How Satire Can Make Falling In Love Realistic in Stories

Photo by Bekky Bekks

Romance doesn’t have to come wrapped in candlelight and perfect timing. In fact, some of the most memorable love stories are also comedies full of chaos, contradiction, and clumsy beginnings.

The characters in Dick and Jane Go to War certainly make a great example despite how satirical they are. Whether they’re crash-landing in early 20th-century France or trying to start their own airline, their experiences reveal what it really takes to make falling in love realistic and how love can even thrive when it makes light of absurd circumstances.

That’s why they offer some surprising insight into achieving a realistic love story amidst satire and tall tales.

When Love Isn’t Smooth, That Is When You Make Falling In Love Realistic

Photo by julio andres rosario ortiz

In Dick and Jane Go to War, love begins not with longing glances and long-distance letters but with literal impact.

The self-styled Leftenant Reginald Pfyff-ffyff Cockup meets the infamous Countess Vivian Va Voom in a rather slapstick encounter at the 1908 Paris Exposition. It’s anything but graceful. They’re already showing sides of themselves far beneath that of the noble titles they constantly carry around.

And yet, this is where their connection takes root.

The story doesn’t wrap their relationship in fantasy. Instead, it leans into the awkward nature of attraction. Their courtship is filled with petty squabbles as much as passion, much like many realistic ways to fall in love. This results in no small number of misunderstandings (and a generous helping of absurdity).

What makes it believable, however, is that their feelings grow alongside these imperfections. You see affection not in poetic monologues but in the willingness to stick together through numerous trials (be they plane crashes in wartime or nosy busy-bodies in the aristocracy).

This kind of storytelling does more than entertain. It reflects a truth that many readers recognize: plenty of enduring relationships are made outside of picture-perfect settings. A great way to make falling in love realistic is to show people choosing each other in spite of the mess (and sometimes because of it even).

Additional Tips Courtesy of The Streamlined Locomotive

On the surface, The Streamlined Locomotive is a book about engineering and innovation. But beneath that, it’s also a story of transformation—personal and emotional. Theopolis P. Bezelbottom is a product of ill-gained industrial wealth who struggles to define himself outside of his family’s expectations. Whatever love life he has is hardly a sweeping fairytale, but his entire character shows a cautious development rooted in evolving self-respect and personal awareness.

His many character flaws at the start indicate where he has room to grow, not just as an engineer updating a locomotive but as a man coming to grips with his lot in life. His relationships don’t exist in isolation and are ultimately affected by the drastic responsibilities he suddenly finds himself shouldered with.

It is a somewhat more serious take on relationships compared to the comedy in Dick and Jane Go to War. However, to make falling in love realistic, it must be tailored tight to large areas of characters’ lives. The question isn’t just “Do they kiss?” It’s “What’s going to happen between them when this happens?”

Things Are Realistic When They Are Unexpected

Another thing that can really make falling in love realistic is when a story doesn’t follow the standard beats. When you look at some of the most outrageous romantic comedies set to come out, you’ll see that there are no magical first dates. There are no perfectly timed confessions.

Instead, we see raw, often humorous interactions. People collide. Plans go wrong. One moment, someone is riding high on emotional clarity, and the next, they’re crashing a prototype plane or fumbling a conversation.

This unpredictability is what gives life to many stories, romantic ones included. It reminds us that love doesn’t always appear when we expect it to. (And even when it does, things may still not turn out in a way that’s predictable.) Readers connect with this because it echoes their own experiences.

What makes a relationship realistic in fiction is not simply the presence of love but the presence of friction, growth, and vulnerability. Because they choose to love each other while still figuring themselves out, flawed and unpredictable characters inject a realism in romantic relationships that’s quite vivid.

It is why their relationships look like strained compromises at times. You see it in the way they struggle to speak up or when to listen. It’s so believable, even when you have that conversation mid-air as they barrel toward another ill-fated landing. It only adds more to the charm of a satirical story. It’s messy, sharp, and laugh-out-loud honest.

Making The Relationships That Stick

So, to sum it up, what does realistic love look like?

It lets characters fail before they connect.

People don’t fall in love at the same speed. Sometimes, one messes it up or needs to work through their own internal flaws. Allowing space for this makes the romance more genuine.

Root love in the world of the story.

Whether the setting is war-torn Europe or an industrial robber baron’s home, love must grow out of the environment. The external pressures, be they social, political, or personal, should shape how the characters connect and what they risk for each other.

Both of these approaches help make falling in love realistic on the page. They give readers the kind of unforgettable pairs who feel like people they would know.

It is often why they are an appealing alternative to tidy romances. There is a reason why more people are drawn to love stories about couples who stumble, crash, and still find their footing. Dick and Jane Go to War is just one of many examples that can leave readers laughing (and occasionally grinning). It shows how achieving a realistic love story doesn’t mean stripping romance of charm. It just means making space for the whole human experience—flaws, fears, and all.

Don’t forget! You can get a copy of Dick and Jane Go to War (and also The Streamlined Locomotive) by just heading on over to Amazon.