#misdirection

[local-blog-for-local-people]

[physalian]

Quick Foreshadowing Tip: Misdirection

Nothing quite like a line coming out of nowhere to make you go "Well, that'll clearly be important later."

There's a line to walk between leaving an obvious breadcrumb trail so audiences know the whole time that A Thing is going to happen, and are just waiting for the chracters to realize it, and leaving hints for only the most savvy audience members to pick up on the first read through.

Misdirection is your friend.

If you want to include important details that audiences can but aren't supposed to notice, you should hide them as something else.

I have a natural disaster that needs to happen in a WIP, and then cascading plot consequences coming from it, but "natural disasters" aren't a big focus of this story and tossing in a Surprise!Earthquake to keep the plot moving out of nowhere, even if that's how earthquakes work, is not how quality fiction works.

But if I start mentioning it, it's a concept so out of left field that the reader would immediately notice and wonder why I'm randomly talking about earthquakes.

So: Misdirection.

First, I have two characters talking about fishing, a pre-established concept, and how much of their food survives off hydrothermal vents that are only in their region, reminding the audience that the geography is unstable without saying any of that. We're just talking about fishing.

I have a character already unused to weather and natural phenomena that other characters take for granted, necessitating an explanation of basic concepts like lightning and thunderstorms. But it's not exposition, it's a fundamental trait of this character and their growth and flaws, self-concious about not knowing these things.

I have baby quakes happening during a later scene, ones that every other character would dismiss as just a thing that happens sometimes, meanwhile the narrator notices, as they've never experienced one before, necessitating a call to attention to explain it to them, and thus the audience with them, while the narrator complains about being patronzied to. But we're not really talking about earthquakes, are we? No, we're watching this character get insecure about another gap in worldly experiences.

The whole time, I am priming the audience for the possibility of a natural disaster that you probably wouldn't expect, but would see coming after the fact as something that makes sense for this world and this story.

All this is so Surprise!Earthquake has as much setup as an unpredictable geological event can have because, when you toss in an "act of god" to fuck with your characters, it has no agency, it's just the hand of the author deciding to throw a wrench in things entirely outside any characters' power and independent of their choices. So having it as embedded in the story as possible instead of coming out of nowhere helps it feel less random and contrived.

Misdirection is your friend.

[thatsbelievable]

[vesseloflukola]

Continued Misdirection:

I am sure that most of you have seen the interview with Nicola that dropped today. It’s actually a great interview, and you should check it out if you have not already done so.

You can find the it here:

https://youtu.be/tBPOWQYU2sQ?si=c92fLf8T5SiGjX0B

One thing that the interviewer brought up is that a lot of fans want Nicola and Luke to get married in real life. She says (in a very apologetic way imo) “I know, I know, and it’s the worst thing when I’m like ‘I’m sorry that he’s just my friend, but he’s a VERY dear friend’”. As you probably know, up to this point, neither Nicola or Luke has ever said the word “just” when describing their friendship. I believe that is because they are not “just” friends. I will also point out that later in the interview, Nicola called Luke “perfect”.

So, why do I think Nic used the word “just”after all the past interviews where neither she nor Luke used that word? Well, I talked about it in a previous post. I believe that some of the Lukola shippers are WAY too close to Nic and Luke’s truth for their comfort. I believe they have been using some misdirection tactics for some time now, hoping to pull things back a bit, or make us question what we believe.

We know that Nic is very Social Media savvy and that she often lurks on Insta, TikTok, and Twitter/X. Only more recently have bloggers started to think she, or members of her team, might also be lurking on Tumblr. Regardless of where she is lurking, she has definitely seen a lot of Lukola shippers refer to the fact that the two of them have never used the word “just” when referring to their friendship. I believe she is also a fan of Tom and Zendaya (who claimed not to be together when they were, because they wanted privacy). Honestly, what better way for her to TRY and throw us off her scent, than by using the word now?

I mean, nice try Nic! We can give you an “A”for effort. However, I think the Lukola shippers are the critical thinkers. We look at all the crumbs. We see what is playing out around the people we are shipping. I believe we have a pretty clear picture of the direction we are heading. We may not know when the waters may get rough or murky, but I believe for now, it is clear sailing! I’m sat! Are you?

[silverview]

guys getting hurt dot com slash sad little perverts

[xoladybella]

At this point, nothing is coincidental and everything is purposeful 👀 bc what is this???! Nic… girl… what is happening?! 🫣 I know you’re lurking on here!!

This morning, Nicola woke up and chose chaos😂

[weirdlookindog]

Julia Morgan-Scott - Misdirection

(Cemetery Dance #49, 2004)

[thoughtfulchaos773]

More about the 3.07- Legacy Episode

We talked about the "You look nice" moment, but also- the misdirection in this episode is real.

It starts with Carmy's misdirection of thinking of Claire, telling us on the surface that Carmy is still focused on Claire throughout the season.

But there are cues he's not paying attention to Claire exactly- he's still very much with Sydney, but I think he thinks of Claire as a way to punish himself. He doesn't remember anything Claire was saying.

This moment tricks the audience- the blurred background telling us that carmy isn't really paying attention, but he is- because we hear every word Sydney is saying, and we even see her movements that Carmy is watching.

Richie plays a role in this, too- he sees everything. He's the observational director of the show. Seems like his mind is somewhere else- on Mikey and Tiffany, but he's on to carmy.

More subtle misdirection-

Richie catches this- Carmy is looking at something else- then slows down as he seems in Sydney's direction, pausing even. At first, you'd think his eyes followed Manny as he grabbed the dishes, but who's the voice we hear in this montage playing music? Sydney's voice talking about a mushroom dish.

Richie sees this and probably sees Carmy helplessly looking at Sydney every shift.

He's already written these notes as @fresaton points out. Giving us a tiny clue about what we should be focusing on. I'm Carmy, Chef! Love me!

As @monsivaisstuff points out. This is the same episode that mentions legacies- hauntings and the hot and cold lights that sit above Carmy and Sydney every shift. This is the same episode where Carmy is the most obvious he's ever been with Sydney, the hottest he's ever been, telling her she looks nice and telling her underneath that compliment, "Hey, I'm paying attention to you. I see you sydney. I'm checking you out Sydney." Meanwhile, Sydney is left unsure because of Carmy's hot and coldness.

We know this because he acts completely cold towards the end of the episode. He gets hot and cold with Sydney when he gets too close- too obvious. Maybe this is a subconscious act- it's one of the clues to sublimation- a term Richie throws at Carmy in 3x02 next- Carmy is sexually frustrated- shunning love, not opening his heart, and when he does open, he becomes cold again.

This is just as much of a Sydcarmy episode as the rest of the episodes in the 3rd season.

[vagueeyes]

INSIDE NO. 9 S3E3 "The Riddle of the Sphinx" | S5E4 "Misdirection" | S9E2 "The Trolley Problem"

[wistfulnightingale]

The Metatron Misdirection: Nina's Magic Trick (A New Final 15 MetaTheory)

Part 1 of 8 in the Chess Moves Theory Set by @wistfulnightingale

**I believe it is new -- I haven't found it anywhere else.

Misdirection is a key element in the most skilled magic tricks. It's more than mere distraction, wiggling one hand while the other hides the ace. Misdirection in Magic means that the magician isn't "hiding" the trick; they are allowing you to think that you are looking at exactly the right moment, while convincingly focusing your attention away from the moment when 90% of the trick actually happened. Magicians Penn and Teller are quoted as saying, "The strongest lie is the lie that the audience tells itself."

This article on What Is Misdirection in Magic tells exactly how it's done. Check out the 7 Types of Misdirection in the article, or in my Chess Moves Theory Master Post. They're used easily and often in the final episodes of Season 2.

I think there might be a major misdirection in Episode 5 that set up the events of the second half of Episode 6, and makes sense of some of the crazy-weird scenes and out-of-character behaviors we see, both in that scene and later. But, it'll seem absolutely bonkers... so please, keep breathing, and hear me out, and please check out all the interconnected 8-Parts that help support my reasoning.

I include photos below, and I admit they're not clear enough to be "proof" on their own. But the idea itself would explain why Azi abruptly left Nina, and why Crowley babbled. Some of the other parts of my overall theory add some additional possibilities as well. (Interestingly, the photos are from videos that used to be available free on YouTube Prime Video, but have been removed from the Good Omens playlists in recent months.

In E5, while we were watching Crowley stammer, and listening to Nina puzzle out relationships, and when our belief in the Ineffable Marriage was shattered by Crowley's answer -- Nina was (without her knowledge) participating in the biggest Misdirection of Season 2.

I suspect The Metatron was already in the Coffee Shop. I know it sounds nuts, but I strongly suspect that Episode 6 was not his first visit. I believe that I can show you reasonable evidence (added up from here and from other parts of my Chess Moves Theory-series) that the Metatron made a "trial run" the day before, during this scene in Episode 5. Crowley and Aziraphale were each shocked to spot him through the window behind Nina. Misdirection made him almost impossible for us to see.

Almost. But I think he's there. At least, there's a guy in a long dark overcoat, who looks like he's talking to another customer. Possibly a coffee-confused celestial gentleman getting help from a good samaritan? Let me explain how I think it was done, and I'll show you what I think is the Metatron.

{Edit 11/25/24 to add: I've been made aware that the photos are not a strong case, if you have higher photo resolution than I have access to. But Azi and Crowley's odd behaviors also support my theory, as I explain if you scroll down. For more on this, and on my new idea about where I might have went wrong, check out The Metatron Misdirection New Note (Is it a Shell Game of White-Haired Men?) }

This screenshot (let's call it Photo #1) is untampered, basically what we see in the episode. Aziraphale was happily chatting with Crowley about the nonexistent pen of his nonexistent aunt's nonexistant gardener... Then Nina emerges, has "things to say" about Neighborhood Christmas lights (that's the moment in this screenshot)... and Aziraphale abruptly hurries away. Within minutes, Crowley is stammering as if he'd never had a moment's thought that he and his Angel could have a committed, romantic relationship.

How...? What...?! Crowley, really, dude, what the...??! (Please refer to An Old Married Couple for my thoughts on this!)

But when we take that same moment, come in closer, brighten and sharpen it, make it more vivid --

Photo #2. There. In the red oval. The white hair, the dark overcoat, rounded shoulders. The Metatron. We didn't expect to see him there. So we didn't.

Hold on! -- I don't expect you to be convinced yet. So I went through moment by moment. There are more photos. (I recommend that you also check the brightness of your own viewing screen -- it helps!)

Nina is used in the scene to perform a concealment and switch, a replacement (magician's call it a Change), and then a distraction -- A Magic Trick. Nina is a huge part of why we're not easily able to spot the Metatron.

Magic Trick Step 1: There's magical sleight of hand going on, even once you know what to look for. We are visually warned. When we first see Nina, as our Ineffables are talking about impossible French, she literally emerges from the shadows (see photo below). Remember, this is significantly Before talking about "Christmas lights" in Photos 1 & 2.

Magic Trick Step 2: If we do happen to look at the customers in the shop as Nina emerges, there's a white-haired man in line who is NOT the Metatron. Note his height compared to the orange-shirt guy. He's taller, and he's fairly slim. We can see his pants or denims, so he's wearing a short jacket, not an overcoat. He's also holding a lit cell phone and carrying a blue bag. I didn't brighten this photo at all. We're supposed to see this particular fellow. He's part of the magic trick, planted there for the switch, just in case we do notice a more significant white-haired man later.

Here's the same photo, brightened. You can more easily see that he's wearing a short jacket -- we see his legs as he steps forward.

(Pay attention to the man in the orange shirt. He's very visible with that bright color. In later shots, he stays near the Metatron, and helps us visually track them both, when both are blurred by distracting window reflections.)

Magic Trick Step 3: Next, Nina steps into the light. As she steps forward, she says, "Bravo! Just enjoying the show." Again, we are given cues that there's a show in play. She bends over to wipe a table, completely blocking our view of the slim white-haired man.

Magic Trick Step 4: The camara cuts to Azi, and that's the last we see of the slim man with the cell phone and bag. Presto-Change-o, Abracadabra! Like a disappearing act with a magician's silk cloth, or like Azi's trick for Nefertiti with the 3 cowry shells, the switch (in magic, called "the Change") has been made! The slim man is gone.

Magic Trick Step 5: When the camera returns to Nina, it's the first photo I showed you, with the Metatron in it. The man in orange isn't at the front of the line anymore. (Was he undecided about his order, and stepped aside?) We can see a sliver of his shirt to the left of the doorframe, just inside the oval, but he's almost entirely hidden. Nina's talking about the Christmas lights. "I have things to say."

It all happens in less than 30 seconds.

"Where, then, was the Metatron?" you may ask in disbelief. There's a big rectangular pillar in the middle of the floor behind Nina, just to the right of the line. There is a mural on it, so it's camouflaged. On the walls behind the pillar are menu boards -- we see them in the "How's your naked man friend" scene in E1. It's likely that the Metatron was behind the pillar, looking at the menu options.

"Well, how come we never see the slim cell phone guy again?" you may wonder. The tables at the far edges of the shop are never seen. If he sat down, especially at our far left, he'd be out of view.

Here's that "I have things to say" photo again --

That's when Aziraphale sees the Metatron. He's suddenly distracted. His response is brief, and odd. Just --- "Yes." We don't often see our Angel speechless. He walks away without another word. That. Is another out of character moment. He's gone from his "I'm having so much fun doing this" smile to the fake, nervous mask he puts on for the Archangels.

His eyes are wide and his expression frozen, until it fades into worry as he walks away. Azi nervously checks behind him for Crowley. Hoping he'll follow, away from danger.

Crowley hasn't spotted the Metatron yet. It's not until he starts to follow Azi, then stops for Nina, that he's at the right angle to see him. When Nina says, "You been together long?" Crowley's completely distracted. He just noticed the Metatron.

"Who?" he ridiculously asks. This made zero sense -- Azi was just here! However, on our far right, over her shoulder, we can see the Metatron, facing sideways towards our right. He and the orange-shirt man are on the far right, positioned as if talking to each other (maybe he's asking how this coffee-selection-thing works?).

Because he's facing sideways, we can tell that this man is not slender like the man with a cell phone and blue bag. The man we see now, in this photo, wears a long coat that comes straight down in the front. It's not a jacket, it's an overcoat.

The Metatron is almost the same height as the orange-shirt man. His dark coat nearly makes him invisible as the reflections in the window break up his outline and blur the orange-shirt man. The two have stepped back from the counter, closer to us. We can see his rounded back, white collar and hair.

Short height, rounded back, long overcoat, white collar. NOT the same as the first man we saw. That's why I believe we're seeing the Metatron. That, and Aziraphale and Crowley's strange behaviors.

When you look closely at Crowley, he's staring intently into the coffee shop window as Nina asks her question. His head is not at the same angle when he returns his focus to her. It's not just the cute little neck scrunch -- he literally turned his head slightly to his right to look at her and answer her question. Crowley is concentrating on what he saw inside, and is mentally scrambling.

After Crowley says, "Who?" the camera returns to Nina. "You and your partner," she clarifies. Meanwhile, the Metatron has turned and is now standing at the end of the coffee line.

You can see three men in line, facing the counter, with the orange-shirt man in the middle. He's the colorful backdrop to frame the padded shoulders of the Metatron's dark coat.

Nina does a lot of "patter" here, a classic magician's Misdirection technique. Lots of rapid, distracting questions. They keep our own minds as occupied as they do Crowley's -- we struggle to keep up, and share our demon's outrage about Azi as "a bit on the side!"

I had to do a lot of reduced videoplay speed, constant pausing the frames, and careful photo brightening and sharpening to make these images somewhat clear. There are also frames where the reflection of vehicles and passersby’s obscure our view. The distractions come and go. It's all designed to split our focus.

So I was astonished when I discovered that, in the moment where the Metatron is standing alone, not clustered with anyone else, Nina is almost looking DIRECTLY AT THE CAMARA. It's only a moment. It's the only shot I had, of Dozens(!) of micro-moments, where the Metatron is in full view, although still difficult to see. This is how it looks in the episode.

Here's the same photo, brightened and sharpened for definition.

There is almost nothing on the right side to reflect or distract in this moment. The lighting effects allowed a much clearer view.

Nina goes back inside, and has to deal with a busy line and a new customer, a posh older gentleman in an overcoat. One who doesn't know about human coffee shops or how to place an order, and who probably consulted orange-shirt guy for coffee-selection advice. He's confused, he's asking odd questions... She doesn't have time for this...! So when he comes back the next day, she warns him not to do it again -- "Order accurately and fast..." (For more thoughts on this, see The Metatron's Second Coming)

Meanwhile, Crowley stands there bewildered as worry sets in. The Metatron is dangerous. Why is he here? This could be very bad for them both, but especially for Aziraphale. Crowley's main concern in the conversation was to SAY NOTHING that gave away their relationship. "Just... an angel... I know."

(**There's interesting implications about the Final Fifteen if Crowley is concerned that the Metatron has the ability to hear him from inside the shop. Azi often gestures as if the Metatron could hear them from outside.)

Crowley leaves in the opposite direction. I wonder if he hung around near the cafe, monitoring where the Metatron was. That's why he's morose and worried when Azi returns to the cafe (see more in my post Ineffables In Check). Crowley is also now worried that Gabriel is actually NOT memory-less. Is he there to spy on them for the Metatron? Crowley aggressively tries to find out.

He'll do Whatever It Takes to protect his Angel.

Please check out the rest of my 8-part Chess Moves Theory Set at @wistfulnightingale to see how I believe all the moments fit together in this Life or Death Chess Game. The 8 Parts support each other -- I broke a massive idea into parts, and you'd need to read all 8 before you can decide for sure if I'm wrong, or totally bonkers! It's a crazy ride, and I'll be happy to have you along for it!

The 8 Chess Moves MetaTheory Set:

1 - The Metatron Misdirection

2 - The Metatron's Second Coming

3 - Ineffables in Check

4 - A Hefty Jigger of Death

5 - Nothing Lasts Forever

6 - The Circle Kiss Theory

7 - The Nightingale DID Sing

8 - Aziraphale's Jubilant Smile (Not the crazy elevator grin)

Also: The Chess Moves Theory Set, Why Chess & Magic?

And: The Metatron Misdirection New Note (Is it a Shell Game of White-Haired Men?)

[local-blog-for-local-people]

[thatsbelievable]

[vesseloflukola]

I DON’T believe in Coincidence!

So, let’s look at the month of February so far:

Radio silence at the beginning of the month from both Nic and Luke, and yet they continue to be on SM at the same time giving “likes”.

The release of Mis-Directed by Lucy Parker, co-narrated by none other than our beloved Nicola. This was LOUD. It was full of Nic and Luke coded references, came out the day before Luke’s birthday (which is miraculously also the MC Hattie’s birthday). Plus, the name of the book is exactly what Nic and Luke want their fans to be.

Then on Luke’s birthday, continued radio silence (not unlike Nic’s birthday) is very telling. If they were “friends” like they have always been, why did we not get HBD messages from both of them to each other? They have wished each other HBD in the past. Nicola wishes ALL of her friends HBD on SM. Luke wished Claudia Jessie HBD and she is not even ON SM.

Then we get prerecorded/shot campaigns that drop with Nicola in them (Red-Nose day campaign, Neutrogena campaign). We also get news of Big Mood being renewed for season 2, and Nicola wins “Best Comedy Performance” at the TV Choice awards for her role in Big Mood.

Then we see a pic posted from SUR restaurant in LA. However, she looks much different in the pic than she has looked recently and the guy she is pictured with is also posting as if he is in Cuba. Don’t worry though…Nic posted a great pic of a billboard on the Sunset Strip about the Bridgerton SAG Award nominations. I believe that it WAS a nice surprise for her to see this. I just don’t believe it was something she saw in person.

Then, we see Nicola (looking stunning) at the IFTA’s in Dublin on Valentine’s Day. She is gushing about “her baby” (and makes sure to add that he is a “ginger babba”). She is wearing her new signature color (black), but has chosen to wear no rings for the night. Then Luke appears at the British GQ Excellence in Film with Paul Smith event in London. He looked dapper in all black, also wearing no rings for the evening. Hmmm, interesting how Nic and Luke show up in different places essentially matching one another.

On Saturday Nicola attends a birthday party for two of her dear friends. It looks like fun was had by all at the party. Nicola looked beautiful as she always does.

Last night, Luke showed up to a Bafta after party, looking as handsome as ever. Yes, we saw that Antonia was there with him. I think Luke finally got the memo on how to hold her hand. She was dressed like a doll (in her little ASOS dress) and he was pulling her along in back of him like a rag doll as well. Once again, he did NOT look so happy with her (I thought he was supposed to be convincing us of something). I guess he was only there for an hour. He made an appearance, took some pictures and then he was gone.

So, like I said, I DON’T believe in coincidence, but I DO believe in design. I believe everything we are seeing has been done by design and has been meticulously planned out.

[good-morning-jobseekers]

Rewatched Misdirection and remembered how much the music in that episode fucking slaps and how much i need the in9 soundtracks to be released officially

Then was reminded that Christian Henson posted this absolute gem of the recording of the Misdirection score (with free sheet music for it linked in the description too! im no musician but something about having the actual score to read is so cool lmao)

so i downloaded the video, went through and clipped almost every one of the audio cues and edited together some of my favourite motifs from the score that repeat throughout

they arent great i wont lie, im not a musician nor a sound engineer, but i wanted to have longer audio clips of the motifs i liked, so i thought id share them on here too in case anyone else was interested lol

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Misdirection

Artist: Mathias Kollros TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link