Daily VA-11 Hall-A 2022 #21

There’s many things nobody tells you about the creative process that I like to point out because god knows I didn’t even know if they were NORMAL when I was starting out.

I’ve pointed out how the final plot might not be figured out from the get-go, and I intend to talk later down the line about writing endings, but today I wanna talk about something else I never see discussed: What happens between the climax and the ending?

Everyone that has gone through compulsory education hopefully knows the concept of the three act structure, of the beginning, middle, and end.But personally I much prefer the theory of Kishoutenketsu (起承転結).

For those not aware, in east asian countries the theory stipulates that narratives are divided into 4 parts rather than 3.

There’s Ki (起, rouse, wake up) which is the the introduction of the story.

Then there’s Shou (承, inform, listen, receive) which is the build from the beginning towards the twist or punchline.

It’s followed by Ten (転, change, turn around) or the punchline, the twist, the point where your understanding of things get tested.

And finally there’s Ketsu (結, consequence, outcome), predictably the ending of the things built up until now.

I personally prefer this structure for theoretical purposes, because of the emphasis on a twist, on a pivotal moment for the story to hinge on, a payoff for all the build up. Obviously this usually entails the “middle” part of the three act structure, but there’s something to be said about that explicit emphasis.

Today we’re not talking about any of them though.

Today we’re talking about that one secret point between Ten and Ketsu, because… what happens after a twist but before the ending?

So picture this, we now have Jill’s plot, Jill switched places with Alma for a bit, there was even a whole party to lift her spirits… now what? How do you follow that? What do you do with the rest of the time before the ending?

In an adventure setting this is the equivalent to that part in FF7 where Cloud is back from the Fucky Wucky Dimension and is himself for the first time while they rally up to go against Meteor. In a horror setting this is usually the part with the catharsis of the tables being turned finally, but what do we do?

Starting week 3 felt like a chore at the beginning, it felt like any interaction we added would be forced, Jill was done, it was just waiting until… until…

Until what….?

Missing element number one was discovered: set the stage for the “final confrontation”. It couldn’t be too soon though, Jill needed one day to lower her guard, but then on the Tuesday of the third week she’d get a letter from Gaby, apologizing and wanting to meet up with her. It was new years, now Jill had an “objective”, a deadline.

But what do we fill the rest of everything in the meantime? Most plots were solved or didn’t take much to solve…

But then I started writing and something interesting happened.

In fact, I invite you all to run a small experiment: Please make a save on Days 1, 7, and 14. Then play them back to back.

On the first week we didn’t know what we were doing, we were figuring the way the plot or the structure should work as things went along.

On the second week, we knew the world better and structure better, but we were still figuring out the characters and pacing.

And then when I started the third week, it felt like… like realizing all the toys I had on my hands. Almost like I paid my dues, did my duty, now I can have fun.

The characters were already established, the world and tone was already set, the plot was already made and many storylines were out of the way. And then it happened.

Day 14 opens with one of my favorite sections with the dog in charge because I was able to basically turn the scene into a small comedy skit, day 15 has Dorothy and Mario bouncing off each other and making Jill laugh like an idiot, day 16 has Ingram and Jamie having a swell time together, on day 17 Donovan AND Kira Miki drop by the bar, then on day 18 not only does Streaming-chan hang out in the bar all day long, but she and Dorothy are in the same scene!

…

…OH SHIT I FORGOT ABOUT ANNA!

I always intended for Anna to go back on week 3 specifically (more for internal plot/lore reason than because of anything pace-related) while only showing up on the TV every so often. But when I remembered that idea then oh god so so many other scenes happened, that’s where the bit where Jill mixes up what she says and what she thinks takes place.

That’s how you end up starting having no idea dn ending with a whole ass surplus day. It was like when I wrote Deal and Betty into the full game but for the whole cast, and I still feel like that.

One of my favorite things about manga, especially long-running ones is seeing the art evolve over time, noticing how from one volume to the next the covers jumped in quality big time and seeing the artist figure things out from chapter to chapter. 

And I feel like a lot of VA-11 Hall-A’s appeal lies in that roughness, in playing the game once but then upon replay noticing how stilted some interactions are on the first week compared to the pace of jokes and dialog in the third one. Of seeing us figure everything out as it goes along, as if heading towards a conclusion that feels obvious in hindsight.

If you’re playing along today is the third day of the third week.

Tomorrow… maybe something with worldbuilding?