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Trope Inversion
| Synonyms: | inverted trope, trope subversion, subverted trope |
| See also: | trope, Trope Detox |
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Trope inversion occurs when an existing trope is used in a professional or fanwork, but flipped on its head, defying the audience's expectations. Examples include "Woke Up Straight" or "Aliens Made Them Refrain From Doing It".
A related phenomenon is trope subversion in which the elements of the original trope might all still be present, but deconstructed. Examples might include an mpreg fanfic in which the man has to get a cesarean because no birth canal spontaneously appeared to go along with the surprise uterus.
A notable division of this trope is a Trope Detox in which elements of the original trope that might traditionally be seen as problematic (such as themes of toxic masculinity, rape myth acceptance or sexual assault) are systematically addressed and deconstructed while still keeping the storytelling elements of the original trope intact. Examples might include a Sex Pollen fanfic in which all parties are still subjected by an aphrodisiac, but it only affects people who already enthusiastically actually want to have sex with each other. Another example might be a Teach Seduction fanfic in which the man is not the sexually experienced person teaching, but instead allowed to show vulnerability and inexperience.
Example Fanworks
Fanfic
- Straight as a Circle, by toomuchplor - A Stargate Atlantis fic where John Sheppard wakes up straight.
Recs
Challenges
- Reverse Tropes Bingo, by NCT Challenge
- Reverse Trope Writing Promptes
Resources
- Inverted Trope at TV Tropes
- fanworks tagged "Trope Subversion/Inversion" at AO3
- Con.txt Panel: Fun With Inverted Tropes by corbae (June 2014)
- Fun With Inverted Tropes Redux by corbae, writeup of a Pacificon panel (April 2016)