tastes in fiction

[sparksjoy]

THEMES 📖

AGENCY: cannot stress this enough but its_about_the_agency. I like when people make stupid character-typical (self serving over sacrificial, but tbh both r good) decisions and the conflict arises from said stupid decisions rather than an external variable out of their control like girl WHY is there a random MIL(f) opposing ur fake marriage…… ur fake marriage should b falling apart bc YOUR dumb ass did [insert dumbassery typical of fake marriage idk i dont watch the show]. this is why miscommunication as a trope doesn’t really do it for me anymore bc like. if taken at the unrealistic face value that it's usually afforded, it's ultimately smth that COULDN'T have been avoided, even if the characters were different people. I tend to find relationships more compelling when they’re deterred by the fraught personal choices of everyone involved eg. clash of ethics or worldview/putting work before love/being emotionally constipated fuckwads etc. IT’S BETTER !!

the level to which I'm willing to compromise on this def depends on the story. like obviously a show I'm watching for its girls needs to give them more agency than idk, a random kinkfic where the power fuckery can be hot, but in general, I prefer when choices have WEIGHT?? I don't like when charas passively let themselves be jostled along by the plot :/

and the "peak romance" of it all is..... mostly bc I love when love is a Choice. specifically the choice to leap rather than the framing of a "fall", the choice to stay or go, hold on or give someone up, when it's a surrender but Willful, a choice to try again and again until maybe they don't want to anymore, u know???? I like when the act of loving is also portrayed as an act of agency like. of all the ppl in the world, you decided u were going to take a chance on this one, to open up to them specifically and meet them where they are. there's no "can't help it" about it.

idk what to tell u..... its_about_the_agency


BETRAYAL: just. the subversion of meant-to-bes, the notion of love as a destructive force, the grieving of someone who's still alive, the bitterness that doesn't necessarily cancel out care, and (depending on how u like ur endings) the HEALING

traditional backstabbing can be very neat and sexy but also, when one or both of u value other things/people/causes higher than each other and it's like. what then? then nothing. You Live With It . but the betrayal still stings!! the why didn't you pick ME still hurts!!! friends to enemies to lovers anyone?? ALMOST-LOVERS TO ENEMIES WHO ARE NOW ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF A WAR BC "you could've come with me but you chose not to" (sorry for being an fe3h fan) anyone ??? it's good..... it's good

as a young teen the spiky parts of betrayalships are what endeared them to me but maybe I've softened up with age bc of late the only thing bigger than my betrayal kink is my reconciliation kink. the kids have catradora these days but back then it was sarumi making up in k project that changed my genetic code fundamentally I think


BLASPHEMY: [op's complicated rlship with religion truncated due to length] in general themes of rebelling against a higher power/breaking away from a pre-ordained "chosen one" path (or reclaiming it with more agency) just Appeal to me. also the imagery is excellent, as is angel/demonfucking.

yeah ofc I have origins in spn & gomens but more importantly, kyoko was my fave pmmm girl can you tell. when charas want to KILL GOD they automatically become my widdle babie <3


INADEQUACY: we r all familiar with the optics. pov person A running with their hand outstretched towards person B’s back, dramatic bright lighting. they cannot catch up

TROPES ⚔️

enemies to lovers: ulted it forever and ever and always just a little differently to the viral enemies2lovers tweets bc hey actually guys listen it’s spelled lovers to enemies

no well jk I still DO enjoy enemies to lovers but. I prefer if there was some kind of past where they knew/loved/betrayed each other first. when ppl have HISTORY?? I just really don’t see the appeal where they start off as strangers unless “enemies to lovers” isn’t so much a pipeline as present-continuous-blurredlines à la killing eve or smth. the defanged alternate rivals2lovers is literally right there (plottwist I like the kiddy pool too. mommymilking all iterations is my passion)

I just DESPISE the version that’s like “when someone learns the worst parts of u first and loves u anyway 😣💔” literally mcfuck off we are not saying the same thing. if the To Be Knownisms aren’t served with ALL the bite ALL the time what even is the point????


exes: not QUITE the same as lovers2enemies but still has a veritable overlap. I like them in a few different flavours:

• ship I prefer as a COUPLE where the narrative is about them getting back together
  
• ship I prefer as exes (tragic) “we could've been great 2gthr but unfort couldn't resolve our differences” sorry for being an fe3h fan pt 2
  
• ship I prefer as exes (delicious) they are just messy and terrible and have no clear point of resolution just the cat and mousery forever and it’s SO FUN TO WATCH. this is why there will never be another ship like [redacted] btw
  

MISC 🎲

more specific dynamics

leader-lieutenant loyalty this is what older fandomspeak dubs "king and lionheart" but tbh I prefer when the I'll follow you foreverisms Come With Caveats. lifted verbatim from twt user yeonbinned:
my fave flavour of shippy loyalty trope is less "I believe in you" and more like "I share ur cause/vision and I’ll follow u bc I believe in in yoUR CAPABILITY to bring it to fruition" which isn’t as catchy or memeable but u know. and if for some reason I happen to fw the "I believe in you" version, I want it to be a point of contention or smth abt the relationship that’s grappled with rather than blind, adoring devotion....... like: ok fine we'll do it your way but TO BE PERFECTLY CLEAR I DONOT LIKE IT!!! I just love
1. shared values (derogatory)
2. dissonance in values (fraught)

the inherent eroticism of friendship in which people are friends like any other friends but would literally die/kill/end it all for each other (in a chill way). in which co-dependence is not only welcome but necessary. in which a deeply platonic bond can actually b kind of romantic. feel like u either get it or u don't

drift compatibility not 2 be pacrimfucker69 but this FUCKS bc it's so versatile. friends?? lovers?? EXES?? the tasty tasteyyy goodness of letting someone you deeply dislike INTO UR HEAD??? whether it's about building trust over time or just having to deal with the mortifying ordeal of them Knowing you ? literally unmatched. also the "looks like we have to spend extra time together to boost compatibility" cliche... the "I accidentally saw smth I shouldn't have" cliche... and ofc my personal fave "I can't stand you but my partner died and ur the only other pilot in this bunker Also every time we drift I'm deeply aware of all the ways that ur not them and it's Hell..... until it isn't" bro yea. Yea

red/blues when u are basic

random dislikes

“sex as a reward” i.e reward for the reader for sitting through n thousand words/hours of mutual pining or whatever. I lose interest almost immediately after the couple get together so I really don’t have the patience for a porny bonus unless there’s some kind of third act conflict abt to break. I like when the fucking comes before feelings are resolved? I enjoy being EMOTIONALLY EDGED ? I love when the CONFESSION is the CLIMAX ??? <333

secret relationships where one person "doesn't want to hide anymore" ughhh why not

when "power couple" cishet ships touch please stop I only like you for the Vibes. the AESTHETICS

fake/arranged marriage that isn't voluntary listen I strongly believe any kind of rlship arrangement is waaay more fun when the couple don't like each other but it's still ick to me if it's smth they're "forced" into. like I'd want them to enter the agreement to serve their own agendas rather than idk..... filial obligation??? maybe it's the ~agency thing again or maybe I'm just desi but I've never been able 2 get into "ur family/higher authority forces u to do this thing". but also nisekoi was my fave manga for abt 4 years when I was a kid so what do I know

americanization/the us as a setting some crimes can never be forgiven

being made to acknowledge the real world whether this is via specific namedropping in kpopfic (mnet, bighit, [groupname] etc) or THE COVIDRONA CINEMATIC UNIVERSE, I fucking DoNot want to see it. in a somewhat similar vein, I hate having to read abt kink negotiation in the middle of sex. why r these bitches doing this NOW ?? my boner is dead

sometimes uwu is ok

partners in crime less emo extension of drift compatibility. could be fratboy-flavoured (assorted kpops, assorted sportanis) or murderstabby (hannibal, jennifer's body, beyond evil) depending on the ship!!! when people make A GOOD TEAM >>>

person A politely looking away as person B cries sorry but this GETS ME EVERY TIME. the #trust coupled with not wanting to infringe on someone's space bc vulnerability can be embarrassing as hell!!!

my stances on the boring stuff Exist (fwb: good if fraught; fake dating: ok if done well; friends2lovers: ok if iwaoi; a/b/o: not for me but power to enjoyers; coffeeshop: why; highschool/hogwarts: hell no) but in general most of these are “fanfic tropes” rather than fiction tropes and therefore pose a lesser threat of randomly encountering them in the wild so it’s not quite the same thing imo. will update this as and when I remember my opinions ♡