Trope list (likes/dislikes)
Oct. 14th, 2014 01:38 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
doranwenThe meme seems to be 101 tropes, but I don't know if it'll get that high. We'll see. I'm hoping this proves useful to anyone writing for me. Or reccing a fic. Or just curious about what I like. (Some of these were borrowed from various people, but I rewrote all of 'em and can't trace who I got what from now. A lot were from people's lists linked here.)
1. hurt/comfort (physical or emotional)
2. one character being the safe place or strong one for the other
3. protector with vulnerable person (very awesome if protector is female, too)
4. children being loved
5. best friends becoming more (in a non-sexual way)
6. unbreakable bonds between family (whether biological family or family by choice)
7. complete trust/loyalty from one character to another
8. selflessness and self-sacrifice
9. hidden depths
10. strong characters saving others
11. apocalyptic scenarios
12. characters being competent (particularly women); able to handle details in area of competence well
13. well-done crossovers (as long as I like both fandoms)
14. emotional angst with a happy ending
15. skilled teams working together
16. strong friendships
17. unexpected gentleness (especially from a usually brusque character)
18. comfort/quiet happy endings
19. cuddling for any reason (except sexual); huddle for warmth
20. heroic characters
21. intelligent characters
22. lost in the wilderness
23. trapped/stranded together (yeah, it's almost the same as #22, so sue me)
24. vulnerability in general
25. non-sexual physical touch of any sort (including bathing injured/traumatized person, spooning, cuddling, stroking hair)
26. sharing a bed in a nonsexual situation
27. certain AUs, well written (canon divergence, and sometimes alternate professions or college/highschool)
28. amnesia (especially combined with other tropes above, such as gentleness or protectiveness)
29. characters choosing a relationship without sex because the love is worth it (such as two straight women committing to living together the rest of their lives because they can't imagine not sharing their lives with each other, despite not being sexually attracted to the other)
30. nonsexual soul bonding (is that a thing? I want it to be, lol)
31. platonic OTPs
32. little gestures of caring/affection/caretaking; unspoken affection
33. life-or-death cases (police/FBI)
34. introspective thoughts (particularly about a romantic friend or platonic life partner)
35. snark
36. humor of everyday life (things that could happen but don't usually; not crackfic)
37. well-written fight scenes (without gore)
38. Biblical quotes used appropriately (end of Ender's Shadow, anyone? that made me cry--just LOVE)
40. well-researched science/history
41. realism (hunger, weariness, discomfort as part of everyday life)
42. religion/faith taken seriously in a character's life (particularly Christianity)
43. characters knowing each other well (particularly platonic OTPs, etc.)
44. partnerships (in a non-sexual sense) that work together well and respect each other (Jane and Frost in R&I, for instance)
45. characters willingly suffering to protect someone else
46. tiny details that indicate extensive knowledge of canon
47. superb markmanship (appropriate to the fandom--in most cases, that's with a gun, but if bow & arrow were plausible for the fandom, then yes there)
48. characters going on after losing everyone or almost everyone they love (but I have a love/hate relationship with fics that kill off one of a OTP, so preferably leaving them alone)
49. awesome fic titles (defining "awesome" is hard, though!)
50. "tough" characters able to let down their guard with one or more very close trusted people in their lives
51. in-jokes, friendly teasing
52. people who know how to live in the wild, knowledgeable outdoorsy types, good at anything from survival techniques to tracking to moving silently in the woods
53. non-song quotes used well (that fit the fic, that I actually know, etc.)
54. characters dropped in another world and trying to survive, particularly when it's hard and emotionally difficult and they have to rely on each other (crossover AU is usually the method: Timeless by Becky Bain is a Lois & Clark fic of this type)
55. characters knowing how to get another character to talk, which might mean not right away (maybe means leaving them alone for a bit at first)
56. one character pulling a second against them, back to chest (in non-sexual way), or one character leaning back against another without thinking about it, knowing they'll be welcomed
57. characters who try to keep others from knowing what they've sacrificed or gone through (corollary to #45)
58. long, plotty stories
59. asexual characters discovering this, and not having a big "coming out" thing but just a quiet realization and continuing on with their lives (perhaps not even telling anyone)
60. characters from #59 finding a platonic life partner, Boston marriage style
61. lost/lonely characters finding a family/home in someone
62. stories dealing with all the implications of big events
63. remixes, sequels
64. well-written "Five Things" fic
65. a character not knowing how or maybe even being aware enough to ask for what they want or need, and another character figuring it out and giving it to them anyway
66. episode tags, what happens next, implications of what happened in the ep
67. realistic dealing with trauma recovery (kidnapping, physical or sexual assault) or PTSD
68. characters being plunged into a disaster or crisis and having to just act
69. characters with no touch boundaries (except sexual), related or continuation of #56
70. characters under extreme stress, using black humor to cope, and maybe collapsing at some point
71. the moment when they know everything's going to pieces but they keep going forward because it's the right thing to do
72. characters having to become like soldiers for whatever reason (either in canon, as in Tomorrow, When the War Began, or in fanfic getting military or extra-military training), perhaps having to act off-the-grid, special ops type, etc.
73. tweaking one tiny detail and showing how everything would have happened different from that; butterfly effect (related to #27 but distinct enough for its own number)
74. damaged characters coping with the damage and continuing on with life, even successfully
75. one character being intensely devoted to another
76. hidden talents, particularly physical ones; unexpected competence (corollary to #12)
77. interesting first sentences/paragraphs, whether short, long, detailed, whatever
78. miracles with no possible explanation ("we don't know"); open-ended with possibility of divine intervention (not to be confused with magic realism); endings with a tinge of wonder at impossible things that happened
79. characters being appropriately confident; better at something than someone else and willing to say so, and they're right
80. characters who can't let their guard down completely but do so partly (e.g. unable to allow oneself to be hugged but using hands to grasp parts of jacket or shirt of person and almost leaning into their chest)
81. characters wrestling with their faith and finding a way to remain true to it
82. authors getting all their homophones correct; no spelling errors; perfect punctuation
83. redemption; a character messing up spectacularly and redeeming himself or herself, however long or hard it is
84. a character being relied on or depended on by a group in a situation (anything from leader of a police task force to leader of band of survivors in an apocalyptic scenario)
85. the Bible being treated respectfully and seriously in a fic
86. special nicknames for a character that only one character gets to use
87. a character everyone protects and loves and stands up for
88. standing up for someone who could stand up for themselves but wouldn't (would just take the abuse/insults/whatever)
89. one character tidying up the other (wiping a tear off their face, picking something out of their hair or off their clothes)
90. characters being exhausted and being physically close as a result
91. a character having a breakdown and another character helping them heal; also characters broken completely by others (emotionally), and another character helping them heal and grow strong again
92. fleshed-out background of scene; everything from background noises to lighting to weather; whatever makes me feel like I can picture it perfectly
93. body language described well
94. difficult choices; when there are no good choices; leaders dealing with tough decisions
95. characters being domestic in a platonic way; grocery shopping, who's making dinner, how was your day
96. characters being able to communicate where no one else understands them; either literal private language, code, phrases that mean other things to other people but the second character knows exactly what is meant
97. survival fic of any sort (expansion of #22 and #23); characters used to advanced tech suddenly having to do long-term subsistence
98. realistic kidfic with likeable characters; bonus if they choose their own families for some reason
99. well-written use of linguistics in a fic (origins of words, fluent foreign language, serious conlang, etc.)
100. good depictions of teachers (most films and shows make me wince whenever they show a teacher/classroom scene)
101. oldest siblings taking care of younger ones, especially if parents are nonexistent/abusive/worthless
List of themes/tropes I prefer not to read (definitely won't be going to 101 here):
1. positive sexual feelings/thoughts/actions between chars (I'm ok seeing sex used to hurt, and the aftermath of that)
2. supernatural/fantasy beings (elves, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, zombies, etc.)--the exception being the characters as found in Lord of the Rings (but only in Lord of the Rings--no importing them to another canon)
3. certain AUs (medieval, fantasy, supernatural, fairytale, feudal, space, coffee shop, HDM and most other fandom fusions)
4. songfic (this includes singing or playing to another character, opening the fic with song lyrics, etc. unless they were poetry first)
5. main characters dying
6. calling an adult "baby" or "darling" (sweetheart and sweetie can be OK in a non-sexual context between female friends) - darlin' can be OK when coming from the mouth of a character with a strong Southern/Texas accent, as a general affectionate term
7. M/M or mpreg
8. crack fic (very little of it is actually funny to me)
9. gore (this is not the same as violence); operating room type of things
10. magic realism; supernatural themes of any sort, unless it's a miracle and left with no explanation
11. fics with SPAG errors (a proofreading beta is a must!)
12. heavy description of eating meat (I'm a lifelong vegetarian; it does not appeal, lol--casual mention does not bother me, as obviously most characters would eat it)
1. hurt/comfort (physical or emotional)
2. one character being the safe place or strong one for the other
3. protector with vulnerable person (very awesome if protector is female, too)
4. children being loved
5. best friends becoming more (in a non-sexual way)
6. unbreakable bonds between family (whether biological family or family by choice)
7. complete trust/loyalty from one character to another
8. selflessness and self-sacrifice
9. hidden depths
10. strong characters saving others
11. apocalyptic scenarios
12. characters being competent (particularly women); able to handle details in area of competence well
13. well-done crossovers (as long as I like both fandoms)
14. emotional angst with a happy ending
15. skilled teams working together
16. strong friendships
17. unexpected gentleness (especially from a usually brusque character)
18. comfort/quiet happy endings
19. cuddling for any reason (except sexual); huddle for warmth
20. heroic characters
21. intelligent characters
22. lost in the wilderness
23. trapped/stranded together (yeah, it's almost the same as #22, so sue me)
24. vulnerability in general
25. non-sexual physical touch of any sort (including bathing injured/traumatized person, spooning, cuddling, stroking hair)
26. sharing a bed in a nonsexual situation
27. certain AUs, well written (canon divergence, and sometimes alternate professions or college/highschool)
28. amnesia (especially combined with other tropes above, such as gentleness or protectiveness)
29. characters choosing a relationship without sex because the love is worth it (such as two straight women committing to living together the rest of their lives because they can't imagine not sharing their lives with each other, despite not being sexually attracted to the other)
30. nonsexual soul bonding (is that a thing? I want it to be, lol)
31. platonic OTPs
32. little gestures of caring/affection/caretaking; unspoken affection
33. life-or-death cases (police/FBI)
34. introspective thoughts (particularly about a romantic friend or platonic life partner)
35. snark
36. humor of everyday life (things that could happen but don't usually; not crackfic)
37. well-written fight scenes (without gore)
38. Biblical quotes used appropriately (end of Ender's Shadow, anyone? that made me cry--just LOVE)
40. well-researched science/history
41. realism (hunger, weariness, discomfort as part of everyday life)
42. religion/faith taken seriously in a character's life (particularly Christianity)
43. characters knowing each other well (particularly platonic OTPs, etc.)
44. partnerships (in a non-sexual sense) that work together well and respect each other (Jane and Frost in R&I, for instance)
45. characters willingly suffering to protect someone else
46. tiny details that indicate extensive knowledge of canon
47. superb markmanship (appropriate to the fandom--in most cases, that's with a gun, but if bow & arrow were plausible for the fandom, then yes there)
48. characters going on after losing everyone or almost everyone they love (but I have a love/hate relationship with fics that kill off one of a OTP, so preferably leaving them alone)
49. awesome fic titles (defining "awesome" is hard, though!)
50. "tough" characters able to let down their guard with one or more very close trusted people in their lives
51. in-jokes, friendly teasing
52. people who know how to live in the wild, knowledgeable outdoorsy types, good at anything from survival techniques to tracking to moving silently in the woods
53. non-song quotes used well (that fit the fic, that I actually know, etc.)
54. characters dropped in another world and trying to survive, particularly when it's hard and emotionally difficult and they have to rely on each other (crossover AU is usually the method: Timeless by Becky Bain is a Lois & Clark fic of this type)
55. characters knowing how to get another character to talk, which might mean not right away (maybe means leaving them alone for a bit at first)
56. one character pulling a second against them, back to chest (in non-sexual way), or one character leaning back against another without thinking about it, knowing they'll be welcomed
57. characters who try to keep others from knowing what they've sacrificed or gone through (corollary to #45)
58. long, plotty stories
59. asexual characters discovering this, and not having a big "coming out" thing but just a quiet realization and continuing on with their lives (perhaps not even telling anyone)
60. characters from #59 finding a platonic life partner, Boston marriage style
61. lost/lonely characters finding a family/home in someone
62. stories dealing with all the implications of big events
63. remixes, sequels
64. well-written "Five Things" fic
65. a character not knowing how or maybe even being aware enough to ask for what they want or need, and another character figuring it out and giving it to them anyway
66. episode tags, what happens next, implications of what happened in the ep
67. realistic dealing with trauma recovery (kidnapping, physical or sexual assault) or PTSD
68. characters being plunged into a disaster or crisis and having to just act
69. characters with no touch boundaries (except sexual), related or continuation of #56
70. characters under extreme stress, using black humor to cope, and maybe collapsing at some point
71. the moment when they know everything's going to pieces but they keep going forward because it's the right thing to do
72. characters having to become like soldiers for whatever reason (either in canon, as in Tomorrow, When the War Began, or in fanfic getting military or extra-military training), perhaps having to act off-the-grid, special ops type, etc.
73. tweaking one tiny detail and showing how everything would have happened different from that; butterfly effect (related to #27 but distinct enough for its own number)
74. damaged characters coping with the damage and continuing on with life, even successfully
75. one character being intensely devoted to another
76. hidden talents, particularly physical ones; unexpected competence (corollary to #12)
77. interesting first sentences/paragraphs, whether short, long, detailed, whatever
78. miracles with no possible explanation ("we don't know"); open-ended with possibility of divine intervention (not to be confused with magic realism); endings with a tinge of wonder at impossible things that happened
79. characters being appropriately confident; better at something than someone else and willing to say so, and they're right
80. characters who can't let their guard down completely but do so partly (e.g. unable to allow oneself to be hugged but using hands to grasp parts of jacket or shirt of person and almost leaning into their chest)
81. characters wrestling with their faith and finding a way to remain true to it
82. authors getting all their homophones correct; no spelling errors; perfect punctuation
83. redemption; a character messing up spectacularly and redeeming himself or herself, however long or hard it is
84. a character being relied on or depended on by a group in a situation (anything from leader of a police task force to leader of band of survivors in an apocalyptic scenario)
85. the Bible being treated respectfully and seriously in a fic
86. special nicknames for a character that only one character gets to use
87. a character everyone protects and loves and stands up for
88. standing up for someone who could stand up for themselves but wouldn't (would just take the abuse/insults/whatever)
89. one character tidying up the other (wiping a tear off their face, picking something out of their hair or off their clothes)
90. characters being exhausted and being physically close as a result
91. a character having a breakdown and another character helping them heal; also characters broken completely by others (emotionally), and another character helping them heal and grow strong again
92. fleshed-out background of scene; everything from background noises to lighting to weather; whatever makes me feel like I can picture it perfectly
93. body language described well
94. difficult choices; when there are no good choices; leaders dealing with tough decisions
95. characters being domestic in a platonic way; grocery shopping, who's making dinner, how was your day
96. characters being able to communicate where no one else understands them; either literal private language, code, phrases that mean other things to other people but the second character knows exactly what is meant
97. survival fic of any sort (expansion of #22 and #23); characters used to advanced tech suddenly having to do long-term subsistence
98. realistic kidfic with likeable characters; bonus if they choose their own families for some reason
99. well-written use of linguistics in a fic (origins of words, fluent foreign language, serious conlang, etc.)
100. good depictions of teachers (most films and shows make me wince whenever they show a teacher/classroom scene)
101. oldest siblings taking care of younger ones, especially if parents are nonexistent/abusive/worthless
List of themes/tropes I prefer not to read (definitely won't be going to 101 here):
1. positive sexual feelings/thoughts/actions between chars (I'm ok seeing sex used to hurt, and the aftermath of that)
2. supernatural/fantasy beings (elves, vampires, werewolves, gnomes, zombies, etc.)--the exception being the characters as found in Lord of the Rings (but only in Lord of the Rings--no importing them to another canon)
3. certain AUs (medieval, fantasy, supernatural, fairytale, feudal, space, coffee shop, HDM and most other fandom fusions)
4. songfic (this includes singing or playing to another character, opening the fic with song lyrics, etc. unless they were poetry first)
5. main characters dying
6. calling an adult "baby" or "darling" (sweetheart and sweetie can be OK in a non-sexual context between female friends) - darlin' can be OK when coming from the mouth of a character with a strong Southern/Texas accent, as a general affectionate term
7. M/M or mpreg
8. crack fic (very little of it is actually funny to me)
9. gore (this is not the same as violence); operating room type of things
10. magic realism; supernatural themes of any sort, unless it's a miracle and left with no explanation
11. fics with SPAG errors (a proofreading beta is a must!)
12. heavy description of eating meat (I'm a lifelong vegetarian; it does not appeal, lol--casual mention does not bother me, as obviously most characters would eat it)
