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"i'll get older but your lovers stay my age" alina starkov and"i'm a soldier who's returning half her weight" zoya nazyalensky and "you kept me like a secret" evelyn hugo and "i kept you like an oath" celia st james and "all i felt was shame" kaz brekker and "you held my lifeless frame" inej ghafa and and "you never called it what it was" severin montagnet alaire and "did the love affair maim you too" laila and "i'm in a new hell every time you double-cross my mind" helene aquila and "i'd like to be my old self again but i'm still trying to find it" laia of serra and "you lose the one real thing you've ever known" elias veturius and "check the pulse and come back swearing" roma montagov and "this thing was a masterpiece till you tore it all up" juliette cai and-

How to Write Rivals to Lovers

Credit: https://allwritealright.com/writing-from-enemies-to-lovers-creating-dynamic-relationships/

Intro

I would argue that rivals to lovers is superior over enemies to lovers because it’s less toxic and more satisfying. Typically, it results in a healthier relationship than most enemies-to-lovers relationships because it presents a less dark or drastic reason for them to dislike each other (like killing the other’s loved ones, etc). With rivals to lovers, you get jealousy, pining, banter, tension, and of course, a great payoff!

Establish the characters

First and foremost, you’re going to need to make sure that the rivals have the potential to get along. You need to be very strategic about how you design these characters, since this will determine whether or not the dynamic will work authentically. The characters should be unique individuals, obviously, but you need to build them in such a way that your readers will be able to identify their chemistry.

The two characters should have some similar or complementary traits. They should also have traits that make up for the other’s shortcomings, and they should have struggles and flaws that the other character could help them with--if they could only cooperate. These subtle parallels should give readers the sense that the characters would get along, if not for whatever obstacle warped their opinions of each other in the beginning.

Decide why they dislike each other

There are a number of different reasons that characters could have for disliking each other, but you need to be careful about how you approach this. The characters’ hatred should never be based on things that are unforgivable, and they shouldn’t be allowed to evolve as a result of abuse or trauma. Never romanticize bullying, abuse, or manipulation. With that said, here are plausible backstories for their rivalry:

Competition, also known as the main pillar of this trope. Competition can bring out the worst in people, so if your two characters are both vying for the same goal, they might clash as a result. The great thing about this type of hatred is that it might be accompanied by great respect for their rival, and it also gives you a good similarity between the characters that you can rely on to draw them closer together.

Desires. If these characters want the same thing, then the next thing they want is not to let the other get it. This is closely connected to competition. This sets up an interesting plotline as readers wonder who will achieve their prize first...or who might lose it. More on this later!

Conflict. Being on opposing sides of a conflict, such as a debate or dispute, positions characters to dislike each other regardless of their personalities. Their dislike for each other is based on their moral dedication to their country, faction, or clan, and not on their inherent qualities as people.

Society. They might dislike each other because of their parents, education, or class differences. If characters believe they dislike each other because they were taught to dislike each other, then they will have to work out their own internal struggles individually before they can get along together.

Actually falling in love

The biggest mistake that writers make with this trope is moving through the arc too quickly. Overcoming intense feelings for another person takes time, and it happens in distinct phases. First, the characters need to forgive each other and reconcile with their rivalry. Then, they will likely be friends before they can come anywhere close to falling in love. Rivals to lovers must be slowburn to be effective. Some methods of showing it are below:

Forced proximity/conversation

Reluctant partnership (a personal favorite!)

Physical, emotional, or sexual attraction

Banter or teasing

Staring

Flirting

Remembering small things about the other character

Coming to the thought that maybe the other person isn’t so bad / things might be different if they weren’t rivals

Letting the other person beat them in something

Let the characters evolve

If the characters are going to make things work between them, they cannot simply continue the way things have always been. They must acknowledge where they were wrong, and change themselves for the better. They must confront their beliefs and change their perspective, and above all else, they need to forgive themselves and each other for the time they spent disliking the other.

In many cases, characters will need to redeem themselves before their relationship will work. This is a great opportunity to write a redemption arc for one (or both) of the characters, which can make readers feel even more emotionally attached to the characters.

Climax and conflict

At the heart of every rivals-to-lovers story, there’s something that both characters want--otherwise they wouldn’t be rivals! It sets up a very interesting conflict, due to their changing feelings for each other. Who needs the prize more? Who wants it more? Will one of them yield for the other, or will they forge ahead with selfishness and guilt? Or will they both realize that what they need is something completely different from what they thought they wanted?

This is an excellent time to incorporate a betrayal or forgiveness trope. Rivals to lovers implies high stakes, because there is something that they are fighting for. Show those stakes, and you’ll have both an excellent story and an excellent romance!

Love confessions

Once the characters have overcome the obstacles in the way of their love and come to terms with how they feel, the next step is for them to admit those feelings to each other. How your character decides to approach this decision is going to depend on their personality and their existing relationship with the other person. Make sure the scene carries some emotional weight to it: you want readers to feel like the stakes are high.

Your characters aren’t likely to confess their love without feeling some shred of reciprocity. If they haven’t noticed any indication that the other person likes them back, then they’re probably going to sit on those feelings for a while. Both of the characters can even be doing this at the same time, without realizing that the other person feels the same way (which is both really frustrating and really gratifying for the reader!).

these are so helpful thanks ! I feel more confident now :)

thank you so much! i’m glad i could help <3

you're a godsend

thank you anon!

this is your daily reminder not to correct other people’s grammar if they’re not asking you to, especially if it’s something they can’t help :)

How to Write Strong Friendships

Source: https://kingdompen.org/deep-friendships/

Post by @writingwithacutlass on instagram

Friendships turn a good story into a memorable one. They add more emotional weight and make the readers care about the story more. Deep relationships are hard to write, though, so here are some tips to help you write a strong friendship that will add value to your story!

make each character their own person

Do not add a character just so they can be “the friend”. This will lead to a flat, undeveloped and boring character. In order to write a deep friendship, you’ll need deeply developed characters. Sure, your main character will likely be developed and interesting. But make sure that “their friend” has a clear goal, interests, motivations, dreams, passions, a distinct personality, quirks, values, struggles, and so on. Unique, developed characters create a solid foundation for a strong friendship.

give them something in common

Now that you have two unique, developed characters, you need a reason for them to be friends. What brought them together? What similarities do they share that connect them and serve as something to bond over? These similarities could include status, hobbies, struggles, history, background, interests, enemy, goals, and dreams.

give them meaningful differences

With similarities also comes differences. Don’t just make the two characters different, but give them meaningful differences that can build off on each other. Let them support each other in their strengths and build them up in their times of weakness. These can be differences in skills, conflict resolution, personalities, method of action, and reaction. Keep in mind what each character’s strengths and weaknesses are. How do their similarities and differences complement each other?

give them history

It depends on how long your characters have known each other, but deep friendships often need time to grow. This means your characters have probably known each other for some time, and you need to make that evident. Throw out hints that they have known each other for a while, and make the reader curious about their history. A few ways to do this is giving the characters inside jokes, letting them banter often, having them communicate non-verbally, and showing how much the two know about each other.

give them glue

What is holding your two characters together? What is the reason they don’t drift apart? The “glue” holding your characters together could be a common goal, another character, or they are simply in a situation where they can’t get away from each other making it impossible to part ways. Do your characters’ goals, values, and personalities contribute to the lasting of the friendship?

create meaningful scenes

Now that you have all the key components of an amazing friendship, it’s time to develop it throughout the story. Make sure to include some friendship moments in your story, and show your readers the power of this relationship. These scenes are meaningful to your reader, but also develop the relationship between the two characters.

don't make their relationship perfect

No one is perfect, and no relationship is perfect either. After you’ve added all these perfect elements to the friendship, you’ll need to add some flaws as well. Friends don’t get along all the time, so it’s okay if they have arguments or avoid each other for a while. If the glue to their friendship is strong enough, they’ll come back to each other and reconcile. Perhaps their differences clash. Or maybe other things that are out of their control are forcing them apart. Make the friendship complex, as all real friendships are. The characters will have to overcome the obstacles to keep their friendship strong. Difficulties in their friendship leads to a much more compelling story, one your readers will be greatly invested in.

So what's the point of living if you don't dance in the rain, if you don't take yourself on dates or sit silently in your room binge watching or reading or literally doing anything you love. Remember, no one other than you can heal and love and complete yourself

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having a meltdown over what i’m gonna do when i’m not seventeen and songs don’t mention me

Every peice in chess was carefully considered before inclusion. The pawns are there cause you need a bunch of little guys. The bishop is there to market to the religious demographic. Horsie is there cause people like horsies. And the rook? That's sex appeal baby