anomalousquery

[anomalousquery]

Hi, an “endogenic” refresher course, right here!

1. We introduced the term “endogenic” into the community August 2014, along with some other terms! It was in response to exclusionists (wrongly) complaining about “systems without DID” using “their words”. It was an attempt at creating nonmedicalized terms that any plural system could use. 

2. It was also a way to do away with terms that had fallen into disfavor— specifically “natural systems”, a term that had been in use possibly as early as 1994. It was disliked because people felt it implied that trauma-caused systems were unnatural. “Endogenic” fixed that. 

3. The word “endogenic” was lovingly created to help systems put their experience into words. All it means is “a system not formed by trauma”; it doesn’t imply any other cause, set of beliefs, or experiences. It doesn’t imply the system is nondisordered or doesn’t have trauma. It doesn’t mean any other system’s origins in trauma or dx status is “invalid” or whatever.

4. Though the terms were eventually posted to tumblr, the idea didn’t start there. Tumblr was created in 2007; the concept of systems not caused by trauma has, again, been online since the 90s. Nor was the term created by singlets! We’re a trauma-caused system with DID. 

5. “Endogenic” wasn’t created as an insult or to exclude anyone. We have loved ones who are endogenic. Many of the terms in use now were created by endogenics. They have helped preserve plural history, and defended the community. They are good people, and real systems. The hate they get is completely senseless.

Thanks for coming to our talk. Please stop insulting endogenic systems, and educate yourselves instead, thanks. (Unless it’s just pure malice at this point in which case, fuck off I guess.)

https://endogenichub.weebly.com/ is a decent site to learn more.

[anomalousquery]

Some alternate words for source or canon

I don't know about you, but in our system we hate calling the places we're from "sources" or "canons", so we use these words instead. Feel free to use them if they're useful to you.

🔸 subjectivity: a word for a source that one subjectively experienced or experiences. The experience of a hearttype, paratype, copinglink, fictional introject, etc.

example: "In my Mummy subjectivity as Evie I was an anthropologist."

"I have a subjectivity related to Pokemon."

🔸 nativity: A word for a source that one natively or concretely experienced or experiences. The experience of a kintype, fictive, soulbond, otherkin, etc."

example: "In my Homestuck nativity there was no Calliborn or Calliope."

"I have memories from a dangonaronpa nativity."

[anomalousquery]

The limitation of human minds is doubt.

I will be exploring this idea soon, i unfortunately am not in a state to do the work now.

An examination on what doubt is to humans, why we experience it, and why i consider it a limitation on the mind.

Structure will consist of research, analysis, and conclusions drawn.

I will speak soon.

[anomalousquery]

What does someone mean when they say “I kin that character?”

Types and attributes of connections to fictional characters

The verb form of kin (to kin, kinning, etc) has become popular as a colloquial and nonspecific word that people sometimes use to describe a variety of different types of connections they may have to fiction characters. 

Because “kin” has become such a casual, nonspecific verb that can refer to many different things, it can be hard to tell just what kind of actual connection a person who says “I kin that character” means that they have. Therefore, it's best not to make an assumption about what type of connection to a character someone means when they say that they “kin” them.

Below is a list of more detailed and specific terminology for types of connections to fictional characters that a person might be casually referring to when they say that they “kin” a character.

🔸 Face claim: This is the most casual type of voluntary connection someone might be referring to when they say they “kin” someone. “Face claim” refers to any time you make the decision to deliberately portray yourself as a fictional character in a casual way, for instance, using their face for your icons, or asking people to refer to you as the character’s name. This is a casual, for fun association because you like the character and want to be thought of as them. Think of it like putting on a mask or a costume, and then hanging around in it. There is nothing wrong with having faceclaims, however this type of connection is also sometimes referred to as “kin for fun” when talking about someone who doesn’t understand the serious distinction between a face claim and a kintype.

Face Claim Attributes: voluntary, casual, for fun, play, self-identity, does not involve plurality

🔸Comfort Character: A comfort character is a character that you are attached to, who brings you joy, comfort, or peace to think about and spend time with their media. A comfort character is like a favorite teddy bear, or doll that you play with, but instead of a physical toy, it's the concept of a particular fictional character.

Attributes: voluntary or involuntary, for fun or serious, for mental health, play, casual or intense, psychological, not a self-identity, does not involve plurality

🔸Fictional Other: (also written as F/O) A fictional other is any character that you consider yourself to be in a romantic relationship with. This relationship can be more serious, or more for fun depending on the individual. Some people have Fictional Others who are also soulbonds or other fictives, but most are not, and are closer to a specific type of comfort character. A person who has a fictional other or multiple fictional others is called a “self shipper”.

Attributes: voluntary,  casual or intense, for fun or serious, psychological or spiritual, not a self-identity, sometimes involves plurality

🔸Copinglink: A copinglink is a serious personal identity as a specific fictional character or member of a fictional species established and maintained deliberately for the purpose of personal mental health, self improvement or self-esteem. A person intentionally considers themselves to literally psychologically be and exist as their copinglink character for the purpose of coping with trauma or other negative emotions. The way this identity is expressed is similar to a kintype, but is voluntary rather than involuntary.

Attributes: voluntary, intense, serious, psychological, for mental health, self-identity, does not involve plurality

🔸Hearttype: A character that you identify strongly with, but do not identify as. A character you feel like you have a lot internally, emotionally, psychologically, or situationally with. A character you intensely feel personal commonality of some kind with. 

Attributes: intense, voluntary or involuntary, serious or casual, psychological or spiritual, not a self-identity, does not involve plurality

🔸Fictive: Any member of a type of plural system who identifies as/believes themselves to be/shares a personal identity with a specific character.

Attributes: intense, voluntary or involuntary, serious, part of a plural identity, psychological or spiritual

🔸Fictional Introject: A fictive member specifically of a DID (dissociative identity disorder) based system.

Attributes: intense, involuntary, serious, part of a plural identity, psychological, mental health related

🔸Soulbond: A specific type of spiritually oriented fictive, believed to involve a metaphysical and emotional bond between the soulbonder and the soulbond. 

Attributes: intense, voluntary or involuntary, serious, spiritual, can be part of a plural identity 

🔸Kintype (general): A kintype is an involuntary, deeply rooted core self-identity, typically questioned deduced through self-reflection. A serious personal identity that you have discovered yourself to be in some way. You literally are, or share this identity with the character. That’s you in some real and meaningful way, whether spiritually or psychologically. 

Attributes: intense, involuntary, serious, spiritual or psychological, does not involve plurality, self-identity

🔸Kintype (psychological): A kintype you believe you have due to personal psychological reasons. A kintype you believe originates in your brain and internal psychological development, rather than on exterior magical or spiritual forces.

Attributes: intense, involuntary, serious, psychological, self-identity, does not involve plurality

🔸Kintype (spiritual/metaphysical): A kintype you believe originates through some magical or spiritual process, often involving reincarnation or parallel lives in other universes. 

Attributes: intense, involuntary, serious, spiritual, self-identity, does not involve plurality

[anomalousquery]

My gift to you: An Atlas of Insect Morphology free pdf

[anomalousquery]

We have not yet consciously tried it yet, however I know Jelli is interested in this method but tends to have difficulty leaving the body. I am in a similar place as you- lack of memory upon return. I almost wonder of there is any sort of barrier that may need to be taken down in order to access the memories.

If that were to be the case I would suggest a through walk through of your own headspace with the intent of finding the blockage and removing it to strengthen communication. If you are well versed in any area manipulation or visualization, that may help to remove any mental or spiritual or ect blockages that may have been put up subconsciously or by the human mind.

My other suggestion would be attempting to improve the body's functional memory. It could be that the body itself lacks the tools needed to remember such a travel and if memory were overall improved, there may be improvements there as well. This can be done simply over time by Journaling your experiences or other memory related tasks.

Of course, we are still working through this ourselves so the process length may be different for everyone, I would not expect any immediate results. Those would be my main suggestions, though if you wish to discuss it further for idea creation I am more than willing to contribute.

- Felix

Idk if I’ll get a response to this since I both don’t know how to tag it and the active soulbonding community I think has dwindled over the years? But wondering if anyone else out there experiences the same thing I do

Usually the conversations around soulbonding is others coming here to communicate with hosts, either temporarily in the form of daytrippers or permanently as walk-ins, but is there anyone that does it in the reverse? Who travels elsewhere from their headspace here and interacts with another in a different world?

I do this pretty frequently, and am curious to see if anyone else does it, and also if theres any advice for recalling the memories from travels. I struggle to remember what I did elsewhere once I’m back in this headspace

[anomalousquery]

i used to work at a used bookstore and there was an insect anatomy book for sale that was over $8000 im not even kidding. and i just found it at my school library. its mine for the month.

[anomalousquery]

Update!

Hello everyone! Friendly mods Venus and Pluto here. We've been working together to majorly update our resources library, which was only accessible via the desktop version of our blog. Now, we've combed through our resources, deleting old links and adding new ones. We've also added a lot of organization and tagged search terms. With Pluto's help, we even made our resource library in carrd format! Now you can easily view and share these resources even on your phone. Here is the link below:

We encourage everyone to view, use, and share these studies, websites, videos, and books, whether you are new or a veteran of the plural community. We hope that these can be useful to the everyone- even singlets- and we hope to continue to expand and update this resource. If you have anything you'd like us to review and add, send us a message or ask. Likewise, if you have any issues with the carrd or a broken link, please let us know.

Thank you all for your kindness and support!

-mods venus and pluto

[anomalousquery]

Accidental Puppeting in Spiritual Soulbonding

DISCLAIMER: This post is about the practice of spiritual soulbonding only, which I treat as a form of spirit work. This post is NOT intended to discuss, explain, assist with, or apply to: tulpamancy, daemonism, psychologically-originating alters, soulbonds, or headmates, maladaptive daydreaming, or the creation of/interaction with roleplay muses. I have no experience with any of the aforemenetioned topics, nor do they apply to me and my practice, so I feel that it would be highly inappropriate for me to speak on these matters.

If you are unsure what the nature of your experience is, a guide can be found HERE on @fromfiction that may help you clear things up.

With that out of the way, let’s get into it. ▶

Keep reading

[anomalousquery]

Took a moment to add my experience as I said I would.

For us, we do not have a "host" so fronting refers simply to whoever is most in control of the body. We share the body as equals, it is no more mine than jelli's and vice versa. We also refer to "fronting" or being near such ability, "in consciousness" For example, Jelli is in consciousness more often than I am, she more often controls the body. Our stream of consciousness is largely experienced as one- though can and has separated. Separation of the consciousness often causes us to talk over each other, and is more common when the body is overwhelmed.

We visualize during meditation mainly, though have a small head space where we can look back on the other to see what they are doing if they are not in full consciousness. It is less crystal clear and more a field of energy - we can feel when the other is near or co consciousness with us.

As far as we know, we do not travel outside of the headspace when not in consciousness. We do not leave and come back with new memories. However we have thought the possibility may be that we simply are not connected to wherever we may go and therefore are unable to process the memories. There seems to be a memory barrier if we do leave the headspace, which prevents recall of such travel.

This has been a snipet of my experiences thus far, and again am interested to hear others thoughts if they so wish to share.

-Felix Mora

This is a reposting of a question I posed through a discord chat the other day:

This question is a general one for individuals experiencing plurality- soul bonds included as well, and anyone who experiences "fronting";

I am curious on experiences regarding fronting, headspaces, and travel.

For elaboration: How do you/ those in your system (or whichever preferred term you all use) experience "being in control" of the body you share? Are you able to cofront, collaborate, or switch out entirely with no shared memories? How is the stream of consciousness experienced?

Can you visualize in your headspace, do you have one, how does this affect your or others perception of how fronting works for you?

Do you, when not front or close to it, ever leave the headspace, or recall any memory of doing so when you return?

If you can, feel free to reblog and tell me your experience- I simply am curious. I will be reblogging shortly with my experience.

[Note: This is created in the sense that everyone experiences this phenomenon differently, may have different views, perceptions, or wording. This is not the place to tell others how you view their experience, just to listen. Please direct any corrections you believe need to be made into another post, feel free to @ me. Thank you for your time.]

[anomalousquery]

Otherkind Study #2 - Awakenings Results

Good afternoon! As I stated in my announcement, I am going to be providing the results to the survey now, and will be writing my analysis of them at a later point. This analysis will be posted before a new survey is made.

Question 1. Which of these labels apply to you?

Question 2. When you begin to question a new possible kintype, what emotions do you personally feel?

Question 3. When you confirm a kintype, what emotions do you feel?

Question 4. When you confirm a kintype, you find yourself constantly looking at things that remind you of that kintype.

Question 5. After you've confirmed a kintype, you have anxiety related to searching things related to that kintype.

Question 6. After confirming a kintype, you find yourself avoiding things that remind you of that kintype.

7. Do you own physical things that remind you of your kintype(s)?

Thank you for your answers! Feel free to come to your own conclusions in the replies. As I stated, I will be posting my own conclusions at a later date. My plate has been a bit full recently, but my analysis will come soon.

[anomalousquery]

Telling people you’re otherkin.

Are you sure you need to tell people that you’re otherkin? Sometimes, people compare being otherkin to being LGBTQ and talk about needing to “come out” to family, friends, partners, etc. This comparison has been criticized for two reasons. The first is that unlike LGBTQ identities, otherkin identities do not bring life-threatening oppression and discrimination. The second is that unlike LGBTQ-identified people, otherkin-identified people do not have to reveal that they are otherkin in order to live their lives.

LGB people often need to come out to prepare family members, friends, etc. for the possibility that they will have a same-gender partner at some point. They may also come out because they need family members, friends, etc. to understand why they’re uncomfortable with homophobic or biphobic comments. T people often need to come out because they are planning to transition and need their loved ones to understand what will be happening. They may also need to come out to partners because bodies impact how sex will work. Most of these considerations do not apply to otherkin. Being otherkin does not affect who you will date (beyond possibly leading you toward dating a fellow otherkin, which will not innately draw attention to you in the same way that dating a member of the same gender would). Most families do not make otherkin-demeaning jokes that would make an otherkin feel the need to say “That’s me you’re talking about!” Most otherkin do not attempt to physically transition to their kin type, so there is no need to explain the upcoming physical and social role changes.

Given that there is no real comparison between an LGBTQ person’s need to “come out” and an otherkin’s desire to share their identity with others, why would an otherkin feel the need to tell others that they’re otherkin? The only answer I can think of is that an otherkin might feel the need to be open and honest with people they care about. That’s valid. Given that many otherkin seem to want to share their kin types with loved ones, I decided to write this post with advice and ideas about how to tell loved ones about being otherkin.

The most important thing to do is to assess whether or not the person you’re telling has ever even heard of otherkin before. If the person is not familiar with the otherkin community/identity/etc. the last thing you want to do is simply say “I’m a dog” or “I believe I’m actually a dog and not a human.” If you say this, the person you’re opening up to will likely think that you LITERALLY believe you walk on all fours, are covered in fur, bark, and wag your tail. This will at best confuse your loved one and at worst convince your loved one that you’ve developed a condition like clinical lycanthropy.  

Instead of starting with your kin type, start by explaining your beliefs. If you’re a spiritual otherkin, perhaps start by explaining what led you to the conclusion that you’re otherkin. For example “I’ve been studying past lives, and I believe that I spent my most recent past life as a dog.” Even if a loved one does not understand this, the loved one will at least know that you’re talking about a spiritual belief you have and not a delusion that your body is physically that of a dog.

If you’re a mythical otherkin, the explanation might be more complicated. For example “I’ve been studying past lives, and I actually got some memories back. Surprisingly, the memories I’ve had feel like those of a dragon rather than a human. My best guess right now is that I reincarnated from an alternate universe.” This might be too much for some listeners, so you could simply start by saying that you’re remembering past lives or that you’re interested in past lives. Test the waters. If the person you’re talking to seems uncomfortable, lost, or disapproving of your interest in past lives, telling them you were a dragon in your past life probably won’t go over well.

If you have a co-occurring kin life (ie: you are living two or more lives right now, and in one of your lives you are currently living as a dog), that might be more challenging to explain. You can start by exploring the concept with someone. Maybe you can ask some guiding questions to see if the person would be open to considering your experience. “Do you think souls can incarnate in more than one body/life at a time?”

See how receptive they are to that concept before simply saying “I am living a parallel life as Naruto.”

Speaking of fictional kin types, those might take more explaining than non-fictional ones. If you worry that the person you’re talking to won’t accept fictional kin types, you can speak more generally about what you’re sharing. For example, instead of saying “I was Helena from Orphan Black in a past life,” you could say “I have past-life memories of being trained as an assassin and being forced to murder members of my own family.” That way, you can get support and understanding for whatever it is you’re remembering without having to cross the “but that’s a made-up character” hurdle. However, there is slight deception involved here, so follow your conscience as well as your common sense when deciding how much or how little to share.

If you say your kin type is a spiritual belief, be prepared for the accusation that you’re participating in a dangerous fringe belief. Be prepared to reassure your loved one that there is no religious order forcing you to believe in “strange” things and that you are still just as open and accepting of beliefs other than your own as you have always been (you have been, right?).  

If your kin type is psychological, I unfortunately have less advice for you since I have no personal experience with psychological kin types. However, I would suggest starting by explaining the concept of psychological otherkin. I personally think that “My brain works differently than most people’s. I sort of understand my mental makeup as being dog-like. Thinking of myself as a dog helps me understand my mind better” sounds better (in terms of specificity) than simply “I’m a dog.”    

If you’re coping-kin, emphasize how you relate to a character to help you cope rather than emphasizing that you simply are a character (especially if you are more other-hearted and identify with rather than as the character). For example “I really look up to Rose from Steven Universe. Thinking of myself as her helps me to cope with my borderline personality disorder.” Alternatively, you could say “I think of myself as Blossom from The Powerpuff Girls. It helps me to feel powerful and independent, and that helps me to cope with my dependent personality disorder.” That will likely sound less concerning to someone not in-the-know about otherkin than “I am Rose from Steven Universe.”

Remember that most of your loved ones likely have no idea what being otherkin means. Them expressing concern when you simply say “I am a robot” or “I’m actually meant to be a dog” does not mean they discriminate against otherkin. It might just mean they don’t understand what being otherkin means. There are plenty of ways to test the waters to see if they can understand the basic concepts surrounding your kin identity before diving into revealing your specific kin identity. There are also ways to explain what being kin means to you so that they know you’re sharing a belief about your spiritual self, a way of understanding your neurology, or an identity that helps you to cope with mental illness rather than a delusion about your physical makeup.

I want to add that if you do have a delusion about your physical makeup and you know that’s what’s going on, there’s no shame in sharing that. However, if you know something is a delusion, it might be better to say something like “I have a delusion that I am literally turning into a dog. I’m in therapy for that right now” than simply “I am a dog.” This will give your loved one a better idea of what is going on.

I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with believing you are a dragon, a dog, Rose, etc. If that’s what you got from this post, then either I wrote it wrong or you read it wrong. I simply worry that if people go up to their parents and say “I believe I’m a dog,” they’re going to get sent to therapy they may not need.

It is also worth stating that if you are a minor and rely on your parents for food and shelter, it might be wise to wait to share your kin information until you are independent. Some people will assume you’re mentally ill (as in, your kin type is a sign of mental illness unto itself) no matter how you explain that you’re otherkin. Some people will assume you’re in a phase and invalidate your identity (which I know can be especially painful if your kin type helps you to cope with something). If you really feel like you need people to understand, consider compiling some resources about the otherkin community. Do your research and learn about the history of otherkin identities and about how other, older members of the community have dealt with their kin types. Don’t just use Tumblr as a resource.

[anomalousquery]

This is a reposting of a question I posed through a discord chat the other day:

This question is a general one for individuals experiencing plurality- soul bonds included as well, and anyone who experiences "fronting";

I am curious on experiences regarding fronting, headspaces, and travel.

For elaboration: How do you/ those in your system (or whichever preferred term you all use) experience "being in control" of the body you share? Are you able to cofront, collaborate, or switch out entirely with no shared memories? How is the stream of consciousness experienced?

Can you visualize in your headspace, do you have one, how does this affect your or others perception of how fronting works for you?

Do you, when not front or close to it, ever leave the headspace, or recall any memory of doing so when you return?

If you can, feel free to reblog and tell me your experience- I simply am curious. I will be reblogging shortly with my experience.

[Note: This is created in the sense that everyone experiences this phenomenon differently, may have different views, perceptions, or wording. This is not the place to tell others how you view their experience, just to listen. Please direct any corrections you believe need to be made into another post, feel free to @ me. Thank you for your time.]

[anomalousquery]

Otherkind Study #2 - Awakenings is now live! Please answer to the best of your ability. It should only take a few minutes to fill out.

The idea for this survey was created in part with @fromfiction! Jas (owner of the blog) had made a survey years ago about what Otherkind and Fictionkind feel during awakenings. Many people tend to have many different outlooks on awakenings in general, so I am interested in seeing the consensus! 

This survey will be running from 4/15 - 4/22. There will also be no control group, as human-identified-humans don’t typically experience awakenings, unless they are of the religious kind, which is not entirely what we are discussing here. 

As always, if you are interested in reblogging this survey to invite others to answer, it is much appreciated (but never necessary)! 

Thank you for your cooperation!

[anomalousquery]

Soulbonds & RP muses: what they are and how to tell the difference

I was recently asked how to tell the difference between a soulbond– an independent, externally originating entity with its own thoughts, feelings and desires– and an rp muse–an internally constructed entity of greater or lesser elaborateness and no true will of its own.

This discussion boils down to attempting to determine if a presence that you’re sharing space with has an independent will or does not. This is far from a hard science. Soulbonding is a purely internal, deeply personal experience. Neither you nor I can truly know for certain if someone is ‘real’ or even what being ‘real’ even means in the end.

And let's not quibble about terminology. I’m not here to tell you what terms to use or not to use when referring to independent entities that you cohabitate with– just how you might be able to tell apart one that has a will of its own and one that doesn’t. This is a turing test for internal entities.

Here are some non-authoritative terms that I’ll be using in this guide and what I mean when I use them:

Presence: for the duration of this post ‘presence’ will be used to describe a possible soulbond or muse.

Host: for the duration of this post will be used to describe the person in primary communication with the presence.

Soulbond: A presence which is both externally originating and independent of will, and possess self-awareness. Generally shares the identity/existence of a person considered to be a fictional character, either from media that the host is aware of, or media that the host is personally creating.

RP muse: A presence that has been both internally constructed and is dependent on the will of its creator; does not possess true self-awareness. Generally shares the identity/existence of a person considered to be a fictional character, either from media that the host is aware of, or media that the host is personally creating.

Tulpa: A presence that has presence that has been internally constructed, and was initially dependent on the will of its creator, but may come to possess a will and self-awareness.

Fictional introject: a presence which is internally constructed; it may be independent or dependent depending on perspective. This is a psychological concept related specifically to non-spiritual models of plurality and is outside the scope of this discussion. If you believe something you are in communication with is best described as a fictional introject, this post will not be able to assist you with that determination.

With that being said, here are some things to think about when trying to discern if a presence is a soulbond or an rp muse.

Does the presence exist only to carry out the will of or bring comfort to the host?

Does the presence exist solely to act as comfort for the host without exhibiting any desires of its own? Do the host and the presence ever find themselves in disagreement or at odds about anything? Does the presence ever require comfort from the host? A presence that exists solely for the host, and doesn’t exhibit its own desires, disagree with the host, or require comfort for itself is more likely to be an rp muse. No matter how well two real people get along there will always be disagreements and misconceptions between them.

Did the presence arrive in immediate response to the existence of another character in another system/another character in an rp, and come into being only or primarily in order to interact with them?

If so, does the presence alter its preferences, presentation or actions in order to pursue attention or romance from the other character? A presence that alters itself or primarily exists to seek attention (romantic or platonic) from someone else is more likely to be an internally constructed entity. The more immediate and intense this behavior is, the more likely it is to be artificial and originating from an rp muse. Relationships between naturally occurring entities tend to be slow, and have awkward elements, especially between people who have preconceived expectations about one another, such as being related characters.

Does the presence conform to all of the ideas, expectations and ‘headcanons’ that the host had about the character the presence is depicted as before the presence itself arrived?

If there are no unexpected details, aspects or traits that clash with the host’s original conception of the character before meeting the presence; if they are completely identical to that preconceived idea, it is more likely that they are an internally constructed, dependent entity than an externally originating and independent one.

Does the presence have interests, hobbies, or even knowledge outside the scope of the host’s interests, hobbies and knowledge?

Presences that have their own hobbies and interests, especially in areas that the host is not interested in, are more likely to be independent entities. While of course many soulbonds share interests with their hosts, an entity that lacks a strong interest in anything outside of the host’s comfort zone is more likely to be an rp muse.

Does the presence have an interest in sharing the host’s experience of the world, or in experiencing it themselves using the body?

An independent, self-directed presence will generally be more interested in the outside world than an internally created dependent one. Soulbonds often want to taste foods, pursue their own hobbies, select clothing, enjoy fiction, or give their opinions on these kinds of matters to the host. If the presence begins to show an interest in outside experiences while not having one before, this can also be a sign that an internally created presence is becoming a tulpa.

Does the presence offer remarks or comments about things without being asked?

A presence that remarks and comments about things around them without being prompted to, especially things that don’t directly or obviously concern or interest them, is more likely to have an independent will. A presence that only offers its opinion specifically when asked for is more likely to be a dependent creation.

If the presence originates from an environment different than the one experienced by the host (a past era, from the future, from a distant country, another universe etc), does the presence show familiarity with the new environment?

Depending on the personality, a presence from a wildly different environment who is immediately familiar and comfortable with the current modern world can be a sign that the presence is more likely based on the will of the host.

---

This is not meant to be a definitive list of questions, there are no points to tally up and decide if you have a soulbond or a muse. None of these questions can in isolation answer if a presence is a soulbond or an rp muse, however considering them as a whole, and using them as a jumping off point to consider your experiences should help you get a more full picture, and make a judgment for yourself about your experience.

I want to stress that there is nothing wrong with having rp muses, and using them for personal comfort, or to add nuance to your writing or rp, or any other personal internal use.

However, soulbonders/soulbonds and people who have rp muses should be careful to understand one another’s postions and represent themselves clearly when interacting with one another. A mismatch in expectations and perceptions can lead to conflict and hurt feelings. Consider the following:

Without knowing the mismatch, someone who only experiences rp muses might become frustrated or have their feelings hurt interacting with a soulbonder, because the soulbonder considers the feelings of the other person’s rp muse as equal to the feelings of the player/host, when really the muse is just part of the fiction.

Likewise, without knowing the mismatch, a soulbond who finds out they’ve been interacting with an rp muse might feel catfished or manipulated, when they thought they were interacting with a real person, and the other host thought they were playing a game. Soulbonds interacting with rp muses can result in unpleasant scenarios that would be fine to play out in fiction, but are upsetting or even traumatizing for the soulbond who experiences them.

I am someone who is both a soulbonder, and who has had rp muses. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference. Some of my bonds have even ended up having rp muses of their own. Life is complex. Mental landscapes are complex. Understanding ourselves, and those around us is hard. Take it slow, and be kind to yourself, and those around and within you. Soulbonder, soulbond, or writer with rp muses, we are all individual people, and we should seek to communicate openly with respect for one another, and treat other people the way we would like to be treated ourselves.

[anomalousquery]

Results of Otherkind Survey #1 - Dreams

Thank you all for your responses! They’ve been very helpful with researching dreams in general among otherkind. Also, a big thank you to my friends in the community for helping boost this survey. I did not expect 171 responses! That’s huge!! 

A small disclaimer before I begin. The way that I personally interpret the data obtained from this survey it may be different than how you interpret it, and that is ok! My commentary is simply how I have interpreted this data, and is not to be taken as fact. I am not out here claiming to be a dream expert, and much of this is simply theory. 

For simplicity’s sake, I’ll be referring to the community in which the survey targeted as ‘otherkind’, and referring to humans who exclusively identify as humans as ‘HiH’ (human-identified-human). In case you didn’t see the announcement, I posted a similar survey in a large community of humans where they talk about their dreams, as a sort of control group. 

There was a question omitted from their survey, which was the ‘what labels do you feel apply to you’ one. We will be referring to this question as ‘Question 0′. 

So, without further ado, let’s get to the results! 

Question 0. What labels do you feel apply to you?

This is about what I expected! There is a lot of overlap between these communities. There’s not a lot to say about this, other than hi! - from ur other/fictionkin researcher friend

Now for the shared questions!

Question 1. Are you able to read written language in your dreams?

What I gather from these results is that otherkind are more frequently able to read in their dreams as opposed to human-identified-humans. If you combine the orange and green (sometimes and never) on both charts, you can see that otherkind seem more capable of consistently reading written language. 

Question 2.  Are you able to do physical activity normally in your dreams (as opposed to feeling like what you are doing is in ‘slow motion’)?

Otherkind also seem to have more mobility in their dreams compared to human-identified-humans. There is a solid 10% difference in otherkind who answered positively (always and frequently) compared to HiH. 

Question 3.  Have you met complete strangers in your dreams, without ever having seen them before in real life?

This one kind of surprised me! Human-identified-humans tend to meet complete strangers more often than otherkind. I wonder if this has to do with otherkind dreaming of people and places they once knew, or not meeting people at all in their dreams, as opposed to HiH’s ‘whatever the brain wants to throw out’. 

Question 4.  Are you able to taste, smell, or feel physical sensation in your dreams? 

Going down the line;

HiH are slightly more capable of tasting things. I know that much of otherkind (especially therians) would typically hunt for food as their kintypes, so perhaps taste isn’t quite the thing on their mind when eating food. (can’t relate)

Otherkind are slightly more capable of smelling things. My theory as to why this is, is many otherkind remember being entities with stronger senses than human, smell being a very common sense that can be hundreds of times stronger than a human’s. Then again, it is a 4% difference, so I could be reading too deep into it.

Both Otherkind and HiH are equally matched when it comes to feeling physical sensation. Around 10% of both can’t feel physical sensation!

Otherkind are more likely to lack any senses in dreams as opposed to HiH. Another really interesting answer. I don’t have any theories to explain this, but the information is there in case you want to do a dissertation on another 4% difference LOL

Question 5.  Can you use technology in your dreams (such as reading clocks, using smartphones, and using computers)? 

Now this really has me interested. When looking at the percentages, otherkind have a nearly 10% lead on HiH for each subject, excluding the ‘unable’ one, where they have a 10% deficit. Also keep in mind there were a larger amount of humans who answered the control group survey than there were otherkind. 

The most common on both sides of the coin were using smartphones, which I find makes a lot of sense! Many, many people, regardless of human-exclusivity use smartphones every day of their lives, so for them to crop up in dreams of both sides is understandable. 

Question 6. Can you view yourself in the mirror in your dreams? If yes, do you view yourself as you are in the physical world, or is it a reflection of your 'true self’?

This is where things got tricky. I had no idea how other people would answer this, so I left the question as a 'fill in the blank’. This yielded many answers, but there were about 5 common answers.

⦁ Viewing of True Self

⦁ Viewing of Physical Self

⦁ Viewing of Mixed Self

⦁ Playing of a Role In-Dream

⦁ Unable/Can’t View Self

Being unable or never trying to view yourself in a reflection was by far the most common answer. Quite a few people just flat out didn’t answer the question, either (in the future, please answer all the questions!). But, with the results we did get, I read all the answers and tallied them up.

Among the people who can view themselves in the mirror, it seems like most people can either view themselves as one or the other; their physical self, or their true self. It makes sense. I almost wonder if that has any correlation to how long they’ve known they haven’t been exclusively human, but that’s a study for another day. 

Another interesting answer was the ’mixed-self’, which varied from a mixture of physical and true selves, or a mixture of true selves into one entity. There were a few answers relating to having extra limbs and features of a kintype, such as ears, tails, and wings, while also having the body of their physical self. There were also a few people who seemed to be able to morph into their true self at will in their dreams.

There were also a handful of people who said that they often play the role of someone else entirely in their dreams, not related to themselves at all, which seems to be common both in people who are HiH, and otherkind. 

Speaking of people who are HiH, their question was framed a little differently! My question to them was, “If you have seen yourself in a reflection in your dreams, do you tend to look like your physical form, or something else?” I am not going to make a graphic for their answers, because many of them (around 90%!) said that they saw their physical form, but for those who didn’t, they would say they would either ‘role play’, or… Get this! Be a specific animal, and they weren’t sure why. There were multiple answers like this! Unawakened otherkind, perhaps?

Question 7. Is there anything else you feel is special that happens in your dreams?

These answers were kind of a mixed bag of various things, which was completely what I expected. What I was looking for was similar answers, to try to identify any key traits that otherkind seem to frequently possess. And there were quite a few! I’m not going to elaborate on many of these, but here are some things many people had in common.

Otherkind seem to be more capable of lucid dreaming than HiH. Among the 170 participants of the otherkind survey, 15 mentioned lucid dreaming, while out of the 210 participants of the HiH survey, 8 talked about lucid dreaming in this section. 

Multiple winged therians mentioned flapping their arms like wings in their dreams. 

Both otherkind and HiH have a similar amount of people expressing that their dreams can be prophetic.

HiH often mention flying as something special they can do in their dreams, while very few otherkin mentioned flying as ‘special’. I’ve never considered it to be special myself, many people want to fly in real life, so why wouldn’t they dream about it? 

Another similarity between otherkind and HiH is being in the same place in recurring dreams. 

In Conclusion

Through this survey, I’ve come to a few realizations. One of which being, otherkind are marginally more in control and more aware of their dreams than human-identified-humans. Whether this is because of spiritual attachment, more cognitive activity, or something else is a topic for another day. In total, there were 171 Otherkind participants, and 210 HiH participants. I will be posting the survey results sheet so you can personally look at it after this post goes live!

I am very pleased with the results of this survey and can’t wait to do another here soon. Please feel free to elaborate in a response, send me an ask (which is now open), or make your own post and tag me in it! I definitely want to hear what people have to say.

Thank you again for your responses, and have a lovely rest of your weekend! 

[anomalousquery]

Introductions

This post is subject to change as new information is brought to light.

Name: Felix Mora Age: Body above 21, I am closer to late 20s. Pronouns: He/him

I am 1 out of 2 members of the system Dream.Files. We are a newer system and still learning our origin and full identity. This is a personal process - though some may be logged here for reference. We believe in the metaphysics behind our identity and do not currently suspect we have DID or similar affliction- we do not intend to use the language of these individuals and will largely stay out of discussions as that does not concern us.

My focus is to continue research on the anomalous, metaphysical, paranormal, and scientific; and to provide, add on, and discuss theories where necessary.

I do not care who follows or who interacts as this is a side blog at the moment. If I feel the need to move this information onto my own account fully, I will do so. Note: as much as I don’t care who interacts; derailing, derogatory, or otherwise nonsensical or non-relevant interaction will be simply ignored or blocked. I do not have the mental energy to interact on a full scale with those who may not believe in my beliefs, origin, or other aspect of identity - and I do not currently care to do so.

Thank you for your time, Felix Mora