really go well together.

It is! Even if you plan, sometimes, the story will just lead itself one way, even if that doesn't sound real, and you just have to go with the flow.

Epistolary is great! And I like giving new tropes a shot. There are some that I go back to, but expanding your horizons and trying something new is good too.

[kitarella_imagines]

Yes the characters tend to lead the way for me, some are very bossy and tell me what to do 😅

It is! I really might do some more of those, but most of my fandoms are modern and don't use letters. I could get round that though. Downton Abbey would use letters and maybe the Witcher. Or modern characters could use emails/ texts. Just thinking aloud, haha!

[brumeier]

This is such a great list! Triangle for Two is one that I haven't crossed paths with before, but I can see why you like it. Lots of room for angst there, and some humor as well. I'll have to keep this one on my radar!

[svgurl]

I think superhero canons is the reason I have, but it's a fun one! And as you said, it does add a lot of other elements to it. :D

[bradygirl_12]

Ha, ha, years ago there was a Superman/Batman story about them sharing a bed on a cruise ship...and it was canon! ☺️

[svgurl]

I've actually seen and read parts of that one! But it is awesome when something like that is canon. I was going through the list and was like "huh, quite a few of these happened on Smallville" and a couple more that I didn't even include.

[corvidology]

I've always loved the amnesia trope as well though my love has lessened after watching so many Chinese dramas where it occurs ALL THE TIME!

As Calculon in Futurama said, "Triple explosive amnesia!"

[svgurl]

It's such a good trope, but I would probably get sick of it I saw it all the time in various canons too. Then it just gets repetitive. I have seen it most in soap operas rather than the shows/movies I watch, but you expect all sorts of craziness in those. :D

[dustbunny105]

Seeing them look at a relationship with new eyes or try to struggle to remember the already established one gives me both angst and humorous possibilities, both which I enjoy.

Yes! This isn't my top consideration for amnesia stories but it is rife with possibility. I remember a Cablepool fic I read ages ago utilized this and it was so good.

Fake Dating/Marriage of Convenience and Triangle for Two are two of my other favs from this list. The latter is especially good when the different dynamics are explored. The two-person love square was something I really liked about Miraculous Ladybug when I was watching.

[svgurl]

There's definitely many reasons to love it, but I do tend to lean into versions where characters wonder why they aren't together and don't have the hang ups they would have if their memories were in tact.

I haven't watched Miraculous Ladybug but I have heard of the love square, which is the first I've heard of where it's four identities and two people (though I have seen SuperBat fics where something similar is done) and that is pretty interesting! I can get why you would like that.

[ragnarok_08]

These tropes are fantastic!

Canon Divergence is a favorite of mine too, as writing all sorts of possibilities and what-ifs being my bread and butter when writing fanfic.

[svgurl]

Same! It is the one I lean toward the most when I'm writing (or reading) fic. :D

[impala_chick]

Friends with Benefits is also one of my favorites! And groundhog day/time loops - so much potential for angst and character development there.

Your great explanation on the "triangle for two" trope has got me seriously considering reading more mistaken identity fics. I've never heard it called that before!

[svgurl]

It's so fun! You are totally right about the angst and character development when it comes to time loops. As much as I enjoy the ship getting together, I do love it when the character stuck in the loop learns/accepts something about themselves just as much.

I honestly don't remember where I got the phrase from. I am sure it's DC related though. I've never been a fan of actually love triangles, but this kind of thing (also seen in "You've Got Mail" AUs too, now that I'm thinking about it) is more up my alley, where it's like "I love them and them" but really it's the same person. I think I've read Stony fics where Tony doesn't reveal his identity at the end of the first movie with a similar premise (and I'm sure there are more in the 616 verse but I don't read those) and I love it every time.

[impala_chick]

Stony fandom does have a lot of false/secret identity fics. This would be a great trope for them!

[svgurl]

Totally! They really are perfect for it and I've definitely read some Tony/Steve/Iron Man type stories over the years. :D

[tinkaton]

Fake Dating/Married gets me every time, I'll read the same plot a million times lmao

I love soulmate stuff too, I know it's a somewhat divisive trope but I eat it up haha. Classic soulmate tropes of course but I also like seeing people put a twist on it like with a poly ship or a ship where one character isn't the other's soulmate, etc.

Triangle for Two is such a good name for that lmao I always just classify it as identity porn. I read so much Tony/Steve/Iron Man fic back in the day.

[svgurl]

Same!! Give me all of them! :D

Oh yeah, I know not everyone is a fan but I'm just a sucker for it, whether it's the name or the first words or some sort of connection. And true, there are fun ways you can put a twist on it! Like "yes, this person was/is my soulmate and is perfect for me on paper but *you're* the one I want".

I wish I remember where I got it from! Identity porn is a good way to describe it too. And yes, same! Other than Clois and SuperBat, I definitely read a lot of Tony/Steve/Iron Man fic too with that theme. :D

[scintilla10]

What a good list :D :D :D

I can read SO many iterations of fake dating/marriage of convenience. What a delicious set-up!

Time loops are a fave of mine too! I like that it can have a range of atmospheres -- be more comedic in tone, or more serious (trying to prevent someone from always dying), or a mix of both.

[svgurl]

Thanks! It was hard to narrow it down but I tried my best. :D

Oh same. No matter how ridiculous the premise, I'm just drawn in and ready to delve in.

I totally agree. There's just so much potential for variety. I do eat them all up. :D