In Hunter X Hunter, In is the ability to hide oneâs aura without turning it off. For example, Kurapika can conjure chains made of Nen, then use In to render them invisible.
In improv, In is craft. Craft is about hiding the seams. Obscuring your technique so well that even experienced improvisers stop âseeing you improviseâ, and just experience the story youâre telling.
In is an arms race. Perhaps youâve heard the note, âthe audience is ahead of youâ. It means that youâve lost the ability to surprise the audience because they can already tell what jokes youâre setting up. This occurs when the audienceâs Gyo is stronger than your In. They see what youâre doing. But, if your In is better than their Gyo, youâll blow their minds.
Sometimes weâre not trying to hide.
Compare these two approaches to starting a scene in a grocery store.
If it sounds like Iâm endorsing (1) and making fun of (2), Iâm not! In the first case, weâve made the audience 50% certain weâre shopping for produce. In the second case, weâve made the audience 100% sure weâre in the grocery store somewhere, and weâve already got our relationship! Theyâre totally different styles that serve different shows. Being obvious with your platform is good! It gets everyone on the same page. But itâs not magic. It wonât give the audience that strange, wonderful feeling of seeing you in the produce aisle with your estranged father, without remembering the moment when that image became so crystal clear.
If youâre not doing a TJ & Dave style slow-burn scene, ham-fisting your platform is probably the move. In is about hiding our intentions from the audience efficiently, not indiscriminately. For example, a really great place to use In is when framing the game.
Suppose youâre doing a classic roommate scene, and your say, âPlease donât take my fountain pen out of the shower.â Unusual thing! Your scene partner frames it up. âItâs weird to keep a fountain pen in the shower!â. And to finish it up, you justify: âI keep a pen anywhere I might feel inspired!â
Pretty good! I sure feel ready to tag to finding one of your pens on my grandmaâs grave, or in my asshole or whatever. But a savvy audience might be ahead of you. The line âI keep a pen anywhere I might feel inspired!â doesnât just telegraph to your drift-compatible scene partners, it telegraphs to everyone.
Compare to justifying the unusual thing with an offer like, âIâm a writer! Inspiration can strike me anywhere! I must be ready!â Youâre teammatesâ Gyo should be strong enough to still see what youâre going for, but less of the audience will be strong enough to get tipped off. The goal is to use just enough In that the audience canât see it, but your scene partner can.
Improv is a magic trick. In hides the strings.