Story tropes—those endless things we all have varying degrees of opinions on. Some we love, some we hate. But what if we pitched them against one another in a great battle of preferences??

I’ll be honest, I love talking about tropes and discussing my favorites vs. the ones I’d like to see dive into a black hole never to be seen from again. – ahem – Tropes can definitely give us bookdragons some pretty strong feelings, can’t they? We all have some we’d far prefer which is why I’m so excited about today’s post.

The absolute delight and genius that is Kenzie @ Featherwick Press created this tag that pitches tropes against one another! Is that not the most brilliant thing? I was thrilled to be tagged by it because OF COURSE I HAD TO PARTICIPATE. I mean, if she had not tagged me I’d have gone all pirate and stolen it, but I guess I’m saved from being a criminal (for now).

THE TROPE TAG

THE RULES

It’s all quite simple.

Twelve worthy tropes have been tossed together in twos to battle it out for our favorites. A duel of tropes, as it were. And as I have accepted the challenge, I must put aside my indecisive nature and give my full opinion on which ones I prefer. Not always an easy feat but I shall bravely do my best! Oh, and there’s a bit more to this tag as well which I shall share at the end.

Let the battle beginnnn!

THE CHOSEN ONE VS. THE MENTOR

Ah, the classics. I know a lot of people have utterly sworn off these overused tropes, especially the Chosen One, but I am not opposed to a good classic at all. I mean, they’re classics for a reason! Some story structures just work to bring readers back again and again.

BUT.

Though I am not against a Chosen One story if it’s done well, it’s not one I particularly gravitate toward. I love stories about unexpected heroes. The ordinary people who bravely choose to take on the journey because it’s the right thing to do, not because some prophecy told them to.

But mentor characters now? That is a different story. I LOVE mentors. Whether they’re the good ol’ wizened wizard who will smack sense into you with their staff or an unexpected companion who brings the chaos and wisdom in equal measure, I am HERE FOR IT.

So with that said…

THE MENTOR wins this round.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS VS. FRIENDS TO LOVERS

So the big romance tropes enter the ring!

Well, friends to lovers is always a sweet one. It definitely warms my heart to see childhood besties grow up only to realize they’ve fallen in love. That would probably be the ideal way to fall in love without all the awkward getting to know one another and questioning if you’re actually compatible since, you know, you’ve known each other for ages.

Buuuuut….

In fiction? I FAR prefer the getting-to-know-one another chaos. And when the chaos brings tension and drama because the two individuals start out despising one another? Mmmm yes. That’s the good stuff. Enemies to lovers is one of my tippity top favorite romance tropes and I have no shame.

ENEMIES TO LOVERS takes the gold without question!

MATCHMAKER GONE WRONG VS. LOVE POTION

Love potions are…weird things. They can definitely be used as hilarious and/or drama-filled devices, so I’m not entirely against them but ehhh. I’ve never been a huge fan.

But matchmaking chaos? YISSS. Give me all the matchmaking failure stories! (Emma is my favorite Jane Austen story for a reason.) People just causing all sorts of relationship insanity because, though they have good intentions, they’re utterly blind makes me giggle every time. One of my favorite examples of this is The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo. If you need a whimsical and delightful Cinderella story with a hilarious and genius twist in your life, look no further.

MATCHMAKER GONE WRONG wins with ease!

TRAPPED IN AN ELEVATOR VS. WORKING WITH THE EX

Ooooh. Both of these are setups for some fun. I mean, for us to read/watch, not so much for the characters. Being forced on some journey or project with your ex? Talk about uncomfortable. But it also tends to edge into the enemies to lovers trope and I’ve already discussed how much I love that.

AND YET.

The trapped in an elevator trope? That has long been one of my favorites, favorites, favorites. (Which it probably shouldn’t because I have, in fact, been trapped in an elevator before but it was with my two besties and we sat on the floor and sang Christmas carols while waiting for maintenance to pry open the doors so it was fiiine #truestory).

Of course, the trope name does not have to be literal. I think it’s just what it’s called when characters are stuck in close proximity for a certain amount of time? And I LOVE THAT. I do not know what it is about seeing two or more characters forced in some area they cannot escape that excites me every single time but it does. I’m a total sucker for cave-in plots, as overused as they often are. I don’t even know, it’s just fun. Forcing characters to just sit and talk or work together to escape? Yisss, that’s the good stuff. So you can probably guess which one takes the victory for this round…

TRAPPED IN AN ELEVATOR!

MISTAKEN IDENTITY VS. MARRIAGE PACT

Marriage pacts have always been kind of weird to me. Like, two friends agreeing to marry if they don’t find anyone better? Erm. Okay?? Not exactly the best basis for a marriage, children. I can enjoy a marriage pact story, but it has to be just the right circumstances to excite me.

But you know what does always excite me? Mistaken identities!

The sheer amount of humor that can come from a simple misunderstanding. And it doesn’t even have to be humorous. It can be intriguing or aching (Cinderella comes to mind) or just interesting. But either way, it’s a fantastic setup for all sorts of delightful complications.

MISTAKEN IDENTITY lands the win with barely a scratch for this one!

KIDNAPPED VS. THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Oooh, the final battle of course has to be a tough and close one!

The One That Got Away brings to mind Cinderella yet again (and if you haven’t guessed at this point, I LOVE me a good Cinderella plot). It’s a setup for all sorts of drama and tension and wondering. Never a bad thing.

But I’m not gonna lie. I quite enjoy a good ol’ kidnapping plot. The thing about kidnappings is they don’t have to be nefarious. Now hold back your torches and pitchforks! Let me explain! What if the heroes abduct a person to get them out of a bad situation for their own good, hmmm? How can you not love that? But nefarious kidnappings can be all sorts of fun too. My favorite is when someone is kidnapped and said someone is so obnoxious the Big Bad Villain greatly questions all his life choices. (This is basically the entire plot of an anime called Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle and I cannot recommend it enough–it. is. HILARIOUS.)

If done well, kidnappings can bring alllll sorts of fun. I am a fan. (You know, over fictional kidnappings. Please put the pitchforks away, it’s fine.)

So for this final and epic battle…

KIDNAPPED steals the prize!

(Pun entirely intended.)

And there we have it, my friends! You now know (probably with far more detail than you ever wanted) my opinions on various epic tropes!

BUT WAIT.

Remember when I said there was more to this tag…?

THE CHALLENGE

Not only has Kenzie created a delightful and brilliant tag, she has set a challenge for all of us who participate in it. The challenge?

Write a short story using every single trope that we chose!

Right??? Isn’t that the most fun idea ever? I’m already imagining a story involving the six tropes I picked and giggling over it. I really, really want to write this thing! With that said… I genuinely have no idea when I’ll have time for such a thing. But I absolutely hope to try because, oh man, is this gonna be funnn.

Now I am supposed to tag a few people buuut I have the hardest time deciding who to pass tags along to. SO. I’m cheating and instead saying…

EVERYONE IS TAGGED.

If this tag looks fun to you (pst, it is) then absolutely run away with it! I’d love to see you do it!

A huge thank you to Kenzie for creating this! I had SUCH a grand time with it!

Let’s discuss all things tropes! Which are your favorites? Least favorites? Do you have certain ones you incorporate into your own novels or seek out in stories? I want to hear about it all!