okay but “the symbolism is Real and Trying to Kill You” is my favorite kind of symbolism
like yeah the monster is a representation of your unresolved trauma and guilt and a manifestation of the sins of your past but it’s also a real creature and it’s going to fucking Get you
i like sailing myths and superstitions because most of them can be boiled down to “if the ocean doesn’t like you it will chew you up and spit out your bones. and if it really loves you it will swallow you whole and keep you forever. good luck 👍”
there’s something so compelling to me about the fact that sometimes leaving a blade or bullet inside the wound it made is the only way to prevent you from bleeding to death. something about the ironic symbolism of it. when the thing designed and intended to kill you is the only thing keeping you alive.
also yes i do enjoy a bit of penetration imagery and the perverse intimacy of violence. if you must know.