There you go then, Actana: Narrative. I'll happily substitute that word for "story" if it makes folks feel better
Chia, thanks for the follow up. I'm glad our views aren't as disparate as they seemed at first!
Cai, it does makes me feel better. Thanks bud.
And finally, for Vlad...I hear ya on the dogmatic views disturbing you. I really do. But that's why I said I thought this was a miscommunication more than a debate. As Cailano stated, it's simple really. Whether you call it "story", "narrative" or something else entirely, the reality of it remains the same: It is the summation of all other aspects, wrapped up into one cohesive, holistic thing. I don't think that that's debatable, which is why I said I was right. I get that that's hard for people to hear. There are very few things that are cut and dry in this world, but this feels like one of them to me. I never shout from the rooftops during contentious debates that, "I'm right, you're wrong, so there!" In this case, however, I think it's perfectly appropriate to say, "I'm right; no one else is wrong, but they may simply be misunderstanding me."
On a personal note, Vlad, after all the time we spent playing together, it kinda hurts that you would so seriously misjudge me. I'm not dogmatic. I'm a guy who looks for the gray area. I'm a guy who believes empathy may well be the key and sole salvation of the human race (which is a shame, because that likely means we're all screwed). I am not a guy who says, "I'm right," unless I'm absolutely certain that I'm right. In this case, by simple mathematics (again, thanks Cai), I think it's pretty clear I'm right, even if the terminology doesn't suit everyone (as Actana so helpfully pointed out).