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Q&A Why should I try to create realistic fantasy characters?

To me, this question confuses what "realistic" means when it comes to characters in fantasy. Characters should be realistic in the sense that they're realistic for the story itself, not necessaril...

posted 13y ago by Craig Sefton‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T01:57:48Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/4055
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Craig Sefton‭ · 2019-12-08T01:57:48Z (almost 5 years ago)
To me, this question confuses what "realistic" means when it comes to characters in fantasy.

Characters should be realistic in the sense that they're realistic for the story itself, not necessarily realistic because they conform to our known norms, cultures or behaviours.

In my mind, what readers look for beyond familiarity is consistency, where the events that happen are consistent with the laws of that universe for that particular world, and the people/aliens/creatures involved fit into that universe.

They may not be realistic in this universe, but they better be realistic in theirs.

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2011-09-23T21:31:37Z (about 13 years ago)
Original score: 5