fictional love boundries

[Baudelaire]

I know it is possible yet highly strange to fall, yes "fall", in love with an imaginary character but how would you as the average person look at this from an outsiders point of view. I mean if they were truly happy and convinced in regards to the relationship, is it so wrong?

[BellaDonna]

Is it a live, human character being portrayed on a television show- or is it a fake cartoon character or animated character?

 

For example, I think that someone who fell in love with Angelina Jolie's character of Laura Croft in the Tombraider movies would be more "normal" than someone who falls in love with the animated Laura Croft on Playstation. (Assuming we are talking about adults)

 

Or is it totally imaginary- as in made-up?

 

Also, how much time and energy does this "love" of a character consume in the person's life.

[Clarity]

This does not fit my definition of love - it is infatuation or an obsession.

[COtuner]

I think you can identify aspects of what you are seeking in real love if you find yourself attracted to a fictional character. If it is all appearance, then it's simply reacting to an artist's vision of trying to appeal to people by producing a visually stimulating character.

 

I have had times in my life where I found myself having "feelings" for characters in books, tv shows, or movies. On the screen, it was no different than seeing a guy at work that I was attracted to or unavailable. It was kind of fun to have those feelings, but it's just a little crush. In books, it's 100% the way that character is written - the author has portrayed someone in a manner that he would appeal to me and make me want to get to know that person. It's fun to take that character portrayal and in my head put together physical appearance characteristics that attract me, but at the end of the book, life goes on.

 

If you can't let go of a fictional character, or just see it as a chance for the imagination to play a little bit, than it might be a real problem. A sign that you're not handling something in your life well (possibly loneliness, or shyness, or social anxiety, or who knows what)

[Celadon]

I know it is possible yet highly strange to fall, yes "fall", in love with an imaginary character but how would you as the average person look at this from an outsiders point of view. I mean if they were truly happy and convinced in regards to the relationship, is it so wrong?

Intriguing question, Baudelaire. I've had my share of mad crushes on celebrities, true feelings of care and concern for someone that I do not know. One could justly say that I have fallen for an imaginary character because the person whom I IMAGINE that celebrity to be is not, in fact, who that person is. It's partly him, but mostly my imagination of who he is (since I obviously don't know him).

 

As to strictly imaginary characters, I'm not sure what you mean by "convinced in regards to the relationship." Can you explain what the person would be convinced of? Convinced that, were the imaginary character to be real, you would have a love relationship? Convinced that this imaginary person is, in some sense, real because s/he is real to you?

 

It's normal for children to have imaginary friends, a habit that helps them practice interpersonal skills in a safe way, psychologists say. As an adult, having an imaginary "love" probably similarly fulfills some sort of internal need -- but what I think could be lacking is that there's no real way to develop interpersonal skills with someone whose reaction YOU imagine. In real life, there's often no way of knowing how someone will react, and a relationship with a real, live person is all about learning how to communicate with someone who may not agree with you, who comes with baggage that inexplicably affects their actions and reactions. It's about compromise and trust and humbleness and getting to know more fully who that other person is, just as they get to know you.

 

If this person were my friend, I would worry that the relationship with the imaginary character would prevent him/her from pursuing a relationship with a real, live person. It's one thing to live in one's imagination, but the real world is what matters most. A relationship with an imaginary character is safe; one with a real person is deeper and more satisfying.