Love triangles - Hate them or love them?

AffectedMind 2016-01-15 12:57:18 UTC #1

Hello there!
Sooo what do you think about love triangles or even fouragles? o.o Do you hate it, love it? Do you use this scheme in your work? Or maybe you think they are totally overdone?
In my story (Bite Me) I use this cliche (at least I think I can call it like that) however I hate "Stephanie Meyer type" of love triangles. When a girl is just mentally unstable and it's too hard for her to choose and just go with both lol. Also can't stand reversed harem, where a girl have all the bishies on her command. Just don't find it entertaining ^^;
So, what's your opinion on the topic?

Noglastiaa 2016-01-15 13:04:01 UTC #2

I hate love triangles with horribly indecisive girls. Especially when their feelings are really obvious. Like the girl is just playing with people's emotions at that point and that bothers me. It's not okay to play with people's emotions.
I kind of expect them at a point in shoujo manga to fuel conflict but I usually end up hating it cause it's either too overplayed or too underplayed. And reverse harems are horrible. I just like them for all the hot guys tbh xP

igneriss 2016-01-15 13:07:31 UTC #3

I... don't mind them? CX
I never read the story just for romance. Even if it's a romance story. As long as characters are likeable or interesting, and I enjoy the story, it can be a love triangle or even 10 indecisive characters. It all depends on the writer, I suppose.

AnnaLandin 2016-01-15 13:17:01 UTC #4

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaate! D:

Look, it's nothing personal. Love triangles can be done well. It's just that time and time again, I've seen the love triangle handled SO BADLY that I've just developed allergies, or something.

Love triangles nearly always make at least one - if not all - of the characters look incredibly indecisive or stupid, or both, and it's nearly always possible to tell what the final outcome is going to be anyway, since the creators can't seem to help emphasising which is obviously the right choice etc., etc.

Also, I absolutely despise the kind of plot where two people are in a relationship and have started to establish some sort of security in that, only for the writer to suddenly throw in a brand new character to destabilize it. It feels like it's just a way to keep the story going for a little longer. It's cheap and it's boring and I haaaate it.

When the brand new character is a girl, in a girl-boy-girl triangle, the new girl nearly always ends up being a horrible person towards the original heroine, which just furthers the dumb idea that all girls are rivals for the attention of boys and aaaaaaaaaargh

(and you tell I hate this trope yet?)

StevenDacasin 2016-01-15 13:18:09 UTC #5

I tend to dislike love triangles simply because It's annoying if a story ends unresolved with the main character not choosing 1 lover which i see most stories not do.

AffectedMind 2016-01-15 13:24:27 UTC #6

Yes, not to mention it's extremely childlish to play with people's emotions just for entertainment. Hate people like that, I was once a victim of such a behaviour. Never again.

Shhh pat pat it's okay now xD

Haha yea, it's like: hey! the story will get boring now, let's just throw a new guy maybe? He needs to be hot so the main heroine will fall for him, which is totally bullshit btw xD If you love one guy and like you said their relationship is getting established why would she suddenly fall for the other one? And if you need to use the love triangle to keep the story interesting then you failed very hard in storytelling (if it's just a side plot)

kambreapratt 2016-01-15 13:33:55 UTC #7

I don't mind them.
It is a good way to get readers involved. They will pick a "side" and root for their choice. That is one fun aspect.

I agree that when it becomes just one person toying with someone else's emotions it isn't so much fun to read. I also agree that you need some kind of resolution to the triangle.

AffectedMind 2016-01-15 13:40:28 UTC #8

Yea that's the best aspect so far, especially if you are a creator, you just waiting when readers will start to split to teams xD I remember when I was reading Jack the american ghost I was just torn apart on the inside seeing two potential love interest for the main heroine, it was handled very well, it wasn't the main focus and even if you knew who will she end up with you still had hope it will be the other guy.

Kura 2016-01-15 14:04:18 UTC #9

Hate them.

Though honestly it's really more dependent on how large an impact it is on the story.

If it's pretty much the whole or a good amount of it story. The story can go fuck itself.

If it's it's a side story to a persons life that doesn't revolve around everything, doesn't last the entire fucking series, and doesn't fell like shit ass cop-out storyline because the writer is to fucking limited to think of anything else that could make the story interesting, then I'll have a tendency to put up with them better.

mariusthered 2016-01-15 14:14:06 UTC #10

it depends on the twist. if done well the drama of a good love triangle story can be thrilling, but it's always nice to see the right people get what they deserve.
I am just about to go into chapters that deal with something along these lines but with much more of a twist and some crime thrown in the mix.

Pandastrophic 2016-01-15 14:45:29 UTC #11

I'm personally kinda tired of them but I think that's because they've been handled so badly in romantic mangas I've read (and I've read A LOT). I actually seem to be okay with it when it's not the main focus of the plot, either it was just an arc and doesn't last the whole story or it's with the side characters or the author does something different with it.

The typical thing where the girl's a ditz or just doesn't know who to go with I actually find enjoyably bad in most cases. However it's when I see a good manga/story and it's characters are being ruined by an annoying love triangle that's when I feel like I seriously hate it. You feel almost everyone involved being irrational or indecisive or jealous and it does nothing to further the characters development by the end.
I also generally dislike the 'rival' character, when they're a bit too pushy and try to break up the main couple or push their feelings on the girl too much and the girl is just there, fine with it, leading him on. If the girl is just clear about her feelings then everything would be sorted out, yet the rival sticks around till the very end of the manga.

What I find is so weird is that female rivals are always really mean and put in such a bad light but male rivals are like super nice and considered a much better person than the main guy.

Although I do have a negative look on it I feel like that's due to it being handled badly, I have seen ONE good example of a love triangle done well and differently to anything I've read befor, and that was in Fruits Basket (I don't want to give away spoilers but it takes a very interesting turn).
If you can manage to have it help with the development of the story and characters then I think you'll be able to do it well, but it's a hard cliche to tackle honestly!

AffectedMind 2016-01-15 15:03:01 UTC #12

That's why I avoid shojo genre and doesn't really like romances (even if I'm making one, it's weird xD). I think it's hard to find a good piece of work handling this cliche well. Most of it goes the easy way.

It's like the girl is only there so the men can fight over her. I hate such a weak and blunt characters, can't a female once say: Fok you, to both of the guys? xD There should be more strong female characters in romances, I'm so sick of this Twilight/50 shades/Jupiter ascending weak ass heroines...

shazzbaa 2016-01-15 15:03:22 UTC #13

I'm actually not sure that I've read enough stories with love triangles to have a strong opinion.

I think I agree with a lot of what Anna said -- when one of the love triangle members is just there to be horrible, I'm checking out, but that's more because characters who just exist to be horrible bug me. And the destabilisation tactic makes one of the characters an automatic villain for breaking up a happy relationship.

I think it can be interesting when you feel for everyone involved, though -- I really liked the love triangle in Corpse Bride, actually? Both ladies have reason to believe Victor has promised himself to them, and both have really genuine but really different ways of connecting with him. I remember watching the movie and thinking "UGH OBVIOUSLY MARRY THE CORPSE" when it turned out Emily could play piano, but then seeing him with Victoria, bringing her out of this sheltered place, and how hopeful their relationship was, I second-guessed that. I felt like the story did a good job of making you almost wish there were some way for both relationships to work out.

VermillionWorks 2016-01-15 15:59:31 UTC #14

This is kind of how I feel about it. I guess, in most stories with love triangles I can think of, i usually don't like it, especially when it's not done with some care and dragged out for way too long.

Luckily the love triangle in my comic was barely a triangle, Christine was completely done with Wayne by the beginning of the story, which leads to....um....bad things for the other guy...but yeah, it was the catalyst for all the vampire craziness. XP

TristanJensen 2016-01-15 16:00:52 UTC #15

They confused me a bit in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (In that case it was a "fouragle") But I don't really mind them.

Thesleepypencil 2016-01-15 16:21:27 UTC #16

I don't ever really remember liking Love triangles. But i think that's because with clichés and such they can end up not fully thought through. The are tropes like

-Indecisive main character who can't choose between the two. (Uuug)
- Two girls hating each other solely because they like the same guy
- and other things

BUT i can't deny i can like love triangles if they are properly written. My favourite love triangle is from Book Of Life (my favourite everything is from Book Of Life) because the two guys genuinely care about each other as much as they care about the girl. And The girl is open with who she is romantically interested in but still cares deeply for the other platonically. ((It's a triangle full of love and support bless))

I Write alot of "love triangles" too. I think my most favorite one is from a unpublished story. But it's been so droned in the concept of friendship that i Don't think it can be called that anymore. There is a weird love square farther in with my current comic too.

I just generally like friend ship the most.

kambreapratt 2016-01-15 17:06:20 UTC #17

I do have to agree with those saying that they aren't too bad when they are a subplot and not the MAIN story line.

AffectedMind 2016-01-15 17:13:27 UTC #18

Yea, afterall how long can a story be if the main plot is just a love triangle? It's a short material.

niinasalmelin 2016-01-15 17:17:34 UTC #19

When they're well made and you actually can't figure out WHICH ONE WILL BE CHOSEN it's gold (I also read romance stuff so rarely I haven't been overdosed I think). Unfortunately that's pretty rare.

I remember enjoying Peach Girl and Kimi ga Nozomu Eien in my early teens, both were so over the top drama-bombs it was impossible to hate them. Rose of Versailles is actually r e a l l y amazing one which I can't recommend enough but it also focuses mostly on the french revolution (the anime at least) so there's that.

If you guys know any good ones point them out. It's been a while since I dug myself deep into sappy stuff

kenibatz 2016-01-15 17:26:26 UTC #20

Indeed!

Generally, I like Love Triangles in comedies since it can be a powerful source (sometimes the only source) of conflict. When it's not a comedy, then I'd rather the characters involved be strong, or at least believable.