I can't be the only one

I learned about steemit a few weeks ago, a few days later I made an account ... and a few days ago I noticed that I finally got it. Yay.

The possibilities are endless, the platform young and thriving but with great possibility comes great anxiety, isn't that how the saying goes? The urge to create and share is there, but it will take a while for me to find out what works best, that's exactly what this is about. I had quite the success with a small drawing challenge I did recently, so now it's time for a writing one. It's a skill worth keeping sharp.

As a perceptive reader you have surely noticed the #001 in the title, let's see just how far I can make it grow. I will try doing a post daily, but let's be reasonable, I want a certain minimum level in quality, so if I really don't have the time, that's not a failure, the challenge is lost when I lost interest, and I sure as hell don't think that will happen too soon.

So what will my posts be about? Good question, we will see, I have a few rough ideas, we all have things we enjoy thinking about after all. I don't even dare to talk about a general direction content wise. Style wise I think of myself as an analytical person. I enjoy questioning, theorizing, getting deep into things, seeing both sides of an argument. Another interesting theme I have could be about story telling, about characterization, contrast, what to do, not to do, and why. I am by no means a professional, but I like to think that I am much deeper in this topic than most.

But hey, I don't want to bore you with a boring story about me and my plans, nobody wants to read that, let's talk about something more interesting, let's talk about ... magic!

Magic

Now I have your attention, huh? I am a bit of a sucker for magic, and by extension fantasy. I always preferred it over the in many ways similar concept of Sci-fi. The world of fantasy allows us to give in to this power fantasy, to escape our boring life, to escape all these situations where we feel powerless and unimportant. From a narrative standpoint is can be a powerful mirror of our world. Things are different, but at their core humans (elfs, dwarfs, you name it) are still humans. That's why Lord of the Rings works so well. Yes, we have this insane setting with magic, talking trees and vengeful ghosts, but we also have people. The fear of failure, love and sacrifice, duty and betrayal, just framed differently than in our world.

But hey, your down-to-earth grandma might ask,

We don't need these impossible things for that. Our real world has more drama than we could ever channel through our quills. How am I supposed to believe, to invest in this world when there's sparks coming out of sticks and brooms fly for no reason whatsoever?

You inhale deeply, having heard this many times before, she's just that kind of person, you know? And then you nod, because she is of course right, and you respect the wisdom she accumulated over the years. (Also you want to stay on her good side for her cookies alone, you know exactly which I talk about).

But now, that you have secured one of those incredibly tasty chocolate chip cookies, the ones only grandmas cam make, you continue. Yes, she is right, but...

You see reality every day after all, and maybe, just maybe, you aren't always happy with how things are around you. Maybe you aren't quite as down to earth as she is, maybe that explains your inferior baking skills. Middle earth, the forgotten realms, Lordran, all these worlds are much more colorful, yes, even grim old Darksouls has this spark that transcends color, this mystery, the smell of adventure.

The real world has taxes

takes and work. Work and maybe college, maybe school. The real world has rules, every day is the same, safe, but also repetitive. Here it is, that we are getting closer. Fantasy is always idealized, it's a fictional world after all, masterfully crafted for what it is needed for, which is generally a narrative engaging story. Nobody talks about the smell and the lack of hygiene, about the cold and social injustice. Let's be honest, if we think about it for a few minutes we see, that most people can't be too happy in a world where giant lizards can burn you alive every day, where Armageddon is always just one maniac away.
Reality is safe, well, safer. It's not made with purpose, it evolved with boredom aka safety in mind. Of course there are problem, and things you could call adventure too, but it's a rare exception, and most times pretty scary. Realism isn't always a good thing, sometimes we just want to see heroism through the lens of a highly idealized world ... with dragons, let's not forget about those.

Now take another cookie, we are done here for today.

Picture Sources:

• atthespeedoffetus.deviantart.com/art/Fantasy-Landscape-359596915
• weknowyourdreams.com/images/magic/magic-03.jpg
• livewellbakeoften.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Oatmeal-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-5.jpg