Just looking for good advice, good examples, and/or things to avoid...I've never written a relationship like this before, but I'm considering it for a developing novel.
Some notes:
-The relationship may not actually come to fruition within the story, as its third member ends up taking their own life before the MC even admits to his feelings for them...but after reality resets in the second half, I could always try to bring the trio back together again. ^^; Who knows...?
-As you might've guessed from the first note, this relationship is more the result of a love 'angle' than a true love triangle...i.e. the MC has a romantic relationship with both partners, but the partners are platonic with each other. Is that weird...? I've never seen anyone even imply that before...
It makes me feel like it could be seen as a simple 'open' relationship, especially with the casual way the MC's 'confirmed partner' reacts to the 'unconfirmed partner'. Like, he realizes his boyfriend has feelings for someone else that probably aren't going to go away, and it surprises him, but ultimately he doesn't mind it.
^This interpretation is kind of okay with me too, actually...I've never been particularly intrigued by jealousy subplots, and I think I could have fun subverting the trope in this way. ^^ A healthy monogamous relationship should be able to withstand the fact that romantic attraction can still happen outside of it, and I'd like to be able to portray that...
...I probably can't do both, though, can I? ^^;;; Is it going to look like I'm trying to do both...?
-I guess I could solve the ambiguity by just confirming the 'unconfirmed partner'...I'm not 100% sure that's actually even possible, though? The way their characters interact just doesn't really lend itself to a traditional romance so far...and I doubt there'll be enough time in the story for them to explore an unorthodox one. I feel like I may end up getting stuck in a place where I'm like "as the author, I can confirm that these characters are in love, and if they had the time (and 90% less trauma to work through) they'd eventually get to a place where they could indulge that idea...but it just doesn't happen in the actual text, lol sry"
...Which I suppose I wouldn't mind either (when it comes to relationships, I tend to prioritize realism over structure) but I kinda wonder how potential readers would react. ^^;
