Daughter of another

Abstract

The fantasy genre has always been a way to explore and express the imagination and worlds only dreamt of. This project examines methods of writing fantasy from a decolonized perspective and what that looks like, comparing existing fantasy anthologies and novels to those that are currently in the mainstream but still perpetuates the colonial and white-supremacist mindset i.e. "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sara J Maas. This novel, Daughter of Another, uses the mythos and tales from marginalized communities across the United States, similar to "Fire Keeper’s Daughter" by Angeline Bouley. This project navigates the best way to approach such writing style within the fantasy genre and how an outsider can speak on subjects, communities, and cultures in a way that is objective and amplifies these marginalized voices rather than drowning them out. Through the lenses of decolonization and intersectionality, Daughter of Another follows Hiraya’s odyssey in a parallel realm to Earth where colonization never occurred and magic and myth still persist. She travels across Keya Island in search of her long-lost half-sister, hoping to save her city from the next heir: her immature younger half-brother. In doing so, she is drawn into a journey interwoven with myths and stories not of her own. The importance of this project is to understand there are worlds beyond those approved by a colonized lens when creating a fantastical world, and that it is crucial to involve a diverse array of groups—especially marginalized communities—that do not support colonial powers, but instead dismantle them and amplify these subjugated voices.