⚔️ Medieval Vs Modern Fantasy? ⚔️

[Katzalcoatl]

There are folk who do fantasy outside european medieval settings.

There is even a cartoon/anime based on mesoamerica mythologies.

Comics of such types are more common than anime though.

From most comments I keep getting the feeling that most people are basing their decision on either anime or western famous stories such as LOTR....

I will say this medieval fantasy and modern fantasy are way more diverse. Someone mentioned monsters being limited while that is not true. I have read tons of novels using monsters outside dragons, mermaids, and stuff. You will be surprised by the amount of creativity authors have.

But I do get where people are comming from. I have practically looked for many different fantasy media not limiting myself with the most known examples.

@VibrantFox sorry about getting off-topic for a bit. If you want to know which cartoon/anime I mentioned it is called Onyx Equinox. You ironically also used a great example in your meme called "the road to el dorado".

If you want modern fantasy type then remember "Atlantis" and it may not be your cup of tea but I recommend "She-ra and the Princesses of power".

A more futuristic fantasy with another culture would be "Cleopatra in Space". Loved all of them. If you want some reads about medieval fantasy settings with other cultures I also have some recommendations.

[LunarScyphozoa]

They can both be really good or painfully boring if done properly or wrongly.

[VibrantFox]

Atlantis (i'm guessing the disney movie) was actually a childhood favorite even if i only got to see it once (lost my mind when i found out there were supposedly meant to be _ three_ but we only got the one). and I actually watched SPOP when it first released, got a netflix trial just for it lol, but i really enjoyed it! probably the only sour aftertaste was some odd joke made by one of the crew members about Bow's brothers but aside from them it was honestly really good even with all the negativity from fans of the classic version

if anything stuff like that is something I wanna see more of or stories from the african diaspora. like i think about the way some loser tried to use nightskins as a derogatory slur for black folks but our community took it and turned it into a positive and beyond that built this amazingly diverse and beautiful fantasy lore about a people touched by the goddess of night, so i guess i crave more of that. there was even a hijabi woman who'd come up with these insanely awesome makeup and clothing looks to add to the collective lore everyone was putting together so i know it's possible and more than out there it's just the finding that gets a little tough

heck if anyone here on tapas comes to mind it's suren and her novel and comic jade kingdoms (which i really owe a read) but it's visually stunning and the writing from what i've heard is peak <3

but yeah it's just a matter of really snooping around to find the good stuff i guess

[Katzalcoatl]

Yup, gotta snoop around there's tons of it. I constantly snoop around. That is the reason I know they exist have seen them but don't remember the names of said cartoons. I would have to look at my watched list. But it is sooooooo long. Anime wise it is over 2k. Add to that chinese animations, cartoons, etc.... long loooong list. My read list isn't as long but it is still pretty darn looooooonnnnggg.

You probably also watched "the owl house" and "summer time island". Although one is for teens/adults and the other is for kids/adults who like complex stories. I didn't mention them since non really touch other cultures. I am mentioning them now since both are not classical modern fantasy. I guess this category would also fit "Star vs the forces of Evil".

[VibrantFox]

I've actually been wanting to check out "the owl house" as well as "amphibia" just haven't gotten around to it but there's definitely been a level of curiosity since i've seen mutuals talk about it a lot

[Hipiticus]

adventure time is the best but yeah, it's more post apocalyptic

[Kuma]

I think there is a case to be made for both. Each has their own unique flavor and can tackle different themes and have interesting twists. I'm writing a "medieval" fantasy right now, but I'm open for a modern Fantasy (In fact I'm developing one)

[Ladyofbirds]

Both, but I lean more toward historical fantasy not just medieval era. For modern fantasy, I prefer that there is some focus on how history has been changed because of the presence of fantasy elements.

[jr3indisputable]

I agree 100%, but I still prefer modern fantasy as I can empathize more with the characters.

A hundred percent medieval when I get my occasional depression phase though.

[Katzalcoatl]

That's my secret. I am always in a depression phase. 🤣🤣🤣 jking but couldn't resist.

[jr3indisputable]

Oof, I guess being depress can make a good author.

[TheLemmaLlama]

ngl not a fan of modern fantasy personally I like some stories that happen to be modern fantasy, but I'm never there for the fantasy; I'm there for the charaters/plot/themes/anything else XD

When I think modern fantasy, I think urban fantasy where the main characters have superpowers but there's always a masquerade for some reason so the rest of the world doesn't have to change. Or even when there's no masquerade, the fantasy elements just feel ... tacked on, to me? I mean, medieval fantasy magic can be just as tacked on without thought, but it sticks out far less to me because I'm far less familiar with that period XD

In general, the whole point of fantasy for me is seeing a world that's vastly different to the one I live in, and modernity is probably the one time period where you can't do that I mean, if someone does pull off a modern world fantasy where the setting feels totally different than the real world of today as I know it, that would be incredibly rad and I'd love it, but I just haven't ever seen such a thing

[BlueDragon]

I enjoy just about any kind of fantasy, but I really prefer medieval or at least an actual fantastical setting to magic in present day (lol, as I write a comic with magic in the present day).

But then I think, oh geez! Are magical girls present day fantasy?

But like...what about Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (and Through the Looking Glass)? That's not medieval and I love it!

I'm not a fan of stuff like Percy Jackson, and while I read Harry Potter I was too old be enamored with it (and really didn't like the ending. I was really ticked off with that last chapter -_-)

Then I think of something like Neverwhere (Gaiman) and Sandman (same), which were AMAZING modern fantasy (well, Sandman skipped around). What about The Dark Tower? That's like future Western Fantasy. What about Western Fantasy?

I think just depends on how it's done XD I can't decide

[Lucky_Foot]

Medieval fantasy has won by 2%!

I'll check again next month and see if anything has changed ^^

[Lucky_Foot]

No change, so it's decided, It's a 50/50 split

Sudden Death??

[Kelheor]

I am here to change the pole
Tbh I like both? Leaning towards the medieval settings a bit more though ^^ when my writer introduced me to our latest comic idea about wizards, my brain automatically jumped to a medieval-ish idea.

[cherrystark]

I still don't see why it has to be one or the other. The history of costumes and technology are two of my special interests. And if you knew anything about medieval fashion, you would know it's not sexy. Henry Cavill can only do so much to make Tudor Era fashion hot. "Medieval" fantasy starts to blend together after a while because everyone is dressed the same with the whole dress vs pants as a hot debate. And there is just so much Dungeons and Dragons confusion a person can stand.

Modern fantasy can get boring because 99% of what I've seen that has magical beasts and such is either feminist witch shows (which can be great), fae nonsense, or vampire/werewolf romances. Grimm is probably the one modern fantasy series that I actually like because they focus heavily on inventing/researching their own set of magical creatures instead of relying on the standard set of magical creatures. Though the movies Penelope and Princess both have great takes on magic that don't follow typical fantasy trends.

So yeah. My vote is now for author creativity in the fantasy realm.

[Lucky_Foot]

Your vote gives me hope for the future of writing.

This is one of those treads that started off with a simple premise, which then spiraled into it's own... Rabbit Hole

[Lucky_Foot]

Same here, I been practicing both Medieval and Urban fantasy, there like food. Somtimes we need variety ^^

[HGohwell]

So much THIS! Like are those our only options? Personally, I'm currently big on 18th Century fantasy (writing one because I kind love the big stupid fashion, giant side skirts and all), but Victorian Gas Lamp fantasy is also good. Modern, but not quite modern. Early 1900s? Super cool period for some magical stuff. Futuristic fantasy, is it magic or sufficiently advance tech, do aliens have magic, does the spaceship run on wishes?! Also medieval is always so one flavour, like half the rest of the world wasn't doing other cool stuff at the time. There is so much that can be done with fantasy and everyone just wants to be medieval GoT or LoTR or the next urban fantasy (which is actually more paranormal romance anyway these days) that it's just become those bland flavours of the same old same old.