Fictional Characters I Want to Know in Real Life

Recently, I re-pinned a "some e-card" that said "Finishing a TV series on Netflix and thinking 'I'm really gunna miss these guys,' as if the characters are somehow now your friends." That pin was far more true than I should ever publicly admit. Seriously, it's embarrassing. When I finished the series finale of Greek, I bawled my probably-too-old-to-enjoy-this-show eyes out. I'd like to think that it was because it was the same week my former roomie moved across the country and I was relating my real-life sadness to the characters' moving on and away. But realistically, I know that an equal part of me knew I was going to miss those characters and watching every single detail of their fictional lives. Hey, don't judge.

Anyway, it got me thinking to how many fictional characters I feel like I know in real life. Or for that matter, wish I knew in real life. A significant portion of these characters are because the script or book is so incredibly well-written that I feel like they are actually people. Patricia Cornwell has her characters so strongly developed, she talks about them as if they're real people and I don't give it a single thought. Sometimes it's just because I really enjoy the characters because they're fun. And want to be their friends. If I had it my way, I would make these people be my friends, whether they cared to or not.

Here are some characters I either feel like I already know, or wish I could be BFFs with:

• Scarpetta, Marino, Lucy and Benton from Patrica Cornwell's Scarpetta series
• Casey, Rusty, Cappie (ahh I'm swooning), Ashley and Calvin from ABC Family's Greek. Actually, almost everyone from this show except Evan Chambers. He's a douche and I hate him.
• Benson and Stabler from Law and Order: SVU. Kragen too. He's pretty bad ass as well.
• Savich and Sherlock from Catherine Coulter novels
• Nina Reilly from Perri O'Shaughnessy's series
• The How I Met Your Mother cast: Lily, Marshall, Ted, Robin and Barney. (My life would actually be a thousand times more awesome if I was part of their friendship.)
• Most of the Walking Dead cast, but particularly Rick, Michonne, Daryl and Hershel. Well, really anyone aside from the Governor. That psycho does not need any friends.