Who is Your Waifu?

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I'd feel bad for derailing this thread and i'd rather not but personally i wouldn't mind having that discussion. What exatly do you dislike about her?

Well, we could always open a thread to discuss Bayonetta. XD

As a woman, I have mixed feelings for Bayonetta. The design of her entire videogame is creative and appealing, and she indeed is a strong character in the literal sense of the word (she kicks ass!).

But here's the catch.... no matter how cool and amusing she is, she's still entirely a fanservice character who's striking up poses for the male gaze alone. I know that it's pushed to the point of being so over-the-top that you can't even take it seriously, let alone get offended. But still....
If for example, Dante from Devil May Cry would show his crotch area to the camera in a allusive manner, lick an icecream allusively, make sexual moans when he fights enemies, and become completely naked whenever he attacks, you'd feel a little awkward playing that videogame.

Honestly, i think i wouldn't. Admittedly, it would make me aware that i'm obviously not the target audience for the game but if it was as good as Bayonetta it would not hinder my enjoyment.

But i am aware that there are lot of people that this would make uncomfortable so i see where you are coming from. I agree that she is obviously designed to appeal to male players. But what i don't agree with is the notion that this is necessarily exploitative. While her oversexualised appearance and personality are a big part of her character it's always treated as an expression of her confidence. Don't get me wrong, i do realize that she's still a character designed by a man to appeal to men but seeing how that could be said about most female characters she still stands out as a positive example for me. In most other games unrealistically good looks and overly revealing clothes, no matter how little sense they make in context are usually treated with a nonchalant "That's just what you do in videogames" attitude while Bayonetta takes it to its logical extreme, puts it in a setting where pretty much everything is over the top and has some fun with it. I'm not saying she's the be all end all of women in videogames but i vastly prefer her over the likes of Lara "I'm an archeologist who just happens to look like a supermodel, just go with it" Croft. Of course i'm biased because i really damn like her and her game.

So... do you think we should just get ourselves a cozy little thread over in the Gaming Discussion for us and anyone else who wants to join in on this discussion?

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

Nobody said Rikku yet? Gooood...

Spoiler

Cos she's mine people, nobody elses!

Oof, that's a good choice! I forgot about her, she was always my favourite party member.

Lilly from Katawa Shoujo!

Lilly was definitely my favourite and I was drawn to her the most from the beginning. Hanako has a lovely message and can be downright heartwarming (or heartbreaking). HOWEVER!

I feel compelled to give some attention to the underloved [small]bondage...hhhhhnnnggg[/small] Shizune!
She has an adorable character design.

Spoiler: Take it away Shizune!

 

[lolcatize]

First choice: Lightning FF13

Spoiler

and second one would be: Preston Marlowe BFCB2

Spoiler

I cant help it hes so handsome T~T, and i have strong feelings for men in uniform.

 

[lolcatize]

First choice: Lightning FF13

Spoiler

and second one would be: Preston Marlowe BFCB2

Spoiler

I cant help it hes so handsome T~T, and i have strong feelings for men in uniform.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

So... do you think we should just get ourselves a cozy little thread over in the Gaming Discussion for us and anyone else who wants to join in on this discussion?

Yeah, let's! This sounds like an interesting discussion, being able to discuss Bayonetta and sexism without any flamewars. :3

Alright. Let's continue there:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.839555-Do-you-think-Bayonetta-is-a-positive-example-of-a-female-protagonist

 

[Azudarko]

Iskandar! The King of Conquerors!

I think this turned me bi.

Then my work here is done. I can continue to spread the gospel elsewhere.

 

[DeltaEdge]

I'm glad to see that the thread made it at least a page in before the party-poopers arrived. The last waifu thread I remember was torn to shreds by them.

OT: The OP snagged mine right from the get-go. Aigis is probably my favorite character in Persona 3/4. Also, her thing they introduced in P4U where she shifts back into her robotic tone of speech when she's subtly mocking people, just the little things like that just make me appreciate her character that much more.

Spoiler: My favorite Aigis gif set

Source: http://fromthelostdays.tumblr.com/post/72882959567

Also, for all you party poopers, despite what definition says, no, none of us(I hope) actually consider these characters to actually be our significant others, we aren't using the term for it's exact definition, we're just using the term in a loose/comical way to refer to female characters(or characters of your sexual orientation) that we like a lot, but not necessarily in an obsessive/sexual way as the term is defined. So basically, if you see one of these threads in the future on the Escapist(I can't guarantee anywhere else though), just know that it's intended purpose is simply an alternate phrasing of characters that we adore.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Definitely Daria. Just look at the love in her eyes:

Spoiler

She has transcended to a level of apathetic indifference towards all of her surroundings that I could only dream of reaching. She's intelligent, witty, sarcastic and never afraid to speak her mind.

snip

I'm genuinely amazed at how seriously some people take this kind of question. Dude, you can give the armchair philosophy a rest. Whatever the origins/connotations this word may have in Japan, I'd be willing to bet about 97% of the people using this term in the West are doing so ironically/in jest; as a hyperbolic shorthand to express the notion of 'I really dig and identify with this character and would totally date the shit out of them if they were real.' Getting emotionally invested in some form of narrative doesn't suddenly negate one's ability to discern reality from fiction. Not to say that there aren't people out there who take their attachment to fictional entities way too far, but I'm pretty sure the vast majority of people in this thread and previous ones like it (I've seen this very same thread at least once before in these forums) haven't sunken to the level of purchasing body-pillows just yet. And even if they were, I can't really say I give a shit about what other people do/how they got their jollies in their own time. I mean at least with regard to my own personal moral code, other people's fapping habits aren't exactly a priority concern for me. I guess the abridged version of what I'm trying to get across is lighten up. This topic was clearly never meant to be heavy.

 

[Pr0]

I guess the abridged version of what I'm trying to get across is lighten up. This topic was clearly never meant to be heavy.

And I think what I'm trying to elucidate is that perhaps the subject is not taken seriously enough, or simply accepted as "not my concern" when collectively it is something that should be considered to potentially be a concern. The population crisis in Japan (Fukushima and surviving one of the largest recorded earthquakes in recent human history notwithstanding) is, I believe, the tip of an iceberg, and in the briny depths of the ocean, lies this subject..and others.

Now I suppose we could say that the population crisis in Japan is not our concern either. But perhaps it should be if Japan is simply a diorama image of a potential larger world problem in the near future where not just Japan is in crisis.

Armchair philosophy or no...it is, at least, critical thought about behavioral trends that could lend themselves to very real world consequences at some point. So while this topic is not meant to be heavy, and I respect it for what it is, the subject matter at hand is a facet of many larger potential philosophical problems which tend to have real world ramifications at some point down the line.

I believe in our pursuit to take things lightly we sometimes forget that without the few people taking things seriously, we'd have no room to take things lightly at all. And perhaps as a generation we are far too irresponsible for our own good.

 

[michael87cn]

Rei Ayanami

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rei_Ayanami

She has no personality, except for moments of kindness and selflessness for others, mainly her son Shinji and Husband Gendo Ikari. Well, son and father in a past life, pre-cloning...

I had a crush on her when I was 14 years old.

 

[Ieyke]

Waifu - A fictional character from non-live-action visual media (typically an anime, manga, or video game) that one is attracted to and considers a significant other.

- Wiktionary [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/waifu]

The fuck's a Waifu? The parameters of that definition just give me even more questions. Attracted to, fine, but 'considers a significant other..?' - Does that mean they have to be part of 'team' or 'party'? I thought S/Os were agreed by common consensus to be a identify-neutral parlance for romantic or sexual partnership? Is that just the daydream aspect of the term? Especially applied to linear entertainment - is it just both drooling over and rooting for a character? Romantic Favoritism? How does this concept even work?

...

But, alas, while I don't know what I'm talking about, I'll point out what I guess were my alleged 'Waifus' (or just 'fancied fictions') that I can remember.

Right there with you, man.

I had to ponder this for a while...

Spoiler

Elizabeth (BioShock Infinite)

Sodina Dawnfried (Thousand Arms)

Iris (MegaMan X4)

Elhaym "Elly" Van Houten (Xenogears)

Zoey (Left 4 Dead)

I think you can see the pattern there, especially if you know those characters.
And it extends into real life too.

EDIT: I had to add Zoey, because when I play Left 4 Dead my sole goal is to keep Zoey alive. t's easiest if I play as Zoey, because then I don't have to worry about her.

 

[Erttheking]

While I personally think that waifu is a word that needs to go die in a fire alongside noob, causal, and white knight, (Mainly because people use it to insult others more than anything else) I'd have to go with this cute little cupcake.

Spoiler

http://delimiter.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/knight-solaire.jpg

....Oh don't look at me like that. The guy says he wonders if you have feelings for him regardless of your gender and some people say we're all a like biesexual inside, and...he's just a friendly, helpful, likable guy. I'd probably be uncomfortable with the more intimate stuff, but hey, I'd be ok with him. I'd help him find his sun.

 

[Grayjack]

I have a lot of waifus, so I'll just post my top 2.

Spoiler: Blanc from Hyperdimension Neptunia

and

Spoiler: Dolce from Rune Factory 4

 

[deserteagleeye]

What, am I not enough of a Chie fanatic to warrant your list? I'll have you know I killed off Marie for her.....ok that was more for my own personal benefit.

Weren't you just lazy and didn't want to do her dungeon? Her Tsun levels were too much for you to take!

I did it for the original ending without Marie. I'm still gonna save her on my next playthrough though, begrudgingly. And even then my motivation mostly lies with fighting Margaret for the first time, saving Marie is just an afterthought. Did I mention I don't like Marie?! I really, REALLY don't like her.

 

[klaynexas3]

Spoiler

She is why I played Persona 4. I fucking loved her.

Also. I'm surprised how many people actually posted in this thread.

 

[[REDACTED]]

SANCTIMONIOUS SNIP

Ooh, ooh, I can do this too! Let's see...

I've got it. Sometimes people joke about murder. While this may seem harmless, it is actually symptomatic of a far larger problem: some people do, in fact, commit murder. The seriousness of this may not be apparent at first, but upon close observation you'll notice that both of the previous phrases contain the word "murder". Coincidence? I think not.

Sure some of you may laugh, and say that trying to establish a link between a lighthearted humorous remark and homicide is ridiculous, but you'd be missing the larger picture. In our haste to "have a sense of humour", we fail to consider the exacerbating influence that making jokes tangentially related to a serious subject has on that subject's continued existence.

There we go. Did I do it right?

 

[Dango]

I am my own waifu. Waifu #1

 

[Stryc9]

This one:

Spoiler

Or this one:

Spoiler

Guess I just have a thing for women who could potentially kill me...

 

[Lord Rothschild]

Mahoro Andou
mahoromatic is my fav anime and a combat andriod maid... can't beat and one of the other charactures is voiced by steave bloom I'd go gay to hear that voice wisper sweet nothings in my ear all night.


http://www.hdwpapers.com/walls/mahoromatic_desktop_wallpaper_2-normal5.4.jpg

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Here's the thing though... I am highly sure that 99% of the people in this thread do not want to have sex with the fictional characters they've selected.

I'd say you're making a mistake by assuming that, Frappe. At best, most people would simply say that to save face. Put them in an anonymous environment and you'll get different answers.

kawaii snipfu

On the contrary, there are plenty of views, sexual fetishes and types of people that have huge amounts of stigma attached to them

To steal lines from an excellent video on the subject, we all view fictional characters as real on some level. If we didn't, everything fictional we see would be meaningless nonsense.

As for attraction, I really don't see the problem. I have exactly the same chance of sleeping with a Playboy model as I do with Tali'zorah. None whatsoever. Drawing are attractive. Infatuation is just the next logical step.

I do agree that there is a line. At the point where a person is actually rejecting physical contact because they feel the need to be loyal to a fictional character, it's more than a bit silly.

OT:
In the world of attraction to fictional characters, I would be considered a manwhore. I've never been able to settle on just one.

Except maybe Blaziken. Yes, that one.