Is it wrong to be in love with a fictional character? (Read below)

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I made my dream goal a long time to find a woman like Rinoa. Is it wrong to feel this way?

 

[Cthulhu]

Not going to lie, I felt like that when I first played FFVIII

Then I was given ownership of another forum (FFOF) and found a secret section where the previous owner (username Squall something) was awkwardly cybering with another user called Rinoa and I was like "yup I'm definitely over that now"

 

[ForceStealer]

Squall would be the worst cyber-er ever

 

[Octo]

Depends. When you say like Rinoa do you just mean 'looks like' or personality? Just cos, if it's the former you're probably setting yourself up for unhappiness, cos you could probably find someone who looks similar (though even that might be hard!) but then they might do your head in personality wise

But no, I don't think it's wrong to be in love with a fictional character. Just don't let it impact your life to the point where you won't even consider real people*. Often people have a fixed ideal, but then life can surprise you, and you might find the love of your life in someone unexpected.

*Assuming you give a shit off course. I think it's perfectly possible to be happy alone

 

[Flintlock]

Not going to lie, I felt like that when I first played FFVIII

What is it with forum admins being into video game characters?

 

[Cthulhu]

It wasn't that bad! I didn't have a shrine or plastified pictures. And I was a teenager so that makes it okay, right? I just liked her knitted blue thing. I have (had?) a thing for textures on women I can't touch

Also it was the first video game I played (as far as I can remember) with a female character with a personality and a game that contains a relationship and an extensive story, so there.

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

Not going to lie, I felt like that when I first played FFVIII

Then I was given ownership of another forum (FFOF) and found a secret section where the previous owner (username Squall something) was awkwardly cybering with another user called Rinoa and I was like "yup I'm definitely over that now"

When was this? Was it explicit?

 

[Ite]

In answer to your question: no. It's not wrong to feel affection towards fictional characters. Affection for Rinoa is the writers' intended response, so I'd say it's pretty darn normal! Well... at least... it is not uncommon among fans of fiction. You don't want to talk about it with your boss. Not everyone will get it.

In terms of the word "love" I'm a little hesitant. I would sooner use the term "infatuation" as love to me implies at least the participation of the individual in question. When there's no actual individual, the connection isn't really there even though the feelings are, so the behaviours associated with love (such as taking their needs into account when you make decisions) could become harmful to you. I present SummonerYuna as a cautionary tale: this was a person who actually believed they were married to Sephiroth, and what seemed to some like harmless fun ended up consuming her reality, becoming increasingly unstable until she came unhinged and violently antisocial. It's rare to happen, but like all things, love of fiction can be taken to unhealthy extremes.

Roleplaying is magic. It goes beyond the empathy we exercise when reading or watching. If the game is properly immersive, it's pretty much SND. I wouldn't hesitate to say that I love Rinoa as Squall, or that I love Liara as Cmd. Shepard, and much of the passion in the LTD comes from real love between a thousand Clouds and a thousand Tifas and Aeriths. And I will readily admit that my admiration and affection for Garnet, Tifa and Aeris extends beyond playtime, and into pleasant daydream territory. But while I am thus infatuated, it's not my love. It's Squall's/Shepard's/Cloud's/Zidane's. I just happened to feel it while I *was* them.

As for wanting to find Rinoa's traits in a real person, that's super healthy!! And we've been doing it since old times ("Make him strong like Achilles!"). No one is going to be a perfect replica of your dream girl, but Rinoa shares lots of traits with lots of people! Best of luck

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I think many Central Asian women share traits with Rinoa.

 

[Octo]

I present SummonerYuna as a cautionary tale: this was a person who actually believed they were married to Sephiroth, and what seemed to some like harmless fun ended up consuming her reality, becoming increasingly unstable until Cloverfield came out

Fixed

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I present SummonerYuna as a cautionary tale: this was a person who actually believed they were married to Sephiroth, and what seemed to some like harmless fun ended up consuming her reality, becoming increasingly unstable until Cloverfield came out

Fixed

Dear lord, what did I just read? I heard about this before but I never looked into it. Man is that so weird.

But she seems to be getting her life back on track.

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

I think many Nepali and Central Asian women have similar traits to Rinoa.

http://www.theapricity.com/forum/showthread.php?199019-Classify-two-models-from-Nepal

 

[Cthulhu]

When was this? Was it explicit?

Probably ten years ago, and it wasn't, more like idk, poor RPing of getting under a blanket or something

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

When was this? Was it explicit?

Probably ten years ago, and it wasn't, more like idk, poor RPing of getting under a blanket or something

Oh, were they just fooling around? I saw similar things happening on another site and things didn't end up good.

 

[Cthulhu]

They were being y00f I guess, idk.

I got e-married to Paks / Katie on there, that too was awkward as fuck but I was one of the latter ones so I guess it's all good

I think I also made a record amount of like 300+ poasts in a 24 hour period on there. Probably not the actual record, but hey, points of effort.

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

Depends. When you say like Rinoa do you just mean 'looks like' or personality? Just cos, if it's the former you're probably setting yourself up for unhappiness, cos you could probably find someone who looks similar (though even that might be hard!) but then they might do your head in personality wise

But no, I don't think it's wrong to be in love with a fictional character. Just don't let it impact your life to the point where you won't even consider real people*. Often people have a fixed ideal, but then life can surprise you, and you might find the love of your life in someone unexpected.

*Assuming you give a shit off course. I think it's perfectly possible to be happy alone

Exactly, bro. Someone with her looks and personality.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Exactly, bro. Someone with her looks and personality.

So, I think that the topic is more accurately, "Is it wrong to be attracted to the general design of a fictional character and their personality traits"

In which case – that's totally fine. There're a ton of things that you could be attracted to in real people, and the design of a fictional human character happens to be a culmination of traits you also find attractive in actual human beings – even an idealized format (as fictional things often are), that isn't even remotely odd.




X

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

Exactly, bro. Someone with her looks and personality.

So, I think that the topic is more accurately, "Is it wrong to be attracted to the general design of a fictional character and their personality traits"

In which case – that's totally fine. There're a ton of things that you could be attracted to in real people, and the design of a fictional human character happens to be a culmination of traits you also find attractive in actual human beings – even an idealized format (as fictional things often are), that isn't even remotely odd.




X

Yeah, but many do think or find it strange.

 

[RedFFWolf]

Exactly, bro. Someone with her looks and personality.

So, I think that the topic is more accurately, "Is it wrong to be attracted to the general design of a fictional character and their personality traits"

In which case – that's totally fine. There're a ton of things that you could be attracted to in real people, and the design of a fictional human character happens to be a culmination of traits you also find attractive in actual human beings – even an idealized format (as fictional things often are), that isn't even remotely odd.




X

I was about to post along the same lines. (Actually had content ready to go but, upon later coming back to this tab I had left open, I saw your post, X - so, I'm good to simply chime in my agreement on this matter).

Now, to the OP (can I call you SLL, for short?), if this is what you mean by it, then there's little for us to add - it's completely legit; heck, it's one chief purpose of creators when creating characters in that we as viewers can like them or relate to them etc.. If, however, you mean the sheer essence of Rinoa her-very-self, then go ahead and say so. As someone whose interests default mostly to the fictional realm, you could say, I can probably be of some use if there's something about it bugging you


EDIT: Okay, cool, I see your above post.
(My typing is far too slow today )

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

Exactly, bro. Someone with her looks and personality.

So, I think that the topic is more accurately, "Is it wrong to be attracted to the general design of a fictional character and their personality traits"

In which case – that's totally fine. There're a ton of things that you could be attracted to in real people, and the design of a fictional human character happens to be a culmination of traits you also find attractive in actual human beings – even an idealized format (as fictional things often are), that isn't even remotely odd.




X

I was about to post along the same lines. (Actually had content ready to go but, upon later coming back to this tab I had left open, I saw your post, X - so, I'm good to simply chime in my agreement on this matter).

Now, to the OP (can I call you SLL, for short?), if this is what you mean by it, then there's little for us to add - it's completely legit; heck, it's one chief purpose of creators when creating characters in that we as viewers can like them or relate to them etc.. If, however, you mean the sheer essence of Rinoa her-very-self, then go ahead and say so. As someone whose interests default mostly to the fictional realm, you could say, I can probably be of some use if there's something about it bugging you


EDIT: Okay, cool, I see your above post.
(My typing is far too slow today )

All that bugs me out is how specific I have to be when searching for women. That's tough.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

All that bugs me out is how specific I have choose to be when searching for women. That's tough.

FTFY.





X

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

All that bugs me out is how specific I have choose to be when searching for women. That's tough.

FTFY.





X

What do you mean, bro?

 

[Ite]

Settling: it's the spice of life!

 

[X-SOLDIER]

What do you mean, bro?

I mean exactly what I said. Pursuing traits from an idealized version of a person that you want as a partner is definitely a choice rather than a need.

This is true even when it comes to idealizing real people and not just fictional characters. If you're infatuated with all of the social and physical qualities of an actress who's no longer living (Marilyn Monroe as an example), you don't HAVE to solely try to find someone with all of those qualities, even if you think of them as being your ideal. They're not a requirement – especially because any other person you meet will never completely be that person, and by focusing on that you're always going to find yourself obsessing over the differences as a negative rather than a positive – not to mention that even if you COULD have that person you idealize as a partner, they'll still not be what you idealize them as, because all people are inherently more than you perceive them to be (insert example of probably every celebrity relationship in the history of time).

tl;dr – Attempting to find one person in another person is literally impossible.

That's why at it's core, while you can look for someone with a set of particular traits that you admire and idealize, they're always going to fundamentally be a desire and not a requirement for you doing that. It's a choice that you're making to pursue that, and not a need.





X

 

[Squall Leonhart Loire]

What do you mean, bro?

I mean exactly what I said. Pursuing traits from an idealized version of a person that you want as a partner is definitely a choice rather than a need.

This is true even when it comes to idealizing real people and not just fictional characters. If you're infatuated with all of the social and physical qualities of an actress who's no longer living (Marilyn Monroe as an example), you don't HAVE to solely try to find someone with all of those qualities, even if you think of them as being your ideal. They're not a requirement – especially because any other person you meet will never completely be that person, and by focusing on that you're always going to find yourself obsessing over the differences as a negative rather than a positive – not to mention that even if you COULD have that person you idealize as a partner, they'll still not be what you idealize them as, because all people are inherently more than you perceive them to be (insert example of probably every celebrity relationship in the history of time).

tl;dr – Attempting to find one person in another person is literally impossible.

That's why at it's core, while you can look for someone with a set of particular traits that you admire and idealize, they're always going to fundamentally be a desire and not a requirement for you doing that. It's a choice that you're making to pursue that, and not a need.





X

Thank you for explaining then. I guess life is really a strange journey.