The Stories We Tell Ourselves: A Video Essay

Someone said to me recently that there’s no point to fiction because it’s all lies; we made it all up. Don't we mess with ideas and concepts and memories through stories? Don't we make a lot of things up? Every conversation and every exchange is, in its own way, a story. We’re telling each other information and colouring it with our perspective. Even when it’s pure facts, we’ve selected which parts are the important ones to pass on. And I like that, so here we are.

Hi hi hello! I'm still alive! I wrote this over a year ago now, just before starting a master's course thinking eh, it'll be fine, I'll have time to work on it between projects. Reader, I did not. Happy 2024 🎉 (PleaseplayRuleofRoseit'sreallygoodIpromi-)

The John Green speech quoted is over here: http://johngreenweblog.blogspot.com/2... (I could not find a recording of it for the life of me which is a real shame, but luckily it's been archived as a blogpost)

Part One Chapter audio from Rule of Rose
Part Two Chapter audio from Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, read by Moira Quirk (that's Daniella from Haunting Ground!! How cool is that?! Also The Locked Tomb is wonderful)
Part Three Chapter audio from Fragile Dreams

//Find me at:
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/honey_bat
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/smolhoneybat
Twitch:   / smolhoneybat  

00:00 Intro
02:07 Self conception
20:02 Emotions
35:20 People Aren’t Stories


Tracklist in order for the curious:

Lonely Space- Coffee Talk
Song of the Ancients (no vocal)- Nier
Lost Library- Omori
The Attic- Rule of Rose
Playing Airship- Rule of Rose
Turned Around- Signalis
Furukiashiki- Higanbana no saku yoro ni
Forest- Fran Bow
Bullying- Rule of Rose
Train Ride- Signalis
Folsense- Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box
Puella in Somnio- Madoka Magica
Tsumi- Higurashi no naku koro ni
Fear- Rule of Rose
The Attic- Rule of Rose
Backbiting- Rule of Rose
Conturbatio- Madoka Magica
Wingless- Umineko no naku koro ni
Title- Omori
Laura Plays the Piano- Silent Hill 2
Forest- Fran Bow
Rumour- The Witch’s House
Reflection- Hollow Knight
Card Castles in the Sky- Alice Madness Returns
Safehouse- Downfall
Tenderhearted- Coffee Talk
Explosion- Arcane
Conturbatio- Madoka Magica
Lily- Ender Lilies
Peaceful Sleep (music box) - Nier Automata
Song of the Ancients (no vocal)- Nier Automata
The Attic- Rule of Rose
Edith’s Theme- What Remains of Edith Finch
Let’s Play- Little Misfortune
Goofball- Ib
The House- What Remains of Edith Finch
The Finale- What Remains of Edith Finch
Die Toteninsel (Emptiness)- Signalis