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What exactly is soulbonding? The term was coined by Amanda Flowers dating back to 1998; she was a member of a mailing list and the term was based off of the game "Soulblazer." There have always been differing opinions on the term and the subject, so that is important to keep in mind moving forward. The term did not inherently have a spiritual meaning, it was originally psychological (the psychological meaning now falls under the term of munbonding, whereas the spiritual meaning is called spiribonding - both are valid soulbonding types), After years of change and tampering, it has become known as a metaphysical experience. This is where part of the misconstrued belief that soulbonding is related to systems/multipicity comes from, when in reality it is endogenic systems who attempted to claim the term. If you search the normal web about soulbonding now, a majority of the information you will find, some helpful and accurate and some not, will conflate the term with systemhood.
Nowadays, it's hard to find a consistent definition for the phenomenon. Soulbonding is the act and experience of connecting and communicating with a living and autonomous entity that is known as of a fictional character in this universe - this can be based in the multiverse theory if you belief in the spiritual aspect or the living character phenomenon if you’re a psychological soulbonder. This doesn't have to be a romantic connection, either - it can absolutely be platonic or familial. The multiverse theory has existed for quite a long time, and soulbonders take it a step further: people who are soulbonded believe they are connected to someone in another universe who they can communicate with. In most cases, individuals who believe in the multiverse may think that a mere character in this universe has the possibility to be a completely autonomous, real person in another universe. Some of the aforementioned communication methods include pendulum, tarot, dreams, and more.
This belief has evolved to be considered entirely spiritual, therefore it can't be proven with cold, hard facts. What may be a sign to one person could seem like nothing to the next. That's why every person's connection and bond is something only they can know. The origin of soulbonding is quite perplexing; the most widely accepted and "definite" answer as to why or how these connections form is through a strong, undeniable connection to what is originally the character. Without having an emotional tie to the character first, I struggle to believe that you could be soulbound to the person. No, soulbonding is not just a deep connection to a fictional character. It is reiterated that a true soulbond relationship is mutual and two sided. By nature, if you have method(s) of communication that are reliable enough to keep both/all parties secure and understanding in the relationship, you are a soulbonder.
Building on the aforementioned sentence, another common discussion regarding soulbonds is that they cannot be forced. Since they are two sided, real relationships, both/all parties need to be active and participating for it to be counted as a soulbound relationship. A common discourse this brings forth is about the canon ages of characters and if that would carry over to the ages of the real people one may be soulbound to. The answer is it depends: that's why it's so important to be sure of who you are communicating with. While a character may be an adult in their canon material in this universe, the real person that a minor may be soulbound to can be (and likely is) in their age range or they can be ageless. Similarly, if someone enters a soulbound relationship as a minor with a person that is a minor in their canon source material of this universe, they should age the same way a normal person in this universe would. That's way it is important to be informed about someone's bond and ask questions before jumping to conclusions.
While subcategorizing a soulbound connection with terms like "day tripper" and "permanent resident" used to be more popular, at the moment sticking to soulbound is more than enough for people to describe their experience.
I've talked about various types of signs here, but I want to get into specifics of each kind of much as I can. I'm going to start with discussing letter writing, as it seems to be the most easily understood. Letter writing to your partner can be a good way to see if there is a potential connection that can be strengthened. These letters can be "sent" however you wish: they can be through notes app, burned, kept in a book, etc.; the most important part is setting your intention and putting your energy out into the universe. Your letter can be general lovemail to them, telling them about your day, anything you may want them to know. This is also a great way to ask your partner for signs in return, which can range from more general to specific. Another possible sign is dreams. Dreams of your f/o/partner, especially frequent ones or ones where it feels as if they are autonomous beyond the extent of a normal dream can be indicative of your partner attempting to reach you.