For the love of Fantasy
It probably had something to do with my father's insistence that I get a video game every weekend we spent together, that I became a fantasy lover. I never had to think about whether or not I should spend the next three hours out spending time with friends or devouring the plot line to the new Ratchet & Clank game that just came out on PS2. For me it was a form of dreamlike escape that just made so much sense to me and put into words something that was lacking in this world.
When I was in first grade I picked up the first part of my fantasy education,
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. I quickly devoured the next three books in the series and was playing with all of the characters in the book while my life on the outside was dull and bland in comparison. I always had a more vivid connection with those characters to my own life than those around me ever had with me. I was a shut-in, and Fantasy was my expression into the dreamscape of my own mind, which allowed me to be free and fly through the realms of consciousness instead of being stuck by gravity to the world; powerless. I found the
Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R Tolkien in my grandmother's house and spent the entire summer reading all six (yes, it's six not three) books there. And I did the same next summer, re-reading them for the sheer enjoyment which they brought me.
I had an inexplicable sense of joy when I became immersed into this otherworldly realm of fantasy and fiction. A sense of wonderment and adventure, which was something I could never get in my own life. I wanted to be a part of these worlds, so desperately, to take hold of my own destiny the way that Frodo from the Shire had, or Harry from the books had. My love for these creative wonders felt like a reflection of my soul, incarnate in the world. Little gems which held pieces of my eternal being within those pages.
As I got older and the technology in the world got better I started to delve into the Science Fiction side of things. My father had always encouraged me to watch
Star Trek with him but I had always been more of a
Star Wars fan. The Force and it's Zen Buddhism appeal that Yoda had always more sway in my mind than the cold logic and heroic stoicism of Spock and Captain Kurk. I began reading Stephen King's
The Shining and H.P. Lovecraft's
The Necronomicon avidly and fell out of the realm of social contact for a good three months, living the deep dark paranoia of Lovecraftian architecture and esoteric psychological horrors, all of which were indescribable. The diction that was used in these novels evoked mental images and visceral emotions of the likes I had never experienced before. I never imagined I could love horror; could love to feel so dark! I felt like a sinner for loving something so anti-humanity, as I have always strived for the goodness of the human race. Knowledge is power, though.
As my friends started to get more and more into Cosplay and anime arts, I began to develop a love for the Victorian era, and the desire for a more Steampunk way of life. Steampunk was the accumulation of everything that I had ever desired in a fantasy. Leather waistcoats, airship pirates, dashing and daring adventurers with cogs, goggles and whale oil galore. The allure of the 18th century and the pungent odor of curing leather drew me in like a bee to a flower. I felt at home with this culture and the more I looked into it the more enamored with it I became. Even though I had never even met someone who liked Steampunk, I felt at home with these strange, eccentric folk who were caught in an anachronistic type of life, one where they were convinced they were living in a Charles Dickens novel.
I yearn for this kind of lifestyle. I wish to create a career for myself and for others that would join me in making this world what we want it to be. To truly be the creators of our own destiny. I would prefer that we do it by legitimate means but if it means being a little sneaky and accruing a few enemies along the way then so be it! Society is not working out in the general public's favor anyways and it should be up to the citizen on how they wish to live out their lives. Why must we conform to the system of our current government and adhere to progress; some of us don't wish to progress! We wish to keep things simple. Maybe we left some pieces of the puzzle back there as we were blindly rushing ahead to ensure that the rat race must continue.
What I'm trying to say is this: The creativity that encapsulates my attention is that in the what-ifs, and it seems to me that this is true for most of my peers here in America. We dwell and wonder about the romantic aspects and lifestyles that these fictions bring to mind. Why can't we make them a reality? They were created in the minds of humans, and thus should it not be possible to live out those dreams in reality? Perhaps that's what we're striving for with this Virtual Reality craze recently. The opportunity to truly express those inner desires for living out a freedom of expression. I want my pirate crew and my Steampunk airship to ride the skies with across the horizon, and out into the sea of space. Who's with me?!?
