This will attempt to explain the concept of soulbonding, to those who are new to the concept or simply want to have a better understanding. Please note, that a lot of the explanations here will be compiled from various sites as well as our own take on things.

We will link to the sites we've taken explanations from, in case you want to get more in depth explanations. All links will open in new tabs.

Soulbonding is a term that was coined in the late '90s (1998, it seems) in an internet mailing group called Just For Writers. The members began to talk about how it felt like their characters had minds of their own and were telling them what to write. It felt like they had bonded to the souls of their characters. Thus Soulbonding was born.

However, the concept is far older than the internet, and many famous authors have written and spoken of their characters coming to talk to them. So it's not a new thing, the internet just gave it a name.

It is essentially when a person feels such a strong mental and emotional connection to a character, that the character (or characters) become a real presence to them. It's basically getting a character stuck in your head that just will not go away, and they start doing and saying things out of your control. You might experience seeing the world through their eyes, hear them comment on things, or hold personal conversations with them.

From SoulBonding.org (this site is no longer available)

"Soulbonding/living characters occur when a person, often after establishing a strong emotional connection to a fictional character, finds that said character has "come to life" in their mind. This new entity (called a soulbond, muse, or living character), though nonphysical, is autonomous in that they are capable of speaking and acting on their own, even outside of or in opposition to the expectations of the original person (called the soulbonder or author [also host]). A soulbond essentially is or is strongly like a separate, conscious entity coinhabiting a brain with their soulbonder."

When the term was first coined in the late '90s, it seemed to only apply to people's own original characters. Over time, it branched out to include any character you felt that mental and emotional connection to. These may be characters of your own creation (your own stories or imagination) called insourced soulbonds, or characters of someone elses creation (movies, books, tv shows, games, etc) called outsourced soulbonds or fictives.

There are various viewpoints within the soulbonding communities, and no view is more valid than another. Some people choose to view it from a psychological perspective, considering their soulbonds to be aspects of their own personality. Others prefer to take a more spiritual approach, considering their soulbonds visiting spirits or even people in another world that they can talk to. It's something thats different for everyone.

Some people seem to connect only to their own original characters, others seem to connect only to other people's characters. Some people deliberately bond to a character, other people have characters simply show up on their own.


From About SoulBonding on Tumblr (this site is also no longer available)

"Common Soulbonder experiences include:

•Sensing a character’s presence.

•Sensing how a character might feel or react to a certain situation, without deliberately reflecting on it.

•Sensing a character comment on the world around you, or events in their canon.

•Seeing a character appear in your mind’s eye, without deliberately visualising them.

•Being able to have a mental friendship with a character."

A common question thats often seen tossed around, usually by people trying to poke fun of the concept, is whether or not any of the characters ever fight over who is the "real" one. The answer is no, they do not. A large portion of soulbonders and soulbonds believe in the multiverse. That there are infinite versions of any particular character.

However, the multiverse is just one of many beliefs. Those who take a more psychological view, may see soulbonds more as the impression or imprint of a character. Thus it would explain why different people can develop an imprint of the same character. A spirital view may be that various spirits can take the form of the same character for different people.

The point is that regardless of what each individual soulbonder or soulbond believes, the majority do seem to understand that there isn't one "true" version. There are many versions and all versions are different. Some soulbonds may be exactly like their source character, some may only be partially like the character, and still others will be absolutely nothing like their source character.


From Soul Whispers

-"Beyond this basic concept, SoulBonding experiences vary widely. Some people envision their SBs as living solely within their own story-worlds, continuing their lives as normal with you as an extra friend (or barely-tolerated acquaintance) in their world. Other people have what's known as a "mindscape" or "soulscape", their own inner/other "world" or "place" where SoulBonds may live, or just come together to interact outside of their own story-worlds. Still others may see their SBs existing in spirit-form in the world around them; sitting on park benches or standing at bus shelters."

-"Some[soulbonds] may be confidants or mentors, guardians or guides, encouraging you and providing a means for you to explore your own self and examine your motives. Some may reflect a person you'd like to be, or a side of yourself that you have difficulty expressing; your darkness, or even your light. Some may be lovers; some may just be friends. Many are all of these or none of them, but simply individuals with whom you happen to share mental or emotional space, regardless of physical location. You may not even like them all the time. But your SoulBonds, being that they were the ones you felt a special connection to out of all others, will probably tell you something about yourself - your dreams, your desires, and who you truly are. And in turn, you may find that you touch something unique in them that no one else could reach. "

You can find some general soulbonding questions here

Common Questions