Let me introduce you to a certain suicidal maniac, with messy dark hair and bandages, adorned in a sandy trenchcoat and a bolo tie. Osamu Dazai, a depressed genius with an IQ and bodycount over 200, a character in the peak series Bungo Stray Dogs. (Give it a watch, it’s only 75 episodes) I’ve loved this man since I laid my eyes on him. And I’m pretty sure you would too. Now, this love I have for an imaginary character is canon; we all have our Osamu Dazais, maybe even more than one. I’ve got 6 acrylic stands, 14 keychains and a dream of at least one body pillow. And it’s not just me, there are groups of people craving for fictional characters, and they’ve got a name. Fanbases. Speaking of fanbases, I think the best example I could give for ‘attachment to fictional characters’ would be the 2021 MHA fandom. Don’t get me started there, because if I did, this essay wouldn’t be much different from the files. So search them up at your own risk.
Anyway, back to the topic, why the attachment? the intense, passionate desire for this beloved character to come to life, despite being well aware that you’d never pull them. For this, I have a theory, dear fan-thems. I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard of the sentence- ‘Your favourite character represents you, that is if you like the character for their traits and not their appearance (Dazai mogs me any day). Think about it, the reason that got you to fall in love with the character, be it Dazai’s constant sense of unworthiness, Tyrion’s dry wit, Reze’s longing for companionship, Jax’s emotional range, Sirius Black (he’s so cool) or Kinger’s wisdom and airheadedness. You must have felt that click, this feeling echo within the walls of your heart, a reason that made you see yourself in them.
A reason that made you stay ‘loyal’ to that character.
Let me add one more variable, something you probably wouldn’t be able to guess. (if u didn’t read the excerpt)
Sigmund Freud.
This man constantly brought up the idea of the unconscious and how different things, like slips of tongue, joke interpretation and dreams are associated with it. Hence rendering them useful enough to be interpreted as conclusions. Yeah he had a bunch of controversial and silly opinions, but I’d still like to take inspiration from one of his “methods of association” he used.
Our collective adoration for these fictional characters who also share similar traits as us could lead to an innate desire. To be loved. by ourselves. It’s that simple. Being attached to and loving a non-existing character that you see yourself in, is a sign that you truly do have all the chances, reasons and right to give yourself the same amount of attention and love. Just because no one else gives it to you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t either. The traits that we fell in love with, resides within us too. The answer and opportunity’s clear as day, but what makes it still so hard?