Things I Love In Stories

 Do you remember when I made my rant post about my least favorite tropes? 

So, here is a list of my favorite storytelling elements/tropes/whatever.

Not in order, just FYI.

Slow-Burn Romances

Ah, slow-burn romances! There's something magical about two characters who very obviously have feelings for each other, yet one or both of them are completely clueless about them, and/or they think the other will never reciprocate their feelings. Sure, this can get annoying if things get drawn out for too long, but, most of the time, it's pretty great. And when they finally kiss? 

Greatest. Thing. Ever.

Well-Written Sibling Relationships

I love siblings stories and, especially, sister stories [like Little Women]. It just makes a really interesting dynamic, because while siblings love each other very much [most of the time], they can also annoy each other a lot, which can be fun to read [and also realistic, at least for me].

Any Type of Retelling

I know they've been done a lot, but I looove seeing different people's takes on classic stories. 

I especially like to see retellings of lesser-known classics/fairytales/etc.

Characters Who Are More Than What They Seem

One thing that happens a lot in fiction that often annoys me is when authors write their characters as kind of a one-dimensional stereotype, so I love it when this gets averted. The usually sugar-sweet heart of the team who can be downright vicious when provoked, the seemingly mean character who has a heart of gold, the nerd who's surprisingly efficient at combat, the fashionable popular girl who's actually pretty nice once you get to know her.....I could go on and on.

Fandom, Literary And Pop-Culture References

I love this whenever it pops up in a story! I love referencing things [seriously, ask my family, they'll tell you that much of my dialogue is a quote or a reference], so I love it when characters do it, too. I love it when characters reference some a fandom I'm in, I love it when characters talk about a fandom I'm in, and I really, really, really love it when said characters are in that fandom themself. Can we pleeeassseeee have more geeks/fangirls/fanboys in fiction? Please?

Witty/Sarcastic Characters

These type of characters can be poorly written, but when it's well done, I love it. I thrive on sarcasm and banter. It can be taken too far, but it entertains me immensely when it's written well. 

Plus, the sarcastic character can vary quite a bit, in terms of personality. They could be bitter and cynical, they could be the cheery comic relief, they could be the ''brains'' of the team, they could be the leader, they could be the best fighter, etc. etc. Or, if you're that kind of writer, everyone could be the snarky character.

Found Families

For whatever reason, I just love it when there's a group of characters all on the same side who are all super close, like one big, huge family [I mean, it's different from a biological family for several reasons. One of those is that usually some of these characters date each other]. It just adds this closeness to the team, and I love that whenever it shows up.

Awkward/Dorky Characters

I have no idea who this girl is, or what she's from, but I love her already. 

Ahhh, I just love these types of characters. I love both the ones that are super weird and awkward and just embrace it completely, and the ones who try to act cool or tough or whatever but are really just huge dorks. 

This shows up in my writing a lot [all of them do, but this one especially]. 

Normal People With Magic/Special Abilities/Etc

This trope gets a lot of flak, and I can understand why it does. However, when it's done well, it's one of my favorites. 

Part of the reason why it often doesn't work is that authors usually tend to interpret ''normal'' as either ''super great at everything'' or ''complete loser'', but when they manage to get it right, it's pretty cool. 

Tip: Have multiple characters with magic/special powers. It usually balances things out well.

Weird, Quirky, Or Somewhat Insane Premises

I love it when I can just picture the author saying, ''Hey, I'm do a crossover between Sherlock Holmes and Pride and Prejudice only I'm going to set it in a fantasy world where all unicorns are evil dictators.''

I mean, it doesn't have to be quite that insane, but I like it when creators have unique ideas, and then just go with it. I also like it when people base a whole story off of one random idea [not that I've ever done that. *nervous laughter*]. I think I love this, because this is sort of how my writing process is, and I love to see that it is possible to make it work, and not just turn into a story that makes absolutely no sense [like how most of mine end up].

And that is all I have for you today. There are more things that I love in stories. These are just a few.

So, what are some things you love in stories? Do we share any of the same ones?