This video now includes Spanish as well as English subtitles. For a full list of dual-language videos in our series, please see the following site: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms
@@SWLF it was quite funny actually! He was playing the second chapter of the game, and the biggest, most bs thing occurred, and he referenced this video! Great work by the way
@@SWLF ruclips.net/video/5tUoqIcvG34/видео.html Your honor, allow me to present this timestamp to the court! Second mention: ruclips.net/video/5tUoqIcvG34/видео.html
If you liked this video, let us know by dropping us a comment! Doing so will help us to build a rich digital learning environment around the topic of deus ex machina in storytelling.
Solving a problem as a protagonist is less important than why solve the problem at all. Yes, solving the problem is satisfying in all stories, but I submit that all truly good and satisfying stories are love stories. Does the story have to end well? No, but it is customary in Western Civilization to have a happy ending where the driving force is love displayed through sacrifice like that of a mother for her child or fellow soldiers in battle.
Great question, Alex! Aeschylus certainly used something akin to this device, though Euripides is widely credited for popularizing it, given how many of his plays end with this strange machine. As such, we think you could argue that Aeschylus created it and Euripides solidified it as a recognizable (if not terribly satisfying) way of ending a play.
Ha! In the story of the development of our literary terms series, this strange infusion of a Twitch audience also seems like a deus ex machina. The internet is a weird place, isn't it?
@@ZZI44418 Ha! We just watched the clip. Yes, a person returning from the grave to help with the trial certainly sounds like a deus ex machina to us. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
@@SWLF he was playing a phoenix wright game and got to a part when a piece of evidence to solve a murder was given to him from beyond the grave right before losing a case.
Personally, I think it’s the Deus Ex Machina that made Lord of the Files so great, because it just feels kinda off if the villains are defeated or convinced to be good.
@@SWLF they're a youtube channel that makes videos on the follies of a lot of popular movies. So I would imagine that they call out movies that resolve the conflict using a convenient Deus ex machina.
After seeing this clip in the RTGame stream, I then used this video to explain to my dad how I felt about Gandalf calling the eagles every time he got into trouble
Your explanation and examples are great, but my question is this: what does deux ex machina give us? *Why* would an author use it? Especially in the example of Lord of the Flies, when all hope is truly lost and there is a point to made, what do we the reader gain from the use of deus ex machina? What does the author gain? In other words: is this really as cheap a ploy as it seems?
Great question! Deus Ex Machina is often used by critics or readers as a pejorative term to describe an unsatisfactory ending to a given plot. Most of the time an author (we suspect) would NEVER want to be accused of using this term. The only exception we can think of that makes deus ex machina into a positive thing (well, a funny thing) is Charlie Kaufman's movie Adaptation, in which a crocodile resolves the conflict of that movie in a hilariously, brutally ironic way. We won't give the plot away other than to say that that moment is a positive (one might even say appropriate) deus ex machina, given the movie's earlier specific references to the term.
I suppose they are trying to surprise us or trying to resolve questions and problems. Sometimes it can be sloppy or unsatisfying. It might rob our protagonist from finding a conclusion.
Thanks for the comment, ice cream hero! Given the fact that the boat occurs outside of the immediate vicinity of the plot and the encounter depends on coincidence, we'd still say it is a deus ex machina. But you are certainly welcome to argue otherwise! What does everyone else think?
I'd argue that the deus ex machina isn't all that bad when written correctly. For example I think the naval officer was an important person in the book. I can explain further if you respond.
“Imagine if at the end of Harry Potter he forgot how to lob spells and was rescued at the last minute by Queen Elizabeth.” I’m sorry...HOW would that not be amazing?!
Tolkien didn't use deus ex machina a lot (perhaps sometimes via the eagles rescuing Gandalf) but rather he built towards certain "eucatastrophes", which sometimes appear deus ex machina like in the context of the LotR novels, but have actually been built / planned eons ago from his lore prior to the events within the LotR.
Thanks so much for keeping the conversation going, Prasad! We were referring to those eagles here, but we're excited to hear about this great word eucatastrophes and its operation in Tolkien's work! And as the Shakespeare reference suggests, Tolkien is in good company--we certainly think he's an incredible author.
so you're saying that deux ex machina necessarily has a negative connotation?? i mean what is wrong with a little surprise if its back story is explained logically...it adds to the charm of the plot i guess?
Interesting question, Deeksha! We're not saying that deus ex machina always has a negative connotation, but it usually does, given what we expect from our stories. If a deus ex machina's backstory is explained logically before it appears, then it really isn't a deus ex machina. Deus ex machinas have to come from outside the setting of the plot and therefore appear as a kind of random non sequitur within it. Non sequitors are therefore not logical continuations of a story, as Prof. Larison suggests.
Perhaps our reaction to dues ex machina plot devices is more revealing of our psychology than the quality of the writing. On one hand, you could argue that foreshadowing ameliorates some of the problem associated with the deus ex machina, however, to the contrary I feel that it actually cheapens the ending by removing the mystery. Once you see the girl piloting the suit that will eventually destroy the aliens, you inevitably realize that it will play a major role later on. I presume that most people are satisfied with blatant foreshadowing and dissatisfied with a deus ex machina because it removes all feeling of control and power that we might have as viewers. If the ending is sequitur, and can logically be predicted, the viewer may have some control - they may feel that they would have done the same thing given the same set of circumstances. However, as the deus ex machina reveals, truth is sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes the circumstances we find ourselves in ultimately lead to a conclusion that is resolved by much larger forces outside of our own “story.” I’d be interested in how the classical critics felt about these plot devices compared to our contemporary culture given that we seemingly believe less in fate and more in bending the world to our own will.
Great post, Devan! Your point about contemporary beliefs regarding bending the world to our own will is incredibly perceptive. Stories inevitably convey a worldview, and most Western narratives convey a humanist worldview that gives individuals an incredible amount of agency and responsibility. Deus ex machinas chip away at that worldview. Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
Deus ex machine is person or thing that appears or introduced into situation suddenly and , unexpectedly and provides artificial, or contrived solution to apparently. Deus ex machine is Latin word , Ancient Greek tragedian means god . Has been found since time of Greek theatre. For example Shakespeare play as you like it hymn god of marriage appears during final act to fox romantic entanglements of main character. It’s plot device served as method to resolve conflict, primarily safe guarding protagonist and offering satisfying. Tragedies in Euripides Medea when Medea is shown in chariot of sun of god . Helios , god himself isn’t present . Thank you for your wonderful educational literary channel.
I loved the explanation, but weirdly I never had a problem with the "Deus ex Machina" instrumentation, I just experience relief that our hero is rescued from trouble, maybe I don´t know how to properly apreciate a story
Thanks for the comment, @lineararquitectura7601 ! Plenty of good stories rely upon deus ex machinas, so we wouldn't suggest that there is anything wrong with your approach. As we'll discuss in a future video, the expectation that a singular character can resolve their issues by themselves is a fairly individualistic attitude to take, and plenty of fiction that engages with large problems such as climate change struggle to create tidy resolutions to meet this individualist expectation.
@@SWLF The SCP Foundation is a fictional organization documented by the web-based collaborative-fiction project of the same name. Within the website's fictional setting, the SCP Foundation is responsible for locating and containing individuals, entities, locations, and objects that violate natural law. (copy pasted from the site) Scp 2000 is like the humanity's reset button, when an end of the world scenario occured, it will produce non anomalous human counterparts for repopulation, contains all info including the human genome, history, technology, arts and literature Just like from your explanation "god from machine" it rebuilds the world again
@@SWLF I'd really recommend getting into it, it's really interesting. I love scp 5000 because it tells a story that you can understand but it doesnt tell you everything about it, leaving some for imagination. You can find animated versions of the story on youtube.
Hey. I came here after I've been hearing "Deus ex Machina" and been curious about it. And for some reason I've been reading some fiction that used this mechanic without knowing what it means. Question. A fictional show just finished, it's called Attack on Titan and I wonder if the same mechanic was used in its ending. Some people say so but others disagree.
Thanks for the question, UB-Minos! We're unfamiliar with that show. Could you give us a description of what happens at the end? Does anyone else out there want to chime in as well?
And we have plans to get our allegory video out soon (the faculty member just needs to record the video, but social distancing has made that challenging), and we'll add masque to our list!
So in a nutshell it is just a literary mechanism to compel the story to end in a better way that wasn’t part of the premise? I didn’t understand Deus Ex Machina but for some strong unknown force, RUclips and your channel made me understand? 😂. Thanks for the wonderful video. TIL!
You got it, @afiqh9909 ! We're delighted some strong unknown force brought you to this lesson, and we hope you'll check out more of them if you have the time.
That’s bullshit, Making a protagonist too powerful is the fakest thing in cinema. It’s okay for him to be saved sometimes. It’s not like it doesn’t happen in the real world
Hmm, we're not sure we understand this comment. For better or worse, Western narratives tend to be centered around the problems of individuals and the solutions they struggle to achieve. And that does tend to reinforce certain attitudes towards the world (individualism, for example). But that is the convention that makes quite a lot of fiction, in part, different from "the real world."
Bro it took me so long to find it bc I only heard it being said not being written out so I kept looking up “day of seks mafia” bc I didn’t remember how it was pronounced originally
Thanks for the suggestion, AWeekLastTuesday. McGuffins are a little different than Deus Ex Machina, given the fact that they do appear within the actual setting / plot of a story, but they produce the same kind of "letdown" effect as a D.E.M. We'll add this to our list and hope to get a more detailed answer to you when we do!
Ha! To be fair, there are plenty of works in that genre or related cyberpunk genres that for some reason use the term in their titles. We hope we cleared up what they are drawing upon!
Great explanation, the first time I heard this word is from the Deus Ex Games and since have been curious to it's meaning, just a question though, is it bad when writers use Deus Ex to their story or other media, and does it make their plot, character and overall story weak?
Thanks so much, @peanauts8617! We're happy to hear you enjoyed the video. In general, whenever a critic classifies a plot element in a story as a deus ex machina, they are criticizing it, though as the examples in this video suggest, that doesn't mean a entirety of the story is necessarily weak. It shows up in Shakespeare after all!
i came to this video just to hear how people pronounce it, as there are 30 damn pronunciations for it. but i stayed till the end i like the big beard guy... hes neat
Ha! Yeah, there are a number of valid pronunciations. "Day-us ex mock - ee- na" is another. Happily, no ancient Romans are around to quibble with your Latin pronunciations... Glad to hear you enjoyed the video!
@@SWLF I'm from Tamilnadu, I've seen mostly tamil movies... 'Enga Enna Solluthu' is a illogical tamil comedy film There a man takes a cab and out of drivers compeltion starts to narrate his story, all this while the driver gives illogical advices and at the end of the movie when the man reaches his destination he got a clear head and motivation to live his life and the cab leaves the spot! Now the cab owner calls the man and ask him where have he been all these while because the booked cab and driver are still waiting for him. It is said at last that all these while the man was driving with God not an ordinary taxi driver. I know this is a illogical concept, sorry for now, I don't remember any good movie 🤗 Sorry again for grammatical errors 😅
Ha! No, your language it great, Hema! Though in your description of the movie, the "God" driver does seem operate within the primary setting of the story, so we're not sure it is, strictly speaking, deus ex machina. That device usually means that someone who we've never seen in the story (like the actual cab driver) shows up at the end to resolve the plot's central conflict.
In a way, I call it the 'Tom Cruise' plot. The main character is sloppily talented, then seriousness ensues. Upon that, there is a tragedy and 'he' just can't deal with it, but after THAT, some magical incentive makes 'him' better than EVER and we all go home happy! Deus Ex! (Seriously, that's EVERY Tom Cruise Movie!)
Thanks for the comment, Vetter! Though we would add that deus ex machina differs from general bad writing. That term applies specifically to the resolution of a conflict that comes from beyond the scope of the setting. If some incentive--even if it seems preposterous--comes from within that setting, it is just bad writing--not deus ex machina. Thanks again for keeping the conversation going! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Does this also apply when a character gets saved by a power pulled from their ass? What I mean by that is when a character is cornered and instead of using the knowledge they acquired from their journey they pull out a power or ability out of no where and save themselves. Is that also deus ex machina?
Great question, JOSUEISMAD! Yes, if a character expresses some ability that we've never seen nor known about to resolve a conflict, we'd also call that a deus ex machina, as that ability comes from outside the terms of the plot and setting. Someone might quibble with you on this point, as the ability seems to come from "inside" a character, but given the fact that the reader has never been introduced to that ability, it performs the same unsatisfactory resolution as an external "god from the machine." Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
Very nice, exactly what I needed. I’ve ran into a friend online who doesn’t see the problem with it and “enjoys using it and reading it.” If you’ve ever read the YA novels called Michael Vey, massive deus ex machine for the series ending. Basically the main character is gone for 98% of the book and these other characters eventually get to the climax of the entire series and at the last second the main character shows up, cause he’s basically God now (through chance and no wit of his own) and vaporizes everyone’s problem and the 7-series villain and the new “so powerful” villain reveal that only had a chapter to set it up (what’s even the point?). Ruined the whole series for me.
Thanks so much for sharing this example, Josh! We're not familiar with that series, but it does seem to employ deus ex machina to deliver an unsatisfying ending. What does everyone else think?
This video now includes Spanish as well as English subtitles. For a full list of dual-language videos in our series, please see the following site: liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/oregon-state-guide-english-literary-terms
here after rtGame's first Ace Attorney playthrough, this is great
Ha! How did that happen?
@@SWLF it was quite funny actually! He was playing the second chapter of the game, and the biggest, most bs thing occurred, and he referenced this video! Great work by the way
Ha! Thanks, Depressed Lasagna! Happy to get out into the Twitch world.
@@SWLF ruclips.net/video/5tUoqIcvG34/видео.html Your honor, allow me to present this timestamp to the court!
Second mention: ruclips.net/video/5tUoqIcvG34/видео.html
@@Nixahma Ha! Motion accepted.
If you liked this video, let us know by dropping us a comment! Doing so will help us to build a rich digital learning environment around the topic of deus ex machina in storytelling.
I came here because Rick said it to Morty in the new trailer.
Thanks for the analogy 😊.
Ha! Happy to help. Feel free to post the trailer here to give us a sense of the context.
@@SWLF it's on their main channel but there's really no context to it because it was just a little 2 second clip in a very fast montage. 👍👍
Got it! We really gotta start watching that show, don't we?
@@SWLF it's pretty vulgar and the fanbase can be a little toxic. However, it's easily one of my favorite shows 😊
Got it! We'll steer clear of the fanbase...
Now i know what i want to know
Thanks so much, Aulora! We hopw you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
I'm here because of Alan Wake 2 and I needed a refresher, great explanation. Also I kind of want the Queen Elizabeth ending of Harry Potter now.
Thanks so much, DaKevke! And yeah, that'd be a heck of a deus ex machina!
So thats what it means and how its spelled i was so confused what it was
Thanks so much, System fox! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
In short term: lazy writing
In long term : this
Ha! Though lazy writing can use so many other terrible devices...
I love you Oregon state university
Ha! Thanks so much for the kind words, macandfries!
Solving a problem as a protagonist is less important than why solve the problem at all. Yes, solving the problem is satisfying in all stories, but I submit that all truly good and satisfying stories are love stories. Does the story have to end well? No, but it is customary in Western Civilization to have a happy ending where the driving force is love displayed through sacrifice like that of a mother for her child or fellow soldiers in battle.
Isn't it Aeschylus ?
Great question, Alex! Aeschylus certainly used something akin to this device, though Euripides is widely credited for popularizing it, given how many of his plays end with this strange machine. As such, we think you could argue that Aeschylus created it and Euripides solidified it as a recognizable (if not terribly satisfying) way of ending a play.
I might be tripping balls but this man looks kinda like Ryan reynolds 😂
We can assure you that none of our faculty own stakes in any Welsh football club.
" I never asked for this " - Adam Jenson
Though a plot augmentation upgrade would have come in handy in the last one.
@@SWLF haha
This explanation is now firmly planted in my mind. Great work.
Thanks so much, Maggie! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Here after a streamer named RTGame played a game about being a lawyer and the ghost of the victim gave him evidence during a trial lol
Ha! In the story of the development of our literary terms series, this strange infusion of a Twitch audience also seems like a deus ex machina. The internet is a weird place, isn't it?
correction, it wasn't new evidence, it was flipping over a receipt
So this is what goes on at the back of one's head when you have to be forced to lose to flip around a freaking receipt ticket in court.
We suspect this is an allusion to Ace Attorney?
@@SWLF sure is!
@@ZZI44418 Ha! We just watched the clip. Yes, a person returning from the grave to help with the trial certainly sounds like a deus ex machina to us. Thanks for bringing it to our attention!
I thought this guy was Todd Howard because RT didn't show his face in the stream.
came here from rtgame's twitch stream
How in the world did you get here from there?
@@SWLF he was playing a phoenix wright game and got to a part when a piece of evidence to solve a murder was given to him from beyond the grave right before losing a case.
@@jowysw Ha! We watched the video, and that moment is most definitely an example of deus ex machina. Thanks for dropping by!
Personally, I think it’s the Deus Ex Machina that made Lord of the Files so great, because it just feels kinda off if the villains are defeated or convinced to be good.
Thanks so much for keeping the conversation going, Forbidden Channel and Burn Wernple!
Now I can finally understand Cinema Sins when he uses Deus Ex Machina as a critique point. Never knew before 😅
Excellent! We're glad to hear the video was useful!
Cinema Sins Be Using that word wrong tho
@@jahrackss_ Interesting! How so? We're unfamiliar with what Cinema Sins is.
@@SWLF they're a youtube channel that makes videos on the follies of a lot of popular movies. So I would imagine that they call out movies that resolve the conflict using a convenient Deus ex machina.
@@SWLF Cinema sins is trash, I recommend steering clear from those guys.
wassup, here from RTgame
Hello
Greetings, Tippyfrog. Thanks for dropping by.
After seeing this clip in the RTGame stream, I then used this video to explain to my dad how I felt about Gandalf calling the eagles every time he got into trouble
Ha! We hope he took it well.
Fed ex machina is when the god is delivered by fedEx
Ha! As long as FedEx hasn't shown up earlier in the plot.
Your explanation and examples are great, but my question is this: what does deux ex machina give us? *Why* would an author use it? Especially in the example of Lord of the Flies, when all hope is truly lost and there is a point to made, what do we the reader gain from the use of deus ex machina? What does the author gain? In other words: is this really as cheap a ploy as it seems?
Great question! Deus Ex Machina is often used by critics or readers as a pejorative term to describe an unsatisfactory ending to a given plot. Most of the time an author (we suspect) would NEVER want to be accused of using this term. The only exception we can think of that makes deus ex machina into a positive thing (well, a funny thing) is Charlie Kaufman's movie Adaptation, in which a crocodile resolves the conflict of that movie in a hilariously, brutally ironic way. We won't give the plot away other than to say that that moment is a positive (one might even say appropriate) deus ex machina, given the movie's earlier specific references to the term.
I suppose they are trying to surprise us or trying to resolve questions and problems. Sometimes it can be sloppy or unsatisfying. It might rob our protagonist from finding a conclusion.
A passing naval officer is not a deus ex machina. Boats are in an ocean. You would expect that to happen.
Thanks for the comment, ice cream hero! Given the fact that the boat occurs outside of the immediate vicinity of the plot and the encounter depends on coincidence, we'd still say it is a deus ex machina. But you are certainly welcome to argue otherwise! What does everyone else think?
It's all about the timing: if the presence of the naval guy happens to appear - and intercede - at that critical juncture... it fits.
I'd argue that the deus ex machina isn't all that bad when written correctly. For example I think the naval officer was an important person in the book. I can explain further if you respond.
Interesting! What is your way of thinking, Sam?
You're a liar Sam
You lie
Hello rtgame and scp fans!
Ha! How many of you people are there???
@@SWLF too many
This is the only time I searched for the meaning of this cause I thought its a video game title haha thanks for the clear explanation bub !!! 😁
Ha! Yeah, Deus Ex is a pretty great series. Consider this your literary terms augmentation.
I'd like to say, its not always a bad thing to do. Just usually.
We agree Jonn. Antigone is, after all, a wonderful play. Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
@@SWLF Much like passive voice in writing, its good in very specific circumstances, but mostly its just lazy and irritating to look at/read.
@@baron2062 That's a great way to think of it. Thanks, Baron!
“Imagine if at the end of Harry Potter he forgot how to lob spells and was rescued at the last minute by Queen Elizabeth.”
I’m sorry...HOW would that not be amazing?!
Ha! OK, it'd be amazingly funny, but also a bit unsatisfying.
Peerless explanation !
The device has submerged in my mind.
Thanks so much for all your support, Zakir!
Tolkien didn't use deus ex machina a lot (perhaps sometimes via the eagles rescuing Gandalf) but rather he built towards certain "eucatastrophes", which sometimes appear deus ex machina like in the context of the LotR novels, but have actually been built / planned eons ago from his lore prior to the events within the LotR.
Thanks so much for keeping the conversation going, Prasad! We were referring to those eagles here, but we're excited to hear about this great word eucatastrophes and its operation in Tolkien's work! And as the Shakespeare reference suggests, Tolkien is in good company--we certainly think he's an incredible author.
so you're saying that deux ex machina necessarily has a negative connotation?? i mean what is wrong with a little surprise if its back story is explained logically...it adds to the charm of the plot i guess?
Interesting question, Deeksha! We're not saying that deus ex machina always has a negative connotation, but it usually does, given what we expect from our stories. If a deus ex machina's backstory is explained logically before it appears, then it really isn't a deus ex machina. Deus ex machinas have to come from outside the setting of the plot and therefore appear as a kind of random non sequitur within it. Non sequitors are therefore not logical continuations of a story, as Prof. Larison suggests.
@@SWLF hmmm..got it...thanks
Perhaps our reaction to dues ex machina plot devices is more revealing of our psychology than the quality of the writing. On one hand, you could argue that foreshadowing ameliorates some of the problem associated with the deus ex machina, however, to the contrary I feel that it actually cheapens the ending by removing the mystery. Once you see the girl piloting the suit that will eventually destroy the aliens, you inevitably realize that it will play a major role later on. I presume that most people are satisfied with blatant foreshadowing and dissatisfied with a deus ex machina because it removes all feeling of control and power that we might have as viewers. If the ending is sequitur, and can logically be predicted, the viewer may have some control - they may feel that they would have done the same thing given the same set of circumstances. However, as the deus ex machina reveals, truth is sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes the circumstances we find ourselves in ultimately lead to a conclusion that is resolved by much larger forces outside of our own “story.” I’d be interested in how the classical critics felt about these plot devices compared to our contemporary culture given that we seemingly believe less in fate and more in bending the world to our own will.
Great post, Devan! Your point about contemporary beliefs regarding bending the world to our own will is incredibly perceptive. Stories inevitably convey a worldview, and most Western narratives convey a humanist worldview that gives individuals an incredible amount of agency and responsibility. Deus ex machinas chip away at that worldview. Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
That's a really interesting thought, I'll save this food for thought in the future
Deus ex machine is person or thing that appears or introduced into situation suddenly and , unexpectedly and provides artificial, or contrived solution to apparently. Deus ex machine is Latin word , Ancient Greek tragedian means god . Has been found since time of Greek theatre. For example Shakespeare play as you like it hymn god of marriage appears during final act to fox romantic entanglements of main character. It’s plot device served as method to resolve conflict, primarily safe guarding protagonist and offering satisfying. Tragedies in Euripides Medea when Medea is shown in chariot of sun of god . Helios , god himself isn’t present . Thank you for your wonderful educational literary channel.
Thanks, man. You explain deus ex machina by spoiling me the resolution of Lord of the Flies.
Ha! Sorry, Isle!
I loved the explanation, but weirdly I never had a problem with the "Deus ex Machina" instrumentation, I just experience relief that our hero is rescued from trouble, maybe I don´t know how to properly apreciate a story
Thanks for the comment, @lineararquitectura7601 ! Plenty of good stories rely upon deus ex machinas, so we wouldn't suggest that there is anything wrong with your approach. As we'll discuss in a future video, the expectation that a singular character can resolve their issues by themselves is a fairly individualistic attitude to take, and plenty of fiction that engages with large problems such as climate change struggle to create tidy resolutions to meet this individualist expectation.
After reading about scp 2000 (deus ex machina) I searched for an explanation from literature
Hmm, we don't know anything about scp 2000, but we hope this explanation helped!
@@SWLF
The SCP Foundation is a fictional organization documented by the web-based collaborative-fiction project of the same name. Within the website's fictional setting, the SCP Foundation is responsible for locating and containing individuals, entities, locations, and objects that violate natural law. (copy pasted from the site)
Scp 2000 is like the humanity's reset button, when an end of the world scenario occured, it will produce non anomalous human counterparts for repopulation, contains all info including the human genome, history, technology, arts and literature
Just like from your explanation "god from machine" it rebuilds the world again
@@SWLF I'd really recommend getting into it, it's really interesting. I love scp 5000 because it tells a story that you can understand but it doesnt tell you everything about it, leaving some for imagination. You can find animated versions of the story on youtube.
Deus ex machina
Me:NO GAME NO LIFE
Deus eX Machina season 2
Hey. I came here after I've been hearing "Deus ex Machina" and been curious about it. And for some reason I've been reading some fiction that used this mechanic without knowing what it means. Question. A fictional show just finished, it's called Attack on Titan and I wonder if the same mechanic was used in its ending. Some people say so but others disagree.
Thanks for the question, UB-Minos! We're unfamiliar with that show. Could you give us a description of what happens at the end? Does anyone else out there want to chime in as well?
RT game time, also it's an incredible explanation
Thanks, Alix! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Peerless explanation !
The device has submerged in my mind.
Make videos on masque and allegory, sir.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Zakir! And thanks again for supporting the series!
And we have plans to get our allegory video out soon (the faculty member just needs to record the video, but social distancing has made that challenging), and we'll add masque to our list!
Deus Machina is out. Love. Trinity and Neo. Synthients are ok.
So in a nutshell it is just a literary mechanism to compel the story to end in a better way that wasn’t part of the premise? I didn’t understand Deus Ex Machina but for some strong unknown force, RUclips and your channel made me understand? 😂. Thanks for the wonderful video. TIL!
You got it, @afiqh9909 ! We're delighted some strong unknown force brought you to this lesson, and we hope you'll check out more of them if you have the time.
That’s bullshit, Making a protagonist too powerful is the fakest thing in cinema. It’s okay for him to be saved sometimes. It’s not like it doesn’t happen in the real world
Hmm, we're not sure we understand this comment. For better or worse, Western narratives tend to be centered around the problems of individuals and the solutions they struggle to achieve. And that does tend to reinforce certain attitudes towards the world (individualism, for example). But that is the convention that makes quite a lot of fiction, in part, different from "the real world."
This is the best video I've ever seen :)
Thanks so much, Innocent!
Bro it took me so long to find it bc I only heard it being said not being written out so I kept looking up “day of seks mafia” bc I didn’t remember how it was pronounced originally
Ha! Yeah, that Latin can be confusing. We hope the video cleared things up, Andrew!
Chitti is not God! You can change his chip.
I came because Rick and morty season 5 and didn’t know what it means
Well, we hope this video cleared things up, K. Kaiser! Thanks for stopping by!
Deus ex machina means to believe in a god, a divinity, so single. Thanks.
Hmm, we're pretty sure this is inaccurate, Mauricio, but you are welcome to search elsewhere for other Latin derivations.
I see you dont have a video talking about McGuffins... are the also a typr of Deus Ex Machina?
Thanks for the suggestion, AWeekLastTuesday. McGuffins are a little different than Deus Ex Machina, given the fact that they do appear within the actual setting / plot of a story, but they produce the same kind of "letdown" effect as a D.E.M. We'll add this to our list and hope to get a more detailed answer to you when we do!
@@SWLF As a followup question, perhaps a comparison between the two, cause of me confusing the two...but a McGuffin one would still be noce as well.
Great idea, @@AWeekLastTuesday !
hahhaaha Queen Elizabeth. nice.
Thanks, Derrick. We had a lot of fun putting together that video.
I thought this was some cool anime that everyone knows
Ha! To be fair, there are plenty of works in that genre or related cyberpunk genres that for some reason use the term in their titles. We hope we cleared up what they are drawing upon!
I'm here from Cinema Sins, not that fool who couldn't Monkey Watch
Well, I can explain the Harvard admissiom using Dr Kahneman and Dr Tverskys Prospect Theory using effects like Endowment effect.
so basically Deus ex Machina is a plot shield that came out of nowhere
Interesting. We're not familiar with the term "plot shield," Negumi. Could you elaborate?
@@SWLF my bad, i mean plot armor
I came from a meme called "frisk ex machina"
Hmm, we can't even imagine that abrupt transition.
Not true
It would be a lot better and more believable if you knew how to pronounce it to begin with.
The video game? Oh nvm
Ha! It is a great video game, for sure, but yes, this video isn't about Jensen and biotechnology.
Great explanation, the first time I heard this word is from the Deus Ex Games and since have been curious to it's meaning, just a question though, is it bad when writers use Deus Ex to their story or other media, and does it make their plot, character and overall story weak?
Thanks so much, @peanauts8617! We're happy to hear you enjoyed the video. In general, whenever a critic classifies a plot element in a story as a deus ex machina, they are criticizing it, though as the examples in this video suggest, that doesn't mean a entirety of the story is necessarily weak. It shows up in Shakespeare after all!
i came to this video just to hear how people pronounce it, as there are 30 damn pronunciations for it. but i stayed till the end i like the big beard guy... hes neat
Ha! Yeah, there are a number of valid pronunciations. "Day-us ex mock - ee- na" is another. Happily, no ancient Romans are around to quibble with your Latin pronunciations... Glad to hear you enjoyed the video!
0:46
You got into Harvard, but at what cost?
Now I know! Thank you
Awesome! We're so happy to hear you found the video useful, and we hope you'll check out our other videos in that series!
İt is a perfect explanation sir, thank you for your simple and understandable explanation.
Thanks so much, StudywithmeOS! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the video!
I loved this explanation. Thank you! Keep going!
Thanks so much, Jesus! Look for a new video in our series in early January!
i came after watching the matrix
Nice! We hope you found the video useful as you think about that film.
@@SWLF yes thanks
So, is that axe from the movie Titanic a kind of deus ex machina device?
Interesting! How so?
What I've learnt is that a lot of people seem to be using it wrong
Ha! Well, we hope we don't fit that category, Tehcookie!
❤
Thanks so much, Karen!
hahahaha! nice delivery. it is also definitely true
Thanks so much, Teddy2t! We hope you enjoy the other videos in the series as well!
so osu the game is gonna tell me what deus ex machina is
Ha! What in the world is osu the game?
Last half of Naruto be like:
Ha! We're not familiar with the show. Care to explain for those of us out of the loop?
Not you buddy...
Ha! We were going to bring a chariot down to swoop Prof Larison out at the end of the video, but our budget doesn't allow for any CGI.
Oooooo this is what it means.
Ha! Happy to help, wanderingartists! We hope you enjoy the other videos in the series as well!
Definitely a story spoiler... this happens in many Indian movies 😒😅
Thanks for the comment, Hema! Care to share any examples?
@@SWLF I'm from Tamilnadu, I've seen mostly tamil movies...
'Enga Enna Solluthu' is a illogical tamil comedy film
There a man takes a cab and out of drivers compeltion starts to narrate his story, all this while the driver gives illogical advices and at the end of the movie when the man reaches his destination he got a clear head and motivation to live his life and the cab leaves the spot!
Now the cab owner calls the man and ask him where have he been all these while because the booked cab and driver are still waiting for him.
It is said at last that all these while the man was driving with God not an ordinary taxi driver.
I know this is a illogical concept, sorry for now, I don't remember any good movie 🤗
Sorry again for grammatical errors 😅
Ha! No, your language it great, Hema! Though in your description of the movie, the "God" driver does seem operate within the primary setting of the story, so we're not sure it is, strictly speaking, deus ex machina. That device usually means that someone who we've never seen in the story (like the actual cab driver) shows up at the end to resolve the plot's central conflict.
@@SWLF wow, thanks for clearing the doubts, I understood 🤩👍
great explanation
Thanks so much, Lautaro! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
In a way, I call it the 'Tom Cruise' plot. The main character is sloppily talented, then seriousness ensues. Upon that, there is a tragedy and 'he' just can't deal with it, but after THAT, some magical incentive makes 'him' better than EVER and we all go home happy! Deus Ex! (Seriously, that's EVERY Tom Cruise Movie!)
Thanks for the comment, Vetter! Though we would add that deus ex machina differs from general bad writing. That term applies specifically to the resolution of a conflict that comes from beyond the scope of the setting. If some incentive--even if it seems preposterous--comes from within that setting, it is just bad writing--not deus ex machina. Thanks again for keeping the conversation going! We hope you enjoy the other videos in our series as well!
Was reading Murakami’s Norwegian wood when i came across the concept, great explanation.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Ish!
Does this also apply when a character gets saved by a power pulled from their ass? What I mean by that is when a character is cornered and instead of using the knowledge they acquired from their journey they pull out a power or ability out of no where and save themselves. Is that also deus ex machina?
Great question, JOSUEISMAD! Yes, if a character expresses some ability that we've never seen nor known about to resolve a conflict, we'd also call that a deus ex machina, as that ability comes from outside the terms of the plot and setting. Someone might quibble with you on this point, as the ability seems to come from "inside" a character, but given the fact that the reader has never been introduced to that ability, it performs the same unsatisfactory resolution as an external "god from the machine." Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
@@SWLF thanks!
Now I understand the Deus Ex game franchise.
Ha! That's a pretty devastating critique of the writing in that video game. Thanks for the comment, Anirudh!
Very nice, exactly what I needed. I’ve ran into a friend online who doesn’t see the problem with it and “enjoys using it and reading it.”
If you’ve ever read the YA novels called Michael Vey, massive deus ex machine for the series ending. Basically the main character is gone for 98% of the book and these other characters eventually get to the climax of the entire series and at the last second the main character shows up, cause he’s basically God now (through chance and no wit of his own) and vaporizes everyone’s problem and the 7-series villain and the new “so powerful” villain reveal that only had a chapter to set it up (what’s even the point?). Ruined the whole series for me.
Thanks so much for sharing this example, Josh! We're not familiar with that series, but it does seem to employ deus ex machina to deliver an unsatisfying ending. What does everyone else think?