Creators who break away from established relationship clues often end up confusing their viewers. They may have used Love Tropes between a parent and child, Sibling Tropes between the two intended Love Interests, or Friendship Tropes between two characters that hate each other. Although sometimes the writer can play with these tropes effectively, it more often leaves people with the completely wrong impression.
Super-Trope to the following:
- Designated Love Interest: A romantic relationship that accidentally comes off as platonic to audiences.
- Ho Yay: A friendly relationship between two people of the same gender comes off as romantic to audiences.
- Platonic Writing, Romantic Reading: A platonic relationship that accidentally comes off as romantic to audiences.
- Romantic Plot Tumor: A romantic sub-plot that swallows and derails the main story.
- Shipping Bed Death: A romantic relationship that loses the romantic elements once the characters get together.
- Strangled by the Red String: A romantic relationship justified by only a brief explanation (sometimes without any explanation).
- Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?: A romantic couple reunites, but fans object because one of the partners abuses the relationship.
See also:
- Derailing Love Interests: Romantic False Leads are derailed by the author because they come across as better romantic partners than the intended Love Interest.
- Fan-Preferred Couple: Fans prefer to ship a character with someone other than their intended Love Interest, possibly because they see more chemistry between them.
- Foe Yay Shipping: Fans ship enemies, possibly because their antagonistic relationship accidentally comes off as Belligerent Sexual Tension to audiences.
- Incest Yay Shipping: Fans ship family members, possibly because their relationship accidentally comes off as romantic or as Belligerent Sexual Tension to audiences.
- No Yay: A romantic relationship that comes off as Squicky to audiences. May be intentionally squicky or not.