Life

An interview with a self-described fictosexual, who answers your burning questions about being attracted to fictional characters.

Human sexuality is weird and messy.

We know this because of wikiFeet, PornHub search data, and the existence ofthe omegaverse.

Such is the case withfictosexuality.

Often classified under the asexual/aromantic umbrella, the label applies to those who feel exclusively attracted to fictional characters.

Cait understands that not everyones ready to embrace her sexuality.

And Ive gotten people who think Im schizophrenic and delusional, she says.

But its not all bad: She enjoys being a friend to fellow fictosexuals and allies.

When did you start identifying as fictosexual?

Why did you decide to start identifying that way?

I just knew it was something that would help me find myself.

What do you think is the distinguishing factor?

If someone is wondering if they are fictosexual, how would you recommend they distinguish?

Id recommend looking inside yourself: What is the level of love that you have for this fictional character?

Has it felt different than when youve liked or crushed on a real person?

Do you spend a lot of time with that character?

What are your feelings towards that character?

Do they go beyond the theyre just attractive feelings?

When and how did you start liking Fizzaroli?

It was near the end of my first semester of college, and I had no direction in life.

I dont know, something about that song, something about the video made me fall for him hard.

I just fell in love with him.

We started dating, I believe, on November 18th, 2023, and weve been together ever since.

I made things harder for myself because of it.

Even though I love Fizzarolli, Im not consumed by him.

Could you describe how he looks, and what you think is cute about him?

His look honestly is a bit difficult to describe because hes not a human.

He has white skin and a red nose.

He also has robotic limbs and covers his broken horns with a jester-looking hat.

I really dont know what initially captivated me about him.

I do know hes voiced byAlex Brightman, who is a Broadway actor.

I think his voice is cool.

But I honestly feel like there’s nothing in particular.

I feel like the whole package of Fizzarolli was just what I liked.

How did you decide you were officially dating?

Funnily enough, I just decided to go on a date night with him.

Even though he can’t talk back, I genuinely just enjoyed being there with him.

I enjoyed his company and everything.

If youre dating a human, theres necessarily a two-sided nature of it.

Both parties are choosing to be in the relationship.

I make a run at respect the character he is in the show.

First of all, thats obsession, and it’s really unhealthy.

What does that look like, you respecting his boundaries?

Were not the most physical couple.

Ill give him a kiss or so, but Im not all over him physically.

Its more of being in the presence of his photo.

Do you mean his photo on your setup?

Do you have a figurine of him, too?

I spend time with a photo of him on my computer.

But I also have figurines of him.

Is there a reason that you use the term partner, instead of boyfriend or another term?

I use them interchangeably, honestly.

Can you speak at all to the spectrums that exist within this identity?

Yes, I can definitely speak on this.

Im on the fence of whether Im fictosexual fully or semi-fictosexual.

Im on the fence of that all the time.

I have had crushes on real people.

Semi-fictosexual is when you like real peopleandfictional characters, and fictosexual is only when you like fictional characters.

Its just been an unhealthy fantasy.

But when I love a fictional character, I actually do have healthier boundaries.

Could you speak more about connecting with being on the asexual spectrum?

Yeah, we’ve never you know.

Ive kissed him but we never really went beyond that.

Does this identity inform what you want for yourself in your life?

I dont want that.

I want to leave this world knowing Ive done some good for people.

How have your friends and family reacted, since youve become public with this relationship?

My friends are pretty much accepting of it.

But my family, they have been super supportive.

My mom and dad and my family some of them still dont understand the full thing.

My parents have also looked into fictosexuality, and theyvelistened to another podcastI did last year.

That kind of really opened their eyes.

Theyre just proud of me for getting out there and being able to talk about how I love.

When you say that Fizz is very supportive of you, how does that manifest?

How do you understand that direction coming from him?

I just understand it, its so hard to explain.

I do know that Fizz does want better for me in life than where Im currently at.

You mentioned that youve experienced some existential crises intermittently.

Could you speak to what was going through your mind during those times?

One of my biggest existential crises was when I met my now best friend.

I had a crush on him.

When I liked him, he told me he liked me.

Do you think your platform motivates you to continue your relationship?

I do think it motivates me to continue my relationship with Fizz.

With [posting about] fictosexuality online, Ive just been braver.

Do you worry about that?

About having an outside influence on your relationship?

I do worry about that quite a lot, yeah.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.