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Hellooo everybody! Today we’re covering a topic I almost scrapped completely,
because it is SO damn hard to come up with LITERALLY anything. We're breaking down the
best tropes in dystopian fiction–AKA finding the diamonds in a river of diarrhea. Before you get
hyphy, I don't dislike dystopian fiction. In fact, one of my favorite books of all time is dystopian.
Helloooo! It's just that as I'm sure you're aware, the young adults category took dystopian and
ran with it. They pumped out SO many books regurgitating the same story and it made a lot
of really cool dystopian tropes feel real tired. But I took it upon myself to find the sparkling
gems in dystopian fiction that I personally love and do not feel are done to death, and now I'm
sharing them with you today! It took a minute, but we're here now, and that's what counts! Before we
get started, I am super excited to shout out World Anvil who has generously sponsored today's video,
because they are awesome! I'm a BIG fan of World Anvil! They're basically the ultimate book bible
for building your world or setting. If you're a writer, or a game developer, or you're into RPGs,
and you want to develop your own world, World Anvil has you covered! You can build your world
privately or publicly. I personally prefer the private option because of spoilers. And I love
the organization of the platform; you can upload articles, artwork, history. It's amazing! Even
better, World Anvil recently released What You See Is What You Get, which is a text editor program
that allows you to edit your text as you would any standard text editor. That means if you don't know
coding, it's no problem. They also released a calendar module so you can track the days,
months, lunar cycles, holidays, events, whatever occurs in your unique world. Lastly, they released
global world announcements, which is a really cool marketing feature. You can upload announcements on
every page of your world, which is a great way to announce book releases, signings, public speaking
events, whatever you've got going on. World Anvil is already super affordable, but right now they're
offering a 24 hour flash sale where you can get 20% off your 6 month or 12 month subscription.
This is a great deal, but you gotta act fast because the flash sale only lasts for 24 hours!
Afterward, the discount will be reduced to 15% off your 6 month or 12 month subscription. Use the
code WORLDEMBER in order to claim your discount and get to building your awesome world! But first,
let's show dystopia a little bit of love, shall we? Number One (1): Stick it to ‘the
man.’ I feel like this is the number one reason anyone reads dystopian. We hate authority and
we want to see them get wrecked! The entire premise of dystopian is an unjust society,
so people typically go into the genre because they hate ‘the man.’ They want to stick it to
‘em! Sticking it to authority is a classic theme that never goes out of style, because
it never stops being relevant. Authority often is corrupt and it leaves everyone on the outs in a
vulnerable position. I think it's both a relevant and worthwhile theme to project, and I'm here for
it because it so easily translates into real life. Number Two (2): Assholes. Morally grey characters
are super fun to read about, and boy, do they fuck shit up in dystopian novels! And dystopia is the
ideal setting for a morally grey character, especially if they have evil leanings. How can
people be 100% good if the world around them is utter trash? Its nature versus nurture, guys,
and these people were nurtured by garbage. What I like about dystopian is I know I'm probably going
to be reading about some pretty despicable people, but somehow I'll enjoy them. I get to leave my
values at the door and watch thieves and murderers fuck shit up for a while. It's great! On a similar
note, Number Three (3): Zero moral compass. Dystopian is one of those genres where quite often
there really isn't a good and bad side. Instead there's often a bad side and another bad side, or
maybe a worse side, and it’s your job to try and decide which pile of shit you support. Do I favor
the militant government or the murderous bandit? It's so hard to choose, they're both lovely! I
enjoy this because it's a change-up from the norm. I love a good hero's journey, but sometimes it's
fun to follow a dumpster fire human–especially if they were written that way intentionally. Plus,
it's a harsh reality of the world we live in. Sometimes we're put in situations where
we don't have many options, and the options we do have are crap. Number Four (4): Where’s the
revolution? This may shock you, but not EVERY dystopian novel needs to be about a revolution.
There isn't always a kid wrangling a ragtag crew trying to overthrow a corrupt society. I prefer to
find my heroes in fantasy and sci-fi. When I go to dystopian, I'm not looking for a chosen one. Thus,
I get REALLY excited about dystopian stories that have a different plot. Literally ANYTHING else.
Soylent Green covers pollution, overpopulation, and cannibalism. A Clockwork Orange covers gang
violence, sociopaths, and free will. Call me crazy, but it's nice to see diversity in a
genre. I don't want to read the same premise over and over again. Big shout out to all the dystopian
writers out there who keep things interesting! You're the real heroes. Number Five (5): Social
expectations. You guys already know my favorite part of world building is culture,
and when it comes to reading, that's no different. Dystopian stories often feature
some kind of caste system, and while some are questionable at best, others are really unique
and engaging. Are social expectations based on finances, gender, sex, sexuality, occupation,
or some other arbitrary trait? I want to know how this society functions. I want to see what
makes someone valued and what makes someone else worthless. People haven't always been judged based
on the social determiners that we have today, so I find it really interesting to see what dystopian
authors create in their societies. Number Six (6): Sheeple. You know what's believable when creating
a corrupt government? People who mindlessly support said corrupt government. So many readers
talk shit about the sheeple characters they read about, claiming it's not realistic. “Why are they
supporting the government? It's clearly evil!” Are you familiar with history...at all? This is
how villains get into power! They have followers. You may think these people are stupid–and you're
probably right, but that's how propaganda and manipulation work. And it's not that I enjoy
sheeple characters; they're usually infuriating, but they're SUPPOSED to be that way. I like their
existence because they add a layer of realism and conflict that is both engaging and necessary
to the story. Number Seven (7): No autonomy. One of the most prevalent themes in dystopian
fiction is the lack of independence, freedom, and autonomy. Invasion of privacy, thought policing,
not having ownership of your own body–these are all themes that are analyzed in dystopian,
and I'm here for it. I think this is something that a lot of people can relate to on some level,
which is what makes it so enticing to read about and makes the characters so sympathetic. It's a
conflict I like to explore in my own writing, even though I don't write dystopian, because
I just find it really relatable. I wanna hear about how leadership is stripping people or person
of their privacy, basic freedoms, and power, so I can nod along and say, “Yeah, fuck that guy!”
Number Eight (8): Are you...clairvoyant? Have you noticed that a lot of dystopian novels seem to
predict the future? Funny how that works! As much crap as this genre gets, it's one of two that has
this ability, and I think that's pretty cool. Depressing, because we're watching our society
turn into a hellscape, but cool! Writers often write about themes they care about. Injustices
they have seen or experienced. So if whatever they were writing about was a problem back when they
conceptualized the story, it makes sense that over time, that problem might get a shit ton worse.
As much as I hate to watch the world burn, it's pretty interesting to see these stories written
decades or even centuries ago come to fruition. Number Nine (9): Drugs. People have been getting
high for centuries, and that sure in hell isn't gonna change in a dystopian future. If anything,
they need drugs even more, ‘cause shit sucks! I find it interesting to see the new and unique
drugs and hallucinogens that people come up with, specifically in dystopian fiction,
because they've got a ton of real weird shit. Milk Plus? I hate the taste of milk, but I'm intrigued!
Tell me more. It just makes sense for people to be getting fucked up when the world around them
is also fucked up, and I like that element of creativity. You're combining a whimsical
imagination with something scandalous and filthy, and that's right up my alley. And Number Ten (10):
The unhappy ending. “But Jenna, you said you prefer happy endings!” I do! In the appropriate
genres. For a majority of the books I read, I want the hero to win. I want the lovebirds to end up
together. I want the bad guy to kick the bucket. But then there are genres like horror, thriller,
or dystopian, where the entire ambiance is bleak and grim. I'm not expecting a happy ending
there. Dystopian is about dystopias! It's a genre centered around suffering. I know what I'm getting
myself into with these books, and a 16 year old who saves the world from destruction because she
finally figured out which boy she wants to suck face with isn't doin’ it for me. As much as I love
a happy ending, the dystopian genre is often an examination of the worst parts of our culture and
I expect that shit to go down in a fiery blaze of glory. So that's all I got for you today! Thank
you to World Anvil for sponsoring today's video! If you are writing fantasy, sci-fi, or dystopian,
and you want to build an amazing world, definitely check them out! They are SO helpful! Don't forget
they've got a 24 hour flash sale going on! You can get 20% off your 6 month or 12 month subscription
using the code WORLDEMBER. If you miss the flash sale, you can get 15% off your 6 month or 12 month
subscription with the same code. Act fast! Get the discount now! Don't forget to subscribe to
my channel! I post new videos on Wednesdays, and if you want to be alerted as SOON as I upload,
ring that bell! The Savior’s Champion is available in eBook, paperback, hardback, signed hardback, as
well as audiobook! If you are new to audiobooks, you can listen to TSC on Audible for free! I
have all the information listed below. My Black Friday sale at my merch store is in just a couple
of days! Be on the lookout! You can get tons of cool stuff! And be sure to follow me on social
media! I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook–and of course, you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
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