But there are people among the escaping ranks with power. Reality is a harsh place, and no one should be faulted for wanting a break. I think his point of view enables him to be an effective narrator to drive home an important lesson.Įscapism isn’t always bad. His path out of himself contrasts well with his adventures into the interior worlds of other people. Eventually, running away is not an option. Eventually, running away means abandoning people he could otherwise help. But his inaction eventually is his fault, especially as he learns about his own ability to affect the reality around him. His reaction to reality is not his fault. Fantasy’s function as refuge is very important to me. It then continues on without us, and often the things that forced us to withdraw get the luxury of continuing unchecked, as we drift further into ourselves.ĭo I fault Kane for using escapism as self-preservation? Absolutely not. When we withdraw, the world only notes our absence for so long. With Kane, I wanted to show how a person can become so insulated by daydreams that they forget how to manage the world around them. And he’s content with this, until the sudden inheritance of power-and the ensuing responsibility-reveals to him how ill-equipped he is to navigate relationships, leadership, community, and other hallmarks of a hero. Kane withdraws into books, movies, and anything that provides a realm other than our own. He is lonely and disenchanted with a reality that has been unkind to him, as reality often is to young queer. Kane uses escapism as a form of self-preservation.

So I created a magic that gives material form to belief, and I created a magic system that gives power to those typically rendered powerless by reality.īy explanation, let me start with Kane, the unlikable hero of REVERIE. I wanted fantasies that were aggressive, and moody, and dead-set on surviving once they’d been manifested.

I love those stories but my goal with REVERIE wasn’t to dig into fantasies that one could simply wake up from.

Dreams are common territory in fiction, but usually as an act of solitary, inward exploration (or prophecy, if we’re being uncanny). I developed the concept of the reverie around the idea of inverting escapism.

Ryan la sala reverie