Monday, January 30, 2017

A collection of things I like

This is a list of things that happen in fictional stories that I enjoy. Tropes, themes and whatnot. I might add to it later:

- robots or androids developing emotions and questioning their existence and identity and thus blurring the border between human and other simply through developing a distinct humanity
- retro futurism. Future worlds that are awash with state-of-the-art technology and space travel, but that look like they might take place in the past.
- earnest villain redemption. When a villain that's only a villain through terrible circumstances gets a good and believable redemption arc and now hang out with the good guys, but they're still struggling because redemption is a journey and they're not sure if they can ever forgive themselves.
- unapologetically evil villains. Now to something completely different: villains who are evil and they know it, you don't know why or maybe you do but it doesn't change a thing. They are ruthless and cruel and thoroughly enjoying themselves. They are comfortable in their evilness and don't need redemption. (okay, I realize I'll need to qualify that. There are quite a lot of villains who are unapologetically evil that I don't like at all, what I mean is that sometimes trying to give every villain a tragic backstory or trying to make them sympathetic is the absolute wrong move.)
- found family. They are lonely and maybe they don't really like people all that much, because they've been abandoned or hurt, but here they are with this other ragtag bunch of people and somehow they grow to love and care for each other. (I feel like 'found family' is a generally a favorite with people my age.)
- co-dependent soulmates (doesn't have to be romantic and sometimes it's even better when it's platonic). They know each other inside out. There's no one that knows the other better. They feel each other's emotions and can see what the other is thinking just by looking at them. They wouldn't survive the other's death. It might not be the healthiest way to live, but it's their reality.
- happy endings.
- subtly unsettling stories that make you question reality and whose implications stay with you and make you think
- kind and good people who stay kind and good despite everything they went through and everything they are still going through. People staying bright and optimistic in a world that does everything in its might to break that down.
- characters with power so great it's incontrollable and slowly tearing them apart
- that thing where a person bleeds way more than is actually possible, because that movie's got an R-rating and they'll be damned if they don't use it
- over-the top martial arts fights just on this side of ridiculous
- background rebellion. You know, not the heroic main characters, but those without names ready to lay down their lives for the cause.
- broken and empty characters that still continue on

About Me

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I am in my mid 20s and finished my university career. My areas of study included media analysis, literary and cultural studies, linguistics, and history. I like reading, drawing, writing, movies, TV, friends, traveling, dancing and all kinds of small things that make me happy. Just trying to spread some love.

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