18 Incredibly Weird Tumblr Subcultures You've Never Heard About

If there were to be a place for people who harbor a fascination with mass shooters, it would be Tumblr. Fanblogs have popped up around Aurora shooter James Holmes, Dylan Roof, and the Columbine Shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. A few Columbiners who spoke to Vice even admitted to having violent and sometimes suicidal thoughts, although it should be noted that they do not advocate murder. One Columbiner said, "[They] didn't represent the whole true crime community, [and] I don't represent the whole true crime community." This is definitely one of the most unsettling Tumblr subcultures, but it should be noted that many Columbiners are in their teens, and flirting with extremely dark subject matter is something that teenagers have always done - it's just that they haven't always had Tumblr. 

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a god or goddesses as your spouse? Well, the folks over on the Godspouse Tumblr know exactly what it's like. According to the Godspouses, "Godspousing and god-consorting definitely differs from person to person, but the common denominator is being in an intimate, likely romantic, relationship with a deity." However, that doesn't mean that these #Godspouses have a direct line to the divine. "Divination plays a large role in this. I like to equate it to having a very… VERY long distance relationship, with both of you being on islands with shoddy connection. This, of course, means that miscommunication is a very real threat, and one that has to be combated at all times."

Otherkin are people who believe that they were not just born in the wrong body, but that they're something inhuman. Otherkin have been around since the early '70s, but their numbers really exploded once Tumblr offered them a space to discuss life as an elf, forest sprite, dragon, etc. The problem with going to Tumblr for otherkin information is that there are a substantial number of trolls - Internet trolls, not just people who believe that they are trolls - who claim to be everything from Eva Braun to a tube of toothpaste.

Living dolls are a subculture made up mostly of women and some men who use a combination of cosmetic surgery, diet, and makeup to make themselves look like dolls - picture large eyes, big lips, and an airbrushed-looking complexion. While many people believe that the group has an obscure Barbie-fetish, Olga Oleinik - one the most popular living dolls - insists that there's more of a fantasy thing in the mix: "I've never aimed to look like Barbie. People call us this [any]way. I have more of a space or fantasy image."

The oddest part of the living-doll Tumblr culture is its crossover with "hypnosis" blogs where living dolls are either hypnotized into becoming dolls, or into doing sexy stuff. Have fun, kids.

On the Internet there are shippers, and then there are tinfoil hat shippers. They're not only happy to speculate about fictional characters - they are SUPER SURE that real-life celebrities are hooking-up with each other and are sending coded messages to their fans telling them all about it. The celebrities under the greatest speculation on Tumblr are, obviously, the stars of Supernatural - who are definitely languishing in an unspoken homosexual relationship. It's important to note that there's also a collection of blogs dedicated to pointing out just how ridiculous this whole fandom is, although it creates a kind of Internet-echo chamber. But, if you happen to have some free time it's worth following the fandoms around the Internet because it makes for some very fun afternoon reading.

This subculture is tough to explain. Basically, Soulbonders are sentient beings, just regular ol' people, who also happen to be the non-fictional counterparts to particular fictional characters... or something? Basically they're people who share the mentality of a fictional character.

It's kind of like having an imaginary friend who is a character from your favorite show, movie, or piece of literature - and that sounds kind of cool. However, one of the strange things about soulbonding is that you can't choose who you bond to, which seems like something you should be able to do, right? So, how do you know if you're a Soulbonder? Well, are you a writer or role-player whose fictional characters “have a mind of their own” or “refuse to do what they’re supposed to?” Then go ahead and picture Jeff Foxworthy telling you that you might be a Soulbonder.