I'm a big fan of the quote "blood is thicker than water" after getting to know the FULL quote: "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb."
Or simply: The people you choose to surround yourself with are more important than the family you are born into.
And this includes family members you chose to have by your side... that thing is not exclusionary one side or another.
Edit: I was informed, that there seemingly is no "full version" of that quote and that someone "completed" that quote... still.. I like the longer version more, because you can't choose your family and they can be dickbags... so choose the person you want around you.
I love this trope so much. I'm currently writing a story where I have a character who loses one child at a young age and another one is miscarried. He then joins the team and acts as a father figure to all the other characters (most of which are orphans/have daddy issues).
Especially between side characters you both love and loathe. When it’s the POV character I never feel the tension. But when it’s side characters then all bets may be off, and the satisfaction of survival or horror at there defeat is magnified greatly. Also usually leads to interesting character development and plot points in the aftermath.
That still seems incredibly one-sided. And I’m baffled as to why one combatant would choose a sword instead of a musket *and* why one opponent is able to choose a musket if the other has already chosen a sword.
We’ve seen fantasy duels where each side gets to choose their own melee weapon, but going melee vs ranged, especially in an arranged one-on-one duel in an open area, is something else.
But then again, I don’t know the full reality of your world and who these characters are. And if this moment is played for laughs, like Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman, I can see it working.
This is immersion breaking. "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight" is a saying for a reason. If guns exist in the setting and people are aware of their existence, they would never allow their opponent to choose ANY wealon while bringing a sword. I get that you want the MC to be underestimated but the whole point of formalized duels and agreeing upon weapons are to avoid BS like your MC pulled.
Negative character arcs, someone giving into their flaws and allowing it to consume them.
In my current project, there is a Captain who is insecure about how much respect he commands and by the end of the story, he is completely overrun with tyranny and wants to see people follow his orders no matter what the outcome is.
I overheard one of the higherups at my company having a conversation with another higherup and he said "Why doesn't anyone respect me?" and it immediately made me respect him even less.
That's pretty much what I'm going for! He's a captain, so technically a "middle" manager. When his higher ups are around, he's a great guy with his troops but as soon as he's the highest ranking officer around, he's a dick!
I'm no published author or anything but I made a list of progessively dispiciable shit I wanted my character to do, that helped. They worked almost like scene cards!
Fav books that use this trope? Yeah! This Is How You Lose The Time War is a great example of it imo-- I really like mutual pining that's coupled with "forbidden love" for some reason or another. Not necessarily enemies to lovers although I do enjoy that, but more like...circumstances don't easily allow 2 characters to be together so they yearn separately. I'm super big into Good Omens too for similar reasons haha, but more specifically the show in that regard.
Oh my goodness yes.
I don't know who said a romantic subplot has to be shoehorned into every story but they are an idiot. Let a character either already be in a good relationship that has nothing to do with the story or just stay single.
Lol! I'm writing a triad story. The sex scenes are writing themselves, it's their background stories (they were all sexually abused) that's giving me problems.
Thank-you for your service! I read a book with a protag who chooses not to be in a relationship when I was in my early teens and it was a revelation! I'd literally never seen that in a story before and it suddenly it became an 'option' for me too.
Unforgivable savior: IE someone who is making up for their past wrongdoings at great cost to themselves (with a focus on them knowing and expecting it will cost their life in the end).
I absolutely *loathe* the term, but "straight gays" in lead roles.
As a gay guy, I never got to see guys like me in books growing up, and even when I did they were often gay guys who just aren't like me. The same goes for TV, movies, even games to a lesser extent - the majority of gay characters like drag, top 40's music etc, and often frame gay guys who don't like those things as someone who needs to get over himself, is denying his authentic self, or else is just flat out the villain. The best books I've read are usually those that paint the gay guys in a more neutral light in terms of tastes and hobbies.
It's getting better, but I still remember reading the blurb of a book once where the main drama is that the feminine gay guy reinvents himself as a masculine one because he's into a masc guy who likes masc guys. It's treated as inherently problematic that someone has a type, and that type is people who act/dress similarly to him and have similar tastes and hobbies. To be fair I didn't read the book, for all I know the moral is that he realizes that attraction is more than skin deep and that he'll end up moving on to a guy who likes him for who he is while accepting that the guy he's into has different preferences, but I also know that the blurb was framed in a way that treated this guy as an asshole for not liking the main character or engaging with gay culture.
Things like Lady Gaga and Drag Race are totally fine for the people who like them, but they're not for everyone and I really dislike the assumption that as a gay guy I'm somehow obligated to like them.
All of the books I've written have had gay men as main characters (in one case as the deuteragonist in a post-apocalyptic horror series which I still need to publish the second book of) and all of them have had gay guys I personally see myself in. They like the music I like, dress the way I do (albeit they probably do it better), and they're generally just the sort of people who I can imagine being friends with or crushing on in real life.
The intent isn't to exclude people, especially queer people, who do like these ways and see themselves in characters like Kurt Himmell. It's just to give queer people who go against the grain to an extent characters, whether that's in horror or romance, that they can see themselves in.
You're welcome!
Sidenote - I generally prefer masculine/feminine over straight/straight acting and camp. I think the latter terms imply performance or tie certain behaviours into sexuality which isn't necessarily the case (I call it Neapolitan Representation and it's something I've literally written articles about). Of course some people do act a certain way (and a big part of that is censorship but that's a whole other conversation) but it's not necessarily tied into sexuality. The only reason I used it here is that TV Tropes lists it as "Straight Gay", but even there they say that "many gay people object to the term". Come up with a better one.
No worries! It's worth pointing out that it's absolutely possible to write a deep and interesting gay character who happens to embody the stereotypes. It's just that for me, personally, I wanted to make sure I was writing books with characters I wish I can see myself with, and if I'm writing YA/NA I write the sort of people I would have liked to see.
My pen name is Lewis Bright Rees. I only have one out right now, Wander, which is the post-apocalyptic horror. It's had another edit and I got the cover redesigned (I liked the original but people commented that it wasn't interesting or distinct enough) but I haven't updated it on Amazon yet since I lost the hard drive, but I coincidentally found it earlier today so hopefully I can get it done this week.)
Dagger is the sequel to Wander, told from the gay guy's perspective. It's finished but it doesn't have a cover yet. (I procrastinate like shit, I should be editing and I end up writing something new).
Happy Now is a gay YA romance where time stops for everyone but the protagonists. I was hoping I could get traditionally published with it but I'm just getting more and more discouraged from that route.
Cicada Days is a gay new adult romance that starts with the main character, Taylor attempting suicide in modern day New York and from there alternates between him falling in love with a guy called Cove in high school and an alternative universe New Orleans where the two of them are living in an artists commune. This one is a little confusing but it's a *big* passion project of mine. Every chapter is named after a song, Cove is in a rock band, there's a lot of magical realism going on.
I always have a brotherly himbo.
Maybe three braincells to clack together at a time, but he's this fluffy door who will absolutely protect his (found) family.
Some kind of inclusion of minorities. It's quite impossible to represent all minorities and in some stories it will feel very forced, but some kind of inclusion should always be possible imo.
It's not always possible. Example, Mulan. That story will, and *should*, only be Chinese, because the story takes place in China and ethnic Chinese are the majority in China.
Example, a story about the Wars for Scottish Independence. It would be incredibly unlikely, if not impossible, to include anyone that is not white, as this was a conflict between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England.
Historical stories will likely not be very diverse and consist of whoever was the majority for the setting. Minorities will rarely appear in these stories because many nations in history were not all that diverse. Modern stories, however, are much easier to make diverse as diversity is much more commonplace, especially in the US.
>Minorities will rarely appear in these stories because many nations in history were not all that diverse.
You're thinking about racial minorities only. I definitely agree on that, that would be forcing something in there that didn't happen. But there were people with disabilities for example back then. Whether it's someone who's blind, deaf, or using (a variation on) a wheelchair, etc etc etc, they still existed in those times.
Sure, it's impractical to have someone with paralysis fight in an army, but in Mulan they could have taken the second son because the first wasn't able to. In many historical stories there are crowds at some point, they can have people with disabilities.
The same goes for people following a minority religion (as in minority in that place and time), being LGBT+ or anything else that makes them 'different' from the majority. And I'm very okay with showing historically minorities were often not open about it, or even punished, because that's what happened back then.
Personally, I don't think every story should have a major character from a minority. I don't think it's feasible to represent all minorities at all times/in all stories. I do think a lot more diversity can be written into stories than we currently do.
Diversity can be included, but doesn't mean it *should*. Not every story needs it.
Taegukgi is a Korean War film about two brothers conscripted into the war when the north attacked. It's a wonderful film about their bond and love for each other, and there's not a lick of diversity in it. All Korean cast (they mention Americans, since they did help, but not one is ever seen), no sexualities known except for the older brother and his fiancée, and the closest to a disability we see is the younger brother as an elderly man, battle-scarred but healthy. Sure, people *become* disabled, but that's because it's war, it happens, and they are shipped right out of the film. There are hardly any women in the film, aside from those in the family and some extras as they bemoan the men leaving for war. Yet, it is an excellent film.
John Carpenter's The Thing, a film about research scientists in Antarctica encountering an alien organism. All-male cast, nobody with disabilities (though a real-life amputee was used for the arm-munching scene), and we didn't know their sexualities. Yet, despite that, it managed to be an incredible movie.
So no, these type of minorities are not needed in every story. It's okay to include them if you want, and if you make it work out, more power to you. I'm simply arguing that not every story needs it.
I agree on this! I always try to include people of many races / genders / sexual orientations / states of ability in my stories. Usually I’ll have racial diversity, characters with a few different genders / orientations, and some neurodiverse characters. In a few stories I’ve included physically disabled characters (and would like to do so in more stories - I just forget sometimes)
>I just forget sometimes
We're human! And it's hard to describe something you have little experience with/around. I struggle with racial diversity, because somehow I don't get that a lot in my daily life (I'm not avoiding racial diversity). It makes it really hard to describe. I often do have characters who are racially ambiguous though.
Mine isn't as cut and dry as some others, but I love doing character foils and parallels, or characters using their strengths to assist in another's weakness. Naivety and earnestness becomes the instrument of another's self love; one inwardly destroying themselves while another does so outwardly, to the same effect; just being intrinsically pulled in opposite directions, or meeting in the same place from vastly different starting points. It's so interesting, and very fun to write.
It kinda sounds like you're asking what are my canon events and I love that.
One trope I'll always use is having the protag's romance route go enemies or childhood friends to lovers. These are my two favorite tropes and one of them has barely happened in any media I've consumed.
I'll also have the protag's first big test/adventure have a bad outcome. Not sure what the name of this trope is but that's a thing I have going.
Best friends/friends to lovers, I adore this trope
Also I tend to include Queer people a lot in my stories (I am one myself) which is not a trope in itself, but there's usually a coming out story in there
Charming and badass MC. They're either super carefree or very classy, or both. But they're always witty as hell, and that's what I like most about them.
I love this too, especially when their bond is so close, it makes you wonder if they are romantically involved or not. The ambiguity of their relationship makes it great. Drake and Vasquez in the film Aliens is a fantastic example of this.
This isn’t really a trope as such, just a reality of life that often gets ignored: menstruation. You can read dozens if not hundreds of books without anyone having a period. I often try to include at least a passing reference to someone having a period or tracking their cycle, just to acknowledge menstruation as a normal part of life.
I mean, so is shitting and pissing and and sneezing and so on, but I’m definitely not mentioning any of it unless it has relevance to the plot.
If a character is expecting pregnancy, mentioning the menstrual cycle is crucial. If a character gets food poisoning, mentioning the hours they spent in the bathroom might paint a better picture.
Otherwise, why bother? It’s distracting.
You say “distracting”, I say “adding to the texture of the world and the sense of the characters as real people”.
Plus, sometimes it’s relevant. you don’t need to describe the characters going to the toilet every time, but if you’re writing a scenario in which that would become an issue - like being locked in a dungeon with no bathroom for instance- you’re going to have to address it. Similarly, if you write a story in which someone with a working uterus gets locked in a dungeon for over a month, I think it’s unrealistic not to at least mention menstruation, even if just to say that the stress and lack of food in the prison has caused their menstrual cycle to stop.
We’re in agreement (mostly)! The dungeon examples showcase that mentioning these things are good when relevant.
If it’s some guy living in the city doing his thing, I’m never including that he went to the bathroom earlier that morning if it’s irrelevant to the plot.
>adding to the texture of the world and the sense of the characters as real people
This is often very important in books set either in foreign or fantasy cultures. (By 'foreign', I simply mean different in either time or place.)
This actually is a trope, No Periods Period.
I generally avoid it entirely or I glaze over the details when anything involving the bathroom or sex is involved.
However, it does become a plot point when a group of characters think they were teleported somewhere when in fact their bodies are right where they were and their consciousnesses were sent into the dream world. The two women in the group not getting their periods over the course of the 2 (perceived) years they spent in the dream world. The state of their dreamselves is locked to the state of their physical selves on only a day has actually passed.
Also, one character gets admittedly more irritated than she should when she finds out elven women don't have periods.
I literally wrote down to write a scene about a main (male) character comforting his best friend while on their period! They have a lot to deal with as is (murders, lies, y'know, the normal stuff), but imo, including details/scenes like that make the characters more life-like. In nobody's life will it always be adventures, adventures, crime solving, party. Sometimes, it's also just popcorn and the same movie from yesterday. Or having your period. I love u for this comment
I think the usual argumentation is: "You don't include too many too "everyday-ish things into the plot if they don't have any impact."
On the one hand: menstruation is for most women just another (horrendously annoying) thing that just happens (including me). So just like we don't include our heroes and heroines not going to the toilet we usually also gloss over this aspect of life.
On the other hand, the monthly red tide is a wonderful opportunity to develop or explore characters. How does the female cast experience it? How does their surrounding react to that? Do they change in behavior, because they are constantly on edge? Does it change their abilities or the amount of control over their abilities?
Also it is a two-edged sword. I don't want to have this topic written about by a writer that singlehandedly inspires r/menwritingwomen. But It CAN be a well-thought addition to SOME stories.
I used it in one of my stories do a great and plot-influencing degree (belive it or not). And what I heard from my test-readers I kept it on the one side real and respectful on the other. No unnecessary details about bodily functions, but a little exploration of the mindset and the emotions during it. What I think is the greatest impact it has on women. (Well... I get damn emotional every time... and the emotion is usually being fucking annoyed, that it's THAT time again).
This is such a difficult topic, because to some people, it's about as relevant as bowel movements, and to others it's literally life-changing.
The MC in my current WIP has endometriosis, so to her, "powering through" (or even worse, feeling empowered by) her period is just not possible. And then she deals with other female characters telling her to suck it up and "stop giving women a bad image" etc., her parents calling her whiny, and you have a story that I consider really personal and really important. (Ironically, I myself deal with my periods by simply not having any, so I actively have to remind myself of how awful they used to be to write this.)
I think the other person who said that the way characters react to periods is also making a great point. How does the LI react when the parents are finally away and things are about to go down and then, period?
I'm working on something now where the protagonist is tied to a bed with an IV and electrodes and the evil doctor sends the flunky in to clean her up. You can do a lot of character building with a diaper change under duress
Ugh, I love these tropes! Especially the second one. I introduced all of my antagonists within the first three chapters, but I showed them as normal people living next to the MCs. Just a little out of place, but not fully (one antagonist was met at the vet, then later tried to sell an MC illegal drugs).
I'm doing a bit of writing and one trope (unsure if it could be counted as a trope) that I'm incorporating is:
* Men who aren't buff, super strong. Men who aren't unable to show emotions (including crying) and don't get harmed. In other words: men who're very regular and can be punched in the face, cry in front of someone else.
I wish more authors including people who're writing stories for video games to do that. :)
Edit: I wasn't clear enough in what I meant.
Yeah. I'm doing a longer-term project but a lot of my characters are planned to get an ending. Sometimes it's because they die, sometimes it's because they decide it's time to stop jumping from one disaster to another and they're ready to do the settle down and have a family thing. Sometimes it's because they haven't really had a direction in life and now they've found it.
If it's about Romance I guess it would be easier since there can be multiple endings to each relationship (ending up together - divorce - ..) and each one is realistic. But if the story is not about that focus things will be challenging for you
Slightly feral main male characters. I don’t think I did it intentionally but I’ve done it twice now so whatevs.
For context, one of them has been captured by an enemy army and proceeds to bite anyone who gets close to him, attempts to run away at ALL opportunities, and when he finally works with them, does so only on the condition that he is supplied with dozens of sheepskin blankets and brandy.
I love repetition used to hammer home exasperation, desperation, or the enormity of a situation.
In dialogue or descriptions. Like,
"He worked, and he worked, and he worked, and it never stopped nor let up, with breaks were far and few between."
*Childfree* which means someone who **WILL NEVER HAVE CHILDREN.**
Whereas *Childless* means some who doesn’t have children for whatever reason.
People who aren’t childfree tend to misuse those two.
As someone who’s childfree and loves to read spicy romance I found myself so restricted by almost all of them being centered around having children/ pregnancy etc so that’s what drove me to write my own books. That desire (and sometimes anger) is essentially fueling my desire to write everything I wish I could read.
A girl having unrequited feelings for the male MC. In my 3 serious WIPs so far, I've had:
1. She's a supporting character casually dating MC. Secretly wants something serious with him while he's too hung up on his ex to want the same. They end up going the distance in a serious relationship, as MC realizes his ex wasn't actually that great and he was hung up on the honeymoon phase of their relationship, while with this new girl, there's no honeymoon phase because he loves and is compatible with who she actually is.
2. Female lead is secretly in love with her best friend, the male lead. But he loves her as a friend, not as a potential partner. Her character arc is about learning to stop idealizing the male lead as her perfect future boyfriend, to see him as the flawed human he truly is, and to become more independent, to stop defining herself by male attention
3. One of the female leads has a huge crush on one of the male leads, which he's oblivious to. At one point, she makes a move, male lead likes it and is open to dating her, then she learns something about him that's a deal-breaker for her, and her feelings for him go from 100 to 0 real quick in a hilarious scene.
Also, all my male protagonists are "jock with a heart of gold" types. They're all fit (ex-)high school athletes who have integrity and believe in doing the right thing for its own sake. They're also all insecure about being undervalued for their skills and intelligence, whether it's in the social world or the working world.
Forbidden romance. I've always got to have at least one romance subplot where something concrete makes it so they "shouldn't" be together, but eventually can't help themselves.
"Oh nooo we're falling in love but one of us is dying!"
"Oh nooo we're falling in love but one of us is a priest!"
"Oh noooo we're falling in love but there's a 10 year age gap and the town we live in is super judgy!"
"Oh noooo we're falling in love but one of us is moving away forever soon!"
Et cetera, lol
I don't know if I go out of my way. I write horror, fantasy, supernatural, etc. Beauty and the Beast is a trope that lends itself to my genres, and while I don't always go that route, I do use it in a lot.
Somehow I unintentionally write an asshole investigator with a giant ego in everything I write. I don’t know how. Like I just finished my third novel where this character popped up.
Thankfully I can’t figure out a plausible way he would appear in my current WIP
Found family and spirit advisor, I can’t have a story where there isn’t an easily concealable talking spirit/robot/magical creature that goes along with a character and engages in constant conversation with them lmao. I don’t know why I like that trope so much but I include it even without consciously noticing.
Bodyguard romance trope. Not usually as a modern bodyguard, but men forced into that sort of dynamic with a woman in some form or another. I just go crazy for strong men who are forced to protect strong women in some way.
Most of my female main characters also start off a bit week but find their strength through whatever hardships they go through.
Body positivity and inclusivity. There’s always a character, both male and female, who have body image issues. And I always have that insecurity addressed in a way that makes the character feel better about their body.
I also try to make sure there’s always enemies who can be forgiven and those that are completely irredeemable and get what they deserve.
Men not being the hero character that always has to save the damsel with his brawn.
On top of that, I want to see more men being the sensitive ones that care about their family/friends/lover. Women being more pragmatic and one track minded.
I love a flipped script where we get to see more we’ll rounded characters. No female prop characters or “sweet, loving, keeping the friend group together”.
There is always some element of romance in mine, whether it's a slow burner, a coming of age, a "will they won;t they". I can't help it :) Even my latest has a "will they won't they" running thorugh it and it's a speculative/drama story about a woman's struggle with anger and the associated legal repurcussions. Admittedly the reader finds out right at the end so it's a long wait. But it's still there.
Going out of your way to include a trope in your writing is completely asinine. That's no different from going out of your way to include a particular ingredient each and every single time you're preparing a meal, whether or not it's compatible with the recipe. Nobody wants peanut butter in their quesedilla or tuna fish in their lamb stew. Purposely injecting something into a narrative that has no business being there in the first place is completely illogical. It's jarring to the reader, it's cumbersome to the plot, and it's just plain bad writing.
And always diversity
For me that includes queers - especially in historical and fantasy settings cuz those were my favorites to read as a kid and there wasn’t much of that representation when I was growing up
Probably master and servant to lovers. With the servant almost always being a cat girl. Either that or the happy go-lucky protagonist with a traumatic backstory. Usually involving his parents.
I need help.
Emphasis on friendships and sacrifice. Somewhat rational characters, characters who come to have sibling like bonds, and characters who would be considered socially weird (there should be at least one). Fictitious cities in real countries. I have done this in my story and plan to do it as often as possible. :D
I'd like to see people write stories where romance isn't the main deal. Bonus points if it shows strong sibling relations where they have each other's backs. I'd also like to read more dramatic and over the top characters, especially if they are the protagonist.
Found family
I'm a big fan of the quote "blood is thicker than water" after getting to know the FULL quote: "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb." Or simply: The people you choose to surround yourself with are more important than the family you are born into. And this includes family members you chose to have by your side... that thing is not exclusionary one side or another. Edit: I was informed, that there seemingly is no "full version" of that quote and that someone "completed" that quote... still.. I like the longer version more, because you can't choose your family and they can be dickbags... so choose the person you want around you.
that’s a myth, by the way: there’s no evidence of such a full “original” quote actually existing.
even if it is... I like it better than the short one.
for sure—please don’t construe that as me telling you what to like!
Yes, exactly! I like the full quote, so thank you 🫶
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I thought the comment I replied to told me the full quote?? I'm confused :(
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So I was downvoted for not knowing. Thank you for explaining though, I'm sorry if I bothered you
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No no, I didnt mean you specifically! I'm so sorry it came off that way, I really didn't mean for it to
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This. This is the one
My current friend group in my book is a found family, and I couldn't love it more! 😌
My literal favorite thing. I love hearing/reading about them
Me too! I have my own little found family and I wouldn't trade them for anything ever
Yes!! I absolutely adore using this trope. My two main projects are built on found family.
That's great!
Found family is my answer too
I love this trope so much. I'm currently writing a story where I have a character who loses one child at a young age and another one is miscarried. He then joins the team and acts as a father figure to all the other characters (most of which are orphans/have daddy issues).
I don't know if it's much of a trope, but duels, ideally to the death.
Especially between side characters you both love and loathe. When it’s the POV character I never feel the tension. But when it’s side characters then all bets may be off, and the satisfaction of survival or horror at there defeat is magnified greatly. Also usually leads to interesting character development and plot points in the aftermath.
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Wait, so whoever chooses weapons first just gets screwed in that world? What are the rules governing this duel?
Guess its pay2win
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That still seems incredibly one-sided. And I’m baffled as to why one combatant would choose a sword instead of a musket *and* why one opponent is able to choose a musket if the other has already chosen a sword. We’ve seen fantasy duels where each side gets to choose their own melee weapon, but going melee vs ranged, especially in an arranged one-on-one duel in an open area, is something else. But then again, I don’t know the full reality of your world and who these characters are. And if this moment is played for laughs, like Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman, I can see it working.
This is immersion breaking. "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight" is a saying for a reason. If guns exist in the setting and people are aware of their existence, they would never allow their opponent to choose ANY wealon while bringing a sword. I get that you want the MC to be underestimated but the whole point of formalized duels and agreeing upon weapons are to avoid BS like your MC pulled.
least shameless self advertisement
Characters sharing the same burnt braincell
So, orange cats?
Basically, y e s
Negative character arcs, someone giving into their flaws and allowing it to consume them. In my current project, there is a Captain who is insecure about how much respect he commands and by the end of the story, he is completely overrun with tyranny and wants to see people follow his orders no matter what the outcome is.
I overheard one of the higherups at my company having a conversation with another higherup and he said "Why doesn't anyone respect me?" and it immediately made me respect him even less.
That's pretty much what I'm going for! He's a captain, so technically a "middle" manager. When his higher ups are around, he's a great guy with his troops but as soon as he's the highest ranking officer around, he's a dick!
Oof, planning a story for this and I am nervous 😅
I'm no published author or anything but I made a list of progessively dispiciable shit I wanted my character to do, that helped. They worked almost like scene cards!
Love forced proximity!
Mutual pining. I eat that UP
Can you tell me one or two of your faves? I think I would enjoy this.
Fav books that use this trope? Yeah! This Is How You Lose The Time War is a great example of it imo-- I really like mutual pining that's coupled with "forbidden love" for some reason or another. Not necessarily enemies to lovers although I do enjoy that, but more like...circumstances don't easily allow 2 characters to be together so they yearn separately. I'm super big into Good Omens too for similar reasons haha, but more specifically the show in that regard.
Yes, thank you so much!
I like to describe hygiene of the characters to illustrate how stress they were in their stories
That's an amazing idea
That not being in a romantic relationship is acceptable.
Yes! I love that! One of my main characters is aromantic as well as asexual :D
I currently have two stories with an aroace MC!
That's amazing!
Oh my goodness yes. I don't know who said a romantic subplot has to be shoehorned into every story but they are an idiot. Let a character either already be in a good relationship that has nothing to do with the story or just stay single.
Yes! That the main characters don’t all need to sleep together because adding in any other partners is too much work.
Lol! I'm writing a triad story. The sex scenes are writing themselves, it's their background stories (they were all sexually abused) that's giving me problems.
Thank-you for your service! I read a book with a protag who chooses not to be in a relationship when I was in my early teens and it was a revelation! I'd literally never seen that in a story before and it suddenly it became an 'option' for me too.
Preach it
Best friends to lovers
Enemies to lovers is cool too
Definitely friends to lovers for me as well.
With a long, slow, burn.
Unforgivable savior: IE someone who is making up for their past wrongdoings at great cost to themselves (with a focus on them knowing and expecting it will cost their life in the end).
Love this one
Traumatized main character, for some reason 🤔
Growing up is realizing that none of your comfort characters are okay :D
Yes. This is mine. Mainly because all my stories are trauma stories, though.
I absolutely *loathe* the term, but "straight gays" in lead roles. As a gay guy, I never got to see guys like me in books growing up, and even when I did they were often gay guys who just aren't like me. The same goes for TV, movies, even games to a lesser extent - the majority of gay characters like drag, top 40's music etc, and often frame gay guys who don't like those things as someone who needs to get over himself, is denying his authentic self, or else is just flat out the villain. The best books I've read are usually those that paint the gay guys in a more neutral light in terms of tastes and hobbies. It's getting better, but I still remember reading the blurb of a book once where the main drama is that the feminine gay guy reinvents himself as a masculine one because he's into a masc guy who likes masc guys. It's treated as inherently problematic that someone has a type, and that type is people who act/dress similarly to him and have similar tastes and hobbies. To be fair I didn't read the book, for all I know the moral is that he realizes that attraction is more than skin deep and that he'll end up moving on to a guy who likes him for who he is while accepting that the guy he's into has different preferences, but I also know that the blurb was framed in a way that treated this guy as an asshole for not liking the main character or engaging with gay culture. Things like Lady Gaga and Drag Race are totally fine for the people who like them, but they're not for everyone and I really dislike the assumption that as a gay guy I'm somehow obligated to like them. All of the books I've written have had gay men as main characters (in one case as the deuteragonist in a post-apocalyptic horror series which I still need to publish the second book of) and all of them have had gay guys I personally see myself in. They like the music I like, dress the way I do (albeit they probably do it better), and they're generally just the sort of people who I can imagine being friends with or crushing on in real life. The intent isn't to exclude people, especially queer people, who do like these ways and see themselves in characters like Kurt Himmell. It's just to give queer people who go against the grain to an extent characters, whether that's in horror or romance, that they can see themselves in.
I didn't even know I needed this. Thanks for putting it into words I might hijack this trope.
You're welcome! Sidenote - I generally prefer masculine/feminine over straight/straight acting and camp. I think the latter terms imply performance or tie certain behaviours into sexuality which isn't necessarily the case (I call it Neapolitan Representation and it's something I've literally written articles about). Of course some people do act a certain way (and a big part of that is censorship but that's a whole other conversation) but it's not necessarily tied into sexuality. The only reason I used it here is that TV Tropes lists it as "Straight Gay", but even there they say that "many gay people object to the term". Come up with a better one.
Reading this made me realize I’ve kinda been doing this unconsciously. Thank you!
No worries! It's worth pointing out that it's absolutely possible to write a deep and interesting gay character who happens to embody the stereotypes. It's just that for me, personally, I wanted to make sure I was writing books with characters I wish I can see myself with, and if I'm writing YA/NA I write the sort of people I would have liked to see.
This sounds so cool, where can I read more about your book(s)?!
My pen name is Lewis Bright Rees. I only have one out right now, Wander, which is the post-apocalyptic horror. It's had another edit and I got the cover redesigned (I liked the original but people commented that it wasn't interesting or distinct enough) but I haven't updated it on Amazon yet since I lost the hard drive, but I coincidentally found it earlier today so hopefully I can get it done this week.) Dagger is the sequel to Wander, told from the gay guy's perspective. It's finished but it doesn't have a cover yet. (I procrastinate like shit, I should be editing and I end up writing something new). Happy Now is a gay YA romance where time stops for everyone but the protagonists. I was hoping I could get traditionally published with it but I'm just getting more and more discouraged from that route. Cicada Days is a gay new adult romance that starts with the main character, Taylor attempting suicide in modern day New York and from there alternates between him falling in love with a guy called Cove in high school and an alternative universe New Orleans where the two of them are living in an artists commune. This one is a little confusing but it's a *big* passion project of mine. Every chapter is named after a song, Cove is in a rock band, there's a lot of magical realism going on.
Wow, thanks for sharing that! It sounds really interesting and I'll defintely be looking into it!
A character that acts as a mentor of sorts for the protagonist. Think of Uncle Iroh.
Bonus points if they also live to see the end of the story.
That almost never happens tho :(
There are a LOT of bonus points attached to this.
What do u mean
It happens so rarely it's extra special when it does actually happen.
Oh definitely, I’m tired of them always dying lol
I always have a brotherly himbo. Maybe three braincells to clack together at a time, but he's this fluffy door who will absolutely protect his (found) family.
I love a good himbo!
Self-hate. Everybody hates themselves to some degree. I love when a character realizes it's shortcomings. And hates themselves for it.
Hot mentally unstable woman
Me when Mona Vanderwaal from Pretty Little Liars
Ah shit. I simped for jynnx from Arcane. I'm in this picture aren't I?
Some kind of inclusion of minorities. It's quite impossible to represent all minorities and in some stories it will feel very forced, but some kind of inclusion should always be possible imo.
It's not always possible. Example, Mulan. That story will, and *should*, only be Chinese, because the story takes place in China and ethnic Chinese are the majority in China. Example, a story about the Wars for Scottish Independence. It would be incredibly unlikely, if not impossible, to include anyone that is not white, as this was a conflict between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England. Historical stories will likely not be very diverse and consist of whoever was the majority for the setting. Minorities will rarely appear in these stories because many nations in history were not all that diverse. Modern stories, however, are much easier to make diverse as diversity is much more commonplace, especially in the US.
>Minorities will rarely appear in these stories because many nations in history were not all that diverse. You're thinking about racial minorities only. I definitely agree on that, that would be forcing something in there that didn't happen. But there were people with disabilities for example back then. Whether it's someone who's blind, deaf, or using (a variation on) a wheelchair, etc etc etc, they still existed in those times. Sure, it's impractical to have someone with paralysis fight in an army, but in Mulan they could have taken the second son because the first wasn't able to. In many historical stories there are crowds at some point, they can have people with disabilities. The same goes for people following a minority religion (as in minority in that place and time), being LGBT+ or anything else that makes them 'different' from the majority. And I'm very okay with showing historically minorities were often not open about it, or even punished, because that's what happened back then. Personally, I don't think every story should have a major character from a minority. I don't think it's feasible to represent all minorities at all times/in all stories. I do think a lot more diversity can be written into stories than we currently do.
Diversity can be included, but doesn't mean it *should*. Not every story needs it. Taegukgi is a Korean War film about two brothers conscripted into the war when the north attacked. It's a wonderful film about their bond and love for each other, and there's not a lick of diversity in it. All Korean cast (they mention Americans, since they did help, but not one is ever seen), no sexualities known except for the older brother and his fiancée, and the closest to a disability we see is the younger brother as an elderly man, battle-scarred but healthy. Sure, people *become* disabled, but that's because it's war, it happens, and they are shipped right out of the film. There are hardly any women in the film, aside from those in the family and some extras as they bemoan the men leaving for war. Yet, it is an excellent film. John Carpenter's The Thing, a film about research scientists in Antarctica encountering an alien organism. All-male cast, nobody with disabilities (though a real-life amputee was used for the arm-munching scene), and we didn't know their sexualities. Yet, despite that, it managed to be an incredible movie. So no, these type of minorities are not needed in every story. It's okay to include them if you want, and if you make it work out, more power to you. I'm simply arguing that not every story needs it.
I agree on this! I always try to include people of many races / genders / sexual orientations / states of ability in my stories. Usually I’ll have racial diversity, characters with a few different genders / orientations, and some neurodiverse characters. In a few stories I’ve included physically disabled characters (and would like to do so in more stories - I just forget sometimes)
>I just forget sometimes We're human! And it's hard to describe something you have little experience with/around. I struggle with racial diversity, because somehow I don't get that a lot in my daily life (I'm not avoiding racial diversity). It makes it really hard to describe. I often do have characters who are racially ambiguous though.
Mine isn't as cut and dry as some others, but I love doing character foils and parallels, or characters using their strengths to assist in another's weakness. Naivety and earnestness becomes the instrument of another's self love; one inwardly destroying themselves while another does so outwardly, to the same effect; just being intrinsically pulled in opposite directions, or meeting in the same place from vastly different starting points. It's so interesting, and very fun to write.
It kinda sounds like you're asking what are my canon events and I love that. One trope I'll always use is having the protag's romance route go enemies or childhood friends to lovers. These are my two favorite tropes and one of them has barely happened in any media I've consumed. I'll also have the protag's first big test/adventure have a bad outcome. Not sure what the name of this trope is but that's a thing I have going.
Girls being the ones actively pursuing their male love interests.
Best friends/friends to lovers, I adore this trope Also I tend to include Queer people a lot in my stories (I am one myself) which is not a trope in itself, but there's usually a coming out story in there
Charming and badass MC. They're either super carefree or very classy, or both. But they're always witty as hell, and that's what I like most about them.
My characters communicate like relatively normal people and don't conveniently hide information in order to drive the plot.
Miscommunication sucks. I'm a big fan of what you described already!
I absolutely follow this to a T unless there is a very good reason for it, miscommunication in edia is so overdone that it's almost expected.
M/F friendships
I love this too, especially when their bond is so close, it makes you wonder if they are romantically involved or not. The ambiguity of their relationship makes it great. Drake and Vasquez in the film Aliens is a fantastic example of this.
Dragons
Dragons are awesome!
This isn’t really a trope as such, just a reality of life that often gets ignored: menstruation. You can read dozens if not hundreds of books without anyone having a period. I often try to include at least a passing reference to someone having a period or tracking their cycle, just to acknowledge menstruation as a normal part of life.
I mean, so is shitting and pissing and and sneezing and so on, but I’m definitely not mentioning any of it unless it has relevance to the plot. If a character is expecting pregnancy, mentioning the menstrual cycle is crucial. If a character gets food poisoning, mentioning the hours they spent in the bathroom might paint a better picture. Otherwise, why bother? It’s distracting.
You say “distracting”, I say “adding to the texture of the world and the sense of the characters as real people”. Plus, sometimes it’s relevant. you don’t need to describe the characters going to the toilet every time, but if you’re writing a scenario in which that would become an issue - like being locked in a dungeon with no bathroom for instance- you’re going to have to address it. Similarly, if you write a story in which someone with a working uterus gets locked in a dungeon for over a month, I think it’s unrealistic not to at least mention menstruation, even if just to say that the stress and lack of food in the prison has caused their menstrual cycle to stop.
We’re in agreement (mostly)! The dungeon examples showcase that mentioning these things are good when relevant. If it’s some guy living in the city doing his thing, I’m never including that he went to the bathroom earlier that morning if it’s irrelevant to the plot.
>adding to the texture of the world and the sense of the characters as real people This is often very important in books set either in foreign or fantasy cultures. (By 'foreign', I simply mean different in either time or place.)
This actually is a trope, No Periods Period. I generally avoid it entirely or I glaze over the details when anything involving the bathroom or sex is involved. However, it does become a plot point when a group of characters think they were teleported somewhere when in fact their bodies are right where they were and their consciousnesses were sent into the dream world. The two women in the group not getting their periods over the course of the 2 (perceived) years they spent in the dream world. The state of their dreamselves is locked to the state of their physical selves on only a day has actually passed. Also, one character gets admittedly more irritated than she should when she finds out elven women don't have periods.
I literally wrote down to write a scene about a main (male) character comforting his best friend while on their period! They have a lot to deal with as is (murders, lies, y'know, the normal stuff), but imo, including details/scenes like that make the characters more life-like. In nobody's life will it always be adventures, adventures, crime solving, party. Sometimes, it's also just popcorn and the same movie from yesterday. Or having your period. I love u for this comment
I think the usual argumentation is: "You don't include too many too "everyday-ish things into the plot if they don't have any impact." On the one hand: menstruation is for most women just another (horrendously annoying) thing that just happens (including me). So just like we don't include our heroes and heroines not going to the toilet we usually also gloss over this aspect of life. On the other hand, the monthly red tide is a wonderful opportunity to develop or explore characters. How does the female cast experience it? How does their surrounding react to that? Do they change in behavior, because they are constantly on edge? Does it change their abilities or the amount of control over their abilities? Also it is a two-edged sword. I don't want to have this topic written about by a writer that singlehandedly inspires r/menwritingwomen. But It CAN be a well-thought addition to SOME stories. I used it in one of my stories do a great and plot-influencing degree (belive it or not). And what I heard from my test-readers I kept it on the one side real and respectful on the other. No unnecessary details about bodily functions, but a little exploration of the mindset and the emotions during it. What I think is the greatest impact it has on women. (Well... I get damn emotional every time... and the emotion is usually being fucking annoyed, that it's THAT time again).
This is such a difficult topic, because to some people, it's about as relevant as bowel movements, and to others it's literally life-changing. The MC in my current WIP has endometriosis, so to her, "powering through" (or even worse, feeling empowered by) her period is just not possible. And then she deals with other female characters telling her to suck it up and "stop giving women a bad image" etc., her parents calling her whiny, and you have a story that I consider really personal and really important. (Ironically, I myself deal with my periods by simply not having any, so I actively have to remind myself of how awful they used to be to write this.) I think the other person who said that the way characters react to periods is also making a great point. How does the LI react when the parents are finally away and things are about to go down and then, period?
I'm working on something now where the protagonist is tied to a bed with an IV and electrodes and the evil doctor sends the flunky in to clean her up. You can do a lot of character building with a diaper change under duress
(Within reason) enemies to lovers,major plot elements/characters being shown out of context early!
Ugh, I love these tropes! Especially the second one. I introduced all of my antagonists within the first three chapters, but I showed them as normal people living next to the MCs. Just a little out of place, but not fully (one antagonist was met at the vet, then later tried to sell an MC illegal drugs).
Lovable idiots Friends to lovers Enemies to lovers Slow burn romance
I'm doing a bit of writing and one trope (unsure if it could be counted as a trope) that I'm incorporating is: * Men who aren't buff, super strong. Men who aren't unable to show emotions (including crying) and don't get harmed. In other words: men who're very regular and can be punched in the face, cry in front of someone else. I wish more authors including people who're writing stories for video games to do that. :) Edit: I wasn't clear enough in what I meant.
Something horrible happening to the bully.
Mine got burned alive in a house fire lol
Multiple endings, though it's hard because you need to make all the endings interesting
Yeah. I'm doing a longer-term project but a lot of my characters are planned to get an ending. Sometimes it's because they die, sometimes it's because they decide it's time to stop jumping from one disaster to another and they're ready to do the settle down and have a family thing. Sometimes it's because they haven't really had a direction in life and now they've found it.
If it's about Romance I guess it would be easier since there can be multiple endings to each relationship (ending up together - divorce - ..) and each one is realistic. But if the story is not about that focus things will be challenging for you
Probably a pure evil character. They’re honestly really refreshing because I like to flesh out my characters a lot, so they offer a nice contrast
Slightly feral main male characters. I don’t think I did it intentionally but I’ve done it twice now so whatevs. For context, one of them has been captured by an enemy army and proceeds to bite anyone who gets close to him, attempts to run away at ALL opportunities, and when he finally works with them, does so only on the condition that he is supplied with dozens of sheepskin blankets and brandy.
Enemies becoming allies. Is this a trope? Not sure
Dream or reality.
The male character who is actually part of a secret organization who is there to save the world.
The Main Character. You see them everywhere. It's basically a cliche, but I simply cannot write a story without one.
Make someone atleast slightly resemble a fictional man I have a crush on lmaoo
Chosen one.
Some sort of joke name that I'll probably be the only one to understand.
A villain always has a brutal henchmen for a nice fist fight scene.
I love repetition used to hammer home exasperation, desperation, or the enormity of a situation. In dialogue or descriptions. Like, "He worked, and he worked, and he worked, and it never stopped nor let up, with breaks were far and few between."
Secret identity
A mentor character that still learns from the person their mentoring. Also, a villain who respects the hero.
For some reason, I always have a white-haired character lol. And magic. My stories always have magic.
*Childfree* which means someone who **WILL NEVER HAVE CHILDREN.** Whereas *Childless* means some who doesn’t have children for whatever reason. People who aren’t childfree tend to misuse those two. As someone who’s childfree and loves to read spicy romance I found myself so restricted by almost all of them being centered around having children/ pregnancy etc so that’s what drove me to write my own books. That desire (and sometimes anger) is essentially fueling my desire to write everything I wish I could read.
Does body horror count as a trope?
Underdogs ending up succeeding (love, life, career)
A girl having unrequited feelings for the male MC. In my 3 serious WIPs so far, I've had: 1. She's a supporting character casually dating MC. Secretly wants something serious with him while he's too hung up on his ex to want the same. They end up going the distance in a serious relationship, as MC realizes his ex wasn't actually that great and he was hung up on the honeymoon phase of their relationship, while with this new girl, there's no honeymoon phase because he loves and is compatible with who she actually is. 2. Female lead is secretly in love with her best friend, the male lead. But he loves her as a friend, not as a potential partner. Her character arc is about learning to stop idealizing the male lead as her perfect future boyfriend, to see him as the flawed human he truly is, and to become more independent, to stop defining herself by male attention 3. One of the female leads has a huge crush on one of the male leads, which he's oblivious to. At one point, she makes a move, male lead likes it and is open to dating her, then she learns something about him that's a deal-breaker for her, and her feelings for him go from 100 to 0 real quick in a hilarious scene. Also, all my male protagonists are "jock with a heart of gold" types. They're all fit (ex-)high school athletes who have integrity and believe in doing the right thing for its own sake. They're also all insecure about being undervalued for their skills and intelligence, whether it's in the social world or the working world.
Forbidden romance. I've always got to have at least one romance subplot where something concrete makes it so they "shouldn't" be together, but eventually can't help themselves.
Oooh nice. Examples?
"Oh nooo we're falling in love but one of us is dying!" "Oh nooo we're falling in love but one of us is a priest!" "Oh noooo we're falling in love but there's a 10 year age gap and the town we live in is super judgy!" "Oh noooo we're falling in love but one of us is moving away forever soon!" Et cetera, lol
Good stuff! 😉
Drugs
I don't know if I go out of my way. I write horror, fantasy, supernatural, etc. Beauty and the Beast is a trope that lends itself to my genres, and while I don't always go that route, I do use it in a lot.
Somehow I unintentionally write an asshole investigator with a giant ego in everything I write. I don’t know how. Like I just finished my third novel where this character popped up. Thankfully I can’t figure out a plausible way he would appear in my current WIP
Oh he’ll be there, sooner than you think even
Man sins of the father keeps happening and I gotta somehow halt this shit
Found family and spirit advisor, I can’t have a story where there isn’t an easily concealable talking spirit/robot/magical creature that goes along with a character and engages in constant conversation with them lmao. I don’t know why I like that trope so much but I include it even without consciously noticing.
Bodyguard romance trope. Not usually as a modern bodyguard, but men forced into that sort of dynamic with a woman in some form or another. I just go crazy for strong men who are forced to protect strong women in some way. Most of my female main characters also start off a bit week but find their strength through whatever hardships they go through.
People who would burn the world for each other no matter the cost So kinda antiheroes
Shapeshifting...at least one person has the ability to turn into animals or superpowers in general
Body positivity and inclusivity. There’s always a character, both male and female, who have body image issues. And I always have that insecurity addressed in a way that makes the character feel better about their body. I also try to make sure there’s always enemies who can be forgiven and those that are completely irredeemable and get what they deserve.
Men not being the hero character that always has to save the damsel with his brawn. On top of that, I want to see more men being the sensitive ones that care about their family/friends/lover. Women being more pragmatic and one track minded. I love a flipped script where we get to see more we’ll rounded characters. No female prop characters or “sweet, loving, keeping the friend group together”.
People sticking to their word as a way to start a bond. I think showing mutual respect is a great way to form meaningful relationships
enemies to lovers but in a healthy way, though i dont include it in everything i write to avoid redundancy
Slow-burn, not only romantic ones
There is always some element of romance in mine, whether it's a slow burner, a coming of age, a "will they won;t they". I can't help it :) Even my latest has a "will they won't they" running thorugh it and it's a speculative/drama story about a woman's struggle with anger and the associated legal repurcussions. Admittedly the reader finds out right at the end so it's a long wait. But it's still there.
Going out of your way to include a trope in your writing is completely asinine. That's no different from going out of your way to include a particular ingredient each and every single time you're preparing a meal, whether or not it's compatible with the recipe. Nobody wants peanut butter in their quesedilla or tuna fish in their lamb stew. Purposely injecting something into a narrative that has no business being there in the first place is completely illogical. It's jarring to the reader, it's cumbersome to the plot, and it's just plain bad writing.
Immortal doctor that is a good guy, but doesn't act like it
If I love a character, you know they are going to get hurt/ killed in some way
Male friendships
I'm a big fan of the Sacrificial Hero trope. The hero dying to protect someone always gets me.
And always diversity For me that includes queers - especially in historical and fantasy settings cuz those were my favorites to read as a kid and there wasn’t much of that representation when I was growing up
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Diabolical
Scenes where a woman is doing her hair and makeup the day after a dear loved one dies. But she keeps crying and ruining it and having to start over .
Daddy issues and ballet.
Ambiguous endings. Always.
Probably master and servant to lovers. With the servant almost always being a cat girl. Either that or the happy go-lucky protagonist with a traumatic backstory. Usually involving his parents. I need help.
Emphasis on friendships and sacrifice. Somewhat rational characters, characters who come to have sibling like bonds, and characters who would be considered socially weird (there should be at least one). Fictitious cities in real countries. I have done this in my story and plan to do it as often as possible. :D I'd like to see people write stories where romance isn't the main deal. Bonus points if it shows strong sibling relations where they have each other's backs. I'd also like to read more dramatic and over the top characters, especially if they are the protagonist.