How to Write a Realistic BL Character— Innocent vs Obsessed
If you’ve been spending your time in the BL world the way I have, you already know how opposites attract in “Novel Drama.” There is such a strong pull seeing a gentle, innocent character slowly chipped away by an emotionally intense—sometimes obsessive—one. This dynamic is everywhere in BL, and for good reasons: tension, danger, softness… it all hooks us.
But the trope is tantalising only in theory. One wrong move and your "obsessed" character will be the walking embodiment of a red flag, leaving nowhere else to go... or the "innocent" one turns into a one-dimensional submissive character, more like a plot device than a person.
So how do we go about this dynamic without being cliché? How do we hit the feels instead of hitting the checkboxes of the other stereotypical ones?
Allow me to walk you through my method and throw in some inspiration for your characters.
The Innocent — But Not an Idiot
When I write an "innocent" character, I am not thinking about someone dumb or spineless. Innocence, to me, really is not a question of ignorance; rather, it is vulnerability, empathy, and that very rare kind of kindness that feels like sunshine in a dark room. This character might not know a lot of love or much danger, yet he sees people. He listens. He offers serene comfort, asking for no return.
You know— he smiles at strangers, gives tissues without batting an eye, and makes even the coldest person feel again. But here is the catch: that does not mean he is dumb. Actually, I like it when my innocent characters see things other people do not see; they notice the obsessed one gripping their phone too hard or flinching at the sound of raised voices.
They may not comment shortly after. But they notice – it's in their memory and when they do respond, it hurts in the chest.
So when obsession meets kindness, tension begins to build because sweetness cannot always stay.
The Obsessed — Dangerous, Desperate, and Deep
Now let us talk about an obsessed character that both frightens and is rooted for.
He is intense. He might be a little scary. He never loves; he just fixates. But the fixation does not come from nothing. Trauma, abandonment, and not being seen by anyone his whole life until this one person finally looked at him with some softness may all gather inside him like a tempest waiting to be unleashed.
He could give the appearance of being cold. He might even seem calculating. But deep inside, it's a mess. It's a beautifully broken mess trying and failing to hold itself together. He wants so badly to protect the innocent, yet he is unknowing of how to do so without being a burden to him. He wants to possess him, yet he wants to keep him safe. This contradiction rips the guy apart – the stuff of great storytelling.
Too close, too quick, and going into dark territory emotionally are all part of it, but he has to feel real. He's not just a device to make the story feel edgier. He is a person-ugly and messed up—on a path to self-destruction.
Why This Trope Works (And Keeps Working)
Rich conflicts between good "clean" and evil-bittered obsessions are generated through contrast. That is not just soft against hard or light versus dark detachment—the emotional artifice is what really amplifies this idea. The innocent one provides calmness and warmth, a glimmer of normalcy. The other one is loaded with danger, passion, and chaos. With the collision between the two, something becomes altered within them. The innocent one begins questioning love itself, whereas the obsessed one is required to follow the path of restraint and vulnerability and, maybe, a little bit of redemption. There's a lot of growth and tension, sometimes heartbreak – yet always feeling.
This interplay created a wide array of topics for us: trust, dependency, healing, and sometimes their thin line between love and control. If you embrace this complexity, it surely never gets boring.
What to Avoid (Trust Me, I’ve Been There)
Here are some of the pitfalls I’ve fallen into or narrowly avoided when telling this kind of story:
Glorifying toxic behaviour— Obsession is not cute when it receives no consequences. Have the characters face the impact of what they have done. Let them grow.
Destroying the helplessness of innocence— He can be soft and kind but still needs his agency. He needs to be able to say "no". Let him walk away if he needs to.
Turning the obsessive into a caricature— He can be intense without being a villain. Give him moments of gentleness too—those are the ones the readers soak up.
Giving the backstory— Instead of a long explanation, let their trauma express itself in some subtle way: a flinch, a bad dream, a 3 a.m. confession.
Favorite Moments to Write
I love when the innocent one finally snaps. When he's had enough. When the quiet, passive energy changes into, "I am not your emotional punching bag." That shift? Iconic.
Also, I love when the obsessed one breaks down—not just physically but emotionally. When he realises that he is losing the one thing close to his heart and that it was his fault all along. I want the regret, the desperation, the vulnerability – oh, give me all of it!
A Few Lines I Can’t Stop Thinking About:
"You looked at me like I meant something... like I mattered. No one’s ever done that before."
"If I can’t have you... then maybe I don’t need to remember how to breathe."
"You say I scare you—but you’re still here. You never walk away."
In the End…
This is more than just the bite of a romantic cliché. It is a dance of the soul, 'the test' of what love might be to two imperfect human beings crashing into each other, destined to be fragile and extremely volatile and intriguingly interesting." When written properly, the dynamic won't just entertain – the dynamic will murmur in the reader's ear in all the right ways: What is love without danger? What is safety without risk?
If I manage to write characters that make the reader ask such questions, stir heartache and twists in the stomach, while spinning thoughts in the mind, then that story needs telling.
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