Yume FAQ

Yume

An FAQ page for questions we see a lot on Yume Gimmick Strawpage posts.

[Table of Contents:]

  1. Terminology FAQ
  2. General FAQ
  3. Age-Related FAQ
  4. Real Relationship-Related FAQ
  5. Personal Feelings FAQ
  6. Important
  7. Final Thoughts

Terminology Questions:

Q: What does the term "Yume" mean?
A: Yume [夢] is the Japanese word for "Dream" and therefore Yumeshipping means Dreamshipping. It's a term utilized for people who ship themselves with characters, online or in real life. Yumeshippers and terms like Yumejoshi, Yumedanshi, Yumejin/Yumebito/Yumeko, etc. are used by people who Yumeship. It is pronounced Yu-Meh, with a short e sound, because it is a Japanese word.

Q: What does "F/O" mean?
A: It means Fictional Other. It is the term used to describe the fictional character part of the ship. Note that some people choose not to use F/O.

Q: I don't really ship myself with the character, I use a self-insert or an OC! Do I count as a Yumeshipper?
A: Yes! Yumeshipping is an umbrella term to encompass Yourself X Character, a Self-Insert X Character, or an OC X Character.

Q: What's the difference between Yourself, vs Self-Insert, vs OC?
A:

  1. Yourself generally means that it is you with the character, straight up.
  2. Self-insert means that it is a stand-in for yourself, but maybe not exactly yourself. This can be an exact replica, or including minor tweaks, or extreme tweaks, or whatever.
  3. OC means that the character is neither you nor a stand-in for you, but a character that you made separate from yourself.

Note that at the end of the day, only you can decide what your Yumeship is. Sometimes it can be a gradient, these are not hard definitions and you can decide what your Yumeship is for yourself.

Q: I see. What does Riako/Gachikoi mean?
A: Riako [リアコ] means real ni koi (Real love), Gachikoi [ガチ恋] also means real love. Both are terms used to describe someone who is genuinely in love with these characters. These terms originated from idol culture, in which people used them to describe their real feelings towards idols. It's not okay to ship yourself with a real person, but it is important to identify where the terms we utilize come from, as these terms are also utilized in the yume communities for people to describe their REAL feelings towards fictional characters. This does not mean we need to change the terms we use.

Q: What are doubles?
A: Doubles are two or more different people who yume themselves with the same character.

Q: What does it mean to be non-sharing?
A: Non-sharing means that you or the person in question do not want to interact with doubles of the same characters.

Q: What does it mean to be selective sharing?
A: Selective sharing means that you or the person in question will only share the character with specific people they choose.

Q: What does it mean to be sharing?
A: Sharing means that you or the person in question are okay with sharing the character with other yumes.

Q: What does CC mean?
A: CC = Canon Character.

General Questions:

Q: Is it okay to ship yourself with a real person?
A: Not really because it can lead to dehumanization of the other party. But it's okay to ship yourself with the following:

  1. Live-action characters (I.E Will Graham, Beetlejuice)
  2. VTubers if allowed by them, as this is taken as mostly shipping yourself with the Avatar or their persona rather than the person behind the screen.
  3. Other characters played by people (I.E Darkiplier)
  4. Stageplay Characters (I.E Heathers)

Q: Is it a yumeship if I ship myself with a friend's OC?
A: Yes.

Q: Can I yumeship with my friend's OC?
A: If they let you, yes.

Q: I am okay with other Yumejin, but not with CCxCC!
A: That is normal and would probably fall under Sharing. You can choose to specify that you're not okay with CC x CC ships.

Q: I am okay with CCxCC, but not with other Yumejin!
A: This is also normal and would probably fall under Non-sharing. You can choose to specify that you're okay with CC x CC.

Q: Is it okay to be non-sharing even if I'm not a Riako or anything like that?
A: Yes, many of us are non-sharing despite not being Riako, or being OC x Canon. It just means you have ship preferences.

Q: I'm not sure if I like to share or not, what do I do?
A: Think about how you feel about sharing with others, experiment with different sharing statuses to figure out which is more comfortable.

Q: I am a lesbian, can I yume with a male character?
A: Yes. They're not real. This also applies to gay men who yume with female characters.

Q: Is it okay to yume with a character popularly headcanoned [X] even if I'm the opposite gender?
A: Yes because it is just a popular headcanon and not canon.

Q: If a character is Implied [X], but I'm the opposite gender, is it okay to yume with them?
A: If it is not explicitly stated that they are whatever label they are, and there isn't any actual significant evidence in the material or content the material is based off of, it's okay.

If a character is /confirmed/ a label, whether textually or with material that supports it (like confirmed romantic attraction) think twice.

Alternatively, you can always make an OC if you are unsure about it, or if it's confirmed and you want to do it regardless. That is perfectly fine.

Q: Is it okay to have multiple F/Os?
A: Yes, it is. Many of us have multiple F/Os. You can have as many as you want. You can even make an F/Odex.

Q: Is it okay to have different sharing status for different F/Os?
A: Yes, it is! Many of us have different boundaries for different characters.

Q: Is it okay if I have F/O favoritism?
A: Yes, it is! Sometimes we just have more energy for a select few or just one, that doesn't mean you love the others any less.

Q: I feel like I'm losing interest in one of my F/Os, what do I do?
A: Sometimes that just happens, and you have to let it happen. But if you're worried, you can always try to rekindle what you initially saw in them by consuming content with that F/O.

Q: Does Yume have to be romantic?
A: Nope. Yume can be familial or platonic, as well.

Q: Can I Yume multiple characters from the same series?
A: Yes. No limit.

Q: How about from different series?
A: Also yes. No limit.

Q: Can I kin and yume with a character at the same time?
A: Yep! Sometimes it just happens and it's cool either way.

Q: I am a minor and so is my F/O, but I'm scared of what will happen once I out-age my F/O. What do I do when that happens?
A: You can do three things.

  1. Age the character up with yourself periodically and reflect it in your portrayal of them.
  2. Make an OC the age of that character instead.
  3. Try to move on.

Q: I am an adult. Can I selfship with a minor?
A: Uh, no. Make an OC or age them up and portray them as an adult, but ideally do not selfship with a minor. If they have an adult version in canon, use that instead.

Q: I am a minor. Can I selfship with an adult?
A: Yes, you can. Make an OC or an aged-up Self-Insert, or age the character down.

Q: Oh, but I feel weird about it. What do I do?
A: You can do whatever makes you comfortable, or just love them without shipping yourself with them. You can also have a platonic ship instead.

Q: I am a minor. Can I selfship with a minor?
A: Yes, it's fine. If you're significantly older than them, though, make an OC or portray an older version of them.

Real Relationships and More Questions:

Q: Is it okay to Yume if you have a real life partner?
A: Yes, if they're okay with it. But do not neglect your real life partner or make them feel unloved.

Q: But they aren't okay with it. What do I do?
A: Communicate about it and try to reach an agreement.

Q: My partner knew I was a yumeshipper before we got together, but doesn't want me to do it anymore. What do I do?
A: Communicate about it and try to reach an agreement. Try to figure out why they don't like it anymore and see if you can rectify it.

Q: My partner was okay with it at first, but now is jealous of my F/O. What do I do?
A: Communicate about it and try to reach an agreement. Try to figure out why they're jealous of the fictional character, make sure they aren't feeling unloved.

Q: I started to yume a character, but my friend yume'd with them before me and they are non-sharing. What do I do?
A: If you don't want to block, communicate with them first. Try to reach an agreement.

Q: My friend started to yume a character I yume, but I'm non-sharing. What do I do?
A. If you don't want to block, communicate with them first. Try to reach an agreement.

Q: My friend is uncomfortable with a character I yume. What do I do?
A: Don't talk with them about your yume. If they follow you on social media, and you can't tag the character for any reason you may have, talk to them and try to reach an agreement with them if you can. Their comfort is important, as well.

Q: My friend blocked me because they yume a character non-sharingly and I yume with them, too! What do I do?
A: Don't block evade. In this situation, it can't be helped.

Q: I have tried to communicate and we can't reach an agreement. What do I do then?
A: If you have tried to communicate and you can't reach an agreement no matter what, you have to assess what is most important to you. Your real-life relationships, or yumeshipping. I would recommend against sacrificing your connections with real people.

Your other options are making alternate accounts, telling them you'll continue in a place where they can't see so they aren't uncomfortable, or just keeping it to yourself. It's important you take into account people's boundaries and for them to take into account your own. Real relationships are very important, though, and you need to take a look into what your priorities are.

Q: My friends make fun of my yume or don't respect my relationship. Or, they even make jokes about stealing them from me! What do I do?
A: Try to get them to stop, communicate with them in a serious manner about your feelings on the matter. But if you have friends or other relationships that do not respect your interests and mock you for it, you need to evaluate your relationship with those people and their treatment of you. If they refuse to stop, you are free to stop talking with them.

Q: I don't want my friends or mutuals to interact with doubles. What do I do?
A: You can try to communicate with close mutuals on the matter, but understand that you have no say in who your mutuals are friends with or who they follow/interact. You can block the doubles instead, so you won't see them.

Q: What do I do if I get jealous seeing my mutuals interacting with doubles?
A: You need to start by understanding that they're not at fault. You need to self-reflect and choose what to do. Block doubles always. This isn't your fault either, as human emotions are normal.

You can always state your boundaries in your carrd, rentry, or strawpage that you'd prefer exclusivity, but be aware that most people are not willing to be exclusive in following.

Q: Is it okay if I block doubles for my mutuals?
A: If you don't feel forced to do it, yes. You can do whatever you want!

Personal Feeling Questions:

Q: Seeing doubles makes me sick. What do I do?
A: Block them so you don't see them anymore.

Q: I feel bad blocking doubles but I don't like seeing them, what do I do?
A: If you feel bad blocking, try muting instead. But know that it is okay to block them.

Q: Why are people non-sharing? Isn't it easier to share?
A: A multitude of reasons, it varies from person to person. For some, their yumeship is a real relationship. For others, they have a strong emotional attachment to the character. Others may be autistic, have BPD, etc. and would just prefer not to share. Some people just don't share because they don't want to and that's it! No matter what, they are allowed to do whatever they want.

Q: Why are people sharing?
A: A multitude of reasons, it varies from person to person. Some people want people to share their love with others who can relate. Some others see it as poly. As I am not a sharing yume, I can't speak on the matter, but they are just as valid as non-sharing yumes and their love is just as real as ours.

Q: Why are people selective?
A: A multitude of reasons, it varies from person to person. They might just be uncomfortable with certain interpretations of their F/O. Some would only be willing to share with close people.

Q: I don't want to be non-sharing, but I am. Or, I wish I could be sharing. What do I do?
A: Your best! Because I can't tell you what to do. There is nothing wrong with being a non-sharer, but if you really feel like that you need to sort out your own feelings and see how it makes you feel. If you feel uncomfortable with doubles, don't force yourself to see them, either. But if you can handle it, you can try to make friends with other sharing yumes of your F/O and see how it makes you feel.

Q: I have the opposite problem, I'm sharing, but I wish I was non-sharing. Or, at the very least, selective. What do I do?
A: You can just be non-sharing. Nothing wrong with that. It does not make you selfish. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do.

Q: Non-sharers shouldn't have gimmick accounts, I think...
A: Gimmick accounts are people too and how they run the account is their choice. There are other accounts to choose from. It's okay to feel a little bad if you're excluded from a gimmick account, but this is a situation where nobody is in the wrong. That is just how life is sometimes.

Q: I feel basic/bad because my F/O is a popular character to Yume.
A: Focus on your own feelings. You are the most important person in your life, so you should just ignore everyone else. If you feel uncomfortable, block them. What matters most are your feelings! And your feelings for your F/O are yours and yours alone.

Q: I don't have much merch/can't commission artists/can't write/can't draw and I feel my ship is invalid because of it.
A: It is okay to feel a little hurt, but be aware that material goods and the amount of drawn/written content for a ship don't make you any more or less valid. This isn't for validation, and while it is fine to feel a little down, know that the #1 most important thing are your feelings towards your F/O and how you convey them. That's what truly matters.

Q: I feel invalid because a double of my F/O is more popular than me.
A: As stated previously, many of us can understand the feelings of hurt from being less popular than our other peers. But like I said before, popularity also doesn't matter in regards to your validity. This isn't for validation, and while it is great to want it, understand that the most important thing are your feelings towards your F/O and how you convey them.

No matter what happens, your F/O does love you, after all.

Q: Yumeshipping is starting to make my mental health worse. What do I do? It's making me spiral and I don't feel happiness from it anymore.

If you feel like this, please take a break. Whether it be from just yumeshipping, just your account, or social media altogether, if it starts to take a toll on your health, mental and/or therefore physical, you have to take a step back and reevaluate. Do not let something that is supposed to be a fun hobby or a positive coping mechanism turn into something that harms you. If you feel like it is starting to be harmful, you need to stop for your own health. Whether it be by seeing doubles or because of other reasons, you need to put a stop to it for a while until you feel better. Speak to people you can trust, reach out to hotlines if you need to. But be aware that at the end of the day, you cannot let fictional characters hurt your well-being. You come first above anything. Take care of yourself.

Final Thoughts.

The most important part of YumeTwt is to have fun. If you see something that bothers you, the thing you are encouraged to do here (and, frankly, advice for Twitter in general) is to block anyone who makes you uncomfortable. Do not seek them out again after that, if you're blocked by someone do not block evade, do not stalk others, and do not spread any hateful rhetoric or misinformation about others because of jealousy. If anyone is doing this to you or someone you know, you are free to tell others about it. Blocking and Muting are very useful tools. Use them as you see fit. Everyone is here to have fun first and foremost, and to share their feelings of love towards their F/Os.

Yume2

Edit
Pub: 15 Nov 2024 05:10 UTC
Edit: 15 Nov 2024 08:00 UTC
Views: 4474