Disney/Fairytale Inspired Story: Ooh look! The handsome prince! Don't you think he's so handsome and charming?
Me: He's evil, isn't he?
Story: ah-HAH! Shock and terror! He's evil!
Me: Who woulda guessed...
Story: Behold! The evil witch!
Me: She's a good guy.
Story: But what if she was the good g- Okay, smarty pants. How's this? The kind and noble king is-
Me: Evil. Or incompetent. Or both. Is it both?
Story: Th-The stepmother-
Me: Is a misunderstood victim.
Story: The goblins and trolls-
Me: Are good people being opressed by the wicked humans. And let me guess. Fairies and mermaids are evil man-eating monsters?
Story: M-maybe. Well... uh... I swear this world is super surprising and subversive. The themes are unique!
Me: Are the themes related to disillusion with one's own childhood and what you were taught by birth, using fairytales and classic motifs as a stand-in for government, parental figures or religion? Does it frame traditional mindsets as inherently flawed and harmful?
Story: Er ... well... the princess-
Me: I know, I know. She can save herself.