How do you make a likeable romantic interest?

[Alkaline]

A love interest with flaws or attributes that are not detrimental to the audience, meaning, you can make a Love interest the audience may not like immediately or at all, just don't make them hateable to the majority of your audience for the first impression or later coughRachael Tower of Godcough... from their it is up to your preferences as any preferences can work even the worst of one imagination, but even the best preferences it will depend on how you sell the love interest as someone worth caring about to your audience.

The easiest way is for your love interest to be integral to the story of the protagonist progression and is not a Pokemon he catch in the wild only to never see again doing anything relevant for the story.

 

[Ddraig]

I don’t see a pure and innocent maiden... do any of you?

My doll is innocent and a maiden too!!

 

[TLCsDestiny]

I'm going to state the obvious here and state what happens in rl.
When one is with another, a main couple of reasons are that they are fun and make them happy...So, in basic format, if you write about two characters I would put that into account. The two people need to have fun together and be happy, whether it's as simple as doing something they don't normally do (One might be from a different place and more active as the other may not be.) And happiness to be with another, normally could be something simple as well, most of the time it could be something that makes one feel special.
Examples of my romantic relationships: Mahnu and Richard, Richard helps Mahnu forget about her sufferings and he brings on a whole new experience that is much better then what she's used to. On the other hand, Mahnu treats Richard like a man, not a King, and he had to work to get her attention, in which made him fall for her more because he's never done that before. Richard makes Mahnu expand her boundaries as he treats her different to what everyone else had treated her. (There's more but this is the basic principals of their relationship.)
For Kael and Malory, Kael grew a firm protectiveness and possessiveness over Malory, before he even realized that Malory was a female. She ended up filling in a hole from his past and over the time that they were together, he grew to like who she was as well. For Malory, she first liked how Kael was like her, with a scar, and grew to like him more as how he treated her and how possessive he was. A plus to this relationship was that they were able to spend a lot of time together and got to know one another like brothers...Which obviously led to more then that later...(There's more but this is the basic principals of their relationship.)
For Anonym and Switch, Switch was plainly bored, not caring and with Anonym around, he was entertained and felt like he was living again. With Anonym, granted it took a while for her to completely fall for Switch, but she liked him around and loves what he does, so he also ends up doing the same thing with her as she does him. Similarites also helps this couple, as they are both reborn all the time and have big pasts, also very powerful. (There's more but this is the basic principals of their relationship.)
So my advice would be to have something that they can make the other feel special and happy. Add in a bit of easy fun and don't forget to add a connection and them wanting to be with that person more and more as the time goes by.
Other things to think about would be that when one is in love with another, the boundaries are losser. Forgiveness is a lot easier to obtain, happiness easier to precure, live feels shorter, no regrets and not wanting tomorrow to come (even if it's to say goodbye for one day). Dazing out, blushing and running when you don't normally run...Stuff like that...
...I think I've covered a lot...Did I miss something?

 

[Shaiyamine]

I prefer ships where the partners grow and support each other. Also I live for the overdose of sugar when the ship has sailed.

AND!!!! NOT TO FORGET!!!!! I DISLIKE IT WHEN ONE PARTY IS TOO DOMINANT OVER THE OTHER THAT IT SEEMS LIKE THE OPINION OF THE OTHER IS IGNORED.

^ although other said party may not mind the other being dominant over them but it makes one feel suffocated (ex. typical domineering and cold ML from the transmigration genre)

On that note, I actually long for a very warm and cheerful couple. A couple that doesn't have too many things going around like scheming white lotuses or green tea bitches and the occasional ignorant and stupid parent. Feels like this sort of story would be a hard find.

 

[Jass]

My suggestion is that the romantic love interest should have a life outside of being romantic towards whoever they're interested in. If you want to make them human, make them act like a human - they should have their own story, their own lives, separate from a romantic relationship. That girl who chases after you also has things she has to do, whether it be work, social stuff with her friends, engaging in her hobbies, etc

Of course, you can play around with this trope, such as yanderes and people who have a bad flaw of hyper fixating on one person.. etc.

But typically for a likeable romantic interest, their existence shouldn't just dedicate around thirsting after their partner.

 

[taesijr123]

I made my love story into an unrequited one.
Where ship sinks because of the plot.
But later meets again then it becomes a ship flagging up again.

Don't you like it when the complex love story messes with you.

 

[tak]

So my advice would be to have something that they can make the other feel special and happy.

this!! I read a romance webnovel a while ago, i dropped it because the main ship is frustrating, i don't know why but this ship annoys me so much i hope the ML dies or disappear from the story. Now i know why thanks to you! Almost every interaction with ML, FL is hurt. Also comparing to supporting male, ML is trash.

Spoiler: Rant about ML.. Also ref of don'ts i guess?

ML have girlfriend (GF) already & wants to marry her.
ML hire FL as contracted wife because his family doesn't like his GF.
ML & FL pretend to do it because ML knows there's camera in his room, family will check. So they do things but no penetration. With angles, it seems like he put it in.
FL has to hurt herself to support the above; dig nails in so there's blood cause first night.
ML got addicted to FL body and tries to put it in every night they did it. ML also lies that they need to do it everyday to be more convincing to his family.
Family already knows FL is not really ML's wife but they ship them cause GF is actually gold digger & GF have boyfriend.
GF is insecure with FL, so GF often purposely asks ML to be with GF instead of FL
ML do just that. He did once leave GF for FL... But that's after FL confess her love makes herself clear that she will never let him put it in unless FL is the only one for him, so i feel like ML is only after FL body
ML is surprised to know FL has business (hotel-garden-restaurant mix). All of his family knows. He never bothered to check.
ML and GF dates there. In FL's businesses place. Also why ML found out FL has business.
Ask for VIP room for their date while FL is working. ML knows FL feeling.

Spoiler: Supporting male lead by comparison

background. He a butler (gonna call him MB. Male butler), subordinate of ML, sent by ML to help/supervise FL. So most of the things he do for ML is his job, but by comparison to ML, MB seems much nicer.
MB helps FL with how to do her part of the contract (make ML family hate FL so GF seems better by comparison) by preparing infomations on ML family.
MB helps with FL makeover & new lifestyle.
MB helps FL open and run her business.
MB confess to FL, but says he knows FL like ML. MB will wait until the contract time is over & hope FL will like him back. Until then, MB doesn't try to eat tofu with her.
MB tries to buy & make remedies for FL menstruation pains.
MB held FL up when she can't atand straight from overworked & lack of sleep. Same time with GF & ML date.

Also i usually ship when 1 of the main couple chase after the other (there's hint of love). When they slowly falling in love, I didn't even realise they will go in that direction UNLESS it's a romance novel which focuses on romance only.
I am a dense reader.

OH there's 1 pairing i ship that's not chasing. They are foretold. (Army-themed. ML is destined to be the king's pair. FL is cross dressing and is stronger than her peers. FL is most likely to be a king. ML is mad cause he's not gay.) slowburn i guess. They are more lax & trusting towards each other but doesn't realize it. They think it's because they learn combat together & almost break record together, so they are more in sync.

 

[TLCsDestiny]

this!! I read a romance webnovel a while ago, i dropped it because the main ship is frustrating, i don't know why but this ship annoys me so much i hope the ML dies or disappear from the story. Now i know why thanks to you! Almost every interaction with ML, FL is hurt. Also comparing to supporting male, ML is trash.

Spoiler: Rant about ML.. Also ref of don'ts i guess?

ML have girlfriend (GF) already & wants to marry her.
ML hire FL as contracted wife because his family doesn't like his GF.
ML & FL pretend to do it because ML knows there's camera in his room, family will check. So they do things but no penetration. With angles, it seems like he put it in.
FL has to hurt herself to support the above; dig nails in so there's blood cause first night.
ML got addicted to FL body and tries to put it in every night they did it. ML also lies that they need to do it everyday to be more convincing to his family.
Family already knows FL is not really ML's wife but they ship them cause GF is actually gold digger & GF have boyfriend.
GF is insecure with FL, so GF often purposely asks ML to be with GF instead of FL
ML do just that. He did once leave GF for FL... But that's after FL confess her love makes herself clear that she will never let him put it in unless FL is the only one for him, so i feel like ML is only after FL body
ML is surprised to know FL has business (hotel-garden-restaurant mix). All of his family knows. He never bothered to check.
ML and GF dates there. In FL's businesses place. Also why ML found out FL has business.
Ask for VIP room for their date while FL is working. ML knows FL feeling.

Spoiler: Supporting male lead by comparison

background. He a butler (gonna call him MB. Male butler), subordinate of ML, sent by ML to help/supervise FL. So most of the things he do for ML is his job, but by comparison to ML, MB seems much nicer.
MB helps FL with how to do her part of the contract (make ML family hate FL so GF seems better by comparison) by preparing infomations on ML family.
MB helps with FL makeover & new lifestyle.
MB helps FL open and run her business.
MB confess to FL, but says he knows FL like ML. MB will wait until the contract time is over & hope FL will like him back. Until then, MB doesn't try to eat tofu with her.
MB tries to buy & make remedies for FL menstruation pains.
MB held FL up when she can't atand straight from overworked & lack of sleep. Same time with GF & ML date.

Also i usually ship when 1 of the main couple chase after the other (there's hint of love). When they slowly falling in love, I didn't even realise they will go in that direction UNLESS it's a romance novel which focuses on romance only.
I am a dense reader.

OH there's 1 pairing i ship that's not chasing. They are foretold. (Army-themed. ML is destined to be the king's pair. FL is cross dressing and is stronger than her peers. FL is most likely to be a king. ML is mad cause he's not gay.) slowburn i guess. They are more lax & trusting towards each other but doesn't realize it. They think it's because they learn combat together & almost break record together, so they are more in sync.

Geez, I think you're right! That ML doesn't seem to make FL happy or special, so it would make sense that they wouldn't end up together.

 

[Lukha]

People usually have their own preferences about the romantic interests of their protagonists, but I think most people can say that a likable romantic interest is someone who the readers can understand. For example, even a mean and antagonistic main love interest can become likable if we are given the reasons why they are the way they are.

And also important is compatibility. Do the ML and FL suit each other? Do they interact well together? Whether it be bickering or flirting, there must be chemistry. Or tension. Or something other than "oh you're so different from other girls, I like you now because you're different." That seems a bit superficial to me because it seems they're only attracted to the novelty of having "a different kind of girl."

 

[NiQuinn]

For me, shippable couples are those who compliment each other. Couples who help each other during their weakest. Of course, a way to ship them is give them their cute moments.

 

[OddJamm]

Well I enjoy reading love interests that have a "gap moe" feel on them

YES! I love that! I get so excited when a dom turns out to be a sub and then sub takes over to be dom, it's so dang cute! *dying*

 

[Ddraig]

You dont make one, they have to become one.