Why I like Stories

Warning, this will start a little emo and get better later.

I've been feeling a little recently. There's plenty of factors, and I won't get into them here. But suffice to say I've been not as chipper as during the Spring.

However, I've noticed there are a few things I enjoy and can really lift my mood. One is social interaction, and thank God I've found things to keep me busy there. The other is reading stories. This can be going through the archive of one of my webcomics (another post on those eventually) or something like don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story. It's a quick little visual novel game, meaning you read some dialogue and every now and then are prompted with decisions to make. Some are minor, and some can drastically change the overarching story. The core though is you're reading a narrative and can slightly tweak things, but you're not actually in control since... well... it just ain't your story.

This fascination with stories isn't just a recent thing. I still remember how drawn I was to stories as a kid. Any story would do. For a while my sister had gotten a magazine series called Cricket, and I could spend hours or even days being absorbed in the various stories told through the archive of issues we had. I gobbled up the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in the span of a few days. If given the opportunity, I will read over 500 pages a day, or however long the particular book is I'm reading. This actually has forced me to NOT buy books or else every piece of spare time I had would be absorbed into them. And a decent chunk of time that wasn't free.

I'm even a sucker for most semblances of a plot. On more than one occasion have I had to tear myself away from a really poor piece after getting seriously plot committed. The plot was a complete wreck as was everything else, but I felt an obligation to finish it. I had to know what happened to these characters.

And I think therin lies the crux of the matter. Stories, overall, are a well-structured description of what is going on. They aren't as messy or complicated as real life. Even when things get really, really rough you subconsciously take comfort in the fact that there was an author to all of this and the ending will be what they designed it to be. It's the solace that at the end of the day everything will tie itself up in a neat bow. Or at least to what the author intended. It's that glimpse of hope, that at the end of the day things work out and all the uncertainty and worry was mostly for naught that really speaks to me. Even with the downer endings the ride is worth it. Being able to see things through a different lens, to cheer on your favorite character or get frustrated by an obvious trap. But most of all to be able to step into a world where things are under control and will work out to their appointed endings.

Sure you could call me a weakling who can't face the harsh realities of life. The uncertainty of what you're doing, how things will end, and that you can't skip to the good part is something you're just supposed to deal with. The grim trudge of time, the broken lives scattered around you, and the brevity of your life in the grand scheme of things are supposed to galvanize you, or at least temper your spirit. Worrying is good, it makes you do better. If you can't face the reality of the world, then have fun in your little escapist fantasy wasting away while I go forth and conquer the world and look down upon your little hidey-hole. Real badasses charge the frontline. Right?

Still, I like my stories.