Top 10 Stereotypes in Fantasy?

[Justme]

How many of these, I wonder are part and parcel of just about every novel that used conflict as vehicle to float the idea behind the story?

 

[Saigonnus]

There really aren't any "evil for no reason" races that I can think of. The Uruk-hai and Nazgul were evil because they were created that way by an psychotic, evil person. That is reason enough for me. Dark Elves (traditional ones) worship an evil and vengeful goddess and her tenets shape their whole society, a good (if misguided) "excuse" to be evil. Orcs, Goblins, Ogres are all in conflict with the other humanoid and since they don't generally do alot of farming or raising livestock basically have to raid people's homes or wagons to get what they need, not evil in itself. Also I would think; like mountain lions or grizzleys, with great restrictions in territory come a desperation for what they need and I still wouldn't classify them as evil.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I don't think a cliche is an unforgiveable thing as long as the entire story doesn't revolve around it and there's plenty of solid writing and original plot devices to support it. Like I'm not too worried about the one cliche I nailed on the head because I went into the story knowing it was a cliche and fully intending to make it only one of the many threads that make up the story.

I embrace cliches.

I hope that most of what I write will surprise the reader, and there's enough originality that the story as a whole isn't seen as cliched. But at times, a cliche or something similar to the real world just works because people automatically "get it."

Maybe a better way to put it is that I won't go out of my way to avoid a cliche. My barbarian is big, strong, impatient and a stickler to his large-quantities-of-meat-and-grog diet. Admit it. You knew all that as soon as you read the ward "barbarian." But... could I also make him a flamboyant intellectual who plays the flute to relax, just to be "original?" Or would you rather just see this guy run around with an oversized sword and perform feats of strength?

 

[Sheilawisz]

The main species from my Fantasy worlds could be considered evil in a natural way, but then... Can we say that a tiger is evil for tearing its prey apart? Are killer whales evil for what they do in the sea??

Saying that the evilness of a species comes from natural instinct is a good idea for a Fantasy series, don't you agree?

 

[Mindfire]

I embrace cliches.

I hope that most of what I write will surprise the reader, and there's enough originality that the story as a whole isn't seen as cliched. But at times, a cliche or something similar to the real world just works because people automatically "get it."

Maybe a better way to put it is that I won't go out of my way to avoid a cliche. My barbarian is big, strong, impatient and a stickler to his large-quantities-of-meat-and-grog diet. Admit it. You knew all that as soon as you read the ward "barbarian." But... could I also make him a flamboyant intellectual who plays the flute to relax, just to be "original?" Or would you rather just see this guy run around with an oversized sword and perform feats of strength?

How about a happy medium of sorts, a barbarian who's a stalwart and corageous warrior, but also has a strict honor code and a knack for poetry and philosophy?

 

[Jabrosky]

How about a happy medium of sorts, a barbarian who's a stalwart and corageous warrior, but also has a strict honor code and a knack for poetry and philosophy?

Such a character would be totally sweet. I like noble, soft-hearted barbarians!

 

[DameiThiessen]

The protagonist and antagonist finding out they're related.

Insanely beautiful, independent, easily angered warrior woman.

The charming, horny, comedic male character that always tries to get with the aforementioned warrior woman.

Elves with bows and arrows. It's like they've never been introduced to anything else.

 

[Ireth]

The protagonist and antagonist finding out they're related.

What if they're only distantly related, and they don't actually find out about it? The villain in my vampire novel is the protagonist's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, but neither of them know it. The protagonist also runs into his immortal great-great-great-great-great-grandmother for a brief time, and neither of them recognize each other at all.

 

[Aravelle]

A cliche of sorts I'm SICK of seeing: when the characters have "cool" last names or first names, especially if its a noun. [Ex: Elaine Hawthorne]. I understand if its a title they earned [such as in Lyra "Silvertongue" Belacqua's case] or if it relates to their profession, but otherwise, it can be super annoying. Also, a name like Timothy Goldsby doesn't count. It has gold in it, but its not a flat out noun.

...Am I the only one who feels this way? ;_;

 

[Mindfire]

A cliche of sorts I'm SICK of seeing: when the characters have "cool" last names or first names, especially if its a noun. [Ex: Elaine Hawthorne]. I understand if its a title they earned [such as in Lyra "Silvertongue" Belacqua's case] or if it relates to their profession, but otherwise, it can be super annoying. Also, a name like Timothy Goldsby doesn't count. It has gold in it, but its not a flat out noun.

...Am I the only one who feels this way? ;_;

Hawthorne is a legit surname...

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

How about a happy medium of sorts, a barbarian who's a stalwart and corageous warrior, but also has a strict honor code and a knack for poetry and philosophy?

Funny... I used to write a guy like that. I called him "Crommlar the Barbarian" but eventually realized he's only a barbarian in the sense that he's ultra-strong and carries a huge sword. Barbarian was more like what his class would be if he were a D&D character.

(Now presenting the only legitimate comparison I get to make between my character and one of George R.R. Martin's...)

Khal Drogo was an actual barbarian because he was actually barbaric. Both Crommlar and Drogo had muscles and warpaint, but Crommlar didn't need to marry a blonde teenager to realize that raping and pillaging makes you look like an *******.

(No offense, Drogo. R.I.P.)

 

[Benjamin Clayborne]

A cliche of sorts I'm SICK of seeing: when the characters have "cool" last names or first names, especially if its a noun. [Ex: Elaine Hawthorne]. I understand if its a title they earned [such as in Lyra "Silvertongue" Belacqua's case] or if it relates to their profession, but otherwise, it can be super annoying. Also, a name like Timothy Goldsby doesn't count. It has gold in it, but its not a flat out noun.

...Am I the only one who feels this way? ;_;

I agree. If it starts feeling like a comic book, I lose interest.

 

[Hans]

A cliche of sorts I'm SICK of seeing: when the characters have "cool" last names or first names, especially if its a noun.

I have an unfinished story where the characters are part of a traveling circus and have funny or cool stage names of all sorts. Sometimes they call each other also offstage with these names.
They also have other ridiculous things like chainmail bikinis on stage. A wonderful thing to delve into clichés without needing to be serious about it.

 

[shangrila]

How about a happy medium of sorts, a barbarian who's a stalwart and corageous warrior, but also has a strict honor code and a knack for poetry and philosophy?

Well, poetry and philosophy might not be his thing, but Logan Ninefingers fits the rest of your criteria.

 

[Erica]

-Humans and elves regard orcs and trolls etc. as ugly but orcs and trolls think elves and humans are beautiful and lust after their women.
-Dwarves are always male (or maybe the females just look like males and don't mind being called 'he.')
-Any race that spends all or most of its life underground (or is nocturnal) is evil
-Frequent references to a bygone age when magic was more powerful and fantastical creatures (like dragons) more abundant.

 

[Hans]

-Any race that spends all or most of its life underground (or is nocturnal) is evil

With the possible exception of dwarfes in mountains.

 

[Devor]

-Frequent references to a bygone age when magic was more powerful and fantastical creatures (like dragons) more abundant.

Oh maaan.

The references aren't all that frequent, though. I don't know whether it even qualifies, since it's pretty specific as to exactly how and why things have changed since then, and not a vague - "Don't you miss the age of high magic? Oh if only the wizards hadn't killed each other out for reasons that have nothing to do with the novel and don't really make sense."

 

[Kit]

I don't like it when all the unfamiliar words are in italics, as if we need a neon signpost to alert us to "HEY, here's a made-up word!" If a character says a line in a different language than the one s/he commonly uses, italics make sense- but if this is supposedly a common word in the given culture, why treat it differently than any other common word? It comes off as pretentious to me.

 

[Jabrosky]

-Humans and elves regard orcs and trolls etc. as ugly but orcs and trolls think elves and humans are beautiful and lust after their women.

Replace "humans and elves" with "white people" and "orcs and trolls" with "black people" and you see exactly why I really hate this trope.

 

[Steerpike]

Replace "humans and elves" with "white people" and "orcs and trolls" with "black people" and you see exactly why I really hate this trope.

Yeah, but why would you even do that?