Quote Originally Posted by Forikroder View Post
im going to focus entirely on this since it seems to pretty much be the point of your whole rant
Doesn't seem as much of a rant to me as it does a thesis. (Note the formal structure and lack of direct address to Rich.)

And I, for one, agree that it's better to have anything labeled a "monster" be different from humanity in ways which are more than skin deep. It seems to me to be the entire point of having "monsters" in the first place: it's the fact that they're alien and exotic that's interesting.


This actually reflects a synthesis of two different objectives: on the one hand, you have people whom are interested in using fantasy as a stand-in for real life; on the other you have those whom enjoy fantasy for the sake of fantasy. What people in this latter group are after is what Rich collectively labels "Escapism".

And that's where the difference is. Where the more practical-minded see "Escapism" as a pointless distraction, others see it as a goal in and of itself. And that's where having truly (or as close as possible) alien intelligences really helps a lot.