Your Least Favorite Romance Trope?

[PinupCitizen]

which trope grinds your gears? mine is the mild mannered fem protagonist ending with the abusive asshole and not the sensible, smart guy (I'm looking at you, Fruit's Basket)

[LunarScyphozoa]

Love triangles, unhealthy relationships only when the story doesn’t realize it’s fucked up, when the only reason they’re dating is because the writer felt like romance was mandatory.. the list goes on

[Dei]

Oh, I like this topic. Funny, because it's International Kissing Day, July 6.

Here's mine:

• The aggressive, obsessive, impulsive, rapist, stalker, alpha, sparkling, blood-sucking billionaire, overly handsome and chiseled (who chiseled you? Michelangelo?) 20-something-year-old CEO. Now, when I come across this I just think of Bill Gates as the MC to make it funny.

• Poorly developed romance, like, the female doesn't want him but gets vv3t for him anyway, like whut? Girl, if you let him touch you unwillingly even if you're high on aphrodisiac, that's rape.

• Romance novels that romanticizes rape, sexual abuse and domestic violence like it's SOO OKAY but not really to be treated that way. It makes me think the younger generation will think this is okay in an actual relationship. Remember Ted Bundy? or maybe Richard Ramirez? Bundy was considered a "Handsome Devil" during his time, but did any of his victims ever get the hots for him to allow him to treat them like they're not human beings? I highly doubt that.

This is why when I try to write chapters with sexual themes, I separate the tone I use for fucking as opposed to making love. Alright?

Now, I wonder which Fruit's Basket couple you're talking about? I must have missed it.

[XiuLyn_12]

Love triangles!
I don't really enjoy childhood friends to lovers idk why.

[Aleksei]

I don't know if this are trope, but this really grinds my gears xd

-The forced romance to avoid all the gay vibes from the MC. Like, Sakura+Sasuke; Hinata+Naruto.
-The excess of sex as an excuse for story/character development.
-When the story is advertised as 'this fellows might get together someday', so I prepare for slow burn, and they get together at the first chapter. Extra points if the second chapter jumps in time for months, so you missed all their getting to know each other, and then you don't know why you must read.

That, beside a lot of what is posted already =D

[ylldre]

• Possessive character painted as romantic….no you’re creepy not romantic, and the sexual assaults of the ‘male’ characters forcing a kiss to the protagonist/ forcing things to the protagonists. These usually found in manhwas.
• Too many abs
• characters that are ceo/powerful manly men it’s like normal guys aren’t even worth considering
• love triangles, dude just explore two characters and make it deep pls

[NickRowler]

• the strange pressure to pair up young characters, made more annoying with forced love interests. I know kids can have crushes but no preteen should be pressured to date.
• Somewhat tied to the first one, teens feeling they have to find their "life partner" and marry once they graduate from school.
• characters who hate each other but won't break up, super common with older characters. Characters whining about hating theirs spouse and wanting them dead or whatever isn't funny. A lot of it is rooted in anti-divorse social pressure and sometimes older people feeling "lesser" if they are single.

[cherrystark]

• Bland as flour female leads

• Entitled, boring male leads or secondary leads

• Secondary characters ignore the toxicity

• And the BIG ONE - Female lead has little to no autonomy in what happens to her in the course of the story. She HAS to fall in love or else.

[Lensing]

The most popular stuff usually makes me cringe the most.
I didn´t watch the movie and I didn´t read the books but I read the summary of
Shades of grey and this is my least favorite romance trope. People love it, but people
love a lot of things that I don´t like.

In general, anything that involves a male rich guy

[moontokkym]

As someone who reads trashy romance novels, I appreciate them in the same way I'd watch The Room (50 Shades being one of my favorites because what other traditionnally published novel has lines as bad as "my cheeks must be the colour of the communist manifesto"?).

However like others have said the "Virgin and the Badboy" trope in romance stories that I'm supposed to take seriously is usually kind of upsetting. I think it's in part because modern ones are cribbing from 50 Shades tropes without realising how abusive they are or where they're from, which isn't necessarily surprising seeing how in 50 Shades Ana reacts just as intensely to completely ok if a little weird events and actual severe mental and physical abuse, and some of the abuse is framed as love. The author insists there's no abuse in 50 Shades when there is clear signs before they even kiss.

To be clear: I'm fine with books that portray abuse in relationships as a theme, provided the author knows that that is what they're writing. When the author knows it the story tends to be way better written and the subtleties of "I still love this person despite them hurting me so much" are a lot more believable and poignant.

The other one I really don't like is the "everyone pairs up at the end" trope. Messy love subplots? Yes. More relationship drama than a reality TV show? Sure, could be fun if written right. Then after all that neatly tie up your love octogon where everyone who's been trying to win other's affections just transfer their affections to a less problematic person and oh look harmony and monogamy, the end.

[Kelheor]

"This could have been resolved by talking with your mouth"

[WhoDrew]

Hi @PinupCitizen

For me, it's the tired cliche of "The Liar Revealed"

[powerplantanimations]

I think all romance should be explored in media THAT SAID there's two that should be hands-off and I do shame the writers for even doing... that's having children in relationships or yeah... having teenagers marry their High School lover. It is annoying that the kid who has a crush on this girl HAPPENS to marry them.

The higher-ups at Disney push for this stuff and from what I'VE seen... the writers. People might think I'm overreacting but like... no? I've seen a bunch of students get into nasty fights because of relationships. It does something psychologically to them that I feel barely NO ONE TALKS ABOUT. And THAT'S just the straight side. Now you got people actively pushing for gay relationships for kids like Owl House. If you ask me, I think that's likely going have an equal effect on those children too. I mean representation's great but man oh man, I'll be damned if children fight in the yard over someone they can't marry in like... twenty years.

I watched Castle in the Sky and I loved the fact that the two protagonists didn't... fall for each other? Disney's obviously trying to copy that style in their newer Pixar films. When I watched that movie I realized how grimey their newer films felt in comparison. Castle in the Sky was so innocent (except for the scene where the henchmen fall for the young girl... what was up with that?).

I'd probably only do relationships if I'm doing a satire on High School media (like I'm currently doing) or if it's a cautionary tale. I'm fine with hinting at the fact that they like something. I feel like the first Shazam film did that best lmao. Like with Billy using his powers to go inside of a strip club and running out after it was implied that they just... talked him out of his money or the Mexican kid saying "not for me" when he saw some chicks. Aside for that, I'm obviously not too crazy about showing committed relationships at that age.

@PinupCitizen As for the abusive bit, I was going to agree with you and go off a tangent why it's stupid... until I realized I'm currently on a James Bond marathon... and On Her Majesty's Service he does end up with the girl despite sleeping with other women and slapping her at the beginning of the film. It ends with her getting shot-up on their wedding day and I was shocked that I... felt... bad for James? Like... despite doing ALLL that, you feel bad because you get the sense that he finally found his equal. It left you with complicated feelings that I'd like to see in more film... because it made you think. Like WOULD they really be happy had she'd been alive? Or would he blow her off and continue to sleep with other women because she's so darn stubborn?

[drewdoniger]

The one thing that I hate the most about most romances is when the treat the start of the relationship as the end goal of the story. They just waffle around with will they won't they stuff, get together, and then the story ends.

That is the most boring part of the romance!

Most of the interesting stuff comes with the relationship struggles, and everything that comes after the relationship starts. I much prefer the stories that have characters get together, and stay together, at the beginning, or at the very least, middle of the story.

The other romance trope, that I don't like, is romance for romance sake. There are a lot, A LOT of stories that have romance in them, but for no reason. It doesn't advance plot, it doesn't advance character. So why add it?

And what's even worse is when they combine the two, adding a romance that doesn't need to exist at the very end.

[abigaillmartin]

Dude Castle in the Sky is my childhood! Patzu and Sheeta are amazing and you can still feel that they have a bond without it being awkward or uncomfortable. It’s really well written. Not all love has to be smoochie smoochie touchy touchy. My parents never kissed in front of me and my siblings but I can always tell they love each other.

Anyway back to Castle in the Sky. 100% recommend it! Studio Ghibli does romance in a good way and it’s not cringe. We should shine more light on them! Thank God for Miyazaki!

[abigaillmartin]

The enemies to lovers trope is dumb too. Why would you fall for your enemy where did this trope come from?

Someone explain to me lol why??!

[LunarScyphozoa]

I think it stems from the fact that when you hate someone you spend a lot of time thinking about them, plus i typically see the trope used when it’s less “you killed my family” and more “lmao sorry man, nice meeting you, but the boss says you gotta die”

[Wirdhere]

Characters where they act super out of character or over exaggerated around their crush,

I don't mind a little awkwardness but when your character is flailing to avoid speaking to someone it gets VERY old (ahem ahem Miraculous Ladybug).

[cherrystark]

It's not really ever done correctly and people like to slap on the enemies to lovers label everywhere. It's supposed to show a solid character growth arc for both parties and mutual understanding. But most of the time, the pairing are antagonists at best.

[abigaillmartin]

Oh Miraculous Ladybug. I love you but I hate you. It’s just unironically funny to watch. Miraculous was actually one of the shows that inspired Elsie. Except it’s not gonna be awkward lol. Honestly Adrian shoulda been the main character but that’s just my opinion.