I wouldn't say it's a "movement" so much as increasing visibility of what was always there.

The unifying idea of a waifu is that you are engaged in a relationship with a person who is in some sense "fictional." Beyond that, ask ten people with waifus what the word means to them and you'll get twenty answers.

Okay, I kind of understand that, but how would a relationship with a fictional character even work?

>>12789
how would a relationship with a person online even work?

>>12790

I don't really understand that either.

>>12789
Better.

>>12792
Please explain.

>>12793
Please lurk...
http://tohno-chan.com/arc/index.php?board=13&time=1000&search=

The fool learns from experience. The sage learns from history.

So, from what I've read, I can't tell if it's love for or worship of a specific fictional character.

>>12797
>ask ten people with waifus what the word means to them and you'll get twenty answers.

Choo choo, here comes the education train.
This explanation is my most favorite one.
http://archive.is/OWgl

ever hear of the guy who married his car? its like that

>>12798
I wouldn't mind twenty different answers. It'd give me a nice variety of viewpoints.

>>12799
That helped a bit, but I'm still not entirely certain about some things.

>>12800
It seems a bit different from that.

I think the reason it's hard to get a straight answer is that there's no broad consensus on what it means to have a waifu, metaphysically speaking. Some people believe their waifu is a literally real person who exists in an alternate 2D universe; others hold to the theory that ALL human love is ultimately for an idealized fiction, that this is no less the case for regular 3D relationships, and that the waifu crowd is just more honest about it; still others hold to the "common sense" view that we're just sad, lonely folks doing the best we can to eke out companionship in our own media-saturated imaginations.

"Waifu" doesn't necessarily correlate to "wife", either. Some waifus are wives, but others are simply friends, or sisters, or even daughters. And yes, some are worshiped as goddesses. And the concept isn't limited to one gender; there are a handful of folks on /mai/ with "husbandos".

The question of sex and virginity (on both her part and ours) is both huge and hugely controversial. Suffice it to say that a lot of us have strong opinions about whether or not it's ethical to fap to one's waifu, whether or not fapping to a fictional person counts as having sex with them, whether or not fapping to other characters constitutes cheating, etc. And Haruhi help you if you bring up any sketchy things like NTR or guro.

Long story short, it would be easy to just flippantly define waifu as "imaginary girlfriend" and dismiss the whole concept as ridiculous and sad (and many, MANY people do, obviously). But it turns out to be a surprisingly complex topic that isn't really susceptible to a brief, definitive explanation. The best I can recommend is to hang out around /mai/ for a while and get a feel for it yourself.

>>12803
That actually clarified things a lot. Thanks!

One's waifu is fictional character who is object of his strong feeling of emotional connection. How different people express their feelings towards their waifu, vary a lot.

Post edited on 18th Jun 2013, 11:44am

>>12777
>>12803
>>12807
These are very good posts.


OP, if you want even more controversial stuff, you can also find some people with multiple waifus or who would change their waifu every now and then. Although this is not a problem in itself, you will NEVER find any consensus on a topic like this. Human emotions are singular needs and having a waifu help us to fulfill in some way some of these needs (thus achieving a more stable emotional state). But always remember that every relationship between a waifu and its partner is different.

I think the broadest mold that all waifu fit into is a character that is held near and dear.

Just another note, sometimes people from other boards like /a/ use the word "waifu" to describe their current favorite character of the week/season/show, implying superficial lust and eventual disposability. People for whom having a waifu is a deeper, long-term emotional commitment tend to view this as shallow and disrespectful.

How one defines as their waifu is really up to them and their individual choices.

I guess you can say that I am guilty of 'changing waifus', but that's because I wasn't exactly too sure of what such a commitment might entail. It felt more and more like an emotional prison and I slowly fell out of love as time passed. Love that is forced is not love at all, it's emotional incarceration. I was afraid of what people on /mai/ would think of me if I ever fell out of love. I felt like a hypocrite. It wasn't until about a few years after then I still wondered what exactly having a waifu is all about to me. Even to this day.

So, what's the difference between feeling strong emotions involving a character and said character being one's waifu?

Lurk forever.

>>12819

I guess it's like the difference between having a crush on someone and being in a relationship with them, sorta? And it's definitely more emotional than sexual; your waifu is someone who colors your world and becomes part of your life. She helps to define who you are, and vice-versa. That's how I see it, anyway.

>>12819
what's the difference between feeling strong emotions for a person and said person being one's wife/husband?

>>12823
Legal binding?

>>12819
If you celebrate your relationship with a fictional character, it becomes your waifu.

>>12824
Could you be more dense?

>>12826
Oh! That makes sense.

>>12827
So what else is there?