theyaresoinlove

[cimorene]

also, chris and justin are so in love! but i have this problem. they obviously both already love each other. it's hard to come up with any believable conflict for them beyond angst-of-not-knowing and reluctance on one or the other's part because they're afraid.

but how often can i write that plot??? and for some reason, chris is always the one that i write scared. well, it seems more believable, but eventually you people have to get tired of reading this shit.

conflict tally of my timbertrick stories:
spoon: justin is touchy-feely, which makes it hard for chris to control himself, and he won't come out and say he loves chris. this is more justin being the afraid one, although there's self-loathing from chris too.

weak: chris is just sort of brooding. there's no real conflict except that they don't know they love each other.

jumping to conclusions: no conflict. humor and fluff.

so damn hot: chris and justin are fucking, but chris assumes that justin's not in love with him, and he's getting pissed about this. justin says he loves him and chris doesn't believe him at first.

hitch: justin doesn't want to say anything out loud, so he tries to just show chris he loves him by the way he acts, and chris isn't picking up the messages because he's sort of afraid, and used to not being loved.

implicit: they have sex, but chris thinks justin just wants sex, even though that's a stupid thing to think. he is afraid because having the longing thing taken away turns his world upside down, because over time, it's become all he was.

kiss: chris has been longing for justin for a long time and justin has been longing for chris and neither one of them knew about the other one and neither one of them said anything.

Comments

[likeahiphopsong.livejournal.com]

Having read all those stories many times, I feel like I am qualified to respond. [puts on "expert" voice]

One would think that this conflict would get dull. Really. I mean, I guess it should. Every once in awhile, I'll be reading one of the stories and it occurs to me that "wow. you'd think this whole "they love each other but won't admit it because they think that it will never be requited" thing would stop working for me after awhile"

But. It *never* does. Each and every time I believe it and then they're crying on the floor or standing awkwardly in a room somewhere or by a lake and still thinking these things and being so very wrong and I'm all tense and worried and practically screaming with the need for them to just figure it out already. And then they do. And I sigh with happiness. And most of the time I don't think about it being the same conflict at all. Because it's not really. Each story is very different, despite the similarities.

So. Point: Despite all logic, this conflict never gets old. I've decided that there are a few reasons for this:

1. It feels so real. It makes sense. They would be like that.

2. You write it so fucking beautifully and with so many different details and emotions and variances in each piece that it never seems like the same conflict.

3. This kind of inevitability leads to suspense and anticipation which make for invovled, fun reading.

So, in conclusion, [heh. I'm a big dork.] if you wanted to write a different conflict that'd be interesting, but if you don't then I think that's perfectly fine.

And, just to point out that you're not alone, I can really only write them in a similar conflict or already in a relationship. Because they'resoinlove.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

did i mention that i <3 your icon?

i really really really do. it's great. i love the thought bubble. heh.

and thank you for making me feel better. i guess i don't really get tired of writing it either, but... it's just... bleh. i get insecure and nervous for no particular reason. it is 10 pm and this story is not yet finished. and it was supposed to be short, dammit. oh, and, thank you for the feedback-type stuff in general too and the thoughtfulness and. yeah.

[silviakundera.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean, man. hehehe...

One way that you could try to use to get around it is to create outside conflict. Something out of the ordinary happens in their lives, and it brings them together. I dunno... heh. Chris gets a new hobby! Their album sales plummet! Justin starts following around rappers like a groupie, and decides Chris isn't cool anymore! Chris gets really sick and loses his voice and it never recovers! and. stuff. yes. hehehe...

[silviakundera.livejournal.com]

(I know what you mean, as in -- I have that worry/problem a lot too. *g*)

[silviakundera.livejournal.com]

also:

about 95% of slash fic for The Sentinel is about one pairing - Jim/Blair - and 70% of it has exactly that same dynamic that you're talking about. And yet after over 3,000 TS slash fics that have been written... no one gets tired of it. *g*

[cimness.livejournal.com]

oh oooh, didn't scroll down enough to see this comment. i guess you're right. all pairings have this problem, i think. but ch/ju seems worse than most, don't you think? external conflict is a good idea. the way i have been solving it hasn't been by changing the conflict but by changing either the setting or the tone/feel of the story.

as i mentioned in stubbleglitter's (http://www.livejournal.com/users/stubbleglitter), i've been thinking of a greek pantheon crossover where chris is hermes. then the conflict is obviously a bit unusual. chris is always an elf in fantasy crossovers, but y'know, that looks old--though he does like sooo charmingly elvish.