Enemies to lovers?

[DiegoPalacios]

Ran out of likes ,so meanwhile i will give a like in spirit

Another point i would like to add is that the transition from hostility to love needs to go smoothly to be beleivable.

This can go in many ways,, but some common ground, even if is little, needs to be established.

Perhaps, both have a strong sense of honor or love the thrill of a good fight, making them enjoy their encounters more than what they would like to admit to themselves.

Maybe they befriended before realizing they were fighting for opposite sides, making their hostility almost in name only and their encounters oddly cordial.

It is possible that during their encounters they may try to persuade each other to join their side.

There can also be some circumstances that may make this respect and potential affection more visible, like both being forced to work together to survive or defeat a more dangerous threat.

If i had to summarize, i think is important for the characters to have a genuine chemistry, a common moral ground, even if they don't agree on everything and a smooth transition from hostility to affection.

[eyewhiskers]

Couldn’t agree more. This is a great point.

[AilyneGouveia]

don't rush it, just make it natural.
For example, you can start their relationship by being rival / enemy in an area that is specific to them. Get them closer for a solid reason AND then you can start to make them get to know each other and discover sides that they can appreciate in each other.
But above all, keep the tension at the beginning and lower it only gradually, they must not fall into each other's arms from the start, it does not hold water.
My apologize if my explanation aren't as clear as i would like them to be, english is far from being my native language ^^

[eyewhiskers]

Oh your English is fine, and I couldn’t agree more! As desperate as I am to want my ship to be canon NOW I know that I have to build it up slow and intentionally so that small moments like lingering glances and hand touches build up into more things later. A natural progression makes it feel more real. 100% agree.

[AilyneGouveia]

God, i totally understand that feeling ! Even if my story is a drama, there will be a bit romance that i want to show, but well, i keep myself from pushing it to fast ^^

[eyewhiskers]

It’s so hard! Ugh.

[crowstories]

Hahahaha mood

Mine's not even slow burn, I just suck at pacing for visual storytelling so I'm now making "slow-burn horror" which should probably not exist.

[domisotto]

I LOOOVE enemies to lovers, or rivals to lovers, and for me it's all about chemistry and equality in professional field (any) and a great deal of danger! I don't have a comic, only a novel.

[eyewhiskers]

Haha but tension is KEY in horror. Building suspense is the perfect thing for horror AND romance. Sounds like you’re doing it right

[eyewhiskers]

Right! Great point! Equality is something that’s often overlooked. Or like equally skilled but in different ways that perfectly foil the other. Can’t forget this concept.

[DarkChibiShadow]

Just butting in to promote my favorite lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers (it's complicated, is what I'm trying to say) comic!

The Search for Henry Jekyll | Tapas

Also, my comic has a very small enemies-to-friends arc and then a much longer we're-just-friends-haha-yeah-just-horny-friends arc. Might be your thing!

Solanaceae | Tapas

Also, hi, I read your comic! It's great! I didn't know it was gonna be enemies-to-lovers, that's exciting! You should include that in the summary or incorporate that into your thumbnail/cover somehow. The faster a new potential reader can understand the dynamic of your romance comic, the easier it is to get them to read, imo! There's no shame it just saying, "Yeah, this comic is this thing, come read it!"

From your current summary and cover, it seemed to be just a dark story with gangsters and such. The tags for BL and LGBT help, but most people will look at images first and foremost, which is why they are so important. I think your summary in general could help from a bit of re-writing and simplifying.

Sorry! I'm not trying to sound harsh, there's just a lot of untapped potential there and I've been working on optimizing my own work too so I tend to see these small things in others work.
Having a "hook" to get people into the door and then the fun comic (your comic is gorgeous) is never a bad idea if you're focused on readers. So, giving them a bit of a tease with an enemies-to-lovers looking cover/banner could help a lot with that. Same goes for the summary.

[Filosofieke]

I have a enemies to lovers in Mesmer, the novel series I recently started posting on Tapas, but it is SO slow-burn that the love interest only appears in the second book lol.

That being said, I don't consider them enemies myself, that is just the perception of one MC. I love a good enemies to lovers story, but when characters start out as enemies...I find that there are things that can happen during the plot that render an eventual love match unrealistic. I'm not talking about sexual attraction, but about a lasting, healthy relationship.

Since that was where I wanted to land, I took a very long time developing the relationship. Both characters belong to cultures that, until recently, were at war with each other, and one of them suffered tremendously in the aftermath, so there was a serious lack of trust and there were some conflicting goals between them...

I think it's a question of giving them both a solid reasoning, which allows them to slowly grow towards each other. And chemistry, of course, and plenty of bonding opportunities. The 'learning to see things from another perspective' of an enemies to lovers story really draws me in.

[eyewhiskers]

Omg thank you so much for the advice! I’ve been wondering about this. And I’ll definitely check out your comics as well!

I think people really get invested in shipping and romance stuff, I know I do. So if you think that’s valuable to promote, I definitely will! It’s a central element in the story overall, I just have to set it up first, I have a complex story that is the backdrop for the romance and have a pretty large set of characters too, but let’s not lose sight of the end goal - a gay love story ️

Thank you so much!

[eyewhiskers]

I couldn’t agree more. But I think it IS possible for each of the characters to have real flaws and even do really evil things, as long as at their core they are not evil and without depth.

People do make mistakes and have regrets, I think it’s possible to grow from these and even grow together in acceptance. Maybe even find love in each other BECAUSE of the unforgivable things they’ve done, eh?

Either way, great advice, and thank you!

[DarkChibiShadow]

Totally agree that folks get very invested in shipping and romance and like, that's good though! It's fun! Having a couple you're into can be a really fulfilling experience when reading a story so I think letting potential readers peak at that (even before it happens in the comic) can be a really good tool for pulling in new eyes.

So, I think showing off that detail of your story, especially if you're invested in it too, can only been a boon to your story and readership. Of course, do what you think is best for your story, but also, people really do love enemies-to-lovers so like... show it off. <:J Hell yeah.

Good luck!

[Kaydreamer]

I love this trope, it's one of my absolute favourites. So many of my favourite fictional couples and ships are this!

I agree with a lot of what has already been said; that the couple shouldn't have massive differences in their moral compass, and if one does (reformed villains, mmmm,) they need to be actively working to become a better person. Or, dragging the other person down with them, if you're telling the story of someone falling into evil.

Also, adequate build is important. Enemies-to-lovers tends to be rather slow-burn, because it kinda has to be in order to show the softening of attitudes between the characters over time. (That, and to get the most out of aaaaall that sexual tension!)

[Gebo]

Hm...vulnerability?
It's kinda hard to hate someone when they're down.

Ex. Enemy's mom passed away they're super sad> you're beloved grandfather passed away too and you were able to move on> so you teach your enemy some coping techniques and find out they're not so bad
= romance...?

[eyewhiskers]

Very true! And especially shared trauma. Like they BOTH lost their mom or etc, this can be a bonding experience. All great tips!

[Filosofieke]

Sure! I meant more that there are boundaries to what I believe they can do to each other (abuse, bullying etc..) before I don't believe the romance any more.

Captive Prince by CS Pacat is the most ... special ... example I have of that. It's a quite erotic series, at times, but it also has a lot of character-build, world-build, and I loved the romance arc that played out in it. But there were elements in those character's past, what they had to forgive each other for doing to one another, that I could still believe they manage to do. To build a romance upon it... I enjoyed reading that romance. But I remember struggling to believe it was possible. So I tweaked that for my own romance, and I think I will tweak it some more during re-writes! It's hard, but so satisfying to get right!

[ghostlyicequeen]

I'm not an expert but goddamn if not all my stories are enemies to lovers I would never draw comcis LOL

Enemies (or rivals) to lovers is all about the interactions they have, and how they have to overcome it.

A good setup for them is to:
- Force them together situationally, whether it'd be once or multiple times
- They have a lot more in similar that they would admit. This one is about writing their personalities so they would work well together if they just could set their differences aside and communicate. (eg: serious/relaxed. Sassy/hot-headed)
- Personally, I like to make them enemies due to occupation. I think it's fun to write 'cat and mouse' scenes.
- THEY HAVE TO HAVE SOME KIND OF COMMON GOAL. This is a big one imo. One may do whatever to justify the end, while the other one may only want it achieved through peaceful means.

I have one story where the two are in the crime scene and go through lots of life & death moments, forcing them closer through the ups and downs. Another is two teens who just got of the wrong foot and got stuck in the middle of nowhere. Another is a poly relationship between a mafia boss, killer, and a detective. You can write enemies to lovers in any story and with all sort of conflicting characters if you can bridge how they would start trusting the other

And comic link:

Underworld Hysteria | Tapas