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How to flesh out a love story?

So far, my [genderless] main character [Oeuyia] has looked after their beloved [Kisa] for roughly a year, and throughout the story, they do the following together:

spend time together, relaxing
read stories
have a lot of physical contact [holding hands, stroking hair, holding each other while they sleep, and so forth]
Oeuyia comforts Kisa whenever she has a nightmare from her traumatic past
since Kisa cannot speak, Oeuyia sometimes sings for her
dance
play together [mostly Oeuyia tickling Kisa, since the latter is very ticklish]
go for walks
look after each other [most notable when Oeuyia is dying, and Kisa cares for them anyway]

[There's probably more, but I'm too tired to think much right now.]

Anyway, any thoughts?
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Where is tension? Conflict? Can they do something together--face a danger, explore a new land, meet someone? Shared experience counts for more than tickling, seems to me.
 
All these things are great, but what really brings characters together, as skip.knox said above, is shared experience. Especially hardship endured together will strengthen a relationship.
 

SpaceAmoeba

Acolyte
As the others above have mentioned, shared experiences and hardships are a must have if you want to convey an interesting romantic relationship. However, unless your story is purely a romantic one (or even if it is) try and convey the nature of their relationship when they're apart from each other. How would distance or time apart effect their relationship? How well off are they when they aren't together? How does that differ from when they are together? Think about the relationship from the perspective of each individual character.
 
Oh, boy, do they ever share hardships! They basically depend on each other for emotional support, and so treasure even one happy moment together. They go on a journey to find Oeuyia's missing heart and uncover truths about what really happened when Kisa was suddenly orphaned and nearly died.
Then, at the end, it is revealed that Kisa herself is actually Oeuyia's heart, and neither one of them can really cope with that.
 
Oh, boy, do they ever share hardships! They basically depend on each other for emotional support, and so treasure even one happy moment together. They go on a journey to find Oeuyia's missing heart and uncover truths about what really happened when Kisa was suddenly orphaned and nearly died.
Then, at the end, it is revealed that Kisa herself is actually Oeuyia's heart, and neither one of them can really cope with that.

I really love this. Very tragic and beautiful.
 
^Thank you! :) I seem to have a thing for writing tragic love stories. The Tale of Beren and Luthien from the Silmarillion, as well as Clamp manga RG Veda ans Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle certainly gave me good inspiration in that regard. The total number of characters who survive to the end of RG Veda? Five--three minor and the two main characters.
 

K.S. Crooks

Maester
Some resentment for having to always take care of/or being taken care of. Showing some differences in their attitudes or beliefs about different aspects of their world. Some conflict with regards to what should happen if one of them dies...what should the other do with their life. If they both live will each want to stay in the same place or move? Have children or not? Fight some injustice of leave it to others? Show how the characters are individuals and have moments when their personalities clash.
 
Kisa often struggles to be independent, to the point where she frequently refuses help of any kind. Also, at one point, Oeuyia is so exhausted from staying up part of the night trying to comfort Kisa that they nearly give up right then and there.
 

Gryphos

Auror
It doesn't all need to be lovey-dovey. I think an honest intellectual conversation in which they exchange views and ideas can go a long way to illustrating their connection and genuine affection.

[Edit: I just realised you said one of them can't speak. SO that might make conversations more difficult. Still possible, though.]
 
Kisa mainly uses gestures and expressions to try to communicate. At the end of the story, Oeuyia is able to hear Kisa's thoughts thanks to their synchronic bond, and this is what they hear:

“Your eyes are like mine: so withdrawn, so wounded, so lonely, as if you are about to break apart. That day, I was useless. I lay on the ground and did nothing. I could not comfort you, and you could not hear me. But we both must live. Remember our promise: to stay together, because we need each other. I can live, I can smile, I can be love, all while you are with me.”
 

Helen

Inkling
So far, my [genderless] main character [Oeuyia] has looked after their beloved [Kisa] for roughly a year, and throughout the story, they do the following together:

spend time together, relaxing
read stories
have a lot of physical contact [holding hands, stroking hair, holding each other while they sleep, and so forth]
Oeuyia comforts Kisa whenever she has a nightmare from her traumatic past
since Kisa cannot speak, Oeuyia sometimes sings for her
dance
play together [mostly Oeuyia tickling Kisa, since the latter is very ticklish]
go for walks
look after each other [most notable when Oeuyia is dying, and Kisa cares for them anyway]

[There's probably more, but I'm too tired to think much right now.]

Anyway, any thoughts?

There's an almost classic pattern you can follow, the latest is seen in LA LA LAND, which will probably win best film in a few weeks: they don't know each other, they hate each other, they think it'll go nowhere, it starts going somewhere, they date, they become a couple, they break up, they get together again and so on.

If it's good enough for them...
 
^I actually can't stand those types of romances. I mainly prefer the childhood-friend-promise type of romances. [Sakura and Syaoran from Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, or Cloud and Tifa from Final Fantasy VII, as examples.]
 
There's an almost classic pattern you can follow, the latest is seen in LA LA LAND, which will probably win best film in a few weeks: they don't know each other, they hate each other, they think it'll go nowhere, it starts going somewhere, they date, they become a couple, they break up, they get together again and so on.

If it's good enough for them...

I wonder how well those relationships work in real life.

Anyway, they kind of annoy me because often the "they hate each other" stage is emotionally abusive and there are a lot of things in the relationship that are unhealthy.
 
^Exactly, exactly!
I especially avoid stories in which the kind-hearted heroine tries to 'reform' the person of her affections, despite that person being verbally or emotionally or even physically abusive.
 
^Exactly, exactly!
I especially avoid stories in which the kind-hearted heroine tries to 'reform' the person of her affections, despite that person being verbally or emotionally or even physically abusive.

Yeah.

This is especially common in YA books and especially harmful because teens need to know what a harmful and unhealthy relationship looks like, not have it portrayed positively.
 

Ireth

Myth Weaver
Yeah.

This is especially common in YA books and especially harmful because teens need to know what a harmful and unhealthy relationship looks like, not have it portrayed positively.

This sort of thing is exactly why the abusive not-love-interest of my main WIP is the villain, and the heroine doesn't even entertain the thought of trying to fix him -- she just wants to get away and STAY away from him forever.
 
^No, I mean, that it's brilliant in that I'm happy to finally see a story that has that kind of story. If what I'm saying sounds like a convoluted, nonsensical mess, it's because I've had not much sleep of late.
 
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