My notion of storytelling has always been that it is our way of expressing that which is both truest and most unreal—in fantasy we are able to create a sort of hyperrealism that supersedes the constraints of everyday life. However, for most of my childhood my ideas about stories and how they were told were extremely conventional. Have idea, will write. Now, we’re faced with a wealth of different ways to communicate; interactive text, kinetic poems, pixelated characters marching across entrancing backdrops. We’re allowed to watching videos embedded right in what would otherwise be linear stories, text and images and sound all blurring together to be viewed, read, watched and even played through or interacted with. The relationship between the reader (or watcher, or viewer) and the storyteller (or other artist) has been irrevocably changed—and I think, for the better. At least, for the more immersive, and I freaking adore immersive stories. There’s nothing better than losing yourself in a story, and these days it’s easier and more exciting than ever. When I think of storytelling, I think of Lord of the Rings and the huge sweeping world that Tolkien created—I think of Harry Potter and how I wanted so hard to be at Hogwarts. All the stories I have loved share something in common; they have all filled me with a painful sense of longing to dive right through the page, to be friends with the characters. I want to sit next to John Watson on the overstuffed couch in 221B, I want to spar with Natasha Romanoff in the Avengers mansion. I try to explain this to my friends; I absolutely gush and rant about stories, movies, shows, comics, video games, all these different stories and worlds—and the fandoms for them, the huge sprawling communities that worship them together. Digital storytelling is fantastic. Just gonna say it: fan. Tas. Tic. I read a ton of fanfiction—digitally produced stories based on other peoples’ works—but there’s also fan videos, comics, music playlists… the digital community has taken to storytelling and more importantly, story-sharing to a whole new level. It’s a brand new playing field, on which authors, creators, readers, writers, illustrators, artists, and the audience can all interact. Crazy times. This is completely relevant to my interests, personal hobbies, and future studies. I’m a bit of a writer/artist—a teeny bit—and I want to go to grad school for English, specifically focusing on stories and how we tell them transmedially, sharing narratives from the page to the screen and back again. I can’t wait.