"Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken"
Ah, love. One of the fundamental forces of drama. Listed here are virtually all tropes concerning romantic love. For tropes about familial love and platonic love, see Family Tropes and Friendship Tropes, respectively.
Compare Romance Novel, Admiration Tropes, Kissing Tropes.
Contrast Hatred Tropes... usually.
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken"
— William Shakespeare, "Sonnet 116"
Tropes
Categories:
- Attraction Tropes
- Boys Love Tropes
- Dating Tropes
- The Ex Index
- Flirting and Courtship
- How to Become a Love Interest
- Hug Tropes
- Incest Is Relative
- Interracial And Interspecies Love Index
- Kissing Tropes
- Love Interests
- Love Is A Crapshoot
- Marriage Tropes
- Queer as Tropes
- Romance Arc
- Romance Novel
- Romance Novel Tropes
- Romance Novel Plots
- Rule of Romantic
- Sex Tropes
- Shipping Tropes
- The Singles Index
- This Index Is Not My Girlfriend
- Unrequited Love Tropes
- Wedding and Engagement Tropes
- Yuri Genre
- Abduction Is Love
- Aborted Declaration of Love
- Accidental Adultery
- Accidental Hand Hold
- Act of True Love
- Adaptational Sexuality
- Adrenaline Makeover
- After Action Patch Up
- Agents Dating
- Age-Gap Algebra
- Airplane of Love
- All Amazons Want Hercules
- All Gays Are Promiscuous
- All Girls Want Bad Boys
- All Guys Want Cheerleaders
- All Guys Want Sorority Women
- All Love Is Unrequited
- Allergic to Love
- Alone Among the Couples
- Always Save the Girl
- Anchored Ship
- Anger Born of Worry
- Anguished Declaration of Love
- Attractiveness Isolation
- Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other
- Balanced Harem
- Battle Couple
- Beast and Beauty
- Beautiful Dreamer
- Becoming the Mask
- Belated Love Epiphany
- Belligerent Sexual Tension
- Best Her to Bed Her
- The Bet
- Beta Couple
- Better as Friends
- Betty and Veronica
- Birds of a Feather
- Black Gal on White Guy Drama
- Blind Date
- Bodyguard Crush
- Boy Meets Girl
- Boy Meets Ghoul
- Break His Heart to Save Him
- Break Up to Make Up
- Break-Up Bonfire
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl
- Brother-Sister Incest
- Cannot Talk to Women
- Can't Act Perverted Toward a Love Interest
- Can't Have Sex, Ever
- Can't Live With Them, Can't Live Without Them
- Captive Date
- Cardiovascular Love
- Care-Bear Stare
- Cartwright Curse
- Casual Kink
- Caught in the Rain
- Caught the Heart on His Sleeve
- Celibate Hero
- Chastity Couple
- Cherry Blossoms
- Childhood Friend Romance
- Childhood Marriage Promise
- Chocolate of Romance
- Claimed by the Supernatural
- Clueless Chick Magnet
- Cock Fight
- Comforting Comforter
- Commitment Issues
- Concert Climax
- Converse with the Unconscious
- Converting for Love
- Coupled Couples
- Courtly Love
- Cuckold Horns
- Cupids Arrow
- Crush Blush
- Crush Filter
- Cry into Chest
- Cupid Hates Odd Couples
- Dance of Romance
- Dating Catwoman
- Dating Do-Si-Do
- "Dear John" Letter
- Death of the Hypotenuse
- December-December Romance
- Declaration of Protection
- Deconfirmed Bachelor
- Defenestrate and Berate
- Demoted to Satellite Love Interest
- Derailing Love Interests
- Destructive Romance
- Destructo-Nookie
- Devoted to You
- Did Not Get the Girl
- Did You Just Romance Cthulhu?
- Discount Lesbians
- Dismissing a Compliment
- Disposable Fiancé
- Divorce Requires Death
- Don't You Dare Pity Me!
- Downtime Downgrade
- Drowning Our Romantic Sorrows
- Dump Them All
- Duet Bonding
- The Dulcinea Effect
- Dying Declaration of Love
- Eating the Eye Candy
- Enter Stage Window
- Eternal Love
- Everyone Can See It
- Exiled to the Couch
- Falling in Love Montage
- False Soulmate
- False Start
- Fan-Preferred Couple
- Fantastic Romance
- Fatal Attraction
- Fatal Attractor
- Fate Drives Us Together
- Father, I Want to Marry My Brother
- Faux Interracial Relationship
- Ferris Wheel Date Moment
- Fidelity Test
- Finishing Each Other's Sentences
- Fire and Ice Love Triangle
- The First Cut Is the Deepest
- First Love
- First Girl After All
- First Girl Wins
- Flight of Romance
- Flirting Under Fire
- Flirty Stepsiblings
- Florence Nightingale Effect
- Flowers of Romance
- Foe Cooties
- Fool for Love
- Forgotten First Meeting
- The Four Loves
- Free-Love Future
- Friendly War
- Friend Versus Lover
- Friends with Benefits
- Gaussian Girl
- Gay Guy Seeks Popular Jock
- Gay Option
- Gender-Bender Friendship
- The Gentleman or the Scoundrel
- Ghost Shipping
- Gibberish of Love
- Girl of My Dreams
- Give Geeks a Chance
- The Glomp
- God Couple
- Grand Romantic Gesture
- Green-Eyed Epiphany
- Grow Old with Me
- Hands-On Approach
- Hands Play In Theater
- Happily Married
- Happiness in Slavery
- Harem Genre
- Harem Seeker
- Headbutt of Love
- Headbutt Thermometer
- Heart Beat-Down
- Heart Is Where the Home Is
- Heartbroken Badass
- Held Gaze
- Her Boyfriend's Jacket
- Her Heart Will Go On
- High School Sweethearts
- Holding Hands
- Hollywood Kiss
- Home Sweet Home
- Hooked Up Afterwards
- Hopeless Suitor
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl
- Hypocritical Heartwarming
- I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me
- I Didn't Mean to Turn You On
- I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship
- I Got You a Drawer
- I Have to Wash My Hair
- I Love You Because I Can't Control You
- I Love You, Vampire Son
- I Uh You Too
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy
- If I Can't Have You — Then No One Will!
- In Love with Love
- In Love with the Gangster's Girl
- In Love with Your Carnage
- Imaginary Love Triangle
- Imagined Innuendo
- Incompatible Orientation
- Inconvenient Attraction
- Innocent Cohabitation
- Interrupted Declaration of Love
- Interspecies Romance
- Intertwined Fingers
- Intimate Artistry
- It Doesn't Mean Anything
- It's Not You, It's Me
- It's Not You, It's My Enemies
- The Jail Bait Wait
- Jumping the Gender Barrier
- Just Friends
- Kissed Keepsake
- Kissing Cousins
- Kissing In A Tree
- Lady and Knight
- Ladykiller in Love
- The Lady's Favour
- Language of Love
- Lap Pillow
- Last Confession Wins
- Last Girl Wins
- Last Het Romance
- Last Minute Hookup
- Laundromat Liaisons
- Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone
- Leaving You to Find Myself
- Let's Duet
- Let's Just Be Friends
- Lets Wait Awhile
- Level-Up at Intimacy 5
- Like an Old Married Couple
- Like Brother and Sister
- Literally Loving Thy Neighbor
- Little Sister Heroine
- Lonely Together
- Long Distance Relationship
- Longing Look
- Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
- Lost Love Montage
- Love Allegory
- Love Across Battlelines
- Love at First Note
- Love at First Punch
- Love at First Sight
- Love Before First Sight
- Love Bubbles
- Love Can Make You Gonk
- Love Cannot Overcome
- Love Chart
- Love Confession
- Love Confessor
- Love Dodecahedron
- Love Epiphany
- Love Father, Love Son
- Love Floats
- Love Freak
- Love Goddess
- Love Hotels
- Love Hungry
- Love Hurts
- Love Imbues Life
- Love Informant
- Love Is a Weakness
- Love Is in the Air
- Love Letter
- Love Letter Lunacy
- Love Makes You Crazy: Love makes you lose your mind.
- Love Makes You Dumb: Love makes you stupid.
- Love Makes You Evil: Love makes you a bad person.
- Love Makes You Uncreative
- Love Martyr
- Love Potion
- Love Redeems
- Love Revelation Epiphany
- Love Theme
- Love Ruins the Realm
- The Love Slap of Epiphany
- Love Transcends Spacetime
- Love Triangle
- Love Will Lead You Back
- Love You and Everybody
- Loved I Not Honor More
- Love-Obstructing Parents
- Lover Tug-of-War
- Loves Me Not
- Loving a Shadow
- Loving Bully
- Loving Details
- Lust Object
- Mad Love
- Magic Contract Romance
- Magnetic Girlfriend
- Make-Out Point
- Make-Out Kids
- Make Up or Break Up
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl
- Marry Them All
- Married to the Job
- Marry for Love
- The Masochism Tango
- The Masquerade Will Kill Your Dating Life
- A Match Made in Stockholm
- The Matchmaker
- Matchmaker Crush
- Maybe Ever After
- May-December Romance
- Mayfly-December Romance
- Meadow Run
- Meet the In-Laws
- Mighty Whitey and Mellow Yellow
- Mindlink Mates
- The Missus and the Ex
- Mistaken Declaration of Love
- Mistaken for Cheating
- Moe Couplet
- Moment Killer
- The Mourning After
- Mrs. Hypothetical
- Muggle-and-Magical Love Triangle
- Murder the Hypotenuse
- My Own Private "I Do"
- My Sister Is Off-Limits!
- Necktie Leash
- New Old Flame
- Nice Guys Finish Last
- No Accounting for Taste
- No Going Steady
- No Guy Wants an Amazon
- No Guy Wants to Be Chased
- No Hugging, No Kissing
- No Loves Intersect
- No Romantic Resolution
- No Sparks
- Nobody Thinks It Will Work
- Non-human Lover Reveal
- Not Blood Siblings
- Now or Never Kiss
- Oblivious to Love
- Obsessive Love Letter
- Office Romance
- Official Couple
- Official Couple Ordeal Syndrome
- Off-Screen Breakup
- Old Flame Fizzle
- Old-Fashioned Rowboat Date
- One Head Taller
- One Last Fling
- One Normal Night
- The One That Got Away
- One True Love
- Operation Jealousy
- Opposites Attract
- Our Love Is Different
- Outlaw Couple
- Pair the Smart Ones
- Pair the Spares
- Parental Incest
- Parents Walk In at the Worst Time
- Pitbull Dates Puppy
- Playing Hard to Get
- Please Don't Leave Me
- Please Dump Me
- Polyamory
- The Power of Love
- Prank Date
- Precocious Crush
- Prince Charming Wannabe
- The Princess and the Pirate
- Projectile Kiss
- Promoted to Love Interest
- The Promposal
- Property of Love
- Psycho Ex-Girlfriend
- Psychotic Love Triangle
- Puppy Love
- Queer Romance
- Race for Your Love
- Red String of Fate
- Redundant Romance Attempt
- Reincarnation Romance
- Rejection Affection
- Relationship Ceiling
- Relationship Compression
- Relationship Reveal
- Relationship Revolving Door
- Relationship Sabotage
- Relationship Upgrade
- Releasing from the Promise
- Removed from the Picture
- Removing the Rival
- Rescue Romance
- Resurrected Romance
- The Reveal Prompts Romance
- Revenge Romance
- Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor
- Road Trip Romance
- Roaring Rampage of Romance
- Robo Romance
- Roll in the Hay
- Romance-Inducing Smudge
- Romance on the Set
- Romancing the Widow
- Romantic False Lead
- Romantic Hyperbole
- Romantic Plot Tumor
- Romantic Rain
- Romantic Spoonfeeding
- Romantic Two-Girl Friendship
- Romantic Wingman
- Rom Com Job
- Runaway Bride
- Runaway Fiancé
- Samaritan Relationship Starter
- Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl
- Second-Act Breakup
- Second Love
- Secret Relationship
- Seduction-Proof Marriage
- Seductive Mummy
- Self-Proclaimed Love Interest
- Separated by the Wall
- Serenade Your Lover
- Serial Romeo
- Settled for Gay
- Settle for Sibling
- Sexual Karma — When romance is involved instead of/along with sex.
- She Cleans Up Nicely
- She Is All Grown Up
- She Is Not My Girlfriend
- Shiksa Goddess
- Shipper on Deck
- Shipping Torpedo
- Shock Value Relationship
- Shotgun Wedding
- Sibling Switch Squick
- Sibling Triangle
- Sickeningly Sweethearts
- Silly Rabbit, Romance Is for Kids!
- Single Girl Seeks Most Popular Guy
- Single-Target Sexuality
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man
- Situational Sexuality
- Sleep Cute
- Sleeping with the Boss
- Sleeps with Everyone but You
- Smithical Marriage
- Smitten Teenage Girl
- Snow Means Love
- So Happy Together
- Sorkin Relationship Moment
- Spurned into Suicide
- Squaring the Love Triangle
- Stalker with a Crush
- Stalking Is Funny If It Is Female After Male
- Stalking Is Love
- Star-Crossed Lovers
- Stood Up
- Strangled by the Red String
- Stupid Sexy Friend
- Suddenly Sexuality
- Sugar and Ice Personality
- Superpowered Date
- Supporting Harem
- Surprise Incest
- Sweetheart Sipping
- Sweetie Graffiti
- Sweet on Polly Oliver
- Talented Princess, Regular Guy
- Ten Minutes in the Closet
- Testing the Love Interest
- There Is Only One Bed
- They Do
- Thinks Like a Romance Novel
- Through His Stomach
- Time Travel Romance
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl
- Token Minority Couple
- Token Romance
- Train-Station Goodbye
- Triang Relations
- True Love Auto Correct
- True Love Is Exceptional
- True Love's Kiss
- Tsundere
- Twice Shy
- Two-Person Love Triangle
- Umbrella of Togetherness
- Unbalanced by Rival's Kid
- Unbroken Vigil
- Undercover as Lovers
- Understanding Boyfriend
- Unrequited Love Lasts Forever
- Unrequited Love Switcheroo
- Unrequited Tragic Maiden
- Unresolved Sexual Tension
- Unwanted Harem
- Uptight Loves Wild
- Uptown Girl
- Vampire-Werewolf Love Triangle
- Villainesses Want Heroes
- Villainous Crush
- Wacky Marriage Proposal
- Wartime Wedding
- Was It All a Lie?
- Weakness Turns Her On
- Wedding Deadline
- What Does She See in Him?
- What Is This Thing You Call Love?
- What Measure Is a Humanoid?
- When Harry Met Svetlana
- Where Da White Women At?
- Why Can't I Hate You?
- Why Would Anyone Take Him Back?
- Window Love
- Will They or Won't They?
- Wife Husbandry
- With This Ring
- Women Prefer Strong Men
- Working with the Ex
- Yandere
- Yaoi Genre
- Yawn and Reach
- You Are Worth Hell
- You Have Waited Long Enough
- Young Love Versus Old Hate
- Your Cheating Heart
- Your Favorite
- Your Universe or Mine?
- Yuri Genre
- Zip Me Up
