My 3 of My Favorite Tropes And Concepts
I'm curious what you guys are interested in!
Let me start things off with the fact that today is my birthday! (I am definitely over 35!) It’s crazy to believe how many years I’ve been on this planet. Which really just tells you how many stories I’ve watched and read in all that time. So as I reflect on my life in general, I decided this week I’d talk about the types of characters and stories enjoy and often go back to.
If you’ve been following along this publication for a while, you likely know what I’m going to put in the list below. This won’t be in any particular order. I’m just going to list 3 of them just to keep things simple and easy to read. If there’s interest I’ll probably write a follow up with more I didn’t include here.
Isekai
This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been subscribed to this publication for a long while now. I can’t remember exactly how long I’ve been into isekai. I suppose technically it’s been since I was about 5 or 6 years old. My first exposure to isekai was The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland. Pretty quickly, my fascination grew and continues even now many years later.
If you’re surprised that I call The Wizard of Oz an isekai really shouldn’t be. I actually wrote a post in the past where I explain what “Isekai” actually means.
Examples:
The Vision of Escaflowne
Inuyasha
Restaurant to Another World
Spirited Away
Dungeon Diving
Along similar lines to a lot of video/computer games, I can’t hep but be into stories I would describe as “dungeon diving.” It’s pretty much what the package label tells you. The characters are traveling through a dungeon and killing monsters for a reward at the final level.
The adventure and action is pretty interesting when you have a party of characters working together in a tough situation. There’s also a lot of world building because it’s not just the action happening but plot happening outside the dungeon.
Examples:
Campfire Cooking In Another World with My Absurd Skill
A Journey Through Another World: Raising Kids While Adventuring
Top Dungeon Farmer
I was the villain(ess)
If you had asked me if I was interested in this concept a couple of years ago, I’d wonder if you had gone crazy. However I do find this concept really interesting. Just imagine it. You get a second chance at life and you turn out to be the villain/villainess of the story.
I wanted to be fair and acknowledge that there are male characters in this scenario. I will however note that probably 99% of the stories are about a female character. Basically the lead character decides, for obvious reasons, they don’t want to die. Therefore they have to do whatever they can to survive.
Sometimes the character really was a terrible person and realized they should do better. Some were wrongfully framed for a crime and therefore became a “villain.” Some are victims of truck-kun and ended up reborn as the villain of a story they read.
Examples:
Tearmoon Empire
Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I'm Not the Demon Lord
I Woke Up as The Ugly Duckling
What are you favorite tropes and concepts? Leave a comment!