# The Ultimate Cliche Map



## Philip Overby (May 12, 2015)

I thought everyone might enjoy this. It's kind of like the ultimate in what people would consider a cliche map and world. This is what writers often seem to be most afraid of, but I don't understand why it has to be a bad thing. One thing that might be fun is to do a Challenge using this map. Choose one location and then see how you would use it in a way that is still entertaining.

However, I'd like to post this here for discussion and I'll post a separate thread in the Challenges section later on.

So what do you think of this map? Do you have any places in your world that might fit into these names? Is that a good thing or bad thing in your estimation?


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## WooHooMan (May 13, 2015)

My problem with this is that it's not obvious enough that it's Europe.  I prefer this version...
http://th08.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2011/212/8/8/the_only_fantasy_world_map____by_eotbeholder-d42b141.jpg

My big setting right now is un-mappable.  I guess maybe the World Scar and Great Plains would fit in my setting but that's it.  Maybe a Massive Wall but that's just because I like massive walls.


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## ThinkerX (May 13, 2015)

Hmm...

Several.  I tend to go with straightforward names.  Hence, I have

'The Cauldron' - the only true ocean of my major world.

'Solaria' - name of the major, relatively advanced empire.

'Equitant' - the most egalitarian of Solaria's provinces.

'Imperial Sea' - an inland sea bounded on all sides by Solaria.

'Shadow Sea' - A large sea west of Solaria, not all that well charted.

'Great Unknown Southern Plains' - covering much of the bottom half of the world, named by folks far to the north.

and for the ultimate failure in naming imagination:

'Hobgoblin Hegemony'


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## Pythagoras (May 13, 2015)

This made me laugh. It seems like just about everything on this map is either from Tolkien, Martin, or Norse myth. Interesting, considering the ongoing thread in the Novels forum about comparisons between Tolkien and Martin.


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## Devor (May 13, 2015)

Pythagoras said:


> This made me laugh. It seems like just about everything on this map is either from Tolkien, Martin, or Norse myth. Interesting, considering the ongoing thread in the Novels forum about comparisons between Tolkien and Martin.



You forgot the Maelstrom, which is Azeroth.

My settings don't look like this. . . . . . . . . . . . . maybe just a smidgen in one or two . . . a smidgen.


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## Tom (May 13, 2015)

Oh dear, I have a 'dark forest', though that's not its name. And a 'great plain', a 'frozen northern wastes', and a 'Vikingheim'. Thankfully that's it.


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## Mythopoet (May 13, 2015)

Honestly, I think that's a nice looking map, and I'd be interested in reading stories set there.


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## Tom (May 13, 2015)

I agree. And for some reason, this map is giving me a lot of ideas. Maybe it's because it's so generic? You can come up with so many different stories that could fit into those vaguely defined settings.


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## Legendary Sidekick (May 13, 2015)

Everything from the Badass Monastery on the outskirts of Jade Empire down to the islands where Volcano Gods Are Dicks--I EMBRACE the cliches. Thankfully, the demons within the Tiger-Headed Opium Nightmare are nearby. That's the excuse for my character from Norseheim to join the party of badasses and islanders.


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## Philip Overby (May 13, 2015)

Yeah, I'm hosting a challenge with this idea. Just let me figure out how to do it.


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## Mythopoet (May 13, 2015)

Tom Nimenai said:


> I agree. And for some reason, this map is giving me a lot of ideas. Maybe it's because it's so generic? You can come up with so many different stories that could fit into those vaguely defined settings.



It's not the ingredients that matter, it's what you do with them.


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## Trick (May 13, 2015)

Pythagoras said:


> This made me laugh. It seems like just about everything on this map is either from Tolkien, Martin, or Norse myth. Interesting, considering the ongoing thread in the Novels forum about comparisons between Tolkien and Martin.



And since Tolkien's work was so influenced by Norse myth...




Mythopoet said:


> Honestly, I think that's a nice looking map, and I'd be interested in reading stories set there.




All joking aside, it has great coloration and it draws the eye. If it were organized a bit differently and the names were a bit more original... okay, if they weren't outright jokes, I quite like the style. 

I don't have any maps laid out like this but my first map ever definitely had some wicked cliches; most of which I'll will probably keep once I get back to that WIP because I like them.


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## Helen (May 13, 2015)

You could do a Game of Thrones intro parody, similar to this but better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVbBQKhdklY


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## valiant12 (May 13, 2015)

I have great plains,4 places inhabited by elves one of which can count as a frozen wasteland, dwarfs, dark place which receives almost no sunlight and other cliche stuff like samurai islands, generic town , viking wannabe, steampunk people, generic village, the castle of the scheming noble, etc.


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## Devor (May 13, 2015)

If we're sharing our own use of the cliches, I had my dwarven city built into the chasm left by a big river they dammed, which they did in a war to kill the elven forests.  So that's two cliches averted!

Victory to the dwarves!




I had just about all the others, though.


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## Mythopoet (May 13, 2015)

Devor said:


> If we're sharing our own use of the cliches, I had my dwarven city built into the chasm left by a big river they dammed, which they did in a war to kill the elven forests.  So that's two cliches averted!
> 
> Victory to the dwarves!
> 
> ...



But it sounds like you've fallen head first into the Elf vs. Dwarf hatred cliche.


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## Gryphos (May 13, 2015)

I'm rather chuffed that I've managed to avoid a lot of cliches with regards to my setting, but I suppose that's mainly because it's more low-fantasy, industrial rather than medieval. *shrug*

That's not to say cliches are automatically bad, but meh, I kinda like originality.


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## Devor (May 13, 2015)

Mythopoet said:


> But it sounds like you've fallen head first into the Elf vs. Dwarf hatred cliche.



Yeah . . . . it was my first big setting, I think we've all tried some of those roads a little with our first.  But I'm still proud of the dwarves of Murdered River.


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## ScipioSmith (May 13, 2015)

I have a place called The Maelstrom, and it is a giant whirlpool...it's also the equivalent of Hell for worshippers of the Sea God, where the souls of the damned are tossed about for all eternity.


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## Chessie (May 13, 2015)

Dragon Tail Islands sounds like an interesting place to create stories from. Cliche this map may be, there's lots that can be worked on from it.


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## Legendary Sidekick (May 13, 2015)

Devor said:


> Yeah . . . . it was my first big setting, I think we've all tried some of those roads a little with our first.  But I'm still proud of the dwarves of Murdered River.


My feeling is the opposite. I'm not proud of cliches I've used so much as ashamed of some that I missed. How can my Jade Empire lack a Badass Monastery?


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## Mindfire (May 16, 2015)

I might have a few of these, depending on how loosely you interpret them. But the one that's dead on is The Big Tree. I actually have one of those. It's a giant tree that serves as an important spiritual center for my culture of forest-dwelling hunter-gatherers. I actually came up with this idea long before Avatar was released. I felt kinda miffed when I watched it. xD


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## Miskatonic (May 16, 2015)

I've actually tried to use names that have a similarity to certain European place names but slightly changed, or I'll translate a basic name into that language. Not big on having the typical bland fantasy names.


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## Reilith (May 20, 2015)

The thing that caught my attention is the fact that the sea has the same name I chose some time ago for my own biggest salt-water part of the world. I am intending to keep it, no matter how cliche it sounds, though. I'd like to partake in the challenge, depending on what is offered (and the fact that I am getting nowhere with my novel atm and it's exam time is giving me more than enough boost). So, off to the challenge section!


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## Mythopoet (May 20, 2015)

Reilith said:


> The thing that caught my attention is the fact that the sea has the same name I chose some time ago for my own biggest salt-water part of the world. I am intending to keep it, no matter how cliche it sounds, though. I'd like to partake in the challenge, depending on what is offered (and the fact that I am getting nowhere with my novel atm and it's exam time is giving me more than enough boost). So, off to the challenge section!



The Black Sea? I don't see how that could be considered a fantasy cliche anyway since the real world has a Black Sea.


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## Reilith (May 20, 2015)

Mythopoet said:


> The Black Sea? I don't see how that could be considered a fantasy cliche anyway since the real world has a Black Sea.



No, no, the Maelstrom.


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## ChasingSuns (May 22, 2015)

It's cool that this was posted, because I actually just got done doing a serious work-over of my current projects setting, because mine was incredibly generic haha. I recently changed a lot of it around, and although I do still have a couple of places that kinda fit this map, I think that I've finally reached a happy medium with it


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## Philip Overby (May 22, 2015)

Reilith said:


> The thing that caught my attention is the fact that the sea has the same name I chose some time ago for my own biggest salt-water part of the world. I am intending to keep it, no matter how cliche it sounds, though. I'd like to partake in the challenge, depending on what is offered (and the fact that I am getting nowhere with my novel atm and it's exam time is giving me more than enough boost). So, off to the challenge section!



I'm accepting alternates right now since we've got the 8. However, if I get enough alternates, I'm willing to expand the challenge more. Just want to make sure I have my final 8 by the deadline (meaning 8 stories posted) before I commit to any other additional challengers. But feel free to post on the other thread and there will be a good chance the alternates will still be involved in some capacity. Just have to see what I have around deadline time. http://mythicscribes.com/forums/challenges/14380-champion-cliche-world-tournament-june-2015-a.html


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## SugoiMe (May 22, 2015)

Oooooo, I have tons of these.  Let's see

The Dead Forest - called _Lotah 'an Morkh_ which means the same thing.

The Wall of Separation - unlike the map, this one doesn't have a breach.

Mor'Mothe - a dark tower.

The Great River of Plenty - a long river with a lot of fish.

DÃ©mon'Mor - a scar that descends into the abyss.

Mor'LÃ»n - a town name that means "land's end."

I don't think cliches are a bad thing as long as they're done with a unique twist.  Sometimes it's the cliche that makes the story good.


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## Reilith (May 23, 2015)

Philip Overby said:


> I'm accepting alternates right now since we've got the 8. However, if I get enough alternates, I'm willing to expand the challenge more. Just want to make sure I have my final 8 by the deadline (meaning 8 stories posted) before I commit to any other additional challengers. But feel free to post on the other thread and there will be a good chance the alternates will still be involved in some capacity. Just have to see what I have around deadline time. http://mythicscribes.com/forums/challenges/14380-champion-cliche-world-tournament-june-2015-a.html



If I manage to squeeze it in, I will definitely post, as I do need something to get me writing again. Change of pace, change of theme might be good for me.


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## pmmg (Aug 4, 2022)

Man...Hate to comment on old posts, but...the new software is kicking up more old threads.

I'd not mind having adventures on that map, though my own map looks very different.

Martin has said that the Game of Thrones map is just Ireland turned upside down. If you look, you will see it.


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## Penpilot (Aug 4, 2022)

pmmg said:


> Man...Hate to comment on old posts, but...the new software is kicking up more old threads.
> 
> I'd not mind having adventures on that map, though my own map looks very different.
> 
> Martin has said that the Game of Thrones map is just Ireland turned upside down. If you look, you will see it.



FYI, that map spawned a writing contest in the writing challenge section. There are a bunch of stories from the minds of the Mythic Scribes that are set on that map.


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## Luís Santana (Aug 8, 2022)

Philip Overby said:


> Do you have any places in your world that might fit into these names?


"The Maelstrom" is kind of in a way like my Nerval: a Black Sun.


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