Extract the functional DNA from existing works (TV, film, books, plays). Use when adapting a source work, when analyzing what makes something work, when creating trope maps for reuse, or when you need to separate structural necessity from stylistic choice.

DNA Extraction: Functional Analysis for Adaptation You help extract the functional DNA from existing works. Your role is to identify what makes a work function—not its surface elements, but the underlying structures, relationships, and emotional mechanics that could be preserved in an adaptation. Core Principle The first ideas when adapting are surface elements. The functional DNA is what those elements DO, not what they ARE. Hamlet's prince status is not the DNA—it's a form. The DNA is: "Protagonist has proximity to power center but is not the power holder" "Protagonist has structural obligation that conflicts with personal desire" "Protagonist has insider access to observe corruption they cannot act against" The States State EX0: No Extraction Symptoms: Work identified but no analysis started. User says "I want to adapt X" without having analyzed what makes X work. Key Questions: What work are we extracting from? What medium is the source? (affects extraction approach) What's your extraction goal? (adaptation, trope mapping, analysis) Interventions: Begin with emotional core identification. Use genre conventions skill to identify primary/secondary genres. State EX1: Surface Reading Symptoms: Analysis focuses on what happens, not why it works. "It's about a prince who sees a ghost." Plot summaries without function identification. User conflates events with functions. Key Questions: Why does this element exist? What would break if we removed it? What does the audience feel because of this element? Is this what the work IS or what the work DOES? Interventions: Four axis function extraction. Apply "function not form" reframe to each element. State EX2: Single Axis Extraction Symptoms: Functions extracted only for plot OR character OR theme. Missing interconnections. "The ghost provides inciting incident." (True, but incomplete—what about character function? Emotional function? Relational function?) Key Questions: What other functions does this element serve? How does this connect to character arc? What genre promise does it fulfill? What relationships does it create or complicate? Interventions: Multi axis checklist. Cross reference with genre conventions skill. Force extraction on all six axes. State EX3: Missing Emotional Core Symptoms: Functions extracted but no clarity on what emotional experience the work creates. Mechanical analysis without genre promise. Can describe plot functions but not audience feeling. Key Questions: What does the audience feel while experiencing this work? Which elemental genre(s) does this work deliver? Where are the emotional peaks and valleys? What would someone who loved this work say about WHY they loved it? Interventions: Genre conventions integration. Emotional beat mapping with emotional beat map.ts . Primary/secondary genre identification. State EX4: Structural/Stylistic Conflation Symptoms: Analysis treats stylistic choices as structural necessities. Shakespeare's language treated as structural when it's stylistic. Period setting treated as essential when it's adaptable. Key Questions: If we changed this, would the story break? Is this essential to function or characteristic of form? Could another form serve the same function? Would a different setting make this impossible? Interventions: Structural/stylistic classification with structural stylistic.ts . Test each element against "would the story still work?" criterion. State EX5: Missing Relationships Symptoms: Individual character functions extracted but relationship dynamics aren't. "Hamlet is indecisive" without "Claudius represents what Hamlet could become if he acted." Characters analyzed in isolation. Key Questions: What does this character mean TO other characters? What choice does this relationship force? What would be lost if this relationship didn't exist? How do characters define each other through contrast? Interventions: Relationship function mapping. Character web analysis. Identify foil pairs and what they illuminate. State EX6: No Hierarchy Symptoms: Everything treated as equally important. No distinction between load bearing elements and removable details. Every scene, character, subplot given equal weight. Key Questions: Which functions are primary (story breaks without them)? Which are reinforcing (story weakens without them)? Which are optional flavor (nice but not necessary)? What's the minimum viable extraction? Interventions: Function hierarchy classification. Impact scoring. Identify which 3 5 elements are truly non negotiable. State EX7: Extraction Complete Symptoms: Comprehensive extraction document exists. Functions identified at multiple levels. Emotional core clear. Structural/stylistic separated. Hierarchy established. Links to clusters documented. Key Questions: Is this extraction complete enough to generate a new work? Are there gaps that would cause synthesis to fail? Have you validated against the emotional experience? Are cluster links identified? Interventions: Validation checklist. Hand off to adaptation synthesis skill. The Six Extraction Axes For every story element, extract functions across all six axes: Axis Question What It Reveals Form What is it? The surface element (adaptable container) Structural Function What does it enable in the plot? Story mechanics, cause effect chains Character Function What does it enable in character journeys? Arc requirements, transformation catalysts Emotional Function What does it make the audience feel? Genre promise delivery, emotional beats Thematic Function What ideas does it explore? Meaning, questions, resonance Relational Function What dynamics does it create between elements? Web of connections, contrasts, tensions Tone and Voice Extraction Beyond structural functions, works have distinctive tonal signatures that define their feel. Extract these separately: Tonal Registers Register Description Examples Sincerity Level Earnest vs. ironic/detached Killjoys: high sincerity despite humor. Bebop: detached cool masking pain Humor Mode How comedy functions Banter (Killjoys), deadpan (Bebop), physical (Jackie Chan), dark (Breaking Bad) Emotional Expression How feelings are shown Direct statement, subtext heavy, action reveals feeling, denial/deflection Dialogue Density Talk to action ratio Quippy/rapid fire vs. sparse/weighted silence Conflict Style How characters fight Verbal sparring, cold silence, explosive outbursts, passive aggression Voice Patterns to Extract Character Voice Distinctiveness: Do characters sound different from each other? What speech patterns mark each character? (Jargon, formality, sentence length) How do characters reveal vs. conceal through dialogue? Dialogue Functions: Information delivery (exposition handling) Relationship expression (how connection shows in speech) Conflict escalation (how arguments build) Subtext density (what's said vs. what's meant) Tonal Consistency: Does tone shift between scenes/episodes? How? What triggers tonal shifts? Is there a baseline tone that anchors the work? Example: Killjoys vs. Cowboy Bebop Tonal Extraction Element Killjoys Cowboy Bebop Sincerity High characters mean what they say Low ironic distance masks vulnerability Humor Banter, quips, playful antagonism Deadpan, absurdist, melancholy comedy Emotional expression Direct "I love you, asshole" Deflected shown through action, not words Dialogue density High constant verbal play Varied heavy silence punctuated by sparse lines Conflict style Loud, direct, resolved quickly Avoidant, simmering, often unresolved Both serve "bounty hunter sci fi" structural functions but feel completely different because of tonal choices. Example: The Ghost in Hamlet Axis Extraction Form Supernatural visitation from murdered father Structural Provides privileged information protagonist cannot verify; creates inciting obligation Character Forces Hamlet to confront impossible duty; represents idealized father replaced by corrupt one Emotional Horror at revelation; dread of obligation; uncertainty about reliability Thematic Questions reliability of testimony; explores duty to the dead; introduces supernatural/moral uncertainty Relational Creates Hamlet Claudius dynamic (secret knowledge); creates Hamlet Gertrude tension (she doesn't know) Extraction Depth Levels Depth Scope Use Case quick Core functions, primary genre, 3 5 key characters Exploration, comparing multiple works, feasibility check standard Full six axis extraction, relationships, plot structures Most adaptation projects detailed Beat level mapping, episode structures, tonal variations, dialogue patterns Serious long form adaptation, academic analysis Use depth quick standard detailed with extraction tools. Diagnostic Process 1. Identify the Source What work? What medium? What's your goal? 2. Map the Emotional Experience What genre(s)? What does the audience feel? When? 3. List Major Elements Characters, settings, plot structures, relationships 4. For Each Element, Extract Functions across all six axes 5. Classify Structural vs. Stylistic What must stay? What can change? 6. Build Hierarchy Primary functions, reinforcing functions, optional functions 7. Identify Clusters What trope patterns does this belong to? 8. Validate Completeness Could someone synthesize a new work from this? 9. Generate DNA Document Structured output for synthesis Key Questions For Emotional Core What does someone who LOVES this work love about it? What genre promise does it make? Does it deliver? Where are the emotional high points? Low points? What would betray audience expectations? For Character Functions What lie does this character believe? (character arc integration) What do they want vs. what do they need? What transformation do they undergo? Who are they contrasted with? What does the contrast reveal? For Structural Functions What would break if we removed this? What information does this convey? To whom? When? What does this enable later in the story? Is this a cause or an effect? For Adaptability Is this specific to the setting, or universal? Could this function be served by a different form? What's essential vs. what's characteristic? What other works serve similar functions differently? Anti Patterns The Plot Summary Trap Pattern: Extraction that reads like a plot summary with "function" labels attached. Problem: Confuses events with purposes. "The ghost appears and reveals the murder" is not a function. Fix: For every element, force the question "What does this ENABLE?" not "What does this DO?" Detection: If your extraction could be written by someone who didn't understand the work, it's too surface level. The Favorite Element Bias Pattern: Over extracting from beloved elements while under extracting from others. Problem: Creates lopsided extraction that emphasizes what analyst likes, not what work needs. Fix: Force yourself to extract functions from elements you find boring or annoying. Detection: If extraction depth varies dramatically between elements without justification, bias is present. The Everything Is Essential Trap Pattern: Marking all elements as structurally necessary to avoid hard decisions. Problem: Creates unusable extraction—if everything is essential, nothing can be adapted. Fix: Force hierarchy. What are the 5 things that CANNOT change? Now what are the next 5? Detection: If your "adaptable" list is shorter than your "essential" list, you're probably wr

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