Backwards progress in fantasy

[Cipiteca396]

Because if things progressed, the story would become Scifi-Fantasy with Magitech and Spelljammers Spaceships.

If thou hate this trope as well, boycott medieval fantasy stories.

 

[Deleted member 1244]

Dragon Ball

 

[dummycake]

they had to pick the worst design for her Fortnite skin and not this one which is 99999 times better

 

[Lodur]

Chill
Interesting, I don't think I'm familiar with that trope

It's as old as the written history of mankind. Do you really never heard of Golden Age, Satya Yuga, etc.?

Golden Age - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Terrate]

I thought this is a thread about an all powerful god, who keeps giving away his powers for prosperity until he has nothing to give and dies peacefully or tragically.

 

[Sagacious_Punk]

Because if things progressed, the story would become Scifi-Fantasy with Magitech and Spelljammers Spaceships.

If thou hate this trope as well, boycott medieval fantasy stories.

Not necessarily.

You could simply write a good, well-thought "medieval"* fantasy without the "past era of glory" bullshit. As I said previously, that's one of Tolkien's worse legacies.

Second, you could write a fantasy where society has progressed far into the future, but instead of magical equivalents to starships, robots (golems), or whatnot, you can take a turn into a very rare, very underexplored subgenre - spiritual fantasy. Up until a few years ago, I didn't even know it existed, but apparently it does, and it can be very interesting to read. Especially if you have real-life metaphysical knowledge.

Spoiler

*The quotes for are because this is another thing that's done to death - the quasi-historical setting that's a mix between Gothic/Renaissance Europe+Middle East/Asia Minor. And on top of that, it's mostly done wrong.

 

[Cipiteca396]

econd, you could write a fantasy where society has progressed far into the future, but instead of magical equivalents to starships, robots (golems), or whatnot, you can take a turn into a very rare, very underexplored subgenre - spiritual fantasy. Up until a few years ago, I didn't even know it existed, but apparently it does, and it can be very interesting to read. Especially if you have real-life metaphysical knowledge.

You mean like Cultivation novels? I'd argue that it's just as over-explored as medieval fantasy.

Still... I'd prefer a mix of both. That's the kind of story I wrote, and the kind I'll continue to write once it's finished. (If it ever gets finished...)

 

[Sagacious_Punk]

You mean like Cultivation novels? I'd argue that it's just as over-explored as medieval fantasy.

Still... I'd prefer a mix of both. That's the kind of story I wrote, and the kind I'll continue to write once it's finished. (If it ever gets finished...)

Nah, spiritual fantasy isn't like cultivation novels at all. Cultivation novels are the result when you take myth and religion, and filter them through the lens of soap opera drama and pro wrestling.

Spiritual fantasy is the exploration of the mystical, of delving into actual esoterical philosophies, and writing about the invisible world and inner realities. It's... something that eludes clearer definition at this point, because so few examples exist (at least to my knowledge). I could point out a few titles, but they are not available in English, so it wouldn't be useful in this case.

 

[Garon]

My novel has this. But there is a reason for this. From the point of view of the novel, magic is energy created and controlled by deities. By doing this, they can deliberately weaken the flow of magic to people from certain countries if they pose a threat to them. And this will play a role in my novel. From my point of view as an author, this limits the strength of my main characters, forcing them to fight against dangerous opponents. Making the fight scenes more interesting for me personally.

 

[quagma]

so what separates this trope from, say, a post apocalyptic future where people have regressed, not through their own choice, but because the world basically exploded. now THAT we can understand, bc no way does the average person know anything about how to build a toaster, let alone power it safely. yet having a radio system but no television system? you telling me not a single person has thought about the applications of it? deeply uncurious people. it just doesn't make any sense unless there's someone or something actively keeping down people's natural curiosity and interest in the world.
you'd think there'd be people making stuff like magic internet once they get their hands on the stuff.
see also: the insane rate of scientific advancement once the church stopped suppressing knowledge that contradicts their holy teachings. The Renaissance period.