Writing Crushes (all things Crush) (but sfw) (share your examples)

Leyelle 2024-03-21 15:36:32 UTC #1

Feel free to add your own questions/conversation starters about writing crushes too.

How did you write/show your character's interest in their love interest?

Did you explicitly say they liked the other person? if you implied it how did you imply it?

No spoilers for "Hushabye Prince"...okay one, but Kimberly is pretty obvious and flirtatious from Day one.

on the other hand in "Damsel in the Red Dress" one romantic interest is not super subtle, but at first, it isn't explicitly said, just implied through their behavior. But as Alicia gets angrier you realize that she already knows her best friend has feelings for her. It's not a surprise for her, she's just waiting for him to say something. The other romantic interest I think nobody saw coming to the extent to which it went.

That said, sometimes it's explicitly mentioned in "Damsel in the Red Dress" other times it's just shown through the description of their behavior or expressions, and you can see pretty clearly what is going on.

“Alright. A promise is a promise.” I free the frozen phone from my pants pocket and warm the glass against my cheek until it becomes responsive. The lock screen still glitches twice, refusing to acknowledge my password, and I wait for it to reset, staring at the ugly picture of himself that Kattar set as my lock screen a few months ago, when I was stupid enough to fall asleep with my phone unlocked.

He has his hair pulled up into a messy cross between a bun and a ponytail, his teeth bared like a hissing house cat. I can see myself in the background, my head propped up on the arm of the sofa - the shadow of my hair giving me the illusion of a neckbeard.

Kattar has asked me a thousand times why I haven’t changed this screensaver yet. And I’ll hem-and-haw, say he got me fair and square, so I’ll suffer the prank until the turn of the year, but the truth is, the picture isn’t half as ugly as he thinks.

“I brought chocolate,” I suddenly remember, handing him the little circlet containing all the details on the 'Sweetheart Box.' “Did you see the chocolate angel?”

“I did. It was nice. Really detailed.” He says it all quickly. The words clipped. He’s still in pain, breathing shallowly to try to mitigate the suffering.

I want to look at the floor, but I don’t, forcing myself to meet his gaze.

“Are you going to paint it?”

“Probably not,” I move to take a seat by the window and push the curtains back, letting the light in. The sun is around on this part of the building, and backlights me, making my loose strands of hair glow. He sits up a little straighter, following me with his eyes.

“Too bad,” a slight wince - he can’t suppress this time, as he shifts on the mattress so that he’s more or less facing me. He smiles to mask it, his eyes disappearing into half-moons.

Aeneas1 2024-03-21 19:05:33 UTC #2

While I would hesitate to call it an immediate example, Oriel had feelings for Erik, if only subconsciously, since he was the first mortal to treat her kindly. It was only when Eroszth (the World Oak’s version of… you know) shot her with one of his famous pink bullets (this version of the classical figure uses a Lefaucheveux M1858 revolver rather than a bow and arrows) that she fully developed a crush on Erik, and feelings brought to the fore.

Leyelle 2024-03-26 20:08:04 UTC #3

Is it shallow for Jinwoo to immediately fall for Kimberly because she looks like a real life princess? maybe, maybe not. we want to find our significant others attractive right? lol

Leyelle 2024-04-11 03:23:56 UTC #4

honestly, Kattar has had a crush on Alicia quite literally for ages, and book 2 is packed even more tightly with moments that show how much he's been in love with her all the way since they were teenagers (they're nearly thirty now)

I see 12 years ago. Our junior year…

One of those few moments…

I knew…

Or maybe I only thought I did- thought it might be true-

No, I always knew - and just spent the years trying desperately not to.

In the silence, it hurts less to play pretend than to admit…

Your heart is bleeding, but there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

I remember laying on his bedroom floor, playing solitaire on his-our cell phone as he came into the room - his then-short hair damp from taking a shower in the middle of the day like a crazy person.

He thought I couldn’t see the look in his eyes - the embers of carmine smoldering his cheeks - just because I was staring at the cell, but I saw…held on to it - though it didn’t hurt at the time - like keeping a knife in the grisly wound just so I could prove…

I had every right to be angry that he never…

Getting down on the floor like a man-sized breed of black cat he crawled over to where I stared zombie-fied at the small screen and laid down so close to me that our shoulders touched.

Leyelle 2024-04-18 15:54:32 UTC #5

so would she have never really liked him romantically, or enough to comment on it, if not for the pink bullets?

Leyelle 2024-05-15 01:16:38 UTC #6

Leia's crush is one of the most unusual ones that I've written so far. For one thing, her feelings about it are a lot more exhausting than excited. she's not actively trying to pursue her crushes 90% of the time and the fact that she likes anyone at all she feels is the last thing she needs.

Also she's just permanently really irritated with one of her crushes so...that's fun

this is available for free on my Patreon public posts for everyone to read

SumireHime 2024-05-15 04:23:30 UTC #7

Sana has been in love with Tetsu as his drag persona since he was probably around 17 (Tetsu was 23, if I remember correctly). Tetsu is a celebrity in this fictional Japan, a famous onnagata (male actor who takes a female role on stage). Sana was quiet about it, but his friends and even girlfriend were aware how enchanted he was. He'd blush, stare off into the distance, smile as he remembered little things about Tetsu throughout the day. They didn't meet until a little over 15 years later and Tetsu instantly fell for the beautiful and innocent Sana who's unbelievably kind and gentle. It all worked out in the end!

Leyelle 2024-06-05 02:36:59 UTC #8

Dominic's crush on Essence was literally instantaneous, and a lot stronger initially than Kattar's crush on Alicia was. Kattar did legitimately want to be friends with Alicia when they first met despite thinking she was super pretty. Trying to be just friends was not a thought in Dominic's mind when he met Essence. He asked for her number immediately. He did not try to conceal his feelings or play them off. However despite the initial butterflies there was a lot (read: virtually everything) he didn't know about here when he asked her out, so he's having to learn this during the dating process.

It is a bed of roses. Thorny. Despite Essence's beauty, she is nothing like anyone could possibly guess a human being could be like. It is very understandable that he was not well equipped for a relationship with her.

Leyelle 2024-06-30 12:37:11 UTC #9

One cover sticks out to me from amongst the rest as I slip my phone back into my pocket.

“‘Honey Bea?’” I mumble under my breath, slipping the yellow covered rom-com off the shelf and running my fingertips over the textured cover image of a woman's mouth licking a honey dipper.

I could have sworn they’d settled on a different cover. But maybe it’s a new edition.

“That one’s hilarious,” a male voice says.

I look away from the book quickly and then down, noticing for the first time that the man from behind the counter is now standing next to me.

“Is it?”

Why is this guy talking to me?

I try to think of something to say in response and end up smiling crookedly, “I don’t really care for romances myself.”

He squints up at me a little curiously, with an odd smile twisted into the turn of his mouth, as he admits with a short chuckle, “Well, there are a lot I don’t care for either, but this one was really funny and sweet.”

I can’t tell if that was supposed to be a pun or just a coincidence. I play it safe and try to look slightly amused, as I put the book back where it belongs.

Leyelle 2024-07-17 17:25:35 UTC #10

Alicia and Kattar's mutual crush went on for way too long before either of them said anything (a teaser from this week's chapter)

“Lise…”

I remember him poking my face with one finger as I lay on my back with “A Tale of Two Cities” sprawled out on my face like a sheet mask.

“I can’t hear you. I’m asleep.”

“Alright then. Alicia’s subconscious…”

“Whaaattt?”

“You’re impossible.”

“I’m impossible?”

“Never mind, since you don’t seem to care…”

He went back to scrolling on his phone until I actually took the book off my face and looked at him, and then he still made me stare at the back of his head for a full forty seconds before he finished his statement - not looking at me -

“I’m going to Australia next week. Eddie just got me a gig for a new TV series about cops or something like that.”

“Next week though?” I sort of mumble-whined, trying to rub the sleep from my face.

“Eh, we take what we can get when we can get it, and don’t complain about last-minute opportunities. It’s too hard to get opportunities at all in this world..”

“I don’t want you to go, though,” I said playfully, brattily, hugging him with my cheek smashed flat against his broad back like I was a stubborn baby, and he was my favorite doll. “I’ll be bored if you do.”

He turned and propped himself up on one elbow, putting his hand to my face with an affectionate smile I had assumed was just him teasing me - at the time-

“I’ll get home as quickly as I can so you don’t die without me.”

For a minute he almost looked…

“I should just go with you,” I mumbled a little abstractedly, a little…

“I’d probably see something interesting to paint, and it’s not like I’m doing much around here.”

…Too disconcerted, too love-struck, and too honest.

Leyelle 2024-08-10 13:27:04 UTC #11

This may be a bit of a spoiler, but my FLs bff Mandy has a crush on the ML, Christopher. Who could help it? he got good genes from his folks.

this story debuts today at 5 p.m.!

Leyelle 2024-08-28 17:27:39 UTC #12

Verner George pulled Therese George to the side the day they met, kissed her, and told her "You know you have to marry me, right?" so I guess you could say he had an instant crush lol

Leyelle 2024-09-17 13:17:09 UTC #13

My character Ayla Deanne has a crush on a character from a cartoon, poor kid. She didn't realize she couldn't marry him until her caregiver told her that.

“Roses are my favorite too, because they’re red, and red is my favorite color. And I’m going to marry Julian someday.”

“You can’t marry Julian, Ayla,” I say a little more exasperatedly than I intended as I start the engine.

I see the hurt wash over Ayla’s face, and I immediately want to take it back, as she stubbornly sticks out her lip, trying not to cry.

“Why not? Julian says every girl is a princess.”

Ha.

But I keep my mouth closed about that.

“You can’t marry him because he’s a made-up character, Ayla. He only exists on the TV. When you grow up you can have a boyfriend and then a husband in real life.”

Rowan_Lane 2024-09-17 13:46:34 UTC #14

My MC Caspar is in denial of his sexuality so he’s not really aware of his crush. But in the story he’s really upset because he keeps trying to get closer to his crush, Jacob, who keeps pushing him away while still keeping him at arms length. Basically stringing him along.

As the story progresses you’ll note as Caspar gets closer to his new love interest, Malakai, he starts to pine less and less over Jacob. Until one day he realizes he’s annoyed by Jacob’s hot and cold act, and completely cuts him off.

However, Caspar’s not sure how to act with Malakai, because he’s only ever had feelings for Jacob so he just expects to be mistreated and used. So it’s confusing for him when Malakai indulges Caspar’s new feelings and treats him with kindness.

So obviously Caspar tries to back off and suppress his feelings since they’re getting too close to culminating in something real. But Malakai definitely won’t let him do that lol.

Leyelle 2024-10-09 15:42:07 UTC #15

I do my best not to roll my eyes, but lean forward and whisper as not-harshly as possible, “Yo, Miss Mandy Face, you actually like that guy?”

“Maybe,” Mandy shrugs away from me, a little embarrassed. “Is that a crime? He’s hot.”

I sort of laugh, shaking my head and Mandy looks at me sideways, pushing my shoulder like she thinks I’m putting on airs or something.

“Oh, be serious. You can’t tell me you actually disagree.”

I roll my eyes but opt out of arguing that futile course of conversation.

“He’s just not…my taste.”

And now it’s Mandy’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Ooh. Athletic girl thinks she’s too smart to be interested in boys.”

I start to rebut but stop myself.

I’m not allowed to tell her, and I’m not sure I’d want to anyway.

“I have no reason to be interested in boys.”

And I’m not allowed to be. Judith put me under strict orders not to date ANYONE until I’m no longer under Rookery care.