Is my relationship with him normal?
When I was in my early teens, I began developing an original character for a story in my head. Being in my early twenties now, I still have this character, and I'm attached to him in a way that I feel like I love him. I can and do make friends in real life, I've dated guys and so on, but I tend to be a bit antisocial, and quite often want to get away from people and just be alone to do my own thing. I tend to think of my character as though he's a real person, imagine what he'd say in real situations, and daydream about him. I suppose in part these feelings occur because I know he's part of my mind, so I know he won't betray me, and no one can take him from me. But here's where it gets weird:
I feel closer to him than I do to any of my friends or family, none of whom I feel I can trust completely. However, I sometimes end up with conflicted feelings when someone who I know and dislike says something similar to what I imagine my character would say, or if someone with similarities to his personality or appearance acts like an asshole, and suddenly I start hating my character with a vengeance until the anger itself wears off. Essentially, I stop liking him for a while if something bad reminds me of him.
And yes, I do know he's not real and that I'll never meet him. The way I see it, as long as I'm not a creepy basement dweller having these fantasies, I'm not a complete mental case.
So...is it normal to love your own character sort of like an absent best friend, but also to become angry when something or someone you don't like reminds you of him?