#ooc post i think? not exactly canon to the blog i just thought it'd be funny

[eunoiassoldiers]

//mugger wouldnt actually do this (at least not with britty) its just funny

[chordata-on-alterhumanity]

best way to have/cause memories, if possible?

Hey! Sorry this took so long for me to get to. I've had a ton going on and I really wanted to properly sit down and collect my thoughts to give you an answer. That said, I'm just me and I'm bound to not be able to look at this from every possible perspective, so I'm sure other people will think of things that should be said about the topic or tips on how to make/find memories as a linker that I can't think of, so if someone reads this and thinks of smth additional, please add it in a reply or reblog of this post!!!

-didn't proofread this. Sorry about typos!-

(edits this almost a month after posting) I just realized that i answered this pertaining to otherlinking even though the ask doesn't specify that... I guess my mind assumed that's what it's talking about because I mostly talk about linking on this blog currently. Hope that was the case or my information is helpful regardless. Anyway, edit end -

Memories as an otherlinker can be made or come to be through a wide range of causes. They can be intentionally crafted or come unexpectedly. What really matters isn't the way they're gathered, but how they feel. A memory needs to feel "right", "correct", "true". You can try spending a lot of time convincing yourself that xy event happened as your linktype, but if it doesn't sit right (i.e. feels out of character, too ideal to be realistic, etc), it'll be a lot harder for you to incorporate it into your linktype's past.

For me, personally, memories seem to ring the most true if I don't have to do much thinking about them. I like the random sort of memory aquisition most. I'll have a random thought, I briefly question if it's connected to my linktype, and if it fits, I feel it fits. If it doesn't fit, I get a negative feeling. The exact feeling can vary in both form (distaste, discomfort, irritation, annoyance, ...) and strength (mild to strong). I can also feel neutrally about it. I tend to not view memories as mine if they make me feel neutral or negative. The positive ones, I consider.

Once I have such a memory than can stick to my linktype because it feels "right" (in character, I feel good about it), I can let that sit for a while or immediately start thinking about the story around it. Why did that happen/Why was that a thing? It's basically the same process as before. Whatever explanation feels "right" can most easily lead to more memories.

Otherlink memories don't have to be memories of specific events, btw. It can also just be general knowledge. That's called noema, with the plural version being noemata (this term was coined for otherkin but is free to use for experiences from other groups as far as I know). Like, you can remember that your favourite pair of shoes was red, but you don't know that because you remember an exact moment where you put on your shoes. You can remember a fact, not an event. But remembering a fact can lead to remembering events and vice versa!

Triggers for creating/getting memories can be utterly random. I'm so sorry I can't give you specific tips there. I'll talk about my experience for a little.

For my Raihan linktype, I had the random thought that it'd be funny if Raihan had a Beautifly, and then I thought "Well actually why not?". It felt ooc at first, but then I realized it's exactly something that fits into the Raihan I am. This spun into a whole bunch of memories, going off of my relationship to Beautifly, my living situation, how I wasn't particularly fond of being seen in public with it because it didn't fit my public image, but that conflicted with how I loved spending time with it in nature. Then the - you can call it worldbuilding at this point - rolled off away from Beautifly and to other people I don't have in canon and how I met them. A vacation in the Hoenn region, meeting a Tropius there... Can you see what I mean with one thing leading to the next?

What I just described wasn't information I sat down for and gathered within a day. It instead happened over weeks, months. Once you find a memory that feels right, don't rush into finding the next. Let your mind process it for a while and get comfortable. If you rush things, from my experience, it becomes harder to find more potential memories that feel true.

Dreams about your linktype can also be triggers for memories! They're very potent ones because dreams come with feelings, so it becomes easier to adapt the experienced events as memories because there's already an emotional connection there. I don't recommend blindly accepting all dreams as memories, though. Dreams can be non-sensical, chaotic, and also uncomfortable or downright nightmares. Do yourself a favor and dismiss dreams/nightmares that'll drag you down if you dwell on them. Or at least think it through properly first.

It's also helpful to try searching for memories that are related to, or a re-interpretation of your irl life. For example, if you really like bugs, you can think about whether or not you caught bugs in your linktype's childhood. Or let current events inspire you, i.e. whatever weather it is where you're at - are there any memorable things that happened as your linktype while in similar weather? Walking through rainy puddles while in a large city as your linktype, having your clothes blown in your face by windy weather, roasting in the sun during sunny we... Think about the most special or most mundane things. Or inbetween. Anything could be your inspiration and lead you to ideas that resonate as memories!

If you decide something's a memory, and then later realize that it doesn't fit after all, feel free to change your mind on it. You can "drop" memories.

I'm trying to think of more, but I think that's all I got... I hope this helps!