Look beyond what you know, yet within something familiar…

Fantasy. The word alone is enough to conjure images of dragons, castles, royalty and magic. But what do these things look like in your mind? For me, the way I imagine all these things are heavily influenced by medieval western Europe. There’s nothing wrong with that, per se. But it can trap artists and audiences alike in a box.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a fan of the castles, the typical four-legged, two-winged dragons and the magical abilities with vague guidelines. However, sometimes it feels stale. It’s the same thing, over and over, plugged into different stories with almost no new ideas or variation.

Which begs the question — why? What’s keeping authors from branching out?

I think it’s a particularly disheartening combination of (a) safety in what you know and (b) a lack of inspiration. As a writer myself, I constantly wonder what I can put out into the world that isn’t already there. What opened my eyes to new possibilities in fantasy, though, was fantasy.

Fantasy from another culture.

In the last few years, I was introduced to a certain brand of Chinese fantasy called xianxia. It was so refreshing because it presents fantasy in a different way than what I’m used to. Some aspects even seem un-fantasy-like, while other parts are familiar. This trailer for The Untamed, which is available on Netflix, gives a taste of the genre: 

After seeing some of the fantasy elements present in xianxia that aren’t like those in western fantasy, I was struck by the realization that it’s easier to break out of the box than I thought. It isn’t even as complex as coming up with entirely new rules or ideas. Things we already know can be repurposed.

In xianxia, stories centre around people called Cultivators, who are working to increase their qi — I’ll simplify this to the energy in all living things — and eventually become powerful, immortal beings. Plenty of myths from various cultures have stories about people who desire immortality and power, and xianxia draws inspiration from Chinese mythology.

However, the cultivation was new. Xianxia is also inspired by Chinese spiritual practices and martial arts. So, to cultivate, characters often meditate and, you guessed it, practice martial arts. Looking at it now, it seems like such an easy thing to come up with — having characters grow their magical abilities through another, non-magical practice.

But that’s not all. As Cultivators become stronger, they also tend to maintain youthful looks, gain incredible power and have enhanced resilience and rapid healing. These last three abilities sound more like something out of a superhero story, yet they are an important part of xianxia fantasy.

These ideas aren’t new, outlandish, or wildly inventive. What drew me in was how, through learning about another culture’s representation of fantasy, it’s easy to see that fantasy has less limits than I thought. Creating change can be as simple as looking at something familiar from a different angle.

Simona Casale

Simona is an aspiring editor and fiction author. In her free time she like to crochet, play video games, and read fanfiction. If you need to find her, check the nearest restaurant that serves ahi tuna bowls — look for the girl in pink.