EMOTION AMPLIFIER THESAURUS

SCRUTINY



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HELPFUL TIP:

Amplifiers are conditions that enhance emotions, causing characters to become more volatile. This often leads to impaired decision-making, hasty actions, relationship friction, and, best of all, mistakes. When utilizing an amplifier to generate conflict, think carefully about setting choices and which environments will naturally escalate emotion. An amplifier can also be perfect for triggering your character’s negative traits; the resulting fallout will draw attention to how his flaws trip him up and hold him back.
DESCRIPTION:
Scrutiny occurs when a character becomes acutely aware that they're being observed or critically examined. This state is an uncomfortable one categorized by feelings of unease, uncertainty, and annoyance.

PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS:
Becoming unnaturally stiff
The character's face reddening
Rubbing the back of their neck or rolling their shoulders
Raising a shoulder up and ducking their head
The character casting side-eye glances at the observer
Visible swallowing
Sweating
Tucking their chin against their neck
Tilting their head down, cheek-to-shoulder
Pulling at clothes (suddenly feeling hot)
Nervously flashing a polite smile at the observer
Taking care with what they say
Blinking more often
Licking their lips
Touching their face or the skin at their throat
Avoiding eye contact (or maintaining it, to show compliance)
Stuttering or speaking too fast
Buying time to quell their fear—e.g., pretending not to hear a question
Avoiding suspicion by saying and doing what's expected
Double-checking their work, appearance, etc.
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INTERNAL SENSATIONS:
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MENTAL RESPONSES:
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ACUTE OR LONG-TERM CUES:
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EFFORTS TO HIDE THE DISCOMFORT OF BEING SCRUTINIZED:
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ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS:
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EMOTIONS GENERATED BY THIS AMPLIFIER:
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DUTIES OR DESIRES THAT MAY BE MORE DIFFICULT TO FULFILL:
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SCENARIOS FOR BUILDING CONFLICT AND TENSION:
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WRITER’S TIP:
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