OMl I swear this thread was so funny. I was cackling while reading every reply. As far as overused romance tropes go I've seen most of my pet peeves and even for ones I enjoy I 100% understand where people are coming from. The following isn't a trope I've really seen in a lot of media I've viewed but it definitely exists. I just feel it's not as prominent in anime & manga where the MC has the right to choose based on nothing except them being the MC ( I tend to dislike harem anime for this reason among many others).
But what about Catfights & Dogfights ? Personally, I would like to see more of this. Even in an story where the rivals have been shown to have some dislike for each other if it's between girls it may just turn into some fan service filled contest from time to time and won't really escalate into a fight. I'm aware of a fight in Inuyasha between him and this dude Koga over the girl whose name escapes my mind right now. I only know of this through spoilers since I never finished reading the series. In reality something like this is hectic and make cause unnecessary hurt you would never wish on another person but for the sake of fiction the drama can be exciting to me. With a wide variety of outcomes- e.g. the loser of the fight may win the romantic interest which may not happen.
I feel like with boys a fight over a girl it may seem like an assertion of dominance and may even be hot. The latter reaction can definitely and is usually invoked for a cat-fight as well but somebody might see it as demeaning through. Like maybe through a feminist lens? Like why would two girls lower themselves and fight over a guy. This can also tie into the fidelity stuff mentioned in another post earlier. Especially with a scenario I was planning out. Like if if woman A found out that her husband was cheating with woman b. The light the conflict is viewed in depends on woman a's intention for the fight right? Like I'm fighting to get my husband back or over him vs I just want revenge and to beat that dumb bitch up.
I suppose age is also a big factor as the previous situation deals with adults while in a schoolyard setting all sorts of fights can break out over fleeting love interests. Lol I know from the ghetto school district I attended that this is true.
Also what do you all think of Getting left at the altar ? I don't know if that's what it's called..... But essentially what I'm thinking of is when a couple is broken up on their wedding day when a third love interest gives the mighty "I OBJECT!" This trope doesn't necessarily piss me off as much as it mystifies me. I'm genuinely curious as to what type of person you would have to be to fucking lead someone on and leave them on their wedding day. An affair is one thing. Sometimes it's a mistake and sometime's I'm even cool when the characters know what they are doing. But this shit is a whole 'nother level of wrong in my op.
I'm kinda super duper curious what people think about this cuz I was planning a situation like this in my upcoming webcomic and I don't want to portray anything too too distasteful. But stuff like this happens and I'm looking to explore the consequences of situations like this.Like sometime a romance doesn't just affect the two people involved and it spreads to the family.