Stories 5-7

Look at me, back with part 2 of Fools in Love.
I personally love the queer twist on classic tropes and suggest reading it for that reason alone, getting a revamp on old and outdated stories.

What Makes Us Heroes – Julian Winters

• trope: Hero vs. Villain

• Shai sits in his favourite coffee shop as he waits for Logan to walk in. Logan. His ex-boyfriend. His mom wants them to try to get back together, because the connection with a “level 1” white hero family will help them get their name out there. He’s still waiting when Kyan walks in and stands above him. Shai is supposed to hate him. They’re rivals after all. But when Kyan helps him out without even being asked, maybe things change.
• ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
  • This story was really good and I really enjoyed it. The premise of racial inequality affecting relationships and jobs was wonderful and so important. My only complaint is that the “hero vs. villain” trope was not really that present, which was a little disappointing if I am being honest. But I would seriously recommend reading this one.

And – Hannah Moskowitz

• • *pre-reading note*: if this doesn’t end up being a polyamourous relationship, I’m suing for emotional damages.
  • *post-reading note*: YES! THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A GOOD LOVE TRIANGLE

• • trope: Love-Triangle

• • You’ve been dating Billy for 3 years now. And you love him. But you meet Enzo and something draws you together. You know you love Billy, and if you had to choose of course Billy, your boyfriend since the start of high school. But why do you have to choose? What if you don’t want to? What happens then?

• • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• • This was the best use of 10 pages ever. Love triangles are an incredibly hurtful experience for the two love-interest, which is often brushed off and looked over by authors. If you’ve ever heard me talk about love-triangles, you know that I think they are extremely problematic. Mostly because they are rooted in anti-polyamorous and heteronormative ideaology: the idea of cheating and choosing one in the end, instead of healthy communication and choosing to forgo heteronormative notions. If your character loves two other characters, then they love them both and, as long as there’s communication between everyone involved, then there’s nothing wrong with having them not choose. And this story just proves how love-triangles should be handled and how society messes it up. Also, it’s written in 2nd person which is so cool.

My Best Friend’s Girl – Sara Farizan 

• trope: Best Friend’s Girlfriend

• Alia’s best friend Hal is special. And not in a normal human way. In a superhuman way. Because he has decided that he needs to save the city at any sign of trouble, Alia is forced to cover hime, something that involves lying to his girlfriend, Claire, who Alia also happens to be in love with. With his life, everything else in Hal’s life is taking a backseat, including his relationship, pushing Alia and Claire closer together.
• ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
  • This was a story that did the best it could with the trope it has. This trope is destined for failure in my opinion, and so a 3.5 star review is the best it was gonna get. Morally, this was the only way it could have gotten, but this trope completely ignores the hurt that dating a friend’s ex can cause, even with a similar dynamic to Hal and Alia. It’s a problematic trope that needs to stop being used (especially in queer stories, but that’s a completely different conversation.) But Alia and Claire are adorable so if this trope does not piss you off, I think you will like it a lot more than me.