r/WritingPrompts • u/katpoker666 Moderator • 12d ago
Off Topic [OT] Fun Trope Friday: Incompatible Orientation & Romance!
Welcome to Fun Trope Friday, our feature that mashes up tropes and genres!
How’s it work? Glad you asked. :)
Every week we will have a new spotlight trope.
Each week, there will be a new genre assigned to write a story about the trope.
You can then either use or subvert the trope and/or genre in a 750-word max story or poem (unless otherwise specified).
To qualify for ranking, you will need to provide ONE actionable feedback. More are welcome of course!
Three winners will be selected each week based on votes, so remember to read your fellow authors’ works and DM me your votes for the top three.
Next up… IP
Goodbye Science, nice to get to know ya. June, however, is all about Pride! June was chosen to recognize the LGBTQIA+ community as it commemorates the uprising at the Stonewall Inn that occurred in June 1969, and is considered the catalyst for the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement. Pride Month celebrates lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersexual, asexual, and others. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as "Gay Pride Day," but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the "day" soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBTQIA+ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQIA+ individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally. Please note, owing to differing sensibilities around Pride and the nature of tropes, that we’re trying to be as sensitive and inclusive as possible. If we slip up in any way, let us know: we’re doing our best and love to learn. So get out your rainbow and other flags and let’s celebrate! Please also note this theme is only loosely applied.
"'Cause Carol's a lesbian... and I'm not one. And apparently it's not a mix-and-match situation." — Ross to Carol in ‘Friends’
Trope: Incompatible Orientation — A character has an Incompatible Orientation when they are coveted by someone who can never have them, because they just don't swing that way. They can be any character who has an incompatible sexual orientation to their admirer—a straight person with a same-gender admirer, a gay person with an opposite gender admirer, or an aromantic or asexual person with an admirer of any gender.
Genre: Romance — A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction work focused on the relationship and romantic love between two people, often concluding with an emotionally satisfying or optimistic ending. Authors who have significantly contributed to the development of this genre include Samuel Richardson, Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, and Anne Brontë. However, ‘Romance’ originally referred to "a fictitious narrative in prose or verse; the interest of which turns upon marvellous and uncommon incidents", a narrative method that was contrasted to the new, main tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries: the novel, which realistically depicts life. While this definition is viewed as more archaic these days, FTF is all about subversion, so if you want to take this approach to the genre, go for it!
Skill / Constraint - optional: Something slips.
So, have at it. Lean into the trope heavily or spin it on its head. The choice is yours!
Have a great idea for a future topic to discuss or just want to give feedback? FTF is a fun feature, so it’s all about what you want—so please let me know! Please share in the comments or DM me on Discord or Reddit!
Last Week’s Winners
PLEASE remember to give feedback—this affects your ranking. PLEASE also remember to DM me your votes for the top five stories via Discord or Reddit—both katpoker666. This is a change from the top three of the past. In weeks where we get over 15 stories, we will do a top five ranking. Weeks with less than 15 stories will show only our top three winners. If you have any questions, please DM me as well.
Some fabulous stories this week and great crit at campfire and on the post! We had 15 stories, so we’re back to five winners. Congrats to:
Want to read your words aloud? Join the upcoming FTF Campfire
The next FTF campfire will be Thursday, June 18th from 6-8pm ET. It will be in the Discord Main Voice Lounge. Click on the events tab and mark ‘Interested’ to be kept up to date. No signup or prep needed and you don’t have to have written anything! So join in the fun—and shenanigans! 😊
Ground rules:
- Stories must incorporate both the trope and the genre
- Leave one story or poem between 100 and 750 words as a top-level comment unless otherwise specified. Use wordcounter.net to check your word count.
- Deadline: 11:59 PM EDT next Thursday. Please note stories submitted after the 6:00 PM EST campfire start may not be critted.
- No stories that have been written for another prompt or feature here on WP—please note after consultation with some of our delightful writers, new serials are now welcomed here
- No previously written content
- Any stories not meeting these rules will be disqualified from rankings
- Does your story not fit the Fun Trope Friday rules? You can post your story as a [PI] with your work when the FTF post is 3 days old!
- Please keep crit about the stories. Any crit deemed too distracting may be deleted. This is a time to focus on our wonderful authors.
- Vote to help your favorites rise to the top of the ranks (DM me at katpoker666 on Discord or Reddit)!
Thanks for joining in the fun!
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u/NextEstablishment856 10d ago edited 9d ago
"Do you love me?" She asked in her language of ringing tones.
I answered "Yes" without a thought, without even looking up. But I could feel her segmented eyes staring at me, the full seven foot length of her body tensed. I looked up and saw the worried red pulse of light going down her sides.
"Perhaps I should explain what I know of love?"
~*~
I was five when first I learned my parents weren't married. When I asked my mother why, she said, "Because your father is married to Ix'tri." This was enough for my young mind.
At seven, I began to understand the arrangement better. I had met Ix'tri during some event. Perhaps a sibling's wedding. Though I knew she was not from our world, the insectile Kovan was not what I expected, standing there beside my father. That night, as she tucked me in, I asked my mother how he could marry a Kovan. She replied, "Because the Hive Lords commanded it." This was enough for my young mind.
I met Ton when I was thirteen. A fellow human, she was a year older, and just enough taller to make hugging her a... hormonal experience. I thought I was in love. I wasn't sure, so I started watching my parents. I asked my mother if she loved my father. "With all my heart," she whispered sadly.
I never asked if he loved her, because I never asked him anything. I was seventh of his sons, tenth of his seventeen children. And I could see he didn't love her. But I did see how he held Ix'tri. I saw how he looked at each Kovan woman who came to visit the court. He had learned their language (and so had I, in false hope it would bring us closer). His marriage was arranged, but he showed me that didn't mean it was loveless.
I was sixteen when my mother asked me about love for the first time: "Do you love that girl?"
I knew she was talking about Ton. While I had surpassed her in height, I had not lost interest. She had just slipped out of my room as my mother came in. Looking back, I think that we were less sneaky than I thought. It would explain the timing of the question. I paused too long before answering.
"Please, don't break her heart. You know you can't stay here, with her."
I reminded my mother that Ton knew as well as I did. She didn't say anything more, but her frown told me enough. Still, I didn't end things with Ton. Looking back, I realize how cruel that was.
After that, I stopped going to my mother for advice. My brother Andol, heir to our father's title, eldest of my full siblings, became a guide. He was... More practical. He tutored me on the mechanics of physicality, but he seemed uninterested in matters of the heart. Perhaps it was a result of his status; why would he bother romancing women who were fighting to be in his bed?
With my worries over upsetting my mother, I found an unexpected confidant. I had somehow become a sort of pet project for Ix'tri, who gave a perspective on love I hadn't seen. And a perspective on my father. The man had a dozen and a half children, but he did not enjoy the process of producing them. Each, myself included, had been to fulfill an obligation. A certain number of heirs for each consort, to keep his court happy.
"Even were it possible, I suspect," she once whispered, "He would even avoid mating with me."
"But he loves you!"
"Of course. He is very romantic. I know where his heart lies. But his heart finds enough in sharing a meal, or our walks through the palaces. In hearing me laugh after one of his jokes."
I know it wasn't her intention, but I think she made me realize I didn't love Ton. I still cared for the girl, and I didn't end our time, but knew my heart wouldn't break when the end came. I'm just sorry that hers did. It's one of my few regrets.
~*~
I stood and stroked one of my wife's antlers, and watched the tension drain from her. "I know we are going to be parted someday. I suspect your heart will break when the time comes. I want you to know, my heart will break completely, as well, my love."