CONFLICT THESAURUS

HAVING FEELINGS FOR SOMEONE ONE SHOULDN'T



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HELPFUL TIP:

Conflict is your story’s secret sauce, supplying tension, friction, and complications to a character’s journey. It comes in a million different forms, so identify the obstacles and problems that will hit your character the hardest by using the Character Builder to uncover their primary insecurities, fears , and desires. Don’t forget to include everyday conflict scenarios that will frustrate them and keep the pressure high.
CATEGORY:
Power struggles, failures and mistakes, relationship friction, duty and responsibility, moral dilemmas and temptation

EXAMPLES:
Desiring a family member's spouse
Wanting a relationship with a friend's significant other
A professor having feelings for a student (or vice-versa)
An employer wanting to be with their employee
Having feelings for a co-worker (when fraternization is not allowed or the co-worker is with someone else)
A married person developing feelings for someone else (who may also be spoken-for)
Developing feelings for someone who is much older or much younger
Falling for one's enemy, opponent, or captor
An officer wanting to be with a subordinate
Wanting a friendship to become something more when that friend has other romantic interests
Being attracted to someone of a specific gender that causes the character to fear rejection (and so they think they shouldn't have those feelings)

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
Embarrassment (if their feelings are made known and not returned)
Friction in their other relationships (caused by guilt, shame, and secrets)
Disrupting their routine so they can spend more time around the other person
Having to answer uncomfortable questions about their odd behavior around that person (leading to evasiveness, denial, or lying)
Rumors starting to fly
Damage to their reputation

POTENTIALLY DISASTROUS RESULTS:
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RESULTING EMOTIONS:
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POSSIBLE INTERNAL STRUGGLES:
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PEOPLE WHO COULD BE NEGATIVELY AFFECTED:
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NEGATIVE TRAITS THAT COULD MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE:
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IMPACT ON BASIC NEEDS:
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WOUNDS THIS COULD LEAD TO:
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POSITIVE TRAITS TO HELP THE CHARACTER COPE:
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POSITIVE OUTCOMES:
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