this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2024
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What are your most hated sci-fi/fantasy tropes? (hexbear.net)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by BeamBrain@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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I have a few:

  • Chosen ones, fate, destiny, &c. When you get down to it, a story with these themes is one where a single person or handful of people is ontologically, cosmically better and more important than everyone else. It's eerily similar to that right-wing meme about how "most people are just NPCs" (though I disliked the trope before that meme ever took off).
  • Way too much importance being given to bloodlines by the narrative (note, this is different from them being given importance by characters or societies in the story).
  • All of the good characters are handsome and beautiful, while all of the evil characters are ugly and disfigured (with the possible exception of a femme fatale or two).
  • Races that are inherently, unchangeably evil down to the last individual regardless of upbringing, society, or material circumstances.
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[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 19 points 5 months ago (3 children)

It's not limited to sci-fi/fantasy, but anything around monogamy, love triangles, heteronormativity.

If humans on earth today can form a wide variety of relationships other than a man + woman nuclear family, so can aliens and such living in completely different cultures.

"I love Alex and Bryan how can I choose just one??" You don't have to. Stop it.

[–] TechnoUnionTypeBeat@hexbear.net 10 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I recently read a fantasy novel called Silver Under Nightfall that has to be one of the first proper poly novels I've ever seen

The main character has an obvious attraction to a woman, and a confused lust for her husband. Both the husband and wife are into the main character. It's not high literature but I had a blast reading it anyway

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 12 points 5 months ago (2 children)

That sounds neat. But also reminds me of a related peeve: Where non-monogamy is depicted, it's always like a group. A throuple.

In real life, I'm dating a woman. She has a wife. I am not dating her wife. I am friendly with her wife, but that's it. My date is also dating another man. We're friendly. We talk about video games. But we're not a thing together.

The polycule looks something like this. I know there's more people further removed from me, but I don't know them well (or in some cases at all). That's okay.

L   ?   B    N       T - ?
|   |   |    |       |
C - S - Me - A - E - R
|   |
?   ?
    |
    ?

Non-monogamy doesn't have to be a triangle. There's a reason "polycule" is a really good pun.

I don't know if this has been depicted in media other than like niche fanfiction.

[–] TechnoUnionTypeBeat@hexbear.net 8 points 5 months ago

You're absolutely right. I wouldn't mind seeing it explored in fiction and fantasy in particular, which seems to me like the perfect genre to explore those dynamics. The only other story I can think that does it also features a sort of throuple, though the two women have a more sisterly relationship while both are in a romantic relationship only with the male (the Honorverse series)

I hope with queerness and non-heteronormativity becoming more "mainstream" (well, talked about more openly outside of niche spaces) that we'll start to see more of an exploration of what being poly means

[–] CptKrkIsClmbngThMntn@hexbear.net 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Not nearly so detailed, but Sing For the Coming of the Longest Night is a great little fantasy story about two metamours that have to go rescue their mutual partner from a magical realm.

[–] jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 4 points 5 months ago

This looks perfect, and my library has a copy. Adding it to my to-read list.

[–] CptKrkIsClmbngThMntn@hexbear.net 6 points 5 months ago

Iron Widow is decent for this too if you like YA fantasy. Bonus for a Chinese setting.

[–] ImmortanStalin@lemmygrad.ml 8 points 5 months ago

Belter ship polycules are the future.

[–] ashinadash@hexbear.net 3 points 5 months ago

Heterosexual SFF is for nerds