Fantasy complaint 1564:

[conuly]

If the Big Bad is going to set a riddle for the protagonist in exchange for their life and freedom/true love/kid sister/a bag of gold, well, first of all they shouldn't do that but if they're going to do that can they at least pick a riddle that isn't thematically appropriate? Instead of having the answer be life/freedom/love/family/riches, maybe it can be "because seven eight nine" or "the letter d" or "you don't get down off an elephant, you get down off a duck" or "man" or "there is no answer, off with her head". Oh, those riddles are too easy? Well, yeah, but so is "you're looking to free your true love, here's a list of metaphors for love, what's the word I'm thinking of". The hero will take until the end of the act to figure it out anyway, so the rest of us shouldn't have to think both parties are stupid. At least the protagonist has the excuse of stress. The villain has no such defense.

Of course, if you have the protagonist interrupt the villain halfway through with "Geez, obviously the answer is love, is that the best you can do?" then this is hilarious no matter how many times it's done. Bubble-puncturing sarcasm can't ever be overplayed.

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Comments

[oracleofdoom]

What have I got in my pocket?

[conuly]

So long as what you've got in your pocketses isn't the MacGuffin, in which case NO.

[greghousesgf]

I notice not every European country is on that list in the article about christianity waning.

[wpadmirer]

I enjoyed the baseball rules article.

[jesse_the_k]

Thank you for Mongolian Hip Hop!

[conuly]

:D

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

"well, first of all they shouldn't do that but if they're going to do that can they at least pick a riddle that isn't thematically appropriate?"

Indeed, they shouldn't do that, but they're probably just toying with you anyhow, and won't keep their word if you do guess right, so it's kind of moot. The exception would be in the case of riddles that are actually the keys to spells, in which case they kind of have to be thematically appropriate, and are usually trickier riddles than the standard kid-type ones.

"Of course, if you have the protagonist interrupt the villain halfway through with "Geez, obviously the answer is love, is that the best you can do?" then this is hilarious no matter how many times it's done. Bubble-puncturing sarcasm can't ever be overplayed."

Reefer Madness: The Musical (https://youtu.be/S-v1whvz2vs), the scene that starts at 59:40 of that video.

[conuly]

Indeed, they shouldn't do that, but they're probably just toying with you anyhow, and won't keep their word if you do guess right, so it's kind of moot.

If they don't intend to keep their word then they get a pass. But if they're magically bound to keep their word then they shouldn't be proposing riddle contests to their mortal enemies!

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

I would certainly agree, but maybe the terms of the spell require that the riddle be posed. I can't see any other reason to ask one. It's like Anna Valerious said (https://youtu.be/IZOfymX5vns): "I think if you're going to kill somebody, kill them! Don't stand around talking about it!"

[conuly]

In this case I'm thinking primarily of a specific book I'm reluctant to name and shame because I read the whole damn series. There was no excuse for it.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

No excuse for reading it, or for the riddle thing?

LOL, don't feel bad; I've read almost all of The Destroyer series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Destroyer_(novel_series)) - much of it more than once. Boy howdy, there sure are some talky villains in that!

[conuly]

Both!

Boy howdy, there sure are some talky villains in that!

And yet, when real villains won't shut up (I'm looking at you, Trump) it's not nearly as fun to read about.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

And yet we don't stop reading....