12 Fictional Romances Designed to Make You Go "Awww"

I love a good romance in just about any medium (novels, TV shows, musicals, movies, etc.), but I tend to be very picky about the ones I enjoy at a surface level and the ones I love. My OTPs, the ones I read copious amounts of fan-fiction about and shriek about on Twitter and Goodreads, are those truly special romances. Let's take a look at some of my favorites this Valentine's Day season.

(***Minor spoilers ahead if you haven't read some of these books/watched these shows***)

1. The Doctor/Rose

Anyone who's been following my blog for a while knows how deep my love goes for this ship. The second season of the "New Who" series may have corny special effects and some level of cheesy plotlines, but the Doctor and Rose were the heart of the story. There's a reason why Whovians are willing to look past said corny special effects and cheesy plotlines; because those two characters were perfect (both on their own and for each other).

2. Cress/Thorne

Cress is adorable, awkward, and shy and Thorne is the king of pickup lines and arrogance that somehow comes off as endearing. I don't know why I love these kinds of pairings as much as I do, but they work. I shipped this coupling more than any other in the Lunar Chronicles.

3. Monty/Percy

Here's another case of endearing arrogance, against all odds. Monty and Percy were great as a friendship, too, which is a key factor for well-written romances. They had undeniable chemistry throughout the entire story. And there aren't many people who would put up with Monty's questionable antics, so for that reason alone, Percy was perfect for him.


4. Cath/Levi

As far as fluffy college romances go, I'm not sure anything can top Fangirl. An introverted fan-fiction author and an extroverted barista is a match made in heaven. Levi could supply Cath with coffee and Cath read Levi stories. It's a win-win.

5. Lilac/Tarver

Gotta love the enemies-to-lovers trope. This book (and pairing) isn't talked about nearly enough and I don't understand why, because it was so good. Poor, underrated treasures. This was one of the first sci-fi books that kept my attention the whole way through. Two sworn enemies trapped on a deserted planet? You can imagine how great the tension was.

6. Simon/Blue

Your heart has to be made of stone to not find this pairing pretty dang adorable. I have ridiculous text exchanges with my friends all the time, so I can totally relate to their e-mails where they bond over things such as Oreos and Harry Potter. Their story is one of my favorite rom-coms.


7. Jesper/Wylan

Here's another instance of the shy cinnamon roll and the blustering charmer falling for each other and it being absolutely perfect. Really, all of the ships in this series were great in different ways, but these two stole my heart.


8. Beck/August

Logic pretty much dictates that this withdrawn, somewhat prickly, horribly abused boy would never go for a girl made of sunshine and cake and pure energy, because she is just so much to take, but this friendship/relationship defies logic. And they're adorable. I love Beck's sass and August's passion for just about everything.


9. Castle/Beckett

This whole television series was built upon murder, meta humor, and a will-they-won't-they romance. It hit just about every trope in the book and I'm trash for it all. I had such an obsession with this show, mostly because of Castle and Beckett's relationship. Castle does his best to annoy her, Beckett rolls her eyes a lot, they solve a lot of murders, and everyone in the show ships them. It's fantastic.

10. Jane/Michael

I know people have a lot of strong feelings about the love triangle in this show, but I always came back to this coupling. It has way less drama and way more fun. Michael's more of a boy-next-door type of guy. He's funny, dorky, and makes Jane take herself less seriously. It's so sweet.

11. Jake/Amy

Yet another pairing that really shouldn't work, but somehow does. Jake is an absolute dork, kind of a slob, and takes nothing seriously. Amy's uptight, orderly, and takes everything seriously. But if you put the two of them together, you get the perfect blend of each. One of my favorite parts of their evolving relationship was watching Amy get Jake hooked on Harry Potter. So funny.


12. Jess/Nick

These two are kind of a mess, but it's an adorable mess. Above all else, they're really good friends who have a ton of goofy fun together. They find all of the other's quirks absolutely endearing when not everyone would, which shows how well they're made for each other.

What are your favorite fictional pairings? Leave a comment!

Miscast (The Musical Theatre Roles I'd Love to Play if I Weren't Who I Am)

I love miscast cabarets, or any miscast performances in general. A miscast performance is someone singing/performing as a character they would probably never be able to play otherwise because they're male/female, too tall/short, too young/old, etc. This provides the opportunity for awesome performances that people wouldn't normally get to see. And in both writing and theatre, I'm all about genderbent retellings, so this seemed like the perfect topic of discussion. These are just a few musical theatre roles I'd love to play if I had the opportunity:

Roger from "Rent"

"One Song Glory" is arguably one of the best "I want" songs, and definitely one of the strongest songs in the "Rent" soundtrack. Roger just gets all the coolest songs in the show: "Rent," "Another Day," "Without You," "What You Own," "Your Eyes," etc. When I was first learning about this musical, it was everything Roger sang that pulled me in, so I feel like he was my gateway drug to "Rent," in a sense.


Evan from "Dear Evan Hansen"

Evan is onstage for almost the entirety of the show, which means he definitely gets some of the coolest songs. Plus, what a great role to explore being both funny and full of emotional depth. Honestly, though, I think I'd be satisfied with playing any of the guys that get to do "Sincerely, Me."

Angelica from "Hamilton"

I don't see Angelica every being played by a white woman since such a huge part of "Hamilton" is giving actors of color the chance to shine onstage and tell history in a new and exciting way. And I would never want to take that role away from someone. But would I take the opportunity to perform "Satisfied" at a cabaret or something? Absolutely.

Ogie from"Waitress"

He's hilarious and high energy, he dances, and he sings the most absurd love songs I have ever heard. I would have a blast playing this crowd favorite. I mean, what other role gets to clog onstage and compare being in love to pieces of furniture?

Shakespeare from "Something Rotten!"

I guess you can give me any role Adam Pascal has ever played, and I probably want to play that role, too. "Hard to Be the Bard" was basically written for me as both a writer and a theatre geek. He's funny and pompous in the same way that Gaston is, except Shakespeare is played more as a ridiculous pretty boy in this show. It would be so much fun.

Any of the kids in "Finding Neverland"

If I were a young British boy, I'd love to play one of the Llewelyn Davies' boys in "Finding Neverland." That whole cast looks like they're having so much fun in every song. "We Own the Night" seems like an especially exciting number.

Lumière from "Beauty and the Beast"

Who wouldn't want to be a French candlestick? He and Cogsworth are the heart of the comedy in this musical, and "Be Our Guest" is such a big, classic number. I would love the chance to play him. "Beauty and the Beast" is one of my favorite shows in general, so I think I'd have fun in any role, really.

What role would you want to play if you were to be "miscast?" Leave a comment!