10 Best Tropes in Fantasy Fiction
- Jenna Moreci
- Oct 28
- 5 min read
HelloOoOo everybody!
You guys wanted to hear about my all-time favorite fantasy tropes, and I'm so glad you asked. Fantasy, particularly dark fantasy, is my favorite genre, so this wasn't a hard list to generate. I am breaking down the best tropes I see in fantasy fiction, in my humble opinion. Whether it's writing them or reading them, this is the shit that gets me pumped.
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Number 1: Gods and Goddesses
If it wasn't already clear, I'm a big fan of fantasy religions. I like the idea of polytheism, monotheism, saints, angels, demons, and holy figures. The belief system in TSC revolves around a mortal magical woman who isn't a goddess; she is viewed as a gift from their god, and that was a really fun religion to work with.
I've always found belief systems fascinating, and because of this, I like it when authors model their fictional religions after real religions, or when they create something wildly new and different. Culture is my favorite part of fantasy world-building, so this feeds right into that.
Number 2: Mystical Creatures
I'm not super keen on magical humanoid creatures like elves, fairies, hobbits; those guys aren't really my jam. But if we're talking about magical creatures that aren't humanoid, or are only partially humanoid, I am on board. Phoenix, sirens, mermaids, chimeras, sphinx—whatever, I want it. Can't forget about Pegasus, obviously.
In fantasy, you can create anything. Any human-fish hybrid, any donkey-dildo hybrid—have at it. The world is your oyster; do as you please. I'll be waiting right here to read it, but maybe not the donkey-dildo.
Number 3: The Hero's Journey
Call me a traditionalist, but I love a good story where the hero or heroine fights against the odds and saves the day. Don't get it twisted. I don't enjoy arrogant knights who somehow still manage to get the girl despite all their douchery. I also don't enjoy the wet blanket chosen one, who needs everyone to protect her, yet somehow beats the bad guy at the climax, 'cause reasons.
I'm talking about the story of a hero who fights for a cause because it's important to them. They battle against forces far stronger than themselves. At some point, they feel like all hope is lost, but they're still able to power through. I think this story is relatable. We all feel like the world is too much to handle sometimes, and to see someone handle it anyway is inspiring.
Number 4: Forbidden Romance
Obviously. If you're gonna see a forbidden romance, it'll probably be in fantasy. That's just how it goes. The reason I like forbidden romance is simple: stories require conflict in order to drive them forward. However, more often than not, when you present a conflict in romance, it's highly problematic. My spouse is cheating on me, my love interest is stalking me—these aren't romances, they’re nightmares.
With a forbidden romance, the conflict is an outside influence on the relationship itself. Some force beyond their control is preventing them from being together, which gives you plenty of room to make the romance as healthy and beautiful as possible without nixing the conflict. In fact, the conflict is the beauty of the romance. They aren’t supposed to be together, but they're just so perfect for each other, it's not fair! I will never get tired of this! Pour forbidden romance in a trough, I'll eat it up. Give it to me.
Number 5: The Ragtag Found Family
A bunch of people from different backgrounds get together to overcome a conflict, and over time, they bond. They form trust and relationships, they love one another, and it's cute as fuck. This is especially fun in fantasy because these people could come from entirely different worlds, or be entirely different species like humans and mermaids. Plus, fantasy is one of the most popular genres for adventure-focused content, and found families are so good in adventure stories. Found families and adventure are like chocolate and marshmallow, they just go together.
Number 6: Beautiful Evil People
It once was a trend to make all villains hideous, but this doesn't feel true to life. People who grew up being told they're beautiful often develop egos, and egos turn people into assholes. It only makes sense to write at least some villains with pretty faces, and pretty boobies, and pretty biceps. I'm just saying.
Fantasy tends to be the genre that does this the most. You'll see evil queens who are drop-dead gorgeous, or evil warlocks with six-pack abs. Sometimes evil warlocks become love interests, but we're not gonna get into that dumpster fire.
Number 7: Names With Meaning
What I love about fantasy is that it's one of maybe three genres that allows you to slip some symbology into your characters' names. I like Easter eggs, I like hidden gems, themes, metaphors, symbols. That's what I'm reading the book for. I know a lot of people trash on this trope, but frankly, I don't care. Give me names with meaning and I'm a happy camper.
Number 8: Dead Parents
This is another trope that people trash on, but there's a valid reason for its existence. Parents get in the way of the story. Do you know how much easier it is to write about a child wizard when his parents aren't alive? If his parents were alive, he's gonna have curfews, he's gonna have family dinners, he's gonna get grounded. That shit is tedious, and I don't like it. On top of that, dead parents provide immediate hardship and trauma for the main character. You know what builds compassion, relatability, and likability in a character? Hardship and trauma.
Number 9: Corrupt Nobility
I really like the corrupt nobility trope because, more than anything, it's just realistic. How many times have rich people in power fucked over the majority? Kind of a lot. And I love when fantastical stories capture some semblance of reality, especially if it's important.
This, in my opinion, is a story that never gets old. It's important to remind people, “Hey! Question authority!” Just because someone's in charge doesn't mean they have your best interests at heart.
I really enjoy that fantasy does such a great job at reflecting this concept. And I'll probably continue to consume this trope until it stops being a thing in the real world, which will probably never happen.
Number 10: The Underworld
Hear me out, I really like hell. Not in a creepy, worship-y way, I just really enjoy the concept of hell or the underworld. I find it very interesting. Fantasy brings the concept of the underworld to life. It allows you to build off of existing cultural or religious beliefs, or you can create something entirely new.
I think what it boils down to is the underworld combines two things that I love: darkness and imagination. You can explore death, you can explore violence, you can explore torture and gore to your heart's content. But you can also be creative and put your own spin on it, and I think that's awesome. Please don't judge me.
So that's all I've got for you today!
These are the top 10 best tropes in fantasy fiction. In my humble opinion, of course. What are your favorite tropes in fantasy fiction? Lemme hear ‘em!
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