Whether you've got the hots for Captain Jack Sparrow or Laura Croft, we all seem to have a bonding tie to our favorite characters in movies, books, cartoons and video games. Some might even say that these characters are more than beings to follow for entertainment, but instead, to them, are ones that they have found a deep emotional connection to. A character like this is often dubbed by their admirer as their "waifu"; the Japanese romaji word for "wife". Practically all across the globe, men (and women) and their waifus are finding it hard to take their love to the next level, for trying to marry a fictional character is not legally allowed. This is mostly due in part not because of the fact that the character is not physically there to consent to the marriage, but the fact that the character is not the admirer's intellectual property and was not created by them. Even if the character WAS created by them, other complications get in the way of the marriage being legal. I believe I have come up with a solution that everyone can benefit from to fix this problem. For copyrighted characters, the future husband or wife-to-be of the said character should have to pay the original creator of the character the royalty fees for that character. This would make it so only those who care enough about the character to pay the immense fees could do so. Also, legality of the marriage would have to be restricted. For example, husband/wife and their waifu's name could be printed on various pieces of mail including advertisements and magazine subscriptions, but could NOT be used on official documents such as company letterheads or bank statements. The buyer of these rights would also not be allowed to make any accounts that operate via payment or execute any financial transactions under the character's name as well as use the character as a scapegoat or witness to any criminal case. The buyer of the rights would also not be allowed to have the character adopt their family name. Finally, the character would not be exclusive to one specific buyer, but in fact could still be purchased by others willing to pay the fees to the creator. If the character was created by the individual, smaller local court fees would apply.  Basically all that would be legal about the marriage is that it: A. Could include a wedding ceremony presided over by officially recognized officiant B. Could include both the buyer and character's name on an official marriage certificate as well as spam and junk mail (both physically and electronically) C. Could be legally accepted by the court of law (except in criminal cases and financial transactions) as a legitimate marriage, also allowing for divorce of said character with no refund of purchased rights. You know, people always say, marriage is just a piece of paper! Why not make that so in the case of human-character relationships? They don't have to be taken so seriously, but just to see them accepted as real would be adequate enough for most fans. If there are loopholes or gaps in my way to legally solve this problem and anyone else has some better ideas of things I should include or take out, please let me know by dropping me an email at [lp4lyfe@gmail.com]. Thanks, and I hope I can count on your signature!

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