RangerWickett
Legend
Fiction Teaser - Cliché
This is from my Mother of Dreams storyhour. If you're interested, read more.
Allar knelt next to the muddy footprint on the cavern floor. “I don’t like this. It could be a dark Elf.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then Babb snorted in amusement. “Allar, you think about this stuff way too much. He was probably just in a rush to get that crap out there off his feet. I mean, why do you get so worried every time somebody says ‘dark Elf’?”
Allar took a slow breath, and said, “My parents were killed by dark Elves.”
Lacy and David looked away uncomfortably. Babb managed to look solemn for just a moment, however, and then he laughed.
“I’m sorry,” he said, trying to hold back his chuckles. “This wasn’t recent or something, was it? Because,” he laughed again, “no offense, but isn’t that a little . . . cliché?”
David glared angrily at Babb, but Lacy sheepishly grinned. Allar was too shocked by what Babb had said to reply.
“I mean,” Babb continued, smiling at Allar’s dismay, “haven’t most professional adventurers lost their parents? Lirensce did. Lacy and I did. Heck, Crassus didn’t even leave his home town until his father died of syphillis.”
Allar sputtered and turned away. Lacy shot Babb a scolding look.
Babb grumbled. “What’s the big deal?” the Geidon asked. “At least his parents were killed by something interesting. Mine died in an avalanche. Do you know how common avalanches are in the mountains? Pretty damned common.”
So, what is cliché in gaming and fantasy fiction? Why are those clichés bad, and what can we do with them to make them interesting? Lots of adventurers have no families, which makes sense for why they'd be wanderers and such, but how do you motivate those characters to create interesting stories? Heck, how does the life of an adventurer affect someone, honestly?
This is from my Mother of Dreams storyhour. If you're interested, read more.
Allar knelt next to the muddy footprint on the cavern floor. “I don’t like this. It could be a dark Elf.”
They were quiet for a moment, and then Babb snorted in amusement. “Allar, you think about this stuff way too much. He was probably just in a rush to get that crap out there off his feet. I mean, why do you get so worried every time somebody says ‘dark Elf’?”
Allar took a slow breath, and said, “My parents were killed by dark Elves.”
Lacy and David looked away uncomfortably. Babb managed to look solemn for just a moment, however, and then he laughed.
“I’m sorry,” he said, trying to hold back his chuckles. “This wasn’t recent or something, was it? Because,” he laughed again, “no offense, but isn’t that a little . . . cliché?”
David glared angrily at Babb, but Lacy sheepishly grinned. Allar was too shocked by what Babb had said to reply.
“I mean,” Babb continued, smiling at Allar’s dismay, “haven’t most professional adventurers lost their parents? Lirensce did. Lacy and I did. Heck, Crassus didn’t even leave his home town until his father died of syphillis.”
Allar sputtered and turned away. Lacy shot Babb a scolding look.
Babb grumbled. “What’s the big deal?” the Geidon asked. “At least his parents were killed by something interesting. Mine died in an avalanche. Do you know how common avalanches are in the mountains? Pretty damned common.”
So, what is cliché in gaming and fantasy fiction? Why are those clichés bad, and what can we do with them to make them interesting? Lots of adventurers have no families, which makes sense for why they'd be wanderers and such, but how do you motivate those characters to create interesting stories? Heck, how does the life of an adventurer affect someone, honestly?
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p), two of the character's don't speak about their parents, as it isn't really important and they DID have families...well, one character's family died when the Death Star blew up Alderaan, but she grew UP with a family!
