I'm writing a story with a romantic sideplot of two side characters. They're pretty similar to Bellarke, but the symbolism of their relationship leans more on fire and ice. The problem is it feels like the boy (fire) doesn't deserve the girl because the girl is always cold and distant, pushing people away because of trauma. I don't know what to do to show that the girl loves him back in a way that is in character, and how she gives love to him as she takes his, if that makes sense
Okay. So lean into the metaphors. We think fire is awesome and warm, but it can be too much, it can be overwhelming, it can burn and it can DESTROY. Like really, fire out of control is dangerous.
Now, Ice might be cold, but it’s also calm. It allows for peace and silence. It allows winter to quiet the earth down and recuperate, it’s about death and rebirth, right? Winter always gives way to spring and the ice always melts, and feeds the new growth.
Fire burns out it’s fuel. Ice contributes to the rebirth of new fuel. Some fruits can’t grow without a freezing period. Ice requires us to draw closer to each other, turn to each other. And ice, in, say summer, also keeps things cool, refreshes, and keeps things from rotting or going bad. Ice is healing and protective in many ways.
I think your fire and ice metaphor has to go a step deeper. You have to give your FMC more of the positive traits of ice and your MMC more of your negative traits of fire to balance them out. This gives the added benefit of making your characters and story more complex, opening up details and storylines that will make your story be more interesting, unique and involved.
His fire is dangerous. He could burn himself out. She, as ice, could save him, calm him, cool him down. And ice is actually only one form of water, the others being liquid and gas. She can pull on the nurturing aspects of water.
The way to make them equal is to give value to her Ice qualities, and not just think of her as cold. And think of cold as bad.