I just gon—I'm gonna try my best here. Like, h-how do I talk?
(Music. LOGO)
Hellooo, everybody! (Laughs)
I'm sorry, I'm trying. Why did they design this beard this way? Like are they? What are these? Like,
is this supposed to be part of the jaw cuz like, that's down here, buddy. I'm so confused. I've
gotten big TSC related news for you guys, so I decided to dress up as one of the most influential
characters in The Savior's Champion. I could have been Tobias, I could have been Leila, but no, that
would be too easy. Instead, I decided to go with someone who has nothing but purity and goodness at
heart. Today I am Brontes, Sovereign of Thessen, roided out DILF, and father of the year. I think
I pulled it off. I mean, I look exactly like him…obviously. On to the good stuff. I've got
several huge announcements for you guys. Today is the six month anniversary of the release of
The Savior's Champion, and we are celebrating in a big way. The first announcement, the TSC audiobook
is officially in production, with an amazing narrator. Nick Denton has signed on to narrate
Tobias’ journey, I've got his information listed below if you wanna check him out. He actually has
his own YouTube channel. He's an incredible narrator, with a very swoony accent that is
a perfect fit for Tobias. Second announcement, the paperback version of The Savior's Champion
is officially available for purchase. If you guys want a physical copy, but hardbacks aren't quite
your thing, get a paperback! It’s linked below. Buy it now. Last announcement, in honor of all
this excitement, I am holding a giveaway. If you want the details, stick around until the end of
this video. First you guys wanted to hear about my all time favorite fantasy tropes. And I'm so glad you asked.
Fantasy, particularly dark fantasy, is my favorite genre. So this wasn't a hard list to generate,
I am breaking down the best tropes I see in fantasy fiction. In my humble opinion.
Whether it's writing them or reading them, this is the shit that gets me pumped. Number One (1): Gods
and Goddesses. If it wasn't already clear, I'm a big fan of fantasy religions. I like the idea of
polytheism, monotheism, saints, angels, demons, holy figures. The belief system in TSC revolves
around a mortal magical woman who isn't a goddess; she is viewed as a gift from their God. And that
was a really fun religion to work with. I've always found belief systems fascinating and
because of this, I like it when authors model their fictional religions after real religions,
or when they create something wildly new and different. Culture is my favorite part of fantasy
world building. So this feeds right into that. Number Two (2): Mythical creatures. I'm not super
keen on magical humanoid creatures like elves, fairies, hobbits, those guys aren't really my jam.
But if we're talking about magical creatures that aren't humanoid, or only partially humanoid, I am
on board. Phoenix, sirens, mermaids, chimeras, sphinx—whatever, I want it. Can't forget about
Pegasus, obviously. In fantasy, you can create anything. Any human-fish hybrid, any donkey-dildo
hybrid—have at it. The world is your oyster, do as you please. I'll be waiting right here to read it,
but maybe not the donkey-dildo. Number Three (3): The hero's journey. Call me a traditionalist,
but I love a good story where the hero or heroine fights against the odds and saves the day. Don't
get it twisted. I don't enjoy arrogant knights who somehow still managed to get the girl despite all
their duchery. I also don't enjoy the wet blanket chosen one, who needs everyone to protect her
yet somehow beats the bad guy at the climax, cuz reasons. I'm talking about the story of a hero who
fights for a cause because it's important to them. They battle against forces far stronger than them,
at some point they feel like all hope is lost, but they're still able to power through. I think
the story is relatable. We all feel like the world is too much to handle sometimes, and to
see someone handle it any way is inspiring. Number Four (4): Forbidden romance. Obviously, if you're
gonna see a forbidden romance, it'll probably be in fantasy. That's just how it goes. The reason I
like forbidden romance is Simple: stories require conflict in order to drive them forward. However,
more often than not when you present a conflict in romance, it's highly problematic. My spouse
is cheating on me, my love interest is stalking me—these aren't romances, they’re nightmares.
With a forbidden romance the conflict is an outside influence on the relationship itself.
Some force beyond their control is preventing them from being together, that gives you plenty of room
to make the romance as healthy and beautiful as possible without nixing the conflict. In fact,
the conflict is the beauty of the romance. They aren’t supposed to be together,
but they're just so perfect for each other, it's not fair! I will never get tired of this,
pour forbidden romance and a trough, I'll eat it up. Give it to me. Number Five (5): The ragtag
found family. A bunch of people from different backgrounds get together to overcome a conflict,
and over time they bond. They form a trust and relationships, they love one another, and it's
cute as fuck. This is especially fun in fantasy because these people could come from entirely
different worlds, or be entirely different species like humans and mermaids. Plus fantasy
is one of the most popular genres for adventure focused content, and found families are so good
in adventure stories. Found families and adventure are like chocolate and marshmallow, they just go
together. Number Six (6): Beautiful evil people. It once was a trend to make all villains hideous,
but this doesn't feel true to life. People who grew up being told they're beautiful often develop
egos, and egos turn people into assholes. It only makes sense to write at least some villains with
pretty faces, and pretty boobies, and pretty biceps. I'm just saying. Fantasy tends to be
the genre that does this the most. You'll see evil queens who are drop dead gorgeous,
or evil warlocks with six pack abs. Sometimes evil warlocks become love interests, but we're not
gonna get into that dumpster fire. Number Seven (7): Names with meaning. What I love about fantasy
is it's one of maybe three genres that allows you to slip some symbology into your characters names.
I like Easter eggs, I like hidden gems, themes, metaphors, symbols. That's what I'm reading the
book for. I know a lot of people trash on this trope, but frankly, I don't care. Give me names
with meaning and I'm a happy camper. Number Eight. (8): Dead parents. This is another trope, people
trash on, but there's a valid reason for its existence. Parents get in the way of the story.
Do you know how much easier it is to write about a child wizard when his parents aren't alive? If
his parents were alive, he's gonna have curfews, he's gonna have family dinners, he's gonna get
grounded. That shit is tedious, and I don't like it. On top of that, dead parents provide immediate
hardship and trauma for the main character. You know, it builds compassion, relatability, and
likability and a character? Hardship and trauma. Number Nine (9): Corrupt nobility. I really like
the corrupt nobility trope because more than anything, it's just realistic. How many times have
rich people in power fucked over the majority? Kind of a lot. And I love when fantastical stories
capture some semblance of reality, especially if it's important. This in my opinion is a story that
never gets old. It's important to remind people: Hey, question authority. Just because someone's in
charge, doesn't mean they have your best interests at heart. I really enjoy that fantasy does such
a great job at reflecting this concept. And I'll probably continue to consume this trope until it
stops being a thing in the real world, which will probably never happen. And Number Ten (10): The
underworld. Hear me out, I really like hell. Not in a creepy worshiping way, I just really enjoy
the concept of hell or the underworld. I find it very interesting. Fantasy brings the concept of
the underworld to life. It allows you to build off of existing cultural or religious beliefs,
or you can create something entirely new. I think what it boils down to is the underworld combines
two things that I love, darkness and imagination. You can explore death, you can explore violence,
you can explore torture and gore to your heart's content. Or you can also be creative and put your
own spin on it, and I think that's awesome. Please don't judge me. So that's all I got for you today.
A huge thank you to Nick Denton for signing on to narrate the audiobook for The Savior's Champion.
You guys, this man is amazing. I cannot wait to release the final product! And if you wanna pick
up a paperback, links are listed below. Do the thing, buy the book. You'll get to meet Brontes,
and he looks just like this…kind of. And as promised, I've got a giveaway for you guys. One
lucky winner is going to walk away with a signed paperback of The Savior's Champion. I am hosting
this giveaway on Instagram. Follow me @JennaMoreci for details. It's super easy to enter, you can
even get bonus entries. So get to it. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel. I post new videos on
Wednesdays. And if you wanna be alerted as SOON as I upload, you gotta ring that bell
down below. That's how you'll know when I post amazing bonus videos like this one today, where
I look a fucking mess. And be sure to follow me on social media. I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook,
and of course you can tweet me@JennaMoreci! Bye! Hellooo, everybody! (Giggles) This is the dumbest
beard I’ve ever seen in my fucking life. I'm just doing my best guys, I'm just doing my best.