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Onward · 2020 — Chapter 12 of 16 · 5'29" · B2

Ian Crosses the Trust Bridge, Explained: the worst that can happen

At an ancient drawbridge over a bottomless pit, the lever is on the far side and Ian cannot reach it. Barley tells him to trust a spell that builds a bridge nobody can see. "You won't know if your bridge worked until you step on it," he says, so Ian steps onto thin air, with Barley holding the rope.

What happens

A bottomless pit blocks the way, and the only lever for the drawbridge sits on the far side. Barley explains a spell called a Trust Bridge: if you believe the bridge exists, it does. Ian is sure he will fall, so Barley lets him practise with the rope first, then walks him through the invisible bridge step by step until he reaches the lever.

SiblingsComforting a friendComfortingExplainingSiblingsB2slowamericanClean
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the worst that can happenI'm just sayingdisintegratebottomless pit

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Phrase of the scene

the worst that can happen

the most unpleasant possible outcome

伊恩从看不见的桥上摔下去后，巴利没有急着拉他起来，而是问他：既然已经知道最坏是什么样，还有什么好怕的？

Ask her out. The worst that can happen is she says no.

Also in this scene

  • I'm just saying

    used to soften a comment so it does not sound like an attack

  • disintegrate

    to break apart into tiny pieces until it is gone

  • bottomless pit

    a pit with no bottom, or something that can never be filled

Everything marked in this scene

24 notes across 84 lines

Phrase · B2heads upSo, heads up, we could run into anything. A centicore, wolf dragon, gelatinous cube.
Phrase · B1run into somethingSo, heads up, we could run into anything. A centicore, wolf dragon, gelatinous cube.
Phrase · B2a bottomless pit

a pit with no bottom, or something that can never be filled

Bottomless pit.
Phrase · B1check it outIan, check it out.
Phrase · B2that bad boyWe lower that bad boy and we are on our way to Raven's Point.
Phrase · B1on one's way to somewhereWe lower that bad boy and we are on our way to Raven's Point.
Phrase · B1look around for somethingLook around for a lever.
Phrase · B1on the other sideBut it's on the other side.
Phrase · B1cast a spell on somethingYou can't cast a levitation spell on something that far away.
Phrase · B2can you believe this guyDad, can you believe this guy?
Phrase · B1What we need is ...What we need is a Trust Bridge.
Phrase · B1still goingIt didn't work. No, the spell's still going.
Phrase · B2with that attitudeBut it's not. Well, not with that attitude.
Phrase · B2step out onto somethingI'm not gonna step out onto nothing.
Phrase · B2I'm just saying

used to soften a comment so it does not sound like an attack

I want the rope. Okay, I'm just saying you're not gonna need the rope.
Phrase · B2the worst that can happen

the most unpleasant possible outcome

Okay, so now you know the worst that can happen. So there's nothing to be scared of, right?
Phrase · B2there's nothing to be scared ofOkay, so now you know the worst that can happen. So there's nothing to be scared of, right?
Phrase · B1There you goYeah. There you go.
Phrase · B2have someone rightYou've got me, right?
Phrase · A2keep goingYeah. But just keep going.
Phrase · B2the last step is for someoneHey, Dad, this last step is for you.
Phrase · B1all the way to somewhereall the way to the gem.
Phrase · B1go the wrong wayI... I had us going the wrong way.
Phrase · B2in no timeGuinevere will get us to that raven in no time.

Ian Crosses the Trust Bridge, explained

What's really going on

The Trust Bridge is the whole film in one spell. It cannot be tested, proven or seen; it only exists on the condition that Ian believes in it, which is exactly what faith means. "If you believe the bridge is there, then it's there," Barley tells him, and the line sounds like a cheap trick until you notice that Ian has spent the whole journey doubting himself. The rope is the practical half of the lesson: Barley lets his brother fall a short distance first, so the fear of falling stops being abstract. "You won't know if your bridge worked until you step on it" is not really about magic; it is about doing the thing before you feel ready. Ian crosses, and for the first time he is the brave one, not the careful one.

Theme

TrustThe bridge only exists if Ian trusts his brother's impossible-sounding spell, turning belief itself into the path forward.
CourageBarley makes Ian face falling first, so that stepping onto the invisible bridge becomes an act of practiced courage.

What you'll learn

  • Encourage someone to take the first step
  • Use run into for unexpected encounters
  • Catch the teasing tone of with that attitude
  • Use an If-clause to connect belief and result
  • Notice how "run into" changes the exchange.
If you believe the bridge is there, then it's there.

The rule of the Trust Bridge: belief is not decoration but the mechanism, so the bridge appears only for someone who trusts it.

You won't know if your bridge worked until you step on it.

Barley's point that the spell cannot be checked from safety; it only proves itself at the moment you commit and step out.

because I know you can make that bridge.

Barley's confidence in his brother, offered as the reason the rope is unnecessary: someone else believes in Ian before Ian does.

Oh, it's a giant green cube that instantly disintegrates all that it touches.

A casual, unsettling description of a gelatinous cube from the game, which makes its sudden appearance at the pit unexpectedly funny.

Questions about this scene

Why can't Ian just use a levitation spell?

Because the lever is too far away. A levitation spell only works on something nearby, so the group needs a way for Ian to physically reach the far side.

How does the Trust Bridge spell work?

It creates a bridge that exists only if the caster truly believes it is there. Doubt makes it fail, so the spell is really a test of Ian's confidence.

Why does Barley let Ian fall first?

To remove the fear of the unknown. Once Ian knows the worst that can happen is a short drop onto the rope, stepping onto an invisible bridge becomes much less terrifying.

What is a bottomless pit?

Exactly what it sounds like: a hole with no bottom, where anything that falls keeps falling forever. It is the obstacle that makes the Trust Bridge necessary.

Onward · 16 chapters

All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 13to the count of threeIan Tries the Arcane Lightning Spell
Chapter 1wiggle out ofIan's Sixteenth Birthday MorningChapter 2was wondering ifIan's Awkward Party InviteChapter 3get byDad Leaves Ian a Wizard StaffChapter 4Whatever it takesDad Comes Back as Just LegsChapter 5followed my gutThe Manticore Refuses to HelpChapter 6took the easy routeBarley Picks the Path of PerilChapter 7go bonkersLaurel Asks the Manticore for HelpChapter 8wear offThe Growth Spell BackfiresChapter 9not what it used to beThe Manticore Explains the CurseChapter 10With all due respectIan Talks His Way Past BroncoChapter 11chin upBarley Trains Ian With the SwordWatching · Chapter 12the worst that can happenIan Crosses the Trust BridgeChapter 13to the count of threeIan Tries the Arcane Lightning SpellChapter 14don't have a clueIan Blames Barley for the DetourChapter 15gauntletIan and Barley Take the Wrong PathChapter 16looked out for meIan Thanks Barley for Everything
Chapter 12 of 16 · about 28 min to go