Today is Valentine’s Day here in North America so I thought it would be appropriate to do a Writer’s Hub topic on the subject of love. Specifically, how to write about it in meaningful ways outside of romance.

Often in roleplay, the subject of love becomes one only associated with romance and the pursuit or attainment of it. While I will talk about that kind of writing in a later post, I want to talk about love in general and how it can be expressed between characters in all sorts of relationships and interactions.

You see, love is not a thing restricted to romantic partners and family. Love can be expressed between friends, visible in subtle ways in work relationships, and shown in random acts of kindness towards acquaintances and even perfect strangers.

I think if you look at it in any depth, the realization really is that love is a verb, it’s about action. So that’s why it’s actually something very integral to roleplay because it shows up everywhere, and not just in a date thread.

So how do you do it? Where do you start?

1. Connection: love is all about connecting with other beings. It’s the recognition that how we move through our life impacts others in ways we’re not always aware of. That’s why even the most antisocial character can generate a response from other people if you put them into situations where they might not always be comfortable. And indeed the best character growth happens out of moments of discomfort.

2. Working relationships: Don’t discount that departmental banter. Those small moments are important and they feed into an overall tone that the department adds to the overall vibe of the ship. Remember, it’s all the pieces that contribute to the overall whole. Will characters always get along? Absolutely not. I’ve played and do play a character that is difficult in social situations, but that doesn’t mean they exist in a vacuum. When in doubt, refer to #1.

3. Random Act & Moments: Some of the best scenes can come from completely unplanned moments where a character does something to connect with another. Whether it’s comforting them through a difficult moment, sharing a laugh in the Lounge that was unexpected, or encouraging them to tackle something they are afraid of. These things count!

4. Friendships & Other Non-Romantic Relationships: Probably one of my favourite dynamics are those between friends and people a character considers family. Don’t get me wrong, I love writing romances and I love exploring that dynamic between characters, but there is something also very special about the non-romantic relationships a character experiences.

For example, my CO on the Athena calls her dear friend her ‘chosen brother’. The now CIO was her first officer when she first took command and then Ian left the club for a bit. But when he came back and he eventually brought back that character, their friendship too k a special turn. They are chosen family and that can be an extremely powerful bond. It can lead a character to have to make choices they don’t always want to, balance family and duty. But often for me, it’s the small banter, teasing and moments of affection that really demonstrate how important they are to each other.

I can think of so many examples of non-romantic love in action in my years of role-play and I really do feel it’s a vital aspect to a ship’s environment that’s often overlooked. What are some of your favourite moments between characters? How do you view Love outside of romance? What’s your take?

~Linds