Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

quest

2020-06-29 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
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quest
Votey panel for quest
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Explanation

This comic parodies the classic fantasy quest narrative. A wizard-like figure asks a knight if he truly wants to "slay the dragon" and save the princess, questioning why the knight's quest should take priority over the dragon's guardianship. The wizard points out that the dragon has been guarding the princess and asks if there might be reasons to leave things as they are.

The knight responds that he's "just trying to save the princess," but the wizard challenges him not to "make enemies of the dragon people," suggesting the dragon-kind are simply doing their job. In the final panel, the knight announces he's "going back to just selling potions," having been so thoroughly demoralized by the moral complexity introduced into what should have been a straightforward heroic quest. The comic satirizes how modern ethical considerations and moral relativism can paralyze even the most simple and well-intentioned actions, turning a classic good-versus-evil narrative into an exhausting ethical debate.

View History (1) Original Comic