The Bog

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.)

Post your answer to today's challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it.

Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so. Also, feel free to entice engagement by giving us a preview of what your post covers.

Given that I've read a romance novella recently (Courtney Milan's "The Pursuit Of..."), I've got romance tropes on the brain.

I like a slow burn. I remember once borrowing a book from the library and the main characters were having sex by page 50 and I was like "...". Yeah, that completely turned me off. The desire, the wanting, the longing is FUN! Jumping into bed that early misses out on a lot of the fun for me.

When I was younger, I liked "damsel in distress" tropes in romance novels, but I don't really have the patience for that these days. Because in those kind of books, too often the hero doesn't realize his feelings for the heroine UNTIL she gets herself into trouble, and that's kind of boring.

Looking at this list of tropes: My own writing has had the "mutual pining" trope, and yeah, I really dig that in a romance novel. I'm not opposed to "Enemies to Lovers" but it's not something I normally read these days, nor write. "Friends to Lovers"? yes, I like that, and I'm working on some more fics revolving around that theme.

I feel like a lot of my own fic is "Missing Scene" stuff (not that I've written much fic yet! but still). I try hard to fit my fic into the canon, either in the midst of it (as with my FFXII & FFXIV fic) or after it (as with my FFV fic). The thing is, canon usually means SO MUCH to me that I want to extend it. I don't feel I'm trying to fix it, more like... taking a thing that canon made me feel/think and running with it.

I'm not entirely sure I understand the definition of "crack" but I think I've written some? Both Best-Laid Plans & if you like it, then you should've put an earring on it (fics by me) are what I consider to be crack. Ridiculous situations that surprise the reader and make them laugh or smile.

I very much strongly identify with the "Fluff" nomenclature. Most of my fics are short, sweet little things. I have written angst but I'd much rather write happy things.

I like there being some humor in what I read/write. If I can crack up over my own work? BONUS. I think there's room for humor in most longer works, because life is NOT always dreary. Sometimes the funny happens, and that should be included.

I don't do AUs, really. I haven't read much fanfic myself yet, but the idea of reading my favorite characters in alternate settings just doesn't appeal to me. Like I said above: I want to see canon extended, not transformed.

Given that I read so rarely these days, it's a wonder to me that I even have a sense of what I like and dislike. I'm hoping to read more this year, of both traditional published works and fanfic. But yeah, these are some things that draw me.