I can't stand a damsel in distress trope or a love triangle. The only and I mean ONLY way I could ever get behind a love triangle is it is done properly, person 1 loves person 2 but so does person 3, with person 2 not knowing who to choose that is an open polyline. When person 1 loves person 2...
I often find inspiration in daily life at least for my characters. Though when making scenes I often let myself daydream, listen to music, or just force myself to write.