Empathy Roads

Have you ever find yourself thinking that a character you wrote or read about would like this or would have said that? To some people, it happens all the time. With some characters, it happens to every reader.
Not many know about this, but any well written character can get in the thoughts of any person who can relate to them, or at least understand the way they feel and think. Depending on a lot of things, including the person and how much the story means for them, it is more conscious and it last more or less time.
This phenomena doesn't apply to the memory of physical descriptions: it doesn't matter how attractive you find a character for their description or the actor that plays them in the movies (or the person chosen to appear in covers and character art), noticing a similitude with a picture or person, won't become a path for the character to reach you. But if you notice a gesture with meaning, or the opinion of the character on their own appearance, then you are opening a door to their memories and habits.

Manifestation

It often feels like a memory or a though. Depending on each person mind processes, it can be a mental image, a phrase... a personal rule. Not everyone is aware of it, and most people won't really remember the character itself.
Sometimes it leads to someone quoting a character, and once in a while a person can adopt a character's beliefs if those fit too well with their own.

It happens everywhere. To everyone.
Yes: it happens to you too.

Type

Natural

Affects

Everyone

I bet Molly doesn't even remember writing that story, but Giralda still haunts me. I can't even walk in front of a pet shop without thinking about what she would think about it.

— Alan