Fictional Love

Also known by the Internets as simping, this site included.

When somebody who is a real person loves somebody else who is a fictional character. Like in a Love-Hate Relationship, this is a kind of One-Way Love. This type of love can be experienced by both real-life and fictional characters. Fictional Love is likely had by the Geek for his (favorite) Waifu. This is evident by how he is an avid fan of hers who plastered his room's walls with posters of her, has an excessive amount of plushies of her, and has other various pieces of merchandise made in her image. It's at this point the Geek's love for a nonexistent person seems to be more like an unhealthy obsession than love. Many others might have had their fair share of fun mocking the lover for their "relationship" with somebody who doesn't exist, but that doesn't stop them from adoring their interest in the slightest. Anyone who has a Fictional Love might often fantasize about spending time with their love, someone that they're doomed to never be able to meet in real life, more often than they're willing to admit to, yet they still may write fan fiction about them and shamelessly share it with others both offline and online.

Fictional Love in real life can be just as apparent as it is in fiction. However, fiction, as usual, oftentimes exaggerates this form of love for the sake of comedy or to make someone an Extreme Role case. However-ever, this is a real-life UnTrash that fiction can portray with great accuracy. Entire fanbases have been defined by their copious simp populations and have been labeled hyper-toxic by Outsiders. Their downright obnoxious fawning over a single character puts anyone else off to the point of unfiltered hatred. Public simping is such an unhealthy habit that fans within their own circles can tear at each other over who is the "best" character from their franchise. These fiery arguments may catch the creators' attention in a negative way, and from this point, they can make one of two decisions. One of them is to Handle The Issue by begging for sanity from the manic fanboys. As the chiefs of the franchise, their word is usually expected to cut through the madness, but in case it doesn't, the creators have a second option: abandon everything. If a fandom is so chaotic and hostile that the ones who made their favorite series have to distance themselves from it, that's a sure sign Something' Ain't Right with the fans. It can't be said for 100% of the fanbase that they've gone Completely Insane. The milder fans who haven't joined Depression Island, if they're willing to stay loyal to their series, will try to shut out the noise from the madmen who make up a shameful portion of the crowd. If not, they'll set sail for better shores and discover a new franchise to get into. Over time, an imbalance can emerge in which the only people who remain are the crazed, delusional freaks who cast a horrible shadow on the series at large. It can become almost impossible for a steadfast fan to stay put and enjoy the franchise knowing so many others obsess over it.