You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.....

[tabaqui]

Yup, another Sunshine Challenge!
And while i appreciate a nice, sunny day as much as the next person, we've had temps close to 100, humidity in the high 80's/low 90's, and a heat index of over 100 for the last five days.
BLECH. (That's a heat index of about 40c for my non-Fahrenheit-using flisties.)

So - this week's challenge is:

Hrmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
I don't have a wishlist, myself, and i honestly can't bring to mind one i've seen anywhere. Not saying I don't want to fulfil a wish, but...i have no idea where to look?

My only wish, if i had a wishlist (besides MOOOOAR FIC from my favorite authors) would be for art of any kind, or podfic of any fic.


So, there you go!

I do have a favor to ask. I want to write more fic tropes 'my way' (like my A/B/O fic), but i'm having a hard time thinking of tropes. As usual, when i need something, my brain refuses to provide. I've been thinking about a de-aged Steve and Bucky fic, and ....um...oh! Snow mentioned 'meet cute'. But that's all. So - any suggestions? Any tropes you all like a lot? Won't say i'll write them all, but it would be nice to have a selection to peruse!

And LJ finally let me load a damn picture, so -



All that bushy stuff at the bottom is my spearmint plants, going nuts. :D

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

Hey there! I hadn't seen your post yet but as it happens I've just linked to a trope post a few minutes ago. Some of those are things that would definitely shake up the same-old-same-old, or at least give you some ideas.

[tabaqui]

Cool, thank you! :D

Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

If you scroll through the comments on prompt five you'll find several people have linked to wish lists. I have a wish list here. And I think you could count it as a wish fulfilled if you just left a nice comment for someone on AO3 and it doesn't matter if they're part of the challenge or not. Everyone likes nice comments. ♥

FAVORITE TROPES:

I LOVE me some classic romantic tropes. Tropes I've actually written...
-pretending to be married while undercover on a case
-pretending to be married to scam a free vacation
-magical plot crystal that only works when the characters kiss
-amnesia resulting in two people who've been avoiding their feelings instantly fall in love because they don't realize they "don't do that"
-psychic visions of unexpected future relationship
-relationship of convenience where they are totally not going to get romantically involved (but of course do)
-all of the above mixed with the undercurrent of each half of the couple thinking the other person isn't interested (apparently mutual pining is my ultimate trope)

things I haven't written, but I'm deleted to read:
-I mock it yet still enjoy reading sappy soulmate stuff.
-Another favorite is the one where the characters deny themselves because they think their families would disapprove and then you find out their Moms have been trying to set them up the whole time. (Surrogate Moms in the form of bosses/friends/coworkers works just as well.)

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[tabaqui]

Ah ha, okay - thanks for the link! :D

What is a 'magical plot crystal'? I am...unfamiliar. :D

Thanks for the tropes!

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

Any magical device that requires either sexual energy or true love to operate. Usually, the plot device is metaphorical (only true love will break the villain's spell, et cetera, which tends to work best in fairy-tale universes), but I decided to be extra literal with the trope and gave them an actual magic rock that only worked when they kissed.

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[tabaqui]

Oh, I see, okay. I hadn't heard of that before - or, i guess - didn't realize it was called that. :D

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[oldtoadwoman]

I think I've been calling MacGuffins "magic plot crystals" since The Key to Time arc on Doctor Who. ♥

I can't think of specific examples, but Stargate: Atlantis generated a lot of pseudo-scientific magical situations where two characters would touch the same artifact at the same time and… consequences varied, but it always led to another trope… psychic connection, insta-baby, etc.

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[tabaqui]

Heee, yes. In that instance, a good thing, since it avoided the mpreg trope, which i do not like at all.

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[ysabetwordsmith]

But I have yet to see anyone write the real-life trope of that, which is: the two scientists immediately get into a knock-down drag-out argument over different theories.

Which is especially a pity in Stargate fandom because: "And it's not a 'doorway to heaven, it is ... Stagate! Why do they even keep reprinting his books?"

LOL

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[tabaqui]

HA! Yes. I loved that moment so much.

Re: Sunshine ☼ Challenge

[ysabetwordsmith]

That scene is the epitome of science, and most especially, ancient linguistics. I laughed until I couldn't breathe. :D

Try this ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

TV Tropes has all the tropes. Wiki-Tropes is a useful page. Here are instructions on playing with tropes.

Tags on AO3:
https://archiveofourown.org/tags
https://destinationtoast.tumblr.com/post/99861678234/which-ao3-tags-are-used-the-most-which-get-the

All the Tropes and Fanlore have some too.

Re: Try this ...

[tabaqui]

Lovely!
WOW, AO3 does have a tag page. I did not know! That's so awesome, thank you thank you. :D

Re: Try this ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

*bow, flourish* Happy to be of service.

I excel at granting wishes that consist of information. Some of the how-to stuff I'm linking in Sunshine was created to fulfill wishes in Snowflake or other events. :D

Re: Try this ...

[tabaqui]

You are awesome and should feel awesome. :D

Re: Try this ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Thank you!

Re: Try this ...

[enemytosleep]

I was going to list TV Tropes, so there ya go! I hope you find some fun things to write about. ;D

Re: Try this ...

[tabaqui]

Thanks! :D

[novembermond]

hm, what sort of tropes do you want? romance tropes like mutual pining? setting tropes like historical AU? hurt/comfort stuff?

[tabaqui]

See, i *don't know*! I wrote the A/B/O trope because so many fic with that are just.... Well, just don't like how they're written *at all*. Super-subby Omega, almost overwhelmingly controlling and 'paternal' Alpha....lots of stereotypes in universe that are oppressive and depressing...... Couldn't do it. So i had to go another direction.

Some tropes I hate so much i'd never write (mpreg), but most i just want to put my own personal spin on.

So what are your favorites? What do you really like? And maybe - what bugs you about some? :D

[novembermond]

heh I have the same problem with abo stories. but sometimes you find a subversion that just works.

hm what bugs me about tropes... you know I like the concept of creature stories (character is a werewolf etc) but the execution often falls flat for me.

[tabaqui]

I have found a couple that are awesome. One in particular is just *hilarious* and also really touching and totally different is Scents and Sensibility: The Working Assassin's Guide to Supersoldier Seduction by galwednesday, silentwalrus, skellerbvvt

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14772824/chapters/34165730

Give that one a try if you haven't already, it's awesome. All their fic individually is awesome. :D

What is it that falls flat? What thing do they miss or spend too much time on that makes it not work for you? I find myself being irritated by takes on that a lot, too - when the 'thing' or creature is used as just a way to make more angst, and when they find 'true love' suddenly it's all fine. Or they go over the top into these horrible 'verses where all the werewolves are in prisons or something or all the vampires have to have Buffy-verse style chips, like....why do you want to go there? (I'm not a fan of doom and gloom and horrible oppression in my fics.)

[novembermond]

there are several problems that can come up. either there's no world building outside of "character is creature" or the exact opposite. I call it the Tolkien problem: author fell in love with world building and dumps it all on the reader in big chunks where small crumbs should be.

[tabaqui]

HA! Yes. I despise a fic where the world building is either non-existant, or it *does not work* and makes no sense.

I *adore* world building, it's one of my favorite things, and i have to be careful i don't get too crazy into detail and overwhelm people with pointless 'stuff'.