Over-the-Top Fiction
Over-the-top stories are an acquired taste. Not everyone likes them. They often earn eye rolls. However, they’re not meant to be realistic, but that’s usually the number one complaint against them. (To that, I say: If you don’t like a type of story, don’t read it. And more importantly, don’t leave a bad review when the blurb warned you).
We read fiction to escape reality. Sometimes, we seek entertainment. At other times, we seek catharsis. We can live a million different lives in between the pages.
While over-the-top stories lean more toward comedy, that does not mean they lack emotional range. Sometimes, over-the-top is precisely what we need for catharsis. We can’t (or shouldn’t) be over-the-top in our everyday lives. But stories allow us to imagine ‘What if we could?’ and experience our wildest fantasies.
In over-the-top stories, our ‘ids’ run the show. We can experience our emotions in their purest forms and follow our hearts. Knowing we would never actually do any of those things is what makes it so funny. We’re safe within the confines of a fictional world where there usually is a happy ending. So, while we may not want to find ourselves in these incredibly ridiculous situations in real life, it’s fun to imagine what if.
If you’re naturally curious like me, you’ve asked a million ‘what if‘ questions. And for each one, you’ve thought of multiple scenarios. Our over-active imaginations need an outlet, or these stories live rent-free in our heads. We can fall down a rabbit hole of daydreams and get lost in our own worlds, imagining the wildest situations:
What if?
What if my crush and I got stranded in a cave during a blizzard and needed to share body heat to survive? What if they never noticed me before– is this the chance I’ve been waiting for? Or am I just convenient?
What if someone could spend one moment with me and become instantly devoted to me? What would it be like if that intense love at first sight were real?
What if someone I was acquainted with had an identical twin I didn’t know about, and they switched places, but I fell in love with the twin?
What if I had to enter a marriage of convenience to access a secret inheritance I didn’t even know I had?
And for every ridiculous question, there’s a story waiting to answer. In these imaginary worlds, we can act out all of our repressed emotions in a safe, enjoyable way. No matter how angsty or dark or angry we get, by the end of the story, we’ve worked through those feelings with a smile. Sometimes, we need to be able to laugh through our pain. And sometimes, fiction is the closest thing to closure.
If you have assumed that over-the-top stories aren’t for you, have an open mind. Try reading, listening to, or watching, and see if you feel a release. There’s nothing quite like it.
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