#ROMANCE TROPES

[msfangirlgonewild]

Romance tropes in bridgerton🐝

credits: @artemis_eureka on Twitter/X

[whatthehellami]

Artwork is not mine.

[the-overanalyst]

unmatched ship dynamic: "i've done terrible things in the past" x "all i care about is who you are in the present"

[bitchcakegreen]

Thank you Nicola Coughlan for that scene. To finally see someone with the same body type as me in a scene of love like that, was moving and important. Bridgerton

[luna-azzurra]

13 fantasy - Romance themed love tropes

Fated Mates: Characters are destined to be together by supernatural or magical forces.

Magical Bond: Characters share a mystical connection that binds them together, often influencing their emotions and actions.

Creature and Human Romance: A romantic relationship between a mythical creature (such as a vampire, werewolf, or fae) and a human.

Royal Romance: Characters from different social classes or kingdoms fall in love, navigating the complexities of power and duty.

Forbidden Love in a Magical Realm: Romance between characters of different magical species or factions, facing prejudice and persecution.

Rescuer and Rescued Romance: One character rescues the other, leading to a deep bond forged through shared experiences.

Magic-induced Love: Characters fall under the influence of a love spell or potion, complicating their romantic feelings.

Immortal and Mortal Romance: A romance between an immortal being and a mortal, grappling with the challenges of mortality and eternity.

Elemental Romance: Characters representing different elements (fire, water, air, earth) find love, symbolizing balance and harmony.

Shape-shifter Romance: A character with the ability to change form falls in love, exploring themes of identity and acceptance.

Guardian and Ward Romance: A romantic relationship between a guardian figure (such as a mentor or protector) and their charge, built on trust and loyalty.

Cursed Love: Characters cursed to be apart or cursed to love each other, seeking a way to break the curse and be together.

Ancient Prophecy Romance: Characters fulfill an ancient prophecy together, their love playing a crucial role in the fate of the world.

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The hero looked around the alley and startled as they saw two amber eyes staring right back at them. They cautiously backed away, hoping that the villain would at least give them a chance to explain.

"I've been waiting." The low rumble of the villain's voice brought goosebumps on the hero's arms. They were truly in trouble. The villain's usual jovial mood and happy demeanor were nowhere to be seen.

Oh no, they were truly in trouble.

"Look, I-" The hero fumbled, wringing their fingers nervously. "I know I messed up. It was just too nerve-wracking. Going against my mentor...I tried but honestly the pressure caught up to me. I was thinking that I was all alone but I was still trying, but then the media showed up which meant it was live and everyone was-"

"How is your leg?"

"Huh?" The hero stopped blabbering and looked at villain's face. The villain's face did not give away any signs of anger but it almost seemed...worried? No, the shadows from the street lights must be messing up villain's face.

"Your leg. I watched the broadcast and you took a terrible fall. Let me look at it."

The hero hurriedly stepped back as the villain reached for their leg. Was this some other kind of punishment for messing up? The hero had often heard rumors of the villain's brutal methods. Was this one of the tortures?

"Hero" The Hero stilled, shaking in fear as the Villain stood in front of them, daring them to take another step. They flinched as the villain bent down to observe their leg. They felt a warm hand rest on their knee. Oh lord, were they going to snap their knee?

The hero relaxed as they felt warmth seep into their leg from villain's palm. Right, they had heard about villain's ability to heal. The warmth seemed to be pressing a comforting hand to their back as if beckoning them to take rest.

The hero felt their body hit the ground but felt no pain. No, they felt as if they were in heaven, floating through clouds while angels sang in their ears.

One such angel looked down at them and shook their head. They ruffled hero's hair and whispered, "What am I supposed to do with you?" The angel was truly beautiful.

Oh, the hero must be in some kind of trouble.

[ofcrowsanddragons]

Rookanis and Romance Archetypes

I have longer thoughts that I should probably write out, but here's where I'm at with Lucanis and Rook as a romance (I Love Them).

First of all, when you're looking at the capital-R Romance genre (not to be confused with the Romanticism movement, because we WILL be here all day), one of the most important bits of analysis to start with is determining what the "fantasy" might be and who it's for. Judgement-free. Occasionally, a friend will approach me about a book, boggled that all their friends like it, and we'll play this game. "What's the fantasy" is important, because otherwise we get bogged down with judgements like "Don't women know that a love interest like this would be bad for them?"

Yes, usually. Take the older stereotypical bodice ripper where the love interest kidnaps the heroine and carries her away to have his way with her. In this fantasy, the heroine is perceived as beautiful and irresistible and doesn't have to cross the social boundary of Having Desire. Another version of this is more common today (in the books that people will admit to reading), and that's the fantasy where the heroine has desire, but the love interest is uniquely capable of intuiting it and returning it.

Coming back to Veilguard:

Lucanis/Rook is flipped in-game, as far as romance archetypes go. For all that Rook is the protagonist of the game at large, you get hints in early game flirting scenes that this romance isn't going to go the way you might be expecting. When it comes down to it, Rook is the love interest, and Lucanis is the hero (i.e., the character referred to more commonly as the heroine).

In the romance arc, of the two of them, Lucanis is the one with the Disney/musical theatre "I want" song. The fantasy is for someone to see him as he is and to reach out for him where he's at. This feels impossible at the beginning! He's newly an abomination, he's a killer, and he feels that there's something deeply wrong with him as a human being—that there always has been.

His fantasy becomes that as he works through his current family issues, his dangerous supernatural malady*, and his sometimes panicked response to the pressure of saving the world, there's half a chance that there might be someone who will wait for him at the end of it. And when he gets to the point where he can face the Mortifying Ordeal of Being Known, there will still be someone who looks at him and sees something better than what he sees in himself.

The fantasy for the player is an uncommon one, for the romance genre: it's the fantasy of being capable of being that person to someone else. Rook can be capable of handling anything life throws at them. Rook doesn't need to be afraid of any kind of violence. More importantly, Rook can be worthy of that kind of trust.

Next time, I argue that Neve/Lucanis and Rook/Lucanis are both illustrations of healing in a positive direction, but in different ways.

*Don't @ me over this. Being fused together the way they are is dangerous for both Spite and Lucanis

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Not gonna lie, watching “Twisters” has helped me understand the appeal of those cheesy romance novels with the hot models on the covers. Because the movie felt like it was written by an author of those kinds of novels.

Think about it. The plot is about this down-on-her-luck city girl (not really city, but that’s a minor point) who is feeling lost, partly because her boyfriend died in a tragic accident. So, to help her get out of her funk, she accepts an offer from her friend to go back home in rural Oklahoma.

While there, she meets a rough-and-tough, handsome country boy who comes off as a bit arrogant at first. But then she gets to know him and learns he’s actually good at heart, humble, loves dogs, helps people in need, and is genuinely just a goofy nerd about his hobby. The country boy is also intelligent since he has a college degree, he respects the protagonist’s intelligence, and he spends the 2nd half of the movie making sure she achieves her goals. He’s basically her number one fan throughout the whole movie, telling her she’s great and that he’s in awe of her work. And then, our protagonist makes the country boy chase after her, which he happily does.

I’m like…did the screenwriters read a bunch of romance novels as their inspiration?

[prompt-heaven]

some reactions to a love confession

"..."

"...what?"

"What? Are you serious? Right now of all places, you really think it's the time to just blurt something like that out? You fucking-, urghh...."

"Wait, what?"

"...oh."

"Cut the bullshit, what do you really want? Because you should damn well know by now that kind of talk doesn't work on me."

"Excuse me?" *fucking clutching my pearls*

"Oh, no..."

"No, please don't. Please don't do this."

"Please stop saying that."

"Just don't."

slap them.

"I hate you."

"I hate you." (affectionately)

"No you don't. I know you may think you do, but you don't, not really."

"Okay."

"...okay..."

"Oh, okay.... uh.... look, I care about you too, so much, but just not like that. I'm really sorry."

"Alright. Tell me again when you finally mean it."

"Tell me again when we make it out of here alive."

"Ah, sure you do."

"I thought I was always just a friend in your eyes..."

"Since when?"

"I had no idea... why did you never tell me before?"

"I'm sorry, I can't... I want to, but I can't..."

just kiss them instead of finding the words.

kiss them as soon as they confess and thereby shut up whatever else they wanted to say.

"Took you long enough."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"I love you more."

"Ditto."

"I know."

start tearing up.

start full on crying.

start crying happy tears.

start crying angry/confused/frustrated tears.

"Shut up."

"Shut up." (affectionately)

"Seriously?" (hello early seasons of grey's anatomy with all of the seriously's ♡)

"Say it again."

"Oh my god, it all makes so much sense now!"

start giggling uncontrollably.

start laughing uncontrollably.

goes nonverbal.

[theshadowsingersraven]

god i really fucking love the fated mates trope, i can't lie. there's something so beautiful about fate or the deity of the world crafting you and another person to be the perfect complement to one another. your souls knew one another before you even met. the universe saw everything you could ever be and then found someone to be the counterpart to all of those. it makes me imagine the creation of the characters from the "deity" or from "fate" as being so involved and caring. aligning characters like matching pieces of broken glass together, or sewing together two pieces of fabric. every jagged piece or hole or pattern or stitch is made for you to be with someone who can love you for all of those flaws and faults. that will always, always be beautiful to me.

[featherlesswings]

Okay, Rupert Campbell-Black is 100% red flags, but “I can’t breathe without you” is echoing in my head, Jesus Christ.

That whole breach of the no touching rule moment had such shades of Ross & Demelza’s “Do you know what they say about us?” “Let it be true.” Moment. 🫦

I need all the forbidden romance novels and tv series immediately before I explode.

[urfriendlywriter]

25 delicate things lovers do that i adore:

(feel free to use!! 8, 10, 11, 18, 20, AND 21 PLSS???? *crying* yall better tag me when u write any of these?? got it??)

gazes lingering on each other

glancing away quickly when you catch them staring

finding excuses to hold your hand

delicate, slow and soft soft kisses >\\<

smiling excessively, naturally and so easily around you :`>

hands cupping your face before a kiss

the feeling they're left with after the kiss

the giddy feeling you're left with after the kiss. (yall's toaster waterproof??? :) )

picking you up and twirling you when they're excited

somebody taking an off-guard picture of you staring at each other, completely-in-love

glowing in their presence. ( im so sad )

feeling comfortable together in silence

smiling, listening keenly whenever the other rants

their eyes try to find yours whenever they hear you in crowded areas

"you're staring" "you're glowing, my love, of course i will." :)

giving small thoughtful compliments

dancing in the rain together [CRYING]

a third person saying, "no matter where they are, they're always together and in their own world."

resting their forehead against yours

shoulder kisses!!! kisses on the nape [ㅜㅜ in tears rn lmao]

the shy person initiating to kiss first!!!

touching your lips where they kissed you hard. (CAN SOMEONE KISS ME UNTIL IM A PUDDLE-)

hugs in the dark, hugs under a tree, hugs in the rain, running into their open arms and hugging them tight>>>>

placing kisses on their scars :(

waking up to a small breakfast and a note written by them before they left for the day <333

[whatthehellami]

"Can we like, reschedule today's fight? I have an exam?"

"YOU'RE IN SCHOOL?"

[the-overanalyst]

i wish more straight relationships were written like queerbait. like these two are clearly so devoted to each other and would move heaven and earth to be together, but they never make it "official," they never do the on-again-off-again bs, and there's no need for cheap relationship drama. they just are what they are and if you don't like them together romantically it doesn't get shoved in your face

[bitchcakegreen]

Let’s talk about the line “until he knows the real you, he can not possibly love you”

There’s a lot to unpack in that line because to a certain extent Eloise is talking about herself and not just Colin.

Colin does know the real Penelope. He’s the only one who truly does, maybe her lady’s mad Rae can be added to that list, but it’s really only Colin who does.

Eloise never truly knew Pen, despite their closeness and friendship prior to the LW reveal. Eloise didn’t really listen to Pen when she said she did want marriage. Eloise is and was a good friend and person, she just is a tunnel-vision focused person.

Colin, while not knowing Pen is Whistledown, does in fact know her, all of her to be more precise. That’s where the love comes from. For Eloise to not see that is pretty telling.

Eloise is somewhat shocked by realizing Pen has had feelings for her brother for a long time. This is also interesting. If Eloise had truly been paying attention she would have noticed from the jump. But again, Eloise has always been focused elsewhere. Also she’s angry because she might now believe that Pen used Eloise to get to Colin. But that again leads to Eloise having tunnel vision and not truly knowing Pen.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Eloise and I love her arc, I just need her to chill out for a movement.

[luna-azzurra]

Popular Romance Tropes

Love at First Sight

Soulmates

Slow Burn Romance

Unrequited Love

Forbidden Love

Opposites Attract

Friends to Lovers

Enemies to Lovers

Second Chance Romance

Age-Gap Romance

Fake Relationship

Arranged Marriage

Love Triangle

Long-Distance Romance

Celebrity/Fan Romance

Time-Travel Romance

Amnesia Romance

Childhood Sweethearts Reunited

Rebellious Romance