Relationships

Relationships let you define meaningful connections between your story elements—like family ties, ownership, alliances, or spatial connections. Unlike element references (which track where elements are mentioned), relationships represent semantic connections that you explicitly define.

Quick Start

1. Open any worldbuilding element
2. Click the panel toggle button in the toolbar to show the meta panel
3. Click "Add Relationship" at the top of the panel
4. Select a relationship type (e.g., "Parent", "Sibling", "Located In")
5. Search and select the target element
6. Click Create to save the relationship

Understanding Relationships

Relationships vs. References

Feature	Element References (@mentions)	Relationships
Purpose	Track mentions in prose	Define semantic connections
Creation	Typing @ in documents	Explicit creation via dialog
Display	Inline links in text	Listed in side panel
Direction	Source → Target	Bidirectional (with inverse label)
Relationship types	Generic "references"	Familial, Social, Spatial, etc.

Bidirectional Relationships

When you create a relationship, it appears on both elements:

• Outgoing: Shows on the source element with the primary label (e.g., "Parent")
• Incoming (Backlink): Shows on the target element with the inverse label (e.g., "Child of")

For example, if you mark "Marcus" as the Parent of "Elena":

• On Marcus's page: Shows "Parent → Elena"
• On Elena's page: Shows "Child of → Marcus"

The parent element shows the outgoing "Parent" relationship

The child element shows the incoming "Child of" backlink

The Relationships Panel

The side panel organizes relationships by type, with each relationship type as its own expandable section.

Panel Structure

• Add Relationship button at the top
• Snapshots section for document version history
• Relationship type panels (e.g., "Parent", "Child of", "Sibling")
  • Each type expands/collapses independently
  • Shows count of relationships in that category
  • Lists all relationships of that type

Relationship Cards

Each relationship is displayed as a card showing:

• Element icon based on the element's template
• Element name as a clickable link
• Delete button to remove the relationship

Navigation

Click any relationship card to navigate directly to that element. This makes it easy to browse through your interconnected world.

Creating Relationships

The Add Relationship Dialog

Click "Add Relationship" to open the creation dialog:

1. Select Relationship Type: Choose from built-in or custom types
2. Search Target Element: Type to search for any element in your project
3. Create: Save the relationship

Relationship Types

Inkweld includes built-in relationship types organized by category. You can also create custom types in Project Settings → Relationship Types.

Familial Relationships

Type	Inverse Label	Use For
Parent	Child of	Parent-child family relationships
Sibling	Sibling of	Brothers, sisters, siblings
Spouse	Spouse of	Married couples, life partners

Social Relationships

Type	Inverse Label	Use For
Friend	Friend of	Friendships
Rival	Rival of	Antagonistic relationships
Mentor	Student of	Teacher-student dynamics
Colleague	Colleague of	Work or professional ties
Ally	Ally of	Political or strategic allies

Hierarchical Relationships

Type	Inverse Label	Use For
Leader	Follows	Leadership, command chains
Employer	Employee of	Work relationships
Master	Servant of	Formal service bonds

Spatial Relationships

Type	Inverse Label	Use For
Located In	Contains	Spatial containment
Owns	Owned by	Item ownership
Origin	Birthplace of	Origin or birthplace
Resides In	Home of	Where something currently is

General Relationships

Type	Inverse Label	Use For
References	Referenced by	Generic cross-references
Related To	Related To	Miscellaneous connections

Contextual Filtering

The dialog can filter relationship types based on the element's template. All elements can use any relationship type, but the dialog may highlight types that are commonly used with similar templates.

Working with Multiple Relationships

Elements often have many relationships. The panel groups them by type for easy scanning:

An element with Mentor, Rival, and Friend relationships grouped by type

Managing Relationships

• Expand/Collapse: Click any panel header to show or hide relationships of that type
• Navigate: Click a relationship card to open that element
• Delete: Click the trash icon on any card to remove the relationship

Custom Relationship Types

If the built-in types don't fit your story, create your own:

1. Go to Project Settings → click the Settings button in the sidebar
2. Click the Relationship Types tab
3. Click New Type
4. Enter a primary label (e.g., "Nemesis of")
5. Enter an inverse label (e.g., "Nemesis of") — can be the same if the relationship is symmetric
6. Click Create

Custom types appear alongside built-in types when creating relationships.

tip

Custom types follow the same bidirectional rules as built-in types. Think about how the relationship reads from each direction before naming it.

Tips & Best Practices

Plan Your Relationship Types

Before diving in, consider what types of relationships matter for your story:

• Family saga? Focus on familial relationships
• Political intrigue? Use hierarchical and alliance types
• Character-focused story? Emphasize social relationships between elements

Use Bidirectional Labels

When you create a relationship, think about how it reads from both directions:

• ✅ Marcus is Parent of Elena → Elena is Child of Marcus
• ✅ The sword is Owned by Marcus → Marcus Owns the sword

Combine with Element References

Relationships and element references complement each other:

1. Relationships: Define the connection type ("Elena is Marcus's daughter")
2. References: Track where they're mentioned together in your prose

Review Backlinks

Regularly check the backlinks section to see how elements connect:

1. Open an element's page
2. Check for incoming relationships like "Child of", "Friend of", "Rival of"
3. Use this to track social networks in your story

Troubleshooting

Relationship Not Appearing?

• Ensure you clicked Create in the dialog
• Check that the target element still exists
• Try refreshing the page

Wrong Relationship Type?

Delete the existing relationship and create a new one with the correct type. Relationships cannot be edited after creation—they must be deleted and recreated.

Missing Relationship Types?

See Custom Relationship Types above for how to create additional types in Project Settings.

Related Documentation

• Element References - Create inline @mentions in your prose
• Projects - Organize your writing projects