My Top 5 Fantasy Tropes!

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately thinking about the different tropes that I enjoy and hate in fantasy. I’ve come to realise that even a bad trope can be done well in the hands of a skilled writer. Conversely a generally good trope can also be done very poorly if the author doesn’t know what they’re doing.

But that train of thought led me to consider some of my top picks for different fantasy tropes and some that are at the bottom of the pecking order. Today I’ll be talking about my top 5 favourite tropes and in another video we’ll talk about my most disliked tropes...

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[ryanratchford]

Great video! Look forward to the hated tropes

[jabbott]

First thing I thought of while you were asking for recommendations with these tropes in them is the works of Raymond E. Feist. First book is Magician, but there are a lot more following. Some are kind of one offs some are trilogies but they're all set in the same world(s) following decedents of the main characters set up in The Rift War Saga, the opening set of books. They have most of the tropes you're looking for. The zero to hero trope is, imo, very well done in the form of Jimmy the Hand. And Nakor "The Blue Rider" is a wonderful subversion of the Wise Old Wizard trope. Defiantly not what you'd expect. One of the things I like most about these books is getting to see how the main characters from the earlier books are getting on from the pov of their children and grandchildren and so on. Even though they aren't the main characters in the newer sets of books. It's very well done imo and gives a much longer window into the world than you ever get in most stories.

[BleedingFish]

First Law trilogy kinda does have the zero to hero or no one to someone, but with a twist with one of the characters. dunno how to explain it better without spoilers haha

[martinratagris]

I liked this video. To be honest, there were a couple of tropes that made me think of Avatar, the last Airbender.

About recomendations. If you're looking for guys that start as nobodies and then become kings or generals, there is a lot of those. Mostly they live as peasant boys until adventure arrives. One of my favorites is Jim Butcher's Alera's Fury series.

Honestly I recomend all of Butcher's works. The Dresden Files obviously but also The Aeronaut Windlass. There are some great moments of arrogant heroes.

If you're familiar with the Dresden Files, I cautiously recommend the Twenty Palace series by Harry Connolly. Abusing the name Harry, it's an urban fantasy that it's to Harry Dresden what Harry Dresden is to Harry Potter.

I feel like I already overstepped but in for a penny... A few more series, the first is Divine Cities by Robert Jackson Bennet, it's really good fantasy where humanity managed to kill actual gods not too long ago but magic is not completely gone. It has epic moments and quite a few surprises.

The there is Peter Clines' Ex-Heroes series, wich is not fantasy but a nerd dream. Basically is a world where the first wave of superheroes were showing up only to be interrupted by a zombie apocalypse.

Lastly I recommend the Military Sci-Fi series Poor Man's Fight by Elliott Kay. Some people ignore him because his first series, Good Intention is an Urban Fantasy harem erotic but the first book of a Poor Man's Fight is seriously good. It's climax is basically Die Hard in Space.

[mealsome]

My favorite arrogant character is viper from Titanfall 2, and the video game medium is perfectly suited to show you exactly why they deserve to be arrogant.

[mohanamukhopadhyay]

Two good examples of the arrogant hero trope that I personally enjoyed are the Kingkiller Chronicle and Wizard of earthsea. Also, your first and second favourite tropes reminded me of The Last Airbender anime series!

[BlueArcStreaming]

Shardik by Richard Adams is a great story where the protagonist is basically a nobody but goes on to become a powerful holy man figure/emperor...and the story is more complicated than this as it goes on

[aodh]

You're writing a book? Sounds awesome! Could you tell me about it for probably the hundredth time please 😂

[sciencystuff]

I really love betrayal trope like when u don't see it coming but when it comes, I could see the motivation of the character or you can get on reread although I prefer first one cause that hurt. I think the best betrayal I have ever seen is in Attack on Titan. And I really like redemption arc If done well like Zuko or few characters in stormlight level

[cynthiaholmes]

I really don't like the friends to enemies trope
But I do love the enemies to lovers trope
And the zero to hero trope
🤔
I really do hate the hole damsel in distress trope

[ChBrahm]

My current WIP includes friends to enemies and Zero to Hero xD

[sirdipping]

What’s the name of the track you use at the beginning of this video? It’s so beautiful and one of the many reasons I enjoy your videos so much lol

I’d say my all time favorite trope would probably be betrayal, like nothing enrages me more in a story when a character I love gets betrayed by a friend or lover

[nischalr]

I am guessing point 1 and 4 are somewhat referring to Moash/Vyre

What are your thoughts on 'old mentor' trope? I feel a well executed one will work well. Like Dumbledore, Gandalf, even Zahel

[lukecarter]

The witcher series does the over-powered mc very well in my opinion. And while Geralt isn't necessarily arrogant, per se, he us definitely aptly confident in his abilities and the writer makes him very awe inspiring this way.

[TheTyrial]

If Adanalsium was found incapacitated and was shattered. Than what caused him or her to be recked??? I think there is going to be a big fight that is coming that greater than Odium.

[Kris-Wolverine-Matthews]

So a trope I hate is people dying, but not really dying (i know Kelsier...) But when a character is killed off i like them to stay dead, so that is a trope I like? Haha

[meritreads]

Who is that in the thumbnail art? Vivenna?