Why Fantasy is imporant to me.

[Reaver]

Reading and writing fantasy stories is incredibly important to me because it's the key to infinite gateways into infinite worlds. It's an escape from the abject evil and misery that has held our world in thrall for centuries.

To me, fantasy lays bare all that is good and wonderful about humankind. Ultimately, it demonstrates a strong desire to make this world a better place. In many ways, fantasy is a mirror: however it doesn't reveal the ugliness of our hearts; instead it shows the beauty which lies inside each and every one of us.

I'm very thankful for each and every one of you, my fellow Scribes, for writing so many wondrous stories that are tiny beams of light shining in the darkness, joining together to create a beacon of hope in a hopeless place.

I'm thankful for a place like Mythic Scribes, one of the last bastions of all that is right in our world.


I'd be most grateful if you'd share with me why fantasy is important to you.

 

[Xanados]

I live and breath fantasy.

Here is a list of things that are near me and are apart of me:
1. Fantasy Writer
2. World of Warcraft Calendar.
3. LotR Chess set
4. Figurine (Saruman)
5. Framed LotR film certificates
6. Middle Earth Map
7. Fantasy books
8. Magic the Gathering cards
9. Dragon vs Mage poster
10. Many bookmarks on fantasy writing and history research.
11. Fantasy/History/Germanic tribe wallpaper
12. PC Games: All fantasy/history titles
13. Appearance: Long hair, Mjolnir pendant.
14. Music: Instrumental Nordic Spiritual, fantasy game music
15. Argent tournament ring tone (World of Warcraft music)

I am surrounded by fantasy. There is not a day when I do not think about fantasy. Every where I look I see fantasy. I have such respect for fantasy that I can recall many tales and finer details of any franchise's lore by heart. For example, Elendil's Oath. I can sing that pretty well.

It's essentially life-blood for me.

 

[Jabrosky]

I like writing fantasy because it allows me to create my own worlds and combine the things I am passionate about into one story. For instance, no other genre lets me pit Vikings against Zulus and dinosaurs.

 

[Amanita]

it doesn't reveal the ugliness of our hearts;

Ehem, couldn't truthfully claim that.
My stories usually have both, the good things and the bad things.
Anyway, I agree with everyone here who cares about fantasy a lot, it's the same for me. Otherwise I wouldn't spend so much time here probably. I'm not that interested in other people's worlds (beyond reading or watching) though, therefore you wouldn't really find anything fantasy-related around me.
I could name a few "reasons" why I'm reading and writing fantasy, but the truth is, I don't really know. I've been doing it since I can remember and I really don't know why.
For me, which story I'm writing and what it contains isn't really much of a conscious choice. Parts of it are, yes, but the general themes and events are not. That's why threads like "Can I do X or would fantasy readers be put off by it" don't really work for me. I'm doing X and if no one wants to read about X it will stay unread.
Of course, this wouldn't be a viable approach for anyone who wants to make their living on it, but I don't. Seeing some of it in a bookstore would be nice of course, but I'm in no hurry and if it doesn't work it doesn't.
If I don't do other things besides writing, nothing good is going to come out of it anyway.
Maybe, dealing with my stories for me is something like drinking, smoking or playing role-playing games for others. I have my role-playing games in my head and therefore don't do any actual ones. (Not that I want to claim they're as bad as smoking or excessive drinking, I hope you get what I mean.)

 

[Barsook]

Writing fantasy helps me explore ideas that can't happen in real life, like magic or other races. It also allows me to combine things like what Jabrosky said in his post. And of course what Reaver said about humankind.

 

[Ghost]

Fantasy is important to me because I can create an entire world that's a reflection of my aesthetic, my fears, and my hopes. I can create societies around anything I want. Fantasy allows me to explore what makes people tick while placing them squarely at the crossroads of possible and impossible.

My fantasy world is influenced by my real world interests. It's where urban legends, folk songs, fairy tales, myths, natural oddities, abnormal psychology and sociology, crime, human survival and achievements throughout history coalesce into a wonderful, mythical world that satisfies my need for both an understanding of people and for a sense of mystery about my surroundings.

Fantasy is an escape, but it's also very internal for me. I don't avoid the horrors people themselves inflict on each other, but I don't revel in them either. My world isn't meant to be ideal. It's meant to be the collected tales of individuals from various and varied cultures. It's about how they get by despite what happens around them.

So for those reasons, plus I'd like to blow some dragons up.

 

[Faolan]

Fantasy is important to me because other than my faith, it's all I have to get me through day to day life.

 

[Saigonnus]

For me, Fantasy and even science fiction opens doors to new possibilities. It allows me to express my creativity and share it with people either through my writing, or in conversations with like-minded people. I used to play RPGs (dungeons & dragons) and many a campaign went by with me as the DM among my friends. I enjoying reading about new worlds or ideas and I enjoy making my own worlds and using my ideas to make it more realistic.

 

[Ifinx]

I must say that when it comes to fantasy writing it really means something different to all of us, but at the same time it means the same. For me I like the fact that I can dive into a world that exists in my imagination. Where rules are made to be broken and the unthinkable becomes thinkable, and the impossible becomes not only possible but dependent. It allows us to look inside of ourselves and pull out a story in which we would rather rewrite the world with if given the chance. It's a work of art that drives us.

 

[Codey Amprim]

Fantasy... well, it's hard to start this when I have so much to say.

I tend to put myself in my characters' shoes. It makes me feel like I'm someone important, doing something important, while plucking me from the mundane world we live in. It's such a thrill to imagine yourself in another realm, one where the possibilities are endless. It makes me feel like a kid again, free and full of spirit. Fantasy, even more so the universe inside my head, sets me free. It's where I can be myself in sanctuary. It's a dream of a beautiful world, filled with excitement, thrill, mystery, and suspense, that drives me onward. If only ours was the same. If only.

 

[Xanados]

I live and breath fantasy.

Here is a list of things that are near me and are apart of me:
1. Fantasy Writer
2. World of Warcraft Calendar.
3. LotR Chess set
4. Figurine (Saruman)
5. Framed LotR film certificates
6. Middle Earth Map
7. Fantasy books
8. Magic the Gathering cards
9. Dragon vs Mage poster
10. Many bookmarks on fantasy writing and history research.
11. Fantasy/History/Germanic tribe wallpaper
12. PC Games: All fantasy/history titles
13. Appearance: Long hair, Mjolnir pendant.
14. Music: Instrumental Nordic Spiritual, fantasy game music
15. Argent tournament ring tone (World of Warcraft music)

I am surrounded by fantasy. There is not a day when I do not think about fantasy. Every where I look I see fantasy. I have such respect for fantasy that I can recall many tales and finer details of any franchise's lore by heart. For example, Elendil's Oath. I can sing that pretty well.

It's essentially life-blood for me.

I can now speak the Ring verse in Black Speech with utter fluidity. I also can recite the Fall of Gil-Galad, Elven King.
I guess that's 16 and 17 filled.