Someday in my next life I will definitely write a thick like-scientific work, and the first volume will be called “The Role of Dragons in the Life of Modern Man” (and the second: The Role of Modern Man in the Life of Dragons). In the meantime I will briefly sketch.
A modern person – a half-mystical, half-atheist living in the city, playing with toys, downloading movies and reading clever books with and without pictures – in the tale of a knight saving a princess from a dragon first of all she pity the dragon. Because the knight is a patriarchal rapist and oppressor, the princess has not washed for ten years, but the dragon is an exterminated rare species, a representative of the civilization of the wise ancients and the grandfather of lizards from Nibiru, at least. “Cattle are useful, albeit unpredictable,” our heroine thinks, cleaning the tray after the cat and / or walking the dog. The presence of a dragon in the setting increases the attractiveness of the plot several times, since the winged creature can be everywhere without exception. Pegasus with a unicorn is more difficult to substantiate, not to mention sirens and other tengu! But dragons may be of any color, character, material and property, you can even fly them, you can even turn into them.
In our grayish today the warning on the map “Dragons can be found here” is exactly the direction you need to go right now. We have been explained too well that there will be no apple trees or potatoes on Mars in our lifetime, Tau-Kita is basically unrealistic, and the white spots on the Earth map are just islands of plastic waste in the world’s oceans. Dragons are the last children of Mother Nature and Father Space, who have not yet been put into the zoo. They are definitely somewhere, were and will be. They are simply needed, otherwise they should be invented.
Well, or sew them.
(Thumbnail written for the flash mob exactly two years ago).