Stereotype fantasy worlds

I do think that is the beauty of fantasy - you can extrapolate into realms that exist nowhere else, and play with the rules.

To write fantasy just to have people with different shaped ears and prehensile tails, or to explore lands without having to know about existing geography or cultures, is pointless. Too often, I see fantasy that seems written for the sake of avoiding research. Take a sonewhat familar fictional race, put them in conflict with another, and no one can say it isn't realistic.

But if fantasy really takes a leap and tells a story that could ONLY be told in an imaginative setting - that can approach genius.

 

Here's my take on this:

I love traditional fantasy. I like knowing what a race is going to be like, but that also gets boring after a while. I don't want elves to always be snobby and holier-than-thou. I want a wild elf who lives in the forest, hunts animals for meat and is covered in strange tribal tattoos. I want a dwarf who actually loves sunshine and fresh air. I want a troll that can have an intelligent conversation and doesn't smell like a rotting corpse.

I wouldn't go too far away from traditional. Elves should be somewhat intelligent, not caveman-like. Trolls shouldn't be considered beautiful to any but their own kind.

To keep readers interested, I would keep each race simular to the stereotype, but different enough to hold interest.

Now if you're talking about creating a new race, the sky is the limit. I love reading about new races. It keeps fantasy fresh.

Those are just my ideas. And the stereotypes I mentioned are just examples. By no means do you have to follow those specific examples.

 

If you know where to look, you'd be surprized how many books/stories have elves and fairies that don't look just like these characters. If you want to get an idea of just how diverse they can be without having to go through all the trouble of inventing a new species, get any book by Brian Froud.

 

Another opinion that I just want to throw out: If you're going to recreate a fantasy character, such as a vampire, and make his powers something completely different from a vampire, then here's a tip: Don't call him a vampire.

If he doesn't drink blood, but instead absorbs the life energy of his victim via an invisible force, or through his claws, or by eating his victim's stomach out (chakra point) then just call him something else.
That way, purists won't be all, "THIS ISN'T A VAMPIRE!"

And everyone else won't be like, "Soooo. . . why call him a vampire?"

 

Hehe thanks for the great comments I kind of forgot about this thread thinking it was finished and just checked it there. Thanks for all the advice, I will take it in and carry on writing!

 

I for one would LOVE to see a fantasy world with a modern setting.

Something a bit like the Ace Combat games.