#maeglin is doomed by the narrative (and idgaf what you think about him)

[skyeventide]

doomed by the narrative doesn't just mean "being in a narrative". it means that whatever the character is written to do, the narrative in question, the story, makes it so that the result of their actions will be the same, usually negative or unfair. either a conscious choice from the writer, where there is an overarching curse or theme (you know, like greek tragedy?) that puts that character on a set path from the beginning, sometimes before they were even born, and they cannot stray from it no matter how hard they try or how many chances they might have had to free themselves. or a subconscious choice, where you can see that there could have been such a good story to tell about getting away from that narrative, but the author was too set on their initial decisions, or frankly not that good at writing plot, to see it; so there's a story that forces a character into such a path, full on wasted potential, and we could have done without that. and sometimes there's a mix, where say an author is too stuck on their own religious morality or other types of prejudices and makes up a narrative that dooms a character no matter what. it's intentional, and not in the sense of a good story. in the sense that the author couldn't even think past what they would morally condemn. it's a trope that often uses foreshadowing and makes use of narrative devices. it's generally intentional.

[shrikeseams]

#it's literally just a new name for a trope as old as time#on god#writing#vampires often are doomed by the narrative#because it's an intentional THEME that they are stuck at the age of their death#and so they repeat the cycles they are stuck in#maeglin is doomed by the narrative (and idgaf what you think about him)#because gondolin ONLY EXISTS FOR ITS FALL#and a many-times-cursed character needs to be the one who causes it#maeglin only exists a posteriori as the traitor of gondolin cursed by his father to die like him#glorfindel dying to cover the people escaping? not a narrative doom#he has a death that religiously uplifts him and turns into a sacrifice#NOT a narrative doom#do you see it -@skyeventide

doomed by the narrative doesn't just mean "being in a narrative". it means that whatever the character is written to do, the narrative in question, the story, makes it so that the result of their actions will be the same, usually negative or unfair. either a conscious choice from the writer, where there is an overarching curse or theme (you know, like greek tragedy?) that puts that character on a set path from the beginning, sometimes before they were even born, and they cannot stray from it no matter how hard they try or how many chances they might have had to free themselves. or a subconscious choice, where you can see that there could have been such a good story to tell about getting away from that narrative, but the author was too set on their initial decisions, or frankly not that good at writing plot, to see it; so there's a story that forces a character into such a path, full on wasted potential, and we could have done without that. and sometimes there's a mix, where say an author is too stuck on their own religious morality or other types of prejudices and makes up a narrative that dooms a character no matter what. it's intentional, and not in the sense of a good story. in the sense that the author couldn't even think past what they would morally condemn. it's a trope that often uses foreshadowing and makes use of narrative devices. it's generally intentional.