Is it okay to feel emotional attachment to fictional characters?

Fair enough :)

I don't do romance, so I feel a bit weird about characters falling in love.

I can understand relate with this. The intense emotions that hit can be hard to deal with. Something I do is creative writing, and I take the character or worlds and write about them, kind of further bringing them to life and making them that bit more real. I have a very strong imagination and this works really well for me, I think it would for you too – definitely worth giving a try if you can at some point.

Unfortunately for me it lasts so freaking long though. I finished the books almost a week ago and I still have this grey cloud over my head, and I hate it :( 

Seconded. It is something that you should enjoy, it definitely shows a great imagination and for me personally it takes away a lot of the loneliness in my life.

Absolutely! I think this is more normal than people really think. So many of us do it and you’re autistic you feel things so much more intensely, and when it comes to characters in books or in films you can’t help but become emotionally attached. Like you said you know they aren’t real but there’s still that connection, and I think that’s a good thing. Ultimately it shows the author is a very good writer, or the actor is a very good actor – because they have made the characters so likeable or relatable. I’m sure us being autistic and feeling things so intently is why we become so attached and can really get connected the way we do.

I don’t think this is a problem and I am sure so many people get that same connection with characters in books and in films. I’ve always been this way – it’s great and it really helps bring characters in stories and films to life for me.
Judging by the other responses here too I would say we are definitely not alone in feeling this way!

Thank you for this 

I can really relate to this. When I was younger especially I experienced this a lot - and became completely obsessed with a particular character from a tv programme, and also at a different time with a musician/composer. The feelings were very intense - but like you I was completely aware that this was not a ‘real’ relationship/connection. But it felt very powerful at the time. I think a good way to deal with this is to be quite accepting of it - as I think it’s not an uncommon thing and fundamentally there’s nothing exactly wrong with it - in fact most of the time it can bring us a lot of happiness. There’s no need for guilt or shame - it’s just a sign that you have a vivid imagination and a lot of emotional energy and passion that just happens to go in that direction sometimes. It’s ok I think! Embrace it, accept it, and free yourself from any guilt or shame around it :) 

Yup, people just don't get it. Dismissing it as a weird obsession. or the look like they give after a while like ''ooooookay''. Same with other little ways about myself, ways I do things etc which I think make sense and are logical yet people act like I'm a weirdo. 

Yes I completely understand that! I get that too, sometimes I struggle to continue watching shows it takes me a bit of time to get over it! First time on a chat like this. Thank you for sharing :) 

It doesn’t sound weird. I get that too. I do try to limit the amount I read properly immersive books like fantasy ect because I know I will feel the same. My post specifically here is about my crushes on characters but I do get the same way. The excitement, the thrill, the way they get a happy ending all the time… it makes me feel quite despondent with my own life. Which, don’t get me wrong, is wonderful. But it’s boring and predictable. Because of course it is - I don’t have magical powers. I’m not a werewolf or a vampire or whatever. It really is upsetting so thank you so much for sharing that you feel the same way. 

When Glenn died on The Walking Dead, I fully grieved for a good week or so? I’m still upset about it now and have not finished the episode when it happened. I just skipped past it. I’m glad this thread has helped you to feel less alone :)

You are not alone in this.  I feel the exact same except with the actually fantasy world.  I get so obsessed with wanting to be in that world that it can depress me and as weird as it sounds making my heart hurt that I’m not there? I feel like that is so hard to explain to people.  I feel it with TV characters when they die. I feel kind of broken and feel angry that they are no longer there? I tried to avoid reading the books I get too obsessed with for how it made me feel for a while but everyone I go back to the book I get the intense feeling again. Sometimes I find it uncomfortable because it makes me feel in such emotional pain. 

It made me feel so alone in this, I always wondered why others around me don’t feel the same intense emotion as I do with this? I love being able to hear everyone else’s stories regarding this. 

It’s like you are in my head . The worst one for me though is when they say omg just be yourself we won’t judge you. And then I go on and on about something (like my post here, my fictional crushes or whatever, or my love of comic cons) and they’ll make little comments like ‘you’re obsessed!’ But in like a derogatory way? And they don’t realise what they said is upsetting but man it plays on my mind. Yknow? 

Exactly! I never feel i can be myself around most regular people as I'll bore or annoy them getting too hyper over my special interests and only going on about them. So just keep quiet. But then people get offended thinking I'm being rude so I can't win. 

I understand that! I often think the same too. I don’t have a lot of friends, which is maybe my own fault, but as soon as I start to really be myself around people, they tend to get annoyed and then I go back in my shell and separate myself. So I understand wanting those friendships too. 

Thank you. Always happy for more replies :)

There's plenty of replies on here that I'd pretty much echo too.

I think, just to add, autistic fantasy thought (I think that's what it's normally called) Is a very vivid and powerful thing, couple that with the image of someone you feel is ideal for you, along with the fact that in your fantasy they'll always be exactly what you want and not ever let you down or hurt you, you're natural strong  autistic attraction to the feelings of safety and happiness will make you want to stay in that fantasy.

And if you ain't hurting anyone then why not? I wouldn't worry about it, as long as it's not causing any major problems.

I connect more with fictional characters than I do real people. I get more invested in fictional characters and franchises than I do the real work most of the time. Every month or so I have a new special interest I get hyper focused on. Usually a rotation every few years. In summer 2022 it was Stranger Things. I felt more connection with the group of friends in that show than I ever really have with people in the real world sadly. Maybe that's why I get so emotionally invested. Same at the moment with Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous/Chaos Theory. I wish I could make connections the way the characters in these shows do with each other. 

I think that’s a good point! The story would have to be really compelling for me to continue if I didn’t like the characters. Whereas I will often read anyway if I liked the characters but the story was a bit ‘meh’

100%. Always for me tends to be the love interests though, lol. If the main character is falling in love, then so am I