Valentine’s Day is fast approaching, so I decided that the most appropriate topic for discussion is anything to do with love. And since I was asked about this before, I might as well answer it now: why do I like ‘love triangle?’

Bookish Verbosity is a non-regular feature at AEROPAPERS where I talk about topics that are related to books, blogging, and the book community.

Love triangle. Ah, the complicated, overly used device in the YA genre… or in any form of entertainment medium. It stirs the drama while fans fight tooth and nail for their ships. It’s simultaneously fun and frustrating.

I do like love triangles. It’s so fun to ship on a guy, to invest an emotion in him, even though I know there’s this risk that it won’t be a happy ending (I prefer two guys and a girl as opposed to two girls and a guy). But I still go for it. The satisfaction I get whenever my ship sails is just amazing. But I don’t always crave a love triangle, especially if guy #1 is interesting enough for me. But there’s really a time when guy #2 needs to show up, swoop in, and steal the girl from the boringness that is guy #1. Scenario numero dos is always the reason why I want another guy to show up. A great example of this is Astley of Need series by Carrie Jones. Astley was introduced in *drum roll please* the sequel, Captivate (yes, he is not in the first nor was he mentioned in the first book). I was utterly disappointed with Nick. I was prepared to categorize the series as ‘meh’ and continue reading as an obligation to finish the series. Lo and behold, there’s this new guy, Astley. He’s so kind, so gentle, and so understanding. He helped Zara save her boyfriend, even though he was in love with her. And as the series progressed, I got to understand him more and more. And I just know that Astley and Zara should be together.

There were times when I already liked guy #1 and was prepared to ship him with the girl, only to get confused when the author decided to give the spotlight to guy #2. And then I realized that he is far better than guy #1. Now I’m torn between them because I liked them both. So it’s a matter of who is more compatible with the girl. An example is Tucker and Christian from Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand. I liked Tucker for Clara at the beginning. They started with something like a love-hate relationship. He teased her a lot; he got on her nerves. But when they started to spend a lot of time together, Clara realized her feelings for Tucker. And when I thought Christian was out of the picture, BAAAAM! Christian came back with his glorious vengeance, doing all this swoon-worthy stuff to Clara. It was not only Clara who was so confused with the whole scenario. I’m totally conflicted, too. But in the end, I still go for Christian because he seemed to be more ideal to be with. So my heart is still bleeding because of Boundless. *sobs*

But here’s the thing: there’s one kind of love triangle that I’m totally digging. If I think about it, it is somewhat cruel because the boys are not only rivals, they are also… related.

Sibling Triangle:

In simple terms, a Love Triangle where two of the parties involved are siblings, who both love (or at least try to “get”) the third party. – Tv Tropes

You can read TV Topes entry for this, you’ll learn a lot. So, Sibling Triangle? There are two ships that are involved in a sibling triangle with which I am massively attached. These ships are my two OTP (One True Paring). They are high on my list of ships (and yes, I ship a lot). One is Tod, Nash, and Kaylee from Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent. I need to tell you that this series has 7 books. And I was shipping Tod (who, btw, a dead guy) with Kaylee. To be perfectly honest, I was just hoping for a miracle (in Tagalog, suntok sa buwan). The odds were not truly in his favor. He loved his brother, and he knew he could not give her the future she deserves. So he was silently loving her from the sidelines. But lo and behold, the fandom was increasing, and more and more people started to ship them together. He was a super awesome guy. Tod’s so adorable, funny, sarcastic, and, well, obviously, he is hot. So, yeah, what’s not to like? And here we thought that Tod would never get his HEA when suddenly things started to work for him. It took five books to get there. And oh man, the waiting and shipping are totally worth it.

The other sibling triangle that I absolutely adore is Adam, Warner, and Juliette from Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi. I think I’ve said my piece here. So I’m not going to rehash it anymore. Unlike Tod and Nash, Warner didn’t know that he was related to Adam. But just like Tod and Nash, they are in love with the same woman. But the older brother still got the girl. Yes, Tod and Warner are both older brothers.

Sorry for a lot of digression and not enough valid arguments. But I guess I just like the drama it brings. It makes the dynamics of the romantic aspect more interesting to me. I don’t need a love triangle in every single book I read. But like I said, there are occasions when the plot begs for something like it (or more like me begging for another new guy to join the cast). Sometimes, even when there are already two of them, I still find them lacking. Proof? The Selection’s Maxon and Aspen: Two equally boring guys, but then again, America is so boring, so yeah. My sister said she was hoping for a new guy, like the leader of the rebellion (she has a wild imagination). But that will turn into Love Square, and in my book, that’s already a harem. Haha, but that’s another story for another day.

How about you? Do you also like love triangles? Are there love triangles that you find effective? How about sharing it with me?