Worst Fantasy World Cliches

[Seira]

One of mine would be Fantasies constantly being set in medieval/Tolkien like world. I just think, 'this is fantasy guys use your own imagination!'. But people get upset if you say that to them because they can't seem to push through that obsession, but if that's what they like then they should write it.

Villains who are just pure evil. Hero's who are just good and put their life on the line because it's right.

Wizards that resemble Gandalf all the time.

Made up races that are just copies of elves.

The spunky, kick-arse, good at everything girl and her hunky, handsome, bad guy love interest. or hunky, handsome, perfect guy.

 

[Malik]

Wizards that resemble Gandalf all the time.

One of my MC's meets a wandering wizard named Crius in a coffee shop outside a RenFaire:

It was one of the Renaissance guys, leaning on a staff. He needed a shower.
Carter eyed Crius up and down clinically, then guessed. “Dave Grohl stars as the moody young Gascon?”

​

 

[Insolent Lad]

Order versus Chaos. It's a cool idea and arises to some degree from the tradition of the Indo-European pantheon (i.e. the gods came to bring order to the primordial chaos), but it's been done quite a lot—and rarely as well as Poul Anderson, Michael Moorcock, and Roger Zelazny originally did it.

 

[Miles Lacey]

In light of the Christchurch, New Zealand, terrorist attacks on March 15th that were carried out by an Australian white nationalist there has been a lot of discussion here in New Zealand about what should or shouldn't be allowed to be discussed, especially in regards to race.

In my opinion no subject should be taboo in fiction because many people find it therapeutic to write about such things. I personally can't stand "writing as therapy" fiction but if it helps the writer come to terms with the trauma in their lives then who am I to judge?

Fiction allows people to express emotions and ideas in ways that non-fiction cannot. In particular, fantasy has the advantage that it can go places that other genres can't, except for science fiction. Sadly, too many fantasy writers fail to see this potential.

With few exceptions fantasy worlds consist of heterosexual people whom it is hard to picture as anything but white living in a violent and brutal pseudo-medieval world ruled by a handful of absolute monarchies forever at each other's throats. The stories mostly revolve around the elite few fighting over who gets to sit on the throne or finding a sacred object to help someone to, or prevent someone from, ruling the land.

To be fair, though, the fantasy fiction available in New Zealand is limited. The market here is very small. Perhaps that is why this is why fantasy worlds I've read in fantasy novels are so limited in type.

 

[S.T. Ockenner]

Making humans a "special" race and/or the centre of the universe.

That's my absolute least favorite trope involving fantasy races. It annoys me SO much that I once tried making a world without humans, but then I decided to just make humans like every other race, albeit still one of the most common ones.

 

[Saigonnus]

That's my absolute least favorite trope involving fantasy races. It annoys me SO much that I once tried making a world without humans, but then I decided to just make humans like every other race, albeit still one of the most common ones.

Perhaps a world where the other races don't exist. Everyone is Human! One of my more lengthy projects is exactly that. There are different cultures, with different theological beliefs and architectural styles and cuisine. Each culture has a different set of mores and vices, laws and law enforcement, and express differences in opinion about magic. There is enough diversity just in Humans at least in regards to that story that I didn't want to add extraneous things.

One trope I find annoying is when Humans are "always" the good guys against marauding Orcs or raving Goblins or Covens of witches. I actually tried to write a sort of western-age gunpowder fantasy in which the Humans are the aggressors, using their numbers and expansionist policies to displace the other races; mainly Dwarves and Orcs, some of whom are fighting back against the Human Dominance.

I think that the reason aliens don't visit Earth anymore is because WE are the aggressive species.