Alien Romance, the daily comic strip

[gs_silva]

Alexander is one of the classmates Ren met earlier in Evolutionary bio. "Ren, how'd you do on the test?" he asks as he walks along the walkway with Ren, who is half a head taller than him.

"Aced it, thanks to you and Carla," Ren says. "Our study group is saving my butt."

"Oh yeah?" says Alexander. He kind of side-eyes Ren. "You really like Carla, don't you?"

"She's an awesome friend,"Ren replies, "But that's all I want. I'm trying to make as many friends as I can, but I'm not looking for a girlfriend."

"Me neither! Wow, I didn't know!" Alexander exclaims.

"Okay..." says Ren.

***

I'm starting to lean toward story arcs that impose misfortune upon my characters. I guess I'm in some kind of mood. This is not one of the darker ideas that I have; in fact, I don't exactly know where this one is going. Will Ren get something nice out of this friendship? Or more heartache?

He's actually been doing all right in his pre-med track courses, but he has a couple of obstacles: for one thing, he's from a rural county with a very small school, and studies have shown that students of his background often struggle when thrust into a bustling university environment. Also, he comes from a family with its share of troubles, and his mental health isn't always great.

And one more obstacle of his own making! Ren himself is very intelligent, but he tends to compare himself unfavorably to Christine, who is legitimately brilliant and a hard worker and who completed her bachelor's in 3 years.

He'll find a way to have low moments on his own. He doesn't need my help.

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Comments

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>I'm starting to lean toward story arcs that impose misfortune upon my characters.<<

Most writers do that sometimes. Others do it all the time.

>>for one thing, he's from a rural county with a very small school, and studies have shown that students of his background often struggle when thrust into a bustling university environment. <<

Depends on the person and their experience. An introvert might be screwed, but an extrovert may well be happier with MOAR PEOPLE. Someone who's never left a small town can easily be overwhelmed, whereas one who visited cities occasionally may do fine.

Re: Thoughts

[gs_silva]

True! I did say 'often'! Ren is doing all right; he just doesn't realize it. :)