Romance

Synonyms:	love, slash (outdated)
See also:	femslash, gen, Gothic Fiction, het, OTP, slash
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Romance is love categorized as eros, often defined as "emotional love." In fiction, it is a genre describing narratives that are focused on the tension between two (or more) characters before the ultimate cultivation of their relationship; or the dynamic between two (or more) characters after this relationship is already established. Romance is generally associated (though not required) with sex.

Romantic love is relative and, generally speaking, cannot be strictly defined. It is usually recognized with cultural cues, such as chivalry, kissing, wooing, and eventually marriage; and in the realm of fiction writing, described with racing pulses, rapid heartbeats, and fixations not limited to physical features on the object of one's romantic affections. Indeed, the history of romance appearing in narratives may go to the beginning of time, so it's no wonder that in most pop culture stories, mainstream and fannish alike, romantic love is bound to turn up in one way or another.

In fandom, romance often plays opposite to gen, though some may argue that they can coexist. Romance is perhaps the most popular fanfiction genre due to both slash and het (and the underrated femslash) falling into the category.

There are fanfiction readers who are stoutly against "shipping" stories and are more dedicated to gen.

Romance-specific Tropes

Many fannish tropes - particularly AUs and sex-based tropes - are often written as romance. The following tropes are defined by romance as a requirement; but, of course, can be subverted.

• Blanketfic
• Break Up/Make Up
• Didn't Know They Were Dating
• Enemies to Lovers
• Enemyslash
• Established Relationship
• Fairytale Romance
• First Meeting
• First Kiss
• First Time (genre)
• Forbidden Love
• Friends to Lovers
• Jealousy
• I Can Fix Them
• Identity Porn
• In Vino Veritas
• Locked In A Room
• Love at First Sight
• Love-Hate Relationship
• Love Triangle
• Love Quadrangle
• Matchmaking
• Marriage: Accidental Marriage/Arranged Marriage/Forced Marriage/Marriage of Convenience
• Mundane-Mage Romance
• Opposites Attract (trope)
• Pining/Slow Burn (trope)
• Power Couple
• Pretend Couple
• Rebound Romance
• Redeeming Love (trope)
• Romantic Comedy
• Second Love
• Soulbond (trope)
• Soulmarks
• Soulmates
• Star-Crossed Lovers
• There is Only One Bed
• Trapped In Elevator
• True Love
• Villain Couple

Genres commonly depicted as romance in fandom

• Age difference
• Cross-generational
• Fake/Pretend Relationship
• Incest
• Selfcest
• Twincest

Genres associated with romance

• Coming of Age (genre)
• Infidelity
• Pregnancy
• Relationship Story

Fanworks

Challenges

• Summer Loving