Where it All Began
Around 1998, Amanda Flowers, a member of the Just for Writers mailing list, coined the term
SoulBonding (inspired by the game title "SoulBlazer"). At the time, the young writers and roleplayers in the group were experiencing characters—both ones they created themselves and those of their favorite fandoms, particularly Final Fantasy—"coming to life" in their minds. Usually, these characters would appear to tell the writers/roleplayers how their stories should go, but over time, many of these creatives developed relationships with their soulbonds outside of their stories as well, all living together in what they called their "soulscapes" (sort of a mix between immersive daydreamers' paracosms and tulpamancers' wonderlands).
Eventually, the soulbonding community made the jump to LiveJournal, a web diary site popular in the early 2000s. This was when it gained a reputation, both positive and negative, outside of the writing and roleplaying groups it began in. The multiplicity community at the time took notice, and at first, they mocked and dismissed the soulbonders (and vice versa), but gradually, the two communities began sharing ideas and exchanging cultures. As the communities merged, and some people changed how they thought about what they were experiencing, many soulbonders dropped the label. This was partly because the label had gained certain stereotypes—being seen as "too yaoi fannish", "too childish", "too focused on writing", "not focused enough on writing", "too spiritual", "too psychological", "too plural positive", "too anti-plural", and more. By the late 2000s to early 2010s, much of the original soulbonding community had faded away.
In the present day, many people who might've once called themselves soulbonders now usually find themselves in general plurality, [western] tulpamancy, yume/selfshipping, immersive daydreaming, occult/spiritwork circles, or even without any community at all. There are still a few remaining soulbonders left, posting here and there, trying to keep the community alive, but it's mainly seen as a metaphysical experience now. Overall, modern-day soulbonding has become less connected to its original roots in writing, roleplaying, and fandom culture. Which brings us to our next point:
Concerning Modern-Day Soulbonding
( Concerning Modern-Day Soulbonding )What Does Munbonding Entail?
A Simplified Definition
Munbonding (pronounced "MOON-bonding"), from the Middle English word "münde" meaning "mind" as well as the slang term "Mun" (pronounced "muhn") used in roleplaying circles. A psychological phenomenon in which a person (the munbonder) finds they're able to sense and communicate with an autonomous version of a fictional character (the munbond) inside their mind. They then establish a mutual connection, or "bond", with them. This living character—formed and powered by the subconscious mind—and their connection to their munbonder usually develops because the bonder feels deeply for the character, especially after enaging with their source media, writing, roleplaying, or just imagining them. Sometimes this bond happens spontaneously; other times it is deliberately initiated by the munbonder.
Psychological Lens
( Psychological Lens )Honoring Soulbonding's Roots
( Honoring Soulbonding's Roots )Stories, Imagination, and Fiction
( Stories, Imagination, and Fiction )Deep Emotional Investment
( Deep Emotional Investment )An Active Relationship and Connection
( An Active Relationship )Many Roads
( Many Roads )How does Munbonding Work? (Theory)
( How Does Munbonding Work? (Theory) )In Conclusion
We hope this has helped you understand what munbonding is all about and what we expect the subcommunity's experiences to include! Feel free to ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments below, and we'll do our best to answer them directly or in future essays.
