You son of a bitch, Death.
I was trying to think of a good one to end this Question 3 thing with before I move back to Teaser Tuesdays. There are a lot of scary and creepy topics that I could touch on, but I’ve done quite a few over the years. So, I had made my list and then puttered around the Internet in search of the finale and locked in on a word I saw in a lot of horror-based descriptions:
DEATH!
Of course, my mind went to the Grim Reaper. Well, that’s a logical path for me during this time. It’s weird too because I never think about him outside of pop culture. I watched ‘The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy’ way back when and he was always a major boss fight in the Castlevania series. Honestly, the Grim Reaper seems to be a fairly benign horror figure. He shows up in comedies fairly often or he’s mentioned without making an appearance. I can’t even tell if he’s still an influential monster in today’s world, but it’s hard to tell if he’s a monster at all.
You see, vampires, zombies, werewolves, and the like were once human. They have been cursed into becoming evil. Demons were always evil, but they need to influence humans to get their work done. Ghosts happen because you have died and need to settle things before you pass on. The Grim Reaper doesn’t have any of these situations. He is supposed to be Death Incarnate. Unlike other monsters, he is a force of nature in every sense of the phrase. He exists to make sure the cycle of life continues unabated, which means he’s an essential part of our world. The only reason we fear him is because mortals with a sense of their existence are terrified of death. Well, I guess the skeletal body and the giant scythe don’t help his case. Time for questions:
- If you got to be the Grim Reaper for a day, how would you handle it?
- Do you believe the Grim Reaper is really a monster?
- If you met the Grim Reaper, what would you say?
Legends of Windemere 
!. I’d try and be tactful. And I’d probably wear less intimidating clothes.
2. No.
3. If this is going to hurt, I want an anaesthetic.
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I think people seem to just drop when he does his thing. Though sometimes he’s just a guide after one’s death. The clothes do seem to be an odd choice if you want to comfort someone.
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1.) I’d want a wardrobe upgrade and a nicer boat.
2.) Depends upon your point of contact. If he’s there for me, yes.
3.) Look over there… (I’m gone.)
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Can you really escape him though? I mean, he kind of flies and goes through stuff. Sensing several people will change the attire.
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Ha! Probably not, but at that point I’m out of options. Might as well try. I’m getting a vision of those old Keystone Cops reels.
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Challenge him to a game. Seems to work in fiction.
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That’s true. Maybe that’s how Captain Jack earned the black spot.
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Forgot about that. Thought that was the debt with Davey Jones coming due.
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It was, but Jones had kind of that vibe.
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I was going to say what you said in number 3! You are forcing me to think of something else! 😅 😂
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I’m sure you can.
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1. Not well. I’d probably be quick to flip over that hour glass for those I think died way before their time… Especially children.
2. No. He’s just a force of nature, like you said. Plus, I can’t think of him without thinking of Death from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, and it’s hard to consider him a monster when I’ve seen him portrayed like that.
3. Considering all the times I’ve come close to it in my life from health issues, surgeries, and accidents, I’d probably have to go with something like, “You took your time.”
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1. I’ve seen that play out in tv shows. Always makes a mess of things. The Reaper seems to be big on showing humans that death is a part of life and is rarely fair.
2. Never read those books. I was thinking of the version from Supernatural near the end of writing this post.
3. Love to see or hear his reaction to that. ‘Well, if it isn’t Ms. Catch and Release! This real or are you teasing me again?’ 😜
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1. That’s why I say I wouldn’t do very well… That hourglass flipping thing to give people more time never works out well in the longterm, but I’d be so tempted to do it anyhow, which probably wouldn’t be a good plan.
2. You should read Terry Pratchett’s discworld books… I think you’d like his sense of humour.
3. LOL! Yeah, looking forward to his reaction to that myself. Hopefully it will be a while yet before I get to see what it would be. I don’t think I’ll be in a position to let you know what he says though. 😉
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1. If you got to be the Grim Reaper for a day, how would you handle it?
Probably the way Death handles it in the Discworld series—with humor!
2. Do you believe the Grim Reaper is really a monster?
Not really. I can’t help thinking of Death in Terry Pratchett’s series and in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman graphic novel series.
3. If you met the Grim Reaper, what would you say?
Probably what Mort says in Terry Pratchett’s book, MORT: “Excuse me, sir, but are you Death?” And then I would seek employment rather than just calmly dying. And when Death thinks it over, I would say, “I don’t have to die to get the job, do I?” Because that worked for Mort.
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1. Discworld is popular today.
2. Death definitely gets a bad rep.
3. Sounds like a plan.
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I love the Discworld series. So funny.
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1. It would be temping to visit all the people who cause evil in the world, but i think I’d probably freak out.
2. No. He’s not a monster. He scares peoplr because he takes them into the unknown, but he’s just a force of nature.
3. What would I say? If it were Hallowe’en, ” nice costume.” If it wasn’t, I’d deny I was who he’s looking for and direct him somewhere else.
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1. Visiting evil people would be tempting. Not sure it would do anything though. Who would believe Death is there?
2. Definitely a natural figure instead of a monster.
3. Hopefully, he isn’t like Santa and doesn’t check his list once much less twice.
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If I got to be the Grim Reaper for a day I would try to make everyone laugh for the last time. Tell a joke or something. I think a Clarabelle costume might be good.
I don’t believe the Grim Reaper is a monster. It is a tough job but someone has to do it.
If I met the Grim Reaper I guess I would say, “You sure you have the right person?”
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That’s a nice route to go. Hope everyone has a sense of humor though. What would you do if someone didn’t laugh?
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I’d turn to a regular clown and scared them to death.
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Not to brush your specific questions aside, but this post made me think about that traditional “grim reaper” image. It seems to come to us from Medieval times, when many people lived on farms and would be familiar with the scythe as an instrument of the harvest. But these days, I wonder if many people even know what the scythe was for.
If we were creating a new image for the Grim Reaper, I’m sure he would carry a firearm instead of a scythe. But, still, we have so much more knowledge about what causes death now. I wonder if the Grim Reaper of the covid pandemic would have a spiky crown, or some other emblem.
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Many people don’t really know what a scythe is for. At least in urban and suburban settings. It’s seen more as a weapon than a farming tool.
A Reaper for every type of death would’ve interesting.
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