"Not all those who wander are lost."- J.R.R. Tolkien.
Christian. Writer. Martial arts geek.
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Apr 17 • 51 tweets • 15 min read
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The trope of the fast draw gunfighter is one near and dear to my heart as a writer, martial artist, and guy raised on westerns. So let’s examine the trope and the skill here and see if I can convince you there’s a large kernel of truth to be had. 1
Now the Hollywood type is mythologized of course. The idea of a claw-fingered duo in strained poses like runners at a starting line squaring off in a dusty street as the clocktower ticks to high noon (or some other invisible signal known only to the duelists and cameramen)- 2
Apr 3 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
This is actually an example of what might be called a 'dead unicorn trope'.
People think they're beating a dead horse but it's original existance is rarer than the think.
Ex: Hero slays dragon and gets princess.
Sounds like a common fairy tale right?
Now name one. 1
This particular idea seems to be a mix mainly of St George and the Dragon, Perseus and Andromeda, and classic fairy tale structures.
George didn't marry the princess and while depicted as a knight often was an older sort of warrior while Perseus had a much longer and more-
Apr 22, 2023 • 21 tweets • 7 min read
This is a good time to talk out a habitual weakness I think has harmed fiction and especially the fantasy genre as a whole.
The “hero” who is just kind of along for the ride rather than an active participant in his own story. 1
The setup of fantasy-adventures simply lends itself better to inborn specialness and outside forces conspiring to compel the main character along with no agency or real action of their own. 2
