Soulbonding Information

What is soulbonding?

Soulbonding is when a person, often after forming a strong connection to a fictional character or world, can communicate with characters in their mind. They can originate from various sources such as books, movies, original characters, roleplaying, daydreaming, personal stories, and more. Soulbonding can be experienced in many different ways and people have varying beliefs about the origins of these connections.

Examples

(Disclaimer: This list doesn't cover everything, and some people may see their bonds differently.)

  • Some bonders see it as a psychological phenomenon, like the illusion of independent agency.

  • Some bonders see their bonds as beings from other worlds that become attached to them.

  • Some bonders develop an emotional connection to a character and one day they start talking back.

  • Sometimes after writing about a character they'll come alive in the author's mind.

  • After someone develops a strong emotional connection with a character, that character might suddenly appear in someone's mind.

  • Someone who daydreams a lot might notice that the characters in their daydreams start developing their own personalities and making their own choices.

  • A person might intentionally try connecting with a character by reaching out or inviting them to bond with them.

  • Sometimes a character from a dream sticks around after a person has woken up and maintains a sense of connection.

History

Soulbonding was coined by Amanda Flowers in 1998~ on the Just For Writers (aka JFW) mailing list (though since it was a mailing list, the exact date is hard to pinpoint). Originally it was spelled as SoulBonding; based off the title of the rpg SoulBlazer. The term got spread to more people and in 2002 the first Live journal community dedicated to soulbonding was created. When the community came in contact with the multiplicity community on LJ, the two began intermixing, which caused infighting in both communities about the nature of soulbonding and plurality. As time went on, information about soulbonding became harder to find as websites were taken down, and (from what we have seen, so take this with a grain of salt) the community became absorbed into the plural and fictionkin communities.

LB-Lee sources

Basic terms

Daytripper-
A bond who can travel to and from their world, they can sometimes be both a telephone bond and a daytripper. (Synonyms: Visitors)Permanent Resident-
A soulbond who stays with the soulbonder permanently, they may be unwilling or unable to return home. (Synonyms: Resident, permanent, live-in)Soulbond-
The person a soulbonder bonds with. It can be shortened to bond(s).Soulbonder-
The person (normally from this world, but doesn't have to be) who bonds with a soulbond. It can be used to describe the host of a soulbonded system. Can be shortened to bonder(s).Telephone Bond-
A bond who stays in their world, but can still communicate with the bonder in this world. It's like communicating with a bond through an internal phone line. (Synonyms: Internal cellphone, long distance, caller)

Subterms

Cosmabonding-
A subterm under soulbonding for soulbonders who's bonds are made through reality shifting, soulbonds that shift from their realities or can shift back and forth from their realities to this one, etc. This is usually seen as a magical or spiritual experience but can also be psychological. (coined by @soularsys on Tumblr)Munbonding-
A subterm under soulbonding that denotes a psychological phenomenon where a person develops a connection to a fictional character and begins to interact with an autonomous version of them in their mind. Pronounced "moon-bonding" (coined by @winreyplace)

More terms

Guest-
A telephone bond that sometimes becomes a daytripper for short periods of time, but stays in their reality more, making them more telephone bond rather than daytripper. (coined by @soularsys on Tumblr)Interim-
A permanent resident that leaves only when necessary, usually they'll leave for short periods of time and come back for extended periods, making them more of a resident rather than daytripper. (coined by @soularsys on Tumblr)Overnighter-
Soulbonds who temporarily become permanent residents based on the needs of their bonder, but return to being daytrippers once those needs don't require them to be there all the time anymore. (coined by @winreyplace)Prophet-
A type of bond that communicates with their bonder through dreams. (coined by @soularsys on Tumblr)Reverse Soulbonding-
An experience where instead of a bond coming into your head, you go into theirs. It can be experienced as a type of dream. A soulbonder who can do this is called a traveler.Soulbond Sharing-
An instance where a soulbond moves from one person's mind to another, they retain their personality and any information/experiences gained while they were bonded to the first person.SoulMuse-
A term for a soulbond who is always active and has some control when the body is awake, in a way that is synchronous with the soulbonder. (coined by @Alcremie-Leo on Tumblr)Spammer-
A telephone bond that is constantly around and talking to their bonder while staying in their reality. (coined by @soularsys on Tumblr)Telepath-
A permanent resident or daytripper that is capable of communicating like a telephone bond when they aren't with the soulbonder. (coined by @soularsys on Tumblr)Time Lord-
A bond that believes their reality is the future of the body's reality or the bond's reality is/was the past of the body's reality and time traveled to become a soulbond. (coined by @soularsys on Tumblr)Tourist-
A variant of daytripper for bonds who rarely visit or visit noticeably less than other bonds. (coined by @anomalycouncil on Tumblr)

Older terms

Dar'morende-
An old term meaning permanent soulbond.Idea-creature-
Anything born of thought, dreams, imagination, or the energy created from this process. Can include soulbonds, parts of self, self image, etc.Insourced-
Soulbonds that aren't derived from an outside source, such as ocs or paras.Outsourced-
Soulbonds that are derived from an outside source, such as tv shows, books, anime, movies, ect.Reality-version-
A soulbonders version of a character and/or their world.Soulscape-
A term used to describe a place inside a soulbonders head (or separate place entirely) to interact with and/or house their bonds.Stereo-Soulbonding-
A term used to describe when multiple soulbonders have soulbonds of the same character. (Synonyms: doubles)Tar'morende-
A term meaning temporary soulbond.

Other terms

Alterhuman-
An umbrella term for anyone with an identity beyond what is traditionally considered human.Doubles-
People who share the same sourced identity. (example: someone identifies as Superman, anyone else who also identifies as Superman is a double.)Exomemory-
A memory that did not happen to the body.Fictionfolk-
An umbrella term for anyone with an alterhuman identity related to fiction.Fictionkin-
Someone who identifies as a fictional character or species.Fictive-
A headmate based on a fictional source.Front-
The status of being in control of the body and/or mind.Gateway system-
A gateway system is a type of system that is connected to other worlds through gates/portals that are experienced as real and external to the system, body, and brain. They may also experience their headspace as another dimension or see it as an external place.Headmate-
A person or entity in a plural system. (Synonyms: Alters, sysmates)Headspace-
The mental space where headmates live and interact with each other. (Synonyms: Wonderland)Host-
The headmate who fronts the most, has the most say in daily life, and/or is the most active. Can be synonymus with soulbonder, but not always.Para-
A term for daydream characters.Paracosm-
A term for a daydream world.Plural-
The experience of having multiple people (or facets) sharing one body. There are many causes and types of plurality.Self-shipping-
The act of shipping yourself (or a self-insert) with a fictional character. (Synonyms: Yumeshipping)Soulbound-
Refers to souls that are tied togeather in some way, typically romantically but not always. Things like soulmates and twin flames fall under this term. While it’s commonly a fiction trope, some people believe it’s a phenomonon that happens in real life too. This isn’t synonymus with soulbond and you can be both soulbound and soulbonded.Source-
The media an identity is sourced from.Switching-
The act of leaving or entering front.System-
The group of people sharing a body/brain.Thoughtform-
An entity created from thought or mental energy. Things like tulpas, daemons, and sometimes soulbonds can be considered thoughtforms.Walk in-
An entity that "walks into" the body after birth at any point. They normally have memories of another life. This can result in a headmate or they can replace a soul entirely, some kin use this to explain their identity. (note: they can also be headmates that walk in from other parts of the system or accidental tulpas.)

Experiences

Stories and poems

The Trinity
by Half-Esper LauraEverything's alright
by Hollywood Honey

How do I soulbond?

Community guides on how to soulbond
From r/pluralHow to soulbond tutorial
By WinreyplaceOur soulbonding guide
By the Interstellar SystemOur soulbonding technique (for permanent residents)
By the Sparks SystemSoulbonding tips
By FromfictionIs it possible to become a soulbonder?
By FromfictionAccidental Soulbonding
By Fromfiction

Flags

(Click on the images for the actual posts, the links go to the makers accounts overall)

Soulbonding flag
(note: the colors of this carrd were mostly colorpicked from this flag)

[img id] The flag has five horizontal stripes. From the top down the colors of the stripes are: red, orange, light orange, purple, and dark blue. On the right side of the flag, there is a light orange circle in the orange stripe. On the left side, there's a light purple circle in the purple stripe. The orange and purple stripes curve around the circles, overlapping the stripes next to them. [/end img id]

Soulbond flag

[img id] The flag has three symmetrical dark blue, light orange, and dark blue stripes. Inside the middle, light orange stripe are two symmetrical red stripes that run to the right, leading into an orange circle with a pale orange circle inside of it. [/end img id]

Soulbonder flag

[img id] The flag has three symmetrical red, light orange, and red stripes. Inside the middle, light orange stripe are two symmetrical dark blue stripes that run to the right, leading into a purple circle with a light purple circle inside of it. [/end img id]

Visitor flag (an alt term for daytripper)

[img id] A flag with five horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, the colors are wine red, burgundy, light red, brick red, and sangria. In the center of the flag is an image of a door. [/end img id]

Resident flag (an alt term for permanent resident)

[img id] A flag with five horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, the colors are red, orange, yellow, gold, and dark orange. In the center of the flag is an image of a key. [/end img id]

Caller flag (an alt term for telephone bond)

[img id] A flag with five horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, the colors are dark red, rust red, pale purple, grey, and dark blue. In the center of the flag is an image of a vintage phone. [/end img id]

Daytripper flag

[img id] A flag with six horizontal stripes. From top to bottom, the colors are dark navy, blue, bright blue, yellow, orange, and crimson. In the flag's center is an image of a combined sun and moon. The sun has a black outline. [/end img id]

Telephone bond flag

[img id] A flag with horizontal stripes. The top stripe is dark black, the second stripe is medium grey, the third stripe is bright red. In the middle is a wider, medium yellow stripe. Below that, the same pattern repeats from red to black. In the center of the flag, there's a red rotary phone. [/end img id]

Permanent bond flag

[img id] The flag has six horizontal stripes. The colors from top to bottom are dark navy, dark pink, raspberry, bright light blue, pastel yellow, and white. In the middle of the flag, there is a picture of a black chain with three links, which has a thin white outline around it. [/end img id]

Symbols

An eye with a venn diagram for the pupil

Soulbonding symbol

Soulbonding rings/orbit

Soulbonding rings/orbit for soulbonders and soulbonds in relationships