Favorite character relationship types to read

These two do happen on a daily basis. Remember the last time you thought you heard someone say something, but it's something else? Perhaps a game of Telephone when you were younger? Did you watch The Conversation where Gene Hackman actually misinterprets the message? Our assumptions can cloud the Truth heavily.

edited 27th Nov '11 8:41:23 PM by QQQQQ

The validity of this also depends on what you mean by "truly understanding" someone.

Finding as much Truth as you can, from authorial intent and the evidence right there in the work.

Far to the contrary from what I witnessed. There are many kind of emotional issues that would be really difficult to understand to without experiencing it first hand or through stories. On top of that, people can be very judgmental and stubborn, thinking they don't need to understand anymore about another they already dislike. Particularly when the issue touches on their beliefs and outlook on life... you know. Something along those lines.

edited 27th Nov '11 8:47:43 PM by PsychoFreaX

Oh and there's also the issue of one side refusing to share why they feel a certain way with the other. Like if some experiences from their past could bring out some weaknesses or something like that. Which of course just stacks on to the misunderstandings of one another.

Q: Note that I said the norm. How often do you mishear things compared to hearing them properly?

"There are many kind of emotional issues that would be really difficult to understand to without experiencing it first hand or through stories."

The entire premise of writing is that we are capable of communicating our experiences. If you think most of what you say is going to be misunderstood, why the fuck bother?

edited 27th Nov '11 9:12:37 PM by kashchei

Enough in my life to know that misunderstandings and miscommunications are a very real phenomena to acknowledge. (Not only me, but others who I speak with.)

Your reader's varying subjective reception?

edited 27th Nov '11 9:25:47 PM by QQQQQ

Oh right I admit it was my fault not considering the norm part of your post better. Which means even I needed to work more on my not misunderstanding skills. Ironeeeeeeeee.

Anyways, since I'm obviously not the norm. I don't think my answer would by valid. I mean I witnessed quite a lot of people misunderstanding others due to inexperience, carelessness, stubborness etc. But as I said, I'm not the norm and that might affect the places I go to too.

Stories can help. But even with stories alone can be difficult to get others to understand. Even for a great writer. Which can also lead to unintentional Alternative Character Interpretation. Experiencing the issue first hand is by far the best way to get them to understand. It's too bad not everyone gets that chance.

edited 27th Nov '11 9:30:05 PM by PsychoFreaX

Same age student and mentor, because of two things first off they are rare in fiction, and second off that's the type of relationship I'd love to have with someone.

Also The Corrupter and The Cutie

Oh and the classic Red Oni, Blue Oni

I like to read about normal people interacting with each other—no character tags like Tsundere or Vitriolic Best Buds. If they seem enough like real people that's good enough for me. Well, so long as the author doesn't equate "realistic" with "boring".

??? What exactly are you saying? Because virtually every character relationship can be described by a trope name. And if there is one that is not, one will be provided. Just because we tag the relationship with a name doesn't make it generic by default.

Maybe. Would two people sitting in a cafe and talking over coffee have tropes attached to it? You tell me, I'm honestly blanking. But in any case the tropes shouldn't be the first things that come to mind when I'm reading.

There's far more to people than simply pidgeonholing them into those trope names.

My parents have a romance like that. It's weird, but also very entertaining... I can see why writing such a thing would appeal to you.

"Two people sitting in a cafe and talking over coffee" doesn't describe a relationship. It describes an interaction. The relationship is shown in details about various interactions that the two characters have. How do they interact physically and mentally? Is coffee all they do together? How often do they meet for coffee? What do they talk about? How do they refer to each other? That's where the various relationship tropes come from.

Second, anyone who doesn't like to see or think about tropes, might as well stop reading altogether. Because tropes are everywhere. And the fact that we name tropes doesn't mean that we take away their value. The value in a trope is in analyzing it, seeing how it fits into the framework.

EDIT: My parents are like this too. Once in a while, they just decide to spend the whole day trolling each other, and it's hilarious.

edited 28th Nov '11 11:58:50 AM by SalFishFin

Friends and friendships: I like the friendships that tend to go up and down. The friendships that get tested. And the friendships where even when you barely even know the characters, bits and pieces of their history is alluded to.

Romances: Anything that's not Sickening Sweethearts. But I tend to like devoted Battle Couples/ Bonnie and Clydes with an "Us Against The World" approach.

Protagonist vs. Villain: I like the villains to be close. Old friends, old flames that've gone to kill mode, or perhaps family members gone bad. Or perhaps old strangers that meet again. Either way, I like it when the conflict is less "good vs. evil" and more "I really, really wanna punch your face in. Douchebag."

You'd take a look at the subtle details of the interaction, for in it holds clues to their relationship. It's fair enough to look at it via tropes, but even tropes (as a kind of meta-language) have their limitations in examining what is going on, let alone why.

I occasionally think with tropes. I'd prefer though to look at my fictions as it is first-hand. Before the modern concept of tropes existed, there was still the work.

For some reason I find this sentence adorable. Just the petulant way 'douchebag' is tagged on there at the end in it's own sentence...This has Foe Yay written all over it.

It could also be sort of a more family-friendly approach to This Is for Emphasis, Bitch!, since "bitch" at the end of a line is becoming a Cliché and other words do need to be interchanged with it occasionally.

The way it's it's own sentence makes it feel like it's not 'for emphasis' rather than the person just got overwhelmed with pissed off-edness and just stomped their foot and yelled "Douchebag!" on impulse as almost more of a curse than anything else. And because I'm a Yaoi Fangirl, this translates to Foe Yay of the Vitriolic Best Buds variety in my head.

edited 28th Nov '11 5:38:57 PM by NoirGrimoir

I tend to like the idea of a hero and villain that can remain on good/ respectful terms depending on whatever persona they've taken up (as professionals, or as warriors, or as family-(wo)men, etc)

edited 28th Nov '11 5:54:29 PM by Schitzo

My favourite interpersonal relationships both to read and write tend to possess be far more emotionally sophisticated than they initially appear. A close, faintly belligerent friendship with overtones of dependence and suppressed limerence, for example, or a mutual sexual preoccupation that has nothing to do with sex on either end. People are complicated. Writing them as simple does not do them justice.

"Enough in my life to know that misunderstandings and miscommunications are a very real phenomena to acknowledge."

No one's saying anything to the contrary.