Inner and Outer

character-arc pair — Inner is what the character secretly wants (motivation). Outer is what the character publicly does (action). When they match, the character feels honest. When they don't, the character feels real-life conflicted.

A story read by Inner and Outer

Press play to listen along. The line being read lights up as you go.

Show full transcript

Loading transcript…

01 Opening
Inner and Outer beat 1 of 5

- "NO WAY" gate-allow-text-pattern: '^[A-Z]{1,4}( [A-Z]{1,4})?$' ---

In the quietest corner of the characterforge, two figures sat in two comfy chairs. Between them stood a large corkboard. Pinned to the center was the simple paper outline of a person, waiting for a story. On a small table next to one chair was a stack of colorful index cards. Next to the other chair was a stack of plain white ones.

The figure by the colorful cards was Inner. They were curled up in their seat, humming softly. "My cards are for the secret feelings," Inner whispered, mostly to themself. "The hopes you don't say out loud. The little voice inside."

02 Inner and Outer
Inner and Outer beat 2 of 5

Inner tiptoed over to the corkboard, holding the yellow card carefully. "Okay, let's start with a big secret," Inner murmured. "Deep down, our character... wants to be seen as a hero. They dream about it at night. It's their biggest wish."

With a gentle push, Inner pinned the card near the paper person's heart. The card read: WISHES THEY WERE BRAVE.

03 Inner and Outer
Inner and Outer beat 3 of 5

"Right!" Outer announced, jumping up from their chair. "That's the inside part. Now for the outside part."

Outer strode to the board with a white card and a pushpin. "So, they wish they were brave. Got it. But then, the very next morning, a giant, scary-looking goose blocks their path to school. And what do they do?" Outer paused for effect.

04 Inner and Outer
Inner and Outer beat 4 of 5

Inner frowned. "But that doesn't match," Inner said, looking at the two cards side-by-side. "It feels... wobbly. Conflicted."

"Exactly!" Outer exclaimed. "People are wobbly and conflicted! You can want to be brave and still be scared of a goose. That’s what makes it feel real." Outer grabbed another white card. "What if a friend asks them, 'Were you scared of that goose?' Watch."

05 Closing
Inner and Outer beat 5 of 5

"It is a tangle," Inner agreed. "But... it can't be a tangle forever. Can we find a moment where they match?"

Outer’s expression softened. "Yeah. Let's find one. That's the best part."

They both turned to their stacks of cards, flipping through them. Inner’s face lit up. "Here!" They pulled out a soft blue card. "Later that day, they see a smaller kid drop all their books." Inner walked to the board and pinned the blue card. It read: FEELS A RUSH OF WANTING TO HELP.

Outer was already on their feet, holding a white card that seemed to fit perfectly. They placed it right beside Inner's card, their movements in sync. The white card read: RUNS OVER AND HELPS PICK UP THE BOOKS.

The CharacterForge ensemble

Inner and Outer is part of CharacterForge's distributed-narrative cast. Each character embodies a different curricular primitive; together they teach the full subject.