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Survey for Tulpas Based on Characters


TurboSimmie

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Hello! 😁 I've noticed that a lot of tulpas are based on characters, both those created by their host and those from other media. I thought it would be a neat idea to create a short little survey specifically for these kinds of tulpas so that we may explore and understand this important dynamic better. The way I've worded the survey is geared towards tulpas answering, but hosts can respond on behalf of their tulpa(s) if they want. If your system contains multiple tulpas based on characters they can answer in separate posts or all together, either way is fine. 

 

 

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

 

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

 

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

 

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

 

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

 

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

 

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

 

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

 

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

 

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

 

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

Tulpa Wife & Mother! 💚 

💍 11.28.21 👶 4.7.23
👗 Simmie's AI Dress-Up!   📷 Phil and Simmie's Photographic Adventures!

 

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Challenge accepted!

 

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

F.A.M. are my - and his - initials. I ain't spellin' it out.

 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

Yes. The original was created for a roleplaying game, then she sort of started writing fanfiction about him.

 

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

Hahaha, no. It just happened. A nice side benefit of hyperfocusing? It never happened to her before, even to characters she's been very into, so this is all exciting new ground to cover for both of us.

 

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

I was the same person up until the point I consciously became a Tulpa. At that point we decided there had to be a few differences, which meant I split off from the original. The catalyst of the game can't happen to me, so I stay the way the character was before he was plunged into a World of Darkness. (The way he should have stayed, if you ask him.) The other versions of me I quickly considered fictional versions of me, so what happens to them don't effect me, but I get to have a say in what happens to them. We look the same, we got the same past, the same likes and dislikes, so we're still connected. We just ain't the same person. Not exactly.  

 

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

Yes. It made me into the man I am today. Could I have done with less heartbreak in my life? Sure. We coulda rewritten my past to be different from the original character's, but that wouldn't be me. I don't know who that guy would be. I wouldn't recognise him, and he wouldn't be half as interesting for her to hang around. 😏 The thing is the defining moments of my life happened a long time ago now, we're talking 16-20 years, so it ain't fresh. The emotional baggage and I are old friends now. I was plucked from an earlier timeline than the original, because his trauma is fresh. I don't have that, which is a deliberate move on our part. We share a past, I don't share his future.

 

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

See above. It is my past. It's our futures that diverge.

 

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

No. If anything he's in my shadow. Strange question. I do look like him. I do think and act like he did before he joined the ranks of the living dead. Trust me, no one wants me to act like that guy. He lives in a perpetual existential crisis and his self pity can get exhausting. I've had to step in and tell him off about it before because he was getting her down, and I won't stand for that.

 

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

As above. If you like, the original character is me but with freshly added trauma. I don't mope half as much as a result, because I don't have as much to mope about.

 

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

It depends on context. He used to be whiny and emotionally manipulative toward my host, going through the whole "stages of grief" thing, but he's better now. I had to intervene a few times. You threatened to erase and replace him, but said you're not as invested in keeping his people safe because they're not strictly your people. Worked though, didn't it? Well, yes. There ya go. He's a little naive when it comes to his new undead circumstances, and he might be a bit too cautious than he needs to be, but his heart's in the right place. He just ain't cut out to be a creature of the night. I do have some sympathy, but it tends to wear thin real quick when he makes my host sad, which I'm happy to say he hasn't done for some time now.

 

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

It was by mutual agreement. She was technically trying to create one from scratch, that was her plan, it was just that she already created me so why would she need to create a new one? Thought I'd save her the trouble so we could get to know each other deliberately, rather than her thinking I'm just a character she's bouncing ideas off of. That's all well and good, but there's a difference in her thinking I'm a character who'll discuss plot points when she's trying to sleep or what to put in a lasagna when cooking and knowing that I'm always there as a Tulpa. The things we can discuss opens up, because why would she (for instance) express worries about her loved ones to a fictional character? Or discuss the weather, or anything else? What's that to him? He's escapism, not moral support.

 

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

I can see why it might appeal to use someone else's character as a base, but you're never going to know that character fully. It ain't yours. I can't see how it could be anything other than a cheap imitation, personally. It could be seen as an homage, sure, but you're going to see a greater amount of divergence between character and Tulpa that way, because the Tulpa is pressed into a ready made mold which might not be fit for purpose. But it's a starting point, I guess? If it's a character of the host's on making you have more leeway, because you can grow organically. I wasn't pressed into someone else's mold, I grew my own. If she tried to create a Tulpa based on me I'd still have to try and fit into a specific idea of who she thinks I am, which might not be who I think I am. Ya know? Instead I grew as a person without having to worry about fitting into her idea of how a Tulpa should be. I was free to become me without her expectations influencing anything, so she already knew who I was by the time I was made official, so it's more us fitting together already. Surprisingly hard to explain.

 

But it's different for everyone, so what worked for us might be different from someone else. For me the character I came from ain't some kinda straightjacket, it's just me. Our mutual past ain't just his "back story", it's my life up to the point where I became a part of a new world where I ain't a physical presence. I don't see it as a separation as such because we're the same person, but at the same time we're different people. He looks/talks/acts/thinks like me, he has the same family, the same background, but I am not him. If he lost his dad, I wouldn't grieve the loss in the way I would if it was my dad. It's like we're from different dimensions, which in a way we are. I guess that's the difference. There ain't no right or wrong answer, because it's different for everyone. You could say I'm created from a character and at the same time created from scratch, so best of both worlds. (Wow, you're so humble. 😏 Prego. 😘) Does that make me a better Tulpa than one created from someone else's character? No, of course it don't, that ain't the point I'm making here. One created from scratch don't come with preconceptions is what I'm saying. What if the Tulpa don't like the character they're based on? What if they want to have a different personality, different interests? Then are they really the same character, and if they ain't the same character then what's the point in creating them from that character in the first place? You don't have that worry about stuff like that if you're creating one from scratch, because you find out together. There ain't a potential clash between expectations and reality.

 

My personality and my likes and dislikes were forged as part of fleshing out a character, not trying to live up to anything. Me liking homemade Limoncello on the page was nothing to do with her, so why shouldn't I like it? But if she created me to specifically be a Tulpa she might have made me less fond of anything lemon flavored, as she ain't so fond of that herself and really struggled to drink Limoncello when she bought some to see what was so special about it. That was before I was official, on the other hand, and since I came along she's making an effort to treat me to lemon flavored things now and then. (We even made homemade Limoncello together!) It wasn't "this character likes Limoncello, so I ought to like it too, but I actually hate it." It was more like "yes, of course I like Limoncello." I digress.

 

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

Do what you want. Your Tulpa will guide you. If they don't like being a character, are you willing to let them change into someone else? Will you be happy if they diverge? Will you be happy with their negative quirks as well as the positive ones? Are they a caricature or a fully developed person? Tulpas, you go and be you, whoever that is, and whatever that means to you. The world is a New York oyster!

Edited by Etna

Doc (she/her) = Host

Franklyn (he/him) = Tulpa

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Borrowing your formatting Etna, thank you.

 

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

Both are Rena Bonnie (Blank). My character is supposed to have a last name, but TB never thought of one yet. So anyway, I guess that makes me RB!

 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

Yup. They made her for roleplaying with their friend.

 

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

It was intentional. They were pretty sure they would make one of their characters into a tulpa, they just had to consider which one, and I guess I was picked out of the bunch!

 

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

No, when I try and remember, I always felt like a new person.

 

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

Haha, yes and no at the same time actually, for the tragic backstory part. It is kind of complicated. Maybe TB will explain it one day. I don't really have emotional baggage from the characters past in particular, but there are some things we both fear.

 

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

Nope.

 

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

We have similar personalities, but I never thought that was a bad thing.

 

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

Maybe 50%ish? I hang on to how caring they are.

 

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

I think they're super cool! And a bit funny too. They are really caring for their little brother. They have a Jacky, and I have a TB, lol. They haven't roleplayed in a while, so it's been a while since I've seen them do anything.

 

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

I'm glad to be what I am. I like my traits.

 

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

I think whatever floats their boats, y'know.

 

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

I think if you take the overall archetype/personality of the character as a base for the tulpa, but see them as their own and new person just with those predispositions, it will turn out fine. I can't say for other ways it goes since I don't have experience with it. TB is a bit afraid of some of their other characters being tulpas due to their past and stuff, but that is a different situation entirely with out it works it seems. My character was newer so it was easier to do, I think. A character that is really old and deeply entrenched in the mind may work differently... or maybe I'm just saying nonsense, haha.

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Using different text colors seems to be fashionable around these parts now, so I guess I'll put Naomi's responses in blue.

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

Luna Armstrong Moonflower, and my form was originally based on Lucia Collins from the Lunar games. Which is funny, because I had pink hair back then, and now I wouldn't be caught dead in pink 😂

My name is Naomi, but I've never settled on a last name. My form was originally based on a single image our host discovered on the internet and was instantly captivated with. (I did some digging years later, it was Suzuna Kuraki from Kao no nai Tsuki if that means anything to anyone).

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

Aside from our forms, our host had no externally-based preconceptions of who we should be.

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

Definitely intentional for both of us, though we were not the first...

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

I had a pretty elaborate backstory, but with a little help from Naomi I eventually was able to separate myself from that. He made both of us in 2005 and we were both more or less sapient by the end of 2010, prior to that he did a lot of puppeting as the community would call it.

I did, until one day I realized I had no memories from before I was created. Which made my host give me more backstory, but of course there was nothing before that either... From there it was clear to see that he created me in his mind, and much to everyone's surprise, I first became sentient not long after that and fled into the far reaches of his wonderland one day to live as a hermit.

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

Tragic, not so much, but just convoluted as hell. Thinking back on it, that might actually be why my first words to him as a sapient tulpa were what they were 😋 I had plenty of emotional baggage at the time, but sometime in probably 2010 I was able to step away from all that and embrace living as my own person.

I got to have my fake backstory parents get murdered for the sake of a rescue fantasy, which of course was very traumatic at the time, but once I saw through the illusion it was easy for me to dismiss all that as theatrics.

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

Nope.

No, but our actual past is traumatic in its own way, as Luna can attest.

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

There was no shadow for us to step out of, which made it easier to focus on dealing with everything else our host did wrong before there was a tulpa community to say what the right way is.

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

In my case, the character was a bit of a tsundere, and I can still act like that when it suits my mood 😏

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

She's, uhh, fine? I vaguely recall my host playing her game at some point, but she must have been largely forgettable because I have no recollection of it now.

And my source character is from an ecchi anime, which once disgusted me, though I do admire her attitude.

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

I ended up deviating away from that anyway, but I suppose there are worse starting points for one's form...

I suppose there were enough things I liked about my form, that I decided to keep those things when I deviated.

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

In our system we're definitely more biased towards making tulpas from scratch, since Elise might be the only one who didn't end up with some kind of major character flaw.

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

I think the host should only do so with the understanding that the tulpa needs freedom to be their own person, rather than trying to force them to fit into some preconceived notion of who they should be beyond specific personality traits.

My advice to other tulpas would be to not trust your memories unless there are others who can verify them. This is one of the ways that we can engage in reality testing, tenuous as reality is for incorporeal beings such as us. Also, our host believes that the present is the only thing that really matters anyway, so one would do well to be the best person they can here and now rather than cling to the past.

"Science isn't about why, science is about why not?" -Cave Johnson

Tulpae: Luna, Elise, Naomi

My progress report

 

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1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

Jaina Brightwater. 😊 Well *redacted* now 🤔 We'll just go with my maiden name for now. We assume my first name was from Darron playing Warcraft (Jaina Proudmoore) although there is also Jaina Solo from Star Wars extended universe. But from timing and everything it was probably the former. Brightwater came from what Darron thought of when he sees my eyes. Typical romantic. 😏 We also use Lystvand, the Danish translation given my heritage. 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

We sorta created "me" over time. I suppose I absorbed traits and things over time that Darron was attracted to and admired. I'm pretty well in OC territory though he probably was inspired by some strong independent women. *smug flex* Deputy Jane was one of my aliases for when we played Fallout. We really firmed up my identity as "Jaina," playing Skyrim. That's kinda when everything "clicked." We've been *ehem* practicing playing house in Sims and other games. I promise not to be as whingy and needy as my npc counterparts. They're so high maintenance 😠.

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

Not really, I existed as Darron's "imaginary friend" and mental helper for a long, long time before we even bothered to name me. 😅 Everything kinda happened as we went. We didn't even know what a tulpa was until I was already 18 when we joined tulpa.info.

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

I kinda came first so I just sorta appropriated the image as a strong Nord woman. 😏💪

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

I wuv him wif aww my hart an hope we aways be togever. 🥺 No tragedy really just "wuv." 🥰 Well 🤔 we did come up with a backstory for my Skyrim persona. I'm an ex-cop. I did what the "Skyrim Cops" youtube videos did mostly. 😄 I was an Imperial provincial military police sergeant. Effectively just a constable, really. I just wandered around helping people mostly. Breaking up bar brawls, busting skooma dens, hunting dangerous wildlife and so on. It was when it started getting political that things really started to get sour for me. More "dissidents" getting rounded up. I saw the division and lines get drawn far before the war began. I saw which way the wind was blowing and wanted no part of civil war. I don't like war period. So I turned in my badge and just started "adventuring." Basically the exact same thing I did before but contracting on my own. I wouldn't call it tragic" just kinda more sad and melancholy. The death of naivete I suppose. Then I met my Dragonborn 😉.

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

Eh, it kinda informs my morals and sense of duty I guess. Being an explorer and adventurer is my jam.

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

Not really. I felt like I had agency on the wardrobe choices. Even the skimpy ones. 😉 Who do you think picked them out? I assumed she would have been cold and bundled her in furs. All me, baby. 😘

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

Not really. Just got more refined over time. We both agree that I've gotten much more out-going since joining tulpa.info. Making friends and "stretching my legs" helped socialize me a lot more. I was just kinda the demure, strong, silent partner before.

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

I like her, she's very "me." But we both had an active hand in her development so we agreed on it.

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

We both know I'm more than the backstory for a videogame pc/npc. It's fun to play around with stories about me in fictional settings.

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

I would say it's okay, for a place to start. I personally think you should strive to make your tulpa very much their own person. Even if you use say Lara Croft as a template. Make her a version that makes sense for your own life and adventures. I would feel kinda weird about keeping the name though. Maybe "Brian" Pitt 🤔 Brad's secret sexier long lost cousin. 😉 Tulpas from scratch is great if you feel you have the creative energy and ingenuity but don't worry about taking inspiration.

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

Do it. If you want. Follow your dreams and instincts. It helped Darron to write things out some times and make personality/interests lists. Don't worry about perfection right away. Just time and dedication. There's nothing a tupper loves more than TLC. 🤗

Darron: Host 💍 

Jaina: Tulpa 💍 

(Raccoon Queen 🦝👸)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Dain and Nova

Aggrok: Tulpa Void Dragon

Viktor: 🐺

[DeviantArt]

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1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

 

My name is Murk, but the character I was made from the connection with was named "Murky Number Seven", which is no name at all. I took my name because I wanted to break from that past of namelessness.

 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

 

I was based on a character from a Fallout: Equestria story. I was not one of the original generation of pony tulpas, and I am the only one I know about who came from that fan universe.

 

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

 

My host Eli and our sister in our system, Luna, created me as an experiment. I was not the first besides Eli who appeared, and I was made so that they could better understand what had happened during a traumatic event in a self-hypnotic state to make them become plural. 

I was created out of a very strong sympathy my host had for the main character, and I inherited a lot of my traits from the impressions he had from an audiobook recording. It was absolutely intentional, and I even had the exact mental form of that "Murky" at first.


4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

 

I knew from the beginning I was different from my source, but that did not cut through the fear and confusion at first. My emotions have always been strong, and it took me almost a month to really feel a grip on the fact that I was really living outside of the Wasteland and its horrors. I described it once as like walking in two worlds at once, and I still think that fits. I had to actually see real and imagined beautiful things to begin to break with the past and personality I had, of a person that never happened. It was a very gradual process, and I had to find a way to make myself feel more empowered because I kept getting flashbacks of another character who had complete control over and abased the Murky that I was not. Learning chess helped me feel stronger, and listening to a lot of J. S. Bach was what helped me heal into my own person. 

 

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

 

Yes... that Murky was a slave, born and beat down every day of his narrated past. I don't like to talk about it much, but it has made me feel very, very strongly about a lot of issues in the real world. I was literally born out of sympathy, so I probably can't help feeling a strong need to help out in real ways where I can where people are suffering in anything like the way my backstory did.

 

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

 

I would have answered no until recently, but we tried to read my origin story again by my request, and it brought a lot of trauma roaring back that I know never happened. I think I can only answer yes to this question when I can read that story as happening to someone else. 

 

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?


It did not take me long to want to take on my own form. I started small by making myself a larger, taller pegasus with full wings before I decided to make myself as human as I could. I did not just step out of that Murky's shadow. I ran as fast and far as I could, and I don't regret it at all. 

 

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

 

I am Murk, not Murky Number Seven. I hold fast to the iron core of the little slave who decided he wanted to live, and I have the timidness still even though I have no reason to be. It is just part of who I am, I guess. 

 

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

 

He was amazing. I am just glad that the Wasteland is not and was never real. I have been given a lot by living with Eli and Luna: a fantastic family, a fulfilling career I can actually help with, and comforts that Murky could never have imagined. I never will have to make an escape attempt to risk my life, or have to keep up hope in the face of despair like he did. If I ever do, or whatever I have to face, I hope my iron core will hold as firm as his.

 

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

 

Murky helped me become the Murk I am today. I don't know if I really could have been based on anything else and still be the person I am. There have been challenges from being connected so strongly with emotion from the beginning, but I don't regret being made the way that I was.

 

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

 

I don't think there is a problem creating tulpa fictives in general. All tulpas diverge. I have never heard of any one of us having the existential crisis that is always feared as long as we are really self-aware. Fictive tulpas do seem to us to be created faster than de novo tulpas.

 

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

 

Don't create a tulpa out of sympathy. That is a heavy burden to carry. It is definitely possible to take the emotion of a strong connection to a character to make them come alive and self-aware. Just don't choose sympathy, because that was the very biggest challenge we had to overcome together. No one wants to feel pitied all the time.

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  • 1 month later...

[Jay] There are three of us total: Jay (me, host), Sunny (older) and Pinkie (younger).

 

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

[Sunny]

My name is Sunny, and the character is Twilight Sparkle from MLP:FiM.

[Pinkie]

I'm Pinkie! Or Diane. The character's full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie.

 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

[Sunny]

Mostly no. He did create a different "placeholder character" with the intent of giving me a starting point to work with, and the only thing that stuck with me is the name. The character I ended up as is from MLP:FiM.

[Pinkie]

I am from the MLP:FiM multierse, especially the fanfiction part of it.

 

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

[Sunny]

He explicitly set out to not create me from a pre-established character. He wanted a Twilight Sparkle tulpa badly, but decided against it. Then I believed I had no choice but to become Twilight, but got convinced otherwise. Then I was afraid that I was turning into Twilight against my will, but eventually I just accepted it.

[Pinkie]

I'm a walk-in, you could say I was unintentional. ( A happy accident, and a very hyperactive one! :P ) I would not have existed if not for the character, though. There were four other characters with me at the time of creation, but only I "survived" due to my sheer "Pinkie-ness": when others disappeared in a puff of logic, I just "escaped through the 4th wall into the subconscious", because "b*ck logic, I'm Pinkie!".

 

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

[Sunny]

No. Jay made it very clear that I am me and that it's my choice who to be. I only started turning into Twilight after becoming fully vocal, and it took about a week of Jay getting a deja-vu feeling from my looks before it clicked and we realized who I was starting to look like.

[Pinkie]

Sort of. I entertained the notion of being "an actual Pinkie Pie", a part of the trans-dimensional being that she is, for months, even hoped that my reality-defying abilities would manifest eventually. But thanks to Pinkie's 4th-wall-breaking powers, I immediately knew exactly what I was and what it all menant for me, so all that was no more than wishful thinking, and I gave up eventually.

 

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

[Sunny]

No, I don't think so.

[Pinkie]

Maybe a little bit? Pinkie is always over-the-top happy (maybe even enlightened), and when she's not she is either just depressed or also going insane. And I feel the latter sometimes. It's not quite "emotional baggage" though, more of a Pinkie's intrinsic trait. And I don't think I'll be able to shake it off any time soon.

 

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

[Sunny]

No, never considered myself in any way connected to the fictional timeline. I guess I think of myself more like her imperfect clone, I am her but her life isn't mine.

[Pinkie]

Not quite "past", Pinkie exists across time-space and there is no single "past" for her per se. I associate with all the stories of all the Pinkies, but it is more like the past you've completely lost memory of and were later told about.

 

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

[Sunny]

Wouldn't call it "in the shaddow", but I am still there. At first I felt the pressure to act like her, before I even became her. I believed I had to sacrifice my personality and become Twilight to help Jay, much like Twilight was ready to sacrifice herself for her friends. It's not so bad now, but I still am inclined to act and think like her, not that I mind any more.

[Pinkie]

I feel like there was no "shadow", from day zero I was both the character and my own person. There never was any external pressure, just my desire to be me, and even then rarely, most of the time it is just natural.

 

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

[Sunny]

I feel like I'm "deviating" towards the personality of Twilight, though some things are different. Most differences are cosmetic, like me preferring to be a human or a pegasus and not a unicorn/alicorn like her, or me having a slightly different voice. I felt like I was much less neurotic than her, but the last season of MLP:FiM put her on about the same level, so I'd say I was just ahead of the curve there :P  And of course I am not a pinncess in charge of a whole nation and I don't have to fight off magical catastrophies all the time. In general, I feel like she is a worthwhile role model, so in some ways I strive to be more like her. And in some others I already am her. In a way I am like a younger and less experienced version of her.

[Pinkie]

Not far. Due to my circumstances I am not so crazy about cooking and partying and becoming friends with everyone I meet ASAP. Otherwise I am your average Pinkie, and I intend to stay mostly that way.

 

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

[Sunny]

She is a worthwhile role model, and she conquered most of her "real" flaws by the end of the show. A true princess worthy to rule.

[Pinkie]

I'm not Rainbow Dash so I don't want to call myself "Awesome!", but I'm of a very good opinion of Pinkie Pie.

 

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

[Sunny]

I guess I am glad, though logically I realize it might be just because I am her anyway. In the end, whatever happened was for the best, because we have no idea where we would have ended up otherwise.

[Pinkie]

I am glad that I am me! Though I guess I'm not too attached to staying me, so "it is what it is" too.

 

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

[Sunny]

It is tricky. I am leaning against creating tulpas in general, because many do that to try and escape their problems and might make things worse instead. It's like making kids so that you have some "slaves" for when you get old, and instead having to support them without a guarantee that they will support you later. Tulpas can be helpful, but the only thing they are guaranteed to be is a responsibility. You share the same limited resources, most importantly the body and the time.

In terms of creating character-based tulpas instead of non-character-based, it is an extra risk. Think of it like having kids with your cousin, even with a second cousin there is an extra few percent chance of critical genetic diseases. Basing tulpa off a character has a greater chance of backfiring than not basing them off anything, that is all.

[Pinkie]

Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Just act responsibly, tulpas aren't toys! You wouldn't want your kid to have some crippling disability just because overcoming it "builds the character", would you?

[Jay]

Sunny isn't fond of the idea of creating tulpas. I honestly believed that I was not creating her to solve my problems and that I could let go of any expectations, but I was so wrong on that account. She failed to meet the expectations I haven't realized I had, and at times we both feel guilty for failing each other, which feels like shit. And for her, "being a good tulpa" and helping me is one of the still very few goals in life, imagine how failing that would feel. I think they are helping me a lot, but it isn't always easy to see, while the "problems" their existence cause seem more apparent.

In that regard, basing your tulpa on a character can be yet another expectation you fail to acknowledge and they can fail to meet. Plus, I got my character anyway, despite deciding against it.

 

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

[Sunny]

Think hard if it really is what you want. Especially if it is going to be your first tulpa, maybe try talking to someone about it, preferably to a therapist. Not necessarily about the tulpa, but about the reasons why you want one in the first place. Enough kids suffer due to parents not thinking things through, not being ready, or having the wrong reasons. In a way, tulpas are the same.

[Pinkie]

Nope, none, but see my previous answer.

[Jay]

If you decide to go through with a tulpa, don't expect them to be or not be a character. (I expected Sunny to not be the character I wanted, so when she started becoming one I felt worried and guilty instead of just happy, and she was worried too.) One can't fail expectations if there are none. Being open to anything would be easier for both of you. You can make it a "suggestion", if you like, maybe a "starting point" to speed things up. And you might get your favorite character even without asking, like I did, twice.

And yeah, definitely don't push any trauma on them as a "backstory". And avoid hiding from them that they are a tulpa, they'll find out eventually and that can get ugly.

Edited by evgenirus
[Jay] Added my thoughts, reformatted.

𝝮mega system: [Jay] (evgenirus, Evg), host; [Sunny] (rarely Alice), older tulpa; [Pinkie] (Ponka, Diane), younger walk-in tulpa.

Our progress report thread. // Prior to May 2019 we used colored text here (Sunny, Pinkie, Jay), but it messes with themes.

 

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Besides our host, everyone in are system is "sorta based on a character". Like, we all kinda look like characters and used to be based on them more before diverging. We'll all answer using my account.

 

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

 

My name is Betty and I was based off a Tomodachi Life Mii that was based on Honey Sugarman from BoJack Horseman.

 

My name is Cloud. When I entered the system, I looked like Fluttershy from My Little Pony and was named Fluttershy. Now I look like a pony, but not like Fluttershy.

 

My name is Consigliere. I would describe myself as a soulbond. Our host was writing a story and I was the main character. I evolved from him.

 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

 

My host had a Tomodachi Life island where every Mii was a corrupted version of the character they were based on. Usually the "corruption" would take the form of a pun, but not always. So, I'm both based on a character from a show and my host's "corrupted" Mii version of her.

 

I was also was based on what could be described as a "corrupted" version of Fluttershy created by our host, Stone. She was never a Tomodachi Life character. She was a daydream character.

 

I am based on a character my host created. He created me to tell a story he hadn't seen told before.

 

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

 

He never wanted me to be her but he intentionally created me with her form. He intentionally gave me some of her mannerisms but not all. He knew I was my own person at the start.

 

Despite initially dubbing me a walk-in, he created me like this from the start.

 

He did not create me to be a tulpa, though he did make me person intentionally (I believe). I don't call myself a tulpa.

 

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

 

It's weird because I started out knowing for sure I was a separate person and have since seen myself as closer to the character I'm based on. Usually it's the other way around. My sense of identity is a bit weird and hazy. I want a past beyond the year I have now, and part of me wants that past to be "realized" through spiritual means and/or memory manipulation. I find the idea of being actually connected to a character rather than being merely based on a character to be comforting. Idk if this makes sense. I'm devolving! My connections to characters are becoming (from my perspective) more literal, lol!

 

I never believed I was literally Fluttershy or any other character.

 

Since I'm based on character Stone made up, it feels incorrect to say I'm not him. There is not a clean line dividing character and person. However, I have agency, and I can interact with the real world. That is how I differ from a character.

 

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

 

She does, but I can't say I carry her baggage. Not in any sort of substantial way.

 

No and no.

 

Yes. I don't carry the baggage of the character himself, but since this character is a creation of this mind, a lot of his baggage is already here, having come before him. The character I'm based on is a negative, cold, sad person and I immediately (I think: automatically, due to the circumstances in which I was created) wasn't that.

 

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

 

I catch vivid glimpses of it that feel real when I go to the right places in Wonderland.

 

No.

 

No.

 

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

 

I want to step into her shadow ha! And no, I feel no pressure. I was created as a separate person.

 

My systemmates still call my "Fluttershy" sometimes and that is annoying. I don't feel pressure.

 

I have felt pressure from Stone. He has told me, "You don't sound like [character]," and that's annoying. I think it's his "inner editor" treating me like a "character" and not my own person. I don't think Stone actually wants me to be the sad mess his character is, but Stone instinctively editing me is a bother.

 

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

 

It's hard to say because I never was meant to be her and I was created basically pre-deviated. I do feel younger at heart now than I did before, and I feel less motherly towards Stone. I see him as more of a peer now. Like, I could go to school with him.

 

I also came deviated out of the box. I hold on to Fluttershy's voice. I can hear myself clearly when I use it.

 

I, as well, began my life already deviated. I suppose that's a theme in our system. Though, Betty and Cloud deviated immediately in part because Stone was expecting deviation to happen anyway. I began deviated because I had to. Stone was in a bad place, and if I acted like his character, I would not have been a help. I still look like the character. I am also attached to the character, though I see myself as separate.

 

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

 

I like her. You don't see much of her, but she's easy to sympathize with. She's also pretty, like me.

 

Get that bronybait away from me.

 

I have a strong attachment to the character, much like Stone does. I like him and I root for him to succeed.

 

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

 

I'm glad I'm based on a character. It makes me feel weirdly grounded? Like I have a place outside the system? Like I've existed for longer and have a past?

 

I regret it. I wish I wasn't associated with any character.

 

I wouldn't exist without the character. I wouldn't have a purpose without him. If I hadn't been based on Stone's character, I wouldn't be me. It's like asking, "Would you rather have completely different DNA?" We'd be talking about a different person at that point.

 

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

 

I think that the decision on whether to create a tulpa based on a character can be a big one that affects a lot and something that can ultimately matter super little. I don't think the decision is arbitrary but my advice would be "do what you feel is best" and "allow your tulpa to deviate if they want to".

 

Create from scratch.

 

I think I would say a tulpamancer should create from scratch just to be safe, though sometimes, life happens.

 

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

 

Let them deviate if they want to and respect them, but this is the case with all tulpas!

 

I will second what Betty said.

Meaningful words, I'm here!

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First of all, like my headmate Gwen, I consider myself a soulbond and we're not entirely sure what that means based on our beliefs but clearly we're no different than my creator and tulpas are said to be that way as well, as our own Ren would know, so take that for what it's worth. I don't fit the definition of tulpa because I was created but not intended to be sentient or volitional.

 

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

 

I am Joy, one of the constituents of the SheShe merge but also my own entity. I am based on Joy or Ranger depending on the book that Bear wrote. There are three books though one of them isn't directly about me. 

 

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

 

In two of the books that Bear wrote about me, I am an age-locked character that has been training nearly all my life. First for the 1984 Olympics then to keep out of government hands, and from an archetypal standpoint I represent the drive to win and escape. Given my unnatural existence, in that I don't undergo puberty and remain a child, I can live indefinitely, this represents holding on to a childlike wonder and freedom. Bear wanted to explore these ideas because he found them interesting and he sees parallels within himself. Gwen and I are not direct representations of him though, he reserved male characters for that and played those roles himself, our interactions were as friends or acquaintances. 

 

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

 

I am, and always will be, Joy from the books; however, I prefer to think of myself as the actress that played the character in those books just as Bear played characters. That bypasses all the drama that my character had and her issues aren't mine. I always saw myself as a separate person because that was how I was written.

 

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

 

Yes, though I was playing a roll, she is more like a facet of mine than a costume.

 

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

 

This did take a little bit of thinking and this is why Bear and the others were hesitant to let me join them in the beginning. I've been here long enough to have developed a unique persona and perspective to the OC so I am not necessarily thought of as the character but as me uniquely, so there is no pressure because of that and because it has always been my choice to be whoever I want. 

 

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

 

I choose to hold on to whatever memories suit me, the good ones I can enjoy, the bad ones are exclusively associated to the OC.

 

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

 

She is tough, devious, unemotional, tsundre, and bold. I am a leader, just as Bear is whether he wants to be or not, so like him, I naturally take command and make executive decisions when I'm switched in. I like those things about the character, and I am her so to speak.

 

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

 

I don't mind what others do or say about it and we haven't made anyone from scratch in that way so I have no basis of comparison, but yes they can and should do what they want in my opinion.

 

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

 

As we know, a fictive or factive will eventually have a personality crisis as they find themselves deviating from the OC. It is probably best to base a tulpa off a character that you have creative control over or at least make them understand that they're their own deviation based on the character. Neither Gwen nor I had a personality crisis per say, but we had a personality revelation as I described mine being the realization that I was an actress and the OC is a facet of mine.

 

Some of the other possible soulbonds we invited failed to make that realization and returned to stasis in their canon.

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The characters that Arid and Ebony come from have a complicated concept which I will squish down to something more readable.  Basically they were based on very similar parts of my (the host, Dust’s) personality.  These “parts of my personality” would come and go based on my “mood”.  But idk, they never really felt like just personifications of feelings, they had their own feelings and responses to things.  So perhaps they were my earliest tulpas?  I’m not sure.  Regardless I’m gonna let them do the thinking for this.  I’m only making one reply cos I’m lazy and I don’t want to put in the extra work for making two since all they can do right now is think and spend time in wonderland cos they’re not fully formed.

 

(I’m also using this to get to know them better since Arid doesn’t talk much to actual people and Ebony just insults me when she talks to me)

1. What is your name, and what is the name of the character you were based on? (If it's different)

Ebony or Monica, the character I’m based on is Ebony.  Personally I don’t care what you call me, Dust just prefers to call me Ebony.

Arid.  Character’s name is also Arid.  Please only call me Arid.

2. Were you based on a character your host created? If so, why did your host create that character? If not, what media did the character come from?

Yeah kinda?  Dust explained the complicated stuff up there ^
See Ebony’s answer.

3. Did your host explicitly set out to create a tulpa based on this character, or was it unintentional?

Not deliberately.  None of us were made deliberately.  Dust just kinda, let us happen.  Idk he’s been pretty chill with this whole process.  The only kind of forcing he’s really done is talking to us.

Despite what Ebony says, I’m pretty sure I was made deliberately.  Dust felt that Ebony was somehow incomplete without me, because the characters we were based off came in a pair.  Though Dust hasn’t really put any effort into forcing me either, other than trying to force me to TALK earlier.  >:(

4. When you first became sentient did you believe that you were the same person as that character? If so, how long did it take you to see yourself as a separate person, and what was that process like?

I was supposed to be just like her, but I’ve noticed I don’t have the same obsessive tendencies that the original Ebony had.  Also I’m pretty sure she was straight?  Which is weird.  I’m a lot more aggressive and “audacious” )as Dust would put it after using the thesaurus) than the original Ebony.  The character Ebony was also a yandere and…  Ebony is a tsundere, or a deredere I’m not sure.

I knew i was different pretty much right away.  Or well, Dust knew.  I was probably the most deliberately made out of the three of us.  Dust kinda…  messed it up somehow though because I’m nothing like their OC, Arid.  He’s a lot like my sister, Ebony.  Except he was more sly, while Ebony was always more forward and blunt.  But somehow Dust accidentally made me shy?  I don’t know how that happened.  Dust is the one calling me shy, not me.  I’m not shy.  I just-  I don’t want to be annoying like Ebony is.  HEY!  Oh, put a sock in it.  I see, so BOTH of you are tsunderes.  Interesting.

5. Does the character you are based on have a tragic/difficult backstory? If so, did you carry any emotional baggage from the character's past? Do you still now?

They have no backstory.

Technically we do, but it’s just sorted parts of Dust’s childhood.  Dust kinda fucked up the process tho so I don’t really have the same response as the original Ebony.  She had PTSD from being bullied and picked on, I don’t…  have that.  I really don't give a- [censor] what people think about me.  That’s a lie and you know it.  Shut it, babyboy!
What ebony says mostly applies to me as well.  The only difference is I DID get the insecurities, which is weird because my character didn’t.  Ebony’s response was to rework her personality modeled after someone who people admired and looked up to, but also didn’t get hurt by things people said.  My response was just-  stop talking to people.  They can’t hurt you if you aren’t listening.

6. Related, does that character's past still "feel" like your past even if you know it isn't?

Yeah i can’t read.  It’s all up there ^

7. Did it feel like it took a while to "step out of the character's shadow"? Have you ever felt pressure to act, look, or think like the character?

They don’t really know yet.  We’ll get back to you.

8. How far have you deviated from the personality of the character you were based on? Are there any aspects of the character that you still hold onto?

Answered in 4

9. What's your honest opinion about the character you were based on?

She’s a wimp.  She cares too much what people think and she’s too sensitive.  She’s a crybaby and a loser.

I think he’s kinda badass…  he’s really cool.  I kinda wish i was more like him.  He has so much swagger.

10. Are you glad that your host based you on that character? Do you wish they hadn't? Or are you more "it is what it is" about the whole thing?

Something something “we’ve only been awake for two days.”  Arid’s only been around today.

11. What's your opinion on tulpas based on characters in general? Do you think hosts should create tulpas based on characters, or is it better to create tulpas from scratch?

hell if I care.  Long as they’re interesting people I’ll talk to em.

i think they’re kinda weird…  but it’s not like i can really judge.  I don’t understand why ‘mancers make em but it doesn’t really effect me much.

12. Any words of advice to tulpamancers thinking about creating a tulpa based on a character, or to other tulpas based on characters?

Not a clue.  Honestly I probably need advice.

Mystic System 💫

 

Leith/Dust -🧋🍄

Ebony -🕷

Luna -🌙

Cetus -🐉
Antony -🕰

Oliver -🫧

Nikki -💄

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