Entanglements

Entanglements remain one of my favorite aspects of Hearts of Wulin: relationship triangles where your connection to one person is complicated by another person. We put together a new deck of reference cards for HoW, with names and sample entanglements on each one. In doing that I went back through our earlier lists and tweaked some, cut others, and added several new ones. Below is the latest version of these lists, which I'm hoping might be a useful resource for any game where you want to start out with messy relationships. 

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ROMANTIC ENTANGLEMENTS

1. I cannot choose between _____ and _____.
2. I disguised myself to get close to _____, but _____, their lover, suspects and hates me.
3. I disguised myself to get close to _____, but _____, their lover, is falling for me.
4. I fled from _____ because of the heartache, but _____, their lover, has called me back to honor a debt.
5. I know _____ desires me, but _____, who I pine for, loves them.
6. I lost to _____ in order to maintain the affections of _____.
7. I love _____, who I overlooked for too long; now they love _____.
8. I love _____, but _____—a leader of my faction-- has forbidden it.
9. I love _____, but my family member _____ is their sworn enemy.
10. I love _____, but my teacher, _____, killed someone dear to them.
11. I love _____, but their family member, _____, is a villain.
12. I love _____, but my family member, _____, is a legendary villain.
13. I love _____, but their family member, _____, has sworn revenge against me.
14. I love _____, but I have sworn revenge against their family member, _____.
15. I love _____, but their sibling, _____, considers me beneath them.
16. I love _____, but they are engaged to _____, who I respect.
17. I love _____, but I know a dark secret about, _____, who they adore.
18. I love _____, but they are wed to _____, who I serve.
19. I love _____, but they are wed to _____, my sibling.
20. I am wed to _____, but I know they actually pine for _____.
21. I pursue _____ despite knowing that my friend, _____, pines for them.
22. I rejected _____, but _____--who I desire-- loves them.
23. I still pursue _____, who rejected me, despite the interference of _____, who holds an unrequited love.
24. My friend _____ and I vie for the attention of _____ despite their indifference to both of us.
25. There is mutual unrequited love between _____ and I because of my duty to _____.
26. _____ advised me not to pursue _____, but secretly wooed them.
27. My teacher, _____, and I share an unspoken love because of the shame it would bring to _____.
28. _____ has become jealous of the attention _____ pays to me instead of them.
29. I am engaged to _____, but have fallen in love with their sibling, _____.
30. I love _____ from an enemy clan, and _____ blackmails me about my passion.
31. I love _____ but I cannot tell them the truth about what happened to their lover _____.
32. I love _____, but their duty to _____ draws them away.
33. _____ openly pursues me, but to avoid a scandal I’ve hidden my relationship with _____.
34. I humiliated myself in front of _____, who I desire, and _____ will let no one forget it.
35. A prophecy has kept _____ and I apart and _____ is determined to keep it that way.
36. _____ and I love one another, but that will change if they learn of my history with _____.
37. I brought my lover _____’s sibling _____ to justice.
38. I have been promised to _____ and _____ wants to get rid of me for that.
39. I have been promised to the awful _____, but I find their friend _____ much more interesting.
40. _____ has disguised themselves to pursue me, but my friend _____ has begun to resent them.
41. I love _____ but _____, has seduced their family with wealth, status, and power.
42. My junior _____ has feelings for me, but my heart belongs to _____.
43. I took up my role to become closer to _____, but _____ keeps working to keep me away from them.
44. I feel pangs when my friend _____ teaches _____ and gets to spend time with them.
45. It is assume that _____ will wed _____, but I need to drink every time I think of it.
46. _____ started to flirt with _____ to tease me, not realizing I actually pine for [first blank].
47. I love _____ who I have known all my life, but _____ continually reminds them of my youthful indiscretions.
48. I don’t mind when my friend _____ mocks me for my restraint, but it kills me when _____ laughs along with them.
49. I adore my superior/subordinate _____, but they only think of their duty to _____.
50. I promised _____ I would aid them in wooing _____, but in doing so I have fallen in love with (one of them).
51. _____ mocks me for my manners, but I tolerate it because their sibling _____ has stolen my heart.
52. My friend _____ has changed their manner after I let slip about my time with _____.
53. _____ is far beneath me in social status, but I fear what _____ will do to them if my infatuation is discovered.
54. _____ spends all their time trying to draw me out, but everything reminds me of what happened to _____.
55. I helped _____ gain their status, but they have since become overly close with _____, whom I desire.
56. _____ is far above me in social status, and _____ will be furious if they even suspect a connection.
57. I love _____ but their desire for revenge against _____ has poisoned their heart.
58. I owe _____ everything, but despite that my heart belongs to _____.
59. I fled from _____’s declaration of love but their marriage to _____ has drawn me back.
60. I saved _____, who I desperately love, but _____ took credit and has used that to begin courting them.
61. I love _____, but my senior, _____, and the rest of my clan believe they serve a dark force.
62. I failed to save _____ from taking up unorthodox techniques, and out of love I accept _____’s blame of me for that.
63. _____ looks so much like my love who died at the hands of a villain, but they are promised to _____.
64. My sworn brother, _____, continually shows me up in front of _____, despite knowing my feelings for them.
65. When their lover _____ asked me to save _____’s life, I never thought I would fall in love with them.
66. My heart aches for my teacher _____, but _____ would bring me to ruin if I said anything.
67. I love _____, but they have declared their hatred of my clan after what happened to _____.
68. _____ has offered to be my patron and more, but I’ve fallen in love with their (child/sibling/servant) _____.
69. _____ continues to step between _____ and I to protect them from me, and I can’t say I blame them.
70. I fled from _____ because of my guilt, but when I see them with _____ now, my heart aches.
71. I rescued _____ from evil, but to my dismay they seem to only have eyes for _____.
72. I fought _____ while in a disguise and fell in love with them, but revealing myself would draw _____’s ire.
73. _____ and I were childhood soulmates, but they have mysteriously forgotten that and now seem to love _____.
74. _____, _____, and I were once in a love triangle I fled from, but now neither seems to remember me.
75. I used to tease _____ who was once my servant, but in their new status they have rejected me and fallen in love with _____.
76. I mistakenly declared my love to _____ who I thought was _____ and now confusion abounds.
77. _____ mistakenly declared their love to me, thinking I was _____ and it’s crushing my heart.
78. Every time I try to express my feelings to _____, _____ gets in the way.
79. I love _____, but despite that I have promised to help them find the one they love, _____, who has mysteriously vanished.
80. My heart pines for _____ but they love the legendary thief _____ who continues to confound and tease me.

GENERAL ENTANGLEMENTS

1. My sibling _____ disparages me, and my parent, _____, won’t condemn them for some reason.
2. My rival _____ speaks ill of me, but my mentor _____ strangely ignores the situation.
3. _____, my rival, knows about the bad actions I did to the family of my friend, _____.
4. Local authority _____ hints they know of my shady dealings against my mentor _____ and their family.
5. _____, my rival, has sworn to kill me, but I have promised _____ that I will not harm them.
6. I brought my sworn ally _____’s sibling _____ to justice.
7. I suspect my friend _____’s parent is the villain _____.
8. I allowed my friend _____’s sibling _____ to escape justice.
9. _____, an authority of my faction, has ordered me to undercut _____, who I respect.
10. _____, my clan leader, has told me to spy on my comrade, _____.
11. My teacher, _____, has passed me over in favor of _____, my rival.
12. I have discovered my friend, _____, has hidden their true power from me but told _____, another friend.
13. I have discovered my sibling _____ has been in contact with _____ from an enemy clan.
14. I have discovered my friend _____ has been consorting with _____ from an enemy clan.
15. I have hidden my true identity from _____ because of my past with _____.
16. I found that _____ has hidden their true identity from everyone because of their past with _____.
17. I’ve learned my friend _____ has been betrayed by their teacher _____ but they will never believe me.
18. I’ve learned my friend _____ has been lied to by their parent _____, but they will never believe me.
19. I have promised my teacher, _____, that I will destroy the family of my friend, _____.
20. I have promised my sibling, _____, that I will destroy my friend, _____.
21. I have hidden _____, who is wanted by my friend _____ for their crimes.
22. I have hidden _____, who is a threat to my respected clan senior, _____
23. I discovered my sibling _____ has been learning techniques from _____, master of an enemy clan.
24. I learned my friend _____ studied secrets with _____, a heretical master.
25. I promised my friend _____ that I would aid the troublemaker _____.
26. I promised my sibling _____ that I would help my rival _____.
27. I owe loyalty to my elder sibling, _____, despite how they treat their spouse, _____.
28. I remain loyal to my master, _____, despite how they treat my younger sibling, _____.
29. I rejected _____ and now they have sworn vengeance against me and my friend, _____.
30. I suspect _____ of evil, but _____, who I respect, believes in them.
31. My friend _____, suspects _____ of evil, but I remain steadfastly loyal.
32. I swore to _____ that I would project _____, but they would be offended if they knew.
33. I took part in a crime against _____, my friend _____’s sibling.
34. I took part in a crime against _____, my sibling _____’s lover.
35. _____ has chosen me as heir, but _____, who I’ve known all my life, resents it.
36. My senior, _____, treats me badly, but I give them loyalty despite _____’s disapproval.
37. _____ chose my long-time friend, _____, as heir and I resent it.
38. My clan senior, _____, suspects that my friend _____ works against our faction.
39. My friend, _____, is an agent for _____ of an enemy clan, but I do not know it.
40. My spouse, _____, secretly works for _____ of an enemy clan, but I do not know it.
41. My master, _____, has secretly trained me as part of a revenge plot against my friend, _____.
42. My master, _____, has trained my sibling _____ as part of a revenge plot against my family.
43. My friend, _____, has rejected my sibling _____’s declarations of love.
44. My sibling, _____, has rejected my friend _____’s declarations of love.
45. My friend, _____, has been exiled from my school, but my teacher _____, will not tell me why.
46. My sibling, _____, has been sent away from our family by my parent, _____, without explanation.
47. I believe my parent, _____, has been seduced with evil intent by _____.
48. I believe my sibling _____, has seduced _____ for evil ends.
49. My teacher, _____, disapproves of me, and my friend _____, agrees with them.
50. My parent, _____, disapproves of me, and my sibling _____ won’t stand up to them.
51. My peer, _____, and I defeated the powerful _____, but only I gained credit and now they resent it.
52. My sibling, _____, and I were separated at birth and _____ raised them to destroy my clan.
53. My sibling _____ loves our clan enemy, _____.
54. My sibling _____ has fallen in love with my rival, _____.
55. My parent, _____, abandoned me to be raised by _____, but now they’re returned.
56. _____ and I both seek revenge against _____, but must be the one to strike the killing blow.
57. I have learned about my elder sibling _____’s affair with _____ which may doom our family.
58. My friend, _____, hates _____, but refuses to tell me why.
59. My friend, _____, has lied to our teacher, _____, but will not explain why.
60. An enemy, _____, has come to me to change their ways, but I know my friend, _____, will never believe them.
61. _____ tells me not to worry when _____ belittles their studies, but I grow ever angrier.
62. I suspect _____ maneuvered to bring before the authorities because of my connection to _____.
63. I keep trying to invest _____ in their training, but _____ continually draws them away.
64. _____ claims to be my friend, but I see how they treat my rival _____ with deference.
65. I betrayed my friend _____ when _____ challenged them before authorities, and they have not forgiven me.
66. My parent _____ has told me that _____ stands in the way of our clan’s plans, but I cannot bring myself to betray them.
67. I received a role which _____ had promised to my sworn ally _____, but they refuse to understand how important it is to my family.
68. I promised _____ I would not reveal their failings, but I fear their efforts will harm _____.
69. I helped _____ gain their position with _____.
70. I have taken the novice _____ under my wing, but I suspect their sibling _____ is involved in something nefarious.
71. I love my naive sibling _____, but I fear that their admiration for _____ is dangerous.
72. I have to keep my ambitions for revenge against _____ hidden from my sworn friend _____.
73. _____ would be furious if they knew _____ had involved me in secret plans.
74. _____ has given me private, secret training, but _____ will be enraged if they learn of it.
75. _____ has wormed themselves into the good graces of _____ because they have suspicions about me.
76. I have hidden that my sworn brother _____’s inattention caused the tragedy which haunts _____.
77. Despite asking them not to, _____ has begun to ask _____ about my past and I fear what they will learn.
78. I suspect _____ knows of my friendship with the wanted thief _____.
79. My companion _____ absolutely insists on listening to _____’s advice but I can tell they’re a fraud.
80. I suspect _____ knows much about my family’s destruction, but accusing them will offend _____.