this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2024
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askchapo

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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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[–] [email protected] 17 points 2 months ago (8 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.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (5 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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago

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

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