What's Your Fave Male Trope?

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Hello, my lovelies!

I’ve been busy with my spicy writing, trying to keep myself warm. Sounds like a hella good time, doesn’t it? In among all that spicy writing, I’ve also been doing some reflection on the characters I write.

After finishing up Claiming the Nanny in April, and making some good headway on Kneading Her Heart, I’ve been organizing and prepping my stories in play in an attempt to settle on a tentative list of upcoming projects. For most of them, I have the plot, some characters, and even a few scenes outlined, which is unusual for this pantser. I am not know for outlining anything. My forté is going with whatever the characters tell me they want to happen. Yes. Seriously. See my last journal entry for an update on that. Lol Hell, sometimes their antics surprise me just as much as they surprise you!

But, I digress. This prep work has me thinking about lead characters and tropes in the romance genre, spicy/steamy or otherwise. There are a lot of different tropes and a lot of different embodiments of lead characters.

For my MMC (male main character), I prefer them to be strong, sweet, in control, sexy, and focused on their woman’s pleasure and well-being. They are often tall (I’m a tall woman), tatted up (LOVE ink on my man), bearded (yes, please), and have a body made for exploring. They don’t have to be stacked or body builders, just sexy as hell… and some dad bods are just that. Mhm, you know what I”m talking about, don’t you?

And then there’s my FMC (female main character), who are usually sassy, opinionated, strong, sexy women who take no shit from anyone and go after what they want. They know the world owes them nothing and they have to take the bull by the horns to get what they want because it's not gonna just drop into their lap. Their voluptuous curves, thick thighs, warm heart, and expressive eyes draw their men to them… but they make them work for it. And they both love every second of it.

As for tropes, I like stepfamily, age gap, Daddy Dom/little girl, some BDSM, threesome, reverse harem, sharing, exhibitionism, and… I’m sure I’m missing a couple in there. Lol

There are two fairly popular tropes around MMCs. The alpha hero trope and cinnamon bun trope. Yeah, I know. Who names these, right? But… one you get from the get go, the other one… not so much. I really like both of these and, to be honest, love trying to combine them. I do not see them as being mutually exclusive, in the least. I see them as being complimentary to one another and - am I right, ladies? - what woman wouldn’t want all that rolled up <waving hand at the universe> into the same man?

So, here we go…

The alpha hero trope revolves around a male character, the protagonist, who is dominant, assertive, and protective over their women. They are usually strong leaders who take charge and are deeply committed to the women (or men) they love. Mafia dark romance is filled with MMC like this… and I love reading those, let me tell you.

In the cinnamon roll romance trope, the male protagonist is typically a hero who is portrayed as super sweet, very supportive, and kind. The ultimate good guy who prioritizes their partner’s well-being and happiness.

Supposedly, according to my research, the cinnamon roll characters are in contrast to the alpha characters, who are more dominant and assertive than sweet and supportive. My question is, and I have pondered this A LOT, do they have to be mutually exclusive?

I think that an ideal man would be a combination of the two tropes. I think an alpha could definitely be sweet and supportive of their partner… as well as dominant and assertive. I have read characters like that in other authors' works. It is definitely something I strive for, to combine them.

Which of the two do YOU prefer, as a reader or a writer? Sweet and supportive? Dominant and assertive? Alpha? Cinnamon Roll? I’d love to hear what you think.

I think the most difficult thing, as a writer, to remember is that you have to be true to your story. Some stories need them to be separate tropes. Others can have them be combined. And still others need to have a stronger FMC than MMC. It all depends on what the story demands.

In general, I tend to write strong alpha submissive women. Strong, confident female characters who are often sarcastic, yet powerful and playful. Intellectual problem solvers misunderstood by lesser males, hence the need for alpha male characters to counter balance them. These women can be loners, or with small social circles, and bosses in their own rights.

The perfect companion for the strong, dominant, assertive, sweet, yet protective and supportive men I write. Who am I kidding? I write the couples I wish I was half of. Didn’t have that dynamic in my marriage, so I write it into my stories. They are far bigger parts of my heart and soul than anyone realizes.

It doesn’t matter which type of character you prefer to read or write, every one is a representation of the world around us. Each one a peek into the writer’s innermost wants and desires.

Food for thought for your final Thursday of May. Hard to believe that 2025 is almost half-over already. I swear, it was just New Year’s Eve and now the summer holidays are almost upon us.

Oh well. That’s me for today. I’m off to take my son for his driving test and get ready for the weekend. Maybe I’ll even get some work done today. Not an easy thing to do when everyone needs something from me.

Until we meet again, I will continue to be your little writrix. I appreciate you all more than you know. Y’all make the writing world go’round, babes. Keep that shit up.

Until next time, my lovelies,

GG