Hero Stuff: Teasers, Shorts, and Random Stuff

My Favorite Cliches (Part One)

I know this might sound strange coming from me, but I don't hate cliches (most of them, anyway) Some cliches I straight up adore. And I don't have data or anything, but I've got a feeling you've got a few, too. So here are the cliches/tropes/devices I love, and why. What are your favorite cliches?

Protagonist trinities. One is lonely, two is a company, and three's a crowd. But three, to me, has always been perfect. You know the characters intimately, and you don't get bored with them. Heck, you can have a romance in there if you want. I love my Hans, Lukes, and Leias. My Kirks, Spocks, and Bones (Bones', Bones, Boness, Boneses?). Heck, even my Cleos, Cliffords, and T-Bones. Maybe it's because I've been part of these friend trinities all my life. Or maybe it has to do with the Freudian concept of the Id, Ego, and Superego (Your unbridled passions, your referee, and your moral compass. Kirk, Spock, Bones. Han, Luke, Leia. See?) Or heck, because three is a good number. Either way, I love protagonist trinities. I'm sure you've got your favorite protagonist trinity. Kirk, Spock, and Bones will always be mine. Let's go, trekkies!

Seduction of the Dark Side. What can I say? Villains are awesome. And to watch a character struggle against joining the "dark" side is probably one of my favorite tropes. And I can't peg why, really. My best theory is that you learn that character's real identity. What would make them crack? What would make them turn their back on their friends? Fame, fortune, cookies? Either way, there's nothing cooler than a good guy gone bad, or a good guy who has to fight to retain who they are.

Hero at the Mercy of the Villain Scene. This makes me dig into the popcorn and hold my breath. How will the hero escape? What will the villain do? Nothing screams suspense like this scene. And hey. If I were a villain and I'd captured myself a will-of-iron hero, screw killing them. I'd monologue the crap out of that miserable hero and drag them along on all my exploits. Because that just sounds like a good time. So I think there's a little truth to these cliches.

Fourth Wall breaks. They're just fun. I honestly think a story can be sincere and self-aware if one doesn't undercut the other. A character knowing they're part of a story shouldn't make that story any less meaningful. I mean, what if you were in a book? Would that make your relationships and goals less important to you? Maybe. But most likely, it wouldn't matter that much. So break that fourth wall! They keep us apart! Let the fictional and flesh mingle. I want to meet your fictional character. Don't let that fourth wall keep us apart.

 Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! I love fight scenes. Maybe this is a more personal thing. My dad is a martial arts teacher. The first movie I can remember watching is Kill Bill, and that I only remember because a lady got scalped and it made me cry and my dad was laughing at me for crying. I was raised on Bruce Lee and B-grade Kung Fu flicks. Baby, watching people get the crap beaten out of them is my childhood. It's my DNA. But oh my gosh, the blood, the adrenaline. I indulge in writing fight scenes the way an erotica author indulges in writing sex scenes. It's come to the point where I have a hard time reading pure chick lit or romance. I used to love those genres, but I need my fight scenes. I need them like I need my coffee. It might be unhealthy, but eh, listen to this song and get hyped to read some fight scenes with me.

(I will most likely listen to this every time I write or read a fight scene. Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!  Hypes me up every time.) 

Part two, coming soon.