If fantasy could be true (contains some RotE spoilers so beware)

[Omie]

The very last thing I would wish to be real is magic. Magic is... the opposite of nature. Some people would say that of science, but only because they are ignorant of what science actually is and what it means. Nature is stuff happening. Science is why.

The world is amazing, wondrous, beautiful, devastating and powerful enough already. Bees buzz, birds call, leaves fall and tides happen and none of that requires even a glimmer of magic. I will never understand the people who say 'There's more to the world than what you see!'. Have you seen the world? How could you possibly ask for more?

But... I'm still a sucker for fantasy. I don't read fantasy to escape into impossible worlds, just to experience them for a little bit. Sometimes I wish I could walk in the landscapes described by some authors. I love walking. Robin Hobb's books are particularly descriptive of the landscapes and I tend to get an overwhelming urge to go hiking while I'm reading her books. Sometimes when I do hike I look around and imagine its a fantasy place, too. Not that that would make it better, it's just fun to imagine I'm doing something epic for a while. There's a place quite near me called Blackstone Edge and I know I'll not be able to look at the plateaus of black rock again without thinking 'Memory stone!'.

Oh, and I get very envious of the hardiness and self-suffiency of some fantasy characters. If I was picked up and plopped down into a fantasy quest I think I'd die before the first night was over. For starters, i have no idea how to hunt or light a fire from scratch. I could hold a sword the right way up, but that's about it. The only traditional skill I possess is knitting, and that probably wouldn't help me much if I was a fantasy character on some epic quest. Oh no, a dragon is coming towards me! Do you suppose it wants a bobble hat?!