“rpf is fine” – tom hanks

C ;_; this makes me so SAD i'm sorry this makes me so sad. ok maybe it's a B. bc sometimes i like to be sad. and it can be done (and has been done!!) so deliciously, and of course the dynamic it creates in the relationship is so nuanced and interesting. and yeah, okay, who doesn't love a second chance romance. and yeah, okay, it can be amazing when the breaking up-getting back together is a speed run bc the breakup was a bad decision. and it can be amazing when there are years between the breaking up and making up. and also! do we classify a long-ago hookup as this trope? what counts as being together to then break up............. much to think about. FUNDAMENTALLY HOWEVER it makes me SAD! sorry ;_;

He’ll look at George the way he’s doing now; eyes heavy, half-lidded, who the fuck cares if he’s giving a guy the once over, he’s Max Verstappen, he’ll survive the nuclear apocalypse along with the cockroaches in George’s flat in Brackley and Helmet fucking Marko.

i feel so fake rating this a C bc like. the way i wrote a 25k amnesia au.......... but it's hard to do! as both a writer and reader. like, that balance is needed between that established relationship/character/canon/what have you, and the newness introduced by the amnesia. how do these things interact, how do you keep it interesting without either overexplaining or underexplaining, how do you convey what's been forgotten without saying what's been forgotten............ all that said, i admit i don't read this trope very much! but there are some absolute banger ones that i HAVE read so. hmm. maybe i should bump this up to a B??

time travel - C........... like. okay. the concept is sound. and some of my favourite books have time travel as a significant part of the plot. but it's a really tricky one to get right, because it can feel a little overworked/overdone. and also i'm a stickler for the rules of time travel lmao like HOW did they get there yknow. what's going to happen to the timeline when they go back home. but ! i have read fics where it is done well, so never say never

sex pollen - B!! yum yum yum a more recent trope for me to enjoy but the possibilities are soooo juicy. what if i had feelings for u and then u got sex pollened to have sex w me but i know u don't feel the same but also i love u so much that of course i'll have sex with you to cure you. no don't read too much into the way i'm holding you too tight while it happens. i really hope you forget this. i really hope you never forget this.

C? i can honestly say i don't think i've ever read this trope before!! i see the appeal, both if there's feelings percolating beforehand and if they bubble up after, and of course the person giving the dare would have some role to play............. sorry anon, i'm totally neutral on this, no idea if it's my thing or not!

B! i like it but i feel it is a bit overdone - especially with how it's veered outside fic spaces and into published literature spaces (that's a whole other can of worms tho that i won't open). with the right character dynamic it's reeeeaaally good, like you have the repression and the pining and the guilt and the desire all vying against each other. at its core such a simple trope but so effective

proxy fucking

pussy curse (sorry I have to)

pining while fucking

proxy fucking - B. delicious af but of course super angsty so not always what i'm in the mood for!! creates some fascinating character dynamics that i love to chew on tho. would love to write this properly one day i think

pussy curse (you're forgiven) - sorry but it's a C. i don't read it a lot and it's not something i search for, but i have seen it written well and i've also seen it handled terribly. with the right ship and character dynamics tho this would go offffff

pining while fucking - A+++++++++++ THAT'S THE STUFF!!! THAT'S THE STUFF RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!! having sex instead of communicating will ALWAYS be incredible to me, especially when you know both characters are feeling the same towards each other and they just! won't! say it! i'm not a huge miscommunication fan and this might fall under that banner a little, but i feel like it's very much its own thing and is just. so juicy when done well. holy shit.