Conflist is a part of life when two differant people live in the same house.
Ah.... I feel there really is a huge gap on how/what should be included in a romance! Come to think of it, this seems pretty normal, since the greatest authors in literature have different views on love. It´s the main theme of live and many a literature. So, let´s try to find a way to make that great Soula-Mod even better!
I feel the above quoted statement of our baby-wielding djinn (no offence intended) is a necessary step in coming closer. IMO it feels bland and boring without, a certain aspect of closeness beeing denied. Weimer and purry-gospel says nope. I feel mainly because they hate beeing "thrown" into an unavoidable conflict (same line as jcompton). Oki, that point taken.
Try to inclode an epic level! Conflict is the medium to overcome barriers, a romance conflict serves especially to extend the very personal and emotional barriers. I can´t really explain that.
Perhaps I can express the spirit of what I mean with some phrases:
"Our feelings tested by fire and ice, kept with you, you kept with me through dark and sinister days of mood, you searched for me even on hell´s planes of doubt where I stopped, somewhere, waiting for you. Having overcome my fears, having found my true wishes, we finally stand together, sharp and strong as a sword forged seven-fold."
(slightly borrowed from a poem by Whitman which I encountered in some signature in this forum...)
This seems by far more intensive than:
"We liked each other from the very beginning, harmony each new day as we agree on every philosophical question, no matter what the other does we´ll do the same and go along. And we lived happily ever after, as we ever did."
(*yawn* ... I think Kish could be with me on that?)
Perhaps I can suggest a compromise. Weimer could include an option to start conflict? It could be the pc starting it, just to avoid the "unavoidable conflict" issue, heh. It could be based on the fear of the pc to place trust in Soula, although she somehow feels deeply for him. The pc hissing "Don´t touch me!" could be an expression of that fear, not necessarily ending the romance, but starting conflict, because she hurts him in a sort of emotional self-defence.
Some more incentives for conflict, all growing from the feeling of care, which in turn is involved in every love:
pc:
Can I really trust and fall in love so simply with a drow, a race which you experienced as living nightmares, emotional aliens? Soula seems really to be different, but can I really and in general love someone, knowing my dark soul could possibly take over and destroy everything, especially him? Would it not be better to keep distance in order to protect the one I could, I do, love deep in my heart, in order that he may be kept save from me?
Soula:
Can I really *trust* the pc, having experienced so painfully how Paere was turned against me? She is blood of Baahl, a power in a mortal soul, death only a step afar to equal Lolth, darkness lurking, murder not only of live, but also murder of souls. Can I dare to show my affection, my true feelings, or, be it even love which I believed has died forever with Paere? If I can do this, do I not distract her then from fighting the evil essence within her, bothering her with my feelings? She needs every support she can get, but perhaps showing her my feelings, daring to waken her feelings, will weaken her and turn the evil instinct unforgivably against her. I should know, I witnessed it with Paere...
@Weimer: Surely these thoughts are not "irrational"... but nevertheless they do lead to discussion, if not conflict?
@gospel: When I mean "conflict", I do not mean "fight". I hope I could make this a bit more clear with this posting.
So far I see no dialogue which tackles those IMO realistic and believable fears and the corresponding emotions satisfyingly. But from all of this an even greater love can emerge. Well, IMO it can transform an already very good romance plot into an even better romance!
[!--EDIT|Kaylord|Nov 26 2002, 12:47 PM--]