#fantasy watch-list

[mask131]

Fantasy read-list: A-3.5

After an article about “Greco-Roman fantasy” or Antique fantasy, I also have found an article evoking the role and importance of the Arthurian myth in fantasy (well, two articles actually). 

The first one is an article by Sara Doke, who offers her own chronology of the Arthurian literature. You will be able to compare it with my original Arthuriana post, and see the slight differences.

1) For Sara Doke, the beginning of it all, the foundation of the Arthurian literature, the first works of the Arthurian world as we understand it today, would be Geoffrey of Monmouth’s works: The Prophecies of Merlin, The History of the Kings of Britain, and the Life of Merlin. (You will often hear these orks referred to by their Latin names, such as Vita Merlini or Prophetiae Merlini).

2) Then, there was the “spark” that actually ignited and gave life to the Arthurian legend and literature. This “spark” was a set of two authors, who used the work of Monmouth as a basis for their work. On one side, Robert Wace with his Roman de Brut, followed by his Roman de Rou (not to be confused by Layamon’s own Roman de Brut, an English rewrite of the original French epic). On the other side, the author I heavily talked about in my original post: Chrétien de Troyes, the “father of the matter of Britain”, and the shaper of the Arthurian myth as we know it today - with his five novels, Erec and Enide, Cliges, Yvain the Knight of the Lion, Lancelot the Knight of the Cart, and Perceval the Story of the Grail. 

3) The third step of the Arthurian evolution was a series of works that slowly shifted the focus of the plot and stories away from the knights of the Round Table themselves, away from their individual and personal adventures, to rather follow the quest of the Grail, which became the main “end-goal” of the Arthuriana. This was the time of Robert of Robon who, through his cycle of works (Joseph d’Arimathie, Merlin, and others lost to time), opened the way for the Vulgate Cycle (or “Lancelot-Grail”), with its History of Merlin, Lancelot Proper, Quest for the Holy Grail, Death of King Arthur... The Vulgate Cycle was then followed by the Post-Vulgate Cycle, which took back the material, books and stories of the Vulgate, but fused them with another very popular literary work of the time: the Prose Tristan. 

4) After the Post-Vulgate Cycle, Sara Doke notes that there was a disinterest in the matter of Britain and the Arthuriana throughout the 14th and 15th centuries. We will have to wait until sir Thomas Malory’s work, Le Morte d’Arthur, for a new Arthurian boom/Arthurian wave. By gathering together the versions of the Vulgate, of the Post-Vulgate and of the Chrétien novels, sir Thomas Mallory created a work that would become THE defining story of the Arthurian legend, and the main reference for all posterior Arthurian authors. Lord Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, T. H. White’s The Once and Future King (later adapted into the famous Disney movie The Sword in the Stone), Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Stenbeck’s The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights... They all were inspired by and taking their Arthurian vision from Le Morte d’Arthur. 

5) Sara Doke concludes her chronology by a handful of more modern works, that truly turn the Arthurian myth into moder “fantasy”. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon. Mary Stewart’s Arthurian novels (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment, The Wicked Day). Bernard Cornwell’s The Warlord Chronicles. Lawhead’s The Pendragon Cycle. Doke also mentions French authors that English-speaker might not be accustomed to: René Barjavel with his L’Enchanteur (The Enchanter), Michel Rio with his Merlin et Morgane, Jean Markale with his Le Cycle du Graal, Jean-Louis Fetjaine with his Le Pas de Merlin followed by Brocéliande... 

To conclude this post, we leave Sara Doke for another article, this time written by P.J.G. Mergey, who is rather focused on movies based on the Arthurian myth. He does mention a non-movie piece, Wagner’s opera Parsifal, to prove that the Arthurian texts have always been producing visual entertainment. In terms of actual movies, Mergey mentions 2004′s King Arthur, John Boorman’s Excalibur, 2007′s The Last Legion and 1995′s The First Knight.  As he speaks of The Last Legion, he mentions that the mystery of the “missing legion” was notably brought to the public by Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth, a historical novel that was adapted two times nto a movies - in 2011, by the same name, and in 2010 as “Centurion”. 

Two last mentions. Talking about the character of Mebd/Mabd, Mergey mentions an old Irish epic I am not sure I talked about before: Tain Bo Cuailnge, The Cattle Raid of Cooley, of which Mebd/Mabd is one of the main characters.

And finally - since this is a French article talking about king Arthur, one work HAD to be evoked. Kaamelott. The British have their Arthurian parody in the shape of Monty Python’s Holy Grail, we have Kaamelott. Kaamelott started out in 2005 as a humoristic shortcom depicting the daily life of king Arthur and the characters of the Arthurian legend, who are either completely logical and reasonable characters faced with the inherent craziness and absurdity of the Arthuriana, or actually incompetent, flawed and caricatural characters a far cry from their original fictional selves. On top of deconstructing the myth itself, the humor of the series was also historical, since it replaces the king’s life in the context of the crumbling of the Roman Empire and the invasions of the barbarians from the north. This series’ massive success led to it having six full seasons, that slowly went from short comedy skits to actual full, serious, dramatic television episodes - and its fame hasn’t stopped, since very recently a trilogy of movies meant to conclude the series was announced, with the first movie being released in 2021. 

[arostormblessed]

I fucking love the wheel of time show everyone should watch it. Couldn’t understand why so many people were giving it negative reviews and then I came to the realization that it was made specifically for the weird gays on tumblr that actually appreciate interesting storytelling. it was made for the people who love awful women, unconventional relationships, negative character development, toxicity, polyamory, qprs, unhealthy devotion, etc etc

[pheonixbuchanan]

Based and right

[magniloquent-raven]

yall mfers need to stop

[lucyfrostblade]

oh my junior year favorite characters? kipperlilly copperkettle, figueroth faeth, and porter cliffbreaker. i don't think this says anything at me at all

[dayscapism]

Read this instead of Harry Potter - part 3/ 3:

Young Adult (YA) recommendations under the cut:

Part 1 - Adult books

Part 2 - Middle grade/children's books

Arrows of the Queen (Heralds of Valdemar trilogy) by Mercedes Lackey (high fantasy): There's actually multiple series in the same world. In this trilogy we follow Talia, a young girl who lives in a small community that misteats her. She doesnt know any different, this is the only life and people shes ever known, but then is chosen whisked away by a mystical horse and taken to a school to become a trainee Herald, destined to become one of the Queen's own elite guard. For Talia has certain talents of the mind only her horse companion can sense. Here, as she works to master her abilities, she also begins to learn to trust for the first time in her life, connect with other people, and understanding her trauma. Meanwhile, conspiracy and trason is brewing in the realm, and only the Heralds can help protect it from its enemies.... This first book is very heartwarming and classic fantasy. In the sequels we follow her as she gets older and the sacrifices and darker, heavier moments that come with that. Honestly thos one sounds like the same brief for the main character as HP. Lackey has great LGBTQ+ representation too.

★ Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (novel + novella): About a warrior-librarian who finds herself entangled in an evil plot in a world where magic books, called grimoires, have sentience and can turn into monsters if they're not properly taken care of. These grimoires are created by magicians whose magic comes from demons linked to their old-blood families, and these magicians' houses are full of magical artefacts, strange curses, hidden rooms magically folded up between walls and sentient gardens, all very reminiscent of Hogwarts' ever-shifting magical corridors.

★ Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud (series, British): Teenage ghost-hunters, magic bureaucracy, dark vibes, historical artefacts, death discussions, found family, haunted houses, suspense, and more.

The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin (standalone): In this world, witches maintain the climate, but when this control starts faltering, a witch with rare magic, connected to every season is the only hope.

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo (duology): Mermaids! For Goblet of Fire fans.

Raybearer by Jordan Ifuenko (duology): Tarisai was raised in isolation by a mysterious, absent mother until one day she sends her to the capital, to be chosen as one of the crown prince's council and kill him. This is a story about friendship and the love and warmth of family.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas: Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. This story is about a Latino, trans young wizard, who battles with his family accepting his gender.

★ Legenborn by Tracy Deonn (trilogy): Arthurian retelling with a black protagonist who enters a secret society in her university to solve the mystery of her mother's death but she finds it more full of magic and secrets than she expected. Secrets that might even tie to her own heritage and bloodline...

The Diviners by Libba Bray (quartet, paranormal, mystery, horror): It's set in 1929 New York, the protagonist, Evie, comes to the city to live with her uncle, who has an unhealthy obsession with the occult and she worries he will discover her greatest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought problems so far. When a girl is murdered and branded with a cryptic symbol, she realizes her power might help solve the murder. Great alternative to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman (trilogy, sci-fi dystopian): This has themes about death and mortality/immortality. Set in a world where humanity has conquered hunger, disease, war and misery, now a group of select people called scythes are tasked with ending life to keep the population size under control. We follow two apprentices to such a vital profession, a role that neither wants.

This Savage Song by V.E. Schwab (duology): In a city overrun by monsters created out of acts of violence, there's no such thing as "safe", a young woman and a young man on opposite sides of the divided city, must decide if they will become enemies or friends, heroes or villains and what means to be one. (I mean if that premise is not the analogue to a Horocrux or werewolves idk what is.) I also recommend City of Ghosts by this author (set in Edinburgh, where the protagonist's parents host a TV show about haunted places. But the protagonist can enter this world of spirits ever since she almost--or did drown.)

The Little Witch by M. Rickert (short story): Every Halloween an elderly woman hands out candy to a young trick-or-treater girl who's always dressed as a witch and looks the same age every year. She grows more and more curious and attached to her and her oddness.

One Dark Window by Rachel Gilling (duology): To stay safe in her eerie, mist-locked kingdom, Elspeth needs a monster. One day she meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, and her life takes a drastic turn, thrusting her into a world of shadow and deception. Together with the highwayman, they must gather a set of magical cards that are keys to cure the kingdom from the dark magic infecting it. But Elspeth is forced to face a dark magic taking over her own mind. This sounds great for people who liked the horrocruxes as a magic device, who like exploring evilness corrupting a character from the inside out, and for fans of the dark forest in Hogwarts.

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco (series): Set in London in the 1880s, we follow Audrey Rose Wadsworth, born a lord's daughter, who yearns for more than social tea parties and dress fittings. She has a secret life working in her uncle's laboratory, studying the gruesome and fascinating practice of forensic medicine. Then a string of savagely killed corpses begin appearing... Deliciously creepy horror novel inspired by the Ripper murders.

School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani and illustrator Iacopo Bruno (series): This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds all her life, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil. But when the two girls are swept into schools, they find their fortunes reversed... Is this really a mistake? Or is it a clue to discovering who they really are?

Into the Labirynth by Jown Bierce (series): Hugh is the worst student the Academy of Skyhold has ever seen. He can barely cast any spells without them failing explosively. He is an outcast in the school, and he definitely doesn't expect a mage to choose him as an apprentice, but when a very unusual mage does, his life starts taking a sharp turn for the better. Though, he still has to get ready for his final test in the labyrinth below the school.

Fireborn by Rosaria Munda (trilogy): post-revolution/overthrowing the government plot, with dragon riders and maybe a child of the old regime survived... This is perfect if you were unsatisfied by the infamous HP7 epilogue.

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe (duology + prequel): Eva Evergreen is determined to earn the rank of Novice Witch before her thirteenth birthday. If she doesn't, she'll lose her magic forever. For most young witches and wizards, it's a simple enough test, but Eva has only a pinch of magic and always gets the spells backwards. But she comes up with a plan: set up a semi-magical repair shop to help her town and prove she's worthy. But the biggest magical storm in history threatens the town. Will her little bit of magic be enough? If you wanted justice for the squibs in HP!

The Magician's Guild by Trudi Canavan (trilogy, adventure, epic fantasy): Every year, the magicians gather to purge the city of undesirables. Cloaked in the protection of their sorcery, they move with no fear, until one angry girl hurls a stone at them; there is someone outside their ranks who possesses raw magical power. She must be found and schooled before she destroys herself and her city with the power she can't control.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger and illustrated by Rovina Cai (standalone, mystery, magical realism, LGBTQ+): Set in an alternate USA with magic, monsters and legends. Elatsoe, an indigenous girl, can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed by generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered and she will protect her family and unveil the secrets of this town.

★Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (YA, series): A magic school but for vampires instead of witches. Still has magic in it, with the dark vibe that goes with vampires. It's a trashy teen vampire series in the best way, tbh. Great to pass the time.

Graphic novel recommendations:

Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

⚠️The following books are often recommended too, but some or their authors are problematic, so tread with caution: ⚠️

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: Has racist Asian stereotyping/jokes in the third book of the series. The author has some problematic behavior on Twitter but I don't know the details.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell: Asian racist stereotypes of the character Park. Carry On/Fangirl could be options, I suppose.

Scholomance series by Naomi Novik: The first book, A Deathly Education, had damaging racist passages and stereotypes of black people's hair. The book was later reprinted to fix the issue.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: This author is staunchly homophobic.

Skyward & Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson: This author is a Mormon. By this religion's rules, they have to donate a percentage (aka tithing) of their net earnings to the church (around 10%), and the Mormon Church actively funds anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives. Sanderson has been asked before about this, but he hasn't given a clear answer on his contributions. He is presumably paying the tithes, though he will tell you he is pro-gays if you ask him. His books also have heavy religious preaching and his world-building is often very cis/hetero-normative. He is doing great work fighting against Amazon's book monopoly though, using his popularity and power for good, which is great. (I have read his books before but nowadays I would rather read other authors and I will never BUY any of his books.)

Happy reading!

★ Books I've read and personally recommend.

Supporting Sources:

https://www.aspiraldance.com/middle-grade-and-young-adult-books-to-read-instead-of-harry-potter/

https://missprint.wordpress.com/2022/09/01/back-to-magic-school-harry-potter-alternatives-booklist/

Goodreads for synopses.

[shevr]

hey yesterday i got distracted until 5am into browsing lists of old animated movies on wikipedia and there's a bunch of stuff that i wanna get around to dig up & watch but i crave even more older, more obscure, more forgotten stuff

plz feel free to drop any obscure animated flick you know of so i can go check it ( extra bonus points if you're not american and it's a movie from your country )

[verytravelercreation]

Thrilling Fictions Best anime series to watch in 2024.

Discovering the Best anime series to watch The best anime series discovered to watch this year has been remarkable for animation enthusiasts, featuring stunning visuals, compelling stories, and groundbreaking techniques. From heartwarming family films to thrilling adventures, these top 10 animes are not to be missed. 1.Solo leveling Details: “Solo Leveling” adapts the popular South Korean web…

[digitalzombie]

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin, Episode 1—Thoughts

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a 2024 anime series that’s based on a 2020 role-playing video game of the same name. It premiered on July 6, 2024. The video game received a manga adaptation by Jiji & Pinch that ran for two volumes on November 26, 2021, to November 25, 2022. The anime follows a spoiled harvest goddess named Sakuna. After a group of humans sneak into the celestial home of the gods,…

[hotasfahrenheit]

listen i was going to play this game at some point anyway so i started making gifs last night because i'm a lunatic and wanted to have ALL FRESH ALL NEW GIFS MADE BY ME FOR THIS which meant in some cases scouring the interent for quality sources because i love a lot of old shows but that's a good thing because after i finally let myself go to bed LATE last night, @paintedmasks tagged me so now i'm not just doing it because i wanna be a cool kid, i'm doing it because AN INTERNET FRIEND SAID SO and that's so much better 💖

i did this specifically NOT just QLs so y'all can get an idea of what else i am into since i don't post about many other shows on this blog (tho there are a couple in here) but i will probably do a bonus QL one later when i have the brain space and time to come up with a second list. maybe one that's just asian dramas (including QL)? we'll see.

Rules: Without naming them, post 10 GIFs of your favorite TV shows, then tag 10 people.

i feel like basically everybody has already done this (hence me deciding i'd do it even if no one tagged me) so uhhh i'm gonna tag poor @everydayhalfrican who is my only real life friend on here besides @poetry-protest-pornography because she thought it would be fun to be tumblr friends with me (somehow) and my new tumblr bestie @tortibomb and a couple pals i haven't seen post this yet like @vvitcherys and @ciizerutricha and @youdontnohme and that's not ten people but that's okayyyyyy

[tauforged]

Do you like the fantasy genre? I asked cause your profile picture

oh yeah, for sure. i tend to lean a little scifi fantasy (my icon is actually a warframe oc) cuz i’m a sucker for weird and crazy technology and have always since i was little had a passion for imagining alien worlds and ecosystems…. and i like guns and such from an artistic standpoint crazy scifi weapons are a lot of fun to design cuz you don’t need to be a skilled magic user to shoot someone with laser beams anyone can pick up a blaster and go ham…. but i enjoy fantasy settings immensely also

[andromedadmoonstone]

Looking for an anime to to watch while you carve some pumpkins? 🎃 My Halloween anime watchlist has something for every fan. Want something dark and gory? or how about something cute and wholesome? My Hollywood watch list will get you into the holiday season.

[g0at0ad]

the image of fabian seacaster, wounded and exhausted, blood pouring out from under an eyepatch, having just killed his father and doesn’t stop to breathe as he goes to fight a dragon is branded into my brain. most repressed teenager ever.

[knightoflove]

Ok. So uh, here’s the announcement.

New F/O Alert!! New F/O is Car.men Ber.zatto from T.he Bear!!

The tag is 🍯 Honey Bear

Plaintext in the RBs

[mazojo]

how do you feel about kencho x akirs

Boy(friends)

[scholar-of-yemdresh]

Can we PLEASE get trans protagonists In science fiction, fantasy and action movies & TV shows. Pretty please I'm begging. Can we get multiple main/major trans characters too PLEASE?

For the love of God trans rep doesn't need to be regulated to; grounded realistic contemporary dramas/comedies. Or it's a sci-fi/fantasy show but they'll be a side character in the cis MCs story and who'll have a max 10 minutes of screen time