In this fast-paced world, things can become overwhelming fast or too much. There are many ways that I used to distract myself from the world around me, the things I have to do and the to-do list that is piling up.
I remember when I was small, I used to go outside to play to get away from my responsibilities. It was easy, but over time, and the various places I have been, it became impractical. I had too much to do, in less time and the stress is not fun. I used books once I learned to love them after reading Harry Potter. And I still feel the weight of all those books I haven't read, the stories I haven't understood, and the characters I don't know yet.
Then I discovered fanfiction and I realized that sometimes, OK most of the time, there are stories fans write that are better than the actual books they are based on. These are stories that are better told by the eyes of those who are more diverse, more understanding, and more passionate about the characters.
Fanfiction is a realm of endless possibilities where anyone can be paired up with anyone and the author can do anything they want. The original author of the series or TV show have fleshed the characters and the universe for us and it is easy to pick them up and make them into what they want.
It has always been easy to lose myself in another world that brings me joy, and things there are going exactly the way I want it to unlike the responsibilities and expectations in real life. I can sit back, relax and lose myself in the difficult decisions and conflicts these characters have and have comfort in the fact that there is always a happy ending there.