Star-Crossed Lovers

A story idea that’s crossed my mind occasionally is one about two futuristic human cultures, one that prizes intellect and one that prizes physical power.  The first haven’t changed much biologically since our time, but have incredibly advanced AI, powered armor, force field tech, terraforming, etc (but no cybernetic enhancement, because that goes against their “brains over brawn” ideology) whereas the other have used eugenics and genetic engineering, and since the two groups left Earth have evolved into super beings with less advanced technology than the first faction but able to run at supersonic speeds, immune to practically any weapon, hugely muscular, strong enough to easily lift tanks and break through any defenses the tech faction have, and not needing terraforming technology due to being able to survive pretty much anywhere.  The two groups aren’t at war or anything, but each thinks their way of life is superior and looks down on the other.  A guy from the tech faction and a girl from the superhuman faction meet eventually and fall in love (not in the least because she’s also superhumanly attractive).

Questions?  Comments?

Woodclaw has a good point. The story working, or not, will depend on creating a believable mutual attraction that overcomes the powerful bias and inherent racism that would likely permeate such wildly divergent cultures.

Maybe you could get there via 'opposites attract', but it would take some skill to make it work, starting with 'why'. I could see it being one-way, but mutual requires two different but compatible mind-sets. 

But being speculative fiction, if you can imagine it and sell it, we'll believe it, as readers. 

Shadar

 

Well what if they initially met online (or whatever equivalent exists in the future they live in)?

Thefirstone wrote:

Well what if they initially met online (or whatever equivalent exists in the future they live in)?

I could see promise in that. They get to know and really like each other without either of them being aware of what subspecies or whatever they are, and only upon meeting do they how wildly apart they are physically.  They are each assuming the other is like themself. 

Maybe the girl is unusually brainy for being one of the 'physicals', and he is unusually physical for a 'brainy', and they have a passion for some common cause that drives them together. 

It would be a real shock on first meeting in RL to find that they are so different. That makes for lots to explore and figure out.

Maybe like the comic-book Brainy and Supergirl romance in the 30th century, they each find things to admire in the other which they can't find among their other friends and associates or people of their own species, the only thing they have physically in common is that their people both were engineered, evolved, etc. starting with ordinary humans and that as a result they are still compatible. That's a link. 

Shadar

If you have not done so, you should check out the book "In Conquest Born" by C,S, Friedman. There is a similar idea that you are talking about.