Law of the Jungle and why it [rocks]

by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Wednesday, June 05, 2013, 16:38 (3979 days ago) @ SonofMacPhisto

2) It appears to me that Cody is the only professional editor in this thread. Am I mistaken?

Of film, maybe. I've spent many years editing and evaluating texts, mostly technical now, but I spent a lot more time with creative work in the past. That may be why I agree 99% with this statement from Cody:

When the only reason for including something is that 'it's neat', then it does not really have much creative merit, because if it did, then it could be justified by a better reason.

Why 99%? Because there are times when something is included that can't be easily justified. For that scene at the motel, why did the night clerk have a pet Capuchin monkey? It can't always be pinned down, even though the monkey is inexplicably what makes the scene work.

Regarding the issue at hand, Bungie's use of Kipling established several things about this new universe:

- This is our world.
- Stories matter here--past, present, and yet to be written.
- Our hero has been raised to understand the value of the individual and the value of the group.

When an element serves several functions in a creative work, that's a sign of quality by my lights.

Kermit