Deep(ish) Thoughts: Fandom trope or kink you love and why
Ok, so obviously I couldn't decide on just one. Initially I got a list of about 30 different tropes (chosen from here), but I narrowed it down to a Top 3. As I am not really great at explaining things, especially when feelings are involved, I'm going to give you short summaries and some fic examples.
[In order:]3) Voice fetishization (cracking or broken; husky, low, throaty; purring; accents; whispering close to someone's ear)
I was going to go with "sex against the wall", but let's pretend I'm a grown-up with deep thoughts about human psyche and such. Or at least somewhere in between these two. Obviously, the voice thing is a lot better on screen (as much as I love facial expressions, without a proper tone there would be no characters for me), but it still works in writing as well. But as always, it's up to the writer to be able to take the things you would normally absorb with your other senses; and convey them through the medium of writing.
No list of fics, any decent sex scene includes that kind of stuff :)
2) Bonds (telepathic or empathic; psychic links; mating or soul bonds)
I am a complete sucker for this. The first fic with that theme I read was Cloak of Courage, a Snape/Granger story where (among other things) old magic could bond two people so they would sense eachother's moods and feelings. Ever since then I keep wishing that in some situations within this or that fandom something similar could happen, to allow the characters deeper connection and ability to save one another. Sometimes it goes a bit wrong, like when there's no ground for any supernatural stuff and suddenly you get people "feeling" each other. It's a trope that should be used carefully and consciously, otherwise it becomes a parody.
To make it a bit wider (or less "psychic"), any sort of intimacy theme is most welcome. Characters being able to read each other (from their gestures, tone of voice, look in their eyes, etc.) is a massive thing for me. HUGE. Hence my love for Generation Kill, I guess :)
Cloak of Courage by Wendynat (Harry Potter, Snape/Granger): english | polish
Your Face is Like a Melody by toyfeels (Teen Wolf, Sterek): english
Après moi le deluge by Lake (Generation Kill, Brad/Nate, slightly weird use of the trope, but here we are): english
1) AUs
Alternate universes are amazing. They demonstrate creativity of the author, but at the same time their deep understanding of characters. There's so much that can go wrong with an AU - it often invites you to experiment with stuff, with times and language and behaviour. Being able to strike that balance between original and out of character - that's what makes a story great. When I read a good AU, it's the most amazing feeling. Like, it's new and fresh and unexpected, but at the same time you just KNOW the characters. It's not that they are predictable, because they're not. But you feel this connection with them, they are familiar, but in a new and exciting way.
Ten Cups of Coffee by passe_simple (The Social Network RPS, Jewnicorn, Starbucks AU): english
The Second of Our Reign by noelia_g and cala_jane (Generation Kill, Brad/Nate, Apocalypse AU): english
Precle z makiem by pellamerethiel (Merlin BBC, Merthur, modern AU): polish
Basically what I'm trying to say is that tropes and kinks are just themes. The most important thing is the writer. You can fuck up the greatest idea without proper skills and the other way round - you can save the blandest story with some wit and creativity.
P.S. Quite easy to spot, I mostly read fics to the four above-mentioned fandoms (but boy, do these fandoms produce a lot of quality stuff) :)
[In order:]3) Voice fetishization (cracking or broken; husky, low, throaty; purring; accents; whispering close to someone's ear)
I was going to go with "sex against the wall", but let's pretend I'm a grown-up with deep thoughts about human psyche and such. Or at least somewhere in between these two. Obviously, the voice thing is a lot better on screen (as much as I love facial expressions, without a proper tone there would be no characters for me), but it still works in writing as well. But as always, it's up to the writer to be able to take the things you would normally absorb with your other senses; and convey them through the medium of writing.
No list of fics, any decent sex scene includes that kind of stuff :)
2) Bonds (telepathic or empathic; psychic links; mating or soul bonds)
I am a complete sucker for this. The first fic with that theme I read was Cloak of Courage, a Snape/Granger story where (among other things) old magic could bond two people so they would sense eachother's moods and feelings. Ever since then I keep wishing that in some situations within this or that fandom something similar could happen, to allow the characters deeper connection and ability to save one another. Sometimes it goes a bit wrong, like when there's no ground for any supernatural stuff and suddenly you get people "feeling" each other. It's a trope that should be used carefully and consciously, otherwise it becomes a parody.
To make it a bit wider (or less "psychic"), any sort of intimacy theme is most welcome. Characters being able to read each other (from their gestures, tone of voice, look in their eyes, etc.) is a massive thing for me. HUGE. Hence my love for Generation Kill, I guess :)
Cloak of Courage by Wendynat (Harry Potter, Snape/Granger): english | polish
Your Face is Like a Melody by toyfeels (Teen Wolf, Sterek): english
Après moi le deluge by Lake (Generation Kill, Brad/Nate, slightly weird use of the trope, but here we are): english
1) AUs
Alternate universes are amazing. They demonstrate creativity of the author, but at the same time their deep understanding of characters. There's so much that can go wrong with an AU - it often invites you to experiment with stuff, with times and language and behaviour. Being able to strike that balance between original and out of character - that's what makes a story great. When I read a good AU, it's the most amazing feeling. Like, it's new and fresh and unexpected, but at the same time you just KNOW the characters. It's not that they are predictable, because they're not. But you feel this connection with them, they are familiar, but in a new and exciting way.
Ten Cups of Coffee by passe_simple (The Social Network RPS, Jewnicorn, Starbucks AU): english
The Second of Our Reign by noelia_g and cala_jane (Generation Kill, Brad/Nate, Apocalypse AU): english
Precle z makiem by pellamerethiel (Merlin BBC, Merthur, modern AU): polish
Basically what I'm trying to say is that tropes and kinks are just themes. The most important thing is the writer. You can fuck up the greatest idea without proper skills and the other way round - you can save the blandest story with some wit and creativity.
P.S. Quite easy to spot, I mostly read fics to the four above-mentioned fandoms (but boy, do these fandoms produce a lot of quality stuff) :)