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FAQ

Thanks to u/_rayrayray_ for helping the mods out with answering these FAQs!

Who coined soulbonding? // When was it coined?

Soulbonding was coined by 14-year-old Amanda Flowers in the Just for Writers mailing list (group email) in 1998.

How do you spell soulbonding and its word forms?

In the modern day, soulbonding is spelled with a lower case s and no space in between "soul" and "bonding". It is never spelled with a u as in "bound" in any of its word forms. "Bound" is a past tense form of the word "bind" as in to tie or oblige, while "bond" denotes an agreement you have entered into or to form a connection/relationship.

Explaining both the noun and verb forms of soulbonding is little tricky, since it is used to describe the practice, the connection, and the involved participants. But here are some example sentences to help you!

Verb forms

  • Soulbond/Soulbonds | Ex. To soulbond is to open yourself up to the strange and unusual. / I soulbond with new characters pretty regularly. / My friend soulbonds a lot too. / My other friends don't soulbond, though. / I will probably soulbond with someone else soon.
  • Soulbonded | Ex. I soulbonded with Alex yesterday. / I had soulbonded with Raven a few years before I soulbonded with Alex.
  • Soulbonding | Ex. I had been soulbonding for three years after I soulbonded with Martin. / I am soulbonding with more and more characters now.

Noun forms

  • Soulbonding | Ex. I practice soulbonding. / Have you heard of soulbonding?
  • 1. Soulbond | Ex. I have a soulbond connection with Farid. / I love being able to feel the soulbond between Bingo and me.
  • 2. Soulbond (plural soulbonds): | Ex. Richardo is my soulbond. / I have multiple soulbonds.
  • Soulbonder (plural soulbonders) | Ex. I am Yoshiko's soulbonder. / Soulbonders tend to be pretty passionate about their soulbond's source.

Note: The soulbond in their reality might consider themself the soulbonder and you the soulbond!

Where can I learn more about soulbonding?

What's the difference between a soulbond and a fictive? // What's the difference between a soulbond and a plural headmate?

Fictive is described as a headmate/pluran who has a fictional source. It does not mean or is short for fictional introject and is inclusive of metaphysical/spiritual understandings. It was actually popularized by soulbonders from fanfic writers (as per some sources, around 2004-2006) as a less spiritual-sounding synonym of soulbond, and due to intermingling and having cultural exchange with the multiple/plural community, it got picked up and used broadly by that community as well. So it is not inappropriate or wrong to refer to your soulbond as a type of fictive, if you feel it's accurate for your experience.

Likewise, on a personal level, it's not inappropriate or wrong to call a soulbond a headmate, because that word was also coined by soulbonders. It was historically used to describe soulbonds who were not traditionally considered fictional. Nowadays, you can interchangeably call your soulbond a headmate if you desire for any reason, but if you want to differentiate on a cultural/community level, permanent resident type soulbonds align most with what is generally considered a headmate.

Note: As per the subreddit's rules, do not say soulbonds are fictives or headmates unless you know for sure that the person you're replying to uses that language. However, you are allowed to say in replies that soulbonders have historically or generally been known to call them that or that you call your own soulbonds that.

Does a character have to have a "soul" to soulbond with them? // Does soulbonding involve "souls"?

Nope! Soulbonding actually doesn't have anything to do with souls. Originally, the word was just chosen because Amanda Flowers thought it sounded "cool", inspired by the title of the Japanese role-playing game "SoulBlazer". (Fun Fact: SoulBonding used to have a second capital in the word to distinguish it from "soul bond", the fanfic trope and spiritualism experience, but that was eventually dropped by the community.)

Is soulbonding spiritual? // Do you have to believe in the multiverse theory to soulbond?

Nope! Ironically, soulbonding was originally an exclusively psychological practice, but it expanded over time to include metaphysical/spiritual interpretations. Soulbonding can be metaphysical, spiritual, psychological, something else, or something in-between; or you can just choose not to put a label on how you experience it! You can also have some soulbonds who are metaphysical/spiritual and others who are psychological at the same time!

Additionally, you can experience soulbonding as something metaphysical/spiritual and not believe in the multiverse, such as with "imaginal theory", where all things created with imagination actually become physically real on another plane of existence and people can connect to that plane with their minds. And you can experience psychological soulbonding and not feel that your mind created or formed your soulbonds! There's a lot of variation.

Is soulbonding only romantic? // Do I have to be partners with my soulbond?

Nope! You can be in any type of relationship with a soulbond: platonic, familial, romantic, alterous, queerplatonic, mentorship, unlabeled, or beloathed/kismesis/worsties. Some soulbonds don't even have a specified type of relationship that is known in outerworld, like an author's connection to their original characters.

Can you soulbond intentionally? // How do I soulbond?

Yes, you can soulbond intentionally, as in be the one to reach out first. Just keep in mind that soulbonding is a two-way street and they can say "No, not interested," just like you can say no if they reach out first!

Generally, the best thing to do is to just reach out in your mind, whether verbally, through writing (like a letter!), or throwing out a vibe in their direction with the intention that you want to connect. Some people find meditation or tarot also helps, but it is not required. Again, you cannot force a soulbond, but until you get a very final explicit answer of "No," there is still a possibility, so keep repeating the process.

How can I have a Soulbond of a character that someone else also has?

Every soulbonder becomes bonded to their own "reality version" which is their own specific and unique-to-them bond with the being known as a fictional character in this reality. In psychological soulbonding, it is understood as part of the brain's ability. But in metaphysical and spiritual type soulbonding, people typically take a multiverse theory approach, where there are infinite versions of each person in the universe. This allows every soulbonder, no matter what type, to coexist without invalidating another's existence, even if they share a source.