Would a phoenix work in a fantasy series?
I've been having a ton of trouble deciding what type of creature I want my protagonist to be for this series I'm trying to write. I've known all along that they would not be human but it is difficult to find a fantasy creature that is not overdone to the point that some will not even read a book if that creature is features in it. I thought about maybe using a shapeshifting phoenix as my protagonist. But I'm not sure what I could do with it. As readers or authors, what would you like to see more of in fantasy fiction? How do you think a shapeshifting phoenix girl would fit into a modernesque setting? As a side note, I was thinking of adding dragons since the phoenix and dragon are featured together a lot in Chinese artwork. Please give me your thoughts on this.
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Well, writers who know what they're doing can make almost anything work. It's true you don't usually see shape-shifting phoenixes... it's just that it's a bit incongruous. Phoenixes are supposed to be immortal creatures that burst in flame when near death and leap up as newborns again, so I'm assuming you just made your protagonist a fiery, immortal half-phoenix. It seems to me like you're giving her quite a bit of power (you know, half human, half fiery flying immortal phoenix), but of course it's your story and your rules as long as you make your rules reasonable and realistic (to a degree, of course, since we're talking fantasy. Just no shooting fireballs out of their eyes while doing cartwheels at light-speed and can make themselves vanish and appear in different places at will). So, anyway, you might want to tone down the traditional image of the phoenix a little if you're going to have the main character a shape-shifting phoenix in a contemporary setting. And if nobody's supposed to know she's half-phoenix, I see some complications there... As for the dragons, don't add them in just because they would go cool together with the phoenix. If they have a good purpose, go ahead and add them in. If you wanted to give the fiery phoenix some scaly spiky fearsome contrast, not so good of an idea. Good luck.
I've been having a ton of trouble deciding what type of creature I want my protagonist to be for this series I'm trying to write. I've known all along that they would not be human but it is difficult to find a fantasy creature that is not overdone to the point that some will not even read a book if that creature is features in it. I thought about maybe using a shapeshifting phoenix as my protagonist. But I'm not sure what I could do with it. As readers or authors, what would you like to see more of in fantasy fiction? How do you think a shapeshifting phoenix girl would fit into a modernesque setting? As a side note, I was thinking of adding dragons since the phoenix and dragon are featured together a lot in Chinese artwork. Please give me your thoughts on this.
Books & Authors - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Well, writers who know what they're doing can make almost anything work. It's true you don't usually see shape-shifting phoenixes... it's just that it's a bit incongruous. Phoenixes are supposed to be immortal creatures that burst in flame when near death and leap up as newborns again, so I'm assuming you just made your protagonist a fiery, immortal half-phoenix. It seems to me like you're giving her quite a bit of power (you know, half human, half fiery flying immortal phoenix), but of course it's your story and your rules as long as you make your rules reasonable and realistic (to a degree, of course, since we're talking fantasy. Just no shooting fireballs out of their eyes while doing cartwheels at light-speed and can make themselves vanish and appear in different places at will). So, anyway, you might want to tone down the traditional image of the phoenix a little if you're going to have the main character a shape-shifting phoenix in a contemporary setting. And if nobody's supposed to know she's half-phoenix, I see some complications there... As for the dragons, don't add them in just because they would go cool together with the phoenix. If they have a good purpose, go ahead and add them in. If you wanted to give the fiery phoenix some scaly spiky fearsome contrast, not so good of an idea. Good luck.
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