Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raduin711" data-source="post: 8091766" data-attributes="member: 15303">I wonder sometimes how when we subvert a trope how much we really escape the thing we subvert. Like when Dragon Age presents us with elves that are treated as slaves and second-class citizens, we go "Ah, well, that's different..." but it's only really different because of Tolkien. Part of their uniqueness derives from it's relationship to Tolkien.Or if we take elves and put them down in a cyberpunk setting and try to work out what elves might be like in this new context... and you end up with something like the elves of Shadowrun. But have we really escaped Tolkein's shadow? We had to invent a lot of stuff to put them in this new setting, sure, but the seed is still there.I think if we try to say "I have elves in my story, but they aren't Tolkien's elves!" I wonder if we are really being honest about our influences. The professor has a very, very long shadow and I think if you really want to get out from under it you have to look for a new source... if you look older than him, you run the risk of growing along comfortable pathways that were laid by him. I think it can be done though (but not in the context of D&D; that's a lost cause.) Most likely this means looking to other mythologies or even outside of the western cannon. Just be wary of what you bring with you.Or maybe it's just easier to give Tolkien his due and just get on with making the fantasy stuff you love.</blockquote>

Verification