HelloOoOo everybody!
Today it's time for more tropes, except instead of bitching, we're here to fangirl! Per your request, I'm breaking down my ten favorite sci-fi tropes. You guys already know that sci-fi is one of my favorite genres, and of course it is! What's not to love?
Let's talk about sci-fi worlds. Specifically, the stuff authors get right. I'm breaking down my ten favorite sci-fi tropes in three, two, one, go!
This video is sponsored by World Anvil. As always, all opinions are my own.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to also subscribe to my YouTube channel for more writing tips, sarcasm, and of course, more of Princess Butters!
Number 1: Robot Companion
Robot, cyborg, android, AI, Borg, whatever. I want ’em! Call me a trash goblin, but I love a mechanical cyborg who lacks a full understanding of human behavior. It's funny, okay? The robot companion is a really good way to explore human culture without appropriating or offending. Plus, you get the laughs in! It's a great way to examine some of the nonsensical and counterintuitive parts of society. You can shine a light on the bullshit while still entertaining the masses. I love it!
Number 2: The Big, Badass Warrior
In almost every sci-fi story, there is one character who is hulking and fierce and intimidating as fuck. They come from the warrior race, and you better watch out or they'll rock your shit! In Star Trek, we had Klingons. In Guardians of the Galaxy, we had Drax. In Stargate, we had Ronon. I love these guys! Every good found family within sci-fi needs a badass warrior, and these guys get the job done. Bringing muscle to a laser fight is my goddamn kink. It's even better when they happen to be a fluffy marshmallow on the inside. A softy who can kill a bitch is my kind of character!
Number 3: Culture Shock
One of my favorite aspects of sci-fi is the examination of culture. It gives you an opportunity to introduce completely new species that are not only foreign to a specific human culture, but foreign to this entire planet. This is fun both as a reader and writer for a variety of reasons. First off, it opens the story up to tons of hilarious situations, because let's be real: culture shock makes people act like idiots. Second, it gives you the opportunity to see your society through a different lens, which as I already mentioned, can bring to light some of the more harmful aspects that you hadn't considered before. Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres because it gives its audience a deeper look into its own world.
Number 4: The Future Looks…Normal?
One thing I hate about sci-fi is when everything is so goddamn shiny. Everyone wears silver! Shoes are now moon boots! Pants are now body suits! Underwear is made of titanium! Bet the chafing hurts like a bitch! Here's the deal: fashion is cyclical. We've been recycling trends for decades. Innovation is also functional. We invent and progress based on what we want and need as a society. So if you got tons of wacky doodads that don't do shit outside of being flashy, it's not believable. A sense of normalcy is what makes science fiction relatable.
Number 5: Slang
It's really hard for me to get invested in stories that take place in the future when they're still using our modern-day slang. Call me crazy, but I really don't think people are still gonna be saying “on fleek” and “swag” a thousand years from now. Slang constantly changes. We don't say “groovy,” “Dame,” or “cruisin’ for a bruisin’” anymore. In the 18th century, you might feel the urge to bagpipe someone, but today we just call it a blowjob. It's only natural that the future would create even more crazy slang. “Shiny.” “Dynamic.” “Zetus-Lapetus.” I live for this shit! I look forward to seeing what the creators come up with! Gimme some culturally relevant terms for intercourse and anuses, and I'm a happy camper!
Number 6: The Audience Is Smart
This definitely isn't true of all sci-fi, but I really appreciate it when the author assumes the audience has at least half a brain. As a reader, it's really frustrating to slog through pages and pages explaining the entire history of a planet, the science behind its atmosphere, or all the materials used to build a spacecraft. I don't give a shit! I love it when sci-fi authors just tell the reader what they need to know in order to understand the journey because that's how it should be. If people are walking inside of a spaceship, it's easy to assume that they have some kind of gravitational system in place. We don't need to hear the exact science behind it. To the authors who genuinely believe that their readers are capable of rubbing their two brain cells together, I salute you!
Number 7: Adventure
I once read a sci-fi story that literally followed the futuristic equivalent of an administrative assistant. You're in outer space! You've got aliens and unknown galaxies, and you're writing about a filing system? When I read sci-fi, I'm expecting adventure. I want the cast to be in danger! I want them to shoot stuff and die! I'm not sorry about it! I read sci-fi for excitement and shenanigans and pew-pew-pew! If I wanted shit to be safe and boring, I'd read contemporary. Not sorry about that, either...
Number 8: The Twilight Zone
Sci-fi brings the weird, and I'm here for it! If you're not familiar with The Twilight Zone, first of all, how dare you? Second, it's kind of a sci-fi psychological thriller that dissects morality or commonly accepted practices in society. It basically takes something we consider normal and then dissects how screwed up it actually is in the weirdest way possible, and as we've already covered, I'm here for this. I wanna get mindfucked, okay? That's one of the things I love about sci-fi, it’s creepy and disturbing. It makes you think. It's introspective. All I want is for you to make me question everything I was taught to believe. Is that too much to ask?
Number 9: Pop Culture
One of my favorite elements of sci-fi is seeing how popular culture evolves over time. Sci-fi where everyone wears uniforms and cargo pants is boring. I want to see fashion trends. I want to hear what kind of music people are listening to. A very obvious example of this done right is The Fifth Element, and while there are definitely aspects of this movie that rub me the wrong way (Born Sexy Yesterday, I'm looking at you!), their style and celebrity culture was so much fun. So many sci-fi creators completely ignore this facet of society, which is such a shame. But I absolutely love it when writers take this element and run with it.
Number 10: The Human Race
I'm gonna get sappy for a minute, and you're gonna like it! In a lot of sci-fi, there are so many different kinds of aliens that people as a whole stop being so divisive. It's not about white people, or black people, or gay people, or straight people. People as a whole are just the human race. Call me crazy, but I think it's nice! It's a look into a positive, more united future, and I like it. I just want us to all get along, damn it! Is that so wrong?
So that's all I've got for you today!
Don't forget you can get 20% off your Master and Grandmaster membership over at World Anvil using code JENNAMORECI. If you're a sci-fi, fantasy, dystopian, or paranormal writer, if you're a gamer, a game developer, if you're into RPGs, or whatever, World Anvil has you covered! The link is listed below! Get yourself that discount and build your badass world!
*This post is sponsored by World Anvil. As always, all opinions are my own.
Follow Me!
Buy My Books!
CHECK OUT THE SAVIOR’S CHAMPION:
CHECK OUT THE SAVIOR'S SISTER:
Comments