Hot take: fantasy maps got way too realistic after Lord of the Rings

I was digging through writing prompts from 2001 and noticed maps used to be all sketchy and abstract, but after the LOTR movies hit, everyone started drawing perfect coastlines and mountain ridges. It feels like we traded imagination for trying to look professional, and my prompts got less fun to write. Anyone else miss the old messy map style, or am I just nostalgic for bad drawings?

2 comments

2 Comments

finley_flores281mo ago

Oh totally, I remember sketching out these crazy squiggly coastlines and feeling like anything could happen in the blank spots.

park.adam1mo ago

Man that's the real magic of old maps, the incomplete parts felt like open invitations to imagine your own stories.