@alexa – Pan’s Labyrinth was awesomesauce, for pretty much exactly the reasons you stated. And anyways, so long as you don’t mind, I’d love to read a piece of you soul. Rofl that sounds kinda creepy. Secret History definitely deserves a second reading, as well.

@adaywithoutme – It’s very true — that’s definitely why Alice in Wonderland has been one of my favorite stories for so long. It’s odd and different but so incredibly familiar — the way the best sorts of stories have to be, I think.

@blissmo – Me too. :-D

@TheBigN – Waaa~ You compliment me too much! ^.^;; Anyways, blame itsubun and some other gals for being so insistent about getting me to join the round robin. I can’t guarantee I’ll be consistent but it’s much more motivating to write when I know people are going to read it. Pardon my ego, haha. I do think that the ways we “escape” probably say something about ourselves, though perhaps something a bit more abstract, and if not abstract than certainly less easily defined. So many people choose the same hobby – even the circle of fools this hobby collects makes that sort of obvious, I think. And I say fools as in jolly court jesters, not stupid people. :-p

It does make sense that escapism is just another way to confirm who we are. I do wonder what that means in regards to what you indulge yourself in order to escape. Anime? Music? Sports? Does what medium you choose to escape in say something as well?

As for the Alice in Wonderland allusions, I suppose the best way to define it is to say that one must escape from oneself in order to really know oneself – one must step outside of one’s existence and experiences, for to look from the inside is to not truly know oneself. Alice might think she’s going down a rabbit hole and away from what is sensical, and therefore her act can come across as escapism, but she finds herself – for a few of us, I think our responses illustrated this fact; I know mine certainly did.

Also, in a strangely related way, I was thinking about finding reflections of yourself in regards to this movie in terms of race. You know how I’m always annoyed with multiculturalists who claim that people need to see people of their own race, see heroes of stories that look like them, in order to gain a sense of identity. But when I started watching Pan’s Labyrinth I felt strange sort of excitement in seeing a main character that looked like me because she was Latina, but quickly realized that it was by no means some profound sense of connection with those I shared some genetics and culture with, just vanity.

P.S. I appreciate the Secret History quote. And if you think that book was so much like me, I don’t know what you’re going to think when you read Island, which is a book I view as a piece of my soul.