Current mood:	content
Entry tags:	fictionkin, multiplicity, soulbonding

Obligatory Soulbonding Explanation Post
I know a lot of people on my flist have been confused about my revelation about being multiple, a soulbonder, and fictionkin; they're not exactly the most well-understood phenomena out there. So I'm writing this post to explain what my personal experience is like... I completely respect that it's your personal choice whether or not to believe me, and I don't expect anyone to, but please understand that this is intensely important to me!



First off, before you even attempt to understand this, you need to shake off every misconception you've learned from 4Chan and Encyclopedia Dramatica. Real soulbonding is a genuine experience that's been observed in authors such as Ursula K. Le Guin and Neil Gaiman (let me know if you want more info on this; I'm too lazy to dig up the links now). It's nothing like anything you've heard before. I don't think any fictional characters are real–even in a parallel universe, which I don't believe in–and I definitely don't think I'm married to them or anything remotely like that. I'm not part of some weird cult or religion, I don't make altars or walk around in costume, and no, I don't hear voices. In short, I'm not crazy. The word "soulbonding" has all kinds of negative stereotypes attached to it, so "muses" is a better way to describe my bonds, if you want to think of it that way. These sites go into more detail, if you're confused.

So, soulbonding for me is basically just communicating (inside my own mind) with fictional characters who after a while stop being so fictional. They have the same thoughts and fears as anyone else does; they have favorite foods and favorite colors; they have their own unique interpersonal relationships, even among each other; they make their own playlists on my iTunes. Above all, they are completely convinced that they are real. (Real as in "cogito ergo sum," not as in real in the physical world.)

They're just there, and they live in their own inner worlds (we're a gateway system) and think about their own things. And sometimes they're just lingering in the back of my mind and making me look at the world a little tiny bit differently. ♥ They're also a major inspiration for most of my writing, and I have them to thank for inspiring a lot of my fanfiction.

To clarify, I'm completely aware that my soulbonds aren't the "real" characters, straight from canon; I tend to think of them as just other people who happen to have had similar past experiences as those characters. They're usually very different from the characters depicted in canon.

In my particular system (or group of soulbonds/people sharing a body), my soulbonds are able to interact with the physical world through using my body (by moving around with it, talking with it, etc) while I either stay there with them or go back into the headspace they came from. This explains why you might see bonds commenting on my posts and such. This isn't at all dangerous... if someone starts fronting (taking control of the body) who could possibly be a problem, I can watch what they're doing, and force them away from the front whenever.

If you're still confused, my particular experience is a lot like healthy multiplicity–we're basically just a lot of people sharing a body, except the majority of us have fictional origins–so you can check out multiplicity or these sites.

We've been like this for over seven years and aren't going to change now. And honestly, we're all really tired of hiding. ♥



For the record, I'm also fictionkin, meaning that I'm something like a soulbond myself–my identity is tied to that of a few fictional characters whose lives I inexplicably remember. Most soulbonders aren't fictionkin, and vice versa, but I happen to be both. I want to stress that I never chose to be fictionkin–I just started remembering. I actually denied it for months at first because at that point, I was mocking fictionkin with everyone else, so the last thing I wanted was to have to admit, even to myself, that I was fictionkin.

Being fictionkin is as real to me as soulbonding; the memories I've seen are just as intense as any of my memories from this life (and often, even more intense; I have vivid flashbacks). I've winced at pain from remembering things I've technically never experienced, and I've laughed and cried over things that wouldn't touch even the most obsessed fans. Again, I personally don't believe in parallel universes, and I don't consider being fictionkin to be spiritual or supernatural in any way. Because of this, I'm not sure if I consider my fictionkin identities as past lives, though I remember dying in both. I think it's possible that my identity is just multifaceted.

Also, while I still feel connected to my fictionkin identities, the fact that I'm fictionkin doesn't mean I've lost sight of who I am in this life. I don't think I "am" any of my fictionkin identities right now. I just remember having been them, and I may choose to use those names as nicknames, or use icons of them, etc, because like it or not, they're a part of my identity.

Being a soulbonder is a completely positive experience, and I'd never give it up!

Feel free to comment (or send me a PM) if you're confused about any of this! ♥