Soulbonding

As a Soulbonder, I want to strive not to see myself as a "master", but just as someone who is open to these fictional friends, should they want a companion or a listening ear, with all the warmth and magic that Soulbonding has always had...

''...Because not even Reality is a boundary to Friendship. That's all you need to know.''

—Laura Gilkey Soulbonding (or SoulBonding) is a phenomenon in which one holds a connection to an external entity, via emotional, mental, or other such bonds. The term was coined by Amanda Flowers, a member of the Just for Writers mailing list, with the date of coining estimated as being anywhere around 1996 to 2000.

A soulbond is the external entity whose connection brings them to communicate with their soulbonder. This connection can be made willingly or unintentionally, and the soulbond may either reside in the mind of the soulbonder or simply be able to communicate with their soulbonder from their own world. A soulbonder may also have multiple soulbonds they hold a connection to.

Soulbonds are often derived from "fictional" sources, such as canon or AU versions of fictional characters, one's own original characters, or characters one has roleplayed as and/or seen others roleplay as. However, there are no true limits on what sort of entity a soulbonder may bond with, so long as they exist in a world that is not our own.

A soulbond's connection to their soulbonder can take a variety of forms:


 * Permanent Soulbond: A soulbond who resides in the soulbonder's world permanently, whether it be willingly or unwillingly. This typically shows itself as the soulbond becoming a part of the soulbonder's headspace, though the term soulscape has been used by soulbonders who were not already plural or aware of plurality terms before becoming a soulbonder.
 * Day-Tripper: A day-tripper is a soulbond who can come and go from the soulbonder's world as they please. This coming and going may be at random or scheduled, depending on the soulbond.
 * Telephone Connection: In which the soulbond still exists within their own world and can communicate with their soulbonder in their own world, much like a shared mental telephone line. (See exolink.)
 * One-Way Mirror: Taking from a more traditional definition of soulbonding, in which the soulbond cannot see and does not communicate with their soulbonder, instead growing independently within their own world. The soulbonder merely has a connection to, and a view into, the soulbond's world.

Whether or not soulbonding is a form of plurality is up to the discretion of the soulbonder and soulbond, and the terminology surrounding it, as well as the ways soulbonds come to be connected to their soulbonders, is fluid. The same goes for whether or not soulbonding is an inherently spiritual experience; rather, soulbonding itself is a phenomenon that exists regardless of interpretation, and thus, an individual soulbonder is free to interpret it however they wish.

Traditionally, a connection between soulbond and soulbonder is crafted via simple exposure to a soulbond's source or fictional equivalent causing the soulbonder to feel deeply intertwined with the character in question. However, there are no limits to the ways a soulbond can become connected to their soulbonder, or vice versa. Examples include:


 * Soulbonds who are in-between incarnations, having passed on before becoming bonded.
 * Soulbonds who may simply travel between worlds and choose to reside with their soulbonder.
 * Soulbonds who have been misplaced from their original world for whatever reason and now reside with their soulbonder.

Bonds may also be achieved via deliberate astral projection by the soulbond, or by the soulbonder putting out a "beacon" via concentrated attention that serves to attract the soulbond in question.

A notable form of soulbonding is that of what some authors experience upon writing their characters; to them, their characters will take full form within their minds, some going so far as to correct the author on how they've been written. However, in accounts by authors who aren't already a part of the soulbonding community, the word soulbonding typically isn't used and likely wasn't known; rather, they were often referred to as muses.

History
Over the years, the definition of soulbonding has undergone tension and change; originally coined in the mid 90s-early 2000s as a term to describe "what happens when one becomes so attached to a character that they clear out a little section of your brain and move in," the term was largely meant for writers who felt a deep, personal empathy for characters they wrote, or for readers who felt the same way about the characters they saw in media, to the point of feeling as if the character(s) were a part of them.

It was considered by many to be the brain recognizing new, separate patterns of behavior based on the soulbond, before setting aside a separation between the "self" and the soulbond with those patterns in mind. Others described it as both an extension of the soulbonder's personality, as well as another personality having bonded with the soulbonder's.

However, over time, the term became more popular, usage began to vary, various accounts cropping up around 2002-2003; in some cases, soulbonds weren't even assumed to be able to communicate with their soulbonder at all, as is with the one-way mirror connection between soulbond and soulbonder. Other soulbonders went so far as to say there was very little difference between being multiple and having soulbonds, while those such as Lyn of kurai.com went in the opposite direction, claiming that soulbonds who could control the body were instead a sign of MPD.

The last definition in particular was spurred by those labeled as "fangirls"; soulbonders who would collect dozens of soulbonds and treat them more as toys to play with than people, taking the term into a realm not intended by those who were around in the JFW webring for its coining.

From the 2010s onward, the term soulbond had been integrated into plural culture and terminology. In particular, the fact that many modern pages will call soulbonds headmates is a stark difference from the early pages that defined soulbonding, in which many simply referred to soulbonds as characters.

It is also theorized that the term fictive originated in soulbonding circles, out of a desire to have a word that wasn't soulbonding to describe their experiences.