Although I found The Lucky Ones quirky, narratively complex, and at times hysterical, I was more emotionally/intellectually invested in "Same Day Test." My reaction may have been caused by the more serious subject matter of the latter (HIV is far less amusing than Jesper's misguided encounters with animals, at least in my mind).

But I think it probably had more to do with actually being able to control the main character's decisions. While The Lucky Ones had a sort of voyeuristic/outsider-looking-in element to it (especially in the parts where you could snoop around in the characters' personal stuff), "Same Day Test" gave the reader/viewer total control over the character's actions. Well, almost total control. There were a few spots where only one path was presented, which made me conscious of the fact that there was an author behind the narrative.

But in the majority of the narrative fragments, there were choices. Having these options made me think about the consequences before I clicked on the final choice. In other words, having options made me anticipate the next move. While I was watching The Lucky Ones, I experienced a similar kind of anticipation about how things were going to come together, but I didn't feel it as intensely. That story was out of my hands and I felt like I was just moving through it. But in "Same Day Test," I wanted to make the right decision because I felt responsible. With this responsibility came the anxiety of being in charge of the character's fate.

The first time I got through the story, the HIV test turned out to be positive, and I kind of blew it off like there was nothing else I could've done. The result would've probably been the same regardless of the path I chose. But then I went back and tried a different path, and the result ended up being negative. I was devastated when I realized my actions controlled not only the path of the character, but also whether or not he would be diagnosed with a deadly disease. The playing God element of "Same Day Test" forced me to become crucially invested in the story. I thought shifting the authority almost entirely onto the reader was an interesting narrative strategy.

- Steph