nerdy tangents
One Thousand Club
So this is sort of an extension of a character conversation I had awhile back. I have noticed this comes up a lot in relationships where people either write tropes or base their character interactions on real people. So I thought I would create a thread and ask people which they prefer? Trope/Fairytale writing or Grounded writing?
FAIRYTALE (tropes)
This is a trope heavy relationship that usually borrows a lot of story beats from other mediums. Whether that’s TV, movies, books, etc. Characters according to archetypes or tropes, usually with the goal to create heightened emotion. A good example is 90s Rom Coms or soap operas.
GROUNDED (real people)
This ship usually features more grounded circumstance and characterizations. Writers want their characters to mimic real people in how they approach falling in love, interacting with their environment, etc. Despite the preference for grounded portrayals this can cover any genre and situations might be somewhat absurd. A popular trope here is "slow burn." For cinematic examples think Wandavision or Doom Patrol.
EXAMPLE
(thanks to Saurosian for the suggestion to add an example for clarity)
Fairytale Trope : She’s Not Like Other Girls is in love with Most Popular Guy. She has a few makeover montages and a Meet Cute and the two are in love. (Additional plot added as needed)
Grounded Ship : A cosplayer meets up with the most popular guy at school during a convention. The two start up a conversation about their shared love for a specific series.
Thread Updates
1/28/2022 - Update to clarify differences between trope and grounded.
FAIRYTALE (tropes)
This is a trope heavy relationship that usually borrows a lot of story beats from other mediums. Whether that’s TV, movies, books, etc. Characters according to archetypes or tropes, usually with the goal to create heightened emotion. A good example is 90s Rom Coms or soap operas.
GROUNDED (real people)
This ship usually features more grounded circumstance and characterizations. Writers want their characters to mimic real people in how they approach falling in love, interacting with their environment, etc. Despite the preference for grounded portrayals this can cover any genre and situations might be somewhat absurd. A popular trope here is "slow burn." For cinematic examples think Wandavision or Doom Patrol.
EXAMPLE
(thanks to Saurosian for the suggestion to add an example for clarity)
Fairytale Trope : She’s Not Like Other Girls is in love with Most Popular Guy. She has a few makeover montages and a Meet Cute and the two are in love. (Additional plot added as needed)
Grounded Ship : A cosplayer meets up with the most popular guy at school during a convention. The two start up a conversation about their shared love for a specific series.
Thread Updates
1/28/2022 - Update to clarify differences between trope and grounded.
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