Chris and coping

Escapism is the act of seeking distraction, or desperately searching for a coping mechanism, in order to intentionally avoid any and all unpleasant realities. Chris can easily be considered the king of escapism, as he does anything he can to avoid the harsh realities of his life. Chris's rise to utter insanity, and his refusal to accept things as they are, has been popping up now and then throughout Christory, though it wouldn't fully come to light until April 15, 2020, where he no longer even considers himself “Chris”, but instead believes to have swapped bodies with his creations.

Overview

Most people tend to use escapism in small amounts as a tool to cope with a stressful situation. For someone that’s done almost nothing in his life, Chris leads a very stressful life.

World-Building and Comics

Possibly one of the earliest examples of Chris coping with stressful situations is by replicating them in his Sonichu comics. Chris originally made these comics for his lovechild, Sonichu. There it would have showcased his adventures, where he’d overcome various bad guys, even this was swept away to the curb a bit in Issue 0.

History of Chris's escapism

This habit became especially prevalent in the years following the September 2011 death of his father, after which Chris found himself thrust into the world of adult responsibilities as he had to do tasks such as pay his bills and help take care of his mother and pets. Chris was 29 years old when his father passed away; while most people would be accustomed to dealing with responsibilities by that age, Chris was unprepared for the burden since his parents had sheltered him up to that point (one example being, up until he died, his father had managed Chris's bank account for him due to his fiscal irresponsibility).

“	When my father was alive, I had more freedom; now that he has passed, I lost a lot of freedom and remain to take after the tasks he had left behind. [...] You can only escape in your mental depths and recluse for so long before you are pulled back to reality, and too many things leave you feeling like you get little peace at home.	”
Chris.

Chris occasionally whined on social media about his position in having to help take care of his mother and pets — his statements gradually revealing more of his retreat into escapist fantasies.

In September 2012, he complained:

Everybody else gets to go out for a fun and good time; I am stuck care-giving my mother and our dogs, and it is Very Stressful on me.

In January 2013, Chris was hoping for a sweetheart to rescue him from his life:

I need my Sweetheart-to-be to make me happy; my heart hurts literally from my depression and loneliness. Serving my mother is not a final purpose to me, and my social life is very slim. I feel like I lack direction in my life as well.

By October 2017, Chris was immersed in his escapism; from his list of reasons for refusing to get a job, half involved his devotion to his fantasies:

I Have a TON and S***-Load of Responsibilities and Worries here at home care-taking my mother, dogs, cats, and to my own passion of my Electric-Hedgehog Pokemon Family, my City of Cwcville, my own Only-Me Psychic Connection to my family and friends there, in that dimension. So, I'll be darned if I Do Not already have enough on my plate

Chris's desire to be rescued from reality left him desperate for his fantasies to be validated, his mentality similar to people willing to join cults. On 25 October 2017, the first of the Idea Guys entered the picture.

See Also

• Chris and Reality