CONFLICT THESAURUS

BEING ASSAULTED BY A STRANGER



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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:
Dangers and threats, loss of control, power struggles, ego-related conflict

NOTES:
An assault will naturally erode safety and control for the character, making this a physically and emotionally painful event. Not only will the attack itself be difficult, but so will the aftereffects, so keep this in mind when employing this conflict.

EXAMPLES:
Being mugged
Being assaulted by someone who is delusional or on drugs
Being attacked and tortured in a case of mistaken identity
Experiencing a sexual assault
Becoming the target of a hate crime
An attempt to stop a burglary or home invasion turning violent
Being forced by sadistic captors into conflict with someone else
Being targeted as part of a hazing or ritual induction activity
Standing up for someone who is being brutalized and becoming the attacker's new target

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
Disorientation by the suddenness of the attack and aftereffects of shock
Sustaining minor injuries (a black eye, bruises, sore muscles, scrapes, etc.)
Having to explain what happened to others
Feeling vulnerable and exposed and having to mask it 
Being humiliated if friends or loved ones witnessed the attack
The attack preceding an important event (a college scholarship interview, the character's wedding, etc.), when physical signs of the assault are still visible
Possessions being broken in the scuffle
Clothing being ruined
A purse or wallet being taken
Having to file a police report
Difficulty recalling the details in the aftermath

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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