Regarding a Discredited Trope... Help requested.

I shall attempt to keep this brief. I'm outlining a Dark Fantasy story, one that I began years ago but put on the backburner in favor of a Space Opera, since at the time (being a freshman in high school), I declared to myself "fantasy is cliche and boring, most people watch Sci-fi now. If I write a fantasy no one will read it." However, after driving myself mad for some time trying to outline said Space Opera, due to a lack of knowledge in the field of Biochemistry (I'm a perfectionist when it comes to realism), I declared to myself that hard science is boring, and back to the fantasy I went, this time for good. Now to the subject at hand. I won't bore you further with too many plot details, so I'll get right to it. "Attack of the 50-foot Whatever" is considered a Discredited Trope, presumably due to it's overuse and the Square-Cube Law (although the latter shouldn't matter since this is a fantasy story). Does this mean I should avoid this trope like the plague, or is it fine depending on how it is presented and the specific plot details? First of all, this trope only applies to a specific quest in the story, not the overall "Main Quest", in fact, it's a "recruitment quest" for a party member character. Long story short, the character, a human, acquires the ability to become 100-feet tall, and due to past mistreatment by the townsfolk, assumes total control over his hometown, ruling over them for two decades. His sister eventually escapes, and seeks out the story's protagonist and party for help, culminating in a showdown of epic proportions. The character in question is ultimately defeated and sentenced to be burned at the stake by the townsfolk, but the protagonist takes pity on him and allows him to join the party's quest to atone for his crimes, becoming The Big Guy (literally) of the group. My fear is that even though his power checks out in-universe, and being a Dark Fantasy it will not be comedic in any way, shape, or form, readers may find his power hard to take seriously. Opinions? Suggestions?

P.S. I will provide additional details, such as how magic works in this world, if needed.

edited 19th Feb '15 2:04:22 PM by CaptainWelsh93

>> "Does this mean I should avoid this trope like the plague, or is it fine depending on how it is presented and the specific plot details?"

It means you should not care and just write something good. You are writing a story that might have tropes in it, not a trope list with padding text.

I would say that it's not so much Discredited ("not used anymore except in parody form") as it has become an acceptable break from reality. Nobody looked at PacificRim or Cloverfield and said "Bleargh, parody." or "Butbutbut, that can't work — what about the square-cube law!" They said "Y'know, that wouldn't really work, but I'll roll with it."

edited 19th Feb '15 4:20:21 PM by Madrugada

In addition to the examples mentioned above, The Legend of Korra pulled it off only a few years ago. It was one of the most epic scenes of the season.

In fact, I'm critiquing a story for someone right now that features a minor instance. It works. (By "minor" I mean the instance isn't very important to the plot.)

So no, Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever is not a discredited trope, and you can still play it straight without getting eye-rolls.

I just saw the movie version of Into The Woods, which prominantly features a giantess. If it worked for Stephan Sondheim, it can work for you.

Bear in mind that Tropes Are Tools even for discredited ones, that doesn't mean they're forbidden just a little more difficult to use effectively.

Using tropes is like cooking, no one ingredient is going to cause it to blow up in your face. They work together to make something (hopefully) delicious. If not you can try again with a different mixture.