Hey guys! Back again for a new trope, and it’s another good one! The Grumpy/Sunshine trope!
Oh I love this one so much!
Why wouldn’t I? I mean isn’t there something special about someone who is especially grumpy finding their softness in the beautiful glow of the Sunshine character? It melts my heart everytime! A little “I hate everyone! I hate everything!” Walking into the life of “today is just gorgeous, I love being alive.” and somehow falling helplessly in love, despite fighting against it.
What is the Grumpy/Sunshine Trope?
I am so glad you asked! This trope is one of a kind and has an air of honesty surrounding it. A realistic love that can be found in our everyday life. Personally I love realism, I love a LOVE that I can see in my real life.
I’m actually a part of this trope myself! That’s right, my partner and I fit the mold. He is a grumpy-gus and I, his ray of heavenly sunshine.
Maybe I am a little bit… biased?
Who Is the Grumpy Character?
Why Grumpy Characters Feel So Real
A lot of the back story is riddled in tragedy and their heartbreak has crippled the image they have of the world.
Maybe they lost a parent young, and seeing their world crumble they decide for their own safety that they won’t do this anymore.
Guarded Hearts and Emotional Armor
They won’t love someone or something in the world that can be touched by death’s cruel hand. They in turn swear it off.
They effectively say, “I have but one heart.”
This character spends the rest of their life fighting the common norms the world sets upon them. Long term dating? Absolutely not. kids? No way. Some great love affair? We must be joking. That is until they cross the path of their other half, the Sunshine character. Typically they meet by chance and the Grumpy-gus is sometimes even annoyed by this meet cue.
Who is the Sunshine Character?
Our sunshine character can be explained with just their name really. Sunshine.
They came into our world like sunshine on a cloudy day. Their presence feels like sunrays soaking in, wrapping us in their warmth. They see the world differently, and their happiness speaks to our grumpy lead in ways that heal their heart.
Okay, now we know how to create our grumpy character, the effects of our sunshine has on our grumpy, but what-who exactly is the sunshine character?
Different Lives, Same Pain
You may ask, is the sunshine character only happy because of a life full of happiness and good vibes?
No! Actually they could effectively have the exact same background, a life riddled with tragedy. Just the same as grumpy pants but takes things in a more unique way. Where grumpy britches see pain, and only pain, sunshine can see the love they held and just breath away the pain.
More of an optimism versus pessimism I would say.
How to Create Your Own Grumpy/Sunshine Duo
When you hear about this trope, what do the characters look like in your head?
When you think of our grumpy-gus, who is it?
When Sunshine Is a He and Grumpy Is a She
What could come to your mind is a character that is found normally as a male lead but that doesn’t haven’t to be the case, we have seen it as a female character in loads of stuff too.
That’s right, no gender roles here, my sweet loves!
Don’t believe me? How about when we saw this in Victorious as young teens? Beck and Jade are some of the first characters we can recognize as part of this trope. Fifteen years have passed since the show aired (if you can believe that). And we’re still talking about these characters. Why?
Because this trope is so well loved. We may call it “black cat and golden retriever energy,” but when it’s all said and done, we know exactly what it is.
Final Question
Have you ever been part of this trope in real life? Or have a favorite Grumpy/Sunshine couple from a book, movie, or show? Drop it in the comments, I’d love to hear it!
