TV (Severe) Attachment to Characters

Note: This thread is on the heels of me sobbing for a half hour about the fate of my favorite character. So this is from the heart (still teary eyed; pray for me sweeties)

CHARACTERS. We love some, we hate some, and some we care so deeply about that we must call into question our ability to distinguish fiction from reality. You know the ones! So I'm wondering: What character are you most attached to? Why? Do you feel that identifying with / relating to a character can be healthy for one to explore and understand themselves further? Perhaps even motivate themselves? Or do you find it odd, obnoxious, or even detrimental to one's grasp on real world feelings/relationships?

This is like legit important to me I'm typing through tears trying to keep it together. Help me.

I'm using the Television prefix because I feel that long-term exposure to a character makes it easier to understand them (and gives writers more time to flesh them out), but by all means this can include characters from film, literature, video games... you name it!

OK ABOUT MY FAVE, I honestly doubt anyone on here has seen Person of Interest, but I just now got to catch up to the last season (primarily because I've been avoiding it out of fear of disappointment and/or closure that I wasn't ready for). Spoilers for anyone who cares:

I used to often get severely attached to book characters so I do know how you feel.

Haha, maybe not quiiite as badly a case as you seem to have, but I was actually pretty destroyed for a good few minutes after Clara Oswald left Doctor Who d: I really like her as a character (wearing a theme featuring her here on PC atm haha!) and I wish to take on traits of her appearance and personality, in some ways. I'll cope though lol.

Daryl from The Walking Dead. I have no idea what his status is on the show - I stopped watching after Season 3 I want to say - but that man could not die. He just couldn't. I even believe there was a fandom centering around him where there were shirts that said "If Daryl Dies We Riot" or something.

Hopefully that show is still good.

I was way too attached to David Tennant's Doctor and get very emotional when he left.

adventure said:

Haha, maybe not quiiite as badly a case as you seem to have, <snip>

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You have no idea lmao, my grasp on reality is shaky at best...

El Héroe Oscuro said:

Hopefully that show is still good.

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It isn't :/ (but yeah Daryl is wonderful)

Johnny said:

Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural, I love those guys. The show is getting worse every season but I'm so attached to the characters that I can't stop watching

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Same here, I absolutely despise this season so far but I've stuck with it for the characters.

I am the kind of person to get a strong attachment to characters I like, but it's been a while I've had such a strong one that it affected me like yours did rn (sorry for that btw *pats back*). Most of mine come from anime and manga rather than TV shows simply since I watch/read more anime and manga. Last time I had a breakdown over a character was, embarrassingly, when one of my faves from a Dutch soap was leaving the show. For over a year, I was very strongly attached to actually not her, but her relationship with another girl. Through that attachment, I started caring for the characters themselves.

I actually get more attached to romantic relationships two characters have rather than the characters themselves. That's mainly because it's kind of a coping mechanism for me: in this case, throwing myself into this Dutch soap and following their relationship very closely was an effective way to not pay attention to the fact that I was losing social contacts due to starting university. Once that character left, the façade broke and I was suddenly confronted with being very lonely. It was not a good occurence.

This is only a 'bad' example of my attachment to relationships; oftentimes I get a lot of happiness and a sense of fulfillment out of them. I am an active shipper and root for relationships a lot, and this emotional investment also makes me get attachted to the characters separately. Only rarely has it been the other way around.

I'm not the type to get too attached to characters I don't think... but if Tyrion dies we riot.

Johnny said:

Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural, I love those guys. The show is getting worse every season but I'm so attached to the characters that I can't stop watching

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I know how you feel. Even though this current season isn't good at all in my opinion, I'm still attached to them.

My life is essentially getting severely attached to fictional characters. It's what drives most of my fandoms, and my cosplays, etc.

Usually with a show or a game I have a couple of characters I REALLY LOVE, and the downside is that sometimes it causes me to barely pay attention to others. Sometimes I have to force myself to explore other characters or parts of the series, and stop focusing so much on my fav. LOL

I wish I didn't love certain characters so much, my wallet suffers when I see merch of them.

gimmepie said:

I'm not the type to get too attached to characters I don't think... but if Tyrion dies we riot.

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YOU'VE JINXED IT

satoshi said:

YOU'VE JINXED IT

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no
nono
nonononononononononono

Luna said:

I was way too attached to David Tennant's Doctor and get very emotional when he left.

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Johnny said:

Sam and Dean Winchester from Supernatural, I love those guys. The show is getting worse every season but I'm so attached to the characters that I can't stop watching

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I agree with both of these comments 100%. I wish all these guys could go back to what they used to be.

However the most intense feels(at least for me) come from the game Mass Effect 3:

satoshi said:

Haha, maybe not quiiite as badly a case as you seem to have, but I was actually pretty destroyed for a good few minutes after Clara Oswald left Doctor Who d:

Spoiler:

The whole 3-ep ending of Season 9 was a long tremendously dragged out goodbye between her and the Doctor, and I was so frekkin sad to see her go the way she did.

I really like her as a character (wearing a theme featuring her here on PC atm haha!) and I wish to take on traits of her appearance and personality, in some ways. I'll cope though lol.

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Clara going (the first time, before he brings her back) really hit me.

Eleven's regeneration hit me right in the feels too.

i'm so attached to Michonne and Carol from TWD. If either if them die I will curl up in the fetal position and cry for 2 days.

Also in GoT

About that Dutch soap I mentioned in my other post, today I found out my actual favourite character is leaving the show as well. Even though I haven't followed the soap in ages, it was very sad to hear a character whom I've seen and loved from the start of her appearance, leave for good. :depressed:

as someone who's seen person of interest and considering it as one of my most favorite tv shows, i still find your pick somewhat interesting, as in i actually wouldn't have thought of it like that myself. good pick i'd say though

for my own pick, i think just mentioning it's from supernatural is already enough lol. the show where telling someone a character stays alive is a bigger spoiler than telling someone a certain character dies.

Game of Thrones has a way of ripping out your heart

Luna said:

Also in GoT

Spoiler:

Rob Stark was a great character and I was so sad when and how he died

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Human characters aside, I'm actually very attached to the direwolves and I die a little inside every time one goes

Does reality tv count? Whenever my favourite players are voted off the island or eliminated, I get the feels :(

...and then I proceed to check their social media profiles :)