#munbonding

Pt: Munbonding :end pt

Flag id: a 5 stripe vertical flag with a oval on the 2nd and 4th stripe. The oval on the 2nd stripe is positioned near the top of the flag, with the 4th stripe oval positioned towards the bottom. From left to right the colours are dark pink, pink, pale orange, beige and yellow. Inside the ovals is a smaller circle, the first coloured light pink and the second coloured light beige. :end id

A flag for munbonding which is a term that "is a subset of soulbonding that specifically denotes it as a psychological phenomenon, viewing bonds as "powered by the mind" rather than a spiritual or metaphysical experience."

This flag was modeled after the soulbonding flag as this is a subterm under it, with it being rotated 90 degrees to help it stand out. The pinks are meant to symbolize the mind and such, with the yellows being the energy used to "power" the munbond(s).

Mention / tags: @sys-terms, @radiomogai, @rwuffles, @scr-ppup, @discrophy, @colablob, @winreyplace

Banner transcript: This term was made by an Endogenic. Anyone can use it however (So don't repost or recoin, ask before adding to wikis) :End Transcript

Here's a list of films I highly recommend if you're exploring any community of thoughtforms, such as munbonding or imagimancy!

Slumberland ★★★★★

A girl called Nemo winds up in a dream world and makes a new friend in Flip, an ecclectic outlaw with a wild personality. She also a little sidekick named Pig, her plush comfort stuffed animal. (I have seen this one so many times, highly recommend!)

2. IF ★★★★½

A girl discovers she can see imaginary friends and goes on a mission to help them find new homes. (This looks like a cash grab kind of movie, but I loved it. Very saccharine sweet and feel-good.)

3. Playdurizm ★★★★ TW: murder, rape, violence, substances, sexual content

A young man wakes up with little memory (and a blurry sense of reality) to find he is living in the same apartment as his on-screen movie idol. (not for everyone, mind the trigger warnings!)

4. Snowglobe ★★★★

A woman frustrated with her big and loud family, dreams of a lovely traditional festive holiday. And she gets her wish in a magical, living snowglobe. (If you're a sucker for cheesy romcoms and Christmas movies, this one should be up your alley)

5. Christopher Robin ★★★★

Christopher Robin, now an adult, is struggling to get a step up in life. Maybe what he needs a Silly Old Bear to help him remember "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think" (It's cute, it's cuddly, it's Winnie the Pooh helping Christopher Robin rediscover his inner child)

6. Free Guy ★★★½

A Guy discovers he is an NPC in a open-world video game and decides to become the hero of his own story. (Okay, not a super popular one, but I do love the living character rep in this!)

6. Bridge to Terabithia ★★★ TW: Child Death (off-screen)

A new girl moves in next door, and her and new friend Jesse uncover a magical enchanted world of their own creation. (A classic story of imagination being yours to yield)

7. I Kill Giants ★★★½

An odd girl has undertaken the mission to protect her town from Giants. But not everything is as it seems. (An interesting movie about coping, imagination, social awkwardness, and finding something to believe in)

8. The Veleveteen Rabbit ★★★

A children's story to film adaptation where if you love a toy so much, it becomes real. (I grew up on this story and its still really meaningful to me as a munbonder)

9. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl ★★½

A funky adventure of a young writer's story coming to life. (It's campy, it's weird, don't take it too seriously, but it is good rep for imaginary friends and living characters)

10. Nim's Island ★★

A girl alone and defending an island all on her own is in trouble and she sends an SOS to her internet friend, who unbeknownst to her is an agoraphobic author. So what is a lady to do? Get the job done with her book character encouraging and helping her all the way. (I don't remember too much of it, could be a good way to pass the time)

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I love you, those who dress alt

I love you, physically disabled folk

I love you, neurodivergent/mentally ill/mentality disabled folk

I love you, non human folk

I love you, plural folk

I love you, maladaptive daydreamers and immersive daydreamers

I love you, those who use create/experience alterreality

I love you, voluntary systems,kins,bonds etc

I love you, everyone who has been outcasted for existing, you are welcome in our hearts <3

Disclaimer: I want to preface this by saying that I am not trying to deny anyone's experiences or invalidate different interpretations. I fully accept, support, and believe individuals about their soulbonding, whatever it may be. The following is more about the revisionism I've seen around what soulbonding is, what it originally meant, and how it's been used in the community since then.

For some years now, this post has been simmering inside of me, and I think it's finally time to let it loose. I've noticed that every time I go looking for resources and community around soulbonding on Tumblr, Discord, etc., there has been a heavy emphasis on soulbonding being a spiritual/metaphysical experience, which is not entirely the full picture. The fact is, there are multiple ways to approach soulbonding, and one such perspective is that of thoughtforms. Thoughtforms are psychological constructs that become real, autonomous, living entities through the power of creative imagination, conscious or subconscious intent, and the thoughts, feelings, and knowledge of the host. This type of soulbonding is the kind Mel and I practice, yet it is often overlooked and overshadowed within the modern remnants of the soulbonding community.

The exclusive focus on soulbonding as a spiritual phenomenon is not only revisionist of its original history, but it also may be excluding people who are already soulbonders (in a thoughtform way) and just don't know it or who would jump at the chance to love, connect with, and understand a character until they are alive. If we bring back the broadened definition of soulbonding that includes all experiences and perspectives, we have the potential to help the soulbonding community survive and thrive with a new crowd of selfshippers, creatives, immersive daydreamers, neurodivergents, and more!

The concept of soulbonding, though coined by Amanda Flowers in the Just for Writers mailing list, is a phenomenon which has long existed for writers and lovers of fiction: that fictional characters—when created, written about, and understood until the level of affinity—will often take on a mind of their own, "coming to life" inside the individual's head, and start interacting with them in a more direct capacity.

One study from the early 2000s referred to it as "The Illusion of Independent Agency" According to the study, 92% of the 219 participants reported that their fictional characters displayed varying levels of independence or autonomy in the author's mind, often without the conscious effort of the author. Another study conducted in 2014 surveyed 1,500 readers of fiction, with 19% of them mentioning experiencing the voices and personalities of characters staying in their minds long after finishing their stories. A quick search on the topic of "characters coming to life" shows writers and roleplayers, both of fanfiction and original fiction, sharing their experiences of characters seemingly telling their own stories or becoming "real" in their minds. Renowned authors such as Phillip Pullman, Cornelia Funke, the TERF who shall not be named, and so many more have also discussed their characters speaking to them or taking on a mind of their own as they write about them.

Now, I'm uncertain where interpreting soulbonding as a primarily spiritual phenomenon came from. I did find a few people initially involved in the JFW mailing list who were aware of and supported both spiritual and psychological theories. (It is worth noting, however, there were some regrets over calling it "soulbonding", for it implied a purely spiritual connotation when it was never meant to be strictly that.) Based on my research, I believe the main source of this misunderstanding of being a primarily metaphysical phenomenon is the description given by fictionkin.org, fromfiction, and the soulbonder Tumblr blog (all run by the same individual presenting themself as a pillar in the community) who seemed adamant on redefining soulbonding to mean being a channeller or medium of external entities.

Regardless of when spiritual soulbonding first got introduced, we psychological soulbonders have always been a part of this community from the beginning (arguably, we were the beginning), and we deserve to have our perspectives and ties to this community, this framework, this terminology, respected as much as any other kind of soulbonder. Please, if you discuss soulbonding, keep in mind the origins of this concept and strive to be inclusive of all interpretations and explanations. Clarify where you can that what you are writing is just your personal experience/interpretation, one of the many within this unique phenomenon.