Enemies to lovers is about someone who has significant reason to hurt you but… actively chooses not to: It’s comforting.
The more it personally costs them to have you the more you know they want you: It’s flattering.
They lower their defenses understanding that you could truly harm them yet they have faith in you: It’s affirming.
Enemies pay attention to you in a way strangers, friends, and allies never do. Hyper aware of your motives, your skills, your every move for potential threats. But even with the intensive scrutiny we are judged worthy of their loyalty and vulnerability and love: It’s absolving.
And that's why it's my favorite fucking trope of all time
*cough cough* Damen x Laurent *cough cough* literally any manhwa i've ever read *cough cough coug-*
I do really like how popular it is in comics and graphic novels around the world!
It’s interesting that when the audience has the chance to understand the enemies well enough to know exactly what is keeping the sides separate… they remove it lol.
So many books and shows present an genuine antagonist that they want to be complex and dark (often hot) so they give them a backstory (often tragic) that turned them into an enemy(often a straight up villain).
Then they get really confused why the audience looks at one measly catalyst and says well then if we fix that then they can be together, right?
