Soulbond (Fictive Presence)

You may be looking for the fanwork trope soulbond.

Synonyms:
See also:	Fictive
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In some fan subcultures, soulbond describes the common experience of a writer who finds that characters can take on a life of their own, sharing a connection and communicating with the author. Non-writers also have this experience. The soulbond may be either a canon figure, or one they have created themselves, who becomes in some sense "real".

The word was first used for this purpose by amateur author Amanda Flowers, in the context of a small amateur writers' club. She once said that it was inspired by the title of a roleplaying game called Soulblazer. A related term is "soulscape", the imagined mental world where characters interact.

Soulbonders have many, many varying views on their SBs, where they come from, why they're here. It would be impossible to try to reflect all the ideas and experiences there are. Some experience soulbonds as muses, some as mere presences and parts of consciousness, others as distinct, separate entities. "Imaginary friends" would be only scratching the surface of this phenomena.

Most soulbonders of this type are acutely aware that this is not a culturally accepted practice even within most of fandom, and are generally discreet about mentioning it except in appropriate situations.

Some people who experience a relationship with a fictional character dislike the term soulbonding. They feel it has devolved from its original meaning into something casual and flippant. Feeling that the genuine experience is very personal, they use the word fictive, or fictive presence, rather than soulbond.

Soulbonders are often considered to be part of the larger plural community.

Community Terms

Many of these terms have fallen out of use in the current community.

Dar'morende: a permanent soulbond.

Headmate: a person who is present in a body shared by multiple, originally used in reference to non-soulbond presences.

Idea-Creature: "anything born of thought, dreams, imagination or the energies from such processes."

IOHO: an acronym for "in our humble opinion."

Reality-Version: a soulbond's personal interpretation of their fictional counterpart's world.

Sa: a gender-neutral third-person pronoun once popular in the community.

Settai: a synonym for reality-version.

Soulbonder: a person who has a soulbond.

Soulpuppet: a non-sentient presence in a person's mind or body, typically derogatory.

Soulscape: a soulbonder's mental world.

Static: a presence in the soulspace which only a soulbond can perceive, and not the soulbonder.

Stereo-Soulbonding: a situation in which multiple soulbonders have soulbonds of the same character.

Tai'morende: a temporary soulbond, or, alternatively, a reality-version.

Walk-In: a soulbond who comes from another world.

Some of these terms are closely tied to other communities in the broader multiple/plural community as well.

Resources

• Soulbonding definitions and explanations at soulwhispers.
• Soulbond and Fictive at Astraea's Web.