Triptych: the chapter titles-to-date explained (or: behold, your writer is too committed to this @$%^ theme) · 6:39pm Jul 17th, 2018
It's been noticed by several people -- possibly just about everyone who's still reading the story at this point -- that for Triptych itself, every chapter title can be related to art in some way. And I always try to have at least a weak connection between the term and whatever's happening within: some ties are stronger than others, while others are just barely related.
And since the wake of the annual letdown which is Prime Day has left me feeling like posting something mildly weird and, for most of you, completely irrelevant...
So here's every chapter title to date, and how I see it as relating to the actual contents.
Warning: serious spoilers ahead. If you haven't read Triptych or aren't current in the story, this is where you stop reading.
A few break lines to create space for retreat...
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Okay.
Chapter 1: Outlines. The beginning of the image: the absolute edges of what's going on. Starting to suggest the whole, but still in a place where the final results could be very different. A 'creation begun' title.
Chapter 2: Palette. Still in the most basic stages, beginning to show some of what we'll be working with. A flash-forward to provide a little extra hint of what's going on with her, plus an examination of the colors currently tinting Twilight's world: the changed treatment, press problems, her post-change concerns.
Chapter 3: Shading. Adding in some darkness. Remember, we start in Discord's POV here, and what appears there is how I've treated him thereafter: he can be comedic, but there's always an aspect of horror just under the surface.
Chapter 4: Angles. The start of the mission itself -- launched by Discord. This one (possibly because of who's involved) was always meant to use a different meaning: that of working an angle. Exactly how is Discord approaching this? What are his stakes? Why does he care at all? Can he care?
Chapter 5: Landscape. One of the more direct connections: we're in the ravine and looking at what her magic did to the physical environment. It's also the first major sign of earth pony magic.
Chapter 6: Layering. The first of the group's paired-off conversation chapters, with the second a long way off. This was all about adding some depth to the characterizations of everypony present, along with showing hints of what lies under the surface -- particularly for Applejack.
Chapter 7: Vanishing Point. Artistically, if you're looking at an image which shows parallel lines stretching off into the distance, the vanishing point is where they seem to touch -- just before they disappear. So in this instance, it's one of the weaker references: we're just bringing story elements together.
Chapter 8: Converging Lines. And this one could be just as bad, because it has the same context meaning: putting all of the players on the same part of the stage. We also establish the connection between Pinkie and Doctor Gentle.
Chapter 9: Setting. Pretty blatant; the formal introduction to Trotter's Falls as environment, backdrop, and See Chapter Title.
Chapter 10: Craquelure. For the art definition, this is the network of fine cracks which can appear on the surface of old paintings. (This can be done deliberately, and paint from given regions and centuries tends to crack in the same pattern.) This was chosen for the suggestion that while the image being presented may look pleasant enough, a close examination would find the imperfections. Much later in the story, I also wound up with an unintentional secondary meaning: Twilight theorizes that pulling Discord's power out of the statue form might have created cracks in the bindings.
Chapter 11: Hue. This is meant not only for the addition of more colors as Twilight starts to realize what might be going on, but it's also present for the non-art meaning of 'hue and cry': suddenly, there's something to be alarmed over.
Chapter 12: Naturalism. Pretty blatant: this is Fluttershy's flashback section.
Chapter 13: Morellian Analysis. The process of examining and determining a counterfeit. There's at least two connections here: we're getting our first good look at Coordinator (who got into the Gifted School without being gifted), and we have the Bearers theorizing on what happened with her. There's also a flashback to Doctor Gentle going into chaos terrain, looking for the first of his chaos pearls -- one of the essential ingredients for faking his way through the alicorn creation process.
Chapter 14: Inspiration. Dawn Sky's birth and Twilight being asked/made to serve as something which can help her mother through the process. It's also Twilight realizing that she's going to wind up being worshiped. On another level, it's a chance for her to speak with Doctor Gentle, and a hint of what drives him...
Chapter 15: En Plein Air. The act of painting while outdoors. It felt appropriate for the first major discussion of pegasus magic.
Chapter 16: Imprimatura. The very first layer of an oil painting: something which allows light to reflect through the layers. We're getting our first real talk with her, as well as seeing Quiet and Doctor Gentle talk about what they feel is going on. It's setting up some more foundations for later on. Also, note what her mother's name wound up being.
Chapter 17: Chiaroscuro. Strong contrasts between light and shadow. The fight at the lake, Trixie's changes since leaving Ponyville, and our first look at Star Swirl's fall. It also ends on Doctor Gentle finding Pinkie in the wild zone and realizing what she is. The rescue is an act of kindness -- but when we eventually know a little more about why he's watched over her so closely...
Chapter 18: Scumble. A thin, transparent or semi-transparent glaze layer on a painting, which modifies the appearance of the underlying paint layer. We're looking at her in flashback: the learning process towards becoming an alicorn -- adding layers to ultimately change her appearance. The secondary relationship is for Twilight's training session, and the way she willfully summons up her pegasus aspect for the first time.
Chapter 19: Scratchboard. A black surface which can have some of the coating removed to show another shade beneath, creating contrast art. Things are starting to change in this chapter: Applejack has removed her hat, while Doctor Gentle and Quiet suspect the Bearers have unspoken motives. There's also some extra contrast in the suicide discussion, between Pinkie and Fluttershy's views.
Chapter 20: Kenlijckheyt. A way of inducing dimensionality in a painting: light tones seem to come towards the viewers, dark ones recede into the background. It also translates directly into perceptibility. The first aspect comes into play when Twilight begins to seriously think about the possibility of somepony other than her being involved in all this: an extra dimension to whatever's going on. The second ties to Quiet: as we eventually learn, he winds up actively exercising his talent in the thaumaturgy shop, resulting in an article which doesn't mention him at all.
Chapter 21: Bloom. The art meaning here is the opaque effect which can appear on a surface under certain conditions, hiding whatever's underneath. As such, it's referencing the scene between Coordinator and Quiet, both of whom obfuscate the underlying truth in their own ways. On another level, it's talking about Twilight realizing that she's attracted to Quiet -- love in bloom.
Chapter 22: Atelier. An artist's workshop. This is both Twilight in Quiet's library and her back in the stone halls, trying to make a memory.
Chapter 23: Pentimento. Signs that a painting was changed during composition, and didn't emerge exactly as the artist might have intended. This mostly refers to Quiet's flashback. There's an argument to be made that it can be tied to Twilight learning the truth about the non-divine origin of the sisters: she's been looking at something which was painted over, but the truth is still underneath. Possibly also a reference to her state.
Chapter 24: Hamartia. The fatal flaw in an art construct which ruins the whole work. (More extensively used when talking about fiction or drama.) Twilight gets her first real look at what resides within Doctor Gentle's core.
Chapter 25: Symbolism. Possibly the most blatant one: just about the entire chapter is Twilight's dream sequence.
Chapter 26: Earth Tones. There was one art term which I wanted to use for the first true talk about earth pony magic, and so this title was put on hold-until-needed for a long time. It's also Doctor Gentle finding his daughter again -- whom we eventually learn was born as an earth pony.
Chapter 27: Watercolors. The painting method most often used during youth was appropriate for Twilight researching Doctor Gentle's early life -- but it's mostly about Rainbow finding the snitcher necklace (and all its attached chaos pearls) in the lake.
Chapter 28: Sgraffito. For ceramics, this is scratching through a surface to reveal a contrast color underneath. It's the chapter where a few readers felt Doctor Gentle had vaulted the Moral Event Horizon by discussing a need for her successor. We're past the light now: here's what it was painted on top of. (Briefly, it suggests Twilight's worries about Quiet and the library as applied to the snitcher -- but that fades quickly.)
Chapter 29: Pointillès. Precision application of small dots of color to form a larger image. The first thing to do after your world has been shattered should be something small...
Chapter 30: Bentonite. A very flexible clay, excellent for remolding sculptures. This is the chapter where she attempts an accelerated change. On a much weaker level, it's also Coordinator realizing that he insulted somepony very powerful with the term of 'clod' -- another earth pony hint.
Chapter 31: Planography. A technique used for printing art off a flat surface, relying on the immiscibility of oil and water. The last 'normal' dinner between the two sides: an image created by the fact that they can't be together. Also refers to Twilight and Quiet.
Chapter 32: Primer. The preparatory coat of paint. Mostly refers to the start of the shift towards the party.
Chapter 33: Composition. One of the lazier ones: it's just about getting all the elements (and Elements) in place before the big scene begins.
Chapter 34: Plinth. The base support of a statue. This is the chapter where the Bearers are formally introduced by their full titles, providing some idea of how others perceive them at the base -- and it's also Twilight having to listen as she's essentially put on a pedestal.
Chapter 35: Glazing. Coatings over the base layers. The application of noble status to Applejack, and the use of pain-masking drugs on her. Neither changes what's underneath.
Chapter 36: Frame. Coordinator's blackmail attempt. It's mostly used here for the idea of reframing events: how things can look to the outside viewer when you cut off a portion of the image and show ponies only what you wanted them to see. There's also the implication that in the social sense, he's entirely willing to frame the Bearers by making them look like incompetents on up.
Chapter 37: Guilloché. A pattern applied by a lathe, repetitive and frequently spiraling inwards. It's also the closest term for the art splash which can be produced by a spirograph. Represents Twilight going down a mental whirlpool after leaving Coordinator, never quite escaping as Quiet keeps her away from the others, leaving her with nowhere to go but the pit at the center.
Chapter 38: Lithography. Similar to C.31, in that the printing technique relies on the immiscibility of oil and water. In Twilight's eyes, Quiet has just become part of the team -- but he can't be...
Chapter 39: Unveiling. We end the chapter with Doctor Gentle at the first stage of being revealed to the Bearers. It's also the idea that we're looking at --
Chapter 40: Presentation. -- the attempt to introduce of a work of art. (You might even call it a great work.) Naturally, we're also using it in the more blatant sense, as a presentation is exactly what's being given here -- for a core audience of seven.
Chapter 41: Cum Cera (With Wax). The only time I provided a direct translation, mostly to avoid the jokes. The Latin origin for the term has its roots in using wax to conceal cracks in glazing, glass, and the like, making them look perfect to prospective buyers -- for a little while. This chapter is in part about the techniques of what Doctor Gentle constructed for his alicorn creation process -- his attempts to artificially cover what he saw as the flaws of a piece. The painkillers themselves can also be seen this way.
Chapter 42: Patronage. Another blatant one: an artist's sponsors, which in this case refers to the financial backing of the Great Work and the chance that it's becoming something more of a cult. There might also be another layer in how Doctor Gentle sees some of his relationship to the hybrids -- but that feels like a weak argument.
Chapter 43: Sotto In Su. Translates to 'seen from below,' and refers to paintings which are generally spread across ceilings: designed to be observed from beneath. We're in her respective for this chapter, and we now know that up until that first teleport, she had spent her life underground. For her, the entire world is seen from below -- from a perspective which was buried within the earth. (On another layer, it's just gazing up from the bottom of the freshly-made ravine.)
Chapter 44: Neue Sachlichkeit. German for 'New Objectivity': a backlash art movement against expressionism, the insistence on seeing things as they are, in practical engagement with the world. It's the Bearers trying to reconcile everything they've just heard, putting their own realities back together and perceiving things not only as they are, but as they always were. This also uses the term in the translation's absolute definition: for everypony (Fluttershy and Pinkie especially), the blinders are off, and they can now see Doctor Gentle with fresh eyes.
Chapter 45: L'Art Brut. 'Outsider' art, created by those with no recognized formal training, existing on the fringes of the art world and requiring a long time to be accepted within. It seemed like an appropriate way to describe Spike's position in pony society.
Chapter 46: Anamorphosis. A distorted work which only appears normal when standing in exactly the right place. This is mostly about Rarity's tricking Chief Copper by making him think Twilight's casting through a restraint: nopony was looking at where the real working was taking place. (There's also a secondary meaning for Softtread trying to bring Spike around.)
Chapter 47: De Stijl. As discussed.
Chapter 48: Memento Mori. Art intended to remind the viewer of their own mortality, frequently featuring dead things (skulls, wilted flowers), dying ones, transient images, and suggestions of time passing. The secondary connection is continuing to play off the fears Twilight felt in closing the last chapter: the awareness that any of them could die. But the primary... this is where Coordinator meets his blatantly-foreshadowed fate.
So where do we go from here? Probably with my searching more art glossaries for appropriate terms. But I can tell you this: right now, three terms are on hold. One is an act, one is an entire category of art, and the last will be the title of the final chapter.
In the meantime, hopefully this provided some diversion. Or insight.
Or, at the very least, a good nap.
Very informative, thanks for writing it all up so I don't have to Google each one individually.
Also, I had thought scumble was something made from apples. Well, mostly apples.
IMO, Pentimento brings to mind the stuff that they put in baloney.
(Not peppercorns, the other stuff that looks like chopped olives but isn't. That stuff) Not sure that I'd have used it as a title
Oooh! Explanations for all the chapters! Nice!
We had explanations for individual chapters, before, but to get them all together!
And since you need more terms, while already having three available, then Triptych is going to be longer than 50 chapters. Whoo!
So, at least three more chapters then... I ain't complainin'.
At least you had a plan. Literally an *hour* before I started publishing 'Beast' I was looking over my chapter titles and said, "Hey, they all look like Country and Western song titles. I wonder if I can make them all Brad Paisley songs...." (Confession: I'm much cooler online than in real life.)
Trying to find the connection between title and content is but one of the many reasons I'm happy to see Triptych update. Getting to see the actual thought process involved rather than my fumbling is a treat. Thank you for it.
Very interesting. I love this sort of "seeing beneath the covers thing".
I missed that somehow.
Fascinating.
Aaaaaand bookmarked!
This blog also works as a nice refresher as to what happened in every chapter. I prefer to wait until a story is complete before re-reading it and the early chapters were posted a long time ago.
That was interesting. Seeing your thoughts about how title and chapter relate to each other is pretty cool, and as already mentioned this is also a neat overview of the story so far. Good reference for when someone mentions something happened in chapter number X and I can't remember which chapter it is based on title alone
I hope there's gonna be another one in the future for the chapters that are still to come!
Seeing how things are going, I'm wondering if Discord's favour is going to be needed at all.
Really enjoyed this blog. You put a lot of effort into picking out the best terms for the titles and kept the theme consistent over a long time. That's some dedication man. I appreciate it.