WRITING

Who is the Big Bad?

Day 10 Preptober writing prompt challenge

Day 10: What is your antagonist’s biggest secret?

Who/what is my antagonist in Knot That Hot?

Hmm… this one requires exploration. I don’t have an outright antagonist for this particular book though there will be a series antagonist weaved through. As far as the Jack and Mario relationship, they will, of course, be each other’s antagonists to some extent but that isn’t going to cut it.

So, the question is:

What keeps Jack and Mario apart until their inevitable coming together (Mario — please!)?

Jack

For Jack, he’s a little oblivious to himself. Though he is older and has seen a lot in his life and through his jobs, he’s still quite unattached from himself. It’s interesting because he’s made it his mission in life to go after his dreams and goals and he thinks that means that he knows what he wants. In fact, he prides himself on knowing what he wants, but when he comes to love and even attraction, he has no damn clue. So for Jack, the only thing really getting in the way is his own uncertainty. So then the question becomes:

Where did Jack’s uncertainty in self come from?

I feel like for Jack, there’s a pang of internal guilt he’s never quite admitted to or embraced about what happened to his brother. It’s almost like he became so obsessed with being like his brother and living out the life he believes his brother would have wanted him to live rather than looking inside of himself. That need to reach a goal for someone else is transferred to Mark as his new boss at the Bow. Jack wants to achieve his dream but it’s almost like he can only do that by living it out exactly as he planned he should and that requires doing as he is told, no matter what it is. It’s why he did so well in his other roles. So, without realizing it, Jack makes Mark his antagonist.

Mario

OK, I feel like Mario has someone in the circus itself who may be problematic. Not an ex-partner because I feel like… OH! OK, I think that thought trail quickly took me where I need to go. I was about to say I feel like Mario doesn’t do relationships and that is where the antagonist in his part of the story comes from. OH! Ohhhhh….

Oh OK, this just got interesting because I know who it is! So, the backstory is that Mario… well, he likes to have fun. He is androsexual/uranic and has been with most of the staff (performers and otherwise) who identify as men and masc-leaning trans/non-binary. Including Bart, the Bow’s escape artist, and Mark’s brother. Bart wanted to own Mario and not in a way Mario had any interest in being owned. Boy, did that make things awkward. Bart was always… well, nothing like his loud, exuberant, flamboyant brother. He was difficult and to Mario, it was a conquest to bed him. If he knew Bart thought it was more than a night of fun, he would not have taken it as the challenge he did. Ever since, Mario has been trying to smooth it over but Bart seems set on making his life difficult, and as the brother of the circus owner/manager he could make Mario’s life VERY difficult.

Antagonistic Secrets

So, circling back to the question of the day, what are their biggest secrets?

Mark

Mark’s biggest secret has very little to do with this book, haha. But in relation to his position as an antagonist for Jack, I guess you could say his biggest secret is that he has an impeccable gay-dar and a sense for personal connection. He hires Jack because he senses a disturbance in the straight-force and he sees how Mario notices Jack. Mark loves Mario like a son, or perhaps more so, a very annoying little brother, and he’s never seen him look at anyone the way he does Jack. Oh, and Jack ties a mean rope and he totally intends on turning Jack into his Shibari expert for a little night show he has planned!

Bart

This might be obvious but yes, Bart thinks he is totally in love with Mario. He isn’t trying to make his life difficult but for some reason, whenever he has to assign tasks or help Mark with the administrative aspects of the Bow, his need to hide his crush from Mario usually results in him overcompensating and giving Mario the worst possible tasks — just so no-one thinks he is favoriting Mario. Oh, Bart! I’m glad we get to sort you out in book two.

Insider Information

A little note on the above. Mark knows Bart has a thing for Mario but he also knows that Mario is not Bart’s person. He holds nothing against Mario and loves them both dearly.

And that, my readers, is how I discovered the Knot That Hot antagonists. Well done me and thanks for coming along for the ride. We’ll see you tomorrow.