Which Throughline does this Concern belong to?

writing
#1

I’m having trouble determining where a major concern in my story belongs in the storyform. Would love any questions or input:

OS Big Picture: bunch of college kids try to rob a drug dealer, and this goes badly.
OS Goal: Learn how to get out of there alive.

Part of this team (who doesn’t want to be involved at all, actually) is a character currently called Sister.

Sister’s Concern: Wants to get her brother off of drugs—he’s a huge and troubled addict.

Is this the MC, OS, or RS Concern?

So, there you go. I come with a problem and leave with more problems. ¡Ay yay yay!

#2

This problem has been solved.

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#3

Do you have any wisdom about how you worked it out?

#4

I do.

In short, wanting to get her brother off drugs is a motivation, and as it turns out, it’s sort of secondary to saving her brother’s life. She wants him off drugs in general, but her goal—specific to the boundaries of the movie—is more like “save his life” because staying on drugs keeps him tied to a group of friends, who get themselves into a really bad situation as the movie develops. Keeping him off drugs is a Requirement. That puts it squarely in the OS.

Also, although it’s her motivation, it’s not her problem. That really has to be something much more specific and unique to her, and it was almost so obvious that I couldn’t see it: she has to weigh How responsible to I have to be for my brother?

That puts her into Mind and makes it unique to her.

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#5

Thank you this really helps. I really struggle with disentangle throughlines (which is so fundamental I know!)

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#6

There are still several movies that we’ve dissected in the DUG that have throughlines I can’t disentangle and I find it so frustrating!

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