Love Triangles (or Vs) and How to Fix Them

[Ringarune]

I know in general people don't really care for love triangles, but I was curious to know what problems you find with them and how to fix said problems.

I in general don't mind them, but I've seen many done horrendously. I think I have two main issues with them 1) One of the characters is thrown is solely for a cheap drama tactic. In essence they're more plot device than character and 2) the main character cannot make a decision until practically the final chapter. I think this is usually a huge problem since it's difficult to build a relationship with any two characters because of this

As for specific questions 1) what are the main issues you find with love triangles? 2) what solutions could be used to fix them? 3) any examples of a love triangle done well?

[punkarsenic]

1: they often seem hackneyed, heterosexual, and irrelevant to the actual story, and in a lot of hs stories i feel like theyre unrealistic. its all this ooh.. oh... they both love me.. what do i doo..... but in my experience theres gaggles of kids running around saying 'theres dramaaaaaaaaaaaaaa' and keeping eachother up to date like breaking news while two boys keep threatening to fight. everyones sharing their very well informed (not) opinions and the girl varies from not giving a fuck to being bloody annoyed with it.

similarly, in like.. hunger games. for an example. katniss didnt actually seem to give a fuck. like these two boys could fight it out and the truth is she didnt actually want to date either of them. but then why did she care so much? and why did she marry peeta and have kids in the end? i think people need to give more thought to the thought processes of all characters involved in a love triangle.

solutions i think would be giving the 'suitors' more distinct variation, giving women more agency, potentially making it gay, and all round being more thoughtful about the reasoning of the characters actions and reactions.

good love triangles... hmm.... i dunno. i dont read much with love triangles in it, actually

[Pandastrophic]

1) I don't think I would have a problem with love triangles if the characters would be writen better, the main issue is the lack of understanding the characters and the love triangle becomes the only thing that they care about, the decision of who is he/she gonna choose is the only important thing in the story while the character's aren't really explored that deeply.
I also always find that it makes the characters in it very unlikable with the frustration of "I can't choose" and one person being way too clingy and all the other typical stuff, this can work in your favour if it's intentional but it's hard to do.

2) Take the time and write characters better, make sure they have other things they're worried about other than the love triangle, it can still be a major plot point in the story but it shouldn't be the only thing your character thinks and talks about all the time. Make sure they are interesting outside the love triangle and even when they're not together, and they have their own flaws and their own dreams they want to acheive, like actual people.
I think whether you make it an actual triangle (A loves B, B loves C and C loves A) or make it poly or do something else with it, while it might be interesting, some of the main problems will remain unless you work on the characters first.

3) I don't know if this is an example of a 'love triangle' but Fruits Basket but I can't say why since it's a spoiler, but it's basically not as it's seems and the characters are just so well written and it ties into the story really well.

[shazzbaa]

I think this article on writing romance had some really good thoughts on love triangles! In part 6, it talks about the Arthur/Lancelot/Guinevere love triangle as an example done well:

"King Arthur loves his wife, Guinevere. She loves him, though it’s more a love born from respect and admiration than physical passion. Arguably this is the same for him. They are reasonably happy together. King Arthur also loves his greatest friend and best knight, Sir Lancelot. Lancelot also loves Arthur greatly and would gladly die for him. But Guinevere and Lancelot find themselves passionately in love with each other, despite their mutual love and respect for Arthur. Arthur’s inability to condemn the two people he loves most reads as weakness to some, and the blight of their affair inadvertently leads to the fall of Camelot."

This is the version of the story that comes from The Mists of Avalon, a great Arthurian retelling. It does everything right:

• The love triangle is relevant to the plot and the character arcs of all three.
• The love triangle fleshes out the inherent character flaws in all three.
• Arthur and Lancelot have a complex, engaging relationship beyond loving the same woman.
• There’s an actual difference between both Arthur and Lancelot and their relationships to Guinevere.
• It offers genuine tension and drama because the two people in love also love and care about the man they are betraying, who also happens to have brought them together.
• Actions have consequences, and the fact that love triangles cause pain is not glossed over. It is the central conflict.

Love triangles feel gimmicky and flat if they don’t hit at least one or two of these points. They shouldn’t exist just to flatter your character, or as an attempt to make him/her seem interesting or desirable without backing it up, or as a lazy way to introduce conflict into a story without enough of it.

[spadesart]

i have to admit the movie 'this means war' is kind of a guilty pleasure for me. the love triangle in it served to make comedy instead of angst and i really liked that? the two love interests were secret agents so theyd keep one upping each other in increasingly more ridiculous ways.
buuuuuuuttttt it got bad reviews so i probably just have bad taste lmao

there was an alternate ending that got cut where the suitors chose each other and im a little disappointed they chickened out of that.