When you think of fantasy, you probably picture certain fantasy tropes. Characteristics typical of the genre. By understanding what tropes are common in fantasy, you can better observe how to subvert them.
To be clear, this doesn’t mean that you should completely avoid tropes. Just be sure not to rely on them too much. Stories that take common tropes and include them in new and unique ways keep things interesting. What fantasy tropes can you subvert? Check below to find out!
Dragons
If fantasy includes any creature at all, it’s likely a dragon. Lots of early works include dragons, including the Beowulf manuscript and the book St. George and the Dragon. So, dragons have been around for a while.
It’s perfectly possible to utilize dragons for different purposes, rather than just as the antagonist. Say you want to include a dragon in your fantasy story. What if your protagonist were friends with a dragon, or even was a dragon? What if dragons themselves played a different role in your world? As long as the dragon’s role makes sense when connected to how your world works, you can subvert what your readers may expect of them.
Magic
It feels like lots of fantasy has at least some form of magic. Additionally, authors often include protagonists and antagonists who either practice magic, teach magic, or suddenly gain magic powers. The trope comes into play here.
Often, protagonists come into contact with magic in an unexpected way, such as realizing they have magic. Or they come across someone who possesses magic, and (because they are a protagonist) they fall under that person’s mentorship. So ask yourself:
1) How does magic work in my world? Does everyone know about it? Who practices it? Is magic accepted or rare in any way? Knowing how you want magic to function in the world you create allows you to play with tropes. Because once you have the answers to these questions, you can start shifting away from the typical.
2) What is my magic system? The magic trope becomes more unique with each unique aspect of your magic system. If you aren’t familiar, a magic system details how magic works in a world. One great example is Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn. In this book, characters gain their powers from different types of metals. Not only does the system make sense in the world, but it also explores how metal and magic work together. It’s different from the innate, mysterious power that’s often generalized in fantasy. So create the ins and outs of your magic system, then go from there.
A Medieval Setting
The easiest way to subvert this trope is to examine new time periods and cultures in your own world. For example, Andrzej Sapkowski is often called the “Polish Tolkien” because his works, though broad in scope like Tolkien’s works, focus on Polish culture and myth instead of a medieval setting. So ask yourself: what cultures influence you? What do you enjoy reading or studying, or how might you draw from your own culture and experiences?
Fantasy isn’t limited to one culture or setting. You might easily escape medieval tropes by delving into cultures and myths not often seen in fantasy.
The Chosen One (and Prophecy)
Probably two of the best-known tropes, I put these two together for a reason. The Chosen One, often the main protagonist, works to fulfill what’s been projected to happen in the fantasy story, or the prophecy, after being chosen by something, typically a higher power.
Both of these tropes construct the core of many fantasy stories, and while they might seem like a tired cliche, they don’t have to be. In fact, including them doesn’t make your story bad or mean a story has lazy writing. When you rely on how the Chosen One or prophecy typically works, then things become predictable. So what do you do?
1) Work to change how both tropes function in a story. Both the Chosen One and the prophecy fulfill certain obligations in a fantasy story. They set up the protagonist’s main purpose while also establishing their goal and motivation. Think about how your Chosen One might be chosen, or how your prophecy came about. Maybe your story doesn’t have either! Either way, break the rules fantasy gives you. Think of new ways to include the trope, or don’t include it at all.
2) Do the opposite of their initial purpose. Sometimes the answer involves doing the opposite. Maybe the prophecy failed in some way, wasn’t real from the beginning, or was completely untrue the entire time. Maybe the Chosen One becomes the antagonist. Just make sure your choices keep your readers engaged and don’t throw them off.
The Good (or Bad) Magical Artifact
A special object could be a good thing, like an ancient sword meant to help save the world, or a bad thing (think like the ring from The Lord of the Rings or the Horcruxes from Harry Potter). Typically, these also play an important role in a fantasy story because the plot revolves around them.
You can always change how a bad or good magical object functions in the story. I always like to think of the Series of Unfortunate Events books (though this might be a bit of a cop-out answer). In the later books, the sugar bowl supposedly plays an important part in the story. Now, what that purpose is, we don’t really know. But it’s there. In a way, this is a subversion of the magical object trope because it subverts readers’ expectations regarding how the trope works. So get creative and come up with your own ideas.
There are plenty of other fantasy tropes out there, but tackling the major ones does loads for your fantasy story. Just remember that tropes can’t completely be avoided. Take the time to recognize them, but then find a way to make them unique to your story. Happy writing!
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