Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Tropes

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly book blog meme now hosted by Jana over at The Artsy Reader Girl!

This week's topic is: Favorite Tropes

Many of us in the book community often like to talk about the tropes that we can't stand, but sometimes it's nice to talk about the fact that there are tropes that we actually do like to see. Personally, although there are many tropes I don't particularly care for I can typically handle almost any trope as long as it's handled well. Books are largely built off of tropes, so we can't fully exclude them. There are some tropes that I do enjoy seeing more than others, though, so here's my life of favorite tropes! Of course, I'm sure I left out some great ones and some of these are rather small in plot impact, but they still stand out to me.

1. Extended Disarming
You know those scenes where a character (usually the protagonist) is entering a location where they have to remove all of their weapons and they just...keep removing them? And then just when you think they can't possibly have another weapon on them, they somehow pull out one last weapon from seemingly nowhere. It's such a small trope, but I love it every time I see it and am repeatedly amused by it.

2. Long fantasy journeys
I know a lot of people seem to get tired of long, excessive journeys from one destination to another in fantasy, but... I live for those. Nothing feels as classic as a long, unpredictable, and occasionally grueling journey to a far-off destination with a group of people that bickers and has to deal with spending every moment together. Lord of the Rings, Master Assassins, The Wheel of Time, etc.--they're all so much fun for me. Also these usually includes stops at inns and I love a good fantasy inn!

3. The gruff older 'mentor' who eventually helps out the protagonist
Who doesn't love that grumpy older character who either acts as a mentor or plays some other important role in our protagonists' story? They act rude and seem to be constantly unhappy with life itself, but at the end of the day they always seem to pull through and help our protagonists out and make sure they are safe... even if it is done begrudgingly.

4. Characters stuck together in close quarters
This is usually a romantic-related trope, but it's also one I've seen done for friends and family members and I love it just the same. Nothing is more enjoyable than when two (or more) characters are stuck in one limited area with one another and have to not end up killing each other out of irritation. Bonus points if they start out as enemies and end up not-quite-enemies (they don't have to end up friends or lovers, but that's another bonus!). I've also enjoyed observing people and how the react in different situations, so these always feel like experiments in social actions that are a blast to read about.

5. Villain redemption
I hate one dimensional, cookie-cutter villains. I like my villains to have a backstory that explains to some extent how they got to where they are. Even if they are legitimately just a psychopathic, hateful person, I'd like to see if they were always like that and/or how it contributed to whatever their current motivations are. It adds so much depth to the story and makes me even more invested in the overall book.

6. Antagonists turned allies
There are few things I enjoy more than watching a heated antagonist turn into one of the protagonist's most trusted (or...tolerated) allies. I don't care when it happens and I don't usually care why, but if it's done well then I am always here it.

7. Working undercover as a servant in a royal household/becoming a servant in a royal household
I love seeing characters adapt to a new situation such as this one and essentially become a fly on the wall to the inner workings and opinions of the royals while also spending time 'downstairs' learning about the secrets and inner workings there as well. I love underground networks and seeing how every area has its own hierarchy, even when it doesn't seem that way from the outside.

8. Mind-blowing libraries
I'm not sure how much of a trope this is, but I love nothing more than when the main character comes across some intense, unbelievable library that leaves the reader thinking about it long after reading about it. Examples that immediately come to mind include the library in Nevernight, The Name of the Wind, and so many more.


What are some of your favorite tropes? Do you like any of these too? Let me know!

17 comments:

  1. Yeah, extended disarming scenes can be really funny.

    My TTT

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  2. Great list! Yes, I love an older mentor - especially in fantasy. I love a well done long fantasy journey, too, especially if there's a scene in the middle or at the end where the characters can chill out at an inn and have their first bath in weeks. I love a moment of relaxation before the plot goes wild.

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    1. Oh man, I live for inns for some reason! I love that brief bit of down time before craziness occurs also, it's a nice reprieve.

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  3. These are great examples, and some are very specific! I love long fantasy journeys as long as they're done well. I've read some that pull the story down, because nothing happens, so it's a delicate balance.

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    1. So true about journeys, there are some that definitely drag the story down and don't seem to have a huge purpose.

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  4. Okay wait, I thought those long journeys were the whole point of fantasy novels? Great list today!

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

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    1. Haha, it certainly seems that way sometimes! I suppose every fantasy has a journey of its own style. :)

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  5. Who doesn't love mind blowing libraries? Great picks!

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    1. They are always a win, and I always feel like authors partially include them because they know us book lovers will fall in love with them. ;)

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  6. The gruff older mentor is a fun one. Great list!

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  7. I never thought of the library one, but yes! It always makes me want me want to browse the shelves. Here's my list https://speedyreadercom.wordpress.com/2019/08/20/favorite-tropes/

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  8. I don't even need a servant in a royal household, even just some large country manor is cool, to see how the houses are run and all the roles people play and how they interact with the wealthy family.

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  9. Extended disarming- that's awesome. Great one! Long fantasy journeys are another one. The journey through Middle-earth in LotR is one of my favorite parts of that story. And yes- a good fantasy inn is the best!

    I love a good fantasy library too.

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  10. I can't resist an awesome fictional library!

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  11. "The gruff older 'mentor' who eventually helps out the protagonist" OKAY THIS IS THE ONE I'M SINGLING OUT BECAUSE (oops sorry for the caps) I feel like I'm just nodding along to your entire list and instead of level you a full on novel of a comment in agreement, I'm going to point and my favourite and say YES. Because honestly? I love the grumpies. The reluctant grumpy who is finally like OK FINE OK and gets the stuff done and helps. I don't know where the soft spot for this trope came but it's there and YES.

    (Okay, I lied, I'm also going to say YES because villain-redemption and mind-blowing libraries. Those are sweet spots too.)

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  12. I love how you included extended disarming. Where'd that dagger come from?

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