by Shannon Appelcline
Archive of TT&T Archives
FADE IN: NARRATOR (V.O.) Last time, on Why Marrach isn't the movies. EXT. CASTLE MARRACH - DAY SHANNON (smiling broadly) I want to talk about how Marrach isn't the movies ... about the differences between the two mediums ... INT. PRACTICE ROOM - A WHILE AGO Suddenly Victor lunges at Martini who just barely gets his sword up in time. The duel has begun! SIR LAUNFAL Ah ... Ah ... You may begin! Swords clang! Victor has the upper hand! Then Martini! Then Victor! Then Martini again! This is very exciting! PUZZLE, a very pretty but poorly understood young woman, watches the duel with her hands clutched to her breast. Her auburn-brown hair has recently been cut cruelly short; it's obvious that she was a true beauty when her long locks flowed down her back. The careful viewer realizes that the column author is officially cheating, introducing new footage that wasn't actually seen last time. The sounds of the duel fade into the background. There's lots of GRUNTING and CURSING and a few "Sorry about that"s and "Excuse me"s coming from the two duelists. PUZZLE (softly) Oh, woe is me, for I fear that my true love Martini does not even know that I exist. To him, I must appear a boyish waif. Puzzle places the back of her hand upon her forehead and for a moment it appears that she might faint. Nearby stands MORTIMER, a broad-shouldered, dark-haired man cloaked entirely in shadows. He glances at Puzzle, then Martini, and a look that might be jealousy crosses his face. MORTIMER (softly in Martini's direction) You shall not have her. Martini glances suddenly into the shadows, as if he had heard the words. Victor takes advantage of the distraction and kicks Martini in the ribs! MARTINI Agh! Victor seizes the moment and stabs Martini through the right arm! Martini falls to the ground! INT. THE PRACTICE ROOM - A WHILE AGO The crowd has thronged around Martini. They are patting him on the back, touching him on the shoulder, or just giving him the thumbs up sign. SNIDE WOMAN (running her hands through Martini's hair) You won today just by fighting, Marty ... Martini looks up at Snide Woman and smiles. INT. A MOVIE SET PORTRAYING LAUNFAL'S OFFICE - DAY BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED SERA (gasping) A snood! I just wanted a snood! She begins to cry. Sir Launfal looks around to see if there's anyone to help. There isn't. INT. THE SKOTOS OFFICE - NIGHT SHANNON And that's it for me this week folks. Sometime soon I'll finish this off by talking about how movies are self-contained. It's kind of a mirror-image to this episode because it also talks about how text games can be improved by making them less like real life. (pauses) And just to tantalize you, let me offer the following preview: one of our actors from this week tries to jump off the parapet. FADE TO: EXT. THE SKOTOS PATIO - NIGHT SHANNON is perched casually in the Skotos Hot Tub, sipping a Mimosa and looking out at the stars clustering over the darkened San Francisco Bay. He seems a little less disheveled than last time, and also appears to have lost some weight. He's still tired. The Mimosa seems to be helping though. SHANNON Welcome back folks, for what I expect to be the last installment of this particular mini-series. Yeah, this is all pretty decadent, but the Skotos House came with the hot tub pre-installed. What can you do? SUPERIMPOSE: JULY 26, 2001. SHANNON As you may recall my subject this time is containment. Movies are contained; Marrach isn't. I want to explore that. (frowning momentarily) I suspect I'm confusing some of you right now because I've previously talked about spatial containment, and Marrach is definitely spatially contained. You can't get out! (pauses) This time around though I'm talking about chronological containment ... or maybe plotological containment. Yeah, I did just make that word up. Containment of plot I mean. Shannon finishes off his Mimosa and looks around sadly for a moment before deciding that neither more Orange Juice nor more Champagne has miraculously materialized upon the patio. He then picks up a book that has been lying to the side of the hot tub. Its cover displays the title The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and below that the name "Michael Chabon". SHANNON Berkeley author. Pulitzer Prize winner. Good stuff. (pauses, then waves the book around a bit) My point is that in this book here, just like in a movie, your story has three parts--beginning, middle, and end. (pauses) Or as Aristotle so aptly named them: Act I, Act II, and Act III. (pauses) You get meaningful change! You get finality! You get closure! (pauses) At least until the sequel comes out. Shannon tosses the book to the side of the hot tub with a lack of respect that seems inappropriate for a Pulitzer Prize winner by a Berkeley author. Ah well. SHANNON Instead, in Marrach, you have ... continuity. Unending continuity. To some extent it's a real benefit of the medium, but it can be a weakness too. Shannon glances across the patio at a clock on the opposite wall which reveals the time to be 10:37. Probably pm, given the darkness, but there's always the possibility that it's the morning and nuclear winter has set in or some such. SUPERIMPOSE: PART III: MOVIES ARE A CONTAINED MEDIUM. SHANNON Let's see, it's 10:37 on a Thursday. If I'm not grossly mistaken one of the Castle denizens is this very moment proving my point. (pauses) Go ahead! I'll catch up! Shannon stands up, grabs a towel, and starts drying himself. Meanwhile, everything goes fuzzy ... EXT. A SNOWY PARAPET - NIGHT A shadowy figure stands on the parapet, leaning out into the wind. The figure's face is revealed as that of the SNIDE WOMAN. SNIDE WOMAN Ah! How could he forsake me!? Snide Woman leans out into the wind. Then she glances around to see if anyone's watching. No one is. She frowns and steps back from the edge for a moment. SNIDE WOMAN (much louder) Ah! How could he forsake me!? She pauses, then begins to lean into the wind again. She smiles when she hears the rapid thumping of footsteps coming from the direction of the door that leads into the Practice Room. SEVERIN (bursting through the door) Anastasis! Don't do it! ANASTASIS (SNIDE WOMAN) leans further into the wind and lets her eyes go wide as she looks at the rocks so far below. ANASTASIS I am ruined! The Winter Weasels speak such things of me! None protect my honor! And my love has forsaken me! This is sad! This is melodramatic! Anastasis is really throwing herself into the role, though not off the parapet. Shannon slowly fades in though no one seems to notice him. SHANNON If you're worried about the life of this Sera ... don't be. I'll tell you a secret. (pauses) She does the same thing every Thursday at 10:37 pm. A half-dozen death threats to date, but no new bones at the base of Mount Arden. Shannon looks sadly at Severin for a moment, who is speaking entreatingly to Anastasis and seems considerably more terrified than she. SHANNON I found the plot a little ... distasteful and uncomfortable the first time it played out. The fifth time I just thought ... that's not how they do it in movies. (pauses) Which is pretty much my point. Repetition could spoil even a good plot, and it's a real danger in a continuous game. Severin finally stands up on the parapet next to Anastasis and manages to drag her back onto the balcony. SHANNON (rolling his eyes) Saved again. And then everything begins to fade away. INT. THE SKOTOS OFFICE - NIGHT Shannon's poor little laptop has been shoved cruelly to the side, replaced by a looming, black IBM. It looks evil. The whiteboard is clean this time, as if Shannon had actually expected to be filming a column today and had actually prepared ahead of time. Shannon fades back in, once more slumping unergonomically in his ergonomic chair. Some people just don't learn. SHANNON So, repetition, that's the number one reason you don't get containment in Marrach. (pauses) There's a number two reason also, which not surprisingly comes right after number one. You can lose containment in Marrach by opening closed plots. (pauses) That might not make sense yet. Fortunately I've ... literally ... dreamed up a sequence to explain it. (pauses) Before I go on I'll comment that a dream sequence is one of many techniques you see in movies but not in online games ... and someday I'll write about them. But, in the meantime, just enjoy the imaginings of my warped brain. Shannon closes his eyes and just sits there for a moment, frowning. Then his breathing becomes shallower and a smile spreads across his face. He's falling asleep. Everything goes blurry and starts to spin, like it does in movies from the 1970s when the director is trying to show that a dream sequence is about to begin. FADE TO RED: The red is slowly revealed to be a set of red curtains occluding a stage. INT. THE RED ROOM - DAY The curtains pull back revealing a stage. The stage's wooden floor is made up of two zig-zagging hues of wood. A strange music begins to play! The BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED SERA is dancing upon the stage. She has grown very, very short. She has no snood. BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED SERA Moor der! Moor der! She dances off the stage. PUZZLE sits in a corner of the stage, cutting off a long braid of hair with a dueling sword. When done she fashions it into a circlet, kisses it, then looks across the stage at ... MARTINI, who is methodically peeling potatos with a long dueling blade. He is steadfastly looking the opposite direction from Puzzle. There is an immense pile of peeled potatos next to Martini. PUZZLE Uoy evol I! Puzzle throws her braided circlet away. It is lost in the shadows. She turns away from Martini and tears begin to run down her cheeks. Martini glances up at the sound of sobbing, sheathes his sword, then creeps across the stage until he is standing just behind Puzzle. MARTINI Lufituaeb os er'uoy! There is no response, and Martini turns away just as Puzzle looks at him. Then Puzzle turns back away as Martini turns around again. They play this game for several moments. Then, miraculously, they both turn at the same moment. Their eyes meet! It's kismet! Or dumb luck! Or something! PUZZLE Uoy evol I! MARTINI Em yrram! PUZZLE Sey! Martini offers Puzzle a golden ring with a miniature snow globe on it. She places it on her left ring finger. Martini and Puzzle smile! Life is good! They're going to live happily ever after! Then, MORTIMER stalks out of the shadows. He's carrying Puzzle's braid. He's looking very handsome and dangerous and all of that black is really a turn on. MORTIMER ElzzuP oot uoy evol I. Strangely, Martini doesn't seem to notice. He's not paying much attention to Puzzle at all, really, instead having returned to that weird potato thing. PUZZLE Em serongi initraM, kceh wa. (pauses) Truoc s'tel! Mortimer places the braid circlet on Puzzle's head. Then, Mortimer and Puzzle begin to dance, Mortimer's clothes changing from black to white and back as they do. As they dance, Puzzle's engagement ring slips off her finger making a loud CLANGING sound. Martini glances at the fallen ring, but soon returns to his potatos. PUZZLE (to Mortimer) Uoy evol I! Mortimer and Puzzle smile! Life is good! They're going to live happily ever after! Then Martini stands, suddenly aware of what's going on. He shakes his finger in Mortimer's face and begins to shout. MARTINI I shake my finger in your face! You stole my name! You stole my woman! I shall win them back! And, as Martini begins to speak forward rather than backward, the red room music comes to a sudden crashing halt, and the viewer begins to realize that it's all about to start over again. But we won't have to see it! The curtains close. INT. THE SKOTOS OFFICE - NIGHT Shannon slowly wakes. SHANNON (groggily) Sure, this type of thing happens in real life, but it doesn't have much place in a movie. (pauses) After you watch your favorite romantic comedy, you really don't want to know if they're going to break up in three months' time, or that she's going to end up with dishpan hands and four screaming infants, or that he's going to start wearing a toupee and carrying on with a woman half his age. (pauses) The point is, in a movie you get closure. Happily ever after. Plots can be more satisfying because you know they're done, that real change has occurred. (pauses) But Marrach keeps on going ... Shannon abruptly stands up, grabbing a marker and nearly lunging at his clean whiteboard. It's like he finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel. The end is near! Shannon writes "Movies are contained." SHANNON Just to reiterate, in movies you get a beginning, a middle, and most importantly an end. Plots seems more important because you know the changes are permanent. (pauses) And not being one to just complain I'm going to offer some ideas for how to do that in Marrach too. Shannon writes "1. Respect plot closures." SHANNON Sure, sometimes it's fun to break up Puzzle and Martini after the major plot concluded that got them together ... but use this technique sparingly. (pauses) More frequently, try and respect plot closure and instead introduce other difficulties that evolve naturally from the earlier plots. Shannon blinks a few times and a number of brief images tumble by. INT. PUZZLE'S INNER BAILEY GUEST ROOM - THE FUTURE Puzzle is strapping a sword on and wiggling into worn leather armor. PUZZLE I must once more don my boyish clothes to save Martini from the wintry hordes of the Ice Giant beneath Arden. INT. THE PRACTICE ROOM - THE FUTURE Martini is sitting on one of the tables, his face in his hands. MARTINI (quietly sobbing) I am shamed! How shall I face the Duelists after I was rescued by my wife? INT. PUZZLE'S INNER BAILEY GUEST ROOM - THE FUTURE Martini is backed up against the door. Puzzle is shouting at him and waving a snood about dangerously. PUZZLE How could you let Victor take little Olive? Will we ever see our adopted daughter again? INT. THE SKOTOS OFFICE - NIGHT Shannon blinks a few more times. It's probably that Mimosa. Or maybe the fact that he forgot to cap his marker. Shannon writes "2. Don't repeat the same plots, even if it's in character." SHANNON This one is pretty self evident. It's easy to get stuck on a single character trait, like Anastasis did earlier tonight. It might even be appropriate for your character to do so. (pauses) But at least try and find different ways to express that same personality trait. Jump off the parapet one week and put half the Castle in danger another. Whatever. (pauses) Better would be to figure out how your character grows each time and thus acts differently the next time around. (pauses) This might not be realistic, as real people can take much longer to change ... but it's much more dramatic and thus makes better stories. Shannon writes "3. Don't be afraid to break things." SHANNON So how can you create really impressive closure with a plot, and make it obvious that your plot points are contained and won't be changed? (pauses) Blow things up! Shannon smiles wryly for a moment, then the whole scene shifts. EXT. CASTLE MARRACH - NIGHT Castle Marrach explodes. SCREAMS and SHOUTS arise from the crowd of Castle Dwellers, which begins to huddle together. One Beautifully Dressed Sera's voice can be heard above the DIN. BEAUTIFULLY DRESSED SERA My gowns! My chemises! My beautiful snoods! Those cheaters! That's all stock footage from the first episode! But it sure makes Shannon's last point! If you blow everything up, there's no fear of ever going back. Shannon slowly fades in. He looks somber, but then endings always are. SHANNON Folks, I hope you've enjoyed this possibly humorous, perhaps insightful look at how movies and a game like Castle Marrach differ. (pauses) I don't promise that I won't do it again! Debris from the Castle fills the air, and some of it begins to rain down upon the Castle Dwellers, who start to seek shelter. All of them that is, except for the Beautifully Dressed Sera, who is too stunned to move. Shannon doesn't seek shelter either, but he appears to be in no danger. SHANNON Thanks to everyone who was a good sport, including Martini, Mortimer, and Anastasis. And especially, always, Puzzle. (pauses, grinning) Oh yeah, the Beautifully Dressed Sera too. Shannon looks up at the sky for a moment, his gaze lost amidst the plummeting chaos of masonry, bricks, and other miscellenea that once was Castle Marrach. Suddenly, something catches his eyes, and a smile sneaks across his face. SHANNON (thoughtfully) In the end, we all get what we need ... A single piece of debris lofts gracefully through the air, falling straight into the Beautifully Dressed Sera's hands. It's a perfect, unsinged snood. END
