A story in which a flawed but sympathetic hero sheds the behaviour holding them back, and a kind universe rewards them with the life they were always meant to have.
A story in which a villain protagonist refuses to change, and a kind universe denies them everything — handing victory to the hero on the other side of the Trifecta.
A story in which a morally admirable protagonist refuses to abandon their principles, and a cruel universe destroys them for it.
A story in which a protagonist sheds their last remaining decency, and a cruel universe rewards them for it.
The three-character moral engine of every story: the Protagonist who must change, the Antagonist who refuses to, and the Muse who shows what change looks like.
The character the story is structurally about — the one whose habit drives every plot decision and whose final choice determines the ending.
The character who mirrors the Protagonist's worst habit, but worse and by choice — a living portrait of what the Protagonist will become if they never change.
The character who embodies the moral alternative to the Protagonist's habit, teaching by example rather than instruction.
The character who saves the day: the one the audience is rooting for, who actively reaches for a moral outcome — regardless of whether they are the Protagonist.
The character who threatens or corrupts the world of the story: the one the audience wants to see stopped or defeated — regardless of whether they are the Protagonist.
The authority figure who taught the Protagonist their Bad Habit, with good intentions and the wrong philosophy.
The Tragedy equivalent of the King — more complicit, actively sustaining the Protagonist's Flaw rather than merely originating it.
A dead King whose law still governs the Protagonist's behaviour long after they are gone.
The moral force that judges characters and rewards those who follow its Law — and must always speak through a character in the story world.
The neutral character who establishes the rules of the Strange World in the first half, then returns to enforce the verdict in the second.
A character's fixed social identity in the world — the position that makes the Protagonist's talent ironic and creates instant dramatic friction.
The Protagonist's exceptional skill placed in the social position least expected or permitted to have it.
The only character trait that can change — a destructive behaviour learned from the King's Law that the Protagonist must shed to reach Heaven on Earth.
The Muse's defining quality: the direct moral opposite of the Protagonist's Bad Habit, embodied without compromise.
The hierarchy of skill across the Trifecta: the Antagonist is competent but not ironic, the Muse has none.
The three-region moral landscape of the story, where each region treats the Protagonist's traits differently.
Where the story begins: the Habit is normal here, the King rules, and the Protagonist's talent is unwelcome.
Where most of the story unfolds: the Protagonist's talent has value here, but their habit is punished.
The specific life the Protagonist earns by shedding their habit — not what they wanted, but what they needed all along.
The survival philosophy the Protagonist inherited: do whatever it takes to get by — and it will get them the McGuffin, but never Heaven.
The moral philosophy the Protagonist must learn: live the right way — and the only one that leads to Heaven on Earth.
The external mechanism that channels the Protagonist's talent through the Muse while concealing the Habit — and that the Antagonist takes away in the second half.
The prize all three Trifecta characters are chasing for different reasons — what the Protagonist wants, as opposed to what they need.
The precise moral statement at the heart of the story, from which every character trait and every plot decision is generated.
The eight-sequence circular structure of every TSM story, with Heaven on Earth at the top as both origin point and destination.
A series of scenes showing the consequences of the Protagonist's decisions, ending in a moment that forces a new choice.
The decision scene at the end of each sequence — the six moments where the Protagonist actively chooses, plus the two moments where the universe rewards them.
The exact halfway point of the story: a false victory where the Protagonist wins the McGuffin the wrong way, with the Habit still intact.
The structural relationship between the first and second halves of the Circle, where everything built in sequences A–D is tested and inverted in AA–DD.
The connective logic that links every scene to the next through consequence rather than coincidence.
Quality checks for the Genie, the McGuffin, and the Archetype to ensure they are structurally sound before you build around them.
The Midpoint win: the Protagonist got the right prize, by the wrong method, with the Habit still running — and the second half is the reckoning.