Trope Meme

[brigdh]

I really, really should be working on some editing, but I don't want to. So, a meme instead! Taken from somebraveapollo:

Give me a trope & I’ll tell you my thoughts on the trope you’ve asked me about and if I’ve written it myself, or if I ever would.

Genderswap
Bodyswap
Drunk!fic
Huddling together for warmth
Shag or die
Undercover in a gay bar
Pretending to be married
First time together
Amnesia
Crossdressing
Forced to share a bed/fake relationship
Mind control
Handcuffed
Wingfic
Mpreg
Mistakenly assumed to be gay
Let’s play truth or dare
Mary Sue fic
Aphrodisiacs
Curtain fic
Hurt/Comfort
Apocalypse fic
Someone has a baby
Telepathic soulbonding
Circus AU
Language barrier
Historical AU.

Comments

[dhampyresa.livejournal.com]

Gender swap and Amnesia?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Gender swap I like a lot, though I prefer the "always a girl" (or "always a boy") sort to the "woke up one morning a girl" sort. What I like about it is what I like about most AUs: figuring out what about the character would change and what would stay the same, if they'd been raised with different expectations and in a different social role. Which doesn't always work with modern canons; it depends on the setting, but sometimes so little would change that it wouldn't be a very interesting fic. In general, historical or fantasy settings work better.

I've been considering genderswap for Ben January. I don't think you could do it for Hannibal or Rose, Hannibal because I don't she would survive long enough to make it to New Orleans, and Rose because so much of who she is has really been defined by her experiences as a woman; a male Rose would basically be an OC. Though a transwoman Rose could be really interesting (and is Chilla's idea, I should say, though I really like it).

I kind of love the idea of placee Ben, though (or would she have refused? I could see either way), and would love to see female Ben with the canon versions of Rose and Hannibal. Female Shaw could also be very cool – I assume she would disguise herself as a man to still work with the police, but it would fit well with canon-Shaw's general use of appearances as a shield.

I have written genderswap! For Yami no Matsuei, in part 4 of this fic (http://archiveofourown.org/works/40800), I wrote an "always a girl" version of Hisoka. (Which is a modern setting where genderswap does work, since in canon he comes from an aristocratic family that's obsessed with having sons to continue the lineage.)

I've never written amnesia. It's not a trope I've read a lot of, either. I don't dislike it! I just don't quite get it, I guess. I suppose the appeal is sort of like a second "first time", relearning who your friends are and who you love. But, eh, I feel like I already saw people begin their relationships in canon, I don't need to see it a second time.

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

i'm claiming hurt/comfort in the name of justice okay no, SUDDEN DECISICIONS, gimme wingfic.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

In that case, I want hurt/comfort!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

It's hard for me to think of H/C as a trope, because "something bad happens, then is fixed" is such a basic plot structure that I feel like you could find it in almost everything. A lot of what I've written could qualify, though I don't always emphasize it enough to feel like it really counts – sometimes the Hurt is very vaguely alluded to as something in the character's past that's bothering them even if they don't articulate it, and other times the Comfort is small and subtle and not entirely adequate.

But the general idea of being able to turn to someone when in need, or the reverse, of being able to help, just the fundamental base of kindness and trust, making light out of darkness, making bonds that defy the expected nature of things – all of that is extremely appealing.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I was about to say "eh, wingfic, it's alright but I don't think I've ever written it" but OH WAIT I TOTALLY HAVE. here (http://archiveofourown.org/works/72881) (the last section) and sequel here (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1213834), for Yami no Matsuei, and it's also a circus AU because why not.

Mostly I think it makes a very pretty image, but if you think too much about it, it tends to fall apart – like, where exactly do all the muscles attach? How does one wear clothes with wings? How do you lay down? Why do some humans randomly have wings? etc. There's not a lot of plots that work well with it, and if it's just a random plot "PLUS WINGS" that seems silly. Although, really, why shouldn't fic be silly? Maybe my standards are too high.

(Also, are you going to do this meme? You should totally do this meme!)

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

i keep forgetting that you've written in yami no matsuei! these both fics were really really lovely. i forgot, are you anime-only fan, or did you also do manga? (i never did, there's too much of it and back in the day when i was hugely interested there weren't enough scanlations). but. wings! imagery! prettiness! implied vulnerability! FLYING.

(mmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe).

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I actually did the manga first, because it was my first Japanese fandom and I didn't really know how to do anything like find dubs. I mean, it was also long enough ago that downloading stuff was difficult and took forever, and I didn't know anyone who had copies. I like the manga better overall, but there's a lot of weird side-stories and it seems to be forever unfinished. Also the art was gorgeous, or at least it was until the most recent chapters when the mangaka completely changed her style and it got all ugly.

[somebraveapollo.livejournal.com]

TELEPATHIC SOULBONDING, or honestly any kind of soulbonding, or any kind of telepathy. Remind me, have you read Fire's Stone?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I have read Fire's Stone! It was so gooooooood.

I have never written soulbounding, telepathy, or telepathic soulbounding. (Well, there's this one (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1080301), which is sort of telepathy? But feelings instead of words.) I'm a pretty big fan of the soulbond AUs where everyone is born with a soulbond, which they can feel or they have a mark on their wrist or words on their back or whatever, and then they have to find one another. But those stories tend to be, hmmm, a bit simplistic. Which sometimes is what you want! Sometimes we all want chocolate ice cream instead of healthy food. But the typical soulbond AU doesn't have any room for loving more than one person – I don't mean in a poly way, but just in a "people change over time" way. I find the idea of soul-mates in general kind of creepy in real life; I don't like the narrative that "there's one person for you out there" as opposed to "there are many people you are or could be compatible with and all relationships will mean compromise and work". And so a soulbound universe where the "one person" thing is actually true, and like, enforceable by nature, is scary if I take it seriously. Fire's Stone in interesting because it's a) not innate to the characters, it's something that's put on them for plot reasons, and b) they still have to work to understand each other. But at that point it's a lot less trope-y. It's sort of like the mental version of "we're stuck handcuffed together"! Though actually I love "we're stuck handcuffed together", so that works out.

[veleda-k.livejournal.com]

Curtain fic, please.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Curtain fic is, like, 95% of what I write. It's just so nice and easy! No plot, no scene changes, usually just two or three characters, and no big drastic revelations or transformations – just some character dynamics and extrapolation about their relationship, which is everything I like best. I like to read curtain fic too, but I'm a bit pickier about it than I am with other types of stories. Usually if I like a plot or a trope or a situation, I don't mind if the dialogue doesn't sound 100% perfect or I don't entirely agree with the characterization, but that's sort of all there is to curtain fic, so I need it to feel very right.

[yan-tan-tether.livejournal.com]

Accidentally posted this before in the wrong thread, sorry.... huddling together for warmth!

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I LOOOOOOVE huddling together for warmth. I think because I hate cold weather, so it appeals on a very basic, creature-comfort level for me. There's just so many aspects of it that I adore: the H/C of usually starting with a blizzard or fever or falling in a river or being in an abandoned cabin and needing some way to keep warm, the awareness of each other's body outside of explicit sex (not that I am opposed to this trope ending up in sex! But there's usually at least few minutes of platonic cuddling first), the awkward self-awareness of being so close to another person, the fundamental pleasure of slowly warming up and having feeling return to fingers and toes... it's all just so lovely and comfortable and nice. Like a cup of hot chocolate!

Despite all that, I've never actually written it. I've got a couple of fics that take place during snowstorms or where characters mention being cold, but they all lack huddling, alas.

[yan-tan-tether.livejournal.com]

I love this trope too! Certain fandoms lend themselves more to it than others - there was a lot of it in Due South fic and I feel like it would fit pretty well into Benjamin January stories too (ummmm, or at least ones that are set during that book where they're in the Rockies.)

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Yesss, I totally want huddling-for-warmth fic for that book, especially after Ben and Hannibal fall into the river.

Unfortunately New Orleans is generally too tropical to lend itself to this trope. I guess they could all take a trip to Russia or Canada or something!

[lynndyre.livejournal.com]

Ha, a lot of what I'd ask is already covered -- hmm, how about historical AU?

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

I LOVE HISTORICAL AUS THEY ARE SO GREAT. I've written three – I've actually written more that have sort of 'vaguely old-timey" type settings, but counting only ones that are real, specific historical periods, I've got: Ben January in the 1100s (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1247872), Yami no Matsuei in WWII (http://archiveofourown.org/works/1076595) (which I guess isn't really a historical AU as opposed to a historical backstory, but eh, close enough), and Yami no Matsuei in Paris, 1789 (http://archiveofourown.org/works/72881) (the first section).

I will almost certainly write more. I have vague ideas about a Ben January Harlem Renaissance AU, but I haven't actually written a word of it (mainly because I don't have a plot), I just like to listen to jazz music and imagine it.

I love historical AUs because I love exploring new settings and figuring out how it would affect the characters from how they are in canon. I love doing the research to write one. I also just love history in general; if given a choice between a book set in a historical period and a book set in the modern day, I will pretty much always go for the history. There's almost no time period that I don't like; a lot of 20th century stuff feels "too recent" to me, and I'm not fond of the poorly researched "everything was better in the Good Old Days when we all lived in bucolic villages" vibe of some of the genre, but in general, I love all of it. It's just fascinating to me, all the different ways people have organized themselves and lived.

[lynndyre.livejournal.com]

These are great - I really love Ben/Rose/Hannibal/Ayasha in the 1100s, that would be really neat to see more of, if you were ever inspired. XD

I keep wanting to write silly things about Musketeers that take into account the lack of bathing, inadvisable medical practices, etc. Not too sure the fandom would thank me, though.

[wordsofastory.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :D I've been contemplating writing a sequel to it, but I'd wanted to give Hannibal leprosy instead of TB (because it feels much more ~medieval-y. Well, I mean, the most medieval-y disease would be the plague, but then the story would be three days long and tragic, so leprosy is a second choice), but I need to do some research about that first. I think he might have to go and live in a sanitarium or something? Though, of course, "we have to rescue Hannibal from the sanitarium!" would be an exciting plot. I also want to bring in Shaw, but I haven't figured out quite what he should be; I know England had sheriffs at the time, but it was more "tax collector" than "keeper of the peace", and I don't know about Sicily. Maybe part of some nobleman's household guard?

Anyway. Lots of research! But I'll probably get around to it eventually.

I'd be interested in that sort of fic! I have no idea if the rest of the fandom would be, but I love that sort of stuff.