CONFLICT THESAURUS

UNDERESTIMATING DANGER



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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:
Failures and mistakes, relationship friction, increased pressure and ticking clocks, dangers and threats

NOTES:
This entry highlights conflict scenarios resulting from a character's misreading of a dangerous or life-threatening situation. For mistakes that aren't quite as serious, see HAVING POOR JUDGMENT.

EXAMPLES:
The character accepting a ride from a stranger 
Sustaining an injury after ignoring a hazard while hiking, skiing, or boating
Venturing out to drive in unsafe conditions
Getting too close to a wild animal
Taking a shortcut through a high crime neighborhood
Underestimating the number of drinks a friend has had and assuming they're fine to drive
Undergoing a risky elective surgical procedure that goes wrong
Deciding to ride out a hurricane or snowstorm that ends up being much more dangerous than anticipated
Opening the apartment building door to someone who has violent intentions
Meeting someone for the first time in a secluded place 
Leaving one's children at home alone when they're not responsible or mature enough
Leaving a small child unattended near a hazard (a steep hill, a pool, an open gate to the street)
The character believing they can manage their addiction
Attempting to break up a fistfight that escalates when someone pulls a weapon
Jumping into a body of water without knowing its depth or what lies beneath the surface
Putting off critical medical care for oneself or a family member

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
Sustaining a minor injury, such as bruises or scrapes
Getting a ticket or being fined
Having to go hungry because the character didn't stockpile enough resources to outlast a major weather event
Having to rely on strangers for assistance
Having to shelter in place
A disruption in cell service making it difficult for the character to call for help
Having to hide or wait out a threat (say, for an animal to move on from the area, or for the tide to go out, etc.)
Initiating a lengthy legal battle against a medical practitioner
Getting into a minor car accident
Being stuck for a prolonged amount of time with people the character doesn't like
Having to be rescued by police, firefighters, or paramedics 
Facing the danger alone, without any help 

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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