***Character Relationship Guide: Avoiding Cliches

This guide is going to explain a few of the common cliche relationships that can turn even the most original characters into Mary-Sue/Gary-Stus.

Alright, here we go. I'm just pulling from past experience.

A list of traits, experiences, or situations that point to an unoriginal, Hollywood relationship between lovers, siblings, twins, friends, enemies

-One of your characters is very dark and usually rebellious, the other is light and wholesome. They infuriate each other because they do not understand each other, bringing in the mystery and sexual frustration between them, however opposites attract, so these two characters seem like a likely match.

NOT TRUE! Parallel characters should NOT love each other, they should fight and scream and be in agony throughout the course of their relationship. To remedy this unrealistic relationship, be sure that each character has bits and pieces of light & dark. If your character is innocent, make them have a lot of pride and stubbornness, etc etc. However the light and dark characters should not acquire traits from each other - like the dark character suddenly feeling remorse do to his/her love for the light character. There light trait should be something they always carry with them. It can even be morbid and seem dark, but come from a good place. Like after murdering a peacekeeper, the dark character used his blood to paint a mural on a wall? It seems very dark and twisted, but it comes from a place of expression and emotion. Avoid extremes is my rule.

-Teacher/Student, Protector/Protected, Healer/Wounded are three relationships that are similar: One character holds all the power over the other. It may seem like a cute idea for your tough hunter boy to be knocked unconscious, and your equally tough hunter girl to have to take over and heal him of his wounds and sadness, but its wrong. Think about it, its like Stockholm Syndrome or when teachers and students date. One member of a relationship is clearly dominant and holds utter sway over the lesser character. Alpha-Beta. This could be in the case of siblings, in which one twin is bold and leads the other into a lot of trouble, and although the lesser is reluctant, they feel they owe allegiance to the bolder character because of some past experience or situation in which the bolder acted as a protector. It is wrong. To remedy this situation, I recommend role-playing the characters in different threads, without each other. This allows them to develop their own memories separate of their other half, and will bring out new traits. Perhaps your shy, scared Beta is actually a skilled hunter, and impresses an Alpha character in a thread? Or your Alpha character is separated from your Beta, and realizes how much s/he misses the lesser half because of the strength and emotional comfort s/he offers her/him.

Popular Examples of Alpha/Beta Relationships

Batman & Robin
Harry Potter & Ron Weasley
Blair Waldorf & Her Cronies

Popular Examples of Alpha/Beta Relationships Executed Well

Harry Potter & Hermione Granger
Jenny Humphrey & Eric Van der Woodsen
Katniss Everdeen & Prim Everdeen

-Twins. You all have characters that are almost exactly the same. Maybe they look differently, but they sure act the same. Maybe they're related by blood, or maybe they're just soul-mates. Avoid characters who are too much alike. This could be a relationship between two nerdy friends who realize they'd be perfect for each other because they both play X-Box and enjoy Top Ramen. This could be identical twins who wear the same clothes and finish each others sentences. Whatever they are to each other, make sure your characters don't start mimicking each other. Or if you'd like, perhaps throw in an X-variable - stick in a new character for one of your twins to idolize, and watch as the original twins grow apart, and one of them attempts to become just like his/her new friend/lover

The whole point of this thread is to let you all know that a huge part of original writing and plotting is being in possession of original characters. Compare your plot to a popular movie: if your characters relationship resembles that of the one onscreen, then change it up. We don't need to be reading another Kathrine Heigel RomCom in the form of a thread - shes already been in the same movie about five times. And avoid having people who are very similar or very different, make sure your relationship is push-pull, compare-contrast. You should be able to have the characters identify with bits and pieces of each other while also being mystified by other parts.

The Parent Trap
This is the effect I've noticed when you have character who may or may not have an age difference, and one of them acts as a guide, or parent, to the other. This is perfectly acceptable in the case of a small child or pre-teen and an older person (teen and up) but when you have two teenagers, and one of them is mothering the other, it just seems overdone. Now unless your character is a dominant and wishes to control another person, they shouldn't have a Stockholme hold over the second person. I know some of us would pull a crazy kidnap situation with two people "falling in love" because they have to rely on each other, or having the parent trap effect happen instantly, but if you're plotting and you notice your character is mothering someone else's, take a look at their personality, circumstances, and history. If you don't have an excuse for the behavior, then you're just playing out your own sick fantasies on someone's submissive character. In that case, your duo should seriously consider a killing spree or kidnapping. Because thats one of the more realistic dominant parent and submissive child relationships.

Remember people, this thread isn't telling you not to use certain plot points, it's just reminding you to execute them well and have reason to back them up.