Update + opinions on tulpas of characters?

[glitchthe3rd]

I'm more than likely highly biased on this topic, but personally I believe nothing good can ever come of it. Using a pre-existing form for your tulpa is fine, but imo it should be done with the understanding that they are their own person and not the character their form is based off of. Also, the host should understand that their tulpa can and likely will deviate at some point and that's fine if they do.

[Slipper]

   Mordecai used to be based on Sans from Undertale. He had some aspects of his personality that resembled the original character, but he very quickly became his own person- someone a lot more analytical, quiet, and optimistic. After about his second birthday, he decided to change his name and form. It wasn't due to any trauma or anything (he's always been chill towards things from the game, even if they were bad things happening to the character he was based on), he just wanted to have a more unique and firm identity. We still use some art of characters who look like his new form as references (basically any black haired anime guy with glasses lol), however he usually looks very similar to my own art nowadays. 

 

   I think a lot of issues stem from the host's intentions. In my case, I have a hard time focusing on more than one thing at a time. Around the time I made Mordecai, I was about halfway through my year-long Undertale obsession. Having my tulpa being Undertale related was the easiest way I could force. Over time my obsession faded, and I didn't care what Mordecai looked/acted like, cause he was my friend. Despite how positively this ended for us, I am also aware that trouble may have arose for him if my fixation on the media didn't last long enough for me to get truly attached to him. A teenager making a tulpa in the midst of a mental illness spike probably wasn't the best combination, but both of us made it!

 

   A lot of the focus is on "how basing a tulpa on a character can negatively affect a tulpa's perception of themselves," when I don't think this is the question we should be discussing. I think the bigger concern is why the host is choosing the character in the first place. Is it out of a lifelong love of a character? Is it because they want to date/romance a character? Do they idolize a character? Do they just like the form? And are these considered positive or negative reasons to base your tulpa on a character? And, most importantly, if the tulpa changes their form or if you grow out of the current media you're obsessed with, will you remain interested in them?

 

   I don't really have any answers to these questions, as I think each host and tulpa are different. At the risk of sounding hypocritical, I'd say choosing something original is a safer option. However, basing one off a character is extremely common and used to be the norm a few years ago. Just make sure your tulpa isn't expected to be that character, and make sure you aren't making them to be that character as well.