CSS1
Since: Mar, 2021
Apr 27th 2022 at 9:51:24 PM
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How’s this trope different from Trickster Girlfriend?
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Type40
Since: Jun, 2020
Apr 28th 2022 at 9:26:02 AM
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For one thing, it can be mutual, with both parties teasing one another. For another, the Trickster girlfriend, as described, suggests the girlfriend is always engaging in this behavior, whereas in Romantic Ribbing, it might be only occasional or situational.
wolfworthsmenkey
Since: Feb, 2022
Apr 29th 2022 at 10:27:03 AM
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Agreed, the two tropes overlap but aren't the same. Trickster girlfriend is simply an archetype associated with this boarder idea.
One should avoid using Ho Yay examples to describe clear romantic tropes, especially if it looks like promoting a favorite ship from an unromantic franchise (which has already caused "Fan Preffered Couple" and "Two Girls Romantic Friendship" to be removed from such articles. Ran and Moca have never been in a relationship, and are still canonically depicted in the story as idealized best friends, so trying to portray this as an obvious fact (though even the text of the example implies that this is just an speculation) will simply mislead people.
In general, I think that the use of such examples, not to mention the use of illustrations as an example of the trope, requires that the characters are canonically in a relationship or at least have a confirmed romantic interest and flirtatious nature (which is literally described in the description of the trope), rather than just being a couple of friends where one character likes to troll another on the subject of affection.
Bromance or allusions to it clearly does not fit the description of this trope.
In general, the main problem is that the trope does not even just describe romantic teasing (which is a separate conversation, since we already have the trope "the tease" or "the gadfly"), it clearly describes canon romantic relationships and characters with canonically confirmed romantic interest. Just best friends where one character trolls another with periodic gay bravado, even within the framework of the described "ambiguous gay" does not fit here because of Ho Yay status.
I could call Ymir and Krista a great replacement for the example and main illustration, as their romantic status has been confirmed (at least in the anime) and Ymir has often expressed her interest in Krista in the form of "bro jokes". Or even return to Takagi/Nagatoro, if the author believes that these shows are built on this trope at all.