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I think that one of the reasons I really love the anime Log Horizon is possibly related to neurodivergence: everyone *talks* to each other. I hadn't realized that keeping track of fictional characters' non-overlapping experience inventories was a mental load until it was reduced.
If a character—even the one who's Always Scheming—has a notable experience, it's practically a given that they'll process it with someone (if not everyone) else within a few episodes. It also builds a more authentic sense of emerging camaraderie and trust among the ensemble.
It makes me think about how character building is more than just creating exposition through conversation. Someone simply talking about their day can be more impactful, and display more intimacy and vulnerability, than if they shared their deepest, darkest secret.
And when the world *itself* is the most relevant shared context—as in an isekai like Log Horizon—it pulls double-duty as worldbuilding. "Show" may be better than "tell" in most cases, but sometimes it seems worth it to trade plot speed for the benefits of doing both.
As viewers, we're always noting what feels relevant to us. And obviously, in all fiction, characters are also reacting constantly to things. But how nice it is to have additional windows into *which* characters think *what* about a specific event, and *who* they share it with.
IDK. Maybe this is Storybuilding 101, and I just finally noticed some of the boom mics. But I'm hanging onto that feeling of cognitive relief that felt relatively unique to this show, and wondering what else I can extrapolate from it in terms of intuitive storytelling heuristics.
