25 Types of Romantic Relationships-Which do you use/enjoy the most?

lianna williamson

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The book I'm writing now is a mix of “Oops!”, "Opposites Attract", “Different Worlds”, Protagonist vs. Antagonist, and First Love.

In a previous book, it's “Oops!”, Forbidden Love, “Different Worlds”, and First Love".

In the one I'm planning now, it's “Different Worlds”, “Passionate Lovers”, “Arranged Marriage/Date”, and First Love.

So Different Worlds and First Love seem to be my favorite tropes.
 

ZachJPayne

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My current WIP is a protag/antag first love type of deal. At least, the main couple. And of course, they're a lesbian couple, which is the main wrench in the series.

I'm also pretty sure that my second couple are a first-love couple. I'm confident that they'll end up with their HEA (which totally isn't the focus of the story), but only after the gal ends up going off to college, becoming a sex addict, and having an emotional breakdown (stuff that I absolutely can't hint at in a YA novel, and are totally beyond the scope of the story, but it's nice to know my characters)!

This is interesting. I was taught to examine the different Greek kinds of love ... agape, philos, eros . . . etc.
 

tatygirl90

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I like childhood friends a lot. But my favorite is enemies first then lovers. I don't know I guess I just love those type of relationships and the back and forth and the bickering haha.
 

Sandbar

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2. “Oops!”
A strong-willed or career-minded character doesn’t intend to fall in love, and happens upon it by accident… with consequences that could destroy their dreams/career…undercover cop falls for a criminal, tabloid writer falls for subject of trashy interview, ect. (How of Lose a Man in 10 Days, Zoolander, Van Wilder movies)
Often, one character needs to choose between love and their career, or must find a creative way to obtain both!

6. Best Friends/ Friends First
The characters all ready know EVERYTHING about each other at the beginning of the story. However, something is keeping them from realizing their true feelings. Does anyone remember Dawson's Creek?

Heehee. This is the one I actually see the most of in real life (for successful couples who are now married and happy, anyhow) : P

9. "Sorry, I'm Taken"
Usually, this one involves a couple that seems perfect for each other, but one of the subjects already has a nasty/ boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse they can't let go of...
Titanic comes to mind...

12. “ Second time around”
Two lovers who already knew each other (and lost contact or broke up) prior to the beginning of the story, meet again and the sparks fly...

15. “The Unobtainable Love Interest/ 1-sided”
Usually, one character immediately knows who they want and why they want them...but the other character doesn't seem interested, or has a secret reason for not expressing their interest. I find this love trope common in YA-usually concerning popularity or self esteem issues. Peter Parker and Mary Jane come to mind.

16. “Lovers in Denial”
Borders on love/hate where the characters tease each other, but in a more respectful playful way. They are often good friends at some point in the story, and get in general conflicts and playful arguments but don’t dislike each other, and often have respect for each other. Usually, one or both characters have a pride issue that keeps them from
confessing their love, or they don’t want to ruin their friendship or work partnership. They’re in love, and everyone else in the story realizes it except for them.

I’d say June and Johnny Cash are real life examples, Lois Lane and Superman, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully from XFiles

21. "Partners in Crime"
Two characters who work as a “bad guy” team…often do malicious things to those who get in their way, but are actually a loyal and devoted couple.
Think Bonnie and Clyde, or various soap opera teams and super villains.

25. Long-term lovers
The couple has already been together for awhile, sometimes married!
However, something other than another love interest (kids, adventure situation, family drama) either them closer together or causes tension
Mr. and Mrs. Smith


Any thoughts or comments to add? Which situations have you used/mostly used? Which ones do you enjoy reading.watching about the most? Can you think of any literary couples? Do you find any of these cliche?

Personally, I think any of these relationships can be considered "cliche" but it all has to do with how the writer expresses the characters and masters their unique interactions.

I most often gravitate toward the ones I listed, but combinations work far better than any of them straight, I think. And an orgasmic "yes!" to the bolded part.
 

ECathers

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Give me Forbidden, Love/Hate, Rivals, Tragic Past, Lovers in Denial, Opposites Attract, Partners in Crime, and Arranged Marriage. I can also be convinced on Childhood Friends

My fantasy romance WIP is Forbidden Love, Love/Hate, Tragic Past (if a curse on his family counts) and for part of the book Long Distance.

My YA (not romance focused) will have a Friends First and probably Love Triangle (or quadrangle).

Another:

#27 Fated: Mostly found in paranormal, the lovers come together because of a prophecy, past lives/soul mates, because she was born to be his mate, etc. Have not seen this one done well - feel free to educate me! Any time I've read this, it feels like a shoddy excuse for the MCs coming/staying together. I mostly I just roll my eyes.
 

aus10phile

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Fun thread! My WIP in development has Opposites Attract, Forbidden Love and a smidgeon of Tragic Past.
 

Sonsofthepharaohs

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I have no idea where my romance subplot fits into that list... I guess it could be 'already taken', as in the MMC is married, but that's not really a barrier in this culture... I guess it could also be different worlds, in that he's a wealthy mover and shaker in society, and she's a penniless nobody. It's not love at first sight, which I don't really believe in, but it's not exactly friends first either.

I think the best way to describe it would be Jane Eyre/Mr Rochester in ancient Egypt.

Is there room for a new entry in the historical category? :D
 

M.N Thorne

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Arranged Marriage is my favorite Romantic relationship because it is quite uncommon in the 21st century. However, I would like to see more Modern Marriage of Convenience Romances novels. It seems like the genre has drop off since the early 90s. I would like to see more writers bring back this genre.
 
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Smeasking

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Fun list!

My current WIP has a combination of: #4 Love/Hate, #8 Love Triangle--though it's more of a love pentagon, lol, #11 Different Worlds--Demons/Humans, #15 The Unobtainable 1-sided love (which ties in with the love pentagon), and #24 First Love :)
 

reiver33

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I'm kind of using 'Love Triangle' in that guy sees girl#1 (across the proverbial crowded room) and is immediately smitten, but events transpire to keep them apart and steer him towards girl#2 - who his best friends think is more 'his type'.

Having slid into a relationship with girl#2, girl#1 then starts work at his firm...

The trope I find least satisfying is antagonists - the couple who can't stant each other, but you just know how its going to pan out...

My second wife and I are an example of 'Second time around'.
 

Smeasking

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My second wife and I are an example of 'Second time around'.

That's neat. My husband and I are examples of 'Love at First Sight'. We've been together for 16 years, and originally we met while I was on my first/last blind date--with his friend. He just happened to tag a long that night. And I'm glad he did. :)
 

reiver33

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We went out while at school, split up, I moved away, both got married. Both got divorced, I moved back to my home town.10 years ago we ran into each other in the bank queue and this year will have been married for 9.

(We were both born in the same hospital and I'm 8 hours older)
 

Smeasking

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We went out while at school, split up, I moved away, both got married. Both got divorced, I moved back to my home town.10 years ago we ran into each other in the bank queue and this year will have been married for 9.

(We were both born in the same hospital and I'm 8 hours older)

Awww... so romantic! Congrats. :)
 

Latina Bunny

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I enjoy friends to lovers, old sweethearts, longtime lovers, partners in crime, some arranged marriages (depends on how it's written), love at first sight, second chance at love, and maybe different worlds, some forbbiden love, and "Oops". I enjoy when characters can be friends and have similar interests, instead of just lusting for each other.

Hmm... Maybe because of my wariness of people in general, combined with my ability to hold grudges for long periods of time, but I highly dislike hate/love or enemies to love tropes. I can dislike someone for a long time. I'm slow to warm up to people at times, so I enjoy some slow-burn romances.

Also, if someone is too opposite or if we have nothing in common (and they annoy me), then I would have problems being friends with them.

I also like some freedom and consent, so I dislike forced seduction, or characters giving into peer pressure.
 
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V.J. Allison

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Wow, most of my stories were combinations of more than one idea... The first finished MS was a combination of "OOPS!", "Different Worlds", "Tragic Past" and later on in the story, "Second Time Around".

Second MS: Mostly "Lovers in Denial" and "Friends First", although "Rivals" could cover it too.

Current WIP is "Friends First", although they meet only a short time before the story opens.

Third MS, the one finished a couple of weeks ago is a tough one... I don't want to give away the storyline itself for my own reasons, but the closest I'll say it is publicly is a combination of "Friends First" and "OOPS". It's nothing I had really seen in a romance story before. (Yes, I'm weird and have weird ideas!)
 

art_to_words

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I usually combine many elements from this list. My favorites are forbidden love, passionate love, and tragic past. I'm thinking about writing a series in the future that would basically involve a love triangle, and I'm not sure how that's going to work out.

But then again, it's not really a love triangle, more like she thinks her first choice is dead, so she gets with her second choice, and then the first choice turns up "alive", but a vampire. (Crazy, I know. :))
 

JustSarah

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Hybrid actually: Love/hate triangle.

I'm happy to explain what I mean.
 

Littlebit66

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I love this list!

My couple first meet at during their junior year at University, start out as friends (#6) but 3 months later after a dance, confirm that they're attracted to each other. They start a relationship thinking that it will end after graduation because they're both dedicated to achieving their career goals but end up realizing they're in love (#2). They break up after graduation partially because she's having a hard time forgetting about her fiancé who died the summer before (#13) and partially because she's Jewish and he's not ready to convert because it would upset his close knit Latino family (#11). They keep in contact as friends though letters and emails while he's away out of state for his new job and she's at University for her Masters (#14?), and both discover that they still have strong feelings for each other (#12?).

Whew, I didn't realize I had that many types of romantic relationship tropes. Does a romantic story use only a few of these tropes or are the amounts listed 5 or 6 okay?
 

travelgal

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Ancient thread, but what the heck, it's a fantastic thread!

Littlebit, I don't see why not. What matters is the execution.

Castellan and Ruth:
He's a human from different planet and his religion forbids love and marriage. Too, he's wanted for war crimes. Secrets, secrets, and he's in total denial.

She's a divorcee 12 years older whose kids had died, Korean, a stanch Christian, and her father wouldn't approve of a black man.

Although immediately attracted to each other, they become friends instead. This works for a few months until Castellan accidentally kills a student and tries to break off the friendship. Bad move; she becomes curious and starts to pursue him.
 

Cindyt

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All three of my WIPs are a mix, but the major ones for each are:

WIP 1 Historical--She's his love at first sight; he's her pawn
WIP 2 Crime novel--an oops that turns into a triangle
WIP 3 Autobiography--An oops that turned into a Romeo and Juliet of a sort. No one died, but I did seriously contemplation suicide.
 
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Sweet Escape

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Oh, I like this thread! Of course anything can sound like not such a cliche if the execution is different. And there can be a combination of some things to create something more unique.

My favourites are:
Love/Hate & Rivals (If done well and it doesn't end up being abusive. Love/hate pairings can end up being written really badly if you are not careful. Know the differences between characters disliking each other at first for whatever reasons but grow to understand each other and what is just bullying),
Childhood Friends,
Best Friends/Friends First (Friends to lovers is my favourite trope, the best type of relationships come from strong friendships first in my opinion). What is also interesting is a combination of Love/Hate or Rivals and Friends First and making it Enemies To Friends To Lovers. Takes a while longer for a relationship to develop, but it could be really good. I also like Different Worlds, Second Time Around, Lovers In Denial.
Passionate Lovers (If it's friends with benefits turning into something more, I like it).
I like both Opposites Attract & Similarities Attract, or a combination of both. Some sort of balance between being two characters being similar yet different.
Partners In Crime.


My least favourite romantic tropes:
Love At First Sight (Just, ugh. Who falls in love at first sight anyway? It's just first lust).
Oops (Yeah, no thanks, people should not need to have to decide between career and romance when you can have both.)
Love Triangle (Love triangles are overdone, and feel unnecessary)
Sorry, I'm taken (Sometimes it encourages cheating, and if it makes the boyfriend or girlfriend look like they are a total bitch or asshole and the character is told "they deserve better" it gets annoying. No need to dehumanize the partner of the character if they are going to fall in love with someone else).
Sweethearts Forever (Just why? The whole your partner keeping so many secrets from you is getting boring and it is not healthy for a relationship)
Dangerous Drama (Usually absusive towards each othee? No thanks. Not something the media should promote).

Nothing against Long Term Lovers, but I can get bored with established relationships in fiction. I find it more fun to read two characters falling in love and how they finally end up together.

The other ones I feel neutral about. To Arranged Marriage I also want to add... Fake Dating? Can be fun and if they actually end up falling in love and the relationship is* not all that fake after all!

I find this thread quite useful, makes me thing of what kind of romances I woule want to write though romance would be more of a secondary theme and not the main thing for my stories!
 
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