Odd tropes and themes
I frequently stumble across odd little tropes and themes that throw me out of a story. I don't mean big anti-buttons or turn-offs here - these things will not make me dislike a story as a whole, or permanently harm my suspension of disbelief (unless they occur in larger number, that is). They're just small details that ring false to me, but evidently not to the author, and presumably not to many other readers.
There are many, many of these things, and right now I can only think of a few. But here's a handful of examples!
Dear readers, tell me what you think. :-) Opinions and mini-polls under the cuts!
"S/he was a bastard, but s/he was hot."
Maybe it's different for other people, but if I find that someone is a bastard (or otherwise unlikable), I cease to find them attractive.
What do you think?
Poll Hot bastards
"But you're too much of a bastard to be hot." He looked at her in shock, and she realized that she must have spoken out loud, rather than just thinking it. Ooops! That always happened to her!
Something slipping out unintentionally, aka the mouth being faster than the brain? Sure. But saying something and not realizing it, or not knowing whether you've spoken out loud or just thought it? Unless the speaker is very drunk, high, sedated or otherwise out of it, I find this bizarre and implausible.
What do you think?
Poll Spoken or just thought?
An evergreen: comparing a cock to a lollipop and/or an ice-cream cone during a blow-job scene.
As a comparison, I find this is both unsexy and baffling. Does anyone really mentally compare cocks to lollipops and/or ice cream cones while giving blow-jobs? Or at any other time, for that matter?
What do you think?
Poll Lollipop cocks
A character throws up, and then immediately kisses someone. A lesser variation: A character throws up, and then immediately drinks some wine / eats something.
Generally, when I have just thrown up I only want to rinse the nasty taste out of my mouth and brush my teeth (stomach acid is very bad for teeth, after all).
Also, a general caveat: When either of us has just thrown up, do not attempt to kiss me.
What do you think?
Poll Hurl and smooch!
Holding back someone's hair / patting / stroking their back while they throw up.
I know this is meant to be a gesture of caring, comfort and support, but does anyone actually do this? Personally, I really don't want to be watched when I throw up.
What do you think?
Poll Communal activities
A young woman is disguised as a young man, and another man finds himself strangely attracted, despite A) totally believing in the disguise and B) being totally, 100% straight.*
This seems to assume that there are magical attraction pheromones that operate independently of conscious perception. (I assume, then, that straight!guy would also be strangely attracted if the woman was wearing a convincing sheep disguise and he thought she was a sheep? How about if she were hiding inside a papier-mâché boulder?) Alternately, maybe this assumes that even totally straight men can be attracted to other men if they are effeminate enough. (Which, wow. No comment.)
Either way, this rings false to me in a very irritating way. If totallystraight!guy truly believes in the woman's disguise and buys that she's a dude, then to me it's clear he won't be attracted. If he *is* attracted, then to me it's clear he is not 100% straight.
This may actually be more along the lines of an anti-button for me. Errr. ;-)
* Never seen this the other way around, btw, with a straight!woman strangely attracted to a man disguised as a woman. Probably because it's a het romance theme, and men in het romances are not prone to disguising themselves as women.
What do you think?
Poll Magical attraction pheromones Y/N?
What are the weird little tropes and themes you stumble over? Tell me!
There are many, many of these things, and right now I can only think of a few. But here's a handful of examples!
Dear readers, tell me what you think. :-) Opinions and mini-polls under the cuts!
"S/he was a bastard, but s/he was hot."
Maybe it's different for other people, but if I find that someone is a bastard (or otherwise unlikable), I cease to find them attractive.
What do you think?
Poll Hot bastards
"But you're too much of a bastard to be hot." He looked at her in shock, and she realized that she must have spoken out loud, rather than just thinking it. Ooops! That always happened to her!
Something slipping out unintentionally, aka the mouth being faster than the brain? Sure. But saying something and not realizing it, or not knowing whether you've spoken out loud or just thought it? Unless the speaker is very drunk, high, sedated or otherwise out of it, I find this bizarre and implausible.
What do you think?
Poll Spoken or just thought?
An evergreen: comparing a cock to a lollipop and/or an ice-cream cone during a blow-job scene.
As a comparison, I find this is both unsexy and baffling. Does anyone really mentally compare cocks to lollipops and/or ice cream cones while giving blow-jobs? Or at any other time, for that matter?
What do you think?
Poll Lollipop cocks
A character throws up, and then immediately kisses someone. A lesser variation: A character throws up, and then immediately drinks some wine / eats something.
Generally, when I have just thrown up I only want to rinse the nasty taste out of my mouth and brush my teeth (stomach acid is very bad for teeth, after all).
Also, a general caveat: When either of us has just thrown up, do not attempt to kiss me.
What do you think?
Poll Hurl and smooch!
Holding back someone's hair / patting / stroking their back while they throw up.
I know this is meant to be a gesture of caring, comfort and support, but does anyone actually do this? Personally, I really don't want to be watched when I throw up.
What do you think?
Poll Communal activities
A young woman is disguised as a young man, and another man finds himself strangely attracted, despite A) totally believing in the disguise and B) being totally, 100% straight.*
This seems to assume that there are magical attraction pheromones that operate independently of conscious perception. (I assume, then, that straight!guy would also be strangely attracted if the woman was wearing a convincing sheep disguise and he thought she was a sheep? How about if she were hiding inside a papier-mâché boulder?) Alternately, maybe this assumes that even totally straight men can be attracted to other men if they are effeminate enough. (Which, wow. No comment.)
Either way, this rings false to me in a very irritating way. If totallystraight!guy truly believes in the woman's disguise and buys that she's a dude, then to me it's clear he won't be attracted. If he *is* attracted, then to me it's clear he is not 100% straight.
This may actually be more along the lines of an anti-button for me. Errr. ;-)
* Never seen this the other way around, btw, with a straight!woman strangely attracted to a man disguised as a woman. Probably because it's a het romance theme, and men in het romances are not prone to disguising themselves as women.
What do you think?
Poll Magical attraction pheromones Y/N?
What are the weird little tropes and themes you stumble over? Tell me!