Is it possible to Любовь someone that doesn’t really exist? Think about it. We do it all the time. A boy in high school sees a pretty girl on the other side of the classroom and imagines taking her to a rock concert. A girl dreams of a romantic picnic with the cute guy that just moved in across the street. These people might exist, but the way we visualize them is almost certainly wrong. I’m as guilty of this as anyone. Then, if we finally get to know these people that we’ve fantasized about, we’re crushed to learn that they are not who we thought they were. Why? Because, quite frankly, we never loved those people- we loved the people we dreamed about, and just used real peoples’ faces to make our fantasies seem еще real to us.

So, bearing this in mind, why do so many people seem to think that those of us who dare to admit that we are in Любовь with fictional characters, why do people think we’re strange или pathetic или crazy? In real life, it’s very rare for anyone to actually meet someone who fulfills all our hopes and desires (tell me I’m wrong, and if Ты think I am, wait until your Далее break-up and then come back and tell me). But there are so many book and TV characters to choose from, and Ты don’t have to go through all the hell and heartbreak of rejection and break-ups and cheating lovers. And Ты don’t have to worry as much about what they’re doing when you’re not watching them. Through the magical lens of narrative storytelling, Ты can eventually see and hear everything your Избранное character thinks, feels, and does. Ты can’t do that in real life, unless you’re some kind of a stalker (which, of course, you’re not). So Ты can’t know how they feel about Ты или what they do when you’re not around; and if, God forbid, they’re telling stories behind your back или making eyes at your sister without your seeing it, Ты may not know until it’s too late. But with a story character, Ты do know, and if Ты don’t know yet, you’ll probably be told eventually. And perhaps best of all, since there’s no physical bond- Ты can’t touch him, Ты can’t tell her your deepest inner feelings- if by some chance they should turn out to be not what Ты thought they were, it doesn’t hurt the way it would if Ты knew them and talked to them and touched them every day. And it makes it easier to switch from one lover to another- just Переместить on to another TV или musician crush. None of the fuss and hassle and heartbreak of looking for someone and never finding anyone, and feeling as though you’re doomed to be alone forever.

As for the drawbacks… well, yes, it can be frustrating knowing that I can never actually know what it’s like to Kiss the man I’m in Любовь with, because he only exists on the TV screen. But on the other hand, whenever I need him, I know exactly where to find him, and he’s always there. To tell the truth, I think falling in Любовь is much easier when the guy is not real than when he is.