The Faults and Falsity of Love Triangles
By Evanie Adame
A little disclaimer before I’m hunted by the BookTok girlies: I don’t hate love triangles. An actual love triangle implies that every person in the triangle is attracted to each other in some way. Now that’s peak romantic drama.
However, if it’s one person caught between two people who have no interest in each other, that’s more of a love angle, or perhaps an arrow. On the more rare occasions, you have your love square and it’s a whole mess of alter egos and denying feelings for one another on the basis of being in love with each other. Miraculous Ladybug I’m looking at you. (Team #Marichat for Life) (Can we all agree that Ladrien is the worst version of their ship?)(Ship=Relationship for anyone who doesn’t know).
I’ve mentioned before in my book review of The Inheritance Games (the December 8th issue;go read it) that I used to enjoy love “triangles” (or at the very least, didn’t mind them). But somewhere along the line, I’ve grown to be annoyed by them. If I really think about it, I don’t think I’ve read a romance that involved three people (and they didn’t all end up in a poly relationship) in ages. All my romance reads have been joyfully straightforward. Don’t get me wrong there’s still all that good drama and tension, but the characters have been able to develop with only a single person. Pippa and Ravi. Olive and Adam. Brandt and Fox. Magnus and Alec. Charlie and Vaggie. Nova and Adrien. Aziraphale and Crowley (don’t get me STARTED). It’s been great.
Now onto why although it isn’t admittedly the worst trope, as preference is subjective, but why, at the very least, it can be annoying.
For one, they never seem to choose the right person. Why on earth would Sophie choose Fitz of all people [elves] when Keefe is right there? Either way, there’s always some poor soul whose shipping dreams have been crushed (and fanfiction will be their lifeline). Second, namely, when it is a female character, all the love “triangle” mess ends up defining her entire character within the fandom. She’s granted no identity beyond who she should end up with. There’s also mishandled drama. Sometimes the love “triangle” just ends up being overly dramatic and annoying, with pillow-scream-inducing miscommunication and a plot that goes the most nonsensical ways. It’s even worse when it involves siblings, especially brothers. There is so much needless heartache and drama over nothing. For the most part, some miscommunication and drama are really fun and enticing! But not when the origins of said miscommunication/drama are incredibly stupid. Sometimes some things should just stay Wattpad tropes.
There are some instances where I adored the love “triangle,” like with Tessa, Will, and Jem in The Infernal Devices, because (SPOILER ALERT!) Tessa ends up with both of them at different points in her life because of some immortality shenanigans (END OF ALERT!). Now, if you’re looking for some actual love triangles, read Iron Widow and In the Ravenous Dark (technically an arrow in this one but trust me), and thank me.
My opponent, Karissa, may try to downplay the gravity of this dire situation by claiming that her trope, miscommunication, is far worse. Let me ask you this: where does the miscommunication trope thrive? Where do the needless arguments and heartbreak fester and boil up the most? Where is it spectacularly more angsty than between the trifecta breeding ground of human despair? Miscommunication would be nothing more than an annoying gnat buzzing in your ear without love “triangles” raising the stakes and generating pillow-screaming, book-slamming, room-pacing anguish.
Honored jury, the prosecution rests.
Miscommunication Is My Obliteration
By Karissa Valdez
To begin, what is a trope? I do not trust Google’s definition, so let’s just say that a trope is a sort of dynamic or plotline, creating an overall theme within a story. Personally, I am a huge fan of the classic enemies to lovers trope (The Cruel Prince, I’m looking @ you). However, I am not here to fangirl over my favorite tropes, I am here to battle Evanie Adame (Yes, this is war). We set forth on this verbal dogfight to determine which trope is the worst! Do not fear, I have the answer.
Now, you may be thinking I will pick a basic trope *cough* *cough* LOVE TRIANGLES (Or love angles, take your pick). However, there is FAR worse writing out there. I must say that the worst trope in stories is the miscommunication trope. This trope refers to characters who interact but miss a crucial detail, resulting in a ridiculous misunderstanding. It is, by far, the most annoying trope that has ever come to surface. Yet, it remains to be one of the most used tropes in our good old fanfiction, shows, and novels. People fail to see how it ruins storylines and undoes any form of development or values a character holds.
When a character hears half a conversation that has nothing to do with them, they make a HUGE assumption and allow it to affect their actions for the rest of the story. I have suffered from this trope too many times in books, movies, and k-dramas (“What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?”) (Yes. You are part of the problem, random k-drama series I watched last year).
The miscommunication trope is the easiest issue to overcome, all you have to do is SPEAK UP. By addressing the problem, you not only resolve the issue in a matter of two seconds, but you lessen the screen time, pages, or whatever form the story is in by 20 percent. Honestly, I am convinced that writers run out ideas and create a miscommunication/misunderstanding to extend their story material. What else would tempt them to create this garbage?
Don’t get me wrong, I am aware that there are many people who enjoy this trope (I can see the potential in it). I suppose people enjoy the conflict, the drama, and the fact that they know the problem and the exact solution. Perhaps they find comfort in it since they know the likely outcome: an eventual confrontation as a result of pure frustration, ending with a heart warming reconciliation. I can see their desire for this frustrating occurrence and cliched ending, however, I do not relate. This trope is not only overused, but overrated.
Do you remember yelling at your T.V.? Slamming your book shut? Turning your phone off and praying that you did not just read what you CLEARLY just read? All because a character decided to suddenly shut up and forget how to properly communicate. If you cannot relate, then I must ask you to leave. This frustration is the reason I cannot read or watch a series where the miscommunication trope is a key point in the story. It does nothing but ruin the fluidity of the story and simply makes everything lag.
So, I rest my case, my battle is done, and I wash my hands of this ridiculousness. Now that I have said my piece, I have the freedom to lay down in my bed to read a PROPER story: one containing good communication, no unnecessary misunderstandings, holding characters that know when to speak up and when to eat their lips.
Good riddance.
