Curiosity Killed The Cat...But Satisfaction Brought It Back

Sometimes there isn't an obstacle in the way in our route. You'd think that would be a good thing but, remember what I touched up on in a previous post about how dull life would be without chaos? Sometimes we need a bunch of obstacles to keep us entertained, to keep us in the know. Once this has been experienced, we then have a much better understanding of how to deal with bigger versions of these obstacles, and to perhaps help others along the way.

There's this interesting indie Belgian psychological-horror/art game called The Path. If you want some excellent game play mechanics, don't go near it. You'll more than likely just find it incredibly dull. Although, regardless, it's certainly worth looking into for a read about.

It's based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood so, naturally, it explores the theme of coming of age, or maturation. In Ronald B. Tobias' book 20 Master Plots (chapter 19, page 190), Tobias explains that the maturation plot "focuses on children who are in the process of becoming adults'. It goes from "innocence to experience" which is exactly what The Path heavily symbolises. Unlike what Tobias suggests at the start of the chapter, it doesn't contain a particularly optimistic plot. At least, not until you begin exploring.

 At the commencement of The Path, you pick one of six sisters at a time, all two years apart in age, so at very different times of their childhoods. The youngest being 9, the eldest 19; brand new to the adult world. Just as game play begins, the game informs you that you are to take your basket to your sick grandmother. Oh, and to stay on the path.

 The funny thing about this game is that once you go, 'okay, well, straightforward enough' and get to your grandmother's, the game tells you that you've failed because you didn't encounter your wolf.

 Essentially, what you're supposed to do, is to disobey the game. What child does not question the authority of their parent or guardian, or a higher figure at least once in their lives? Even if they can hide it well. None. You are encouraged to be independent and to explore. You interact with the world around you as you delve deeper into the woods. Take your time and don't run either, because then how could you possibly see what's going on around you?

 Curiosity often goes hand in hand with fear. We are terrified of the unknown because anything could happen to us. But that's the thing; anything could happen, and we're just curious. We want to learn more about the world around us and, despite what our parents tell us, the warnings we receive from older and wiser people, it's just going to build upon the temptation to explore these curiosities for ourselves. After all, everybody's experience with whatever have you is going to be unique to each person. Furthermore, if a child is told not to, say, climb a wall, the child is more than likely going to disobey and climb it anyway.
 'You'll fall!' they tell us.
 'Whatever,' we utter back. So we climb the wall and, lo and behold... we fall. Ouchie. Not doin' that again. Got the T-shirt so there's no need to go back. That said, some children see this as a challenge to try even harder. After all, kids absolutely love showing off.

 We're testing our boundaries. We're gaining experience. Yeah, it's good to be cautious, but you can be too cautious and that can be just as destructive to our character, if not moreso. If we don't die, we become stronger. Sure enough, we're frail and weakened from the obstacle that we just endured, but we learn from it and we have a much better understanding of how to deal with bigger versions of these obstacles when we are stronger and ready for them. Sometimes you've just got to endure those bumps and bruises along the way.

 I mentioned earlier about encountering a wolf in the game. Each girl is assigned her own wolf. Each girl is at different stages of childhood, or only beginning their adult lives. Each of them has their own demons to deal with, in the form of a metaphorical wolf, catering to their curiosities.

Through the wolves, we explore the early understandings of the concept of death, peer pressure, personal leisures before duties, sex, false friendships, fitting in, etc. When you play through it all, you realise that the horror was all simply psychological; there is no danger. You are cautious for a while but once you realise that there isn't really any threat, you've become stronger in that sense. You've experienced the outside world for yourself. Despite this, we will always suffer some form of regret, which is evidenced in the stance and new walk cycle of each girl after they met their respective wolves.

It's actually very good that our new path on the map to find the 'X' is so bumpy and chaotic because we're still learning while we're on this journey. It helps us grow. But, sometimes, it isn't always obvious to us. We carry on ignorantly, not learning anything. This could be deemed a flaw, sometimes a tragic one if it's that kind of story.

But what flaws are they?

Well You Heard Wrong!

We received a theme last week to give us a little direction on where to start. The headquarters of where to begin the adventure on finding that big ol' 'X' on that stupid blank map.

 I really love the theme. It's dislocation. Although, initially I heard 'this location', my brain making sense of it by assuming that it was a vague little teaser to a specific location that we would receive on the day. I didn't find out 'til Tuesday that this was a mishearing. Doi hoi.

 Dislocation. This actually makes it a really broad theme to work with. You can play with chaos, dystopian concepts, and further involve the impurities of a character and how s/he deals with the world around him/her. Perhaps there is another who plays off, and it's just one big tennis match; back and forth, back and forth.

 Chaos is good. Without chaos, there is no order. Without chaos, life would also be pretty damn dull. Of course, you don't want a lot of chaos, but you need something to spice things up a wee bit. Naturally, we do need obstacles to help shape ourselves and, of course, so do fictional characters. The cause and effect is a natural element within writing that allows our series of events to unfold. Nothing is perfect; no way, no how. But it's up to us to make the most of it.

 Our map is gonna have a lot of obstacles, it seems. Ones that are seemingly obvious to get around or over take but perhaps we can't actually see what's right in front of us. What route do we take to go around these obstacles? Is the new route actually worth taking as opposed to just tackling the obstacle in front of us? Sometimes we need to ask for help. Maybe in the form of a supporting character, but sometimes they can be just as blind without necessarily taking the same road. They can both be hard, but in different ways and in different levels for those characters to deal with. Maybe we don't see them dealing with them, maybe they don't even attempt to deal with them at all.

 Say we have a fence. We could totally jump that fence if we tried, but what would the consequences be if we got caught? Suddenly, our minds invent all sorts of unpleasant scenarios that lead us to fear trying. We could try being sneaky but everything has its risks. Uhh, let's go around the fence.

 The fence was an obvious and immediate obstacle. From taking a new route, we actually risk bumping into even more difficult obstacles. Or worse yet... absolutely none at all. You've learnt nothing.

Now what?

Where To Go From Here

I just spent about ten minutes staring blankly at my screen, waiting for a witty title for the new blog to smack me square in the bake but, unfortunately, it never came (...that's what she said).

 I have several notions of what direction I'm going in, but that's the thing: Currently, that's all they are; notions. They're subject to change, be it only slightly or drastically. That's the whole point of pre-production. You develop and you draft and re-draft and re-draft.

 I like to go on danders. I don't what it is or why, but it helps to get the creativity in my brain flowing. Ill always get these random scenes in my head of, well, just about anything that I might be able to flesh out in some media form or another. The sources are usually from my memories, of course, whether it was originally sparked by something that I saw, heard someone say, or an incident or two that I experienced recently or a long, long time ago - maybe it's recurring and this is a way to exploit it from my system. From there, I just need to know how to flesh it out properly so that the scene has more meaning, more context to it than just a stand alone situation with no sort of anchorage whatsoever.

 I've been excited for this project all year (for the bulk of last year as well, actually) because I get to really explore everything that's been running through my head in association with what I've done and learned (or is it 'learnt'? Eee-ther, Aye-ther) up until this point.

 One way of looking at it is a big 'X' on a map. But the stupid map is blank, so you've to make your own journey. You have to explore on your own because it's your journey. You have to create your route. Sure, there are several, that's inevitable, but where will you go? What will you encounter? Who will you meet and how does all of this unfold?

 The great thing about fiction, compared to fact, is that we know it's not real (unless you're a part of a crazy fandom but let's not delve into that). Or, rather, the specific series of events that are presented to us. It does, however, for the most part, have an underlying reason for being. Real life? Not so much; it's random and is ongoing. So the most important of The Five Ws that I left out was why. Why does all this happen? There's just got to be a reason, and our reason can be an overall lesson, or questioning our viewers, say, in the form of satire.

 Those little moments, or scenes as I've described them, that pop up in your mind need fleshing out. You're frustratingly scribbling on your map because you've no idea where to start. I mean, you know you're looking for something, but not quite what it is yet. You have a few notions of the weather and general sort of areas that you want to explore for that little spike of advencha, but where to start?

 That's why you find yourself a start point. In this case, a theme.