#work rival

Here are some more ideas I thought up or have seen/read. There are a few basic ones and a few not so basic ones that i think, when paired well, could create a whole new type of story that is super unique! Let me know what you come up with!

Carrying the other after getting injured

Tutoring or training for a sport

Get stuck somewhere (like outside when cold out or wet out) and have to huddle for warmth

Get stuck somewhere (like outside when cold out or wet out) and have to huddle for warmth – bonus points if they have to do it while naked or in underwear

One of their lives is tied to the other

Bodyguard

Unexpected Coparenting

Get locked in a keycard entry only room during a power outage

When live powerlines hit the puddle, they are stranded on the only island in the puddle

Live powerlines on the ground and stuck in the house/school/room/car

Escape room after their friends bail

Same secret class they take at nights

I know theres a lot of cliche's that exist in rivals/enemies to lovers and other variations of the trope. I made a list of ways I don't see as often (and ones that I've seen pretty often) to spark ideas. I think combining a few of these would yield the best results! Let me know what you come up with!

Sitting on the same couch

Sleeping on an air mattress (only bed or both refused to sleep on the floor) that slowly deflates

Assigned to be partners for a project/presentation

Assigned to clean up something together (detention, class, community service, etc.)

Brushing knees accidentally under the table

Locker neighbors

House/apartment/condo neighbors

Road trip

Car road trip

Car road trip where they’re scrunched in the back together

Plane trip where they end up on the same plane, in the same row, side by side

Handcuffed together (for fighting, on accident, challenge, etc.)

Snowed or stormed in together

Stuck in an elevator

Lock breaks on the door, locking them in a room without windows

Forced undercover as a couple

People mistaking thought they were together and it works for one of them

Here are a series of one line dialogue that I like!

“Run if you want. Just remember, I hunt better than you hide.”

“Don’t pretend it’s not my name you moan at night.”

“You wanted my hatred. You wanted my wrath. Well, here it is. Don’t hide when I’ve finally given you what you wanted.”

“I don’t have a future. I have a past. A past I relive so hopefully one day, I won’t make the same mistakes.”

“I can promise you’ll survive. I can promise you’ll make it through. What I promise is that you’ll be the same person. I can’t promise you won’t wish you didn’t make it.”

 “You call me the villain. You say I’m a monster. Do you want to know what I say about you?”

“You won’t make history taking me down. You won’t impress the people that already look down on you. You’ll only create a monster you have to look at in the mirror. Trust me. I know.”

“Monsters are only heroes that can’t look in the mirror.”

“I fought for a cause once. Now I am someone’s cause.”

“It may not seem like it but I have rules. I have lines I won’t cross, things even I won’t do. For you, I’d break them all. I’d cross every line. To make you happy.”

Here are some fun dialogue prompts for a villain that has a crush on another villian/hero/sidekick!

“Oh no, please don’t come into my home I had decorated just for you.”

“Why did you blow up my dentist?” // “I saw what they charged you, that was ridiculous. Now you don’t have to pay.”

“Do you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you?”

“I won’t save you.” // “I know. But I’ll sacrifice myself for you.”

“You know what happens when you’ve only heard one side of the story? You’re fighting with one hand tied behind your back.”

“I’m not the bad guy they want you to think I am.”

“Am I a bad person?” // “Not to me.”

“There’s two ways for this fight to end.” // “What? Death or mutual destruction?” // “Close. Since I respect you, I’ll give you a hint. You had death right but the other one ends with in my bed at night.”

“I did this for you.”

Forced Project Partners – usually use this after it’s already determined they hate each other but what if this is WHY they hate each other

Bodyguard and the person they are supposed to protect against – usually bodyguard and the person they are trying to save but what if they fall for the person they are supposed to be protecting against

Neighbors – I always thought this was too easy but I’ve been exploring this idea for a story I’m working on

Exes Best Friend – I don’t like the second chance or whatnot stories so this has never occurred to me but it has potential

Best Friend’s Ex – I read a story like this on Wattpad, but I forgot it was an option, definitely going to use this!

Assassin and Target – one way hatred between them, assassin falls in love with the target while watching them

Captor and captive – also a one-way hatred with Stockholm syndrome intermixed

Roommates by mistake – what if Character 1 has the same name as the roommate character 2 wanted (maybe like a gender neutral name like Jordan or Skyler) and won’t swap because they were going to be put in a four bed not a two

Criminal informant and Police office – potential for a lot of drama!

Another list of ideas that fit this category. Sometimes these ideas come to me while reading and are based off an event that happened in the book, come to me as an alternative (or original idea) while I'm writing, or come based off an event in real life. Let me know what you think!

Trapped in a time loop where they are the only ones that noticed

Forced to share a safe house

Detention

Quarantined together

Captured by mutual enemy

Both bodyguards

One is a therapist and one has mandated therapy sessions

Family vacation with my siblings best friend that I hate and all three of us have to share a room

Same prison cell

They’re only survivors/witnesses and converge to come up with one story

Hey all! Here are some ideas for pranks that your characters can pull. I struggle to think of these when I'm writing so here are some ideas you can use or even use to think of some of your own!

Pranks for rivals that live together

Bed surrounded by water cups

Mouse traps on every surface of the floor

Wet Bedsheets

Siran wrap over the toilet

Cutting off the hot water in the middle of their shower

Shifting everything over an inch

Replacing the batteries in the remote with dead ones

Replacing the remote with a look alike

Laxatives in their drink or food

Cutting a hole in all their socks

If they play a sport like soccer or volleyball, poking a hole in the balls

Turning off their alarm so they're late to something

Setting a random alarm for late in the night to wake them up

Changing the vitamins they take to different vitamins

Pretend their clothes shrunk in the dryer

Throw a colored article of clothing in the wash/dryer with their whites

Shave their shoes down no more than half an inch so they think they are shrinking (from New Girl)

Wear the same outfit as them (can extend from more then once to multiple times)

Pranks that border the edge of ethics

Cutting up all their clothes

Telling teachers that they plagiarized

Copying their homework and submitting it before them

For a big PowerPoint presentation, stealing their work and presenting it before them

Sending fake pictures with their face and a photoshopped body

Painting their apartment so they can’t get their deposit back

Spreading rumors about them

Playing a song that they have trauma or a bad reaction to

Poking a hole in their protection

Flushing their birth control or other meds

Destroy their car (jolly rancher on the windows, etc.)

Fill car with packing peanuts or balloons

Changing the horn to something embarrassing

Fake parking tickets

Fake past due bills

Fake eviction notice

Steal their packages or swap their packages

Remove parts of the engine

Block their car in the parking lot/driveway/etc.

Tow their car

Report their car as stolen to the police

Here are some ideas for when you want to write Enemies to Lovers but can't decide what they should be fighting about!

Academic Rivals

Fighting for a scholarship

Fighting for valedictorian

Fighting for top spot for a parking spot

Two schools focused on academics fighting it out for prestige or a scholarship or some kind of donation (computers, books, grant, etc.)

Debate team vs sports team

Sports Rivals

Football team vs Lacrosse Team -- right to use the field

Swim Team vs Dive Team -- Right to use pool

Cheer team vs football team -- both think the other is overrated

Hockey teams -- fighting between two schools

Football teams -- prank week before the big game goes wrong

Different sports fans

Sibling is a member of the rival team

Dad is the coach of the rival team

New kid is really good and now I'm worried about losing my captain spot

One sided rivalry at the gym -- you're taking the machines I want on purpose/I don't know who you are

Work Rivals

We're both going for a promotion

After a merger, we're both fighting to keep our job during downsizing

We're both fighting for the private corner office

We're both CEO's and are fighting to get a client

Uber private CEO and Journalist looking for a breakout story

Two laywers on opposite sides of a case

Two chefs fighting for a prize at a cooking combination

Two campaign managers fighting during a political race

Mob boss and police captain

Parole officer and convicted felon

Hero and Villains

You captured me and now I can't help notices how cute you look

You're the villain and I'm the hero who vowed to take you down

You killed my family and now you've kidnapped me

We're fighting in secret but you're also the person my friend is talking to but I also think you're cute

Within Friend Group

He's an asshole, she's a nerd

New to the group and threatening the present ecosystem

My siblings ex is now friends with my friends

Royals

Families are at war so we have to hate each other

S/he is next in line, s/he is the daughter/son to the family trying to take the crown

You planned an uprising and kidnapped me

Rival heirs

Forced marriage that neither want and now there are tensions

Apartments Rivals

Fighting over noise

Fighting for recently opened larger apartment upstairs

Roommates that can't live together

I didn't know I was getting a roommate and you are insulferable

Mafia

Rival heirs

Rival gangs

Leader vs Police

Leader vs kidnapped rival

Supernatural

Ghost vs current tennate -- both want each other gone

Rival Supernatural Academies

Witch Hunter vs Witch

Vampire Hunter vs Vampire