Fantasy Cliches you hate?

[TAMAnnoying]

People should remember that Cliches you hate are not "bad" just means you wont be willing to watch it/read it as much. But a fantasy story is incredibly long and has many parts to it.

lots of people will get over reading another "chosen one" story if the world building or characters really interest/speak to them.

[jensrichard77]

I believe that cliches are a tool for storytelling. A tool you have to know how to use.

Bad writing makes bad use of cliches. And there are too many bad stories about magic being a secret. I want it to be a natural thing of the universe. But if you are using the cliche right, you got a great story.

Only exception is probably, like, Harry Potter. You go, Harry Potter.

[Larslaustsen]

All I can say to your post nr.5 is...

You will love my fantasy novel...
Here is a little trailer:

And now the link to the story:
The Catmen Sorceress

[jensrichard77]

How could I forgot that story of the Catmen?
That is a fine example of unique storytelling and right use of cliches.

Here @Larslaustsen is letting the MC tell the reader about the decisions she makes, that sometimes ends up in a cat-cliche. But you are with her and understand why it ends up like that.
And what can you do? A cat will always be a cat. Just ask the internet

[nathanKmcwilliams]

Sure, they are. I'm just saying that opinions on whether something is bad or not is subjective.

I'm just a guy on the internet who has an opinion.

I'm also a creative nobody in terms of success but that's not the point xD. My opinion is, I just like seeing people create and share their work. Freedom of expression is a beautiful thing, even if I do or don't agree with views presented in said work.

And as far as my own creative process? I don't follow trends. I make what I want. As long as I'm proud of the end result, then I've done my job. People can like or hate it if they want. That's their prerogative.

[jensrichard77]

And as far as my own creative process? I don't follow trends.

He he. In that case, I'm glad that we are making Bunneh The Rabbit together
We are making what we like and only use "trending" stuff when it makes sense... or ? Do we even have any "trends" in it???

[DasIstWunderblyat]

I think nobody here is shitting on a certain author/series, or branding them as bad and encouraging to quit. I also do think some of the points I listed as "dislike" also applies to my story.

If Tapas was a food court and we have a discussion about a food we dislike, I do not think someone state that they dislike pizza is an attack to pizza maker or an effort of gatekeeping that no pizza should be in that food court. It is a different thing if they start campaigning outside the discussion that pizza is bad and everyone who make and like it should be shamed for it, or trying to ban pizza. I think discouraging creators is not the point of this thread, it is rather a normal discussion about thing you see too much or find it unlikeable in media. People are free to dislike thing.

I think any content creator with at least half a brain agree that cliché can be good or bad depending on the use, such as usage of garlic can enhance or ruin the food depending on the use. Is it wrong though to state you dislike garlic because it will discourage cooks? LOL nope.

Also I am sorry if I sound pressed.

[nathanKmcwilliams]

First and most importantly, I love garlic. salt

I wasn't saying people can't dislike something. Dislike away. I was just sharing my view on things.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

I get it that it can be upsetting for some, just stick to the assumption that it is only a small portion about your story and it does not immediately cancel yours.

But who knows, some of us probably are talking shit about our own work. That is fun.

[Drewbie]

I personally only ever get on here to see if any of these fit my story and even then it's just taking it with a grain of salt. You can never account for everyone's personal preferences but you can always account for your own.

[C_o]

Elaborate magic "systems". To me it is a really boring and unimaginative way of categorizing/quantifying something that is inherently supposed to be illogical and not understandable . Otherwise it wouldn't be "magic", it would be science. This ties in with a lot of gripes I have with generally pointless "world building" that is all the rage in the fantasy genre, a lot of it feels self indulgent and doesn't serve any sort of interesting story.

There are a bunch of fantasy cliches that are boring to me: ChOsEn OnE, resurrection, fetch the X amount of artifacts, Dark Lord Fascist, main character is unwittingly a reincarnation of a God, deus ex ultra weapon, etc. The list is endless. For a genre that exists to literally allow ANYTHING to happen, there sure are a lot of people who simply rehash the same things over and over again.

[Kann]

A lot of cliches I don't like (I don't think I can really hate a cliche) are already mentioned here.

I can only add one, which I don't really dislike. I just think it's meh. But when in universe healers are so powerful, they can bring someone to life with a snap of their fingers.

I like healing magic that has limited power. Leaves scars, cannot bring back to life or make lost limb reappear, it's hard to pull off or it's user has to do something in exchange for it to work. That kinda thing.

[CodeMonkeyArts]

The Chosen One being an unmotivated loser who has everything given to them even though there are far better more motivated people who can be BETTER at the chosen quest.

I like Kung Fu Panda....but OOOO that trope is old and it kinda pissed me off there. It's one thing if the person is born into a Chosen Role (Avatar: The Last Air Bender), it's another if the dude has no talent and no motivation for the job and GETS it ANYWAYS even though there is someone else RIGHT there who rightfully EARNED it.

As someone who has worked HARD to get to a happy point in my life, that cliche HURTS me every time.

I also hate it when the outsider comes into a tribe and becomes the BEST OF THE BEST on that tribe. That shit is also getting old to me.

[LadyN]

It’s an unpopular opinion (based off what I’m seeing here) but I really don’t mind the basic fantasy species. It makes remembering easier to remember (it’s hard to learn new creature names sometimes, so having the basic “goblin and elves” makes it simple.) I don’t mind original species but make it a simple name. I don’t need some overly complex species name ;-;

I actually really like the resurrection trope. People dislike it because it cheapens death but as long as it’s not overdone, then it can be really good. I guess it just depends on the character! (If a bland MC dies and gets revived, then I’m not good with that.)

I actually thought of one thing I really hate, but it’s not a cliche. It’s a trope. So I won’t go into detail.

[Berserker]

I hate when the heroes cut through enemies like its Dynasty Warriors. I know its fantasy, but even your basic enemies are going to try to win and avoid getting killed.

[SagaHolmgaard]

It's been said before in this thread but metal bras/bikinis as armor like??? draw some non-sexist fantasy armor. It can be as crazy and fantasy as you're willing to repeatedly draw i dont care but women fighting in bikinis is very likely to see me close that tab/book/movie/game.

[DualDragons]

This is indeed one with quite a reputation and I agree. Probably one of the few things here that actually confuse me when I see it. 'Specially when said women who wear it live in cold/artic environments/places where it doesn't make sense

[DukeOfOool]

I hate repeatedly having to do X to ressurect character B who dies last time, saving the main character. Like onceis ok, but after the 3 time it's just a way to backpedal accidentaly killing a popular character. Or even worse baiting emotional reactions.

[brittanykeyesart]

I hate that a lot of fantasy will romanticize or reinforce the idea of divine right and monarchy. Good vs Evil. That is why I am currently writing out a script for a fantasy comedy series that pokes at fantasy cliches while still being a silly fantasy story.

[azzy-m]

• The north is a cold continent. The east is an asian-inspired country, probably named Jade something. The west is probably where the story takes place. The south can vary from story to story. Also, whenever the characters are at a desert, there is always a small group of probably Arabic travellers that live nearby in an oasis that meet with said characters. I don't really hate these types of settings, it just gets really tiring to see over and over.

• Unrealistic armor, just like the aforementioned bikini armor. Listen - I love girls, but I always get turned off whenever I see people drawing warrior women in unrealistic armor, probably because the designer is probably male trying to appeal to the male gaze.

• This is more specifically towards sci-fi (since I find this a problem more in sci-fi), but this could apply to fantasy too - when characters from a different race/species meet with our main cast they are just... instantly able to understand them. Like, no language barrier. I can buy that some of the characters could speak some sort of universal, common language, but if your clearly human characters are speaking English to a very alien character who has never once interacted with another human in their entire life, then that kind of breaks the worldbuilding a little for me. Think of Voltron - When Allura meets the characters for the first time, she was in basically cryosleep for like 10000 years and has never interacted with humans, but she knows, understands, AND speaks English fluently to the entire cast. Again , I don't actually hate this kind of stuff, especially considering I understand a lot that making fantasy languages is DIFFICULT because I'm not making one fantasy language, I'm making at least FIVE, it's just something I'm mildly annoyed by.

• Prophecies that don't really contribute anything to the story and just expose the entire plot. I think the only time I can recall the prophecy being used in such a way that I really enjoyed was in the Percy Jackson series and the sequel series.

• Alien species that are just like... humans but in different colors. I think having some races that are close to humans in appearance and/or biology are ok, especially when members of the main cast are members of that species. But, like, not every species that exists in your fantasy world should resemble humans. Especially when it comes to biology and reproduction and in extension, gender and sexuality. I could go on forever about fantasy species, but I don't want my post to be like, the size of a book. I think out of all of the ones I mentioned, this is the one I actually kind of hate (other than the second one, lmao) - because it just shows laziness to me.