CONFLICT THESAURUS

UNWANTED SCRUTINY



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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, increased pressure and ticking clocks, failures and mistakes, relationship friction, duty and responsibility, moral dilemmas and temptation, ego-related conflict

EXAMPLES:
The character being assigned an overseer to watch their every move
Drawing unwanted attention when trying to stay under the radar
Doing something by mistake that raises the suspicions of others
A lapse in judgment that causes others to change how they view the character, creating wariness and mistrust
Having to report to someone higher up (and feeling watched by others who will be happy to tattle)
The stakes being raised to a point that everyone is focused on the outcome
A loss of trust that causes another to monitor the character's activities
Being followed or investigated
The character's performance (decisions, judgments, etc.) being evaluated in a test
The character's loyalty being called into question, resulting in less freedom and autonomy
An increase in security measures that makes it harder to circumvent them
Being caught up in something by accident (wrong place, wrong time) that leads to being monitored for further "transgressions"
Being placed under a microscope because of racism, prejudice, or bias
Celebrity-like status that keeps the character's activities in the public eye

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
Having very little privacy
Having to deal with more red tape
The character needing to report their activities or actions in a way they didn't need to before
Delays caused by increased security or new processes that have been implemented
Being assigned to a partner or a team instead of being allowed to work independently
Having to adhere to new protocol
The character's work having to be approved by someone else
Being forced to wait on certain objectives until the scrutiny passes
Losing out on an opportunity

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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