Favorite tropes?

[emmagrant01]

People are pointing out in the last post that it's hard to identify what makes a fic great, but that we know it when we see it. So I want to ask a slightly more focused question and see what y'all think.  Side note: Isn't this fun? :-D

What is your very favorite fic trope, kink, or scenario? What is your favorite thing to read, the one thing that you love so much you'll forgive a multitude of writing sins for it? Is it fandom- or pairing-specific, or is it something you love reading in every fandom?

For me, my all-time favorite trope is the one with two guys in some sort of exciting or adventurous/mysterious situation that they have to work together to get out of, and along the way the teamwork inspires attraction that wasn't there before. (So obviously, this would be a first-time trope.)  Bonus points if they're in some sort of mortal danger that pushes them to re-evaluate their lives and what they want. Super-bonus points for massive UST that culminates in OMG-I-WANT-YOU-RIGHT-THIS-MINUTE sex, where they can't even get all their clothes off in time and maybe haven't even thought through the ramifications of a sexual relationship with each other. Yeah... *coughs*

The interesting thing for me is that this is my favorite trope in every fandom. When I look back at all of my favorite fandoms and pairings, from Qui/Obi to Harry/Draco to Kirk/McCoy to John/Sherlock, this is my very favorite thing to read.

So, what does it for you?

Comments

[hollys_tree]

Very specific ones, (I even tolerate bad writing to some extent when it comes to these)

- sharing body heat
- sharing a bed
- hair touching/scalp massages


General ones

- Same as you actually; I love the "working together and discovering new sides of the other, while having LOTS of UST" trope. :) This just makes the best long fics.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

OMG, sharing body heat! When I went to see "Brokeback Mountain" in the theater, it was all I could do not to giggle insanely during that whole "let's share body heat" scene in the tent, because it was such a HUGE slash fic trope in the fandom I was in at the time. :-D

[sorion.livejournal.com]

I like first-time/developing lovers and then later other people becoming aware of the relationship. Mostly because those are the scenarios that have the most interactions and dialogues XD

I don't really care what the story surrounding that situation is, as long as it's well written.

And I don't think I have a particular set of kinks or the likes. I'll read the tamest or weirdest shit, as long as the writer knows what they're doing... (and it has awesome banter/dialogue/character development).
What you could say, though, is that I care less about the plot and more about the characters.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Ooh, interesting! So there aren't any instant-read tropes for you?

[katieupsidedown.livejournal.com]

- slow burn first time/get together
- enemies turned lovers after one has to take care of the other for some reason
- with "pairings" containing more than two characters: constant cuddle puppypiles
- Character A is in danger and Character B has to go all surprise BAMF to rescue him

... I know there's more I'm not thinking of, but those are all good things.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

OMG pretend boyfriends! YES. SO much yes there. Oh, that was a big one in the TPM fandom. (How many of those "we have to pretend we're lovers for this mission" fics did I read? ALL OF THEM. :-D

[meri-oddities.livejournal.com]

These are also my favorite troupes to write as well:

o Long slow build-up of a relationship between 2 people who don't like each other.

o Forced marriage, courtship or bonding where they are required to learn to get along.

o Hurt/Comfort

o Interwoven canon in an AU, so that it's recognizable, but still original

[amorette.livejournal.com]

I also love forced marriage or bonding! Such a good trope!

[rickey-a.livejournal.com]

Hurt/Comfort in spades!
One's critically ill/injured/cursed/etc. and the other has to reluctantly come to his aide or wants to give aide and the other is reluctant. When done well, it pushes all my buttons. Ru and Arsenic are masters at it, but so many other folks write H/C well and I fall right into their laps.

[pauraque]

I don't know if this is specific enough to be a trope exactly, but one thing I've noticed that I always love in every fic that has it, is when the characters have strong feelings for each other, but they never actually come right out and say it. It's not the same thing as UST, though it can be done in UST stories, as well as stories where the characters are already a couple, or even friendship fics. What I find riveting is that they never *talk* about their relationship. Everything is conveyed through actions, looks, touches, conversations that seem like they're about something else but have a deeper meaning, etc.

There are plenty of examples of this in published literature too, but I feel like it's more noticeable in fandom because "They actually talk about their feelings for each other" is such a huge part of a lot of fic, in many fandoms. You get plenty of stories where the big emotional payoff is that X admits he loves Y, and I totally get why people like that, but it doesn't do much for me.

[katieupsidedown.livejournal.com]

I feel like Swordspoint is a really good example of this, although there may be some fairly overt Declarations of Feeling in there at some point, at least one-sided ones. I don't remember. But it's part of why I loved that book so much when I first read it. It's so focused on the characters and examining them, but it does waaay more show than it does tell. Some of my favorite published works are ones that manage this to some degree.

[oninomaggie.livejournal.com]

Characters that don't really like each other much, but have huge sexual chemistry. Think Sam & Diane on Cheers, or (especially) Owen & Gwen in Torchwood. Especially if it leads to really hot hatefucking, and there is no sappy love story to take the edge off. Bonus if there's a "holy shit I can't believe we survived that, I need to fuck you right here and now to prove that I'm still alive" vibe.

[lijahlover.livejournal.com]

A guaranted trope for me is a OMG I need you right here and now. It can be up against a wall or on the dinning room table. Mmmmmmmmm and along with ripping off clothes I enjoy dirty talk or if it's H/D parselsmut. Oh if it's H/D I also love it more if they take time to prepare each other manually instead of using spells only. Spells are all well and good if they have to have each other right here right now though.

A story doesn't have to be that well written if it has needy sex with dirty talk in it. :)

Oh and I also like frottage and some bondage also, that always sets me on fire. :)))))

[nenne.livejournal.com]

I'm a sucker for magic-gone-wrong-scenarios. Potions accidents, forced bonding, de-aging stories etc. Preferably set in an eighth year setting. Lots and lots of UST that finally gets resolved is definitely a bonus. :)

Another guilty pleasure of mine are secret admirer stories. I know that they often are thirteen to the dozen, but I do love them. :)

[faithwood.livejournal.com]

Fuck or die.

This was easy.

[amorette.livejournal.com]

See, I was brainstorming fuck or die scenarios a little while ago (haha.. don't even ask me why) and I couldn't think of any past like, they get kidnapped and are told to do it, or that one H/D fic where one of them was super cold and the other was super hot and needed each other to survive.... But maybe I just have a terrible imagination??

I don't like to cast things like bonding into the fuck or die category, because it seems too easy.

[starduchess.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adore hurt/comfort fics. There's something very touching in seeing one character take care of another, especially if it is unwilling at first. I also am a big fan of forced bonding/marriage fics and creature inheritance fics (which there is a lot in Harry Potter) and vampire fics -- OMG bloodplay, yes!

A huge sexual kink for me is bondage. The fic could be horribly written and I would still enjoy picturing the scene in my head (and getting very aroused). Almost doesn't matter what the plot is, although if there is story and a true emotional connection or growing connection between the characters, that's even more of a plus.

[amorette.livejournal.com]

I am specifically talking H/D because that's really the only pairing/fandom thing I am into right now.

- Truth or Dare! Or other drinking games, but mainly truth or dare.

- Sharing a bed/dorm room

- Forced bonding where they have to have physical contact

- slave fic

- Vampire Draco where he has to have Harry's blood (since, of course, Harry's his mate)

Such silly stereotypes, but there's a reason they became so widely used... they are good!

[wooly-bear.livejournal.com]

Cat!Harry. DON'T JUDGE ME! :D

[tripperfunster.livejournal.com]

YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED! ;)

[ashkitty.livejournal.com]

I have a serious thing for an undercurrent of destiny bringing them back together. (If this can be combined with the one you mentioned, all the better.) See: Will/Bran, Kirk/Spock, Fitz/Fool, etc etc ad nauseum. ;)

[who_la_hoop]

Forced bonding! ♥

Oh for sure...

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

Hurt/Comfort fics with the couple being pre-slash at the time and then progressing to a relationship. I keel over and faint when I run into a great one.

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

-Sexy, sexy, sexytimes with lots of vocalization, bruised hipbones, biting, licking, urgency, pounding into the mattress/floor/desk /wall, loss of control. Omegaverse fics will hit every single one of these.
-UST
-Deep and believable interpersonal angst that is resolved with awesome character growth leading to a HEA and lots of sexy sexytimes (see above).

I'm also discovering tropes I adore in Sherlock fics that are very specific to these characters and universe that I would not look for in HP fics.
-Magical realism fics with body markings that indicate a deep emotional connection. The way the reveal is handled will make a or break a fic for me, but I'll read it all because it's what I want for John and Sherlock.
-When Sherlock first met John and their emerging friendship/relationship at different ages/in crossovers/careers. I really love me some Johnlock AU that lets me experience their becoming friends and eventually lovers.

[foxestacado.livejournal.com]

In my experience, the Sherlock fandom has been pretty singular in the types of magical realism stories that have been written. The body markings fics...where did that even come from? Are they cross overs from another book universe? And there have been plenty of original and fandom-original alternate universes that have pretty readily been adapted into Sherlock fanfic. It's been altogether fascinating and utterly engrossing.

[helens78]

My all-time favorite bulletproof trope is the one where two people start having sex, and then fall in love. There's so much variety to that! You can have arranged marriages, or slavefic situations, or it could just be that they're casually hooking up, or whatever.

To use an AO3 tag for it, that's "Unresolved Emotional Tension". :D It is my VERY FAVORITE. I will read that across fandoms, which is pretty unusual for me!

Some other things I love, in no particular order:

* Characters in dubcon situations who are actually able to enjoy their circumstances and feel as though they're choosing their partners! (Arranged marriages, consensual slavery contracts...)

* Breakup/ex-sex fic. People who have feelings for each other that were interrupted, but are still really, really strong, to the point where even though they're not together and have serious issues to work through, they still end up hooking up. (...I find myself thinking that a post-Reichenbach fic could fit in this category...)

* The long-long-long-long slow burn: characters who have either UST or UET for ever and ever until finally something gets them to make that giant leap of faith (and of course the other person returns their feelings!).

* For shorter fics: One character has a kink (doesn't have to be a BDSM-style kink; it can be a kink for cuddling, if it's not a cuddly character, for instance). They are pretty sure they're not going to find anyone who will even accept that kink, let alone enjoy it with them. But hark! The other half of their OTP is just as interested in that kink, and wants to do it with them! HOORAY!!!!

[twilightcat.livejournal.com]

I looooooove sworn enemies that end up fucking. So hot. They get into a fight, one of many, and this one's the most intense one yet. For some reason one of them kisses the other. He doesn't know why; he's just as shocked as the recipient. Then something shifts and they kiss again, urgently, pulling clothes off, shoving each other against walls, pushing everything on a table onto the floor, and then fucking like they need each other to live but have only just now realised it.

I think they did this scene very well in Buffy, though it wasn't slash (sadly).

Draco/Harry is my favourite for this trope, almost tied with Doctor/Master. First times go hand-in-hand with this. I like the UST and the build-up, but not so much of it that I loose interest.

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

I love reunion fic. That could mean broken-up lovers come back together, or the end of a physical separation, or whatever. I also love established relationship fic where they're struggling with some big emotional issue and then they reaffirm their feelings for each other at the end.

Also, kink acceptance. I have my favorite kinks, of course (spanking, rimming, fisting, basically anything involving an ass except scat, LOL), but I like this trope with just about anything -- what I find interesting is the vulnerability on the part of the person with a kink they're afraid to ask for, and the willingness of the other partner to try it out and give person A what (s)he wants.

[dracones.livejournal.com]

I like the ones that start as pretend relationships where somewhere along the way they get confused and flangsty about whether or not it's all part of the arrangement or if it's something deeper.

Also, specific to Harry/Draco, I like possessive but reasonable, powerful Harry paired with a snarky and dense Draco. Oh and formal courtship fics :D

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Side note: Isn't this fun? :-D YES. YES IT IS.

My rapekink is so overt, it's notorious. But it's the essence of the characters that I like that makes it for me, not just some anonymous dreadful violent act. Invariably, the character I identify with is the victim.

Favorite flavors include:

1. hot villains committing the deed
2. victim submitting to save an innocent person/loved one
2a. and then doing it in FRONT of that person
3. doing it in public or recording it to show off later
4. slavery and its ramifications
5. forced marriage and forced wedding night
6. bondage/sadism accompaniments used in the act
7. implication that they stay in the villain's clutches, unrescued (especially if they've agreed to submit)
8. tearful sexual comfort if they are rescued (because I'm a sap, even if recovery don't work that way)
9. undercover "oh, no, I have to rape you now" (*heartstab*)

[pauraque]

undercover "oh, no, I have to rape you now" (*heartstab*)

You mean as in, a good guy has to do bad things to someone because of plot-related reasons such as being undercover?

[yaycoffee.livejournal.com]

Oooo! Good question.

First time/getting together.
Sleeping together (not sex (yet), just sharing a bed).
For H/D, specifically, I also will read and re-read All The Stories of those guys having to work together to solve a problem and then end up together. All The Stories!!! ;-)

[mayracs.livejournal.com]

~one partner being possessive of the other "your mine" gets me every time <333
~Hot/Intense/Detailed sex/kiss scenes ;)
~First Time kiss/virgin always consentual, I dislike non-con it ruins it for me
~Details, taking the time to describe details in a scene
~character studies
~Full Mystery, from beginning to end with everything wrapped up in a neat little bow.

I'm sure there are more things I like but I can't think of them right now, lol