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Oct 2020

Since there's already a post on the tropes you love, tell me about the ones you don't enjoy much, find unhealthy or are just plain tired to see every day.


I, for one, am tired of the protagonist always ending up with the first love interest shown in the story. So much for rooting for the second guy. :cry_02:

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    Oct '20
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There are 212 replies with an estimated read time of 33 minutes.

The one I hate is when the writers don't actually write a romance arc, or just barely write these characters to have a minor crush on each other, but they still kiss at the end.

I don't like stories where the main character is really boring or plain, but still manages to get everybody to fall for them...

OH. YES!!! That!! I can't understand why either.

Ok, the thing were the best friend gets super pissy and starts acting like an asshole when the main character gets in a relationship with someone else because the best friend always had feelings for them but never said anything and is now super jealous? I hate that so much (partly because this has happened to me). Even worse when the main character eventually ends up with the best friend who's been acting like an asshole. Can you not please, MC? You are better than that. That best friend should be lucky if they're forgiven, they definitely don't deserve a relationship out of that awful behavior. It doesn't make me go "awww poor best friend is so ignored" it makes me go "wow this entitled whiney bitch, you need to get rid of them from your life MC".

I don't like it when a relationship is super toxic and the writer won't let a character leave because it's "fate". I also don't like it when one person in the duo messes up and their partner refuses to forgive them. It doesn't have to be insta-forgiveness but an arc about a couple learning and growing together is far more dynamic than both characters being "broken", lots of emotional volleyball, and heartache because they refuse to talk with each other.

Yes!!! The jealous best friend annoys me. It's one thing when the story is set up to make them the endgame, but when your single, "angelic" MC only has the one, male best friend - he acts like he's entitled to her.

Omg all of your comments are so agreeable :joy:

Yes, like every fantasy romance where the human MC falls for a supernatural being. They have the personality of a twig and they have this army of supernatural beings ready to die for them

i
hate romance in general<3

ok jk

I wholeheartedly hate love triangle. Especially if the second love interest is so, SO much better and yet the protag ends up with first love interest. Well ,, to be fair, I mostly prefer protag to end up with first love interest (contrary to popular believe, I'm a sucker for first last love), but I still feel bad about the other one:(

I dislike bad boy x good girl, rich guy x poor girl. I don't like the power imbalance on those two tropes. Not to mention a lot of time the good girl is depicted as plain, impeccably kind, and too forgiving. I love me some sassy strong women.

I also don't like when there's romance for the sake of having romance.

I also DETEST minor misunderstandings that can be solved if the two characters just ?? sit down ?? and talk ?? instead of running away and screaming on top of their lungs. Like, when person B was seen with another person, and instead of asking who the other person was, person A ran away and disappeared into oblivion for like a week. Then it turned out it was just ,, person B's siblings ,, or some stupid stuff

Spoilers ahead for those who are reading "This Villainess Wants a Divorce"

Summary

This is wonderfully handled in one of the comics here. I believe it was 'This Villlainess Wants a Divorce'. Kudos to the protagonist, she brings in the person in question, sits with her love interest and clears the misunderstanding immediately.

Alternately, where the main character (usually the girl for this one) is spiteful and mean and bitchy and judgmental to friends and to the love interest alike, but still has everyone fawning over them like irl these people wouldn't have abandoned them ages ago. Like, stop trying to tell me this genuinely awful person is somehow the most adored person in the world (unless that's the point and it's actually psychological drama and this is a master manipulator, but when does that ever happen)

This reminds me of one specific manhwa and one specific manga I had read :sip: Also trueeee it's so annoying! Like, if they didn't have the guts to confess, they didn't have the right to be jealous. Sucks to be broken hearted, but it's on them for being such a coward living in the tiny comfort zone bubble

That's really cool, dang. I wish a lot of stories can do that and spare us from reading 20 extra chapters of repeated misunderstanding :sip:

Also sorry not sorry but I'm cackling when you can't hide the spoilers shdjsjsj I'm sorry :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

When one traps the other against the wall with their arms (and it's not consensual).

:blusht: Ahhh, I couldn't hide it from y'all huh. Oh well...

:rofl::rofl::rofl: I was still in the thread when you replied+edited, that's why I saw every stage you went through :rofl: Well! It's just another learning experience, right? :smile_01:

Sheeesh. Ya. Learned it, at least I learned it.

it's not really a trope I guess, but I really hate when the readers are told these two characters like each other or A likes B, but i just don't see it? like I'm just sitting there asking 'why', and 'how'. Or how in the "hot guy, plain girl" etc. stories the plain girl is supposed to be something rly unique and amazing, and the guy acts like they have never met someone like that before but there's really nothing unique about the girl. So, basically... I dislike the lack of chemistry i guess lol :'D

I guess the creators try to put in humility on the girl but go overboard.

Normal hot guys wouldn't even glance their way.

He rapes her—she loves him.

Abuse and inequality in a relationship is the two I dislike, so teacher-student, and outright abusive relationships are not my thing.

Personal enemies to lovers
like a bully and their victim. Seems toxic to me and thinking back on my own bullies, fuck that noise.
The only time I can accept enemies to lovers is if they're ideological enemies and the story could be about overcoming prejudices and seeing past propaganda and so forth. Stormtrooper x rebel for example.

Cheap drama
like simple misunderstandings or an ex that pops out of nowhere just to get in the way of the main couple and drag out the story.

Well, lemme tell you the one story from my personal file... no, seriously, the hottest guy I was ever in love with, the kind that actually did have amber eyes, lol, married a lovely sweet girl who was short & plump in our 4th year of university. They had common interests and jived.

Just as I had finally hit those 110 lbs, with secret hopes...

I can feel some of this pain. (I will not say I understand, but it's still relatable given my fair share of experiences rooting for the person who doesn't end up with the protagonist in stories)

Exactly! She was lovely and sweet and shared similar interests! They have fantastic reasons to get along. I don't see any of that in the generic love stories.

Oh my god- this! When the protag "falling in love" with their rapist just because said rapist acts like a human being once- Crazy concept.

Cannot stand power imbalances. Relationships founded on things like boss/assistant, teacher/student, and huge age gaps can be and usually are dangerous and/or super toxic. I do think it could be done well if it's portrayed for what it is- toxic- but I think it's super irresponsible of the author to romanticize that kinda stuff.

I think this kind of falls under the same umbrella but I also hate romance stories involving some sort of contract, business deal, or trapping someone in the relationship for the same reason. It's just plain scary to me, I don't care how 'sexy' the dude who forced you into a contract marriage is, it's still abusive and terrifying. It's no better than a romance between a kidnapper and their victim.

This is why I dislike any kind of soulmate plot that makes soulmates inherently romantic/sexual. Like I love a good soulmate romance, love me some soulmates, but I the idea that it's inherently the love of your life takes away the choice. Same reason I'm fussy on reincarnation plots. I love platonic soulmates, they're just the one who completes you in some way, that doesn't mean romance to me and the idea that just because some fate gave you matching soul marks means you're absolutely definitely falling in love no questions asked is kinda uncomfortable. (Honestly, one of my favourite soulmate stories I ever read was a pair who were utterly against soulmate ideas and tried to actively avoid it and eventually became soulmates in hatedom and spent their days as eternal rivals/enemies)

Has soulmates (check)
Has reincarnation (check)

...My story ain't got nothing you said above, I swear.

I hate love triangles between friends.
It can be fun if it takes little time, but when it is extended...
I'm watching Korra and the first season, though great, could have been a lot better without the love triangle drama.
...
Also, BolinXKorra > KorraXMako
Had to say it...

With that trope, i get tired of it because the "hot guy" character usually has 10x the personality as the girl.

But she wasn’t beautiful by any stretch of imagination, to be honest most of the guys at the university who were lookers, ended up with gals who weren’t...

Ahh, I meant the personality of the protagonist. The reason lookers would get it on with those who aren't pretty is because they click. They have common interest or the other person has this something that's charismatic and that which has got nothing to do with looks.

The romance stories that fail to show that 'click' from the point of view of the efforts displayed by the protagonist just fails me, you know? They're just being a normal person, hiding under their hoodie and avoiding class. How am I supposed to know why the guy got attracted to them? XD

Not really a fan of enemies to lovers on a personal level, when it's something like bully and their victim. Two sides of a bigger conflict are okay for me, tho.

Also keep those cold and handsome CEOs away from me. xD

Personality is definitely important in relationships. Heaven-forbid, two people with common interests and complimentary personalities love each other (romantically or not).

In stories, I don't think a lot of writers take into account that guys have taste and can fall in love with someone's heart/personality. One of my best friends in college was one of the hottest guys I've ever seen and we loved each other. However, we loved each other as siblings and nothing more

I don't know if it's been mentioned before but I don't like it when they add a romantic rival, solely for the sake of adding drama. Like an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend, can simply be an ex. Whether they are still friends or not, it's just weird to me that they'll have broken up five years ago and instantly want they back the moment the new partner is introduced.

On a wider scale than this, every one of the opposite gender, or same, or both, depending on the story, is either a "potential romantic rival home wrecker" or "uwu I'm so glad you two are together you're made for each other" and nothing in between.

Not really a trope, but anything with iffy consent is an eh for me. Like the guy being like: oh you didn't say no, so it's a yes. Those get especially uncomfortable if the girl (or I mean, this trope van happen with LGBT and vice versa too) then after a couple iffy consent scenes is like: omg yes this guy his so hot, I'm totally into it now.

And I do agree with a lot of these two: the bland protagonist, the "ugly" not so ugly bookworm and the sassy firecracker who actually doesn't get anything done are very annoying character tropes too for me