The Vents
The vents are an interconnected maze of ducts and shafts that allow for the passage of air throughout a structure. Fictional ventilation systems are often large enough spaces to be used by characters to move from room to room or to spy from. They may lead to the rooftops, to maintenance rooms, to elevator shafts, to secured rooms, or to other locations within a building. They may contain vertical shafts, large fans, and ventilation grates. They are home to aliens, small children, secret agents, and John McClane.
| Synonyms: ventilation systems, air ducts |
| Example Mythonyms: the Secondary Ventilation System |
Designing Fictional Ventilation Systems
When designing ventilation systems consider which rooms they connect, how easy or difficult they are to transit, and why they were built large enough for a person to fit inside them. Fictional ventilation systems are often labyrinthian spaces where characters go to hide, escape, spy, or sneak from room to room. Ventilation grates may act like peepholes, while industrial fans may be an obstacle to intruders.
Ventilation systems are one way of distributing poisonous or hazardous gas throughout a structure and fictional vents are often used in this manner.
What happens when the vents are shut off?