Relationship Map
The Relationship Map visualizes your entire cast of characters and their connections in one interactive view. See who's connected to whom, discover clusters of related characters, and explore the web of relationships that brings your story to life.
Note: You must have connected relationships in order for the map to populate. If the map is empty or sparsely populated, add relationships using the Relationships Block on the character page and watch your network grow!
Understanding the Map
Each card on the map represents a character. Lines between cards show relationships, with labels indicating the relationship type (Friend, Nemesis, Mentor, etc.). Characters with many connections naturally appear more central, while isolated characters drift to the edges.
The map automatically identifies clusters of closely-related characters. Each cluster appears within a colored circle, making it easy to see factions, families, or social groups at a glance. A character needs at least one direct connection to another group member to be included in its circle: true outliers without any connections within a group are kept separate.
Pan and zoom to navigate the map. Click and drag to pan, scroll to zoom in and out. Double-click any empty space to reset the view.
Filtering Relationships
Use the Direction and Importance filters to focus on specific types of connections.
Direction Filter
- All: Shows all relationships regardless of direction
- Reciprocal: Only shows mutual relationships where both characters have defined a connection to each other
Tip: Reciprocal filtering helps you find mutual relationships. If Captain Courage calls Shadow Strike a "Partner" and Shadow Strike also has a relationship back to Captain Courage, that connection will appear. One-sided relationships are hidden.
Importance Filter
Filter by character importance level to focus on your key players:
- All: Shows all characters
- Primary: Only shows Primary importance characters
- Secondary: Only shows Secondary importance characters
- Background: Only shows Background importance characters
Note: Filtered-out characters appear faded rather than disappearing completely, so you can still see the overall structure while focusing on specific groups.
Exploring Connections
Captain Courage
Primary
Relationships
Click any character card to select them. The map highlights their direct connections while fading other characters into the background. A details panel slides in showing all of that character's relationships.
Character Details Panel
The details panel lists every relationship for the selected character:
- Character name at the top with their importance level
- Relationship list showing connected characters and relationship types
- Direction arrows indicating relationship direction (→ outgoing, ← incoming, ↔ mutual)
Click any character name in the list to jump to that character's relationships, navigating through your web of connections.
Tip: Hover over a relationship in the panel to highlight that specific connection on the map. This helps you trace complex relationship chains.
Arranging Characters
Drag any character card to move it wherever you want on the map. The moment you release, the character stays put and a small pin icon appears on the card to show it has been placed. Your arrangement is saved instantly and remembered between sessions, so your mental map of who-knows-who stays exactly the way you left it.
Unpinning Characters
Right-click a pinned character to release it. The pin icon disappears and the character moves back to where it would normally sit based on its connections.
Reset Positions
When you have pinned characters, a Reset Positions button appears in the toolbar showing how many characters are pinned. Click it to clear all custom positions at once — you'll be asked to confirm before anything changes.
Tip: Drag your protagonist to the center of the map and arrange supporting characters around them to match how you think about your story's social structure.
View Settings
Click the View Settings button to customize how the map appears.
Line Arc
Controls how curved the relationship lines are. Straight lines (0) create a clean, geometric look. Higher values add more curvature, which can help distinguish overlapping connections.
Relationship Labels
Toggle whether relationship type labels appear on the lines. Hide them for a cleaner view when you're focused on the overall structure rather than specific relationship types.
Line Color Saturation
- Grayscale: All lines appear gray, focusing attention on structure
- Normal: Lines use colors based on the source character (default)
- Full: Fully saturated colors for maximum visual distinction
Card Display
Choose what appears below each character's name:
- Importance: Shows the character's importance level (Primary, Secondary, Background)
- Connections: Shows the number of relationships ("3 Relationships")
- None: Shows only the character name for a minimal view
Tips for Writers
- Map your villain's network: Select your antagonist and explore who they're connected to
- Find isolated characters: Characters not in any colored circle may need more connections
- Check for missing mutuals: Use Reciprocal filter to ensure important relationships go both ways
- Visualize factions: Colored clusters reveal natural alliances and rivalries
- Track relationship complexity: Switch Card Display to "Connections" to see who has the most relationships
- Arrange your own way: Drag characters into positions that match your mental model of the story: group allies together, place rivals across from each other
Note: The Relationship Map only shows relationships created through the Relationships Block on character pages. To add relationships, navigate to a character's page and use the Relationships Block in Edit mode.