Dear bookworms, welcome to the heaven that is character bonding! We love exciting plots and long chapters, but we also enjoy short stories with the point explained in only a few pages. In conclusion, we stan the written word, but do you know what's even more exciting than that? The characters a writer creates along the way! Since fanfiction is rising as a trend, we've noticed how huge the connection between people and fictional heroes nowadays is. We have the top ten reasons why this happens so often!
10. The World Around You Is Already Too Stressful
Character bonding can be self-care indeed!
Art is a form of escapism. It's the way we always turn to when things get rough, and that's an absolutely self-evident answer in stressful situations. Moreover, the writers from the Romantic movement highlighted exactly that purpose of art – to run away and live another life, at least for a moment.
Escapism is a coping mechanism when you connect to a fictional person on an emotional level, too. When people around you stress you out and you have too many chores, a good book will give you the warmest hug. You'll automatically adore the characters as well!
9. You Could Be Actually Lonely
There are ways to overcome the lonesome feelings – character bonding is just one alternative you believe that can help
We idolize things we can't have and can't achieve. You know how they say – the grass is always greener on the other side. If you're lonely in real life, you'll probably fall in love with fictional characters... Furthermore, you'll even develop amicable relationships with them in your head because you miss real friends.
We know it hurts to confess something like this, but you don't have to. Just keep enjoying the feelings you have if they help you cope with loneliness. However, don't forget that there is a significant difference between meeting real people and fiction. You could instead use them as an example of who you'd want to meet in the future. Don't get too much into that, though!
8. They Won't Hurt You
Rejection, betrayal, and many other situations can make you wish you never meet real people again
If anyone takes your kindness for granted, and if it happens too often, you get that feeling you should lock yourself down and don't open up to people anymore. Hence you turn to the fictional characters. Moreover, this happens when you get out of a painful relationship, so you have fictional crushes because they obviously won't hurt you!
You're indeed "safe and sound" when you daydream of people that don't exist but don't forget that not all souls are the same. Don't ever shut yourself off because someone did you harm – you must believe that the best is yet to come!
7. You're Still Healing And Not Ready for the "Real Thing"
Besides reading, some daily routines can help you heal
Healing after a trauma is a long process, and we all have some moments that haunt us. These things are inevitable, and you shouldn't feel sorry for taking your time to get better. As a consequence, you probably stick to the fictional characters and feel the special bond with them – we've gone through it, too!
Moreover, bonding with fictional people who survived similar stuff like you isn't only the way to see that you're not alone in it. It also shows you how that character went through the same thing, so you can even learn significant points that can help you along the way.
6. You Are a Hopeless Romantic
If you're a hopeless romantic, you'll probably enjoy these recommendations!
Some of us have the most challenging time meeting people that are as romantic and traditional as us! When you can't find something in real life, you tend to daydream and switch to the fictional characters created by writers such as Shakespeare or Elena Ferrante. Hopeless romantics idealize the idea of love, and they rarely have the actual connections, so they start obsessing over the book characters in their free time!
Moreover, in that way, you develop fictional crushes as well! You could be so caught up you'd start daydreaming about the character even when you stop reading the book... And that's on characters raising the bar for you, so it's even harder to find someone real who lives up to your expectations!
5. They Make You Try New Stuff
Character bonding happens when the character moves you to try something exciting!
Not only can you learn about problematic situations our society puts us in, but you can also meet new hobbies, activities... Or basically anything you always wished to learn, or you didn't know you needed in your life! A book character might make you want to learn to play chess or become a pro in the kitchen!
As you're learning new things in life, you're growing as a person, so character bonding is a real example of how books help us grow. However, make sure you're getting inspired to do legal stuff that doesn't hurt you or anyone else!
4. You Become More Open-Minded With Them
Fiction can help you learn more about the real stuff that is surrounding you, indeed
In this new age, we have to get used to many new terms regarding sexualities, races, religion, and other "problematic" areas that shouldn't be problematic at all. Developing stereotypes about anything or anyone is quite the worst quality someone can have... So fiction can help us become more open-minded as we read.
For example, your favorite protagonist could be non-binary, and you could connect to them personally and feel as if you know the qualities of this person indeed. At the same time, you get to learn more about this phenomenon, and as you meet real people with the same attributes afterward, you'll know you shouldn't be judgemental!
3. Your Empathy Is Extremely Developed
If you want to develop your empathy, maybe you should read these
To connect with others, or even fictional characters, you have to be incredibly empathetic. Suppose you can understand anyone and anything without judgment and feel a special bond with someone even if they don't do the same stuff as you. In that case, that means your empathy is at its highest.
Empathy belongs to emotional intelligence, one of the most crucial intelligence fields for your daily connections. This attribute is one of the finest, and people will love you for that. However, don't let them take advantage of you for that!
2. You'd Love to "Feel Bad... "
Are the wild female protagonists your cup of tea? Jenn's Bookshelf has recommendations!
You surely know those "badass" females that make the girls wear dark lipsticks and high heels, and the "bad guys" we always admire. Character bonding on the "bad" level is quite natural since the fictional world lets us be whoever we want to be, breaking the boundaries. That's why people watch so many crime shows as well.
Furthermore, going beyond limits is the most present in this sense because you can't really rob a bank or be rude to anyone without facing the consequences. However, in the world of fiction, these characters are free-spirits that usually don't have to pay the price for the wildness. We would all like to feel like that, at least for a day!
1. ...Or Become a Better Version of Yourself
Piera Forde named some of the most inspiring males in literature… Are they the "kind" protagonists?
Sometimes the evilest characters get the most spotlight because people love to relate to the stuff they actually miss. However, you know that the good ones always find the way to the public's heart - it's just the main rule! We pity the "good girls," we root for them when they get in trouble, and we're in awe with the "good boys" that treat their family and their princess with kindness and support!
In this way, we cherish the good we might miss in this world since the "good" is always emphasized in fiction. Their kindness might remind you of what you should be, and in that way, it can make you want to become a better version of yourself. Books make us better anyway!
Since we're all individuals with our own ideas of fiction and art, you probably have your own top ten list of reasons why you think about the fictional characters all the time. Even if there is no specific reason, there doesn't have to be one – just enjoy the feeling you get and escape this cruel world when you feel like that!
What's the main reason why you personally get attached to your favorite book's characters? Are they similar to you, or the exact opposite? Let us know in the comments!
Cover photo: TopTens.fun/Midjourney