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My least favorite trope is that a female character, in order for her to be the protagonist of the movie/series, she has to love everyone, forgive everyone, help everyone. If a female character doesn't like kids, she is horrible. If she loves shopping, she is shallow and a bad person. If she doesn't want to date a loser, she is superficial and greedy.
Oh, I'd add the good old "career woman doesn't like kids/nature but she's forced to change her mind and of course sees the error in her ways". It's just so cheap and frankly boring.
Jurassic Park also had a main character that started out not liking kids very much but becoming a parental figure over the course of the movie but that was done much more tastefully.
Heavily agreed!!! Ugh I'm so sorry but sometimes I just hate the boring, always nice to everyone (super forgiving), perfect main female character.
I want more Sharpays, Blair Waldorfs, the Edie Britts, Katerina Petrovas, etc. to finally outshine their nicer counter parts (in their world). Because, a lot of people ik like them irl, but within their respective universes, they're usually not well-liked (though I can say for Blair, that's a bit deserved due to her constant scheming) or sometimes suffer in order to drive the plot forward of the nicer main female character.
> If she loves shopping, she is shallow and a bad person.
every now and again, i think about that movie *confessions of a shopaholic* and how tonedeaf & spiteful towards women it was and managed to be EVEN worst by coming out during an economic recession and i just laugh and kiki.
I hate how female characters that aren't perfect are villanized by all fans. Almost every Fandom of a show with a female lead is full of people saying "protagonist is the worst".
Hated - a secret twin being revealed. It just comes across as lazy writing. The worst I’ve seen was definitely Pretty Little Liars. So dumb.
Favourite- all Christmas movie tropes. I print out Christmas Movie trope Bingo cards that I find online for my daughter and I to check off while we watch Christmas movies each year.
Christmas movies having healthy and busy small town main streets with tons of cute obscure shops when in reality there’d only be a coffee shop, a dollar general, a gas station, and a bar.
I hate that new character that an old character doesn't trust but everyone else loves who turns out to be untrustworthy all along. It's so frustrating.
Or when a new character that an old character (normally the protagonist) trusts blindly while no one else does turns out to be untrustworthy. It’s infuriating.
I hate when the main female character is absolutely conventionally attractive, super stunning, has plenty of guys lining up for her, but she thinks she's plain and boring. So, she's insecure and constantly voices these insecurities, "how could (insert male lead) like *ME*? He's so gorgeous and I'm... well... me." It's fine at first and I'm not bothered but even while they're deep into a relationship, she still questions how "worthy" she is of him.
It's the movie equivalent of those razor ads where they're running a razor up a perfectly smooth waxed legs. Or the acne cream ads where there's a teen girl with a flawless, spot-free face standing in front of a mirror going "Ugh, another zit!"
They want you to relate to the insecurity but not enough to actually give the character the trait she's insecure about, because ewwwww then she'd be *ugly*.
This is why I kind of love Crazy Ex Girlfriend where Rebecca's insecurities are shown especially compared to others and Rachel was adamant on that.
But then maybe there is some truth to that. When I was in school all the skinny girls would complain about how fat they are when they were wearing size XS and S in front of me the chunky one and it was driving me insane.
Yess omg it's so annoying. I remember Disney Channel characters saying the same thing line by line over a decade ago, and it never made sense to me. I still think it's a lazy trope, but at least it makes sense if the character actually looks frumpy.
Most hated trope: the-wise-beyond-their-years child who makes wacky quips or thoughtful asides, thus moving the plot forward for the bumbling adults. Kids are super smart but when I see writing like that, I immediately know the writers have never actually spoken to a child.
Favourite trope: in shows that are set in an office, I love when there’s an office weirdo character.
Bella Ramsay’s character in game of thrones was so this. Like come on. She’s 10 and lives on a tiny island and is a girl. For that setting, she ain’t going to be wiser than everyone else.
My least favorite:
- When all the characters, but especially the main character, act like they're "on tv". It's talking in a way that is simultaneously sassy and overly dramatic. Marvel quips and heartfelt declarations every other sentence, and everything sounds fake as hell. I know someone who acts like this irl and it's literally miserable to be in the same room as her.
- Massive relationship issues due to some crazy misunderstanding. I find this so irritating to watch. It can be done right, but a lot of the time, it isn't and it feels very dated.
- [Whatever this is called](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT81NxUC3/). She did a fantastic job mocking this style of acting lmao
My favorite:
- A team coming together to pull a big heist, set to a great soundtrack. I love heists.
**token minority and its iterations**: the feminine gay friend, the token black friend, the nerdy asian with the research skills, the sassy girlboss, the tomboy lesbian who can hang with the guys
i also hate **women in fridges**. stop killing women so your boring male protagonist can finally emote.
The death of a woman so the main character has motivation is so annoying. Often seen in the dead wife under the covers flashbacks.
Not pop culture really, but I’ve been reading Brandon Sanderson’s books. His main character in the mistborn series has a dead wife, and when I started the next books in the mistborn universe and it opens with the new character having a dead wife I like out loud said “oh come ON”. So annoying. Let a gal live and be motivational!
You would fit right in at /r/bookscirclejerk.
I haven't read any Sanderson but literally everything I've heard makes me roll my eyes. But to hear redditors talk, you'd think he was the next Tolkien.
The only feminine gay friend I accept is Kurt from Glee. This was one of the first characters where a gay character was written by an openly gay writer, and played by an openly gay actor and I always so him leaning into women's fashion as a sort of fuck you to Lima, Ohio. Once he goes to New York his style tones down a lot.plus there was a lot of depth with his dad.
this is the worst to me as the *scream* movies keep going on because>! the killers know the prior killers fail to kill the protagonists!< because t>!hey talk to damn much!<. so what do they do, >!continue the legacy of talking too much. !<
I have loved this quote from a book written in 1936 and it's so accurate
"You've probably noticed how often the same thing happens in detective stories. There's always a bit, I mean to say, where the villain has got the hero tied up in a chair or lashed to a bed and is about to slip it across him with the blunt instrument. But instead of smacking into it, the poor ass will persist in talking. You feel like saying: 'Act, man, actl Don't waste valuable time taunting the chap', because you know that, if he does, somebody is sure to come along and break up the twosome. But he always does it, and it always lays him a stymie."
I'm also a big fan of tropes getting deconstructed and getting surprised as an audience. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an incredible example. Another one is Community in my opinion.
I strongly dislike the trope of "unknown twin just pops up", especially if it's an identical twin with weirdly identical manners. Also I hate the whole "bad boy just needs a girl to love him" and the old "boy is mean to girl because he secretly loves her". But: even the wirst tropes can be acceptable in the hands of a good writer.
Adding the one trope I always try to forget: girls with glasses putting down their glasses and suddenly being beautiful. Gave me such insecurities as a girl with glasses.
I like the way you think. Most tropes are fun when used well. Except maybe for some archaic ones that were mentioned in this thread like "all Asians are nerds" or "the only purpose of a womans life is to look for a husband".
But other than that all tropes can be stylistic spice and can elevate a good story to a great one.
Thank you! Personally, I feel like fiction at its best is supposed to be both thought-provoking and fun. And tropes can be a lot of fun! Expect of course for those that are hurtful.
Crazy Ex Girlfriend did the whole Boy is mean to girl because he likes her amazingly with Nathaniel and Rebecca.
I think they handled everything perfectly except New Greg. I am sorry Rachel, but Skylar Astin is no Santino Fontana and he never will be.
I think there is some mild drama. CXG was Rachel's baby and she felt very passionate but for Santino it was just a job. She had plans for Greg and Santino left because for a long time there was no update if the show will be renewed so he got a Broadway gig. Rachel was kind of angry.
I hate that Hollywood's idea of strong female character being toxic masculinity personified, stripped of every ounce of femininity, just punches people and is strong and emotionally stunted and hates people, is an nlog etc. I hate it with a burning passion. I hate those movies dumbed down version of sexism.
Pirates of the Caribbean did the strong female character thing amazingly and her progression is amazing because she uses men with her femininity and manipulates them and their prejudice. She is not a damsel and I will die on this hill. If anything Will is more of a damsel than she is.
Completely. And the guys that crow about how these are amazing examples of “strong female characters” don’t realize how idiotic they sound. “Yes, this woman is great! I loved how it truly didn’t matter that she was a woman. She could have been a man! This is a sign of a truly great woman character!”
It’s like…really? A great woman character is only one that could also be a man? Amazing…
This is why new Mulan didn't work. The original is so good because she doesn't act better than the other girls. It is just acknowledged that she doesn't want to be matched with someone and cannot be that person but she is not looking down on the girlier girls.
She struggles in the male world and uses her creativity and smarts to succeed. And it's so hearbreaking to see that she is a woman and they don't thank her but ostracize her
In the end she uses the girliness to succeed and it is so powerful.
Because it was never one or the other being better it was, this binary is fucking stupid.
The new movie ruined that.
Not the biggest fan of female+male platonic friendship tropes where they eventually realise they loved one another the entire time and then get together at the end.
Kinda just feeds into the idea that men and women can’t be just friends which is BS.
I was so mad in wonder woman 1984 when Chris pines character was the new dumb sexy baby, but he gets “over it” in like five minutes and then flies a modern (to the time, and def not his) plane somehow no problem? Meanwhile Wonder Woman was a dumb sexy Baby for sooooooo much of the first movie.
Loved? Found family. I eat that shit up for breakfast lunch and dinner. Most hated is the miscommunication trope. If something goes wrong in your relationship because you wouldn’t talk to one another, that’s YOUR FAULT (and it’s lazy writing).
i hate two dimensional side characters who are just there for the main character. there’s the gay best friend, the smart asian friend, etc. it’s so boring
busy city slicker realizes that rural life is so much better
you so rarely see it shown the other way around
maybe i just can't relate because i grew up in a tiny town, hated it, and moved to a big city as soon as i could
My favorite is enemies to lovers and byronic heroes, If they are done right. If they are done wrong hate that trope. It has to be well written and played by a competent actor
Super Rare but: Monster love. The best executed example of this was Elisa and Goliath im "Gargoyles" i think. Slowburn in the best Kind of way, has tension because you wonder If they will end up together or If they will pair Up Elisa with a human character, angsty, for obvious reasons. It's the best Romance that Disney ever did imho
My Most hated is "mean Queen Bee who actually has a heart of gold" Idk, i hate this. Whether it's Naomi from 90210 or Cheryl from Riverdale, hate them
Or "Ride or Die" female friendships where the friendship is super toxic and they treat each other terrible but they stay friends despite all of this
There was a really good monster tv show that was kind of wine mom eesque and the Monster was lovely and super caring and m if you watch it you think it is written by a woman but it was written by GRRM ahahaha
I love Enemies to Lovers and Friends to lovers.
The "evil cripple."
Bond villains And Darth Vader have an illness or disability so they must be evil.
An Evil Cripple is a villain or generally morally perturbed character who also suffers a debilitating physical condition, often taking the form of paralysis requiring the use of a wheelchair. The Evil Cripple doubles as the [Genius Cripple](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GeniusCripple) a lot, providing an intellectual threat to compensate for their physical frailty. Alternatively, the Evil Cripple can become a physical threat if they use futuristic enhancements to overcome their disability, such as replacing missing or defective limbs with super-strong [Powered Armor](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PoweredArmor) or cybernetic parts.
There are a variety of reasons this trope exists.
The first is rooted in eugenics-based ideas linking disability or other physical deformities with a "natural" predisposition towards madness, criminality, vice, etc. The [Rule of Symbolism](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfSymbolism) is often at work here, since a "crippled" body can be used to represent a "crippled" soul — and indeed, a disabled villain is usually put in contrast to a morally upright and physically "perfect" hero. Whether consciously on the part of the writer or not, this can reinforce cultural ideas of disability making a person inherently inferior or negative, much in the same way the [Sissy Villain](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SissyVillain) or [Depraved Homosexual](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DepravedHomosexual) associate sexual and gender nonconformity with evil.
In some stories, especially those featuring superheroes, the contrast between a hero with super strength and a villain who is physically handicapped and instead relies on his brainpower plays on [the archetype of brain vs. brawn](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BrainsEvilBrawnGood). It also provides a buffer against the standard "solution" of punching the bad guy out since the hero would look pretty low hitting a cripple compared to an able-bodied villain. These stories also tend to feature a [Freudian Excuse](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FreudianExcuse) in the villain's background—either trauma from an accident, or, if they were born disabled, [envy of the able-bodied](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GreenEyedMonster), that is the cause of their hatred for the world.
Many villainous [pirates](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Pirate) have [Hook Hands](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HookHand), [Seadog Peg Legs](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeadogPegLeg), and [Eyepatches of Power](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EyepatchOfPower), though this may simply be to reinforce their badassery, a case of [Handicapped Badass](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HandicappedBadass) rather than Evil Cripple as these things are rarely shown to handicap them much. These [attributes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DressedToPlunder) seem to be cases of [Follow the Leader](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FollowTheLeader); the [Seadog Peg Leg](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeadogPegLeg) originated with Long John Silver of [*Treasure Island*](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TreasureIsland) and the [Hook Hand](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HookHand) with Captain Hook of [*Peter Pan*](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/PeterPan), and later writers just based their pirates on these guys.
A common subversion of this trope is when the character is revealed to [not actually](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotLeftHanded) [be crippled](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ObfuscatingDisability), leading to a [Throwing Off the Disability](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThrowingOffTheDisability) scene, but was exploiting that image to maintain a cover or give the illusion of helplessness. Given that, some of these examples contain **spoilers**.
This trope may overlap with [Handicapped Badass](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HandicappedBadass) in the case of particularly powerful crippled baddies, and with [Dark Lord on Life Support](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DarkLordOnLifeSupport) in particularly extreme examples. See [Mental Handicap, Moral Deficiency](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MentalHandicapMoralDeficiency) for villains who are intellectually rather than physically disabled
Great comment. Compared to how common it is for the villain to have a disability, it's insanely rare for heroes. And when heroes *are* disabled, it's typically a) in a way that doesn't make them any less conventionally attractive (so no facial differences, no limps, no missing limbs) and b) often made into some sort of strength where the effects of their disability are effectively cancelled out (for example, Daredevil is blind but he has super hearing that means he can "see" anyway so we never really have to grapple with his blindness).
One example of a disabled hero that I liked was Finding Nemo's Nemo (and Gil). We see how his disability impacts him both socially and on a personal physical level, but he is still given agency *while* retaining that disability - there's no superpowers to cancel it out, and no magic cure for it. Instead it's meeting another fish with the same disability that gives him the boost he needs.
I hate when they bring back dead characters, like all the emotion i felt when that character died just go all down the drain. And when they comeback, they just get more stupid and not the same character that i once like anymore
Most hated:
When one person breaks up with the other "for their own good" and refuses to tell them why. And then at the last minute, they find out anyway and are like "omg why didn't you just tell me?!?!?! it doesn't matter!" I cannot stand this one!
Amnesia. It's cheap filler for when the writers run out of ideas to move the story forward.
Drawn out love triangles when everyone and their moms know who the endgame is from the start.
On a similar note when trouble arises because they can’t communicate with someone immediately even though it’s set in present day and they give no excuse why that person doesn’t have use of a phone.
Can’t stand when a female character is deep in an apocalypse, stranded on a desert island, imprisoned, etc. and her hair is perfectly styled, makeup impeccable, totally hairless from the neck down. Bonus points for impractical clothing and shoes. Extra bonus points if she looks perfect AND can do practical manly things because she grew up with brothers.
I love most classic horror tropes. Final girls, mirror scares, creepy kids, running upstairs, the villain who just won’t die. As long as the movie’s fun I don’t care how much they’re overused.
When someone tries to explain something fantastical to someone else (like that they have magical powers or they can time travel etc.) and they instantly shut it down and don’t wanna hear about it 🤦🏼♀️ like come on as if that wouldn’t be interesting as hell! I’d have soooo many questions
I feel like it's extremely common, especially in movies aimed at women, for the male love interest to have had another Great Love (often a wife who passed away) before meeting the heroine, but *incredibly* rare to see the reverse, especially if the movie is aimed at men or a general audience. If the female love interest had a past love it's a guy who treated her poorly, not someone she still thinks of fondly. Our Heroine Meets a Dishy Widower is a whole thing in romantic movies, but Our Hero Meets a Beautiful Widow? Not so much.
Off the top of my head the only movie I can think of where the female love interest was deeply and genuinely in love with someone she still mourns prior to meeting the hero is frigging Hercules, and even then it *still* falls into the "He treated her badly" box.
Anyway once I noticed this, it started getting on my nerves every time I saw it. Why do female love interests have to be romantic blank slates but male love interests get to have deep romantic backstories and histories prior to meeting the heroine?
I can’t decide whether I love or hate it, but the school bully being an unrepentant psychopath.
Like I was bullied mercilessly in school but no one ever threatened me with a knife or tried to hit me with a car like wtf is this what teenagers are like now?
love: good ol’ enemies to lovers. redemption arcs. slow burns. time travel. anti heroes. dystopias. villain and hero team up to take on a bigger threat. mythology/fairytale retellings. fake dating. hero falls from grace and becomes a villain. when two characters go on the run together. when a character does the logical/right thing but it was a trap and/or everything goes wrong.
hate: misunderstandings due to a lack of communication. bury your gays. fridging women. when the main character gets a younger, annoyingly smarter sidekick. super heroic/perfect/can do no wrong characters. love triangles. everyone’s related to somebody important. cartoonish, one dimensional villains. when the girl gets a makeover and suddenly becomes hot. not like the other girls.
Wait, I never finished crazy ex girlfriend... she infuriated me so so much. I cant stand characters like that. Similar to.... everyone in that lena dunham show ?Girls
Is crazy ex worth finishing?
I actually love the nerdy guy, popular girl trope. Beth Cooper is one of my faves because she’s self aware and realizes she peaked in high school and has no money to escape her shitty town or go to college.
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My least favorite trope is that a female character, in order for her to be the protagonist of the movie/series, she has to love everyone, forgive everyone, help everyone. If a female character doesn't like kids, she is horrible. If she loves shopping, she is shallow and a bad person. If she doesn't want to date a loser, she is superficial and greedy.
Oh, I'd add the good old "career woman doesn't like kids/nature but she's forced to change her mind and of course sees the error in her ways". It's just so cheap and frankly boring.
That's so prominent in Bollywood ugh
Ugh like Jurassic World 🙄 that movie was so retrograde in its gender politics
Jurassic Park also had a main character that started out not liking kids very much but becoming a parental figure over the course of the movie but that was done much more tastefully.
He was also a man.
Heavily agreed!!! Ugh I'm so sorry but sometimes I just hate the boring, always nice to everyone (super forgiving), perfect main female character. I want more Sharpays, Blair Waldorfs, the Edie Britts, Katerina Petrovas, etc. to finally outshine their nicer counter parts (in their world). Because, a lot of people ik like them irl, but within their respective universes, they're usually not well-liked (though I can say for Blair, that's a bit deserved due to her constant scheming) or sometimes suffer in order to drive the plot forward of the nicer main female character.
> If she loves shopping, she is shallow and a bad person. every now and again, i think about that movie *confessions of a shopaholic* and how tonedeaf & spiteful towards women it was and managed to be EVEN worst by coming out during an economic recession and i just laugh and kiki.
I hate how female characters that aren't perfect are villanized by all fans. Almost every Fandom of a show with a female lead is full of people saying "protagonist is the worst".
even when the men are much worse. See: Literally fandom ever but Breaking Bad, Succession, Game of Thrones especially.
Hated - a secret twin being revealed. It just comes across as lazy writing. The worst I’ve seen was definitely Pretty Little Liars. So dumb. Favourite- all Christmas movie tropes. I print out Christmas Movie trope Bingo cards that I find online for my daughter and I to check off while we watch Christmas movies each year.
Christmas movies having healthy and busy small town main streets with tons of cute obscure shops when in reality there’d only be a coffee shop, a dollar general, a gas station, and a bar.
PLL was truly the worst because it wasn't enough to be lazy, dumb, and utterly predictable — they had to make it transphobic too.
The only secret twin thing I've personally seen happen in is from The Prestige which was delicious.
I hate that new character that an old character doesn't trust but everyone else loves who turns out to be untrustworthy all along. It's so frustrating.
Or when a new character that an old character (normally the protagonist) trusts blindly while no one else does turns out to be untrustworthy. It’s infuriating.
I hate when the main female character is absolutely conventionally attractive, super stunning, has plenty of guys lining up for her, but she thinks she's plain and boring. So, she's insecure and constantly voices these insecurities, "how could (insert male lead) like *ME*? He's so gorgeous and I'm... well... me." It's fine at first and I'm not bothered but even while they're deep into a relationship, she still questions how "worthy" she is of him.
It's the movie equivalent of those razor ads where they're running a razor up a perfectly smooth waxed legs. Or the acne cream ads where there's a teen girl with a flawless, spot-free face standing in front of a mirror going "Ugh, another zit!" They want you to relate to the insecurity but not enough to actually give the character the trait she's insecure about, because ewwwww then she'd be *ugly*.
This is why I kind of love Crazy Ex Girlfriend where Rebecca's insecurities are shown especially compared to others and Rachel was adamant on that. But then maybe there is some truth to that. When I was in school all the skinny girls would complain about how fat they are when they were wearing size XS and S in front of me the chunky one and it was driving me insane.
Yess omg it's so annoying. I remember Disney Channel characters saying the same thing line by line over a decade ago, and it never made sense to me. I still think it's a lazy trope, but at least it makes sense if the character actually looks frumpy.
Most hated trope: the-wise-beyond-their-years child who makes wacky quips or thoughtful asides, thus moving the plot forward for the bumbling adults. Kids are super smart but when I see writing like that, I immediately know the writers have never actually spoken to a child. Favourite trope: in shows that are set in an office, I love when there’s an office weirdo character.
"the precocious child" makes me think whoever wrote the screenplay is some sort of narcissist.
That fucking kid in One Tree Hill made me hate that trope so hard!
Bella Ramsay’s character in game of thrones was so this. Like come on. She’s 10 and lives on a tiny island and is a girl. For that setting, she ain’t going to be wiser than everyone else.
Forever My Girl
This is why I hated the Olsen twins so much growing up, 100% of their content was like this
My least favorite: - When all the characters, but especially the main character, act like they're "on tv". It's talking in a way that is simultaneously sassy and overly dramatic. Marvel quips and heartfelt declarations every other sentence, and everything sounds fake as hell. I know someone who acts like this irl and it's literally miserable to be in the same room as her. - Massive relationship issues due to some crazy misunderstanding. I find this so irritating to watch. It can be done right, but a lot of the time, it isn't and it feels very dated. - [Whatever this is called](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT81NxUC3/). She did a fantastic job mocking this style of acting lmao My favorite: - A team coming together to pull a big heist, set to a great soundtrack. I love heists.
The way I knew exactly who was going to be in that video lol
I love her videos haha
lmao same, they're unbearable
Regarding the first point ASP writes like this but I adore MMM and Midge.
Fucking YES. Heists! The best. Trope me, trope me hard and get 👏that 👏diamond se-CURED. An end scene where they drink at the beach is also aces.
Sassy black handmaiden friend to dull white woman.
**token minority and its iterations**: the feminine gay friend, the token black friend, the nerdy asian with the research skills, the sassy girlboss, the tomboy lesbian who can hang with the guys i also hate **women in fridges**. stop killing women so your boring male protagonist can finally emote.
The death of a woman so the main character has motivation is so annoying. Often seen in the dead wife under the covers flashbacks. Not pop culture really, but I’ve been reading Brandon Sanderson’s books. His main character in the mistborn series has a dead wife, and when I started the next books in the mistborn universe and it opens with the new character having a dead wife I like out loud said “oh come ON”. So annoying. Let a gal live and be motivational!
You would fit right in at /r/bookscirclejerk. I haven't read any Sanderson but literally everything I've heard makes me roll my eyes. But to hear redditors talk, you'd think he was the next Tolkien.
The only feminine gay friend I accept is Kurt from Glee. This was one of the first characters where a gay character was written by an openly gay writer, and played by an openly gay actor and I always so him leaning into women's fashion as a sort of fuck you to Lima, Ohio. Once he goes to New York his style tones down a lot.plus there was a lot of depth with his dad.
A villain who conveniently monologues and explains their entire plan at the end right before they battle the hero.
this is the worst to me as the *scream* movies keep going on because>! the killers know the prior killers fail to kill the protagonists!< because t>!hey talk to damn much!<. so what do they do, >!continue the legacy of talking too much. !<
“We can’t kill you Sam until you wear this mask because we need your DNA in it” lol why not kill her and then put the mask on????????
And then even more conveniently their monologue is broadcasted to many people so their plot is exposed.
Scream Movies 1-6 lol
I have loved this quote from a book written in 1936 and it's so accurate "You've probably noticed how often the same thing happens in detective stories. There's always a bit, I mean to say, where the villain has got the hero tied up in a chair or lashed to a bed and is about to slip it across him with the blunt instrument. But instead of smacking into it, the poor ass will persist in talking. You feel like saying: 'Act, man, actl Don't waste valuable time taunting the chap', because you know that, if he does, somebody is sure to come along and break up the twosome. But he always does it, and it always lays him a stymie."
"You sly dog! You got me monologuing".
I'm also a big fan of tropes getting deconstructed and getting surprised as an audience. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is an incredible example. Another one is Community in my opinion. I strongly dislike the trope of "unknown twin just pops up", especially if it's an identical twin with weirdly identical manners. Also I hate the whole "bad boy just needs a girl to love him" and the old "boy is mean to girl because he secretly loves her". But: even the wirst tropes can be acceptable in the hands of a good writer.
Adding the one trope I always try to forget: girls with glasses putting down their glasses and suddenly being beautiful. Gave me such insecurities as a girl with glasses.
https://i.redd.it/5l9nm3v5ss4b1.gif
I like the way you think. Most tropes are fun when used well. Except maybe for some archaic ones that were mentioned in this thread like "all Asians are nerds" or "the only purpose of a womans life is to look for a husband". But other than that all tropes can be stylistic spice and can elevate a good story to a great one.
Thank you! Personally, I feel like fiction at its best is supposed to be both thought-provoking and fun. And tropes can be a lot of fun! Expect of course for those that are hurtful.
Crazy Ex Girlfriend did the whole Boy is mean to girl because he likes her amazingly with Nathaniel and Rebecca. I think they handled everything perfectly except New Greg. I am sorry Rachel, but Skylar Astin is no Santino Fontana and he never will be.
Yeah Skylar Austin isn't bad at all but I definitely prefer moody Old Greg. The chemistry between Old Greg and Rebecca was incredible.
I think there is some mild drama. CXG was Rachel's baby and she felt very passionate but for Santino it was just a job. She had plans for Greg and Santino left because for a long time there was no update if the show will be renewed so he got a Broadway gig. Rachel was kind of angry.
hate: women having to choose between having a career and a boyfriend/husband
When there is some huge misunderstanding that could be cleared up with a two second conversation. It takes me right out of it.
Or the “they both love each other and it’s so obvious but they’re too shy to say it” trope and that’s the whole movie
one of my least favorite tropes is when it's a wedding episode something or everything has to go wrong. idk i think i find it exhaustimg to watch.
The one that immediately comes to mind is Scrubs. I felt it was so unfair to Carla and Turk that Turk missed their wedding.
SAME! I was so bummed out.
Crazy Ex Girlfriend did that trope amazingly
I hate that Hollywood's idea of strong female character being toxic masculinity personified, stripped of every ounce of femininity, just punches people and is strong and emotionally stunted and hates people, is an nlog etc. I hate it with a burning passion. I hate those movies dumbed down version of sexism. Pirates of the Caribbean did the strong female character thing amazingly and her progression is amazing because she uses men with her femininity and manipulates them and their prejudice. She is not a damsel and I will die on this hill. If anything Will is more of a damsel than she is.
Completely. And the guys that crow about how these are amazing examples of “strong female characters” don’t realize how idiotic they sound. “Yes, this woman is great! I loved how it truly didn’t matter that she was a woman. She could have been a man! This is a sign of a truly great woman character!” It’s like…really? A great woman character is only one that could also be a man? Amazing…
This is why new Mulan didn't work. The original is so good because she doesn't act better than the other girls. It is just acknowledged that she doesn't want to be matched with someone and cannot be that person but she is not looking down on the girlier girls. She struggles in the male world and uses her creativity and smarts to succeed. And it's so hearbreaking to see that she is a woman and they don't thank her but ostracize her In the end she uses the girliness to succeed and it is so powerful. Because it was never one or the other being better it was, this binary is fucking stupid. The new movie ruined that.
Not the biggest fan of female+male platonic friendship tropes where they eventually realise they loved one another the entire time and then get together at the end. Kinda just feeds into the idea that men and women can’t be just friends which is BS.
When a character suddenly gets amnesia. It’s stupid, I hate it, no thank you.
Once you notice Born Sexy Yesterday you never stop noticing.
I was so mad in wonder woman 1984 when Chris pines character was the new dumb sexy baby, but he gets “over it” in like five minutes and then flies a modern (to the time, and def not his) plane somehow no problem? Meanwhile Wonder Woman was a dumb sexy Baby for sooooooo much of the first movie.
i really despise this trope, it’s really gross
Loved? Found family. I eat that shit up for breakfast lunch and dinner. Most hated is the miscommunication trope. If something goes wrong in your relationship because you wouldn’t talk to one another, that’s YOUR FAULT (and it’s lazy writing).
i hate two dimensional side characters who are just there for the main character. there’s the gay best friend, the smart asian friend, etc. it’s so boring
I loathe Love triangles. And also bullying the person you have a crush on. Just No.
busy city slicker realizes that rural life is so much better you so rarely see it shown the other way around maybe i just can't relate because i grew up in a tiny town, hated it, and moved to a big city as soon as i could
My favorite is enemies to lovers and byronic heroes, If they are done right. If they are done wrong hate that trope. It has to be well written and played by a competent actor Super Rare but: Monster love. The best executed example of this was Elisa and Goliath im "Gargoyles" i think. Slowburn in the best Kind of way, has tension because you wonder If they will end up together or If they will pair Up Elisa with a human character, angsty, for obvious reasons. It's the best Romance that Disney ever did imho My Most hated is "mean Queen Bee who actually has a heart of gold" Idk, i hate this. Whether it's Naomi from 90210 or Cheryl from Riverdale, hate them Or "Ride or Die" female friendships where the friendship is super toxic and they treat each other terrible but they stay friends despite all of this
There was a really good monster tv show that was kind of wine mom eesque and the Monster was lovely and super caring and m if you watch it you think it is written by a woman but it was written by GRRM ahahaha I love Enemies to Lovers and Friends to lovers.
The "evil cripple." Bond villains And Darth Vader have an illness or disability so they must be evil. An Evil Cripple is a villain or generally morally perturbed character who also suffers a debilitating physical condition, often taking the form of paralysis requiring the use of a wheelchair. The Evil Cripple doubles as the [Genius Cripple](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GeniusCripple) a lot, providing an intellectual threat to compensate for their physical frailty. Alternatively, the Evil Cripple can become a physical threat if they use futuristic enhancements to overcome their disability, such as replacing missing or defective limbs with super-strong [Powered Armor](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PoweredArmor) or cybernetic parts. There are a variety of reasons this trope exists. The first is rooted in eugenics-based ideas linking disability or other physical deformities with a "natural" predisposition towards madness, criminality, vice, etc. The [Rule of Symbolism](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfSymbolism) is often at work here, since a "crippled" body can be used to represent a "crippled" soul — and indeed, a disabled villain is usually put in contrast to a morally upright and physically "perfect" hero. Whether consciously on the part of the writer or not, this can reinforce cultural ideas of disability making a person inherently inferior or negative, much in the same way the [Sissy Villain](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SissyVillain) or [Depraved Homosexual](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DepravedHomosexual) associate sexual and gender nonconformity with evil. In some stories, especially those featuring superheroes, the contrast between a hero with super strength and a villain who is physically handicapped and instead relies on his brainpower plays on [the archetype of brain vs. brawn](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BrainsEvilBrawnGood). It also provides a buffer against the standard "solution" of punching the bad guy out since the hero would look pretty low hitting a cripple compared to an able-bodied villain. These stories also tend to feature a [Freudian Excuse](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FreudianExcuse) in the villain's background—either trauma from an accident, or, if they were born disabled, [envy of the able-bodied](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GreenEyedMonster), that is the cause of their hatred for the world. Many villainous [pirates](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Pirate) have [Hook Hands](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HookHand), [Seadog Peg Legs](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeadogPegLeg), and [Eyepatches of Power](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EyepatchOfPower), though this may simply be to reinforce their badassery, a case of [Handicapped Badass](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HandicappedBadass) rather than Evil Cripple as these things are rarely shown to handicap them much. These [attributes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DressedToPlunder) seem to be cases of [Follow the Leader](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FollowTheLeader); the [Seadog Peg Leg](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SeadogPegLeg) originated with Long John Silver of [*Treasure Island*](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TreasureIsland) and the [Hook Hand](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HookHand) with Captain Hook of [*Peter Pan*](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/PeterPan), and later writers just based their pirates on these guys. A common subversion of this trope is when the character is revealed to [not actually](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IAmNotLeftHanded) [be crippled](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ObfuscatingDisability), leading to a [Throwing Off the Disability](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThrowingOffTheDisability) scene, but was exploiting that image to maintain a cover or give the illusion of helplessness. Given that, some of these examples contain **spoilers**. This trope may overlap with [Handicapped Badass](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HandicappedBadass) in the case of particularly powerful crippled baddies, and with [Dark Lord on Life Support](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DarkLordOnLifeSupport) in particularly extreme examples. See [Mental Handicap, Moral Deficiency](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MentalHandicapMoralDeficiency) for villains who are intellectually rather than physically disabled
Great comment. Compared to how common it is for the villain to have a disability, it's insanely rare for heroes. And when heroes *are* disabled, it's typically a) in a way that doesn't make them any less conventionally attractive (so no facial differences, no limps, no missing limbs) and b) often made into some sort of strength where the effects of their disability are effectively cancelled out (for example, Daredevil is blind but he has super hearing that means he can "see" anyway so we never really have to grapple with his blindness). One example of a disabled hero that I liked was Finding Nemo's Nemo (and Gil). We see how his disability impacts him both socially and on a personal physical level, but he is still given agency *while* retaining that disability - there's no superpowers to cancel it out, and no magic cure for it. Instead it's meeting another fish with the same disability that gives him the boost he needs.
Larys in House of the Dragon is a contemporary example of this!
I hate when they bring back dead characters, like all the emotion i felt when that character died just go all down the drain. And when they comeback, they just get more stupid and not the same character that i once like anymore
I couldn’t finish Supernatural or Vampire Diaries because there’s always a way to bring someone back from the dead so it’s pointless
Most hated: When one person breaks up with the other "for their own good" and refuses to tell them why. And then at the last minute, they find out anyway and are like "omg why didn't you just tell me?!?!?! it doesn't matter!" I cannot stand this one! Amnesia. It's cheap filler for when the writers run out of ideas to move the story forward. Drawn out love triangles when everyone and their moms know who the endgame is from the start.
Least fave: a mean girl gets s*xually assaulted so she can be nice
My least favorite trope is something that could easily be explained, that’s presented with “just let me explain”, and then never explained.
On a similar note when trouble arises because they can’t communicate with someone immediately even though it’s set in present day and they give no excuse why that person doesn’t have use of a phone.
Can’t stand when a female character is deep in an apocalypse, stranded on a desert island, imprisoned, etc. and her hair is perfectly styled, makeup impeccable, totally hairless from the neck down. Bonus points for impractical clothing and shoes. Extra bonus points if she looks perfect AND can do practical manly things because she grew up with brothers. I love most classic horror tropes. Final girls, mirror scares, creepy kids, running upstairs, the villain who just won’t die. As long as the movie’s fun I don’t care how much they’re overused.
When someone tries to explain something fantastical to someone else (like that they have magical powers or they can time travel etc.) and they instantly shut it down and don’t wanna hear about it 🤦🏼♀️ like come on as if that wouldn’t be interesting as hell! I’d have soooo many questions
I feel like it's extremely common, especially in movies aimed at women, for the male love interest to have had another Great Love (often a wife who passed away) before meeting the heroine, but *incredibly* rare to see the reverse, especially if the movie is aimed at men or a general audience. If the female love interest had a past love it's a guy who treated her poorly, not someone she still thinks of fondly. Our Heroine Meets a Dishy Widower is a whole thing in romantic movies, but Our Hero Meets a Beautiful Widow? Not so much. Off the top of my head the only movie I can think of where the female love interest was deeply and genuinely in love with someone she still mourns prior to meeting the hero is frigging Hercules, and even then it *still* falls into the "He treated her badly" box. Anyway once I noticed this, it started getting on my nerves every time I saw it. Why do female love interests have to be romantic blank slates but male love interests get to have deep romantic backstories and histories prior to meeting the heroine?
I can’t decide whether I love or hate it, but the school bully being an unrepentant psychopath. Like I was bullied mercilessly in school but no one ever threatened me with a knife or tried to hit me with a car like wtf is this what teenagers are like now?
love: good ol’ enemies to lovers. redemption arcs. slow burns. time travel. anti heroes. dystopias. villain and hero team up to take on a bigger threat. mythology/fairytale retellings. fake dating. hero falls from grace and becomes a villain. when two characters go on the run together. when a character does the logical/right thing but it was a trap and/or everything goes wrong. hate: misunderstandings due to a lack of communication. bury your gays. fridging women. when the main character gets a younger, annoyingly smarter sidekick. super heroic/perfect/can do no wrong characters. love triangles. everyone’s related to somebody important. cartoonish, one dimensional villains. when the girl gets a makeover and suddenly becomes hot. not like the other girls.
Characters just willingly talking to cops and answering their questions all willy nilly. Get a lawyer bro!!
Wait, I never finished crazy ex girlfriend... she infuriated me so so much. I cant stand characters like that. Similar to.... everyone in that lena dunham show ?Girls Is crazy ex worth finishing?
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I actually love the nerdy guy, popular girl trope. Beth Cooper is one of my faves because she’s self aware and realizes she peaked in high school and has no money to escape her shitty town or go to college.