In love with a fictional character?

I was having a conversation with a girl friend of mine and we came over this topic. She kinda laughed when I said I liked Yuna from FFX.
Is it considered weird and freakish for normal people? (I come from a gaming world and I do a lot of graphics).

Can some moderator change the second options to: "It's normal for computer/gaming people" instead? Thanks!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

"girl friend" lol a space changes so much.

I am in love with Rydia from Final Fantasy IV.

I know a girl friend who is in love with Edward Elric from full metal alchemist

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Well, she's not my girlfriend. Just a friend that's a girl. Just wanted to point that out. And she doesn't play much games, maybe msn games or something like that.

Please be honest and vote on this poll. I want to see the results

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I guess this is not just restricted to video game characters.
I love Jack Bauer.

Sup Rockgamer.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I dunno. It seems like once you fallen in love with the real thing, a fictional character will never come close to that experience.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I voted it was pefectly normal for anyone to love a fictional character--gamers or otherwise.

But, to be honest, I like Auron from FFX, and a male friend of mine is in love with Lulu's boobs......

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I have never actually loved any fictional character, although I will admit that I empathise particularly with Freya from Chobits. This had never happened before, and hasn't happened since. I keep a picture of her on the shelf of my bed's headboard. I do not have an infatuatory purpose for keeping the picture, suppose I just view Freya as being a kindred spirit to my own, in a sense.

I hope that doesn't sound too weird.

FELIPE NO

Maybe I should have been more specific.
I'm not talking about real love here (like going on a date etc.)
I just think Yuna is pretty and the way she was rendered. But if anybody in here have actually been IN LOVE with a fictional character, please do tell

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by PiccoloNamek

I do not have an infatuatory purpose for keeping the picture, suppose I just view Freya as being a kindred spirit to my own, in a sense.

That is a really superb way of putting it. Would you say it's more a love of what that character represents than it is loving the person representing it? Because if so I imagine something like this would be seen as far more "acceptable" than being in love with the character itself.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Never loved a character per se. But I definitely had some favorites or characters I thought were very nicely fleshed out. Now as far as enjoying a character's presence in a game? Well...:

I also always thought Rydia from FFIV was quite a neat character. Had a pretty rough life but you never really heard her complain about it. Plus, Yoshitaka Amano's artwork on her was gorgeous. Eat yer' heart out, Rosa.

Yuri from Shadow Hearts was a character that I thought was nicely fleshed out. Kinda fella who'd been through a hellish life and just bottled it up, only letting out a wise-ass crack on occasion with a cocky grin on his mug. He'd be getting torn up on the inside or his soul was in jeopardy. But in SH2, you really get the feeling across that the poor guy didn't have a will to live anymore following what happened at the end of SH1. This made for a depressing but interesting character. Typically you'd see folks who had a bad life and they'd be all emo or bitchy. Yuri was one of the first kinds of protagonists I saw in a game that put up a facade so that no one would get close or think there was much wrong with him. A complex anti-hero =o Or so I figure.

Falling in love with characters? No.
Having a preference and an interest in seeing them? Yes.

Don't go thinking I go looking at Yuri yaoi or Rydia-on-Edge Hentai any crap like that.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Changed the poll option for you.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Thanks Rydia. But what's your opinion on this?
I'm most interested in what girls think about this topic.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I made a thread a while back about having crushes on fictional characters, and for me, it was Daria in particular. Her affect, her sense of independence, but also her underlying empathy and moral character made me think that if she were a real character, we'd probably be pretty compatible. I'm attracted to intelligence, so I don't think I'd shy away from someone who could probably school me in more area than one.

I wouldn't say she's a mirror image of me, but there were enough complementary things about her character that I guess "kindred spirits" is as good a term as any.

Most amazing jew boots

This has happened a few times. I end up becoming infatuated with a strong, influencial character which are always females.

The first that I know of was Aeris from FF7. Cute personality with strong moral support made for a stellar 'angelic' character in the game. I was around 13 years old then.

Spoiler:

Aeris dies.

The second is a lot more recent. Kaylee from the show "Firefly", more notably from the movie "Serenity." She portrays an almost child-like attribute of cuteness and kindness aboard the Serenity although they are almost always thrown into danger.

I have a big thing for cute (not hot) girls with that sincere and compassionate attitude. :/

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Cellius

That is a really superb way of putting it. Would you say it's more a love of what that character represents than it is loving the person representing it? Because if so I imagine something like this would be seen as far more "acceptable" than being in love with the character itself.

Well, hmm. When I first watched Chobits, I was in a particularly difficult time in my life. A lot of things sucked, and I was feeling, very, very depressed. I don't mean OMG EMO depressed, but more like, despair depresed. So, when I saw the next to last episode where:

Spoiler:

Hibiya explains to Hideki about Freya's past and how she died (or so they thought) simply from intense grief she was experiencing

I sort of thought, "Hey, someone else that feels very sad." The more I thought about it, the more began I really felt quite bad for her, even though she is just a character in a show/manga. I've seen a lot of sad anime and read a lot of sad books, and it had never gotten to me like that before. And it hasn't since. I think it was probably because I was depressed, but still...

But anyway, I don't love Freya herself. Perhaps a certain amount of admiration, (she kept going and never told anybody how she felt, even though the intensity of the pain was causing irreversible damage to her systems) but not love. I suppose when I look at the picture I am just reminded of how I empathised with her character and what she went through.

FELIPE NO

I feel like I'm in love with a lot of fictional characters because the immersion in the game, movie, book, or show is so good that I feel what the characters feel.

This is in almost 100% of all cases. For instance I felt like I was in love with Tifa, Rinoa, and Garnet from the FF series. Because I strongly felt like I was Cloud, Squall, and Zidane. But also in a lot of cases I have an infatuation with a fictional character regardless of my pov, and it sometimes goes beyond simple appearance but I get a feel for their personalities and how our chemistry would be if we had met or something and create imaginary scenarios in my head [i did this when i was young though!] for fun. Like with Misato and Asuka from Evangelion, Sango from Inuyasha, and other characters.

But to make the entire thing simple... do I think fictional characters are hot? Yes. I do.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

It's messed up.

They're not real, man. And unlike being obsessed about someone that actually does exist, there is no possible happy conclusion. You can't go up and confess and take your chances. ...Man, it gets more absurd when I think about it.

BTW, are you talking about love "love" or attraction "love?" The former is most definitely the sign of an obsession gone out of hand, but the latter is understandable. Some characters are just hawt, okay? Sex appeal is a perfectly legal tactic for getting a fan base.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

It;s pretty easy to fall in love with a character, especially when you get somewhat involved with the storyline. It's not hard, really..

However, the love of this kind, is quite hard to categorize, as it skirts close to idolatory

There's nowhere I can't reach.

I dunno about falling in love with game charas, but I've fallen in love with characters from books. Mostly Erik/the Phantom of the Opera, Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights and Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre (waa! so girly!). I've found myself fairly attracted to manga characters also.

Of course, it's nothing creepy or anything. I have a healthy appreciation for real people, thank you very much.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

No offense, but if you can love Jesus or the Prophet Muhammad or whoever, I bet you can surely love a fictional character if it's done well enough.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I like a couple of fictional characters, but some of this is partly fueled by the fact that the actresses that play them are cute.

Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) from Smallville. She just has that quirky attitude about her that I just love, not only that, but she's a smart, inquisitive person as well. And she's cute.

Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel) from All My Children (I swear to god I only watch this show when she's on it, and that's only because my sister got me to like her). She's cute as fucking button, she has a really nice attitude, and she's a lesbian. Fucking win! I would marry this woman if she were real (well, there's that whole lesbian thing as well).

Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) from Gilmore Girls. She's an intelligent, funny, all-around cool person that I would love to hang out with. She's also cute.

Originally Posted by Spatula

Sup Rockgamer.

Spatula has a mancrush on Jack Bauer. LOL, who doesn't?

I was speaking idiomatically.

I don't see any problem at all. I mean, if boys find out that they are gay because they fall in love with Squall or Tidus, then it's even helpful!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by RockgamerXIII

Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack) from Smallville. She just has that quirky attitude about her that I just love, not only that, but she's a smart, inquisitive person as well. And she's cute.[/SIZE]

My mom and sister have always hated Chloe, but I never really minded her too much. I guess it's a guy thing

Me, with the exception of Queen Amidala, I always seem to fall in love with any character Natalie Portman plays, epecially her character Sam in Garden State. She reminded me so much of a normal person, and to top it off, someone I actually know and love in real life. Regardless, Natalie Portman will be my wife someday, so fuck all you haters

In terms of the poll, I think it's normal... I think it's a tad weird to fall in love with game characters, but eh, to each his own.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Spatula

I
I love Jack Bauer.

Thats allowed though, for both men and women.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

OK, I have a strong opinion on this because of an experience I had.

First off, let me say that I think it's completely normal to fantasize or to be infatuated with a fictional character. If there are things about a character that appeal to you, whether it's their looks, their persona, their attitude, whatever, then what's the problem with admiring those things?

HOWEVER, I dated a guy who confessed to me (after we had gotten pretty serious) that for years he had literally been IN LOVE with a fictional character. I tried to get him to say that he had been obsessed with her or had a crush on her that he knew to be unrealistic and that he could differentiate these feelings he had for her from real love, but he could not be persuaded. He considers her to be his first "true love." He told me that it had been a life-changing experience for him. (This was a television character that he had incorporated into his D&D game, btw.)

I think it goes without saying that this revelation of his was the beginning of the end for the two of us, and if he had mentioned this early on in the relationship it would have been instant game over, which is probably why he waited as long as he did to tell me.

Now, pay attention. That's sick. You can not LOVE a person who isn't real. There has to be interaction between two people, mutual chemistry and appreciation, etc. Anything else is just obsession. It is NOT real love.

Jam it back in, in the dark.