What's Your Preferred Type of Romance in Comics?

[keii4ii]

I'm aromantic and 95% of the time, romance makes me groan. Glorified romance in particular makes me puke. When I sense the author pushing a ship, as opposed to just letting the ship happen naturally and allowing the readers to form their own opinion about that ship, that makes me want to run away.

But I can appreciate well-written, believable romance that DOES NOT GET IN THE WAY OF THE PLOT. It has to be a part of the plot. It should not be its own subplot. I don't want the story to waste its time on a subplot that I don't care about.

[Kura]

I prefer my romance to be secondary or not there at all.

For me it's more important that the characters have chemistry. I want them work well with one another without having to be a couple, and then after if the concept of introducing them as a couple comes up then sure, as long as there's some sort of established relationship between them outside of 'romance'

I like when the author gives the audience enough time and material to work with to want to see them as a couple before making them a couple.

Also if all their conversations are only going to be about their relationship or about one another that's boring as all shit.

[mosaiclore]

Romance is okay with me as long as it's realistic for the two characters to have those kinds of feelings to each other. And I HATE romance tropes like love triangles and GUH make something original??? I also really love romantic relationships that aren't overly affectionate and instead is a strong bond. There needs to be a reason why these two are together and the relationship should not disrupt the plot and make the story clunky.

Though I admit that I love badass couples and heartbreaking death scenes between the couple and all of the angst.

[azureXtwilight]

Friendship first, then romance. I want it to build naturally and not something like stockhom syndrome, love at first sight, abusive relatiionship, one-night-stands / repe turn lovers, yep yep.

ALSO please no love triangle /quadrangles / octangles please!

[Reraser]

I'm kind of surprised by the consensus I see in the replies here! I thought I was toward the less common end of the spectrum where, I don't get vicarious jollies off of on-screen romance all that often. It's been awhile since I've felt truly inspired to ship anything.

So I have to echo, "Romance secondary," where people get together not out of arbitrary requirements but out of actual, relatable attraction.

This is why CW shows make me physically ill.

[voshxdaemon]

Me, I like the friends-turned-lovers trope.

Like, when you have childhood friends who just end up becoming a couple because they have such a good chemistry and understanding of another, and it seamlessly translates into a healthy romantic relationship.

[Sanz]

side romance maybe? the kind of romance in a story that doesn't interfere with anything else except maybe another character getting jealous....not like in the heat of battle they start making out. and omg I love you.... subtle stuff small flirting, maybe....I actually don't know I hate romance i find it annoying and takes away from the story, unless it's absolute the pair has a fling for each other maybe events that lead to them realizing how much they care for one another. as long as its not too cringey like awkward silences.. unless the genre is a romance...in which i probably won't look at unless the art is super pretty.

[Shanny8]

I've noticed I've been writing a bit of the "denial" type situations, where both characters deny how they feel about each other, until they reach a point in the story where they are confronted with a situation that causes them to profess those said feelings.

[StarVeeWolf]

For me, I really enjoy good chemistry between the couple! It's really hard for me to not ship couples who were buddies before they started dating, haha. Also, I like it when they still have the friend like bond, even when dating. I also am a sucker for romances when the couple starts out as a couple and we can see their progress! Though, I also do enjoy it when they get together after a while.

Rivals turned friends is good too! Maybe even "hate" to love. But, that takes time. So, if the author or artist rush it, it feel blegh for me. Like, "okay they hate each other-- wAIT WAIT WAIT WHY ARE THEY KISSING-" it just baffles me because hate is a strong emotion. Unless, of course, they pretend to "hate" each other solely to hide their feelings but I rarely see this TTvTT

I also don't mind reverse harems or harems (okay some are really painful but-) because when the heroine has spunk and character, it turns our really interesting, you know? Like, their interactions between the many different characters. It's also a mystery to find out who they end up with! And it's a total good bonus when they actually do end up with someone. This goes for love triangles too <:

Also, the soulmate AU is pretty good too and I'm weak to that.

People dating out of the blue on an arranged marriage and such is amusing to see, too. Character development is good!

[joannekwan]

Good points
1. It's an equal partnership - Each party feels like they contribute to the other, they can function well alone, but together, they really work and get things done.
2. unconventional aspects - Um, can't really put my finger on it, but if your romance is not your typical Nicholas Sparks novel, then yeah I'll give it a look.

Bad points
1. Abuse - nuff said
2. Love V's - commonly called Love triangles, but really it should be called Love V's with two parties interested in the one. I don't like all the unnecessary drama it can cause. Although it can be pulled off well like in The Book of Life.
3. Childhood friends - I don't know, I for one am not a fan of the long-time friend turned lover thing. Maybe mostly because I think it's very clichéd and I personally didn't find someone until college. I feel like if I'd known a guy since I was young I'd see him more as a brother.
4. Really sweet lovey-dovey crap - I'm not much of a romantic and the overly cutesy stuff makes me grimace.

[demthorshie]

I'm definitely a romance fan, but I do have some big pet peeves about romance in some comics. I feel like the love triangle has been done a million times already, it's kind of annoying to see it all the time. I also don't like romances where the power dynamic is imbalanced (ie. one partner pretty much controlling/manipulative to the other.) I also hate relationships where one partner is an abusive douche bag to their seemingly docile and unconditionally loving partners!

I tend to like a gradual build up with relationships in stories, where the characters and their romance is sort of built on their experiences together throughout the story, getting to know one another as the story progresses. I also prefer that both partners be on an equal level where there is mutual respect for one another. I also do like atypical romance themes as well, pretty much anything original. :3

[saerel]

I am fine with pretty much anything, but I have to feel it.

[agentfink]

I am a sucker for the unrequited love-- it's awkward, it hurts, it's just god-damn sad.

[TheVoidchildProject]

I'm not a huge fan of love triangles or "will they won't they"-romance. I actively dislike "harem"-style romance. If the romance is too "simple", i.e I can't understand what the two character's connection is or if it feels forced, I just think it gets in the way. If we're talking about romance in non-traditional ways, like the affection characters can have for one another without it necessarily being about or leading into a traditional relationship or sexy-schmexy then I'm easily intrigued. That said, nothing wrong with sexy-schmexy if it's done well. But it often borders the line of gratuitous nakedness and I rarely see/read anything that I personally feel packs an emotional punch.

Honestly, romance isn't my biggest thing with comics or any other medium. But I will admit like @agentfink that unrequited love is also a concept that I'm a sucker for. Tragic love in general, for some reason...

[MylCreates]

I like it when romances bloom from a gradual friendship. I get annoyed by love triangles and find it irritating when characters just don't confess their feelings if they discover and know that is truly how they feel and throw it up into one big drama he-said/she-said/I thought you said fest.
I love a lot of cute, acts of kindness.

[R.n.P]

I like number 1 dat u mentioned but love triangles to me r only good if its for other characters not the protagonist.
N to be honest I dun like it when they get very intimate with each other very quickly so its kinda like I like the trolling we all suffer from mangakas as the story goes on for a long period of time.

[DeadAccount]

This one's specifically aimed at Tapastic romance comics I keep seeing : D I want characters getting together to be a surprise. Something that happens gradually and keeps you guessing. Most times when I check out a romance comic on here, characters that get together either immediately get it on from the first pages, or, you know, already making out in the comic profile pic. Like..where's the fun in that? Then again, I ultimately prefer comics where romance is a subplot and not the only thing happening, anyway.

[whovianandwriting]

I like turbulent relationships (as in reading one, not being in one XD). It's also fun to write.

[kazukitakamura126]

I like romances that are not just about the "romance" part of a relationship. I like the relationship to have more substance like Jude and Milla from Tales of Xillia. They had a good comradory first and love second. This way the romance feels like they don't always have to talk about their romantic feelings towards each other and have other forms of dialogue. I tried to implement this in my comic Seishin Patona where the two main leads could have a potential relationship but, isn't the only thing that is sustaining their relationship.

Another thing I like in romance is love triangles, its a great way to incorporate drama and romance together if executed properly. Though I don't know of any good examples off hand. In my comic In The Midst, I am going to try to incorporate a love triangle but, make the three people in the triangle become friends so the drama is more present.

[ashriott]

Ahh, I love a good ship. Here are some of my favourite types:
1) Turbulent ships with complicated feels - This one's a bit broad, and I don't mean "Relationship status: It's complicated". While I like romances that are simple, I love romances where characters are conflicted internally by something or rather which affects the dynamic of their relationship. Quite often these ships are my favourite.
2) Opposites attract - Characters have slightly opposite personalities, may or may not like each other at the start. But their personalities compliment each other as the story progresses.
3) Un-PC - I think I like my ships a bit controversial. So aspects which are not politically correct can sometimes be interesting, ONLY as long as it's told well with the intention of writing an un-PC relationship. So this point can be a hit or miss for me.
4) Unconventional ships - Pretty straightforward. Anything unique and different from the norm.
5) Historical romances - Yes, historical romances are on this list, cause period dramas are my guilty pleasure. If I spot a webcomic or manga with a historical romance I will scramble onto the bandwagon like my life counts on it. European, English and Chinese historical romances are the ones I usually prefer.