(Note: I know this subject was kind of covered in the last edition of this series, where I voiced my opinion on endless bullets used in a lot of zombie-related media. However, I want to expand my thoughts on this cliché, as I do not think I completely covered it the first time around. There is more to it than just killing a few zombies without realistic effort.)
Anything zombie-related in any way is usually a hit or a miss. Some will be a complete hit, with stories such as The Walking Dead graphic novel. The realistic depiction of the zombie apocalypse along with memorable characters to move along the plot made it beloved by so many people that eventually a popular TV show was created for it. Then there are the stories that completely miss the mark. This is sadly the majority of stories related to the subject, who focus too much on making a quick buck rather than creating a memorable story. One of the worst shortcuts done in this case is the use of seemingly endless bullets, something that is used just to create as much gore as possible quickly. Endlessly being able to shoot at your enemies is one of the cheapest clichés in my personal opinion. And that does not just only include zombie-related media.
In any type of fantasy novel, the endless ammo situation can occur. Want to have the heroes easily fight off a hoard of vicious mutant monkeys? Give them endless arrows to shoot at the targets just to create an easy shortcut. How on Earth is the cast going to defeat that cliché dragon at the climax of the book? Just give them a cannon that somehow magically creates endless cannonballs. Or we can just go back to the endless bullets situation all over again.
The point is that the characters cannot have such an easy way out of a situation, just to create gore or speed up the plot. These characters need a strong challenge to overcome and giving them realistic limits such as the amounts of bullets they can use helps intensify the plot. That is why giving characters such an easy way out with this overused cliché is so terrible in my opinion.
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One Hundred Fantasy Clichés That Really Need To Rest In Peace
RandomFrom the same writer that pointed out some of the worst tropes in popular culture in A Hundred Clichés That Need To Die comes the much awaited sequel with a twist. See why the fantasy genre in fiction is extremely flawed and has numerous clichés th...
