CONFLICT THESAURUS

BEING BLACKMAILED



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CHOOSE MY PLAN

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, moral dilemmas and temptation, loss of control, ego-related conflict, no-win scenarios

EXAMPLES:
Blackmail occurs when one party demands compensation of some kind in return for not revealing potentially damaging (true or false) information about the victim. The possibilities for a blackmail scenario are virtually limitless when you consider the many secrets a victim may not want revealed combined with the demands the blackmailer could make. Below are a few brainstorming options to get the wheels turning:

Secrets about the victim that a blackmailer could threaten to reveal:
An affair
A hit and run accident from the past
A murder
A crime committed by their child
Damaging correspondence between the victim and another party
Information about a loved one that would be considered taboo in that time period or setting (a mental condition, their sexual orientation, attending Communist meetings in the 1940s, etc.)
Racist comments
Accusations that were silenced or covered up
Nepotism in high places
Proof of lies
Sexual inappropriateness

In return for the blackmailer's silence, they may demand...
Money
Valuable items
Sexual favors
Verbal support for them or their cause
A coveted job for an ally
A scholarship or acceptance to a prestigious school for their child
That their legislation, permitting, or paperwork be pushed through
That the victim turn a blind eye to the blackmailer's criminal behavior
The victim remove him or herself from an influential position

MINOR COMPLICATIONS:
Lost sleep from worrying that the secret will get out
Inability to focus on work or school
Lying to many people and losing track of what has been said to whom
Having to come up with cover stories (for who the blackmailer is, where the character disappeared to for the past three hours, etc.)
Disagreeing with a confidante about what course of action should be taken
Having to cover when friends notice a change in the victim's appearance (rapid weight loss, fatigue, lack of hygiene, etc.)

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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