When I was a child, and through to high school graduation, there were a select few fictional worlds that I held dear. These universes enraptured me and were a key part of my childhood. I remember as a kid replaying the Halo games with my brother to beat them on the highest difficulty. I would obsessively read every Star Wars book and comic. Now, as an adult, the characters, worlds, and franchises that held my attention are dead to me.
The last mainline Halo game, Halo 5: Guardians, lacked the soul and grit that previous entries had. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", along with the all of Star Wars post-Disney, has cut out so much of the universe, wiping away decades of characters and lore. Marvel's handling of the characters I grew up with has left me disheartened with comics, and my interest in picking up a new issue is gone.
So what do you do when the stuff you loved as a kid is gone? In my case, I tried out a variety of games, films, and comics. Some were bad, some were good, and a few were weird. I ventured into the Final Fantasy game franchise and was mildly entertained. I watched a couple decent horror flicks. I also ventured into the deepest depths of awful movies. Overall, my attempt to find new franchises was a mixed bag.
I felt lost, in a way. Even as adults, we are often defined by our interests, hobbies, and favorite stories. I especially, as an introverted, lonely child, found solace in this fictional places, these characters. With so much of my childhood seemingly taken, what did that make me? What fiction, what stories do I have to help entertain and define me? Thankfully, I found new interests, and they've reinvigorated me and provided the inspiration for me to do creative efforts of my own.
I found a wide, expansive horror universe called Chronicles of Darkness, with several tabletop RPG's and novels. I played the greatest video game of my life, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. There were clubs I joined, and new books I read, all filling the holes left by my childhood heroes. So, while the loss of my favorite worlds hurt, I found new universes to enjoy and explore, and if you ever feel like something that defined your childhood is gone, a replacement isn't far off.
