Community Profile

Welcome! Are you a fantasy fan, but sick of looking through bookshelves at novel after novel that all seem the same? Are you a writer who's sick of people claiming your work isn't fantasy because it doesn't have the things that "fantasy is supposed to have", like elves and swords and vaguely medieval settings? This is the community for you.

Here we try to promote non-traditional fantasy, stories with strange and different worlds, characters who feel real, magic that exists as more than just a plot device, and settings that seem to exist beyond simply a setting for yet another quest. If you're in love with what fantasy has the potential to be, but disappointed with what is is, then come right in!

I intended this to be a community for both readers and writers. Feel free to reccomend or review books (but please do be careful with spoilers - just because something's been out for a while doesn't mean everyone's read it!), ask for suggestions, share your ideas, post your work for critique, look for a beta, or just plain rant. But do please try to keep it civil. Insulting other users will not be tolerated.

On the usage of "conventional" plot elements: I realise that not everyone has the same ideas as to what is overused and what isn't, and some people enjoy certain ideas even if they are overdone. I feel that simply putting down a total ban on certain things is a bit too heavy-handed, so, if you're going to have traditional fantasy things like elves and dragons, don't just lift them from Tolkien, D&D, or the like. This is a community for unconventional fantasty-or unconventional takes on what could seem like more of the same.

This doesn't just mean swapping a few little details around-we're looking for things that delve into the underused and turn normal on its head. If you're looking for help on how to do that, that's good too.

In other words, if you're coming here with a medieval story featuring a knight and his magical elf and dwarf buddies going out to slay a dragon and save a princess, you'd better be writing a spoof.

But please don't abuse the rule. If I see too many posts along the lines of "well, this is a medieval setting with elves and dwarves and wizards, but it's good!" then I reserve the right to do something about it.

The same ruling applies to sci-fi themes. Since there is such a fine line between sci-fi and fantasy, especially when you lose the assumption that fantasy has to be medieval, then worlds with sci-fi elements are okay. After all, if magic is powerful enough, why not have magic fueled space travel? But please do use your best judgement when posting and try to keep away from "hard SF" themes. If you want to discuss your alien species, that's fine, but if you want to talk about how a starship engine might plausably, scientifically work, then this may not be the community for you. For more explanation and clarification, see this post.

Got that? Great! Now go have fun!

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