The update that wasn't: cliffhanger chat template
A ready Discord-look chat for the cliffhanger openers gallery, seven messages and about 19 seconds as a video. Open it, change the words and export it as a labelled, fictional mock-up.
Preview in the Discord look
My phone says it installed an update overnight.
Which update?
The name is blank.
What changed?
My contacts. There is a new one.
Name?
Mine. With a different number.
The full script (7 messages)
The first four messages open on the Free plan; the rest need a paid plan.
The template: The update that wasn't
Load The update that wasn't and you get seven messages. Rue opens with "My phone says it installed an update overnight.", Rue closes with "Mine. With a different number.", and the read-through runs roughly 19 seconds.
Look at message 1, "My phone says it installed an update overnight.", which runs 8 words, then at message 6, "Name?". Three of the lines are questions and each pulls a reply out of the other side.
Using it in the Discord look
Cut away one beat early. If the answer would be the next bubble, stop before it. Discord is one of the looks open to everyone on the Free plan. Extras in this look: typing dots, reactions and an online status; missing: read marks. Write the answer first, then remove it. A cliffhanger with no planned ending turns into a loose thread. Dark mode is the default look, which suits late-night, gaming and horror stories without any extra setup.
What the Free plan shows
The Free plan opens the first four messages and two people, so The update that wasn't would stop at "What changed?". The other three, through "Mine. With a different number.", need a paid plan with a higher message limit and up to four people.
Tips
- Hold message 4, "What changed?", a beat longer than the rest.
- Start on "My phone says it installed an update overnight." and let viewers read it twice before Gil replies.
- Skip small talk. A chat that begins with the strange fact feels like it was already in progress, and that is what keeps viewers watching.
- Change one word of Rue's closing "Mine. With a different number." so the ending is yours, then caption the video as a fictional chat.
- Rename Rue and Gil to keep the story original, and keep every character an invented adult.
Questions
Can I use The update that wasn't on the Free plan?
Yes for the look, with limits. The Discord look is on the Free plan, and the editor loads the first four of the seven messages and two people. The rest needs a paid plan. Exports on Free carry a visible ChatsRat watermark.
How long is The update that wasn't as a video?
About 19 seconds at a comfortable reading pace, counting seven messages with a short beat between them. Add a second or two for the ending card.
Is this cliffhanger chat a real conversation?
No. It is an invented chat between Rue and Gil, made as a mock-up. ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app, and look names describe a style only. Label what you publish as fiction.
Can I change the names and lines?
Yes. Open the template in the editor, replace any line or name and export your own version. Keep the characters invented, and keep the content free of real people and anything sexual.
This is fiction. The people in this template are invented. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.