CONFLICT THESAURUS

HAVING TO HURT SOMEONE TO SAVE THEM FROM A WORSE FATE



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HELPFUL TIP:

Conflict is your story’s secret sauce, supplying tension, relationship 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:
No-win scenarios, moral dilemmas and temptations, duty and responsibility, relationship friction, losing an advantage

NOTES:
This thorny situation has no simple solution and can birth a lot of conflict for a character. For specific examples, see HAVING TO DECIDE TO HELP OR DO NOTHING, LEAVING SOMEONE TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS, BEING THE BEARER OF BAD NEWS, HAVING TO BREAK A PROMISE, and HAVING TO PUNISH SOMEONE.

EXAMPLES:
The character having to confront someone about unhealthy attitudes or habits
Breaking up with someone because the character knows it won't work out in the long run
Turning down an unqualified or inexperienced job candidate
Turning someone in for committing a crime 
Evicting a loved one so they can learn to stand on their own feet
The character having to hold a student back in school
Forbidding a relationship between a loved one and someone who would be bad for them  
Turning someone down for a loan they won't be able to repay
Reporting someone who is struggling with a mental condition, abuse, or neglect so they can be helped
Holding an intervention for a loved one with an addiction problem
The character surrendering their parental rights because they can't care for their child
Cutting off contact with a loved one before they're hurt by an upcoming decision
Issuing a consequence so a child can learn from their mistakes
Intervening to remove bad influences from a teen's life
Sharing a friend's secret about abuse, an unhealthy relationship, or a harmful habit
Choosing to give bad news to a friend so they won't hear it from a stranger

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
Procrastinating over doing the difficult thing
Trying to find the right words to explain one's actions
Doing the deed without sufficient preparation
Taking a get-it-over-with approach and one's lack of tact causing more pain 
Having good intentions but lacking all the necessary information or details
The other party not appreciating the character's choice or method of delivery
Developing a reputation for meddling in the affairs of others
Friends and loved ones disagreeing with the character's decision
The character having to make the difficult decision on their own (due to privacy issues)

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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