CHARACTER TYPE AND TROPE THESAURUS

DOOMSDAY PREPPER



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HELPFUL TIP:

Using a trope or archetype helps readers quickly understand a character, but stopping there creates a weak and predictable figure. Instead, add depth with a unique backstory, emotional wounds, and related fears and flaws. You can also break expectations with an unusual job, relationship, secret, or positive trait.
DESCRIPTION:
Paranoid and prepping for the end of the world, doomsday preppers have a very specific skillset, as well as access to resources that are in short supply elsewhere. Their knowledge and assets can be useful in certain scenarios, and these characters often become important contacts for the protagonist, supplying  exactly what's needed in the moment.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES:
Burt and Heather Gummer (Tremors), Hershel Greene (The Walking Dead), Howard Stambler (10 Cloverfield Lane), Dale Gribble (King of the Hill)

COMMON STRENGTHS:
ADAPTABLE, ALERT, ANALYTICAL, CAUTIOUS, FOCUSED, INDEPENDENT, INDUSTRIOUS, NATURE-FOCUSED, OBSERVANT, ORGANIZED, PRIVATE, PROACTIVE, PROTECTIVE, RESOURCEFUL, RESPONSIBLE, THRIFTY, TRADITIONAL

COMMON WEAKNESSES:
FANATICAL, NERVOUS, OBSESSIVE, PARANOID, PESSIMISTIC, REBELLIOUS, STUBBORN, SUSPICIOUS, UNCOOPERATIVE, WITHDRAWN

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES:
Stockpiling resources of food, fuel, weapons, tools, and more
Fortifying their homes or creating bunkers or underground shelters
Being resourceful
Having knowledge of local flora and fauna that could be harvested for food and other needs
Looking out for their family's interests
Being hard workers
Being skilled marksmen with guns or other weapons
Having a broad range of survival skills
Being self-reliant (growing their own food, making their own soap, harvesting rainwater, etc.)
Being mechanically minded and able to repair pretty much anything
Learning new skills that could help them survive an apocalypse
Being deeply concerned with the protection of their rights
Planning for a variety of doomsday scenarios
Networking with other preppers for support and knowledge sharing
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FEARS THAT MIGHT LIMIT THE CHARACTER:
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SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM:
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INNER STRUGGLES TO GIVE THEM DEPTH:
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CLICHÉS TO BE AWARE OF:
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TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO...:
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UNEXPECTED OCCUPATIONS FOR THIS CHARACTER:
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CREATE SOMETHING NEW:
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