As much as I enjoy reading the occassional feel-good stories, the well-written fluff, and the beautiful romances, I tend to gravitate towards the darker genres. I'm easily enticed by angst; I thrive in distopic settings, and I just can't quite get away from dark fantasy. It's an internal conflict, really, most of the time, since I root for the protagonist's wellfare, but I thoroughly enjoy everything that the antagonist will throw at them. But most of the time, I enjoy it best if it's a hole that they dug themselves into.

I find it ironic, since a lot of times, it leads me to wonder how my friends from church will see it. Some understand, and for that, I am grateful. And, for the most part, my friends understand my choices. But that still leaves me the question: is it all right for me to be attracted to such things?

Every time I'm pulled back into the loop of reading such eloquently written dark genre-d story, I find myself falling into an emotional dip. I don't know if it's the stress, or if it's the fact that I feel like I'm realizing once more that "hey, that story's talking about something that I probably should be addressing in my life as well." But just when I begin to think, "do I need help regarding these things?" or when I feel like I should, I always end up rationalizing myself away: "Ah, the author did such a great job, you were just being swayed emotionally." "Ah, you're just thinking that. You don't need help; you're just fine."

But, you know, I realize that it's a real question I should probably be addressing. Because it happens over and over again, and sometimes I feel worse. Not all the time, but sometimes. And if it keeps coming back, doesn't that mean there's something wrong? Or is it just because I really am swayed by the story?