What is your favourite romance tropes?

[mx_Jinn]

As the title says, what is your favourite romance trope?

I personally love meet cute stories. Especially if one of them is a himbo and bumbles around like a clueless person.

Also a big fan of enemies to lovers and stories about older women finding love. ️

[WillowTree]

Enemies to lovers is my favorite to read!! I really struggle writing it though because I end up being like 'This guy's an asshole, I'm going to hook my MC up with his best friend instead.'

Also I'm a sucker for any kind of 'coffeeshop' 'library' etc meet cutes!

For writing, I like writing May-December or May-September

Edit to add - 'THERE WAS ONLY ONE BED' and 'cuddling for warmth' and 'They were ROOMMATES!"

[WolfUnderTheMoon89]

I think enemy to lovers for me

[migxmeg]

Yes, enemy to lovers! Tension is hot <3.

I also really like old friends to lovers - when it's done well watching friendship turn into something else is beautiful

[DiegoPalacios]

Not sure if it has an official trope name, but what i like are those little moment when the chemistry between the couple is conveyed, like them having some inner jokes, them working as a team or seeing them just chill out together.

[migxmeg]

Ahaha, that reminded me of the moment in Spice and Wolf when Holo is teasing Lawrence about the "only one bed" thing .

[Dysis]

I really struggle writing it though because I end up being like 'This guy's an asshole, I'm going to hook my MC up with his best friend instead.'

Ahh, this can't be more relatable.

[domisotto]

It's easier for me to list the tropes I don't love!

But my absolute favorites are:

Love at the first sight: yes, it is much maligned, but when writers manage to catch the spirit of that realization that this stranger in front of you is someone who captivates you, it's glorious

Enemies to Lovers or Rivalry romances: the bickering and the tension is hard to match, and they usually necessitate an interesting set up

Polyamory: I am not big on One true Love, I love the dynamic of relationship that reflect attraction and eyes wide-opened of a more pragmatic or mature love

On the other end of the spectrum, Unrequited Love also makes my day

[WillowTree]

Haha I'm happy it's not just me then!

[HGohwell]

I'm a simple soul. I love the italicized Oh moment when they idiots who've been pining and obvious for several hundred pages finally realise.

Also, it's not quite a trope, I think, but I'm a sucker for reincarnation romance where they actually tackle are we in love or is it just because of reincarnations and they were in love?

Polyamory: I am not big on One true Love, I love the dynamic of relationship that reflect attraction and eyes wide-opened of a more pragmatic or mature love

This particular one, I love some polyamory, especially when it's written as no big deal. But I also love One True Love. Especially if I can get them both because, you know, people who believe in both can exist in the same world, and I love when a story manages to do both naturally.

[domisotto]

My biggest struggle when writing romance is making male leads in the possessive and overbearing mold. My male leads almost always end up whimsical, intractable and funny.

[JoshRaid]

That moment where you want them to kiss so bad but they don't and you're just waiting for that moment to come.

[MeltingCORE]

ngl but I'm a sucker for childhood friends to lovers. (I think because it reminds me of my own relationship, I've been with my boyfriend since we were literally 13 and in middle school. We're 25 now.)

I don't usually write romance however haha! I usually prefer to write friendships. If I do write romance, it's usually super drawn out and integral to the bigger plot.

[EmmyPax]

I love a good enemies to lovers but like, a GOOD one. And like you guys all said, it's hard. I don't want it to feel like one person is ignoring red flags or something. Sometimes the "enemies" section resembles real life abusive behaviors tooooooooooooooo much. But when it's done well, ah, how I love it!

Old friends to lovers is also great. Also, I may be alone in this, but I like love triangles. The more the better! They can be done poorly, but I enjoy the interplay between competing ships and complicated webs of people not having a clue what they want. Mostly, it's just very fun to write, because everyone is a mess.

[cherrystark]

I like a lot of the tropes people have already shared.

Especially for romance plotlines, I really enjoy it when you have a guy that you think is the stereotypical "hot, male, jerkface" who treats women like objects but is in reality, this warm, sensitive cuddlebear who treats his love interest and all women he interacts with as queens.

I also really enjoy the "best friends to lovers" trope. Enemies to lovers is great, but there is something about two characters who have been together through hell and back and just want to be together. Like the future is scary, but I can face it with you by my side.

[HGohwell]

Also, I may be alone in this, but I like love triangles.

I love a well done love triangle. They get a really bad name because of all the badly done overly dramatic ones. But a really good well written love web (because love is messy irl come on especially for teenagers) can be amazing.

[domisotto]

But I also love One True Love. Especially if I can get them both because, you know, people who believe in both can exist in the same world, and I love when a story manages to do both naturally.

I will read the One True Love when it happens in the presence of choices, trial and error. What I have a hard time with is OTL stories that imply that it is First, One and Only love, particularly when they are like, 16. It's so outside my experiences, I can't jive.

[sxxaint]

omg i forgot how much i love this trope! the realisation moment for one of them, and then the nerves and agonising over ruining the friendship, and seeing how well they know each other already, and then the final confession bit (and if the other's like 'yeah, i've been into you for ages didn't you know') ~

[HGohwell]

stories that imply that it is First, One and Only love, particularly when they are like, 16. It's so outside my experiences, I can't jive.

Whenever teens do that (outside of like magical soulmate stories or something) I'm just like yep that's dramatic teens being teens. They're gonna be together forever and no one has ever felt a love like theirs. (tbh the ridiculous drama of teen romances is a guilty pleasure)

[migxmeg]

Yesss if it's a longer story, I also enjoy the part where their feelings don't match and you can get all these awkward we're buddies and it's not weird for you but it's weird for me scenes AAAAH <3.