by Sara "Zarine" Jessop
Issue #5: Introspective Night Elf
Dear Madam Zarine,
I'm considered an oldbie by many, yet 'oldbie' only meant anyone who had been adventuring more than seven years when I started. And when one started adventuring, one could be anything and become anything they wished!
And then, these quiet, plague and death-filled years have been forced upon us. When hearing about any adventures to be had of any type in the latter half of the 'thousand and teens', I have found I've become desperate for a crumb, a shred of being remembered (for good or for not-so-good-life lessons), instead of enjoying the recounting of tales with new(er) heroes that saved the day. And said heroes will always stay about the same age, as I age out.
AITA for not wanting to fade away quietly? AITA for wishing to be in the spotlight once again, when rightly it ought to be with adventurers younger and more active than myself?
Sincerely,
Introspective Night Elf
Dear Introspective Night Elf,
These ‘quiet, plague and death-filled years’ have caused all of us to be a bit more introspective than usual. When one has a lot of time on one’s hands, one’s mind tends to wander. And it doesn’t usually lead down a road filled with happy trees. Oh no, it wanders deep into the forest of hateful trees that say hurtful things like ‘you’re ugly’, ‘you’re not good enough’, and ‘no one wears that style anymore’. It’s enough to make you want to burn down that stupid forest and laugh at the ashes for being more grey than your once beautifully lustrous hair. Sadly, burning down the forest will do nothing to silence the voices. If anything, it just makes them louder.
Due to a lack of in person gatherings, we’ve resorted to more modern ways of communication. I don’t pretend to be an expert on how the elves manage to deliver our messages to everyone all at once in an instant, I assume some sort of secret magic stored in the points of their ears. These more modern methods tend to attract more… well, more people born closer to the modern day. The voices in the ethereal room are suddenly younger, less experienced, and very excitable. They say new fangled words like ‘yeet’ and ‘equality’ and are named after things in popular culture that we have never even heard of. These young, vibrant, optimistic fools have become the louder faction, and it can be hard to hear your own voice drowned out by a tidal wave of change.
It’s not just new blood that washes away the past. Sometimes it’s your peers that manage to do that. People tell stories of the old days and tick off names of important people that were there and hardly ever mention me. Was I invisible then? Or just that forgettable? It’s hard to realize you just weren’t that important or memorable to people who are important and memorable to you. No matter who or what is making you feel this way, you needn’t remain a footnote in history. It’s never too late to step into the spotlight, and as long as you aren’t dimming someone else’s light to make yours shine brighter (because who would become famous that way, am I right?) I don’t see how anyone could possibly fault you for your late life ambitions.
I don’t think I was wrong for wanting to be noticed, and I don’t think you are either. The desire to be accredited for your accomplishments is not, in and of itself, amoral. Stepping back and allowing the younger generation to step up doesn’t mean that we need to be forgotten. We’re not dead, just older and wiser and drinking at the fire while the ambitious youths who still have two good knees and the ability to drive a carriage after dark are out saving the world.
So, unless you act on those feelings in some abhorrent way, I don’t think you are the arsehole.
Verdict: Not the Arsehole.
So, general plebs of the land, do you think they are an arsehole? No? Maybe? Well, don’t hold back, we all want to know! Feel free to weigh in in the comments.
Have a query about your potential arseholishness? You can send your questions directly to me (sarajjessop@gmail.com if you have no other contact information for me) or you can reach me through the View’s offices at areni.daru@gmail.com .