Fictosexuality, fictoromance, and fictophilia are terms that have recently become popular in online environments as indicators of strong and lasting feelings of love, infatuation, or desire for one or more fictional characters.
Let your imagination run wild. If you are love with this character, consider what they do that attract you, and depict them doing more of it. Include yourself, creating a world where the two of you can be together. If you're more of a visual person, try sketching or drawing your fictional character instead.
Obsession with fictional characters is mostly because of heavily relating to or loving a character so much that they feel more real than people in real life. A person can like a favorite fictional character because they have a life they dream of having one day.
Fictosexuality is an umbrella term for anyone who experiences sexual attraction toward fictional characters, a general type of fictional character, or whose sexuality is influenced by fictional characters.
Accordingly, we approach fictophilia as an intense long-term parasocial love or desire relationship between a human individual and a fictional character.
Fictiophilia is not an officially recognized disorder. The main reason for this is that most people form healthy parasocial relationships. They learn from their favorite characters, admire them, assimilate their traits, and move on with their lives. Being obsessed with fictional characters is a rare phenomenon.
You're not alone. We've all gotten emotionally attached to fictional characters or lost ourselves in the world of a TV show or movie, especially when we binge watch. According to a survey by Deloitte, 90 percent of American millennials watch three or more TV episodes in one sitting.
That being said, marrying a fictional character should be treated 100% seriously with the creator's permission. The character in question cannot consent, so I would find the relationship too one-sided to support it if it didn't have the creator's approval.
It's perfectly fine to be in love with a fictional character, and it's a common phenomenon, specially for readers. Fictional characters are perfect, and the fact that we can look straight through them is fantastic, this includes their thought process and personality.
There is nothing wrong with being attracted to fictional characters! What is this? It helps you understand what you want and don't want in your own relationship, and that's always important! Falling in love with a fictional character can help you realize what you want in a partner.
In most cases, people crush on fictional characters when they're not yet ready for a real-life relationship. And that's totally fine. Crushing on a fictional character is a way for you to experience all the fun of having a crush without any of the pain.
Accordingly, we approach fictophilia as an intense long-term parasocial love or desire relationship between a human individual and a fictional character.
Sexualizing fictional characters is a relatively safe way of introducing sexuality and sensuality as an everyday part of life. In the real world for most individuals, sexuality and sexual attraction is just another fact of existence. Sexuality is a daily norm.
“The experiences with fictional characters resonate with us because of the fact that we've had deep experiences with people throughout our lives.” Empathy and sympathy are phenomena we experience almost daily in our dealings with others, and they play key roles in the way we respond to fictional characters.
The brain can't tell the difference between the real and the imagined – is a myth. It is intriguing to wonder why perception differs from person to person, how imagination can evoke a creative frenzy or intrusive memories that debilitate those with PTSD.
When we form a connection to a fictional character we are building a parasocial relationship, which means it's all one sided on our part but our brains don't understand that the person we are invested in isn't real.
Falling in love may feel like a meeting of hearts and minds. But really it's a kind of temporary insanity driven by hormones, scientists say.
Borderline personality disorder BPD people often have a favorite person that is a fictional character or even an ideal, it can be their parents, family members, or artist that they admire.
According to one study, while extreme instances of obsession with celebrities may be a result of underlying mental health issues, in general, it's not unhealthy to form attachments with fictional characters.
It starts with a crush
That first spark of attraction ignites a region buried deep inside the brain called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA. Recognizing a potential reward in the making, the VTA begins producing a chemical called dopamine, often called the “feel-good” neurotransmitter.
According to a researcher at the University of Paris Nanterre, Agnès Giard, fictosexual marriages may be attractive for women because they're “a way to challenge gender, matrimonial, and social norms.” The personal freedom of connecting with a fictional character may drive some people to these types of relationships, ...
A sham marriage or fake marriage is a marriage of convenience entered into without intending to create a real marital relationship. This is usually for the purpose of gaining an advantage from the marriage.