An unhealthy mystery

We’ve dealt with a lot of hate lately.  It’s come from being selfish and entitled, come from paranoia, and it’s come from wanting to safeguard a medium.  Selfishness can be understood.  Fear can be understood.  The desire to protect can be understood.

But this, honestly, can’t be understood.

Let’s say you’re a vegetarian.  Are you going to tell people they can only prepare meat one single way?

Sure.  If you’re crazy.

So why do people do the same thing to fantasy, specifically to elves in general when they don’t like to read about elves?

From their comments, elves one way is all they read, which is why they don’t like them, which is why elves have to be one way, which is why it’s all they have ever read, etc.  It’s a strange literary version of the chicken and the egg (if we leave out dinosaurs).

While their argument is true that Tolkein created what is considered the iconic elf, there has been a glut of elves that stray from his vision since the 80’s with the Deathgate Cycle, Elfquest, and Sovereign Stone books, as well as even roleplays, Dragonlance series, and Magic the Gathering have made very unique versions.

Like vampires, there are no set rules that these people claim there are.  Elves were depicted as being in airships, evil beings, mindless, and ugly before I graduated high school.

Inspiration for creativity works similar to nutrition.  Words like ‘overdone’ or ‘cliché’ or even ‘it’s not an elf without what I say is an elf’ are just the same as ‘red meat will kill you’ or ‘alcohol is bad for you’ or ‘It’s not natural to eat what I don’t want you to eat. Anyone with a brain knows the key is to consume a wide variety and moderate to your best ability—both in mind and body.

Whodunnit

Who ruined vampires?

Do you really want an answer?

Do you?

You. 

Anyone who thinks something like vampires can be ruined is the reason they’re being ruined.

Vampires are a world wide belief with hundreds of variations of time and place.  They embody man’s fear of the unknown and being helpless, be it by nature, mistrust of his arranged wife, for a baby’s health, for stalkers that you’re never aware of, for your own instincts, for what happens when one dies—or supposedly does, for someone’s immortal soul. Vampire stories can have been any length, from flash fiction to long series of novels.  They span stories of all mediums for all ages across all genres.

Tell me, is it one person who wrote a few books who wants to snuff out thousands of years of history across the globe, or people who don’t like a few books and are willing to burn the rest along with them? 

If trying to end creativity is what those who dislike the series push for, then I, sadly, side against them.

For all the faults of her as a writer, trying to actively end creativity of another is not one of them.  Can you say that about yourself?  If not, you ruin far more than just vampires and have only yourself to blame.