RatCreature's Reading List

I hate leaving things unfinished, or partially done. I started Snowflake with the intention of doing every challenge, but I'm gonna have to bow out of Challenge #5, a wishlist venture. Asking for things? Nope. Sorry. Not happening. I am bad at that.

So, on to Challenge #6. Top 10 Challenge.



And I'm gonna have fun and talk about ten tropes I love. Which I guess could also count as a sneak wishlist, just without the actual request feature.

They're numbered but not ranked. I thought about giving canon or fanfic examples for each, but this post is long enough as is.

1. Conversations with dead people

An emotional trope. Things left unsaid, fears unspoken, last regrets to acknowledge. Literal ghost, or a dream sequence, or a hallucination. The question: Is it real or the character's subconscious? What does the visitation signify? The possibilities range from spooky to redemptive. It is a heady brew of emotion and mystery, breaking reality and showing facets a normal conversation never could.

2. Best friend with a death wish

Pure loyalty in every situation is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately for one half of this partnership, the other half is running pell-mell for the cliff. Cue angst. Cue anguish. Cue agony. This is a first rate shipping dynamic, when one half of the pairing is bent on self-destruction and the other half can only watch in dread. It's supposed to be ride or die, not ride and die. How do you save your partner from their own demons?

3. Redemption equals living

I hate the Redemption Equals Death trope. Hate it. It's a punitive narrative action that says redemption isn't actually possible, that all attempts will fail and the only real value to the reformed is to conveniently remove themselves from the picture, letting everyone else get on with their lives. It's why I love the Angel and Faith dynamic, where Angel spells it out clearly. Laying down and dying is easy, one big gesture and it's over. Living with your actions, that's the hard part. Getting up every day to fight the good fight, knowing it won't undo what was done. That's the bread and butter of a good character arc.

4. Hidden identities/spies

The perfect umbrella trope for all manner of exciting developments. Spy vs spy! Spy vs handler! Truths within lies and lies which contain truths! False lovers getting lost in character! Once you introduce spies, it is a delightful playground of difficult relationships, but I also love all the classic accessories: the hidden compartments, masquerade balls, secret codes and smiling facades. And thinking it over, I realize this is one of the reasons I am eternally fannish about Jeremiah: lots of double agents. My earliest fics centered on that topic. This is my JAM.

5. Token evil teammate

There's nothing better than the merciful heroes allowing a villain to live, from dire necessity against an existential threat or compassion as the antagonist falls on hard times. Then we get this trope, which I mostly call "villain in a cage." Literal or metaphorical, the important thing is they are momentarily captive. A good villain is a dark reflection of one or more good guys, a path not taken, a worst outcome. They sit there, unable to harm anyone physically, so they use truth as a weapon, they find every insecurity and push buttons just by being present. And since a good villain is highly competent, they are useful, the ultimate double edged sword. And maybe the heroes start rubbing off on them, by proximity, by humanity, by lack of other options, but there's always the question - is it all an act? Lots of great character work can result from this pressure cooker. Always a good time for me.

6. Amnesia

Total amnesia is fine, but it's more interesting when it's selective. The person is mostly the same, but there are missing pieces. Accidental or deliberate, the result is a great crisis of identity and free will. It can increase paranoia in the victim, or anguish in a loved one. It can cause questioning or reaffirmation. It can propel a mystery. It can unveil psychological horror, if it was deliberately caused. It is guaranteed to cause a whirlwind of angst.

7. Enemies to lovers

As I said, a villain should be a reflection. That means commonalities. A subconscious ability to relate. A worthy opponent deserving respect. But with lines crossed and bad histories, every single interaction is a battlefield which facilitates character growth and ethical debates (hell yeah). Also, part of what makes villains villains is that they WANT things, and won't stop till they get them, so seeing that hunger turn toward someone they can't acquire by normal methods tends to bend them out of shape in a delightful way - and can be exceptionally cathartic if the character they covet is generally overlooked by the rest of Team Good. There is no more powerful depiction of the transformative power of human connection.

8. Slow burn

I can't tell you how many times I'm reading a shipping fic and they arrive at the whole "shut up and kiss" moment, and I'm sitting there going "no, hang on, go back, that conversation was interesting! It wasn't finished!" The best romances take forever. Skilled writers can actually do what feels like a slow burn in a brisk twenty thousand words, so it's less about the time spent reading for me and more about giving the yearning and pining and fighting of the inevitable its proper due. Don't skip to the good stuff when what you're skipping is the good stuff!

9. Dramatic declarations of love

This can be romantic or platonic love, but moments of peril and high stakes where love is unequivocally declared, preferentially through action, are great. Lifesaving! Emptying an entire clip into the enemy who dared threaten the object of affection (yes, my favorite hostage scene of all time is Wesley on the roof with dear old dad in 'Lineage'). Rescue missions! Thousand to one odds are no object. Those are the obvious ones, but it can be tailored to different characters and their wants. Meaningful action, synergy, sacrifice, all that good stuff. I gravitate to it because... Well, a lot of my favorite characters aren't the sort who are likely to say "I love you" easily, but could channel it into action without hesitation.

10. Found family

We'll end with a gimme. I mean, who doesn't love found family? Is this even a trope? It feels ubiquitous. Great though, isn't it?