Other Tropes or cliches you enjoy?

[CrowOuttaHell]

Been looking around recently and a lot of people...don't seem to have the best opinion of using tropes and cliches in writing and in RP. But come on- we've all had those years or guilty pleasures we used to, or may still even enjoy.

So, I'm curious. What are some tropes or cliches you enjoy?

I'm no exception to my own question- I have one I can name off the top of my head that I personally enjoy.

Bad boy meets good girl tropes. Admittedly a guilty pleasure of mine, and I have to stress the guilty part because I honestly trash-talked this trope back then IRL because it seems like every single piece of teenage fiction where I live has this exact trope.

However, what irks me about how this trope is played where I live is that the "bad boys" are usually just portrayed to be rich, princely edgelords. What changed my mind on this trope is, of all things, Grease. What happened to the bad boy trope being embodied by characters like Danny Zuko? That James Dean aesthetic?

Anyway, rant aside, I have a soft spot for this trope since when done right, it shows that two characters can adapt to each other's flaws and differences. So many stories I see either have the guy changing almost everything about himself for the girl (like the example "bad boy" I mentioned above) or vice versa (Grease...ironically enough.)

 

[Jannah]

Forbidden romance scenarios, primarily in historical settings where social status and expectations were more rigid.

 

[obieblu]

I like the curmudgeon who gets dragged into caring about someone.
I like the self-sacrificing antihero.

 

[Lord Aphrodite]

God, my favorite trope has to be the “massively huge and muscular guy is actually the biggest sweetheart you’ll ever meet” trope.

 

[Abendrot]

Redemption arcs. Biggest POS through entire story saves the day at the end with a selfless act. Gets me every time.

 

[Jannah]

Redemption arcs. Biggest POS through entire story saves the day at the end with a selfless act. Gets me every time.

Gotta agree there.

 

[mon]

I would say opposites attract but that's such a large genre. Probably role reversals or tropes where characters don't meet the eye (gap moe in Japanese terms). For example, that big scary guy who turns out to actually be a giant teddy bear who wouldn't hurt a fly, or that cold-stoned bitch who's actually more thin-skinned than she seems.

In terms of role reversals, I love seeing assertive, dominant females chasing after the innocent, oblivious (or pretending to be oblivious) males. Unfortunately, this is such a rare trope but when I do see it play out, Jove knows I jump on that wagon hard.

 

[Makomin]

LMAO I have no idea whether this is considered a trope or not yet because the opposite of this is seen more often. But increasingly, I've seen this particular trope used in a number of movies and books:

Character A: You won't shoot me. You're too good.
Character B: Okay. /shoots person/​

 

[Windsock]

"Through the power of trust, love, and friendship, I'm gonna kick your ass! by myself"

 

[Blemmigan]

God, my favorite trope has to be the “massively huge and muscular guy is actually the biggest sweetheart you’ll ever meet” trope.

Came here to say this. Love a gentle giant type character: big, dangerous-looking, ugly chap who wouldn't hurt a fly.
Or one who's gruff and actually dangerous, but has the ol' cliché heart of gold when it comes to certain people.

Same for an old or otherwise not-strong-looking character who is underestimated- to people's peril.

I guess everything can be considered a trope in itself, though, there are that many stories. So not sure if it counts, but I'm a fan of gradual worldbuilding: throwing you into the deep end with the story in a place that doesn't quite make sense, and letting the details and background build up around you as you read/play/watch on. More fun than exposition dumps, to say the least.

 

[Lord Aphrodite]

Came here to say this. Love a gentle giant type character: big, dangerous-looking, ugly chap who wouldn't hurt a fly.
Or one who's gruff and actually dangerous, but has the ol' cliché heart of gold when it comes to certain people.

I guess everything can be considered a trope in itself, though, there are that many stories. So not sure if it counts, but I'm a fan of gradual worldbuilding: throwing you into the deep end with the story in a place that doesn't quite make sense, and letting the details and background build up around you as you read/play/watch on. More fun than exposition dumps, to say the least.

I'm using this trope for another RP for Young Justice. My character is a 6'2 Kryptonian trained in various forms of alien martial arts. Literally one of the most deadly beings in the universe. He works at a Justice League giftshop and likes giving out plushies to kids. I'm planning on having him work at a nursing home in the future.

 

[Butcher Bird]

"We were meant to be together, even if we weren't meant to be happy."

"In another time, another life."

"When perfect isn't good enough."

Also. Broken. Pedestals.

 

[kevintheradioguy]

Hm. Magic five, I think.

 

[ThePurpleWitch]

Shy, timid, klutzy, nobody male/female becomes hero or famous either by sheer chance. LOVE. IT.

 

[tinydollxo]

Enemies thrown together by force who eventually bond lol yikes

 

[Alvis Delle Pree]

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[Winter_Wolf]

Partners who troll each other in their off time, but have each other’s back when it hits the fan.

 

[Jannah]

Going off the last image here one kind of RP I personally really enjoy is two military recruits bonding as they go through hell on the battlefield and stuff. Like, they start out as complete strangers, but then in battle they begin to bond eventually becoming friends.

 

[Jannah]

I like this one too, but I am a thot for romance so I always go "strangers to comrades, to friends, to lovers" which is why I am a complete and UTTER sucker for R76 S.E.P era stories . . . and romantic military/soldier/space-cowboy-browncoat style RPs. Shit fucking BREAD AND BUTTER!!!!!

To be honest I'm not a huge fan of the whole "two soldiers falling in love" stories, partially because I'm not really into MxM(most of my military stories star male soldiers only since they're in historical settings) and because I think it's cheesy. I'm strictly platonic in those, although I will do romance in other RP's.

 

[CrowOuttaHell]

Visited this thread to see why it was getting so many replies and Y yanastyboi seems to be very, very fond of this. XD

 

[PhoenixMire]

Man I have so many tropes I love... lemme list the ones I can think of off the top of my head lol

- Ancient characters. Hundreds of years old, maybe even thousands. I've seen ancient characters that really act ancient; they've been through a lot, and it shows. I've seen ancient characters that act like total lovable idiots and you could never guess they're centuries old if they didn't tell you. I love both types.
- Characters that have some sort of really strong power they can't control - and when they snap, they snap. They can't handle their powers. Maybe they end up hurting someone they didn't mean to hurt. Regret ensues. I looove this trope, but it has to be handled well, because as a general rule of thumb I tend to dislike overpowered characters.
- "The big secret" type of cliche. I don't mean the typical soap opera/chick flick drama secret in which Tiffany has a crush on Chad and can't let his girlfriend Karen know - no, I loathe that. I mean something like... a character being an actual monster and trying to pass themselves off as human because they want to live a human life, and they don't want their human friends to be afraid of them. Just any kind of "big secret" type of thing like that.
- Forbidden romance... occasionally. It's very rare that I enjoy romance, but sometimes I'll be in the mood for a classic forbidden romance scenario. Although I can't stand any romance if it's overly sappy.
- Characters that start out hating each other but grow to really care about each other, even if it's just in a platonic way. I love it.
- That stupid edgy trope in which a character snaps and goes totally insane. I have a huge weakness for this. It's pretty cringey when it isn't done well - and yet I still find myself kinda getting into it anyway. And it's absolutely amazing when it's well-developed and well-written.

 

[weldherwings]

Y yanastyboi i'm LIVING for your replies! i applaud you!

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[Jannah]

Man I have so many tropes I love... lemme list the ones I can think of off the top of my head lol

- Ancient characters. Hundreds of years old, maybe even thousands. I've seen ancient characters that really act ancient; they've been through a lot, and it shows. I've seen ancient characters that act like total lovable idiots and you could never guess they're centuries old if they didn't tell you. I love both types.

I feel like you'd be fond of the vampire character I'm writing on another site. He's ancient as he was a Roman soldier. He was well-respected and had worked his way up the ranks until suddenly he fell out of favour with the Emperor. The next thing he knows he's fighting for his life in the arena. Finally he was rescued and then turned into vampire. He continued to live out a soldier's life, serving as a mercenary in countless prominent battles over the centuries.

Finally, by the 1800's he became tired of fighting and simply wanted to settle down. He hasn't had much luck so far, though. Haha.

 

[Lorsh]

i like very vanilla zombie roleplays and their associated tropes.

 

[JadeGreen17]

-Gentle Giants, or any big/mean looking on the outside character who on the inside is just a big teddy bear.
-Crouching Moron-Hidden Badass characters. Someone who acts like an idiot for 90% of the RP/Story then in the big final battle suddenly becomes a key player or shows their true colors.
-Philosophically broken Villains. A villain who has some intricate nihilistic or backwards philosophy that they cannot be deterred from or talked away from. Any hero trying to talk them down and explain why what they're doing is wrong will be expertly rebutdtaled.
-Giant lovecraftian horror monsters when played for comedy.
-Characters with robotic/prosthetic limbs.
-Capes or long hair when it would not be practical for combat.
-Weird, absurd or impractical weapons treated as just as useful as practical ones.
-Martial Arts fights incorporating unnecessary flips or spins.
-Fast characters dodging bullets.
-Spider tanks, walker tanks, or giant mechs.
-Holograms. Holograms. Holograms.
-Scifi ships broadsiding each other with weapons like WW2 battleships. Not "realistic" I know but if one uses "real" space warfare it greatly alters the pace and flow of the action. Not saying scientifically accurate space warfare can't be made just as engaging with the right writing style and setting but... yeah.
-Human-like aliens (Hear me out) A lot of people don't like the trope of aliens being "Humans, but green" but making an alien human like lets you relate to their character more. Making them human enough to at least breathe oxygen and be able to speak in some manner is useful for mid-low realism science fiction, or any sci fi setting where the biochemical or communication barrier between humans and aliens isn't the focus. Though in this instance they're used more like orks, elves, goblins, dwarves and other fantasy races.