Behind the Magic · 7:26pm Jul 9th, 2021
This contains spoilers for chapter two of The Opening Act. Read that, then continue.
The Thematics Behind Magic Tricks:
So... As I stated on the Author's Notes on the latest chapter of The Opening Act, I'm really enjoying writing these magic tricks and I wanted a chance to explain my thought process and why I did things the way I did them. Can I? It will spoil things for chapters 1 and 2 of the story, so you should definitely read those before you read this. If you have, read on.
Okay, so I think part of the reason I'm enjoying it so much as that the magic tricks lend themselves to be used thematically a lot. They're very versatile and enjoyable that way.
For example: When I wrote the magic trick in Chapter 1, Trixie is up close and personal with her volunteers and audience members, who are one and the same. She is talking to them and telling them a story, and they are very much a part of the trick. I tried to create a closeness, there is a lot of them coming in to take the cards and stuff like that. Describing their reactions. The trick lends itself to that closeness. Also, the main component of the trick she did was storytelling. She "empowered" the volunteers and spun a story in which they had the power to draw a card that reflected them, and she made them pull a card that would fit in with something she figured they would enjoy. It's a very interpersonal and just.. like, nice trick? At least that's what I was going for.
If any of you watch Critical Role, think Mollymauk. Even when he's tricking people, he's making them feel good. That whole thing.
Compare all of that with the trick in Chapter 2.
Trixie is on a stage where she can't even see her audience, and she can barely hear them. She can't tell if they're clapping or not, it's all distant and distorted. She's blinded by the spotlight. When she brings in a volunteer, all she tells her are instructions. She also has an assistant that does most of the work. All the volunteer really does is make a choice, which has limitations (at one point she has to shoot Trixie) and pull the trigger. That's it. She's kind of held hostage by the act. On top of that, the "magic" is not on the volunteer like the first trick, or even on Trixie, but on an amulet. Trixie is a victim in this trick, at the mercy of the magic that is protecting her from the bullets. And so in this trick she's set herself up as powerless. The necklace is stopping the bullets as per the story, the magnet is really stopping the bullets, the assistant is loading the gun, and the volunteer is choosing to shoot Trixie or a bottle and pulling the trigger. Trixie is doing nothing narratively in her act but also mechanically, and thus has lost all agency in her performance and in her "magic."
Or at least that's what I was going for, which goes along with what was going on in the scene.
And by setting up these two magic tricks, I got to create that contrast.
I know I know, nerd. Sorry for geeking out. But I got really excited about this and... I'll be honest. No one really ever comments on the middle chapters so I got scared that I wouldn't get to talk about it. And I really wanted to.
I hope that's ok?
Thank you for listening.
-thedarkprep
Very interesting insight here! I admire how much thought you put into Trixie's performances. I didn't exactly notice this when reading, but I think I got a feeling of how different her performances were, so I think it comes through pretty well.