# Scripting Requirements Checklist
## What a microdrama needs before episode generation

> **Numeric values:** See `/CONSTANTS.md`
> **Character template:** See `/templates/dev_templates/characters_template.md`

This document defines the minimum requirements for promoting a development project to scripting.

**CRITICAL: Character-First Sequencing**

This checklist is ordered intentionally. Characters come BEFORE theme articulation because:
- Characters designed to illustrate thesis feel engineered
- Characters who exist as specific people generate authentic theme
- Theme should be DISCOVERED through character collision, not DESIGNED upfront

**REQUIRED DOCUMENT: `characters.md`**

All character information (Sections 1 and 5, plus character arcs) goes in a single document: `characters.md`. This document contains both:
- **Static**: WHO they are (behavioral DNA, voice, visual design, needs)
- **Dynamic**: HOW they change (arc, transformation, mask crack schedule)

The validator parses `## CHARACTER NAME` headers and `### Behavioral DNA` sections.

---

## SECTION 1: CHARACTERS FIRST (10 items)

### 1.1 Protagonist Sketch
- Name, age, role
- Archetype and personality compression
- Visual design notes
- What makes them COMPETENT (skill that drives plot)

### 1.2 Protagonist Behavioral DNA
**On-screen behaviors that constrain action (NOT backstory):**
- [ ] 3+ specific behaviors (things they DO that we SEE)
- [ ] Stress behavior (surprising, not generic like "gets quiet")
- [ ] Signature line (passes swap test—only they would say it)
- [ ] At least 1 orthogonal trait (doesn't serve any theme)
- [ ] Contradiction (moment where they break their pattern)

**Examples:**
| Good (Behavior) | Bad (Backstory) |
|-----------------|-----------------|
| "Talks to empty chair when stuck" | "Lost his brother" |
| "Never sits with back to door" | "Has trust issues" |
| "Laughs at inappropriate moments" | "Was traumatized" |

### 1.3 Antagonist Sketch
- Name, role, threat level
- What makes them as SMART as protagonist
- Visual design notes

### 1.4 Antagonist Behavioral DNA
- [ ] 3+ specific on-screen behaviors
- [ ] Stress behavior (surprising)
- [ ] Signature line
- [ ] What they believe they're RIGHT about

### 1.5 Emotional Anchor Sketch
- Name, relationship to protagonist
- How they challenge/support the protagonist

### 1.6 Anchor Behavioral DNA
- [ ] 3+ specific on-screen behaviors
- [ ] How they respond when protagonist is in danger
- [ ] What truth they hold that protagonist needs

### 1.7 Voice Patterns Defined
Each character has:
- [ ] Speech idiom (gamblers speak in bets, soldiers in tactics, etc.)
- [ ] Relational shorthand (nicknames, status markers)
- [ ] Anti-patterns (what they would NEVER say)
- [ ] Sample dialogue demonstrating voice

### 1.8 Voice Consistency Checklist
- [ ] Each character's speech pattern is distinct
- [ ] No character uses another's patterns
- [ ] Anti-patterns are clearly defined
- [ ] Signature lines pass swap test (could identify speaker blind)

### 1.9 Character Tone & Humor

**CRITICAL: IDIOM ≠ HUMOR**

- **IDIOM** = Speech pattern (how they frame the world)
  - "Sixty-forty I regret this" ← IDIOM (not funny)
- **HUMOR** = Actual wit that makes audience smirk
  - "I wake up in garbage. Fitting." ← HUMOR (dark self-awareness)

**Humor Types:**
- GALLOWS HUMOR — Dry observations about terrible situations
- DRY DEADPAN — Says absurd things flatly
- CRUEL WIT — Mocking superiority
- EARNEST — No irony (contrast character)
- NONE — Robotic, purely functional

**Required per major character:**
- [ ] Humor type identified (or NONE)
- [ ] 2-3 example lines that are ACTUALLY FUNNY (not just idiom)
- [ ] When humor SHIFTS (mask on vs. mask off)

### 1.10 Protagonist Need Layers
Three layers of motivation:
1. **Surface Need** — What they SAY they want (tangible goal)
2. **Deeper Need** — What they ACTUALLY want (emotional)
3. **Deepest Need** — What they DON'T KNOW they need (transformation)

---

## SECTION 2: PRESSURE TEST (2 items)

**Before locking theme or arc, TEST if characters generate dramatic tension.**

### 2.1 Collision Sequence Written
Write a 3-episode collision sequence. **These are NON-CANONICAL — a sandbox to discover character behavior, NOT Episodes 1-3 of your series.**
- [ ] Force protagonist and antagonist into direct conflict
- [ ] Force protagonist and anchor into emotional pressure
- [ ] See what emerges—what choices do they make under stress?

**IMPORTANT:** Write these episodes to discover how your characters behave under pressure. Then DISCARD them. If you try to make the pressure test "count" as real episodes, you'll constrain the discovery process and defeat the purpose.

**What you're looking for:**
- Do the characters feel like PEOPLE or THESIS STATEMENTS?
- Does conflict arise naturally from who they are?
- What thematic questions emerge from their collision?

### 2.2 Theme Discovery
After writing collision sequence:
- [ ] What human truth emerged from watching them collide?
- [ ] What question does their conflict raise?
- [ ] This becomes your theme—you're NAMING what you found, not designing

**The test:** If you can swap these characters into a different thematic story and they'd behave the same, they're too generic. If they'd behave differently because of WHO THEY ARE, you have real characters.

---

## SECTION 3: THEMATIC SPINE (5 items)

**NOW articulate theme—after characters exist as specific people.**

### 3.1 "This Is Really About..."
The thematic core — what human truth emerged from pressure test?
- Examples: "What we sacrifice for visibility", "The lies systems tell"
- **Test:** Can you explain the theme without mentioning plot?

### 3.2 The Thematic Question
A question the series explores but doesn't definitively answer.
- Examples: "Can meaning survive monetization?", "Is the comforting lie better than the terrible truth?"
- **Test:** Would viewers argue about this after watching?

### 3.3 Protagonist's Thematic Stance
How does the protagonist's behavior (not backstory) embody one answer to the question?
- Their choices under pressure in the collision sequence reveal this

### 3.4 Antagonist's Counter-Thesis
How does the antagonist embody a DEFENSIBLE opposing answer?
- Not evil—just a different answer to the same question
- **Test:** Could a reasonable person agree with them?

### 3.5 Mythological DNA
What archetype, myth, or deep story does this echo?
- Greek, Norse, Biblical, Arthurian, Jungian, Eastern, etc.
- Examples: "Prometheus", "Orpheus", "Cain & Abel"
- **Test:** What ancient story is this a remix of?

---

## SECTION 4: CONCEPT & HOOK (5 items)

### 4.1 Surprising Conceit
The twist on expectations that makes this premise unique.
- **Not:** "Survival horror in space"
- **But:** "What if the ark was actually a prison?"
- **Test:** Does this subvert a familiar genre or trope?

### 4.2 Logline
A single sentence that hooks the audience.
- **Format:** [Protagonist] must [goal] or [stakes] in [setting]
- **Test:** Would you click on this thumbnail?

### 4.3 Genre Blend
Two genres that create tension.
- Primary genre (plot engine)
- Secondary genre (texture/tone)
- Examples: "Noir + Space Opera", "Heist + Survival Horror"

### 4.4 Demographic Hook
Why will 18-35 males binge this?
- What's the "competence porn" angle?
- What's the gamification element?
- What's the "Sigma Flip" (underdog outsmarts the system)?

### 4.5 Archetype-Worldview
How the protagonist decodes the world (see `/appendix_d_ai_video.md` for full list):
- **TECHNOPATH** — Sees reality as code/data
- **TACTICIAN** — Sees vectors and weaknesses
- **HIGH-ROLLER** — Sees leverage and "tells"
- **SURVIVOR** — Sees environmental cues
- **EMPATH** — Sees emotional fields and micro-expressions
- **ARCHITECT** — Sees structures, dependencies, load points

Visual manifestation described (AR overlays, time dilation, etc.)

---

## SECTION 5: EMOTIONAL ARCHITECTURE (4 items)

### 5.1 Emotional Anchor Type
The B-story relationship. Choose one (or hybrid):

| Type | Function | Dramatic Engine |
|------|----------|-----------------|
| **CUB** | Someone to protect | "I must keep them safe" |
| **GHOST** | Someone lost/haunting | "I can't escape what I lost" |
| **MIRROR** | Reflects protagonist's fate | "I'm looking at my future" |
| **SKEPTIC** | Challenges protagonist's choices | "They see what I'm becoming" |
| **TETHER** | Grounds protagonist to humanity | "They keep me human" |
| **WITNESS** | Sees the protagonist clearly | "They know the real me" |
| **FOIL** | Represents the opposite path | "They chose differently" |
| **COST** | Will pay if protagonist fails | "They suffer for my choices" |

**Hybrids allowed:** CUB + MIRROR, GHOST + TETHER, etc.
**Full reference:** `/CONSTANTS.md` and `/appendix_c_emotion.md`

### 5.2 Anchor Need Layers
Same three-layer structure as protagonist.

### 5.3 The Primary Ache
What does the audience desperately want to see happen?
- Between which characters?
- What would satisfy it?
- When is it satisfied? (Should be Ep 59-60 at earliest)

### 5.4 Relationship Milestones
Map key relationship moments to episodes (see `/CONSTANTS.md` → Relationship Earning Schedule):
- [ ] First vulnerability shown (Ep ~10, aligns with FIRST_CRACK)
- [ ] First sacrifice (Ep ~25)
- [ ] "I need you" equivalent (Ep ~35, within 31-40 range)
- [ ] Major declaration territory (Ep 51+)

---

## SECTION 6: WORLD (3 items)

### 6.1 Setting
- Where and when
- Sensory details (smell, humidity, sounds)
- Visual palette (lighting, colors, textures)

### 6.2 Rules/Constraints
- What makes this world a pressure cooker?
- Resource scarcity? Time limit? Surveillance?
- The setting as antagonist

### 6.3 Factions/Power Structure
- Who holds power?
- Who opposes them?
- Where does the protagonist fit?

---

## SECTION 7: STRUCTURE (5 items)

### 7.1 Three-Act Breakdown
- **Act I (Eps 1-15):** The Lock-In — Point of no return
- **Act II (Eps 16-45):** The Pressure Cooker — Midpoint shift, "All Is Lost"
- **Act III (Eps 46-60):** The Reckoning — Final battle, new world order

### 7.2 Eight-Sequence Skeleton

> See `/CONSTANTS.md` → Eight-Sequence Skeleton

### 7.3 Key Plot Points
- Episode 15: Point of No Return
- Episode 30: Midpoint (stakes shift)
- Episode 45: All Is Lost
- Episode 60: Resolution

### 7.4 Emotional Beat Schedule

> See `/CONSTANTS.md` → Emotional Beat Schedule (11 required beats with ±2 episode tolerance)

### 7.5 Thematic Checkpoints
- [ ] Every sequence has a thematic function
- [ ] Theme is embodied in action, not explained in dialogue
- [ ] Antagonist represents coherent counter-thesis
- [ ] Final episode echoes the thematic question

---

## SCRIPTING READINESS SCORE

| Section | Items | Weight |
|---------|-------|--------|
| Characters First | 10 | Required |
| Pressure Test | 2 | Required |
| Thematic Spine | 5 | Required |
| Concept & Hook | 5 | Required |
| Emotional Architecture | 4 | Required |
| World | 3 | Required |
| Structure | 5 | Required |
| **TOTAL** | **34** | **All Required** |

**Minimum for promotion:** 34/34

---

## VALIDATION GATES

Before promotion, run all gates:

### Gate 1: Behavioral DNA (HARD)

```bash
python3 .claude/hooks/validate_behavioral_dna.py ./[project]
```

**Validates:** Checklist sections 1.2, 1.4, 1.6

| Check | Requirement | Fail Condition |
|-------|-------------|----------------|
| On-screen behaviors | 3+ per character | < 3 filmable behaviors |
| Stress behavior | Specific, not generic | "Gets quiet" or similar |
| Signature line | Passes swap test | Could be any character |
| Orthogonal trait | 1+ non-theme-serving | All traits serve theme |
| Contradiction | Pattern-break defined | No exception to pattern |

**Exit code 0 = PASS, 1 = FAIL (blocks promotion)**

### Gate 2: Voice DNA (SOFT - warnings only)

**Validates:** Checklist sections 1.7, 1.8, 1.9

| Check | Requirement |
|-------|-------------|
| Idiom defined | Speech pattern documented |
| Humor type | Type identified (or NONE) |
| Anti-patterns | What character would NEVER say |
| Sample dialogue | Example lines demonstrating voice |

**Does not block promotion** — issues reported as warnings.

### Gate 3: Arc Validation (HARD)

See `/evaluation/arc_validation_gate.md`

| Check | Requirement |
|-------|-------------|
| Cliffhanger intensity | ≥9.0 overall |
| Action density | ≥20 beats across series |
| Emotional beats | All 11 at designated episodes |
| Pattern variety | No 4+ consecutive same type (max 3 allowed) |
| Thread coverage | ≥6 threads, plant + payoff |

### Gate 4: Validate Agent (HARD)

```
/validate [project]
/validate [project] --strict
```

**Tier 1 (Must Pass):**
- All 34 checklist items checked
- All 5 development documents exist
- Law 2 tables complete
- Primary Ache defined with threats
- At least 8 relationship markers

**Tier 2 (Scored, Avg ≥ 3.5):**
- Thematic question clarity
- Thesis/antithesis tension
- Primary Ache intensity
- Key episode quality (15, 30, 45, 60)

---

## WHAT HAPPENS AT PROMOTION

When all 34 items are checked and gates pass:

1. Create scripting folder at `/recoil/[series-name]/`
2. Generate formal **Series Bible** from development docs
3. Generate **Episode Arc** (60 episodes with MUST CONTAIN beats)
4. Generate **Character Voices** guide (with behavioral DNA)
5. Copy production templates (generation_prompt, orchestration, state)
6. Initialize state.json
7. Ready for V12 batch generation

---

## THE CHARACTER-FIRST PRINCIPLE

**Why this order matters:**

| Old Way (Theme-First) | New Way (Character-First) |
|-----------------------|---------------------------|
| Define theme | Define specific people |
| Design characters to illustrate thesis | Let them collide under pressure |
| Characters feel engineered | See what themes emerge |
| "Exists to prove a point" | Name what you discovered |
| ASI-Bridge result | Leviathan result |

The difference between "ARIA exists to explore consciousness" and "Jinx is a gambler with rust-lung who happens to illuminate questions about worth" is the difference between a thesis statement with dialogue and a person you'd remember.

**Theme emerges from authentic character collision. It is not designed.**