Queen Alysanne™ Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 As much as ASOIAF goes, there are many tropes used in the story that are in many other novels.However GRRM adds a little twist to them so they aren't exactly the same, nevertheless they are still evident in the story these are some of mine.The Chosen One- the hero or heroine of the story is Chosen. Special. A savior. Their destiny, either by birth or prophecy, is to save a world/society/something from The Big Bad.This one is assumed to be Dany/ Jon or both of them. The twist I expect is that it will be none of them, all POVS will play a role in the fight against the others.Protagonist is half-human, half-something else.-Half-god. Half-elf. Half-faerie. Half-witch. Something like that. This is clearly evident to Jon Snow as he has half first men and half valyrian blood. The twist is that these are just bloods of humans and not magical races.They're actually a prince/princess, but they don't know it yet.- either an illegitimate child or heir to the throne put into hiding for their protection. This is Jon Snow again as-well as he is the true king based on being the son of Rhaegar. This also applies to (f)Aegon aswell. The twist may be, Jon won't become King like most stories and for Aegon there is already the twist that he is fake.Talking animals- talking animal sidekicks. In ASOIAF this is portrayed by the Stark kids and their wolves and Dany's dragons. The twist is that these beasts can't talk and are used as military weapons instead.Special powers are released at the onset of puberty or coming of age.protagonist is living an average, daily, human life until they reach puberty (often shown by menstruation in females) or they achieve a milestone birthday. This is evident in Bran, Jon and Arya with respect to their warging abilities and also Dany's birthing of dragons. I am not sure if there are any twists for these.The Wise Old Sage mentor- Archetype that is constantly present in the genre. This is clearly maester Aemon. The twist was that he wasn't living in a hut in a forest like most stories.Damsel in distress- Beautiful princess trapped in a tower and is rescued by a prince. This is Sansa trapped in KL, the twist is she wasn't rescued by a prince, she was rescued by the death of a prince.Magical objects- Magical object to kill the Dark Lord. Usually a sword or something. This is dragon-glass and probably light-bringer. I think the twist is that light-bringer won't appear in the story.Villains are maniacal, insane, and power hungry. They're the "just plain evil" to the hero's "just plain good."- This is Cersei, but she isn't plain evil, she is actually a bit relate able so that is a twist. Cersei also falls in the trope of the evil Queen.The Exiled prince/ princess- This is Dany. The twist may be she won't become Queen.The Prophecy - This true for AAR and PTWP, the twist may be that non of these prophecies are actually true.Main Character has a romance and live happily- Non of the romances have had happy endings, Lyanna and Rhaegar, Jon and Ygritte, Dany and Drogo, Sansa and Joffrey, Jaime and Cersei. What are some of yours I missed out on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steely94 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Dwarfs have huge beards, fight with axes, get horribly drunk, hoard piles of gold and live in mountains. Well, one doesHe should have gone to the Wall and captained Oakenshield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalalOfDorne Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 This could be wrong, but its the first thing that came to mind.Sam: The nice, but cowardly, and physically unappealing kid that goes through an adventure and meets a girl and does extraordinarily brave things along the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Alysanne™ Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 This could be wrong, but its the first thing that came to mind.Sam: The nice, but cowardly, and physically unappealing kid that goes through an adventure and meets a girl and does extraordinarily brave things along the way.Thats true haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Alysanne™ Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 Dwarfs have huge beards, fight with axes, get horribly drunk, hoard piles of gold and live in mountains. Well, one does.haha Tyrion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrunderhill Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 This general trope thing annoys me.Damsels are often in distress (as are blokes), old people tend to be wise, at puberty we develop more so stands to reason if we were magical it would develop more at this age, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wouter Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Dwarfs have huge beards, fight with axes, get horribly drunk, hoard piles of gold and live in mountains. Well, one does.That's a really good one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binga Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I don't think anyone is saying fantasy tropes are inherently bad, just that Martin likes to put his spin on them. The twist of the wise old sage mentor would probably be Bloodraven though, not Maester Aemon. I think the Rhaegar Lyanna tragic romance is a common theme in mythology but George seems to be hinting at some complexity about the situation, particularly with regards to Rhaegar's judgement and mental stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Alysanne™ Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 I don't think anyone is saying fantasy tropes are inherently bad, just that Martin likes to put his spin on them. The twist of the wise old sage mentor would probably be Bloodraven though, not Maester Aemon. I think the Rhaegar Lyanna tragic romance is a common theme in mythology but George seems to be hinting at some complexity about the situation, particularly with regards to Rhaegar's judgement and mental stability.Oh bloodraven I forgot about that thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Walfrid Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Not As Good As It Used To BeMagic/Tech/Culture were far more advanced thousands of years ago than it is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenerationx Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 The Chosen One- the hero or heroine of the story is Chosen. Special. A savior. Their destiny, either by birth or prophecy, is to save a world/society/something from The Big Bad.This one is assumed to be Dany/ Jon or both of them. The twist I expect is that it will be none of them, all POVS will play a role in the fight against the others.Is that really a twist? Admittedly I'm not well-versed in fantasy lit, but I can already think of another one where that was true: Harry Potter. Voldemort made it out like Harry was going to be the one savior who was going to defeat him, but it wasn't just Harry, it was everyone who worked with him.Edit: I don't think having a prophecy figure and having everyone play a role in the fight against the Others are mutually exclusive. Both could -- and imho probably is -- true. I've always thought that everyone would need to unite in order to defeat the others; I also believe that they need a leader or leaders to rally behind. So I think it's possible for it to be everyone fighting while at the same time having a "savior with a destiny." I don't think that necessarily means that just because those leaders exist, the other people in the world aren't going to have important roles to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binga Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Not As Good As It Used To BeMagic/Tech/Culture were far more advanced thousands of years ago than it is now. Yes the cyclical nature of things is something George incorporates. Personally I find that to be charming. I also quite like the idea of Westeros being stuck in medieval times for thousands of years, perhaps tens of thousands in Essos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Alysanne™ Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 Is that really a twist? Admittedly I'm not well-versed in fantasy lit, but I can already think of another one where that was true: Harry Potter. Voldemort made it out like Harry was going to be the one savior who was going to defeat him, but it wasn't just Harry, it was everyone who worked with him.Edit: I don't think having a prophecy figure and having everyone play a role in the fight against the Others are mutually exclusive. Both could -- and imho probably is -- true. I've always thought that everyone would need to unite in order to defeat the others; I also believe that they need a leader or leaders to rally behind. So I think it's possible for it to be everyone fighting while at the same time having a "savior with a destiny." I don't think that necessarily means that just because those leaders exist, the other people in the world aren't going to have important roles to play.I am edging more towards the whole prophecy thing is BS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Elsa Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Talking animals- talking animal sidekicks. In ASOIAF this is portrayed by the Stark kids and their wolves and Dany's dragons. The twist is that these beasts can't talk and are used as military weapons instead.Does Mormont's raven count? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alayne's Shadow. Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Anything related to Jon Snow.Young boy, elected Lord Commander, great judge of character, seemingly perfect in his actions, incredibly just and fair to all, great warrior leader, Loyal to the NW to the end, Humble, and on and on. Bonus Points if he's reborn amidst salt and smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Alysanne™ Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 Does Mormont's raven count?Oh yea true I almost forgot that haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyanna Stark Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Does Mormont's raven count?As neither the direwolves or the dragons talk, the Raven is actually the only talking animal companion.Oh and there's Tagganaro and his Casso, King of Seals. But Casso doesn't speak either. If we're going down that route, I guess Orell and his eagle, Varamyr and his menagerie and Borroq and his pig army (*especially* Borroq and his pig army) qualify as well under "magical animal companions who can, or cannot, speak", but it does make it rather broad. Does Sandor's "Stranger" aka "Driftwood" qualify? What about Ramsay Snow's dogs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sullen Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Anything related to Jon Snow.Young boy, elected Lord Commander, great judge of character, seemingly perfect in his actions, incredibly just and fair to all, great warrior leader, Loyal to the NW to the end, Humble, and on and on. Bonus Points if he's reborn amidst salt and smoke.Not to forget ever so loved by everyone who happens to be good.He's a walking tropefest and a total Mary Sue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon's Queen Consort Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Dany is the compendium of fantasy tropes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morienthar Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Most of this essentially the Monomyth in it's variety of forms,No fantasy writer can ever escape it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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