The journey of two characters from strangers to lovers. One of the perennial herbs and spices in the cauldron of storytelling old and new. It's been around a while, it's a major driving force of fiction and it's not going anywhere. A surefire crowd pleaser; probably the only way to really, really screw it up is to overdo it. Induces emotional stakes in an audience like nothing else. See also: Love Tropes; How to Become a Love Interest Here are some of the common checkpoints of a Romance Arc in typical chronological order.