RELATIONSHIP THESAURUS

ENEMIES



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HELPFUL TIP:

Relationships are part of the very fabric of your character’s life. How well or poorly they get along with others oftentimes comes down to personality, so carefully consider the positive traits and negative traits of your story’s cast. Another factor that can pull characters together or create friction is motivation, so keep each individual’s goal—both at the scene and story level—in mind as you write.
DESCRIPTION:
More than rivals or competitors, enemies are people who are actively working to defeat or destroy the other. The reason for their animosity may be personal, stemming from a shared past experience, or it may simply be a matter of them working at cross-purposes and blocking each other from reaching their respective goals. 

The richness in this relationship comes from the fact that both parties believe in their own rightness. Crafting a dynamic and interesting pair of enemies requires a careful exploration of the relationship's complexity so the characters don't end up clichéd, feel one-dimensional, or fall flat.

RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS:
Below are a wide range of dynamics that may accompany this relationship. Use the ideas that suit your story and work best for your characters to bring about and/or resolve the necessary conflict.

Enemies who are both seeking the same resource or objective, and defeating the other party is a necessary part of their success
Two people who are actively seeking to destroy one another
Enemies with a shared history who used to be friends or allies
Enemies who are part of the same team but are secretly working against each other
A relationship in which one party is unaware that the other is an enemy who's working against them

CHALLENGES THAT COULD THREATEN THE STATUS QUO:
One person asking for a truce
One party being taken out by a serious illness or injury
A powerful third party demanding an end to the feud
One party discovering a damning secret about the other
The two being physically trapped in the same space
Both parties losing something of value
One party joining forces with a stronger and better connected person or entity, disrupting the balance of power
One person having an epiphany about past mistakes or their role in the relationship
One person seeking forgiveness to facilitate healing
Loved ones of the enemies becoming romantically involved

POSSIBLE CONFLICT SCENARIOS:
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CLASHING PERSONALITY TRAIT COMBINATIONS:
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NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF FRICTION:
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FICTIONAL SCENARIOS THAT COULD TURN THESE CHARACTERS INTO ALLIES:
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WAYS THIS RELATIONSHIP MAY LEAD TO POSITIVE GROWTH:
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THEMES AND SYMBOLS THAT CAN BE EXPLORED THROUGH THIS RELATIONSHIP:
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