(Music) LOGO. Hellooo 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? Before we get started, I am insanely excited to
announce that today's topic is sponsored by my all-time favorite world building platform, World
Anvil! If you're a writer, or reader, or creator of any kind,
then you've probably heard of World
Anvil. And if you haven't, I have questions and judgments. World Anvil is a browser-based world
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ganization.
I've been brainstorming the different realms that my characters are going to be visiting in the
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ow
I'm not gonna leave you guys empty-handed. If you're interested in checking out World Anvil,
you can get 20% off using code JENNAMORECI. This gives you 20% off Master and Grandmaster
memberships. I highly recommend it! But first, 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!
Number One (1): Robot companion. Robot, cyborg, android, AI, Borg, whatever. I want ‘em! Call me a
trash goblin, b
ut 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 Two (2): The big, badass warrior. In almost every sci-fi story,
there is one chara
cter 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 Three (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, they’re 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 id
iots. 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 Four (4): The future
looks...normal? One thing I hate about sci-fi is when everything is so goddamn shiny. Everyone
wear silver! Shoes are now moon boots! Pants are now body suits! U
nderwear 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. I’ve got your little tail! I got your little tail! Boop, boop, boop! 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 Five (5):
Sla
ng. 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,” or “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 c
reate even more crazy slang. “Shiny.” “Dynamic.” “Cetus-lupeedus.” 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 Six (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 enti
re history of a planet, or 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 th
eir readers are capable of rubbing their
two brain cells together, I salute you! Number Seven (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
Eight (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 i
s 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 Nine (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
pa
nts 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. And Number Ten (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 wro
ng? So that's all I 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, whatever, World Anvil has you covered! The link is listed below! Get yourself that
discount and build your badass world! I know you want to! Don't forget to subscribe to
my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays, and i
f you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload,
ring that bell! It's right here! Ring it! Ring a ding ding dong! Do it now! The Savior's Champion
is available in eBook, paperback, hardback, signed hardback, as well as audiobook. I have
all of the links listed below! If you are new to audiobooks, you can listen to TSC on Audible
for free! And be sure to follow me on social media! I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook–and
of course, you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye! (Male Voice) Hey! This is Nic
k. The voice of
Tobias and the narrator for The Savior's Champion, written by our Jenna! If you enjoy her writing
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