#narrative tropes

[humunanunga]

Enough of the trope where memory loss undoes the damage or the corruption or whatever. More content where removing memories just removes the context.

The tragedy of needing to grieve and not knowing what or who you lost or why. The angst of having trauma and being denied the awareness that it's trauma. The suspense of being different somehow and left to wonder how and when. The tension of knowing that something is off and you can't find where it hurts. The Adventure Zone gets it. Kingdom Hearts gets it.

There is an aching inside you and you don't know how it got there.

#i think about xion or the stolen century and need to lay down. i'm so normal about them. #tropes #narrative tropes #memory loss #tragedy #angst #the adventure zone #taz balance #the stolen century #kingdom hearts #xion #writing #musings #hall of fame

[sidras-tak]

#sparklepants #for me it’s the memory loss #never seen that trope done well. ever. and I’m actively mad about it every time it happens #tv tropes #narrative tropes #there’s like no good way to tag this huh #but I do want to know everyone’s thoughts #also hoping I didn’t miss something obvious as a choice

[spiegelgestalt]

Maomao is her own villainess who cares about class and propriety

You know how in a lot of shojo/josei literature there is a villainess (either the mother or a rival) who is deeply offended by the romance between the princley ML/ commoner FL because it's.just.not.done and commoner FL could never be worthy of ML?

one of the more brilliant narrative moves of kusuriya is to combine the person who cares about status and propriety to a frankly unsettling degree with the protagonist.

Because that has a lot of advantages:

First: this conflict between class/person is now an internal one. One of the reasons Maomao has difficulty accepting Jinshis advances is because she sees herself as unworthy of him. She really can't understand what he sees in her.

Second: It's realistic. Of course Mao Mao is aware of the class system. She knows she survives on the good graces of the people in power. She knows she's unfree to a certain point. She knows she has far more to lose. She wields this class system expertly to gain a maximum of freedom. I find it pretty telling how few of the rules Maomao actually breaks while still living the life she wants.

Third: It frees up the villains to have other reasons for their villainy. Even Lakan the person who comes closest to this character cares more about having a relationship to Maomao than about destroying Jinshi because he's not good enough. And he's rightly called a weirdo for his obsessions. The other villains (the Ma-Clan, the white lady, Gyouk-Ou) have other reasons for their villainy who've frankly nothing to do with the romance.

and I find that refreshing

#kusuriya no hitorigoto #kusuriya no hitorigoto spoilers #Jinmao #Maomao #Character tropes #Blink and you miss it Lakan #One day I will write about the La clan #I will write a shipping post for loulan/maomao #Aaahhh so much feelings #And so little time #Narrative tropes

[noose-lion]

If a wife is dead before the story, she better stay fucking dead.

#narrative tropes #tropes #story telling #movies #writing #jester lore #jester's ramblings #jesters privilege

[bnhabeans]

I think the reason BNHA is so fruity is that every character has some sort of narrative parallel with almost every other character.

Literally pick any two characters from class 1a and you'll probably find something that fits. Either they got narrative tropes or they just say really sussy things to/about each other. Or they're one of the big 4 chars, in which case both are true.

#bnha #mha #gay #fruity #narrative tropes #this is not at all serious btw #or is it? #bkdk #tddk #krbk #tdbk #krdk #thoughtses #class 1a

[somelocusts]

As far as I'm concerned, there's no better trope than "You aren't evil. You aren't irredeemable. You're grieving. That's normal. But you're hurting people, and you're hurting yourself, and I can't let you do that. So if you need to hurt someone, hurt me. I can take it. And when you've worn yourself out, I'll still love you."

#Narrative tropes #Radical love #Tropes #Media tropes #character dynamics

[a-really-good-lawyer]

I've seen a number of discussions of the NMCU Daredevil ep Nelson V Murdock, some of which I couldn't understand, and figured I'd throw in my 2 cents so far as my feelings on one particular thing.

I really, really dislike what I call the 'BFF Secret Identity Reveal Fallout' trope.

I see it all the time, often as a key narrative beat when attempting to create tension or complexity. The hero has someone they care for or trust more than anyone else, but they keep the secret out of fear - fear of a number of things, but often at the core a fear of rejection. This might be amplified by the BBF previously expressing negative feelings about the masked persona.

Then the secret comes out, and just as they feared the BFF is angry, and at the center of the interpersonal tension is the fact that the hero lied, and that's the part that gets to me, because the reasons for why the hero lied seem to so rarely be taken into consideration - lying, especially to a loved one, is depicted as wrong in and of itself.

But here's the thing - lying isn't inherently amoral.

(I'll note here that I recognize this is an opinion - our personal morals are steadfast, connecting to our core values, which are actually the anchors of our identities/sense of self, but they're just that: personal, not universally absolute. What I'm expressing here is my own opinion.)

The concept that it is inherently amoral gets my back up, and I know it's because of personal experience (good times with trauma! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧), but I think my feelings are legitimate nonetheless. I know how it is to lie to protect yourself or others from harm, physical or otherwise; that there are times honesty is unsafe, or even simply unkind. I know how it is to lie out of fear of rejection - every time I come out to someone I feel it. I've learned the hard way that someone who has given every indication that they have zero issue with queerness and would be accepting of my queerness can end up not being accepting. It rips my heart out every time, and does nothing to help my own trust issues - this reminder that you can never actually know how a person will react to something, or how they'll treat you as a result.

I know how it is for a friend to believe that them showing me trust creates an obligation that I show them the same - the expectation that trust from one party should engender an equal degree of trust in the other, regardless of what is or isn't being shared or what either party's personal experiences have been.

Now, how does that apply to these fictional situations? Well, it varies depending on the story of course, but when the 'lesson' is just straight up 'lying is amoral' or even 'best friends should never hide things from each other', I grit my teeth. The impact of a lie on the person it's told to is put front and center, while the impact of revealing the truth on the liar is treated as secondary or even treated as moot. The liar broke The Rules by lying, and that makes them the one in the wrong, full stop.

I see that a lot in discussions of why or why not people consider Foggy's reaction 'right' or 'wrong', and rarely consideration of the shape his reaction took (whether the things he said were warranted, fair, or should later be discussed or apologized for). I see people saying that Matt's reasons don't matter, and that he was wrong for not trusting Foggy (and whew, the issue of Matt's ability to trust is a whole other thing, speaking of trauma). I also see people defending some things Foggy said on the basis that he was angry and had a right to be, when his right to be angry isn't actually the issue. If I say something unfair or unkind, etc, in the heat of the moment, it's my responsibility to talk that out with the person later when tempers have cooled, regardless of whether I was 'right' or 'wrong'. That's the kind of thing healthy communication and healthy interpersonal relationships require. All emotions are valid, but not all behavior rooted in that emotion is.

Of course, it's a very complex thing. Sometimes there isn't a clear cut 'person A was Wrong and person B was Right'. And what you lied about and why factors in, but that's exactly the point. My ex lying to me because of trauma-caused trust issues? Understandable. Him doing it because he was afraid I'd dump him when I learned he'd been cheating? Nope.

And then there's the 'you should have known it would be different with you' thing.

I recently saw a situation play out in a story where the hero brings up the BFF's previously expressed opinions on the masked persona and the BFF saying that the hero should have known that their opinion would be different as far as the hero is concerned - that their particular case would be viewed differently, an exception to the rule, so to speak.

I don't love that, either. 'It's okay because it's you' is a kind of exception that isn't the kindness it's so often portrayed to be. I've had people say homophobic or sanist things then tell me that oh, they don't mean *me* of course, because I'm *different*. My grandparents heard the same kind of thing all the time growing up, having friends say all kinds of antisemetic garbage in front of them and say, 'oh, but we don't mean you, of course'.

When I'm treated as an exception because I'm a 'good queer', it isn't a relief. That person still disdains what I am. Them saying that to me isn't kind, and I can't believe it to be kind in these fictional contexts. If the BFF can understand, accept, or even get behind why the hero takes certain actions - or even commits certain crimes - that should open the door to the possibility that there may be more to why other people do similar things. A more openminded viewpoint, such as a willingness to look at all the factors before rendering judgement, should be the result, not 'it's okay just this once because I care about the person doing it'.

My feelings about people equating criminality with amorality is a whole other complication when it comes to my thoughts on these situations. I won't get into that here, but I thinks it's another issue worth consideration.

I'm not going to write out my opinion on the Foggy/Matt conflict, though I do get into it a little in the fic I'm writing. I really just wanted to express my issue with that particular aspect of that narrative trope in general and how it's discussed, and the way the matter of trust and applying morality to distrust is often talked about, too. I may be expectionally sensitive to this kind of thing, or maybe I'm not. I'm not sure my possible sensitivity is the point, though.

Either way, it's a trope that gives me a lot of anxiety, and when I rewatch shows or reread stories I often find myself needing to skip those parts. That goes for fanfic, too.

#fanalysis #daredevil #nelson v murdock #fiction tropes #narrative tropes #riker talks

[the-light-of-stars]

so since I wanted to make posts about tropes in media that I do not like but don't know which one to start with I thought some more about why I do not like these tropes and I think the thoroughline through most of them is that they...hurt.

not necessarily that they hurt me, specifically, but that something about them just feels hurtful and/or harmful , wether intentional or not. Obviously all in different ways and some in worse ways than others but there is just something about all of these tropes that has an element of pain or ridicule or trying to force some kind of normative standard on characters (and people) or a disregard for the complexity of a character or of society as a whole.

so since I have a lot of thoughts on all of these and it is too much stuff to put into one post, I figured I'd just make posts about them each, individually. And because I am very indecisive and also just curious here is a poll about this topic:

there are more but there's only 10 poll slots so please also tell me abt other tropes in the notes!

(also ofc it depends how these tropes are handled, they can work if handled well enough, but this post is not about a good handling of them)

#poll #writing #narrative tropes #< tagging so I have smth to put the next posts under too bdbbd #also some of you that see this might have talked to me abt these before so if that's the case: hi #and some might recognize which media got me to think abt these again bbfbfb

[runeberry]

I love doomed and haunted by the narrative tropes; but I also love love prevails over everything and happy endings, you feel me?

#forever torn between pulling at your heartstrings but not making myself sad forever #narrative tropes #writing things #character things #shipping things

[hippieghost]

All this talk about girls doomed by the narrative but where are my girls that show all signs of being doomed and come to accept that fate only to have their falling moment cruelly taken away from them and be left with the constant question of what happens next?

#narrative tropes #meme #girls #romance

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

I get the sense from your writing that you're a major proponent of Earn Your Happy Ending, where the characters go through absolute hell, but they get the ending they deserve as a result. They have to struggle and push for it, and suffer a lot along the way, but eventually, things get better through their efforts.

ok flightfoot, i'll give you that for angst, i do go this route. in a nutshell my answer is yes but there's a but!

i swear i'm not actively looking for ways to make the characters' lives awful, that's just how the story forms in my head! the three basic elements i conceive are 1) character: who are they? 2) goal: what do they want? and 3) obstacle: what's stopping them from getting it? granted all the fics i've written so far (on ao3) have had the "earn your happy ending" trope embedded in them, but that hasn't been the point of the stories XD i think what leads to so much suffering for the poor kids is that their actions have very large repercussions. my plots are very high-stakes. also the hardship, anguish, and grief are extremely necessary thank you very much

if i were to write a low-stakes, fluffy story which i AM capable of (you'll see when i'm done with odnlb, you'll all see), i'd eliminate the hardship, anguish, and grief and still find a way to give them a happy ending. i still think characters need to "earn" their ending of course, but i don't think it's necessarily proportional to the amount of suffering i put them through!!

#this was a cool article thank you #i have been browsing this site all day since i got your ask #earn your happy ending #writing #storytelling #narrative tropes

[humunanunga]

idk if Danganronpa S was that well-received, but between that and DDLC DLC+ I do like the idea of it catching on for morbid games to put out No Tragedy Happens timelines. the concept is a nice palate-cleanser, I think.

#danganronpa s #danganronpa #doki doki literature club #ddlc dlc #tropes #narrative tropes #meta tropes #musings

[3gremlins]

shout out to all the love interest characters that were in the way of the otp. most of you were perfectly lovely/actually great for the main character but we couldn't appreciate you b/c you were just there as a plot road block

#text post #narrative tropes #i wish we could resolve more of these with polyamory #this type of thing is almost worse than love triangles tbh #i always think this when i rewatch stuff because i already know how it turns out so i can finally appreciated the not otp characters

[ponds-of-ink]

I wanted to make a post about “Oh if Games!William loves narrative symmetry so much, then he should be the Michael to the Mimic’s ‘William’ by now”…

But then I remembered that I have no exact definition on what narrative symmetry really is. I’ve tried looking up an exact definition and nothing really comes up.

(Also Vanessa is most likely the Michael to Mimic’s William and somebody else is probably fast-tracking to be Henry anyway. What in the world would William’s hypothetical new role in the modern games be? Phone Guy?)

#william afton #pond rambles #fnaf fandom #narrative tropes #sigh #i was so excited to point out the hypothetical narrative irony too

[andyling]

THEY MIGHT BE DOOMED BY THE NARRATIVE BUT GODDAMMIT THEY FOUND HAPPINESS WITH EACH OTHER AND CHOSE TO ENJOY THEIR TIME TOGETHER DESPITE THE INEVITABLE TRAGEDY AND THAT IS WHY I LOVE THEM

#NO I AM NOT OKAY #I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS #THIS IS MY EVERYTHING #THEY DESERVED MORE TIME BUT GOD HOW I LOVE THE TIME THEY HAD #AM I TALKING ABOUT MINECRAFTERS OR ANIME #TRICK QUESTION #IT'S BOTH #I'M MENTALLY ILL OKAY #team rancher #kawoshin #soukoku #skk is a bit of a stretch BUT I APPLIES TO ME OKAY #ESPECIALLY IN BEAST #patrochilles #that one is not minecraft or an anime but it sure does apply #doomed by the narrative #but they love each other #solidaritek #skk #writing tropes #ship dynamics #ship tropes #tragedy #soulmates

[achilleid]

I have been really into the plot point of a time skip lately. Like, the main character being thought dead or otherwise gone for an extended period of time only to return suddenly, the same as the day they left.

And having to try and fit back into the lives of the people they left behind and seeing the changes they have undergone.

Aka I’ve been playing fire emblem three houses and idk it’s just an interesting concept to me… knowing someone as x and then not being there as they transform and change into y.

#narrative tropes #writeblr #plot ideas #I’ll probably put the concept in a drawer #see if it strikes me later when I’m done with Epyllion