For The Character Dynamic Asks, Between Supporting Characters - What Secrets Or Conflicts Exist Between

For the character dynamic asks, between supporting characters - What secrets or conflicts exist between them?

Thanks for the ask, @mk-writes-stuff! I'll go with the cast of Song of Thorns (because I'm working on a chapter for it today/tomorrow!)

So, mild spoilers for those WIPs below the cut!

Between supporting characters - What secrets or conflicts exist between them?

Between Tarrant & The Twins - While there are next to no conflicts between them (except when Tarrant loses his patience at Dimya and Cyriel's recklessness lmao) there is a secret between them. Two actually (a secret Tarrant keeps from the twins and a secret the twins are keeping from him).

(Tarrant's Secret) - Tarrant hides from his cousins the fact that he is showing signs of being infected by the blood curse plague - for three reasons: 1. he is terrified of the Corvus, the royal alchemists tasked as plague doctors, as he knows the truth that the "salvation" the royal family promises plague victims is actually being used as magical experiments, 2. he does not want his younger cousins to worry about him, 3. he fears his boss (who holds his soul contract) is going to kill him or otherwise discard him (or hurt the twins) if the man finds out he is sick. As you can imagine, this has less-than-ideal consequences for him as the story progresses.

(The Twins' Secret) - As Lantern Keeper for a group of underworld mercenaries, Cyriel is plotting to find a way to overthrow/betray their leader and save Tarrant from his contract, which is a very tricky plan that backfires immensely when the mercenary leader finds out and makes Cyriel be framed for treason, caught by the local city guard and (unsuccessfully) sentenced to death. She doesn't tell Tarrant about her plan because she knows he will freak out - until he inevitably finds out either way. On the other hand, Dimya, her twin, is pretending to still be loyal to their leader (mostly because he is trying to continue Cyriel's plan in a moe subtle fashion but also because he is very much terrified of the situation they're stuck in), and has a secret he did not tell neither Cyriel (his twin) or Tarrant - he found out their boss was smuggling live, unfortunate vampires into a fighting ring and other dreadful places sponsored by the elite, but was so terrified by this discovery (and horrified that he was working for a man that would hurt so many innocent vampires for money) he didn't tell a single soul, fearing their leader would kill him for knowing more than he should, and is very much traumatized by it.

... So, basically, family communication issues at their finest.

Cadenza Novalie & her Dad - Cadenza is a young noble fey from the vampiric lands whose relationship with her Dad has become pretty strained in the past few years due to, mostly, a very bad misunderstanding. I can't go into much detail without spoiling an important plot twist but vaguely, the gist of the situation is: her Dad had to, secretly, make a tough decision in order to protect her, knowing that she would likely hate him or at least dislike him for it (it isn't anything too awful but from outsiders point of view it does look worse than it is) but would at least stay safe. They've become pretty distant since then, but still care for one another deeply and their relationship heals later on in the story once they get over this misunderstanding.

Elveryn Haven & The Main Cast (prior to his redemption arc):

As mentioned in a few other posts, Elveryn is a monster hunter tasked by the King to hunt and kill Renn (an adult dhampir) and arrest the rest of the main cast. This makes Elveryn a strong - and oftentimes terrifying - antagonistic force throughout the earlier acts of the book, as his thirst for revenge against all monsters (even good ones) makes him hunt down his targets relentlessly. So one could safely say that yes, there is a lot of conflict between them. And even after he starts to undergo his redemption arc while being forced to work with the main cast for a common goal, there is still a lot of tension between him and them (he considers them his enemies and they still haven't really forgiven him/still fear him for trying to hunt Renn, though they do find a common ground eventually and do become friends later into his redemption route).

The main cast only later finds out that the real motive for his hatred of monsters wasn't prejudice, but actually a thirst for revenge and grief over losing his little brother in a monster attack years ago, and the fact he - deep down - blames himself for not finding him. After his redemption arc, they make amends and finally become good friends, as he realizes the wrongs of his ways.

Renn Atrius & Prince Alaric:

While they technically are friends/allies from the very beginning and are on the same side of the book's conflict, there is some tension between them. Renn has a strong hatred and distrust for human nobility - as when Renn was a child, he witnessed his beloved Dad (Kyrie, a vampire) be murdered by a monster hunter sent by the royals - and Prince Alaric is a human noble - though they have a common goal of stopping the corruption of the royal family - so the distrust/tension is always ready to reappear on the back of Renn's mind in every single interaction, though they're mostly polite to each other they do have a bit of a mix between rivalry/friendship. To make things worse, Alaric has no idea of Renn's past trauma and sometimes is painfully oblivious (not on purpose, he is just not very perceptive in that way) to any signs of it, which creates a lot of rocky patches in their communication at times.

Two Truths One Lie

Thanks for the tag, @willtheweaver (here)!

I'll go with Elveryn Haven, from Song of Thorns, the relentless but traumatized monster hunter who was tasked by the King to hunt down and kill Renn (and bring the others to 'justice').

Tagging: @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab, @little-peril-stories

@the-ellia-west, @winterandwords, @cowboybrunch, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @frostedlemonwriter

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

Character Dynamic Asks

Between Protagonist and Antagonist

What was their first conflict? How did this shape their relationship

Are there moments of respect or admiration between them?

What are the biggest differences in their motivations and values?

Do they have a shared past or connections?

How does their conflict affect the world around them?

Between Protagonist and Mentor Figure

How did they meet?

What lessons has the mentor taught the protagonist?

Is there a time when the protagonist surpasses or contradicts the mentor?

What does the protagonist admire about the mentor?

Does the mentor have secrets or flaws that the protagonist discovers?

Between Protagonist and Love Interest

How did they meet and what was their first impression of each other?

What obstacles stand in the way of their relationship?

How do their personalities complement or contradict each other?

What are their biggest fears or insecurities in the relationship?

How does their relationship grow over the course of the story?

Between Protagonist and Closest Friend

How did they meet and why did they become friends?

What are their shared interests or activities?

Are there any secrets or conflicts between them?

How do they support each other in difficult times?

What does each admire about the other?

Between Antagonist and Closest Ally

How did they meet and why do they work together?

What are their shared goals or motivations?

Are there tensions or power struggles between them?

How do they react to failures or setbacks?

Is there a possibility that their alliance could break?

Between Supporting Characters

What are their backgrounds and connections with each other?

Is there a rivalry or close friendship between them?

How do they contribute to the main plot?

What secrets or conflicts exist between them?

How do their relationships change over the course of the story?

These questions can help you develop deeper and more layered relationships between your characters, giving your story more depth.

And the answer is: Option 3 is the lie! While Elveryn does hunt vampires and other creatures he considers "monsters", he does not have any faith in the Gods. In fact, he harbors some resentment/hatred towards any divine entity, as he believes the Gods to be cruel and unfair (since they did not save his little brother, an innocent child, from a gruesome fate, when he pleaded for the Gods to save him no one answered). He does not care for worship or anything similar, for those reasons, and also because he spends most of his time focused on his revenge.

Option 1 is correct. Elveryn is not only a ruthless monster hunter but also a brilliant and resourceful inventor - he created a new, improved kind of enchanted crossbow, one that can shoot up to three flame-enchanted silver arrows/bolts at a single target at a time, instead of him needing to nock an arrow every time. Some of his arrows are also infused with explosive powder for extra damage on impact.

Option 2 is also correct. As a teen, Elveryn was a very sweet and polite young man who would never have hurt a fly and was utterly terrified of blood, to the point of sometimes passing out when seeing it. Nowadays, after spending so long focused on his revenge/wiping out every monster on the land, he learned to control his phobia of blood, to the point of mostly being numb to it. However, while he still has some level of hemophobia (mixed with a small bit of germaphobia) he wears thick leather gloves and long-sleeved clothes to avoid coming into contact with someone else's blood.

Tagging: @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab, @little-peril-stories

@the-ellia-west, @winterandwords, @cowboybrunch, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @frostedlemonwriter

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

Two Truths One Lie

Thanks for the tag, @willtheweaver (here)!

I'll go with Elveryn Haven, from Song of Thorns, the relentless but traumatized monster hunter who was tasked by the King to hunt down and kill Renn (and bring the others to 'justice').

Tagging: @sleepy-night-child, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @smol-feralgremlin, @oh-no-another-idea, @littleladymab, @little-peril-stories

@the-ellia-west, @winterandwords, @cowboybrunch, @eccaiia, @sarahlizziewrites, @illarian-rambling

@leave-her-a-tome, @writernopal, @anyablackwood, @unstablewifiaccess, @forthesanityofstorytellers

@i-can-even-burn-salad, @frostedlemonwriter

@lassiesandiego, @thepeculiarbird, @clairelsonao3, @memento-morri-writes, @starlit-hopes-and-dreams and OPEN TAG

OC Questionnaire!

Thanks for the tag, @eccaiia (here)!

Your questions are:

Do you have any weird or unusual habits?

Are you a night owl or a morning bird?

Who is the person you hate the most? Why

Gonna go with Renn from Song of Thorns for this one!

Are you an outdoorsy person or a fair-weather freak?

"I don't really like the sun to be honest. I'm... a dhampir, I believe that is what you humans call it, so that isn't such a surprise, haha. While I am not as sensitive to the sun as full-blooded vampiric fey are, I still don't like it - my eyes get dry and my skin hurts after a while. I absolutely rainy weather, and being indoors - especially if I can read a good book close to a fireplace. Luckily, our continent's 'gloomy' weather more than provides moments like that."

2. Do you like animals? Have any pets?

"Yes, I adore animals! All of them, and especially those people usually stigmatize as being dangerous or weird - probably because I know what it is like to be called a monster. I have a pet raven called Cornelius, but I call him Corn for short!"

3. What's one thing you keep on you at all times?

"A hidden lockpick and my thieves' equipment. You never know when it'll come in handy. I also keep my father's blood magic charm, though I never really had to use it and mostly keep it for sentimental reasons rather than anything else."

Tagging: @smol-feralgremlin, @kaylinalexanderbooks @littleladymab @cabbojage @lassiesandiego @little-peril-stories @oh-no-another-idea @thepeculiarbird @rickie-the-storyteller @crowandmoonwriting @steh-lar-uh-nuhs @gummybugg @forthesanityofstorytellers @doublegoblin @aalinaaaaaa @starlit-hopes-and-dreams @elshells @illarian-rambling @clairelsonao3 @conkers-thecosy @anyablackwood @diabolical-blue @cowboybrunch and OPEN TAG

Protagonist and antagonist

Are there moments of respect or admiration between them?

Thank you so much for the ask, @kaylinalexanderbooks!!!

I'll answer for Supernova Initiative, Of Starlight and Beasts, Song of Thorns, and Enchanted Illusions!

Supernova Initiative

One of the main antagonists of this story - especially in Jack Tithus' arc in the book - is a man known as The Director, whose real name is, as of yet in the story, unknown. He is responsible for the Junction's entire subdivision of sciences (which is a great deal) - to the public, he is considered an upstanding and philanthropic scientist who is incredibly respected by his peers. In reality, behind closed doors, he is a sadistic, immoral, and incredibly brutal man who is willing to commit atrocities - including numerous illegal experiments on human patients - in the name of what he calls "progress". Jack Tithus, the main protagonist of the story and an intergalactic thief, becomes trapped in the Director's schemes after he and his crew get arrested by the Junction in a heist gone wrong and ends up accepting to become one of the Director's test subjects in order to protect his younger sister from a facing a similar fate.

As an answer to the question: I don't think there are any moments of respect or admiration between them, at least none that are mutual. Jack very much resents, despises, and fears the Director and for a lot of good reasons. Meanwhile, I don't really think The Director is capable of feeling respect or compassion for another human being - he views people, especially his test subjects, as specimens to be studied, like animals in a zoo, and considers himself somehow superior to his fellow human beings. He is capable of feeling a certain sense of "curious admiration/fascination" but more in a sense like a bully holding a magnifying glass over a burning ant. He has a very twisted scientific mindset.

Of Starlight and Beasts

The main antagonist of this series is the Crimson Queen, a dark sorcerer and ruthless ruler who intends to conquer all the kingdoms in the continent and "snuff out the Light" in her neverending quest for revenge against the magic of the people responsible for the deaths of her husband and child centuries ago. The main protagonist of this story is Corah Stormryder, a brave knight-in-training from the capital city of Tirawen, who embarks on a quest to prevent the advance of the Crimson Queen's army and save the kingdom and everyone she loves.

Surprisingly, yes, there are moments of respect and admiration between them, especially after they get to know and understand each other a bit more. Meira, the Crimson Queen, is primarily a woman who has had her hopes and dreams destroyed by the people she trusted in one of the most brutal ways possible - the terrible deaths suffered by her husband and innocent child as a result of this. Corah also knows what it is like to be betrayed and abandoned, having been forced to face those feelings at a very young age when her mother walked out on Corah and her father. Both of them also know that there is something fundamentally wrong with the magic system of their world and that know that the truth has been terribly twisted to the benefit of the corrupt nobility. I think that, in a sense, they understand each other - Meira does see a bit of her younger, more naive self, in Corah's pursuit of valor, while Corah occasionally understands Meira's blind rage and grief, in some cases. But where they fundamentally diverge is that Meira has allowed herself to become so blinded by revenge and her wish to take down a corrupt system, that she is doing to countless others what was done to her centuries ago, meanwhile, Corah would never hurt someone innocent for the mistakes of another and is actively looking for a way to halt the system of lies their kingdom is built upon without losing herself or hurting others in the process.

Song of Thorns

This book has two main protagonists, Roselyn Lethia, a young village girl who discovers a corrupt scheme involving the nobility after her older brother goes missing, and Renn Atrius, a young dhampir who became a thief and is seeking a way to avenge the brutal murder of his father. The main antagonists of this story are most members of the Royal Family of Hyghsummit, who are almost cultish in their ways - especially when it comes to the practice of the elusive Sanguinex, or blood magic, which was a type of magical art that humans... weren't exactly supposed to be able to cast. Out of all these villains, the most important one, story-wise, is King Larkin of Hyghsummit, who is the head of the Royal family and a master of the Sanguinex arts. He is also quite possibly the villain who is most invested in hunting down the protagonists, and who really does not want to lose his current status quo.

No, I don't think this book has any moments like that. While King Larkin often gets "amused by the thrill of the hunt" when it comes to his pursuit of the main protagonists, he definitely does not respect them. He views them more as a petty nuisance that must be eliminated, two pebbles in his path to continue his family's legacy, and he will not have his wish denied. Meanwhile, Roselyn mostly fears the royals in the same amount she despises them - mostly, in her eyes, they are an evil that needs to be exposed and an obstacle in her path to saving her older brother, especially since the Royal family is behind his kidnapping. As for Renn, he holds a strong hatred towards human royalty - when he was five years old, Renn watched his father (an innocent young man who only wanted to find a way for vampires like them to live in peace) be brutally murdered by a vampire hunter who was friends with the human nobility. It's no surprise Renn hates human royals as much as he does. So, the King views them as a nuisance, and both of the protagonists have very personal reasons to hate the nobles - not a very good mix to create "respect and admiration" lmao.

Enchanted Illusions

The villains of this series are the members of the elusive Hemlock Society, who seek to banish Myths and cause a civil war between humans and magical creatures. The main protagonists of each POV in this story are Augustus & Harriet, Cailean & Agatha, Evangeline + Thaddeus & Ambrose.

Strangely, it depends. Some of the protagonists and antagonists in this book have very strong, personal grudges against each other and despise one another tremendously, but some of the more "morally grey" protagonists (such as Augustus and Thaddeus) enjoy the "cat and mouse" game they play with the villains throughout the story, and due to their sometimes more extreme way of handling things, sometimes even the villains feel a sense of admiration of these heroes' wit and occasional ruthlessness. The leader of the Hemlock Society, Abernathy Calsen, is very much a "Moriarty" type of evil mastermind, and often feels amusement out of toying with the main cast - he at the same time admires and despises them, but in a very distant, chess-player sort of way. He admires how they think outside of the box, and how they do everything in their power to thwart the plans he's set in motion, even when that's a foolish effort in his eyes. An interesting dynamic, to say the least.