I think I figured out the problem with the Enemies to Lover's trope, it has a bimodal distribution. Let me explain!
Most tropes have a normal distribution:
I hypothesize that with EtoL, there is very little middle ground. This is a bimodal distribution:
You either do EtoL well and join the ranks of the immortals, or you crash and burn. I've discussed previously what makes EtoL work, but there seem to be a lot of traps for writers to fall into when it comes to this trope. For example:
the turn being based too heavily on lust (common JAFF trap)
never fully establishing the enemies phase
insufficient apology on one side (almost always the man's) which makes the other's acceptance unsatisfying
the pair have the communication skills of a newborn baby (ei: the misunderstanding could be fixed with a single sentence)
one side is a real asshole but it's excused because of TRAUMA
growth is ignored in favour of acceptance (can work, usually doesn't)
Relationship is clearly toxic, above and beyond the extenuating circumstances/magical premise (The problem isn't that Edward is a vampire, that's part of the premise. The problem is his disregard for Bella's autonomy)
One side gives in because the other is too obsessed with them
Once Upon a Time flew by having Hook feel meaningful remorse for his past actions (the scene with the Little Mermaid got me so good) and establishing begrudging respect between him and Emma, The Mindy Project crashed and burned by not showing sufficient growth in Danny (does he respect her career now or are they just horny?). Parks and Recreation got it by making the leads both good people who just got on each other's nerves because they had different valid approaches. I think Brooklyn 99 is one of those rare mediocre ones, because the enemy stage isn't fully established but the relationship is still satisfying. The Kdrama Alchemy of Souls got it right by having both main characters display an impressive amount of personal growth, while 100 Days My Prince burned because it relied too heavily on obsession and trauma excusing behaviour.
Pride & Prejudice and Much Ado About Nothing show that the beginning dynamic can be completely different, old antagonists vs. first impressions, but the trope can still work if it's done right. The problem is that it's so often done wrong.
So when it's good, it's SO GOOD, when it's bad, it sucks.
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Zor-El turned to Kara again, his shock still apparent. “On Argo, they reproduce… like the animals? Like Daxamites?!”
I play this for a bit of humor in Even Though You're Kryptonian, and I hint at it in passing in my Bouquet ficlet, but I think something ends up underexplored in Kara and Lena's relationship is the fact that...
Her upbringing around sex is completely different.
I'm guessing, in a kryptonian upbringing, sex would certainly be discussed - a scientific approach, "this is how the few animals we have reproduce". It wasn't something that was ever on her radar as something she would ever do. It was a clinical fact. Utterly unremarkable in their society. We have technology to fix this.
(And when kryptonians get a bit older, of course, the whispers. Can you believe Daxamites do that for fun?)
This results in a headcanon for me that her experience of love and connection is less rooted in sex. While my headcanon is still that they have a very passionate and active sex life (where they're very interested in getting each other off 👀), I don't think sex is assumed for her in the way that an allocentric planet like ours assumes. (And I think, if more ace interpretations of her vibe with folks, that's 100% valid as well.)
This might be a bit of an odd interpretation on intimacy, so I will leave that there for people to take or leave. In a giant ocean of fandom with so many different interpretations, it's just another drop of thought.
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Hi, I kind of have a question, Adam said that can't walk in the sun when doesn't drink blood, but what exactly happens? Do vampires just burn immediately, begin to be more sensitive to sunburn or is it another kind of thing?
so, in time and time again I really wanted blood to be something of a medicinal need for vampires. it's not a 1:1 metaphor of course, please don't try to think of it that way, but it's how I conceptualize it.
He needs blood to go in the sun, to heal, to "be something of a human again" and it also grants him the ability to time travel, shapeshift, compel others...
Without blood, he can't do these things. So, to be honest, without blood vampires would just... die. They can't exist without it. being in the sun uses blood, its dangerous. it wears you down. it makes you weaker. it can kill you!
I realize this ends up making my vampires feel weak, but... it's a metaphor for chronic illness. They have limited energy and if they do not take the time and the 'medications' they need to recover, they'll become weak or die. They have to manage their limited energy.
there's extreme privilege for vampires who have steady access to blood, like Adam does. His access to blood lets him time travel, transform, go in the sun constantly, etc. Vampires without as much access have to become nocturnal, they get stuck in one place, they have to be careful because even a small cut can cost precious resources...
A desperate vampire might end up hurting someone for what they need. a vampire with people who are willing to help them can get by, or even thrive. a vampire with none of these will die.
I know it's not the most satisfying answer, but it is my answer! My experiences being chronically ill are very much at play here.
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ah yes my favorite duo 💃🕺 : centuries old eldridge horror and his ✨favorite man slut✨
close-ups and my ramblings under the cut (it’s a lot guys. i have a lot of feelings about them and i was just YAPPING 😫)
yall really ate up my last post with Nightmare which omg thank u guys so much for that 🥺
now here’s more 😈
anyway
slutty manservant isn’t the only outfit Killer has, but it’s definitely his favorite lmao (the amount of times he’s been asked if he’s a Lust variant is crazy 💀. don’t get me wrong tho they r besties 💅)
the trench coat vibe was also definitely the way to go with Nightmare and i just 😫
now what’s their dynamic?
i definitely feel like my version of Nightmare and Killer are very much a “talks and listens” duo like shown with the chibi little guys
honestly tho, at first their relationship was strictly business and transactional, but the more time they spent together, the more comfortable they got in each others company and eventually became friends and equals and maybe more
and i feel like during all of that it’s just the two of them. Murder and Horror don’t show up until waaay later once Killer and Nightmare’s relationship has already been established
and no their relationship (whatever it may be, romantic or not i’ll be honest i still haven’t decided 🥲) isn’t toxic, as how i c my Nightmare isn’t anything like cannon Nightmare if that wasn’t already clear
my Nightmare, once free from the rage fueled haze of his corruption, is actually rather calm, collected, and dare say kind in his own way (he is a man of action and very few words)
he doesn’t create negativity out of malicious intent, but rather out of necessity, and actively will comfort those who are greatly struggling, which is how he first came into contact with Killer, seeing him isolated in his dying world
Killer was the first person Nightmare had attempted to “comfort” per say, and was freshly free from his corrupted mentality, hence, y he wasn’t very good at it lol. also, the corruption was reason he hadn’t gotten to Killer sooner in the first place, as he as actively enjoying the suffering Killer was going through at the time. if that makes sense???
anyway, sure they might have been cold to each other at first, with a lack of comforting on Nightmare’s part which somehow turned into a partnership?? but nothing was ever abusive within their relationship
i feel like the turning point for them would be that Nightmare admits to Killer in a moment of vulnerability that he was the first and only person to treat him like he wasn’t some, abomination. monster. freak
he’s never judged him based on his poor past actions, nor is role/duty
he accepts him. and all of him. fully and with all of his flaws not that he has any
(god i love them)
i do feel like if they were in a romantic relationship it’d be rather casual in a way that makes it clear there’s something going on between them, but they’re definitely not the type for pda (veeerrry rarely and only in front of people the trust. it’s a different story when they’re in bed tho 😏)
they’re the old married couple that banters and teases each other but with much more sexual tension lol
ok that’s enough yapping from me haha
if you’ve made it this far genuinely ur the best like wow 🥹
this was a looooot of nonsense so thanks for taking the time to read it all
i’ll be honest i still have more to say but like 💀 nah im cut off-
maybe someday tho…
alright bye 😘
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