Trope meme
Meme time! I haven't done one in ages and this one looked kind of cool. So! Here we go:
Creature Fics: DNW vampires or werewolves, etc, but I rather like faeries and angels and the like. I guess I just hate the "dark" creature fics where there's a tone of angst over one partner potentially being violent toward the other. The very idea of that makes my skin crawl.
Animagus: Sure? I haven't read enough to have an opinion.
MPreg: I used to think not at all but after reading a few brilliant ones, my distaste for it has abated some. It's still nowhere near my favourite thing, though, and I definitely prefer the ones that at least acknowledge how bizarre/unnatural it is but don't dwell on faux-scientific explanations for it either.
Slave: Kind of? I don't like Hurt/Comfort and if it's that kind of slave fic, not so much. If it's used more as a device for complicating a relationship and creating conflict in a universe then yes, sure. It can be hot when it's sex slavery because I do like the dub-con-ish nature of it.
BDSM, S&M: It use to be a solid no but this brilliant fic really enlightened me. Now I'm just exceptionally picky. It has to be written realistically and well. Also I can't do like heavy D/s or D/s relationships that go beyond the bedroom, like at all. I'm all about equal partnerships and most writers just don't know how to show a D/s relationship that's still an equal partnership.
Age difference: Sometimes! It's not a kink of mine but it's not a deal breaker.
Blood-Play: Not even a little bit, ick.
Under-age (chan): If both partners are underage (but firmly passed puberty), I could care less. If one is underage and the other is much older, I'm a lot pickier with how the relationship is portrayed.
Cross-dressing/Gender bender: UNF! Fuck yes. Yes x 1 billion. Cross-dressing is a huge kink of mine. You don't even know.
Dubious-consent: Yes. I actually really like a well-written dub-con fic. I need it to feel a little wrong or desperate or something, though. At least the narration has to acknowledge the nature of the consent, even if the characters themselves don't. I also really like sex-pollen fics and those kinda fall under this category.
Non-con: Sometimes? /o\ But I need it to feel wrong.
Incest: Not really. It's not my kink and generally I'm not interested. It's not an absolute NO WAY for me like it is for some people, though.
Threesome/more-some/gang-bang: Sure. The more the merrier.
Death: As long as it's not the whole focus of the fic? It can be a plot element, though, for sure.
Water-sports/scat: No fuck no. Not for me.
Crossovers: YES. Definitely yes! Especially if they use both fandoms in an effective and insightful manner and aren't just doing it for the hell of it.
Unhappy/wide open endings: YES. I love a good hurty or uncertain ending. What I hate are wide-open endings that aren't endings at all. There must be some kind of resolution. We don't need to know if they're going to be together but some part of the story line must be resolved and some arc must come to a close, or else it just feels like hanging threads and an exercise in pointlessness.
Infidelity: Yep. Not a problem for me at all.
Self-harming/Attempted suicide: Noooooo. So few people write it well or realistically and it's not something I want to read about anyhow so I just avoid it with wide berth.
Rimming: Fuck yes!
Felching: Another huge kink of mine. DO WANT.
Fisting: Meh. I have nothing against it as long as it's done realistically. Probably not a kink I want to see with teenagers or people new to sex.
Addictions/Disorders: I'm very particular about it because so few people understand how additions and disorders affect individuals and their loved ones. But when when it's done well, I'm all for it. I really loved this fic, which shows how a family deals with an addiction in a really real way.
Torture/Violence: NO.
Toys: Always. For sure.
Uniforms (school girl, nurse, military uniforms etc.): Why not?
Double penetration: In certain circumstances. It can be very hot or it can be kind of awkward and unnecessary. Depends on the writer.
Anal (het, gay and/or lesbian): Um, duh?
Deep-throating: I don't have a dick so it's not some amazing thing to me, but I also don't mind it.
Boot worship, foot fetish: No.
Chains, shackles, collars, handcuffs, and other means to restrain a character: Nope. Unless it's light and really playful. Collars in particular can make me really uncomfortable.
Blindfolds: It can definitely be hot, yes.
Certain places such as dungeons, prison cells, interrogation room, offices (add your own if you have one I didn't mention): Er, no? Not really at least? Unless my public place kink falls under this heading. Because then definitely and UNF. I love when there's some fear/excitement that they could be caught.
Mind games/mind fuck (you know, that nice psychological approach to bend a character to one's will and/or break them): Sometimes, but only as long as it's portrayed as a really fucked up thing to do. I also hate when the manipulator is forgiven right away (if at all) after the other person finds out or when there's no resentment toward them if the person being manipulated has known all along. Mind games have the potential to actually make me cry tears of rage and frustration if they're messed-up enough, though. It's actually thing for me. I can't stand it when people are completely powerless in a bad situation they are only in because someone decided they wanted to fuck with their lives.
Food play/sploshing: I'm okay with it, sure.
Gore/guro: SO MUCH DNW.
Fight for dominance: Hate sex = yes please.
Breath play/asphyxiation: Not really. Doesn't squick me but isn't hot either.
Hair-pulling/biting/scratching/bruising: Again, not really.
Gun play/knife play/wand play (knife play does not have to include cutting someone, and you can add some other inanimate object to the list, if you have one!): Nope. Not in supposedly loving or consensual relationships anyhow. In fucked-up dub or non con? Maybe.
Drugs or intoxication: Sure!
Language kink (accents etc.): Meh. This is not as hot in fic as it in media where you can actually hear them speaking. Written accents kind of suck.
Squick fics (aka fics that are meant to squick the hell out of you): No? Why would I want to be squicked? :S
Have to get married!: I kind of love this trope, ngl. Along with the pretend-married one too.
Soul- (life-, heart-, force-, marriage-, wizard-, etc.) bonds: Absolutely!
Hurt/comfort: No, I'm afraid not! Sometimes I think I'm the only one for whom this is not a kink but idk. I just don't really like it? To me hurt people are in a place of vulnerability and these fics often come off as someone taking advantage of that, intentionally or not. And I don't really enjoy the hurting or comforting bits so it's just a little meh.
Kid!fic: As in the characters have kids or must take care of kids? YES, YES, BE STILL BY BEATING OVARIES. As in the characters are themselves children? Eh, not so much. Can be cute. More likely to be annoying because most of authors seem to have no idea how to write children realistically.
Time travel: Sure! Time travel is always fun, especially in fandoms like Torchwood where it's pretty canonical. I'm not crazy about the 'Go back in time and have sex with yourself' fics but I don't hate them either.
AUs: I love AUs! I love AUs of all shapes and sizes. I love the "What if" AUs where one element changes and we see how it affects the rest of the universe. I love the completely different AUs where the characters are picked up an transplanted into a whole other universe entirely. For me, the key is that the characters stay essentially the same, and in order to do that most of their life experiences and relationships with one another have to stay the same too. Arthur Pendragon is who he is because of his dead/absent mother and emotionally distant but very demanding father. Brendon Urie is who he is because he came from a big, religious family who's values were at odds with what he wanted. Dean Winchester would not be the same person if he hadn't had to practically raise both himself and his younger brother because his father had other priorities and his mother was gone. Change those fundamental things and it's really hard to keep the character intact which is really the most essential part of fanfiction.
Amnesia: Most of the time, yep. I wish people would get more creative with it, though.
Undercover!gay/Have to pretend to be a couple: HELL YES. I totally mentioned this earlier! I love pretend couples! DO WANT. Also couples that have to hide their relationship for any reason!
Redeemed!evil character: As long as the redemption arc is realistic and has the necessary gravity and the character isn't given a complete personality transplant because of it. I don't see Draco Malfoy as an evil character necessarily, but in canon he was fairly reactionary, a bit of a coward and generally an unpleasant snot so if you're going to redeem him he can't suddenly be fabulous and brave and perfect. He can grow out of some of those old traits, but it has to be gradual and feel organic.
Okay, so that was fun. Hope you enjoyed some of the random recs I threw in :P
Creature Fics: DNW vampires or werewolves, etc, but I rather like faeries and angels and the like. I guess I just hate the "dark" creature fics where there's a tone of angst over one partner potentially being violent toward the other. The very idea of that makes my skin crawl.
Animagus: Sure? I haven't read enough to have an opinion.
MPreg: I used to think not at all but after reading a few brilliant ones, my distaste for it has abated some. It's still nowhere near my favourite thing, though, and I definitely prefer the ones that at least acknowledge how bizarre/unnatural it is but don't dwell on faux-scientific explanations for it either.
Slave: Kind of? I don't like Hurt/Comfort and if it's that kind of slave fic, not so much. If it's used more as a device for complicating a relationship and creating conflict in a universe then yes, sure. It can be hot when it's sex slavery because I do like the dub-con-ish nature of it.
BDSM, S&M: It use to be a solid no but this brilliant fic really enlightened me. Now I'm just exceptionally picky. It has to be written realistically and well. Also I can't do like heavy D/s or D/s relationships that go beyond the bedroom, like at all. I'm all about equal partnerships and most writers just don't know how to show a D/s relationship that's still an equal partnership.
Age difference: Sometimes! It's not a kink of mine but it's not a deal breaker.
Blood-Play: Not even a little bit, ick.
Under-age (chan): If both partners are underage (but firmly passed puberty), I could care less. If one is underage and the other is much older, I'm a lot pickier with how the relationship is portrayed.
Cross-dressing/Gender bender: UNF! Fuck yes. Yes x 1 billion. Cross-dressing is a huge kink of mine. You don't even know.
Dubious-consent: Yes. I actually really like a well-written dub-con fic. I need it to feel a little wrong or desperate or something, though. At least the narration has to acknowledge the nature of the consent, even if the characters themselves don't. I also really like sex-pollen fics and those kinda fall under this category.
Non-con: Sometimes? /o\ But I need it to feel wrong.
Incest: Not really. It's not my kink and generally I'm not interested. It's not an absolute NO WAY for me like it is for some people, though.
Threesome/more-some/gang-bang: Sure. The more the merrier.
Death: As long as it's not the whole focus of the fic? It can be a plot element, though, for sure.
Water-sports/scat: No fuck no. Not for me.
Crossovers: YES. Definitely yes! Especially if they use both fandoms in an effective and insightful manner and aren't just doing it for the hell of it.
Unhappy/wide open endings: YES. I love a good hurty or uncertain ending. What I hate are wide-open endings that aren't endings at all. There must be some kind of resolution. We don't need to know if they're going to be together but some part of the story line must be resolved and some arc must come to a close, or else it just feels like hanging threads and an exercise in pointlessness.
Infidelity: Yep. Not a problem for me at all.
Self-harming/Attempted suicide: Noooooo. So few people write it well or realistically and it's not something I want to read about anyhow so I just avoid it with wide berth.
Rimming: Fuck yes!
Felching: Another huge kink of mine. DO WANT.
Fisting: Meh. I have nothing against it as long as it's done realistically. Probably not a kink I want to see with teenagers or people new to sex.
Addictions/Disorders: I'm very particular about it because so few people understand how additions and disorders affect individuals and their loved ones. But when when it's done well, I'm all for it. I really loved this fic, which shows how a family deals with an addiction in a really real way.
Torture/Violence: NO.
Toys: Always. For sure.
Uniforms (school girl, nurse, military uniforms etc.): Why not?
Double penetration: In certain circumstances. It can be very hot or it can be kind of awkward and unnecessary. Depends on the writer.
Anal (het, gay and/or lesbian): Um, duh?
Deep-throating: I don't have a dick so it's not some amazing thing to me, but I also don't mind it.
Boot worship, foot fetish: No.
Chains, shackles, collars, handcuffs, and other means to restrain a character: Nope. Unless it's light and really playful. Collars in particular can make me really uncomfortable.
Blindfolds: It can definitely be hot, yes.
Certain places such as dungeons, prison cells, interrogation room, offices (add your own if you have one I didn't mention): Er, no? Not really at least? Unless my public place kink falls under this heading. Because then definitely and UNF. I love when there's some fear/excitement that they could be caught.
Mind games/mind fuck (you know, that nice psychological approach to bend a character to one's will and/or break them): Sometimes, but only as long as it's portrayed as a really fucked up thing to do. I also hate when the manipulator is forgiven right away (if at all) after the other person finds out or when there's no resentment toward them if the person being manipulated has known all along. Mind games have the potential to actually make me cry tears of rage and frustration if they're messed-up enough, though. It's actually thing for me. I can't stand it when people are completely powerless in a bad situation they are only in because someone decided they wanted to fuck with their lives.
Food play/sploshing: I'm okay with it, sure.
Gore/guro: SO MUCH DNW.
Fight for dominance: Hate sex = yes please.
Breath play/asphyxiation: Not really. Doesn't squick me but isn't hot either.
Hair-pulling/biting/scratching/bruising: Again, not really.
Gun play/knife play/wand play (knife play does not have to include cutting someone, and you can add some other inanimate object to the list, if you have one!): Nope. Not in supposedly loving or consensual relationships anyhow. In fucked-up dub or non con? Maybe.
Drugs or intoxication: Sure!
Language kink (accents etc.): Meh. This is not as hot in fic as it in media where you can actually hear them speaking. Written accents kind of suck.
Squick fics (aka fics that are meant to squick the hell out of you): No? Why would I want to be squicked? :S
Have to get married!: I kind of love this trope, ngl. Along with the pretend-married one too.
Soul- (life-, heart-, force-, marriage-, wizard-, etc.) bonds: Absolutely!
Hurt/comfort: No, I'm afraid not! Sometimes I think I'm the only one for whom this is not a kink but idk. I just don't really like it? To me hurt people are in a place of vulnerability and these fics often come off as someone taking advantage of that, intentionally or not. And I don't really enjoy the hurting or comforting bits so it's just a little meh.
Kid!fic: As in the characters have kids or must take care of kids? YES, YES, BE STILL BY BEATING OVARIES. As in the characters are themselves children? Eh, not so much. Can be cute. More likely to be annoying because most of authors seem to have no idea how to write children realistically.
Time travel: Sure! Time travel is always fun, especially in fandoms like Torchwood where it's pretty canonical. I'm not crazy about the 'Go back in time and have sex with yourself' fics but I don't hate them either.
AUs: I love AUs! I love AUs of all shapes and sizes. I love the "What if" AUs where one element changes and we see how it affects the rest of the universe. I love the completely different AUs where the characters are picked up an transplanted into a whole other universe entirely. For me, the key is that the characters stay essentially the same, and in order to do that most of their life experiences and relationships with one another have to stay the same too. Arthur Pendragon is who he is because of his dead/absent mother and emotionally distant but very demanding father. Brendon Urie is who he is because he came from a big, religious family who's values were at odds with what he wanted. Dean Winchester would not be the same person if he hadn't had to practically raise both himself and his younger brother because his father had other priorities and his mother was gone. Change those fundamental things and it's really hard to keep the character intact which is really the most essential part of fanfiction.
Amnesia: Most of the time, yep. I wish people would get more creative with it, though.
Undercover!gay/Have to pretend to be a couple: HELL YES. I totally mentioned this earlier! I love pretend couples! DO WANT. Also couples that have to hide their relationship for any reason!
Redeemed!evil character: As long as the redemption arc is realistic and has the necessary gravity and the character isn't given a complete personality transplant because of it. I don't see Draco Malfoy as an evil character necessarily, but in canon he was fairly reactionary, a bit of a coward and generally an unpleasant snot so if you're going to redeem him he can't suddenly be fabulous and brave and perfect. He can grow out of some of those old traits, but it has to be gradual and feel organic.
Okay, so that was fun. Hope you enjoyed some of the random recs I threw in :P