My friends live in a moving picture box

WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. DON'T BE A BITCH IF YOU READ ON AND SEE SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW. IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT FOR NOT BEING UP TO DATE WITH TV

The time of reckoning is fast approaching! No, the end of the world is not upon us, but a more important and pivotal event is about to occur. For July 16 will bring forth the beginning of the new series of Game of Thrones. Let the over reaction to the actions of fictional characters and the horrible heartbreak of fantasy drama commence.

I love TV, oh so very much. To have an endless supply of TV at my fingertips through the joys of Sky and Netflix means that my appetite for entertainment is fulfilled. There is so much binge watching, and there is oh so much to see. You need a complex Excel spreadsheet or an entire wall of your house dedicated to plot lines in order to keep up to date with all the shows. Hell, I even drew my mum a map of Westeros so she knew who lived where in Game of Thrones land and why they were pissed at someone else.

See, Charlie had the right idea

Yet this dedication to TV brings with it a heavy price. It's the pain of falling in love with a character and seeing their demise in the comfort of your home. There you are, cup of tea in hand and eyes filled with love and awe, ready to enjoy the wit and charm of your favourite character. But then it hits you like an uppercut from Anthony Joshua. Their rival appears from the shadows and before you know it your beloved character lies in a crumpled heap. Tears roll down your cheek.

It's painful and it's terrible. Seriously, I should know. I've rooted for the Starks since Season 1 and the same thing happens everytime. A Stark gets out of a sticky situation, it all looks great and then before you know it they end up dead. George R R Martin, you are a brilliant writer yet you know how to destroy my faith in humanity.

Damn you George

Sadly it doesn't end with Game of Thrones. I feel that every show I watch leads to me falling in love with a character, cheering them on through their numerous hardships and trials, until they reach their end. It's a vicious merry go round that I can't get off. But it raises an important question- why do we subject ourselves to the horrible journey of fangirling over characters?

Well I'm no psychologist but I'm willing to answer this question. I'm sure what I say has been said before but I'm positive that the descendants of Immanuel Kant won't go out of their way to sue me since my ramblings closely resemble Kant's thesis on the complexity of fangirling. Kant was a bit of a grump but I know he had a soft spot for the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.

The first true fangirl

One reason on why we get attached to fictional characters is that we show empathy towards them. Perhaps the best example for this is everyone's favourite anti villain Walter White from Breaking Bad. He started out as a respected Chemistry teacher living a hard middle class life before being told he had cancer- from the very start we feel sorry for Walt. When he chooses to start cooking meth with former student Jesse Pinkman, we accept this action since desperate times call for desperate measures.

Then it just goes down from there. Poisoning a child, killing off rivals and his straight up shitty treatment of Jesse just show how far he's willing to go just to keep his family afloat. His moral code is flawed but his desire to do what is right for the greater good remains. Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, pitched the idea of the show by saying that 'this is a story about a man who transforms himself from Mr. Chips into Scarface'. We sit there in shock as he blows up Gustavo Fring in a nursing home, yet we reason with ourselves about why we did it. We want him to succeed but hate ourselves for doing it. That's love for you really.

You do you Bryan

Whilst we are on the subject of love, it is fair to point out that us humans are loving creatures. We want to express our emotions however we can; perhaps through a warming hug or an angry song against the establishment. TV can help us do that. It can alleviate our boredom and loneliness by creating characters that make us happy. If Jon Snow does something bad ass like take on an army of White Walkers topless in the cold tundra of the North, then we obviously fall in love with him. Just look at him.

Hot damn. Right, back to love and all that. When we get this happy surge from the actions of a TV character, we then associate positive feelings with that character. Their mere presence gives us that happy emotional rush. It's like getting into work on a Monday morning and having a cup of coffee waiting for you- Jon Snow is your caffeine boost.

It's addicting really, and that just builds up this relationship with them further. The more we watch, the more we see of one character. Our love for them continues to grow and when they inevitably exit our lives (an on screen death or just the end of the show altogether) we have a void in our lives. So off we go to the next show, where the process starts all over again. With Netflix just a few clicks away, we are ready to dive into another fandom and get enveloped in yet another world of intriguing plots and fascinating characters.

Sometimes you just get a bit too involved

Good lord, who would have thought you would get a dose of philosophy on a Sunday! Life is full of wonder at times. If you're worried about becoming attracted to a character and fear that one day they will disappear from your lives forever soon, don't panic. We have all been there. Just keep on watching and loving your shows, even if it means getting up at 3 in the morning on July 17 to watch Game of Thrones before everyone else.

Ben G xo 😁