History Main / MilesToGoBeforeISleep

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* Ivan Isaacs of ''{{Priest}}''. He wants nothing more than to be with his dead girlfriend again, but he still has to complete his RoaringRampageOfRevenge and apparently the BigBad has worked Ivan's fate into his plans, and intentionally keeps him alive so Ivan can fulfill his role.

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<<|DeathTropes|>>

* The House of Responsable Life from the {{Liavek}} anthologies is a religion built around this trope. The members of the religion (popularly known as [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience the Green Priests]]) are sworn to kill themselves, but only after discharging all worldly obligations. Very few of them get around to it, and at least one eventually decides that living is worth it after all.

Compare TheAtoner, who may also be a DeathSeeker but chooses to go on living to repent for their wrongdoings.

-->-- "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening", by Robert Frost.

-->-- Frodo Baggins, ''TheLordOfTheRings''

->''"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.''\\

''And miles to go before I sleep."''

->''"The woods are lovely, dark and deep.''
->''But I have promises to keep,''
->''And miles to go before I sleep,''
->''And miles to go before I sleep."''

[[folder: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}} ]]

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--> If thou didst ever hold me in thy heart
--> Absent thee from felicity awhile,
--> And in this harsh world draw thy breath in pain,
--> To tell my story. . .

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* In the 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons supplement ''The Book of Erotic Fantasy'' ( a 3rd party supplement dealing expressly with sex and all its aspects in the terms of the d20 system), there is a spell called ''Shadow Life''. It is distinctly separate from the theme of the rest of the book, as on its own it has no sexual connotations. It grants the target ( a recently-dead character) one extra day of life for every level the caster has. The flavor text is especially poignant.

[[folder: {{Video Games}} ]]

[[folder: {{Real Life}} ]]

* The House of Responsable Life from the {{Liavek}} anthologies is a religion built around this trope. The members of the religion (popularly known as [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience the Green Priests]] are sworn to kill themselves, but only after discharging all worldly obligations. Very few of them get around to it, and at least one eventually decides that living is worth it after all.

* Towards the end of season five of {{Supernatural}} Dean is sick and tired of fighting, and just wants to die...but the angels have made it clear they'd just bring him back. His only out is to agree to [[spoiler: participate in the apocalypse]], which he won't do because of the collateral damage. [[spoiler: Lucifer]] makes much the same threat to Sam.
* The Babylon 5 episode ''Comes the Inquisitor'', Sheridan and Delenn are tested by an inquisitor sent by the Vorlons, eventually revealed to be [[spoiler: Jack the Ripper.]] He is depicted as having acted in part out of moral judgementalism, and as a result was picked up by the Vorlons in a rendom act of poetic justice, and forced to sort out the truly righteous from the simply self-righteous.

* Towards the end of season five of {{Supernatural}} Dean is sick and tired of fighting, and just wants to die...but the angels have made it clear they'd just bring him back. His only out is to agree to [[spoiler: participate in the apocalypse]], which he won't do because of all the other people it would hurt. [[spoiler: Lucifer]] makes much the same threat to Sam.
* The Babylon 5 episode '''Comes the Inquisitor''', Sheridan and Delenn are tested by an inquisitor sent by the Vorlons, eventually revealed to [[spoiler: Jack the Ripper.]] He is depicted as having acted in part out of moral judgementalism, and as a result was picked up by the Vorlons in a rendom act of poetic justice, and forced to sort out the truly righteous from the simply self-righteous.

* After being mortally wounded by radiation, [[DoctorWho the Tenth Doctor]] travels the galaxy in order to help all those he traveled with; only after visiting Rose does he give himself over to death.
** The trope is in fact inverted here. The Tenth Doctor doesn't want to die, and is trying to hold off his death by radiation poisoning as long as possible. Its less "how long before I get to die" and more "how much longer do I have to live".

* Auron in ''FinalFantasyX'' actually died trying to avenge his friends ''before'' the game, then lived for another ten years as an Unsent [[UnfinishedBusiness so he could guide his friends' kids to finish the job]].

Suicide missions don't grow on trees. Not every character to whom life has become a burden can kill themselves or even allow themselves to die. Sometimes there's a task or an obligation that must be discharged before they can ever have peace. It might be some grand quest only they can complete, or it might simply be the knowledge that people are depending on them, or will be devastated by their loss. Sometimes such a character must reluctantly fight to survive even though they don't want to. They might be allowed to "die trying" to do whatever it is, but not until they've exhausted every possible effort they can make.

* Played with in ''{{Monster}}'', to put it gently. [[spoiler:Johan ultimately wants to die, but he must destroy Bonaparta first.]]

So, you're a DeathSeeker, are you? You've lost everything, or you've been dishonoured or wronged beyond endurance, and now you're charging off to get yourself killed in the big battle ahead? Ha! Luxury. Some of us can only ''dream'' of the sheer indulgence of surrendering ourselves to sweet, sweet oblivion! Unfortunately, we've got a to-do list as long as your arm to deal with first.

Of course what happens to such a character can vary - some will find that the obligation to keep living has actually helped them to weather the psychological storm and when their task is done, they're free to enjoy life after all. Others will die in trying to fulfill their responsibilities, or [[PostDramaticStressDisorder shortly afterwards]], as if their bodies knew it was safe to give out now.

* [[FailureKnight Zest]] of ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha [=StrikerS=]'', who still needs to confront his old friend and learn [[spoiler:the reason behind the [[CloneDegeneration death of his original]] together with the rest of his squad]], [[spoiler:[[ReverseMole backstab Jail Scaglietti]]]], then make sure his charges will be safe afterwards before he could finally [[DeathSeeker seek his final honor as a knight]].

* Both Frodo and Sam in ''TheLordOfTheRings'', in different ways. Frodo is committed to carrying on towards Mount Doom--ultimately even crawling on hands and knees--despite a long, quietly deepening certainty that the quest is hopeless. Sam tends to take a more one-day-at-a-time approach, but when he finds Frodo, apparently killed by Shelob, his first instinct is to consider suicide, or be cut down by Orcs defending Frodo's body. Only with great reluctance does he realise that the responsibility to destroy the ring trumps his personal despair and resolves to carry on alone. Often, later, he regrets bitterly that the two of them cannot just "lie down and go to sleep." Sam, incidentally, does recover his will to live an ordinary life, while Frodo doesn't.

* After being mortally wounded by radiation, [[DoctorWho the Tenth Doctor]] travels the galaxy in order to help all those he travelled with; only after visiting Rose does he give himself over to death.

* In the 3.5 Dungeons & Dragons supplement ''The Book of Erotic Fantasy'' ( a 3rd party supplement dealing expressily with sex and all its aspects in the terms of the d20 system), there is a spell called ''Shadow Life''. It is distinctly separate from the theme of the rest of the book, as on its own it has no sexual connotations. It grants the target ( a recently-dead character) one extra day of life for every level the caster has. The flavor text is especially poignant.

--> ''A life cut short. A quest left unfinished. One more task to be done.''

Of course what happens to such a character can vary - some will find that the obligation to keep living has actually helped them to weather the psychological storm and when their task is done, they're free to enjoy life after all. Others will die in trying to fulfill their responsibilities, or shortly afterwords, as if their bodies knew it was safe to give out now.