Falling for a Fictional Character.

No matter how content a girl may be… no matter how many of her needs are met, at times, wistful memories of beloved childhood fairy tales and their ‘happily ever afters’ arise. When life becomes routine and just a bit too comfortable, a certain longing takes hold, an escape is needed, and this girl suddenly finds herself ‘in love’ with a fictional character.

This pretty much sums me up right now. I can’t even blame myself for falling for a fictional character I just met out of the pages of a Young Adult Novel…can I? I can’t help but put myself in the shoes of his damsel and imagine what it’s like to be loved by that someone. I’ve been reading a couple of books lately and halfway through, you’ll find me giggling and gushing about the guy in it nonstop. It has literally taken over my mind. This isn’t abnormal or anything since this is a healthy outlet for us ladies but gee, when this obsession escalates, I might need redemption. Haha! (maybe not!)

Fictional characters represent the absolute ideal. They are perfect to the point of being inhuman (and many of them are). This particular character leads a life full of adventure and drama, without tending to the mundane and routine necessities of life, and we are smitten with such a character that we imagine ourselves as his beloved companion. We live vicariously through the pages of a book or the glow of a TV screen.

On the other hand, the desire for an individual who doesn’t even exist can be damaging if it becomes overwhelming. We might find ourselves expecting the real people in our lives to be like these fictional characters. Obviously, no one can live up to expectations based in fantasy and a person who has unrealistic demands will find themselves sorely disappointed. People fall in love with their idea of who someone is, rather than the person himself.

Some of us can become obsessed with these fabricated objects of affection. We spend an inordinate amount of time perusing fan websites or watching the same film over and over again. According to studies, This is not healthy and might even be indicative of a mental illness such as depression. 

I think not! Okay, so what if Patch (from Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick) is a fallen angel and the chances of him being real was 1 – impossible, I don’t care. As for me, I would rather stick with this “unhealthy obsession” than risk being hurt by people in real life. I mean, I can pretty much have my own happily ever after with him. I don’t mind if he’s not real… long as he makes me happy then why should I care what others think?

It’s not like I can’t get a boyfriend of my own in real life. It’s just that, I’d rather be at peace living in my own world of make believe. Not only have I fallen head over heels with characters from paper back novels but  I’ve seriously fallen in love with the male romantic lead in my own novel as well. So pathetic of me, I know. Oddly enough though, I don’t fantasize about me with him, I more or less fantasize about being the female lead character. It actually makes the writing process easier.

The utter feeling of butterfly-in-your-stomach happiness… that only fictional characters can give. Wouldn’t it be nice to find someone who would go through anything and everything just for you? Who doesn’t mind slaying a hundred more dragons just to be with you. Who will go out of his way to make you feel important. ^_^

Me and my random thoughts.

xoxo

Steph.

P.S. Someone should write a book where the character falls in love with the reader. That’d be awesome! Haha

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