Romance Between OC's

[kazukitakamura126]

How do you handle romance between two OC's? I like to have my characters to be somewhat contrasting. This makes those two characters so they can learn from one another. In order for any positive relationship to work the two characters in question have to haves some similarities or they have the same ideals. How they interact with one another is the most important aspect of any type of relationship.

So how to your characters interact with one another, what are some traits that both of them have that is contrasting? What makes them ultimately work as a couple in your opinion?

[ErithEl]

Having a relationship between characters where they can share easy dialogue is always a good starting place for building a relationship! Personally, I'm tired of seeing sitcom relationships where they talk down to each other for the audience's laughs and forget to actually communicate.

One of my favorite comics here that does an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING job at depicting a fun and honestly good relationship is Miss Abbott and the Doctor by @maripazvillar2004. I would definitely recommend checking it out for a good reference.

There will be some later romance in my comic, but I don't want it to be obvious right away. I don't know if it will work the way I want it to, but I'm trying to write it so the romance builds under the surface so that the audience picks up on it before the characters, themselves, do. I've found this to be very true in real life. You know, like when you were in high school and your friends asked "Hey, do you like so-and-so?" and you respond with What? No! Where did you get that idea from?" But then you started thinking about it and realized they were right all along.

[kazukitakamura126]

I don't have much experience with the romance genre itself but every relationship requires communication for it to be a positive one. The bond between my main two are important because it shows the audience and the people in my comic that despite their differences they will work together. Zethero and Aureen being romantically involved is up for interpretation, As a team they work extremely well as seen in chapter 2.

I also do like where the feeling of a character isn't obvious to the couple in question until it is brought up by the other characters.

[eschaefges]

I don't write "romance stories" but I do write stories with romance in them - and usually the best way to start is to spend as long as possible having the characters interact on Every Subject Imaginable Except Their True Feelings. Adventures, danger, death, mystery, love for other people - all are great ways to find the essence of their relationship and let the feelings develop naturally.

[kazukitakamura126]

I haven't wrote any romances either but, I like romances that starts a friendships.This makes the relationship feel interesting as opposed to starting off as lovers. I feel this is the wrong way to do romance, this is my opinion. I tend to do this with all my characters where they start as acquaintances then friends and finally lovers.

[Stellamari]

As they interact with each other, I like show them learning to trust each other with their feelings and thoughts and having the type of relationship that fosters inner and outer positive character growth. And then, towards the end, they will learn that they have a future together and whether that really happen would depend on the plot.

[joannekwan]

Well, I'm doing a romance story right now. Both characters can be difficult to deal with romantically; one puts up a front, the other is suspicious of anyone that tries to warm up to him. Both like to be in control in relationships. They start off as uneasy acquaintances but end up loving each other in the end. They contrast a little in personality, one is definitely more out-going than the other, but I think they work since they complement each other and ultimately I feel they are inspired by the other person to better themselves, that's what I think is most important.

[BraveHeartTatsumaki]

In my case, for the couple I have in mind for my story, they kinda have to interact no matter what, since they work together so they are partners. But their relationship comes out in school or at home, or when they are trainning together, with this I mean, moments in which they are alone, since people differently with a certain amount of people around, and slowly see their differences and similarities. But also they support eachother in for example, one is no confident and tries to do everything alone and the other has no self confidence and doubts about almost everything.
Because my idea of a couple is that they support eachother either in a good moment or in a bad moment.

[Caelestie]

I write romance! very awkward ones! Very much cringe worthy sometimes! other times very sincere and sentimental! full of love! I go either ways, it is quite strange I must say!

[AnnaLandin]

I confess, I rarely write romantic stories.

I mean, I've got 400+ characters kicking around, scattered across various stories and imaginary worlds, and some of them do have relationships and romances and lost loves and whatnot - but I rarely get to put it into actual finished stories that other people see. For some reason, it just hasn't happened a lot.

That said....

I like unlikely romances. While the whole romcom love at first sight thing is sweet too, if done right, and I love to see it in other people's stories, I tend to lean more towards romances that might not have happened. I like slow burns, where the characters fall in love gradually, over a long time.

I like contrasts between the characters - not just in personality, but in appearance too. Tall people falling in love with short people, blonde people falling in love with brunettes, heavily tattooed people falling in love with someone who never has a hair out of place, etc., etc. I like weird, off-beat, kinda broken people falling in love and finding ways to put themselves back together.

I have this one couple - two guys in a kind of steampunk-influenced world, which I desperately want to do more with, but haven't gotten around to yet. One of them is a stiff-necked, very formal, by-the-book high ranking officer in the airship navy, who keeps his feelings and thoughts so close to his chest he might as well stitch them into the inside of his waistcoat. The other is a lower-ranking officer in the same navy, who is very informal, open and honest and full of bubbling enthusiasm and brilliant ideas - most of them about building airships. He talks a mile a minute and keeps airship blueprints tucked away in his uniform sleeves. They are each other's opposites in nearly every way, and fall in love slowly but inevitably - kind of like an avalanche, but with less casualties.

They work as a couple because despite their differences - differences they appreciate, by the way; the by-the-book guy likes the bubbling enthusiasm of the lower-ranking officer, the lower-ranking officer likes how the higher-ranking officer is serious and dependable and never backs down from trouble - they both value the same things, and work towards the same goals. They trust each other.

[KSlinger]

I wrote some fantasy/teenage fiction once with someone else as a part of an exercise that had a very long romance running through it. It stretched from the OCs childhoods into adulthood across three books worth of story. In the first part of the story most of their time was spent in a highschool setting (not your typical highschool, it was more of a training camp). It was pretty typical plot-wise. One OC was new to the camp, the other was extremely popular. One OC was very clever and 'book smart' the other was constantly getting in trouble. Thrown together, they didn't get on at all, but the romance grew up from moments of unexpected kindness between them. It was small things in passing, or a look one would give the other. Things they would say suddenly took on a deeper meaning, and without realising it they had come to rely only one each other. I think the romance blossomed best from the OC's internal confusion and anticipation e.g. 'Why did he defend me?' or 'Will she be waiting for me at x place after y happened?'

What made them work was their history and understanding of the other's intentions. They were both very troubled and confused and supported one another in a personal sense, regardless of what was going on in the rest of their lives. Eventually the male OC rejected his training all together and went from being a first class soldier into a first class thief, while SHE became an academic. The contrast here was how they handled their problems-- he ran away and revolted, she worked harder and came to control the situation. She did not approve of what he was doing and he mocked her goals, but at the core of their relationship was this understanding built on small moments of kindness.. As adults these differences only grew. They were still thrown together from time to time over the years and every time those hints of compassion came through again, only stronger.

In short, what made them work was their understanding of each others minds, even if their lives and goals were not aligned in any way. The best romance in fiction, for me, isn't grand gestures and statements, it's unspoken promises and absolute loyalty that spans decades..

[gateofselidor]

For me, the most important part of the relationship is a sense of equality. I've read too many comics (especially BL) where there's an obvious imbalance of power in the relationship and/or a sense of dependence. I want them to complement and rely on each other without needing each other. I like to write relationships characterised by a rivalry or antagonistic beginnings, so it's important for me to establish respect early on, so the relationship can plausibly develop in a healthy direction.

I have two couples in my current series, one established before the series started, and one that develops over the course of the story. The established couple sometimes have to go for months at a time without seeing each other, and without modern forms of communication, so to balance that, they have known each other for several years and established a strong sense of trust. They're definitely very different people, but they work nicely as moderating influences on each other's worst qualities.

The not-yet-established couple have very different outlooks on life (one is used to having to fight for what he wants, the other tends to let outside forces push him around) and they rub each other the wrong way as often as they feel drawn to each other, so learning to communicate is the most important thing for making them work as a couple, I think.

[purrlpankras]

For Two Faced, It's more of a fantasy but their is characters with a strong bond, I just give the element of friendship and companionship,
I just give hint to "love" to this one character who loves another, I like to leave the readers wondering lol

[SeraphicMayin]

Betweeen OCs, couples occur in predominantly two ways: Spontaneous based on how they interact in a story and Planned/Designed.

The spontaneous ones almost always have come from my Roleplays because I've done a lot more of that than writing stories for comics. These couples tend to vary. The best combination is a surprise at first and obviously perfect later. And my favorites are where the two are contrasting but have just enough of thier guiding principles in common that they just...click, for the lack of a better word.

Its based on my experience with roleplays and being a incorrigible romantic who picks up on subtext (or perhaps my brain just reaaaaaly wants romance and will make it up if need be), that I can construct couples that tend to work.

Lots of people mentioned communication and interaction and thats all valid and very good. Not to mention vitally important for any healthy relationship.

What I want to focus on is what truly affects the interaction in the first place. And its two major things: Personality and Setting/Situation of the Story.

Their personalities take care of the minutia and details of their interaction with others and the love interest.

The setting or main situation might force them to meet (boy meets girl or in the case of LGBTQ, insert you preferred gender here), or work together or get stuck on an elevator...basically the initial plot that has them meet in the first place. It can be an external plot device or their own actions. After that, refer to personalities.

While developing the story, perhaps it works out, perhaps it doesnt. But what is most important is that you remain honest to their personalities and the story will feel honest to the readers. So even if they naturally dont want to be together, we as readers will understand.

[kazukitakamura126]

I believe those to be a great type of relationship, it shows the couple grow as one and trust is always important especially in a romantic relationship.

[kazukitakamura126]

Both of your characters that you describe at first sound like they are not very compatible with one another. Ifs like putting two bulls in a china shop. Anyways I believe if both parties are willing to help each other out they can ultimately have a positive relationship.

[kazukitakamura126]

I believe love is more than the happy moments its about the bad moments that each character experiences. Having these challenges thrown at them it can help them understand each other's perspective on the problem and how they think in general.

[kazukitakamura126]

Sometimes its good to have an awkward romance it shows not every couple knows how to handle a relationship.

[kazukitakamura126]

Love at first sight can be somewhat forceful but as you said if done correctly it wouldn't feel that way. I also like to have contrasting lovers it adds and interesting dynamic when comparing them. I also like to contrast their appearances as well. Like the characters in my comic Seishin Patona is a good example. The guy is very smart, has a silver tongue and dresses very casually. On the other hand you have the who is thinks more with her heart than her head, respects everyone and dresses in an old fashion kimono of sorts.

[Kayke]

In my main comic the characters are teenages, so their romance isn't really heavy... but it's a mess. Everyone likes everyone and no one wants to admit it so there's a lot of crushes going on.

I do have a plan for who I want to end up with who at the end of the comic, but since that is very far away still, people are going to date other people first as they learn about themselves and learn what it really means to be in a relationship.

When they do eventually get into the "right" relationships at the end of the story, it's going to be with the person who understands them the most. They might not be similar in personality or habits, but they will click in a way that they are what the other one needs.