#they're full of complex and angsty romance

[cursedvida]

Well, Noa and Mae are the classic enemies-to-allies-to-enemies again-to probably allies again-to friends-to-angsty-and-doomed-love and you can't convince me otherwise sorry

[cursedvida]

omg this is so beautiful T_T

Twitter || Tiktok

"Tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy."

[dropout-if]

I dont know who to romance 😫 everyone is so amazing

Thank you💕💕💕💕😭 I hope I can help anon.

Romance Jade/Jean if you want to feel like you're repeating a past mistake, if you want to explore the depths of the person you thought loved you and who you thought you loved. If you want fiery debates, deep conversations, and very rare moments of vulnerability. J will hurt you, and they won't realize half of the time, and the few times they do notice, J won't act apologetic. At all. It's reconciling past and present in order to potentially rekindle the spark between J and you. Being in a romance with them, though, pays off. They're loyal, protective, worried about you, they want to be involved in your life.

Romance Uma if you want to mend an open wound, if you want to explore the meaning of loneliness, of art and creativity. Uma's relationship with you is built on a very strong emotional connection that has since been neglected and left to rot. Romancing Uma means regaining their trust, revisiting the meaning of friendship. Uma's calming presence serves as a safe haven for you, their route is marked by genuine support and acceptance, it's embracing the unexpected.

Romance Statler if you want delayed gratification. If you're willing to take the risk of everything going wrong in every possible way—if you want to make terrible decisions, too. If you manage to overcome the major obstacle that's their partner Noir, Statler's route is mature and grounded. It's about quite literally forcing Statler to enjoy life, to fight for their dreams, to discover what they truly want to do. Their romance goes beyond being an old unrequited high school crush.

Romance Wanda if you want a bold and passionate experience, an unanswered question of "what went wrong?" Wanda isn't about the baggage, she won't create needless drama—there's enough surrounding her life as it is—and she expects you to do the same. Her route is built on a mix of flirtatious charm and genuine affection, a relationship that is characterized by bold gestures, heartfelt confessions, and a sense of adventure. Wanda seems like the least angsty route, and if you believe that she's without worries and concerns, she has fooled you too.

Romance Kai if you want to meet your opposite in life. If you want the kind of experience that your entire family is going to disapprove of. If you want to discover the limits of physical attraction, if you want to blur all the lines and watch as someone with very noncommittal tendencies experiences a very intense chemistry with you. Kai's route is full of witty banter and surprises, it's about opening up and overcoming past mistakes and traumas in order to properly enjoy the present.

Romance Travis if you want a grueling experience with very little communication. If you want to feel truly and genuinely hated prior to the reconciliation. Unlike J, Travis knows he can potentially hurt you. He knows you well enough to know and remember all your weaknesses, he knows how to exploit them, and he won't hesitate to do so—Travis is hurt enough he feels justified in all he says and does. If you endure Travis (regardless of a positive or negative reaction), romancing him means peeling off all his layers, slowly meeting again your old best friend.

Romance J&Kai if you want to dive headfirst into a complex web of emotions and attraction, if you're prepared to juggle the enigmatic J and the intense Kai. Both J and Kai have their quirks and challenges, and navigating their romantic dynamic is no easy feat. They're driven individuals who often clash, attempt to tear each other apart, and who will try to drag you along with them. It's about reconciling differences, and exploring the depths of your connection with both of them.

Romance Uma&Travis is like looking into a mirror of a past could have been. It’s about mending old wounds, embracing the beauty of art, and rediscovering the meaning of friendship. Uma, with their calming presence, provides a safe haven for all three of you, fostering genuine support and acceptance. While Travis may initially resist, this route is about peeling back the layers of his defenses and finding the camaraderie that was once shared in your close friendship.

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

From the ask game: 7. What themes and tropes do you like that are in your writing?

Alright, nemesis, here we goooooo! And tysm for this ask! ❤️

Soo I pretty much love a ridiculous amount of tropes, so let's talk about some of them.

From this ask game. Not mine.

Enemies to (Friends to) Lovers

I cannot get enough of this, whether in my hero x villain pieces or my wip novel series. The dynamic is ridiculously fun to write. If it is done right, you'll never get bored! See, if a character has such strong emotion for another, then yeah, it's not as far-fetched as it seems that they can fall in love. As they say, the opposite of love is indifference. It works for like, mortal enemies or petty rivals too!

Touch-starved Characters

Ugghhhh I am a sucker for this in fluffy fics. Esp when it comes after angst. I can't get enough of like, when they lean into the touch. N like when the character is STOIC I just lose my goddamn mind.

Let's Pretend I'm Emotionless

Ah yes. The infamous stoic, tough characters. The ones that will do anything not to show emotion. Fear of vulnerability. They are sooo fun to write because when they actually are vulnerable and show emotion it hits a million times harder. Love when they have a soft side too.

Scary Heroes

Heroes with all the dark charm and the slight cockiness of a villain. They're intimidating, and while they're definitely on the good side, they may cross a few lines when they deem fit. They're good at what they do, and they have rizz. Bonus if they fall in love with a flustered villain.

Change of Heart

A beautiful way to show character growth. It shows a different side to a complex character, and the action means more when it comes from someone who's actually done bad stuff before.

Close Friendships

Romance is great and all, but give me friends that are close enough to be siblings. That are there for better or for worse. This may not be very prevalent in my h x v writing, but my wip novel series is full of it. It's just so heartwarming and damn is it cool to see friends fighting back-to-back!

Light within the Dark

Light-hearted moments, a little bit of fluff or some sarcastic humour in an otherwise dark and gritty scene hits hard. It just breaks up the tension nicely. And while I don't do this for every angsty scene, it's defo pretty cool imo.

Yeah, so I obviously have a lot more tropes that I like, but I think these are really good.

[mermaidsirennikita]

Any romance recs that give the whole “look back at me” North & South vibes?

I'm thinking that you're looking for the angst and longing of "Look back at me", right? Garbage man cannot express garbage feelings correctly? Feel free to correct me if you want different vibes.

I would recommend:

--Waking Up with the Duke by Lorraine Heath. Lorraine is just angst supreme, and this one is probably my favorite book by her. It's the "hey my guy, will you get my wife pregnant because I cannot and that's your fault" book. After much debate because the heroine loves her husband and hates the hero, the hero and heroine spend a month together at his cottage... Makin' a baby. And it starts out as super formal and weird but becomes this passionate thing and they're totally in love by the end of the month but he has to give her back to her husband and the parting...? The PARTING??? May be the most gloriously angsty thing I've ever read and it's beautiful. I remember this moment where she finally reaches her husband and just collapses in his arms sobbing and you switch to the husband's POV and he's like "fuck".

--Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley. A fabulous marriage in trouble book that kicks off with the hero resolving to get the heroine back after three years of separation. But you also get flashbacks to her leaving him, and a lot of that "we just can't make this work" energy from her while he wants so badly to make it work.

--Once More, My Darling Rogue by Lorraine Heath. Honestly a ZANY BOOK. But the fallout...? It's actually, and I am like 90% sure this was intentional, a retelling of the fully insane Kurt Russell/Goldie Hawn vehicle Overboard, which I've made like seven people in my life watch and every time they go "I think this is a... you thing" BUT! It works in a historical romance setting. Hero was born into poverty but adopted by a duke and duchess, which gives him a complex... Heroine is a spoiled little rich girl type. She always treats him like garbage, and then one night he finds her having fallen into a river, and she has FULL AMNESIA. NO IDEA WHO HE OR ANYONE IS. So he's like "Lmao, I'm gonna prank her by telling her she's my maid, and then I'll send her back to her brother". It gets out of hand. He does not send her back to her brother. And when she gets her memory back? At the WORST MOMENT??? Oh. OHHHHHHH. The way this man is DEVASTATED by his own IDIOCY. TW: discussions of childhood sexual abuse.

--The Truth About Cads and Dukes by Elisa Braden. Hero and heroine have a marriage of convenience after his ne'er-do-well brother ruins her reputation in a non-sexual manner. The hero is very cold and practiced, but gradually he and the heroine get close--yet he still can't let her in despite wanting her so badly because, you know, trauma. Towards the end he thinks she's gonna leave him and it gives this vibe, imo.

--How to Marry a Marquess by Stacy Reid. This is one of those "heehee teach me how to seduce a man who TOTALLY isn't you" books that turns so fucking angsty towards the end. The hero fucks up BIG TIME and the heroine like... refuses to see him, shit like that. Very good.

--The Bride Goes Rogue by Joanna Shupe. Been recommending this a lot lately but it really is that good. Why I think it works for this is just. The very end. When she's DONE with him. And he's that TikTok effect where it's like "BABY PLEASE WHY BABY WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME" after being the mAN IN CHARGE the entire book. Just. Down ridiculous.

--Untamed by Elizabeth Lowell. Old-ish school medieval. The hero and heroine have an arranged marriage, but due to events that are totally out of her control, he doesn't trust her at all and spends a lot of the book like... Expressing this lack of trust. To the point that he basically fucks up the relationship, and she thinks he hates her, when he in fact, reader, THE OPPOSITE of hates her. His grovel is a hall of fame grovel, and it only happens after it's communicated to him that she believes he feels nothing for her.

--A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean. One of my favorite "There he goes, ruining his own life (again)" books. Hero is just! Such! A bastard!!! Horrible man. Love him. He fucks up from the very beginning and spends much of the book trying and failing to communicate the depth of his feeling to the heroine. The Day of the Duchess by MacLean also does this.

--After Dark with the Duke by Julie Anne Long. Definitely has this vibe. Cold duke who ends up giving Italian lessons to the much younger, scandalous opera singer who's staying at the same boarding house he's in. He looks down at her, she thinks he's an asshole (he is), they become friends over time... then they become more than friends... But the age gap/societal differences make them think they can't be together.

--Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt. The lovers think they're going to part (by choice) right up until the very last minute when he gets his head out of his ass. TW: the heroine was sexually abused as as child, and this is a huge plot point. The hero is very gentle with her, and much of their early sexual relationship involves her watching him, them like, masturbating in a room together without touching each other, etc. It's a big trauma recovery book.

--Dearest Rogue by Elizabeth Hoyt. Pining with a side of "she's too good for the likes of me". Heroine is blind and the hero is her bodyguard. SOMEONE (hello, Duke of Sin, among others) wants to kidnap her and they end up on a roadtrip together. Shit gets out of hand, but he also firmly believes they can't be together because... class divides, his leg injury means that he ~ain't as good as he once was~ (trust and believe, this does not apply to the bedroom).

--Tbh, the entire Princes trilogy by Elizabeth Hoyt (which I really should reread) has moments like this because the heroes, especially those of book 1 and 2, have their heads entirely up their asses for like. 90% of the book. I love this. It's glorious to me. For me, Elizabeth Hoyt and Lorraine Heath just... know how to weaponize angst perfectly.

--Scoundrel of My Heart by Lorraine Heath. This starts out as a "best friend's brother" book, wherein the heroine is attempting to catch the attention of a duke and has her best friend's SUPER ANNOYING brother help her... and obviously they fall in love... and like, suddenly, it's a totally different book and we have a year-long time jump, and when they meet again she's engaged to the duke and he's a totally different man but... obviously... he still wants her. Angst supreme. Reader, this one did make me cry, which NEVER happens.