Let's Discuss: DOTA: Dragon's Blood and the use of Tropes

 Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in my posting, things have been a bit overwhelming in my personal life. As of last week, I have returned to school for the fourth time. This round I am working on a Masters in Special Education, so that I can be certified as a Special Education teacher, in addition to my current certification. I was also unfortunate enough to be hit with Covid. Overall, it was not too severe, but it did limit my activities for about a week. As far as writing, I have been able to move forward a little more with my current work, but my current duties are going to make progress very limited for the foreseeable future.

This week I wanted to discuss the Netflix series DOTA: Dragon's Blood. DOTA is another series based on a video game that prior to seeing the show, I had no idea existed. Typically, I am hesitant to watch such adaptations, mostly because they seem like cheap money grabs from the producers. Lately, however, with shows like Arcane and Resident Evil, I have realized that they have come a long way with such adaptations, and they are certainly worth checking them out, at the very least. DOTA turned out to be everything I was looking for in a high-fantasy series. It has an expansive world with a variety of different races, customs, and traditions. There are dragons, demons, magic, and political maneuverings. You could say that it is, exactly, what you would expect from a high-fantasy story, and that is the point. DOTA does not re-invent the wheel in its story telling. The plot lines and character types are easily predicted and even the twists were less a surprise that they happened, and more a surprise on what and who the twist involved in it. Of course, none of that really matters, since it was exactly the type of show I had been looking for. The world uses a high magic, medieval style setting, and does not vary far from the familiar tropes that are expected. What makes DOTA worth watching is the way they weave these traditional tropes into an original story. Something I am able to spend more time contemplating, since I do not need to spend too much time breaking down the possible differences in what I am already familiar with, it allows for me to better understand the story they are telling.

This takes me into the other part of our discussion, the use of tropes in storytelling. If you are unfamiliar with the term, I assure you that you are not familiar with the process. A trope is typical use of certain elements of storytelling. This can be the character, the type of society, the way magic does or does not function, and really just about anything else you could think of regarding the creation of a story. It is what is expected when a certain thing is presented. Dwarves are short and stocky, religions of "light" hate the undead, politicians are greedy. These are all concepts that we have learned to expect when being exposed to certain types of genres. There have been many discussions regarding the use of tropes and if it is better to be as unique as possible, rather than recycle what has already been established. I say this is a stupid argument and that it should not matter if you choose to create your story in elements that are long understood and expected. As I mentioned before, it allows the reader to understand elements of the story without the need to give detailed explanation as to why or how. The elf is agile, good with a bow, good at magic, and close to nature. It makes sense that the elf village is in the woods, built around and among the largest trees. There is nothing wrong with giving the reader what they want. People who read or watch only a specific few genera are not really looking for the reinvention of their preferred form of entertainment. It is very much like how Alien vs Predator is a bad movie. However, it has Aliens and Predators that end up fighting each other. The effects were good, the creatures did what I expected, the battles went about how I anticipated, and I loved every moment of it. It was what I wanted and exactly what I expected. It did not matter that the plot was weak and the acting often sketchy at best. I love that movie. Using tropes is just that. Picking something that is known and loved and providing more of it. 

 I want to thank you for giving me your time, it is invaluable and I am honored that you have shared it with me. I hope you feel it was time well spent. I hope you have an enjoyable and safe holiday and new year. If you like what I am doing here, please feel free to hit the follow button, and then find me on Facebook and Twitter. May your days be fulfilling and your path be clear of trouble. All the best, and speak to you soon.