Sonic the hedgehog movie is a found family story and I love it and gives me the big feels. One found family story I hate was Alvin and the chipmunks because the kids, mostly Alvin, is a spoild devil child I do not want to have or take responsibility for.
"Oh, you painted my chest piece with flowers and... are those unicorns...? You're so talented, sweety!" [...] "Eh, Ulfgard, did your daughter...?" "Just don't ask."
"So we're gonna sneak behind him and chop his head o- Oh munchkin why are you here? Oh you wanna have a tea party? Okay I'll be there in 5 minutes, just let me finish this meeting okay?"
I mean, it's also in TSC too... Was gonna say at least the Cyborg Queen has some sympathy, then she went and say kill of the parents because they are annoying with rules and regulations that are suppose to protect their offspring, lmao. Never change Jenna.
I love it when adopted children are actually happy with their families. I understand that searching for their bio family is important for some people, but as an adoptee I'm sick of the "*Gasp* you're not my _real_ parents!!! *IM GONNA FIND MY REAL FAMILY*" trope. Neither I nor any of my fellow adoptee friends I personally know relate to that at all, so it should not be the only adoption trope out there Also the "oh it's okay I ship them they're adopted" thing is ssooooooooo wrong
My grandmother's sister had an adopted daughter (they're both dead now). She always called grandma "mom" with such pride and told us a billion times how much she loved her as her real mom. I thought they were so sweet. Especially since grandma didn't want to adopt this girl at first, but was talked into it. And then it turned out so nice!
One of my characters is adopted and her adopted father isn’t very warm towards her, (not inanely cruel towards her either) and she’s also completely aware that she’s adopted.
"Back TF Up" is one of my absolute faves. When the usually dickish older sibling who comes in to protect their younger sibling. I eat that shit up! I also love the big soft dad trope, especially when it's done with their sons. We're so used to seeing dads be soft with their daughters, but it makes my heart happy when they go soft for their sons too.
Jokes on you, Jenna. My MC is an Orphan with an adoptive parent that's secretly a Villainous-Surrogate and ends up trying to tear her away from her Found Family.
@@ant144p3 All his parents ever did was support him, give him a place to stay, and tell him they loved him no matter what. Yeah, they were really bad parents.
YES! YES! YES! YES! I want more stories where the MC have a healthy / relatable dynamic with their family. I want more stories where step-parents are nice and nurturing towards the son/daughters. I want more family dynamics with cousins, uncles, godparents and grandpas. I want more healthy dynamic for adoptive family members. Blood related or not, they are still family. Hell, even parent / mentor figure that basically is the dad friend for the group.
I have all of those in my books: Many families are non-dysfunctional and healthy (the Quazas, the Quinns, the Bovenizers, the Lorcans...) There are many extended family members (Nathan sees his uncle Richard, aunt Suzanne and cousin Sarah a lot, Jack Q sees a lot of his grandparents and cousins, his granddad Marco especially), and if it counts, Melissa visits America often to visit her bf's family and they also come to visit her family As for step-parents, Nathan's stepdad Dave is much better to him than his real dad, and Catherine (Nathan's mum) is much better to Dave's preexisting kids than their original mother. In fact, Nathan and his siblings say that if they have kids, as far as they're concerned, Dave is their real granddad, and Seth was just some guy Nathan and co knew as kids For adopted characters, Chris visits other worlds, sees abandoned kids, looks after them while he's there, and ultimately adopts them with his gf (after OKing it with their original parents), and even has (biological) kids of his own, to make the world's only multiplanetary family, and treats them all (even before adoption) as if they were his own
@@aaronodonoghue1791 I never heard of these characters, however, when you explained their family dynamics got me curious. Can you tell me the books that you mentioned?
@@mariapazgonzalezlesme The books aren't published yet (so unless you've seen me mention names on other videos by Jenna, it's no wonder you've never heard of them. But I'll give a brief overview of who each is), but I am currently working on them. The one I'm writing at the moment is called Ghost Member, and the series' name is The Moving Keys. As for the characters you asked me about (ages in brackets to gives you an idea what stage in life everyone's at): Nathan Spayde (16) is one of my MCs and the very first person we meet. He gets on well with his mum, Catherine (38), his sister, Laura (13) and brothers, James (13) and Anthony (19). Nathan is closest to Anthony and vice versa, and twins are closest to each other. Their dad, Seth Payne (41, and notice his last name) is a control freak who makes everyone's lives miserable, and Nathan is the first person with courage to stand up to him and reject his ideas of what he wants him to be, and does his own thing, which inspires the others to do the same, and Seth is not happy with this. Seth fights more with Nathan than anyone else (Anthony just ignores/tries to put up with the nagging, pretends he's doing what Seth asked, and does things he likes in secret, Catherine divorced him but he weaselled his way back into her and the kids' lives, and nothing she does seems to work, and the twins do have the occasional argument with Seth, but not as many as their brother). The Spaydes (Catherine never changed her last name, even after marrying Seth, and the kids have always been Spayde as well) eventually get rid of Seth, and she finds a new husband called Dave Curzon (36) who is much nicer to the Spaydes than Seth ever was and actually treats them properly, and Catherine is the same with Dave's preexisting kids (younger than Nathan but exact age undecided) from his original wife, Jacqueline Hyde (about 35) (does her name remind you of another two-personaed fictional character by any chance?), she treats them better than Jacqueline ever did, and they're now one big happy blended family. Catherine and her kids also visit Richard (42), and his house acts as a safe haven from Seth, so the kids have bonded with their uncle, aunt and cousin (in fact, they're closer to Richard than to Seth) Gavin Quinn (16) is Nathan's best friend, and the Quinns are his family. Gavin gets along well with his two sisters (teens) and his parents (40s), and the Quinns have no major problems at home (well, they're not perfect, nobody is) Andyy (not a typo, his big brother is Jonnyy (18), for example) Lorcan (16) is a major character and his family are another example of a regular, healthy family in my books (the names ending in "-yy" are a family tradition originating from a typo I made in real life, I was playing a game and wanted to call my character Andy, but hit the Y twice, then hit Enter instead of Backspace, and it stuck. And Andyy's full name is Andrew, just like with single-Y Andys) Jack Quaza (15, almost 16) is another main character, he has a big, close-knit family and often sees extended family, and his granddad, Marco (68), organizes a get together every year on St Patrick's Day (which is also Italy's Unity Day, so March 17 has special meaning in both countries represented by the family) with pizza topped with green, white, red and orange toppings (the colours of the Irish and Italian flags combined, as Marco is Italian, meaning Jack is a quarter Italian (Marco's wife, Anna (65) (Jack's nana), is Irish, and Jack's mum's side of the family are all Irish) Melissa Bovenizer (24) is another main character who is very close to her two brothers, especially Derek (27) (Jeff is 16), the two often do activities together, and they work at the same company, and she also has a boyfriend, Ian Lykam (26), and goes over to visit Ian's family who live in San Diego (sister is 20, almost 21, parents are in their 50s), and they come to visit Melissa and her family (parents are in their 50s) too. Melissa doesn't live with her parents anymore so she doesn't see them all the time, but is still close to them, and Ian isn't even in the same country as his, but still calls and visits them regularly, and both visit the other's family occasionally. Chris Reversi (24) is an archaeologist who discovered magical keys that open wormholes to other worlds, and on his travels, he discovered lost alien (albeit humanoid) kids who he looked after while he was there, and ultimately he and his girlfriend adopt them to give them better lives
Nr 7 happened in real life recently: My mom, my sister, my husband and I where shopping when some grumpy guy insulted my husband because he apparently was standing in his way (wich the guy didn't Adress in a normal, polite manner before). The second this happens we all gang up on the guy like a pack of hyenas, calling him out on his rude and immature behavior, in a way everyone around us hears what's going on. He was so perplexed that he silently and ashamed vanished in the growd. We still laugh about how we all reacted similar. F*ck with one of us? Then f*uck with all of us.
and Ozai, and Ukano (both from A:tLA), Enji Todoroki aka Endeavour (MHA/BnHA), Shou Tucker (Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood), Charles Britannia (Code Geass), etc. But, in Death Note, the roles are reversed (the son is evil and the dad is good).
I don't like it, the kids feel bad for being angry at their father for not being there for them just because he loves them, even if he couldn't prioritize being with them
For #7, I've got 7 older brothers. My brothers were all on a park once, when this boy was pushing the youngest of my brothers around. My oldest brother saw this, and ordered the rest of the brothers to attack. All of the boys piled up against the kid who was being mean, and pummeled him to the ground. It was beautiful, glorious, legendary. My oldest brother claims that day was the best of his life.
Man, the "established couple who both like each other AND have an interesting dynamic" is WAY too rare in both books and film! Best examples I can think of are: * Morticia and Gomez Addams (Addams Family). Compatibly weird and clearly still very into each other even after several kids. * Wash and Zoe (Firefly). Love the badass lady and funny dude pairing, as we more usually get the opposite. * Crowley and Aziraphale (Good Omens). This one is left a bit ambiguous in both book and show, and could be interpreted either as intense platonic friendship, 6000 year slow-burn, or full on 'ineffable husbands' but, regardless, the demon and angel have clearly care about each other and have been keeping their delightful yin-yang dynamic going for a long time. * Albert and Armand (the Birdcage). Armand is being a bit of a dick in going along with his son's plan to pretend to his fiance's parents that he doesn't have two dads, but they have a fun vibe and you can tell their relationship is USUALLY good. * Commander Sam Vimes and Lady Sybil (Discworld series). He's a class-conscious low-born former alcoholic cop with surprisingly-effectively-channeled anger issues, she's a plump sweet-natured well-bred lady...but they get each other and absolutely have each other's back.
As someone whose dad let me do sooooo many "girly" things to him when I was a toddler, I love this and (to be cliche) I feel seen. I'm not exaggerating; I found a photo album yesterday of me at age 3 and my various antics. Such antics include: putting my dress-up gloves and tiara on my dad as we have a tea party, me putting all ~200 plastic barrettes (you know, the ones that were super popular in the early 2000s) in his hair, and me putting makeup on my dad as my mom sat next to him *struggling* not to laugh as my grandma takes the photo.
Found family is my favorite family trope. My family has always considered me the black sheep because my mom was the black sheep. So my best friend who was my roommate in college has become more my sister than my actual sister. We both had family who didn’t support us, but we support each other. It is the most real trope IMO and that is what is beautiful about it.
Single parents (especially single fathers) with their featured and highly devoted on their children are super underrated Like- my MC is a single dad in his late twenties who has like, gotten into ptsd. And like, is raising a eight year old in a apocalyptic world
Found family is just great. Every story I conjure up has some sort of found family element and every fandom I hyper-fixate on has some sorr of found family element. I'm obsessed with platonic love!
In response to number 10, I was once telling my friends about a new book idea I had and mentioned something about the parents and one of my friends said: "wait. The parents are alive? You need to fix that."
I wanted to try if would work if his dad survived since only his mother's death protected him while his dad's death ws collateral damage for the reasons Jenna said. So I wrote a fic about it. At first, I had to work around how Harry could still be doing all those dangerous things without his dad putting a stop to it. Then I realized Ron's parents were mostly ignorant of most of the dangerous things he did. I just made Harry (who was initially open with his dad) start hiding certain things from his dad so that his dad doesn't stop him.
@@andreag.c.1156 Yes, I posted in on fanfic.net, AO3 and Wattpad. It's called Paternal Instincts. Which website do you usually read from? I can send you the link if you're unable to find it.
Me: hasn't read Jenna's books yet Jenna: I think I've written the trope of a young character taking responsibility for their family in every one of my books Me: CANNOT GO TO THE ORDER PAGE FAST ENOUGH
Yess, found family! I will literally love every found family story ever. It just gets me, man. It gets me real good. :D Also, the burly dad omg yessss. Bonus points if he isn't even her biological dad. You see a guy do a tea party with a six year old? Instant Love Interest Material!
Fanfics have made me like books and stories about 18-25-year-olds more than those that circle around teenagers. They're not bad in any way, my favorite book series are from Rick Riordan and Maggie Stiefvater. But characters having jobs, their own apartments, having more control over their decisions, and having a glue of who they are just gives so many tools for an awesome story. Found family, shitty parents, good siblings, children... I love to read about them and I love to write about them.
@@synflwr thanks, it was more of a spontaneous idea though and I couldn't think of anything to use it in, maybe I'll use it for a DND character as a test run or something.
An interesting twist on the villainous parent trope is when the villain loud parents were loving and caring to their child making all the more difficult for them to against their parents.
Found family is one of my favorite tropes too, along with the surrogate and the “he’s a butthead but only I can say that” dynamic. I have two characters who become like siblings in my planned series, as well as multiple nurturing mentor figures. My main also gets separated from her daughter until the daughter is a teen, so the parents (yes, the mother and father are still married) have to become good parents during a difficult phase.
As someone trying to put together several large royal families with lots of minor characters I'm trying to make interesting, these last videos have been particularly helpful.
I love the first one so much! It's so sweet to read about how a group of (hopefully well-written) characters the reader bonds with grow together. Bonus if they didn't get along with each other at first/had bad families! That kind of character development is just one of my favorite things to read!
Notification came and seeing the title made me click on this easily (also i want to know good family tropes since it's kind of part of the book i'm currently writing)
My nickname as a child was 'cabbage' which makes sense because my mother is French and 'chou' is a term of endearment in France, as well as the vegetable, and my Dad likes gardening. Yay, I'm a vegetable :P
My favorite is a a villainous father or mother that deeply loves his child (better of they raised them all by themselves) and then gives up on their evil plans or whatever out of love for their kid. Its even better if the kid himself is not the hero but maybe the heroes rival or smth
When Jenna mentioned "Villainous Parent", me head went straight to Lord Garmadon from *Lego Ninjago* and how he was actually good parent in the TV series and how he journy from jerk parent to good-ish parent in the movie. I wish we got more of this variant of the "Villainous Parent" because it's sweet and subverts expectations, but not to the point where the heartwarming element is lost. I'm actaully writing one of these in a book series between a NG tiefling daughter and her estranged CE demon dad. It's a bit of a combo of both TV and Movie Lord Garmadon. The demon looks out for his daughter and her party (whom he adopts because of how close knit they are with his daughter and beacuse of how fond he's become of them). By the end of the series, the tiefling and her demon dad strike up a healthy father-daughter relationship that still needs some buffing around the edges.
@@SysterYster An evil wizard casts a spell on the MC's hometown and when she and her classmates open their doors all people 16 and up in town disappear and it becomes impossible to leave or enter the town
@@huldanoren951 Ooooh! That's not nice. Yes, you are evil. :D I wonder why though. Curiouser and curiouser! :) I kill almost everyone in my story, but never on this big scale. XD I'm evil too. :3
I have a story I'm writing with a single dad who has tea parties with is daughter. It is so much fun to write. I love all the family tropes mentioned here.
@@beequeen2556 From my villain's backstory: > His kingdom (where he was king) followed the usurper and deposed of him > His wife died, burned at the stakes, by the usurper, and he could do nothing but watch > His best friend lost contact with him, and neither found out the other was alive during their entire life > Every dream he had as a king was shattered, every desire to make his kingdom a better place burned to ash > He had to live knowing genocide & massacres against his allies and subordinates were being carried out day after day > Afterwards, as a price for immortality, his mind imprisoned him in the memories of those events 24/7, even in his sleep he could not escape > And while being immortal, he had to watch the usurper line ascend to the throne several times, while having to hold back the urge to just straight up massacre them and take back what was his, all to play the long game > All this, for *hundreds of years*, without a guarantee on when he could even begin to carry out his final plan > The happiest ending he could ever have was to die Edit: Did I mention he was *alone* through most of this?
Writing with Jenna Moreci you’re welcome 😊, I also have the pamper dad trope in one of my stories, being a ancient alien warrior with a adopted five year old girl
I love it when I see stuff I've included in my books in these videos, makes my heart all warm and fuzzy to know that yes other people love found family and villainous parents and all that good stuff
Me not paying enough attention at the beginning of the video and petting my cat instead *hears "siblings" and "couple" in the same scentence* Proceeds to look towards the youtube logo in terror to make sure I wasn't watching *that* kind of family tropes
Number 5 is SO relatable to me! I have a sister who is autistic, and I have to act like the older sister a lot, when in actuality, my sister is 2 years older than me. It’s caused me to act more mature than other kids my age (I’m 17) and take on more responsibilities than other kids my age. I don’t blame her or resent her for anything; that’s just the way it is. I’m actually very grateful for the experience of having a sibling with special needs! It taught me early on in my life that sometimes, you have to sacrifice for the people you love, and sometimes, life isn’t about you. I seriously love my sister, and I don’t think my life would be complete without her in it ❤
A family trope I love is where a like a member of the MC's family has disappeared/been captured and they're determined to rescue. Double the love if it's the family member they fight with the most but still love.
On the topic of the orphan trope, usually I like it when there's a slight change to it, or when it's not so extreme. (That way it's still a struggle, yet easier to identify with) Examples: 1. Single parent that's absent for career or swamped with work otherwise. This makes the parent a likeable character and often useful to the MC, but also a source of conflict (because they are MC's parents, and could be neglectful, or have many issues beyond the MC.) 2. Orphan that has some other family member(s) as a guardian (older sibling, aunt/uncle, grandparent, older cousin etc. etc.) This offers a stronger bond between the MC and guardian, but could be a source of conflict given that the guardian may be in over their head or lack a skill required to take on a parental role. 3. Orphan with many siblings, older or younger. This may make it easier for the "found family" trope to be added in. It also makes the siblings more likeable and offers both skills and/or support to the MC, but can still be a source of conflict (trying to keep younger siblings okay, lack of adult rights, arguements/competition for who *is* a parental figure, different needs between each other, trying to take care of each other at the cost of their own wellbeing) 4. Foster kid/ Foster system challenges. This MC could have bounced between homes and guardians, as well as gotten into bad homes on a regular basis. Trying to keep themselves organized amidst this would be a massive source of conflict especially when bad foster parents come into the picture. Might lack crucial guidance or structure and had to learn that on their own. 5. Neglectful parents and/or constantly fighting parents. Both of these could create a hectic environment and create conflict between the kid and parents even if it's not articulated or a concious decision. Could give the MC less structure or build resentment towards parents, yet could also offer them more freedoms early on (because the parents either don't care, or are distracted) Could even offer conflict in other social situations (don't want to invite friends over because of parents, don't self-advocate enough because they don't think anyone else would care either, not want to go home and instead stay with friends or somewhere publicly available, keep secrets from everyone for lack of trust etc. etc.) 6. Has to find mentor that could act as a surrogate parent (teacher, counselor, friends parents, older kids) This could offer its own benefits and pitfalls (surrogate is often separate from MC, could have little understanding of the MC's needs, harshly critical of MC's skills... but they could also help the MC learn a skill, or how advocate for themselves, offer more structure to the MC's life, and be more trustworthy throughout the story.) These are just examples, but I like to write and read these. The freedom of lacking parents, but difficulty navigating the world can be achieved with any of these. Several also offer ways to use the "found family" trope in interesting ways. Feel free to use or expand upon my examples.
I started trying to write my story when I was 12. I submitted the first chapter to my English teacher and they were blown away because they thought I was a little too young. I wanted to draw comics and write grand stories of horror, lust, betrayal and cosmic penance. I have carried this story with me ever since (28 years). My question is "now that I have a job that allows me to pay all of my costs and only have to work half a month at a time I have the freedom to truely focus on finishing. The story itself is the birth and death of a universe as told through the perspective of the needle that was used to sew it together. It forces that universe's "God" into a physical form that comes with the burden of emotions and accountability. I want to produce it as a comic book/ graphic novel. Should I try to contact other writers for direction/advice? Should I try to take actual writing classes before attempting or just dive in and just finish it win lose or draw?" I've always wanted to get this massive idea out of my head but life always seems to get in the way. It will be hard and it's a big story with emphasis on plots by chapter (example: on the small scale a global threat is aimed at wiping out mankind and on the large scale chaos has come to return order to oblivion where it came from.) Basically the chapters (issues) have small subplots that add into the grander story. I'm just tired of carrying an idea that never let's me forget it. Thank you for your time and knowledge.
Love the sister dynamic in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series, their relationships with each other was one of the highlights of the books for me. Their family is super wholesome.
Tropes i like in this genre 1. Supporting Partner and Family members - One of the best things to see - love it 2. Protective Big Brother/ Sister - yeah this one is always nice to see so long as it dosen't turn into a controlling nature or push friends/ love interest away. 3. Evil Parent - I know i mention support in the first one - Realistically speaking some parents are just trash and need to be taken down. 4. Close friend that's more family then the blood related ones - aww this is just so sweet to read/ watch on screen.
I've been watching Jenna for months now and I just can't wait for my 12th grade exams to be over in like a couple of months so I can finally actually start writing with all the new knowledge.
I've got many of these in my stories, siblings who bicker and tease but would fight the world to protect each other. Couples that are still happy and love as they were in their youth as in middle age and elder years, but showing in different manners.
We need a book about a married King and queen who give birth to a child who has ASPD and becomes evil trying to destroy the kingdom, so now the parent protagonists now have to take down their own child who they raised to be better than them.
“Here’s an idea: kill off the parents!” Me who was thinking about just having the mc’s father kidnapped: **writes down for potential usage later in the story**
I've used most of these tropes at one point or another. I've got one character that fits more than one of them at the same time. His mom is a villainous parent (she wants him dead because he's "defective"). His dad got someone to hide him when he was a baby, and later smuggle him out of the country. Since he grew up having no contact with his family, he was a virtual orphan.
Nothing is more relatable than the possessiveness of siblings. Seriously, my family is MINE and I can do/say/torment them at my leisure. But if MY brother so much as tweaks a hair out of place on MY cousin's head, I will flip shit. But if someone came at either of them, this whole family is going to war. Gauntlets are down. Shit will get real. lol
Writing about the main character’s family in my book is 100% the hardest part. He, along with three of his siblings, was a childhood experiment and had a ridiculously traumatic childhood. His adopted father was one of the people working at the place where he was kept, and one day he just rescued four of the kids. He took them and, along with his biological son, raised them in the countryside. They’re all so goddamn traumatised (except for the biological son, he’s an angel) so writing them is so hard. All of them hate each other, but in a loving way, if you get what I mean? Like, they will murder for each other, but could also murder each other if provoked.
The girly dad part made me think of a video I saw today. It was a guy saying his son wanted to wear an Elsa costume to the theater n it the selfie video he looks worried n says "son, I can't let u go like that... alone" n it cuts to them walking hand in hand both dressed as Elsa cuz fuck ya, that's how u be a dad! 👍👍
I've been needing this!! I'm writing a book where family is pretty important and the main character needs to go on an adventure only, she is not an orphan.
I know this video is three years old but I am currently working on a novel and my confidence in the story outline went straight up when she brought up the son against father trope because my story has that exact trope in it. It's my first original novel that I have actually gotten really excited to write, though it is not my first attempt, so it was really encouraging!
I like it when there are parents who deeply care for their child, but don't have much time for them because there's genuinely important things they have to do.
If you have more important things to do than take care of your child on a consistent basis then you should not have had a child. Not being there for your kid is abuse, regardless of if you had "important" things to do or no.
idk why but i love when in stories the parents/family dies or are not around, and an older sibling has to raise the younger one, i just find it absolutely adorable
I've been married for a year now and I married young, I'm now 24. But my husband is my best friend and it's great to have someone who you can laugh and watch tv with especially right now during covid times. I understand why marriage is portrayed badly because of divorce, but I love it when a writer explores the positive sides of marriage.
I absolutely love the found family trope. Maybe it’s because I want something like that so bad. To have such close bonds with other people and have our personalities just flow and build off each other, a family that we chose for ourselves without the obligation of genetics. The ability to relate and co exist and truly know one another. I love just feeling known, makes me feel like a real person. I just really really want that.
