People in the street

[EternalLight]

When I was a boy, I used to see these minor characters in games, those with no significance to the story, and I'd imagine what it was like to be them, what their lives were like and the kinds of experiences they had leading up to the moment I met them. I always enjoyed it when you could ask about the game world and their thoughts about it, even if it served no purpose in the story. I'd spend hours in single villages or cities just walking the streets, going from character to character, reading what they had to say. If they had strong opinions about something or other, it felt even more exciting to inquire. I have a lot of fond memories of RPG games.

Nowadays, when I smoke a cigarette and gaze out of my window to the street, I look at the people below the building and wonder what their lives are like. All these different people with all kinds of experiences in life, most of which will be completely lost to time with their deaths. I think about them and try to imagine all sorts of details based solely upon a glance. Unlike in RPGs, I can't just barge into the homes of strangers, rifle through their things, and expect them to tell me about themselves, but these days I'm quite an alienated man, so it's nice to imagine.

For example, today I saw a woman, most likely a backpacker; she didn't look like a local, and she wore a backpack typical of people doing that sort of thing. She was standing on the corner of the street, waiting for something and eating what seemed like a fruit. I'd say she looked like an air sign, and her attire as practical, with a kind of floral bonnet upon her head. She looked a couple of years younger than me, maybe late 20s, so I wondered what kind of journey she was on. I imagined that back wherever she was from, she had felt discontent with the banalities of life and, seeing the world around her rapidly fall apart, experienced a yearning within herself, a call to adventure before it was no longer possible. She also looked like she'd be honest with herself, so I imagined that when she gets back from her journey, she'd be a bit disappointed that she went so far but figured out so little, and this dissatisfaction would last for some years as she took various part-time positions to sustain herself before becoming a reiki practitioner. We met eyes a few times, so I wonder if she also considered who I was, about what kind of life I've led and of my fate.

Does anyone else do this?

 

[Forever Sleep]

That's lovely that you had a story all worked out for her. I wonder how accurate you were.

I do this in a much less detailed and more pessimistic way. I don't tend to ponder on the details of their life and all the clues in their attire/ manner but I do tend to think: I wonder if they're happy. I wonder if they're struggling. I wonder if they've ever felt like me. Especially with children. I just tend to think- I wonder what the future has in store for you. I really hope you don't end up like this.

 

[ForgottenAgain]

Oh, we're very similar! I have very fond memories of playing RPGs and I was just like that, I always took so long to continue the main story because I wanted to chat with the NPCs in the towns, know their stories. It didn't need to involve a side quest either, I wanted to know the lives of everyone. In games where they would move around, I'd try to find where they lived, what path they took during the day and walk with them. It fascinated me the lives that they could live.

Currently I'm playing another RPG and there was this homeless child that wanted a doll but didn't have any money. The doll was in a shop right in front of her where other kids were playing with their doll, some with their parents, others with friends. I went to that store countless times, the shop owner always said the doll was sold out. I waited the whole night to try and buy the doll as soon as the shop opened but it was the same dialogue. I also tried to steal the doll at night but there's no way to do so. The shop keeper kept mentioning another town where people don't like those dolls as much and I thought maybe I could go there, find a shop selling this doll and give it to the little girl in this town but no luck. There's no side quest here so it may be a case that this is all flavour text, which saddens me because that little girl goes there every day to look at the doll and always has the dialogue of: "I see the other kids with their families playing with the doll but I have no family and no money. It's going to be my birthday soon so I made a wish to get that doll for my birthday. I hope it comes true."
It's just so heart breaking!

With real life people I'm much more shy, even so, there were times when I went out of my way to interact with people because something caught my eye. Like an employee at Sainsburys that always had lush hair, me and my boyfriend always mentioned that his hair was beautiful so we went to him and I complimented his hair, he seemed happy about it.
I wish I could talk with people more, but it seems like there is always this invisible barrier in real life where if you talk to someone you're a creep somehow, or weird or you're bothering them. I always feel that way...
Then the "non weird" way of meeting people is online through apps but then nobody puts in effort, no one replies, and irl people that are right there are unattainable.

A little rant, sorry! Your post made me ponder on these things. It's nice to find someone with this interest on others

 

[EternalLight]

That's lovely that you had a story all worked out for her. I wonder how accurate you were.

Of course I'll never know, but allowing imagination to be tantilized passes the time in a not-so-unpleasant way all the same.

I do this in a much less detailed and more pessimistic way. I don't tend to ponder on the details of their life and all the clues in their attire/ manner but I do tend to think: I wonder if they're happy. I wonder if they're struggling. I wonder if they've ever felt like me. Especially with children. I just tend to think- I wonder what the future has in store for you. I really hope you don't end up like this.

Despite whatever hand you've been dealt in life, that you experience such empathy for others is a beautiful thing. Unfortunately, there are just so many people out there who live through such dreadful lives, silently enduring a great inner struggle. In some people, sometimes I think I can see it in their eyes, but of course you never know. The way things are, unless you want to be shunned or thrown into a psychiatric detention center, for many it's necessary to develop a certain persona, a veil to hide the despair, and that can be a difficult thing to penetrate.

There's no side quest here so it may be a case that this is all flavour text, which saddens me because that little girl goes there every day to look at the doll and always has the dialogue of: "I see the other kids with their families playing with the doll but I have no family and no money. It's going to be my birthday soon so I made a wish to get that doll for my birthday. I hope it comes true."
It's just so heart breaking!

Reminds me of Chekhov's gun. To present a situation like that, a chance to engage in an act of good will no less, yet not allow the player to do it is such a tease. The way you describe it, I can't imagine the creators of the game simply overlooked this unjustice.

I wish I could talk with people more, but it seems like there is always this invisible barrier in real life where if you talk to someone you're a creep somehow, or weird or you're bothering them. I always feel that way...
Then the "non weird" way of meeting people is online through apps but then nobody puts in effort, no one replies, and irl people that are right there are unattainable.

I can't speak for online, as I've not used the Internet in a social way for a long time until somewhat recently. Speaking of offline, however, when I was younger I had no idea how to speak to people in an ordinarily human way, but through years of humiliation and throwing myself into the deep end of all sorts of situations, I learned how to not appear so strange to people. I'm sure people still think of me as a little strange, but that doesn't seem to stop them sharing their thoughts. Everyone has their own unique story in life, and many people really are willing to open up about their experiences and their perspectives on things if you express an interest in them. I've learned many things at airports and train stations over the years. It's not as easy as just walking up to a character and pressing a button, but there are many things that can lead to a wonderful conversation.