Today, I thought I would do a post explaining the concept of the Needs of Drama vs. The Needs of Culture using visual aids.
Normally, I avoid things quite this tacky, but it is such a simple way to make the point. I hope my readers will for give me for the lapse.
(Originally, I thought of calling this post The Boob-Jiggle Factor Index, but I was reminded that my Facebook feed ends up in many people’s living rooms, where their kids are. Thus, the slightly less tacky title. For the rest of the post, I will use BJF, and you may decide, in your own imagination, whether the B stands for breast, boob, or bosom.)
So, to refresh, my theory is that there are two forces at work creating a story. The forces at work are:
The Needs of Drama—the qualities that make a story dramatic, eye-catching, intriguing. Sex, sizzle, bang, POW! Seduction! Explosions! LOTS OF CAPTIALS AND EXCAMATIONS!!!!!!
The Needs of Culture—the desire to use the story to teach lessons needed to participate in the culture, like an Asops Fable or a morality play. These stories include topics like: How to behave. How to treat friends. How to treat strangers. What is and is not moral. – the message of the work.
It is not my opinion that one of these forces is better than the other. Rather, I believe that there needs to be a harmonious marriage of the two of a work to be really great.
Too much drama leads to meaningless sex and bloodshed. Too much culture leads to boring message fiction.
Without further ado, The Needs of Drama vs. The Needs of Culture, as illustrated by the BJF Index:
The Needs of Drama:
(And we can’t even see the jiggle factor here.)
The Needs of Culture:
Here’s a comparison:
For the second one, we move to Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel. For those who are unfamiliar with comics, all the pictures below are of the same character: Ms./Captain Marvel.
For this second one, I am only discussing the straight out physical appearance—things like elegance of form vs. difficult to draw but easier to cosplay—not the race, religion, or any other aspect of the character.
Just the BJF.
The Needs of Drama:
The Needs of Culture:
(I’ve seen some really cute cosplay costumes for this new Ms. Marvel outfit. Ironically, the real dresses look better than this drawing.)
An elegant mix of drama and culture, perhaps?
Any questions?
