Shut Up and Take My Money! Tropes I Love

Every genre has tropes, those basic devices that repeat in plots. Readers and watchers like to be surprised, but we also like to know what to expect. Murder mysteries are supposed to start off with a body. Romances have to end with happily ever after.

We all have tropes we love and those we hate. Here are some of my favorites.

1. Undiscovered powers. I don’t love the “chosen one” trope, but I do love when someone finds out that they’re part of something bigger than normal life. I love when a character makes choices that set them on a hero’s journey. Though Harry Potter was the chosen one, he also made choices. He didn’t just sit back and let fate happen.
2. Angry, overprotective men as a romantic lead. I’m sorry, but I really do love this one. There’s a fine line to walk between angry/ overprotective and possessive/ stalkerish, but when it’s done well, it’s a lot of fun to read. I’m a sucker for a bad boy, especially one who will do anything to protect his beloved.
3. Strong, irritable women. I love when a female character is having none of it and lets everyone around her know. When she’s got great character development and I can live vicariously through her snark.
4. Friends to lovers. I’m a fan of the slow burn, and there’s nothing slower burn than two friends realizing they have feelings for one another.
5. Hate to love. This one is even better than best friends to lovers, in my opinion. (This is assuming it wasn’t insta-hate, which is almost as bad as insta-love). Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite books, and I’m a sucker for all those intense feelings.
6. The underdog. Though I’m not a fan of the chosen one, I do love when someone succeeds against all odds, overcoming their fatal flaw and becoming someone even they didn’t dare imagine. I want to cheer that person on all day long.

What tropes do you love?