The real reason I love vampires and elves
// Trigger warning - death discussion.
Just thought I'd pop this here in case that upsets anyone. I don't go into graphic detail but just discuss my own fears.
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If you know me you will know that I love the fantasy genre. I don't care if it's books, films or games I love it. The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies are some of my favourite films and I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't gone through a Twilight phase in school. The interview with the vampire movie is also one of my favourites but I do desperately need to get onto reading the books (I know, I know I am an awful fan). As with a lot of other people in my generation the Harry Potter series is also of course a staple of my childhood though again I must admit I was late to the party when it came to reading the books. (Again, I'm a bad fan).
But, if I really had to boil it down my favourites are vampires and elves. Now a lot of people like vampires for their Gothic portrayal and dark, seductive ways and yes that is an appealing aspect but my favourite kind of vampires are the ones from olden times such as the Victorian era and before that. Elves (not the Christmas kind) are always portrayed in a mythical other realm, though I would be interested in hearing about any urban elf portrayals, where there are beautiful expanses of woodland and they are so tuned to nature. I also love the outdoors and walking through woods and around lakes, rivers and hills.
All in all I find them very appealing but this got me wondering. Elves and vampires are usually portrayed quite differently. Okay, you do get dark elves but still there isn't much connecting them. Then it hit me.
They live forever.
So okay maybe forever is a bit of a stretch and some would count being the living dead as not a great thing but that's the connecting factor. They both are portrayed as having exceptionally long lives.
So what Sophie?
I am terrified of death.
Now I know most people are scared of death. It kind of is a reasonable fear but I think I take it a bit far. Death is ultimately inevitable unless the future comes up with some genius science to make us all live forever and if I'm being honest I doubt I'll be rich enough to ever have this bottled fountain of youth. Don't ask me why eternal life comes in a water bottle it just does.
If I think too long about death, mainly when thinking of myself or my loved ones, my heart races and I have to get up and do something, anything, to distract my racing mind. The thought of going to sleep and never waking up should be comforting but all I can think of is how terrifying that is. It's making me ill to type this.
Some say 'well you wouldn't know about it' and that is true. I still can't stop the fear. That's why I love elves and vampires so much. I can pretend that I too don't have to worry about death or if I did I would hopefully have long enough to come to terms with it.
I'm 22 now. The disgusting math of how far into my life I could be already and how little I've done and the amount of time I have 'wasted' makes my stomach curdle. I probably shouldn't be writing this at10:39 pm just before bed but clearly I like to torture myself ha ha.
The thing is we never know when we will die or how unless we make that conscious decision. That is terrifying. There are too many things I want to do, see and experience. So many things and it feels like life pushes you onto a course that you seem stuck on or you make wrong turns or you say yes to things you should have said no to or you say no to things you wished you had said yes.
Life is full of regrets in one form or another. They're an emotional baggage that can be hard to shift but it's something we all have to come to terms with. One day I hope I'll be able to accept this.
Sorry this got a bit dark but it's just something that I hadn't thought about before.
Do you guys like fantasy and if you do why? What about it draws you in?
Endless possibilities?
The chance to experience life like never before?
Or, like me, do you wish to live forever?
See you soon guys,
Sophie x
Just thought I'd pop this here in case that upsets anyone. I don't go into graphic detail but just discuss my own fears.
--
If you know me you will know that I love the fantasy genre. I don't care if it's books, films or games I love it. The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies are some of my favourite films and I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't gone through a Twilight phase in school. The interview with the vampire movie is also one of my favourites but I do desperately need to get onto reading the books (I know, I know I am an awful fan). As with a lot of other people in my generation the Harry Potter series is also of course a staple of my childhood though again I must admit I was late to the party when it came to reading the books. (Again, I'm a bad fan).
But, if I really had to boil it down my favourites are vampires and elves. Now a lot of people like vampires for their Gothic portrayal and dark, seductive ways and yes that is an appealing aspect but my favourite kind of vampires are the ones from olden times such as the Victorian era and before that. Elves (not the Christmas kind) are always portrayed in a mythical other realm, though I would be interested in hearing about any urban elf portrayals, where there are beautiful expanses of woodland and they are so tuned to nature. I also love the outdoors and walking through woods and around lakes, rivers and hills.
All in all I find them very appealing but this got me wondering. Elves and vampires are usually portrayed quite differently. Okay, you do get dark elves but still there isn't much connecting them. Then it hit me.
They live forever.
So okay maybe forever is a bit of a stretch and some would count being the living dead as not a great thing but that's the connecting factor. They both are portrayed as having exceptionally long lives.
So what Sophie?
I am terrified of death.
Now I know most people are scared of death. It kind of is a reasonable fear but I think I take it a bit far. Death is ultimately inevitable unless the future comes up with some genius science to make us all live forever and if I'm being honest I doubt I'll be rich enough to ever have this bottled fountain of youth. Don't ask me why eternal life comes in a water bottle it just does.
If I think too long about death, mainly when thinking of myself or my loved ones, my heart races and I have to get up and do something, anything, to distract my racing mind. The thought of going to sleep and never waking up should be comforting but all I can think of is how terrifying that is. It's making me ill to type this.
Some say 'well you wouldn't know about it' and that is true. I still can't stop the fear. That's why I love elves and vampires so much. I can pretend that I too don't have to worry about death or if I did I would hopefully have long enough to come to terms with it.
I'm 22 now. The disgusting math of how far into my life I could be already and how little I've done and the amount of time I have 'wasted' makes my stomach curdle. I probably shouldn't be writing this at10:39 pm just before bed but clearly I like to torture myself ha ha.
The thing is we never know when we will die or how unless we make that conscious decision. That is terrifying. There are too many things I want to do, see and experience. So many things and it feels like life pushes you onto a course that you seem stuck on or you make wrong turns or you say yes to things you should have said no to or you say no to things you wished you had said yes.
Life is full of regrets in one form or another. They're an emotional baggage that can be hard to shift but it's something we all have to come to terms with. One day I hope I'll be able to accept this.
Sorry this got a bit dark but it's just something that I hadn't thought about before.
Do you guys like fantasy and if you do why? What about it draws you in?
Endless possibilities?
The chance to experience life like never before?
Or, like me, do you wish to live forever?
See you soon guys,
Sophie x
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