Okay everyone this is a rant of sorts - so if your not interested in my boring life and obsession then please skip this.

Anyway, there are many people here who know much more than I do about human psychology and subjects relating to how the mind works. I am going to write about how my obsession (I think that is the most appropriate word) with Rei developed and it would be nice to hear someone else’s point of view and opinions on my… problem. (if it can be called that)

Now im not someone who goes around shouting about how much I like Rei, in fact, I havent even spoken to anyone about it before so this is a first for me. (I cant stand people who go about argueing and shouting about much better one character is over another one - each to their own) It started out like anything - slowly interest built up and accumulated until I started downloading images from various galleries of Rei - mostly the official Gainax artwork. Then, after reading lots about her and doings bits of research it started to change. It was like Rei was a cigarette - I needed her to calm down and focus (man, that sounds ridiculous) My life at this point was very chaotic at this time and I suppose she was something stable that I could attach my feelings to. After all the suicidal thoughts and actions - in retrospect, a stable obsession like Rei kept me on the straight and narrow - so hopefully you can understand why she is so important to me.

Now this is gonna sound really strange.
I started dreaming about her. In practically all my dreams she was there - the dreams seamed to revolve around us simply spending time together (relaxing watching a movie etc.) not really much sexual situations - I don’t view Rei like that. So I have a couple of pictures of Rei next to my bed… yeah - and then during my time with my current girlfriend, it felt like I was trying to find Rei in her. More dreams. And now I have to hold a pillow close to me and imagine its Rei otherwise I cant get to sleep - I even put vanilla extract on it… (this is the way I think she would smell, and because I like the smell of vanilla ; ) - im such a fucking weirdo, oh yeah, and a couple of small blankets inside the pillowcase to - well you know - I guess its like a security blanket right? I don’t have trouble dating women (however I don’t enjoy big social gatherings) however I always end up comparing them to Rei, every time.

Well, I don’t know why I wanted to say this here - just to get it off my chest and perhaps not feel so isolated because of my strange habits when it comes to this… (I apologise for the lack of direction in the above paragraphs - I was simply typing thoughts as they came to me) …does anyone else here follow a pattern of obsession similar to this one ?(with whichever character or person) I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on this.

We all have our idiosyncrasies.

Also, the Rei in your mind is different to the Rei in everyone elses mind. I think the fictional character Rei has become some sort of avatar for underlying hopes that would exist anyway. In short, your ideal version of a significant other, which everyone presumably has, has been given a face. That face happens to be Rei's.

In short, you need to realise that Rei is not what your after. After all, who'd want to be with borderline autisic(*) who spends most of their free time reading meta-physics textbooks and wandering about naked around complete strangers. There may also be a drug problem, not to mention suicidal thoughts and an insaitable urge to bring about the apocalypse. Not the type of girl you could easily bring to meet the parents.


(*)Not that there's anything wrong with autistic people mind!

man I kinda know what you mean. but not in the way you took it. The whole reason I got into Neon Genesis in the first place was I saw the cover of platinum 02 with Rei on the front in the store. then i went home and looked up more and more pics of Rei and the other cast. but yeah there is something about Rei. You just want to know more about her. And even in the end what she really is, is very confusing. so maybe you want to think of her as a real person, and not as a half part of Lillith, half clone. but yeah there definately is something special about her. especially in the end when you realize that Rei is actually, as I see it anyway, a supreme entity that watches all of humanity. like she is watching Shinji as he's about to strangle Asuka at the end of end of evangelion.

Now this is gonna sound really strange.
I started dreaming about her. In practically all my dreams she was there - the dreams seamed to revolve around us simply spending time together (relaxing watching a movie etc.) not really much sexual situations -

Well I had a couple of dreams about Misato , although I can't say they didn't involve sex :o

Just be glad its Rei and not Asuka that your obsessing over, I knew a guy who obsessed over Asuka and started projecting that on his girlfreind who by the way was underage, and all sorts of bad things happened with them. So yeah dont go there.

Inertia wrote:im such a fucking weirdo

I don't think I have much to add to that.
Actually, I'm jealous of you. It must be nice to be able to get so enthusiastic about something.

jeezus I had a dream about eva too a long time ago. only it actually didn't have any characters from the show in it. It was just me standing by the front door to my house crying. saying to my mom that I didn't want to pilot Eva Unit 01.. true story.
oh wait a minute... what character from the show does that remind me of..... hmmmm.. whomever can it be.. :P

ummm
wow
you are even stranger than i am...
at least you have a girlfriend, so grounding yourself in reality shouldnt be too hard to do (i would hope)
just realize that Rei is fictional, and searching through the 6 billion people of this earth might only find someone with passing resemblance (who has hair like that?)

You don't see many blue haired girls around these parts.

@Inertia
While mantras are usually verbal formulae, and totems are usually imagined as animal archetypes, your description seems to place Rei somewhere in that sort of space for you - both the means to reach the state, and the state of mind you seem to seek.

The idea of someone quiet and undemanding, a presence to reassure, an anchor, with whom you can be yourself as you are, rather than any public persona - Rei would be an oasis of calm in a frantic demanding world. Better to find that through fairly benign means rather than self-medication - or just stressing out.

For my own part, despite Asuka burning in my conscious mind for months after first seeing NGE through to the End, I don't recall dreaming her or any of the rest of the cast or situations; the nearest I recall was another, decades ago.


@OMF
I'm just waiting for our resident Aspie to respond. :twisted:

BTW, the one identified book in Rei's room appears to be something heavyweight in German about genetics.

BTW, your avatar looks really familiar.

Useless. Deleted.

Thanks for all the feedback so far, its nice to hear a understanding point of view.

Everyone is obssesed with something..If it's Rei for you then fine..It's a character that everyone could bond with her easily,even if she is an anime girl..So don't worry,you are not weirdo!

I like your avatar btw!

Yes there is just something about Rei that is so lovable

I agree with what Mr. Tines has said. It may seem weird at first, but it makes sense. And people do this too with real people. Someone purely lusting for Rei has a (bigger) issue.

cain luppus wrote:And people do this too with real people. Someone purely lusting for Rei has a (bigger) issue.

You're absolutely right. I personally don't see much of a difference for someone infatuated with an anime character vs. some "real life" character. I know people that fantasize over Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar). She may be a real person and not some animation cel but I know that the people who dream about her are more attracted to her character and not necessarily SMG herself.

There are only two possible things that cause the attraction. One, the physical attributes and two, the character personality. Some lean solely towards one while others share a combination of the two.

In Rei's case, I found her character design to be pretty. I liked Rei due to her physical attributes, light build, pretty eyes, the way her short hair was styled. I also thought I liked her because she was some mysterious character. In the end I think her personality was too low-key for my tastes. Asuka entered the picture and pretty much took my attention away.

Inertia, as for your obsession with Rei, if it's some sort of inspiration for you then more power to you. However, I do think it's a little over the top with the vanilla extract though. :shock:

As for trying to compare people to Rei, it won't work. It won't work if the character is real or fiction. Comparing someone to your ideals will almost always set you up for disappointment.

I'm just waiting for our resident Aspie to respond.

Well, most people, I'd like to say everyone but I'm not sure that would be accurate, has an ideal person to love so to say. For Inertia's case, it's manifested itself in Rei, you could think of it as convenient. Without Rei he probably would have had the same ideal (please correct me if I'm wrong Inertia). Just because my ideal person may be more "real" (which is an oxymoron if you think about it), it doesn't make it better than Inertia's. It's all the same.