As a human, you are most definitely mortal. Unfortunately, there is
little you can do to change the fact that your body will some day
grow old and die. However, that doesn't mean that you can't give the
impression that your longevity is somewhat greater than that of your
fellow mortals.
With a bit of mystery, maturity, and reliance on the things that give
an impression of a lengthy life, you may succeed in convincing the
less skeptical around you that you are truly able to live forever and
for everyone else, you can at least present the aura of being
timeless. If you're interested in creating a romanticized
Victorian-era style of immortality, read on!
!! Steps !!
An example of a Victorian classic waistcoat Dress in old-fashioned
[1] clothing. The exact era does not matter, but the quality is very
important, and a subtle Victorian [2] fashion is ideal for giving the
impression that you've already been around for some time. You can
find little pieces of Victorian style garb at thrift stores like
Goodwill, or you could always buy online. Don't forget to use your
creativity to vamp up clothing in the Victorian style – think lace,
brooches, brocade, velvet, etc.
Cameos are perfect for giving any outfit a subtly Victorian air.
Look for vintage brooches, particularly cameos. They can go on
sweaters, dresses, and more to give the impression of an earlier age.
[3]
Sweaters and shawls are great, because they look old-fashioned and
they match perfectly with vintage brooches.
Wear older style dresses and frocks.
* _ A skirt should at least come close to touching your
knees. Don't forget your old-fashioned modesty! People of your_
time didn't wear super-tight tank tops or skimpy little cut-off
shorts. Why, back in previous centuries, baring your ankles was
unheard of! Of course, after living through different eras,
you've probably modernized a bit, so it's no big deal to wear a
skirt that reaches your knees rather than your ankles, or to wear
a top that doesn't touch your collarbones; just remember to dress
somewhat modestly.
Become familiar with classical music [4]. Mozart, Tchaikovsky,
Beethoven, Chopin, Bach... all the greats. It's impressive and
unusual when a young person has an intimate familiarity with music
from eras passed long before his or her own, so people will most
likely pay quite a bit of notice to your extensive (and uncommon)
interest.
* Couple this interest with clear and verifiable knowledge about the
composers. Depending on how good you are at storytelling, you
might even like to sprinkle your conversation with anecdotes about
"the time that Beethoven did X", or "the time that Mozart really
moved me most was when...".
Take up hobbies from eras long past. Hobbies that have less appeal
today but were once thriving are excellent ones to take up and
learn, and the more intricate and labor-intensive, the more likely
that your skills will astonish people. Think about hobbies such as
lace-making, tatting [5], building exquisite wooden toys in the
Victorian style, embroidering wall tapestries, etc. In addition, a
number of hobbies that have a fresh revival can also be relied upon
but take an old-fashioned slant on them rather than the more modern
versions, with such hobbies as knitting [6], taxidermy, and tatting.
An old-fashioned tennis costume Sports hobbies that were once very
popular but are less so now include badminton [7], croquet, and
side-saddle riding. For sports such as tennis, resort to wearing
older style fashions and playing only on grass courts. Hold garden
parties with badminton and croquet as major forms of entertainment;
movies like Merchant Ivory's "Room with a View" will help give you a
good sense of such events in the past.
* Chess is a good old-fashioned boredom buster! Prefer
card and board games [8] over video and electronic games. Hunt
through antique or secondhand stores and look for original
versions of board games (with wooden, bakelite, and glass pieces),
chess sets, and cards, etc.
Read classic novels from different historical eras. Some favorites
include _Pride and Prejudice_, _The Scarlet Letter_, _Little Women_,
_Wuthering Heights_, and _Rebecca_. Vampire fiction is a very
Victorian romantic choice, but avoid Twilight and all of the recent
vampire novels written for teenage girls; instead, opt for vivid,
horrifying vampire fiction like Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles [9].
And any Shakespearean literature will work.
* Line the walls of your shelves with old books. Many old books are
sold very cheaply or even tossed away at auctions, antique stores,
and used book stores. They look amazing when filling a bookshelf
[10] and will definitely give the impression you've been around
for a time. Funk it up with a mixture of books in between the
beautiful of old books, such as interestingly covered books from
the 30s, 50s, 60s, 80s, and now, to give the impression you've
been an avid reader for decade after decade after century...
Take up calligraphy [11]. Fancy penmanship is generally associated
with past eras, when people were taught to write in elegant scrolls
using quills [12]. Learn a penmanship suited to your style and
personalize it with little loops here, and dashes there. This might
require some practice on your behalf before you settle on a style
that works best for you. _ The fleur-de-lis makes a
lovely envelope seal, as shown here. Write letters [13] by hand.
Letter writing, in lieu of text messaging or emailing, is a very
immortal-like pastime. You can put your newly learned penmanship to
good use too! To really_ enhance the immortal effect, you can even
seal your envelopes with red wax seals and write with a feather
quill [14], as many people did in past eras.
Be sure to use very formal forms of address. This links back to an
era when formality and manners were deeply observed. Read an old
etiquette book, such as an early version by Emily Post, to get a
good idea of the more formal types of salutations and content.
Express a profound fascination with art and architecture [15] from
across all different ages. An eye for true art is a skill that many
young people do not yet have, and so, your maturity [16] of taste
will most likely strike others as odd but intensely fascinating.
* Borrow books on art and architecture from the library. Study as
many images as possible and become familiar with the terms
associated with specific eras of art and architecture so that you
can use them with ease. This can be great when traveling through
Europe and you can point out the architectural styles
effortlessly!
Develop an accent [17]. As an immortal, you may very well be an
immigrant; a subtle 'accent' will show this. If you're American, try
to add a slight British [18] or French [19] speech pattern to your
pronunciation. Pronounce your vowels slightly differently and try
your best to subtly imitate an aristocrat in your speech.
Alternatively, use the next step to make your English sound
old-fashioned.
Improve your vocabulary [20]. As an immortal who has seen much of
the world, you most likely know and use a lot of uncommon words and
phrases. Reading Shakespeare or Jane Austen will help you to become
familiar with terms that are less common in modern speech.
Shakespeare [21] coined words like "ghastly" and "tongue-tied", and
phrases like "All that glitters is not gold." Incorporating
obscure, complicated words and phrases into your speech will make
you seem wiser [22] and, therefore, older [23], depending on where
you live.
* Consider studying Old and Middle English. These originating forms
of modern English contain wonderful words and phrases that you can
add knowingly to your everyday conversations [24]. They're fun to
learn, they increase your understanding of English grammar and
they're historically useful, enabling you to read old texts such
as Beowulf in the original English.
Be mature [25]. If you want it to seem that you have lived through
many ages, behaving in a mature fashion is a must. You have seen
many things and learned a great deal, so aim to present an aura of
wisdom without being arrogant or know-it-all. The longer you live,
the more you learn how little you know!
* Be thoughtful [26] of others and listen to them with
attentiveness.
* Offer advice only when it is asked for; avoid bossing people
around.
* Be generous; someone who has lived a long time would know the
value of giving back to others in order to lead a fulfilling life.
!! Tips !!
* Mix up old technologies with the new; have lots of classical music
on your iPod, a collection of old videos next to your Blu-Ray DVDs
or really old-fashioned shoes next to popping modern ones. Tell
people that you're in the mood for "old" or "modern" technology
today, and make a show of pushing aside the older or newer items
when looking for the things you want.
!! Warnings !!
* Telling people that you're 752 years old will bring about laughter
or pity. The idea is to give the impression that you've lived over
the the ages, not to actually spell it out.
* When talking about people who lived in the past, be careful not to
make it sound like you knew the person unless you're a top rate
story-teller with all the facts down perfectly. Even then, realize
people will easily dismiss your fantasies.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Romantic style clothing, good quality
* Copies of the classics for reading and listening to
* Dictionary for older words
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Be Old Fashioned for Girls [27]
* How to Achieve the Vintage Look in Photoshop [28]
* How to Make Clothes Look Vintage and Worn [29]
* How to Have a Vintage Clothing Style [30]
* How to Shop for Vintage Clothing [31]
* How to Be an Ethereal Beauty (Teens) [32]
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
* Discuss
Links:
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[1] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Classical-Waistcoat-Vest-Attire-Victorian-i-love-it.jpg
[2] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Victorian-Choker
[3] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Cameos-Galore%21.jpg
[4] http://www.wikihow.com/Appreciate-Classical-Music
[5] http://www.wikihow.com/Begin-Tatting
[6] http://www.wikihow.com/Knit
[7] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:10-27-07%2C-birthday-costume.jpg
[8] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Chess-Glass.jpg
[9] http://www.wikihow.com/Behave-Like-the-Vampire-Lestat
[10] http://www.wikihow.com/Organize-a-Bookshelf
[11] http://www.wikihow.com/Write-in-Calligraphy
[12] http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Paper-Quill
[13] http://www.wikihow.com/Image:Sealed.jpg
[14] http://www.wikihow.com/Write-With-a-Feather-Quill
[15] http://www.wikihow.com/Appreciate-the-Evolution-of-Architecture
[16] http://www.wikihow.com/Show-Maturity
[17] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Convincing-Accent
[18] http://www.wikihow.com/Speak-in-a-British-Accent
[19] http://www.wikihow.com/Fake-a-Convincing-French-Accent
[20] http://www.wikihow.com/Build-Your-Vocabulary
[21] http://www.wikihow.com/Speak-Like-Shakespeare
[22] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Wise
[23] http://www.wikihow.com/Look-Older-%28Teenage-Girls%29
[24] http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Great-Conversation
[25] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Mature
[26] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-More-Thoughtful
[27] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Old-Fashioned-for-Girls
[28] http://www.wikihow.com/Achieve-the-Vintage-Look-in-Photoshop
[29] http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Clothes-Look-Vintage-and-Worn
[30] http://www.wikihow.com/Have-a-Vintage-Clothing-Style
[31] http://www.wikihow.com/Shop-for-Vintage-Clothing
[32] http://www.wikihow.com/Be-an-Ethereal-Beauty-%28Teens%29
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