#maybe im just not the target audience bc i dont enjoy indulging in meaningless angst. maybe it's just one of those things

[seventeendeer]

this is going to make me soooo unpopular on tumblr dot pendantics central dot com but I fully hate media “deconstructions” that begin and end with “yo if this happened to a real person ... that would kind of fuck them, right? like, they wouldn’t be right in the head after this ... probably have a Bad Dream .. maybe Panicked Attack” like motherfucker the dragon is a metaphor the dragon is a metaphor the dragon is a metaphor going on a quest and slaying the dragon is a METAPHOR

the hero doesn’t suffer debilitating trauma after going through the shadowy wasteland with no food or water for days because the location symbolizes a state of doubt, the lack of sustenance symbolizes dwindling inner strength, and he comes out the other side stronger than ever because he overcame an emotional obstacle and grew more certain of himself.

his mentor dies and he gets over it in the span of an afternoon because the relationship with the mentor was a symbol of responsibility inheritance, a symbol of the relationship between entire generations.

and yes, the dragon is a metaphor. it’s the beating heart of the story, the problem at the root of all the hero’s troubles. it’s the fear of growing up, the pain of loneliness, an oppressive upperclass, a controlling parent - the core conflict of the story given a physical form.

and like, yeah, obviously there’s plenty of tropes and conventions in storytelling that are worth examining and ripping into, but “characters' emotions are calibrated in accordance with the story’s metaphors and themes instead of reacting realistically to the literal events of the story” seriously isn’t it. criticizing a lack of realistic, literal emotional responses is like criticizing a painting for being flat. paradoxically, it does not make a story ‘deeper’ or ‘more insightful’ - it only strips the text down to the literal reality depicted. you’re supposed to leave the peel on, that’s where all the complexities are!!

of course you can rearrange the pieces of classic story conventions into a shape where the realistic emotional reactions make sense and are a part of a completely different point you’re making, but simply doing a classic story setup again, this time with Realistic Trauma And Outcome, isn’t actually saying anything meaningful about the genre you’re trying to deconstruct. pointing at an intentional narrative choice and going “you missed a spot!” only really shows you missed the point of said narrative choice in the first place.