Hellooo, everybody!
If there's one thing I love more than tropes, it’s subverting them.
Especially they're cliches. Subverting cliches is (Kiss noise) perfection. A trope subversion is kinda
like a bait and switch, but in a good way. You're setting things up with a specific formula.
Readers are going to expect the scene to play out in a very particular way, and then you pull a switcheroo.
You surprise them! Either by not having the trope play out the way it usually does,
or by abandoning it midway, or by gender bending it, or by just doing the exact opposite of the trope.
I live for this shit. I love trope subversion because it's fun and unexpected.
It allows you to take something loved, or something loathed, and put your own unique spin on it.
This is why I got into writing in the first place. Fuck your tropes, I do what I want. Today I am
breaking down my ten favorite tropes to subvert. The tropes that are just begging, no pleading,
to be flipped and twisted and bamboozled. Some of these tropes are annoying cliches,
and THAT is why subverting them is so much fun.
Ready to see if any of your favorites or least favorites are on the list. Let's get into it.
(The sound of a pen scratching. LOGO.)
A huge thank you to my patron over on Patreon, P. Sufenas Virius Lupus for requesting today's topic.
This amazing human being wanted to hear more about trope subversion, and I love subverting tropes,
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The Savior’s Champion and The Savior’s Sister are available in ebook, paperback, hardback
and audiobooks. They're available all over the place. So if you haven't picked up a copy, you
totally should. Do it now, they're linked below. And now on to the ten best tropes that are ready
and waiting for good old fashioned subversion. Number One (1): The good girl and the bad boy.
There's nothing inherently wrong with writing about a good girl falling for a bad boy. It's
not like this doesn't happen in real life. The problem is that this trope has been overdone to
the point of cliche, and usually with very toxic characterization. This is precisely why I enjoyed
the subversion of this trope. Specifically the bad girl and the good boy. I love this because it's so
uncommon. People are so scared that the bad girl is gonna be unlikable, and the good boy
isn't going to be sexy. But the way you dummies are writing good girls isn't likable either. And
there is nothing sexy about an abusive douchebag. The fact that this subversion is so rare makes
it refreshing. We get to explore character types and arcs that we very rarely get to see.
This is a cliche subverted in my own work. And it's subverted in some of my favorite books. We
love to see it. Number Two (2): The femme fetale. A femme fetale is a gorgeous woman who uses sex as
a weapon to destroy her enemies. It's also been done to death in a classless, sexist manner,
usually by cis het male writers. And whenever we get a sexy, villainous male character,
he's usually the abusive love interest. This is why I love the idea of the homme fatale so much.
An homme fatale is the subversion of the femme fatale. It's a beautiful man who uses sex or his
devious plan. He's not a love interest, he's not an anti hero, or the leaving man. He's just here
to flash his abs and wave his dick around for the purpose of evil. I personally have little problem
with objectification so long as it's within reason and it's equal. So if we're gonna treat women like
walking sex demons, let’s add some men to the mix. I myself have written on the homme fatale in The
Savior’s Sister, and his big moment is one of my favorite scenes in the book. Number Three (3): The
villain's final ominous words. We all know that moment where right before the antagonist fails,
succeeds, or escapes, he delivers some ominous, cliched line that is supposed to spark fear
in the hearts of readers everywhere. But what if instead, a train barrels into them and sprays
their brains across the wall? What if the Wifi has low service and the call cuts out? What if the
main character chops off their head before they can even say a word? Look nine times out of ten,
their final words aren't even ominous. It's shit we've heard a million times over. Why not surprise
readers by subverting the trope and kicking the words to the curb. As one of the best characters
ever written once said, “Fuck your parting words.” On a similar note, Number Four (4): The evil
plan monologue. I honestly don't have a big issue with this trope. It's just in the execution where
things fall flat. Quite often during the climax of a novel, especially in an action or mystery novel,
the antagonist will stop his evil deed in order to go into a long winded explanation of his plan.
This trope is utilized because it's necessary. Readers need to know the details of the bad guys
plan so that they get their questions answered. The problem is it's not always realistic.
Why would the villain ramble about their plan as opposed to you know, actually finishing their
plan? What I love is when this trope is subverted in a comedic or self aware way. When the villain
dives into their monologue, and the reader is in on the joke. “Ah, I see it's time for my evil plan
monologue,” the villain proclaims. Maybe they pull up a PowerPoint presentation and break down their
plan step by step. This makes the moment fun, while still providing need-to-know information.
Number Five (5): The naive virgin. I have no problem with virginal characters in a sex obsessed
society, I actually find them super refreshing. But as someone who was a late bloomer myself,
I personally find the naive version cliche very annoying and offensive. Just because you haven't
put your genitals to work, doesn't mean you're a doe-eyed moron. This is why I really love it
when the virginal character is someone you would least expect, like an assassin or a renegade.
Someone who isn't naive or innocent at all. It's refreshing as hell because one, you don't see it
coming. Two, sexual experience is not at all a reflection of your personality or character.
And three, it normalizes anyone and everyone doing what they want with their body when they want to.
Give me more powerful, intelligent, murderous virgins. I'm here for it. Number Six (6): The
bimbo. The hot dumb bimbo has been done to death. But you know what I love, a good old
himbo. The himbo might be one of the best tropes to come out of cliche subversion. Give me a dumb
hunk with a heart of gold and I'm all in. This is the perfect example of how gender bending a cliche
can make it new and enjoyable. I've yet to meet a person who doesn't love a himbo, and if you don't,
you have bad taste. Plain and simple. Number Seven (7): The chosen one. A lot of people have really
strong opinions about the chosen one trope. I don't myself because that trope tends to be most
prevalent in young adult fiction, and I don't read young adult fiction. But that right there I think
is the problem with this trope. The chosen one is always some idiot hapless teenager, who kind of
sucks at their job. Basically at this point, all you have to do to subvert the chosen one trope,
is to create a chosen one who isn't a whiny teenager. How about a forty-five year old divorcee
who just got into Jazzercise, and really loves to scrapbook? Or a chosen one who's a side character.
The main character is someone who isn't expected to achieve greatness at all, but somehow they're
the one who saves the day. I would read the shit out of both of those books. Number Eight (8): That
tough guy. Every book, especially every action book, has a tough guy. We've seen him,
we know him, he sucks. What I really, really love is when a character looks hard and intimidating,
but actually they're just a soft little butterfly. The perfect example of this is Terry from Brooklyn
Nine Nine. He's this mountain of a man, with pecks that have a mind of their own, but he's
gentle and sweet, he adores his daughters, and he plays the flute. This is a trope subversion that
has become a lot more common recently. So much so that it has started to become its own trope,
and honestly I'm here for it. Number Nine (9): The miscommunication. We've all read a bazillion
books that feature some kind of miscommunication, usually between the main character and their love
interest, and often resulting in some kind of fight or divide. This is another trope I don't
have a problem with in theory. Miscommunications happen in the real world, and they can cause a
lot of strife and tension. What's annoying is when the entire plot hinges on it for the duration of
the whole novel. The conflict of the romance is the fact that the heroine walked away before she
could hear the end of the conversation, which just so happened to be the most important part. I think
the easiest most common sense way to subvert this trope is not to eliminate the miscommunication,
but to resolve it quickly. Unless one or both parties are immature bags of shit,
miscommunication typically leads to a discussion. Don't make your characters immature bags of shit.
Have them discuss the miscommunication a chapter or two later, and squash the issue.
This is way more believable and incredibly satisfying to read. And number Ten (10):
The nice guy. In a lot of media, there’s a nice guy. He's usually the main character or
a potential love interest. And his whole character revolves around the fact that he's nice, but he's
not getting the sort of attention he deserves. He never gets the girl, he never gets respect,
and readers are supposed to feel bad for him. Quite often the nice guy ends up saving the day,
and lands a chick miles out of his league, and we are supposed to applaud him for defying the odds.
The thing is, this guy in real life usually isn't nice at all. He's actually kind of a
dick. And even in these books and movies, he doesn't come across nice, and yet we are still
supposed to root for him. It's fucking annoying. This is why I absolutely love it when the nice guy
ends up being the villain he actually is. This trope subversion is satisfying because it's true
to life, and it corrects a cliche that perpetuates entitled behavior. A perfect example of this done
brilliantly is the first season of Raising Dion. The main character has a friend who is
clearly in love with her, but the feelings aren't reciprocated. It really looks like he's gonna turn
into the love interest but instead because of his entitlement, he turns into the villain. I love it,
I live for it, I want more of it. So that's all I got for you today. A huge thank you to P. Sufenas
Virius Lupus for requesting today's topic. If you'd like the chance to have a video dedicated
to you, or if you want access to tons of other rewards, check me out on Patreon. You get early
access to my videos. We have an exclusive writing group. There are some monthly live streams.
There are signed books. I got it linked below. And thanks again to Skillshare for sponsoring today's
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be getting a one month FREE trial of Skillshare. So click the link and check them out. Don't forget
to subscribe to my channel. I post new videos on Wednesdays and if you wanna be alerted as SOON as
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