mapledaemonism

[mapledaemonism]

sometimes I see ppl discoursing over like, the Right Way to do daemonism and I’m like, actually, being a daemian is about holding doors open slightly longer than necessary so your invisible animal friend can get through. that’s all it is.

[mapledaemonism]

childhood daemon headcanons

children asking their daemons to become very small, hiding them in their pockets, and trying to scare the other children by pretending they don’t have daemons at all

children and their daemons staying up reading far after their parents have put them to bed, their daemons becoming fireflies to light up the pages of their books

daemons playing “guess which animal I am,” asking their human to shut their eyes, turning into different animals, and having their human touch them and try to guess what animal they’ve become

nerdy children reading about an exotic animal and school, and asking their daemon to become that animal so they can study it better

kids and their daemons trying to scare each other, kids making crazy faces while their daemons transform into tarantulas and bats

children trick-or-treating with their daemons, making sure that the daemons form matches their costume perfectly

daemons turning in to fishes when their human counterparts don’t want to take a bath, trying to coax their humans into the water and show them that it isn’t scary

the daemons of children who don’t have coats and blankets turning into big bears to keep them warm in the winter

children taking care of their daemons. daemons taking care of their children.

[mapledaemonism]

if my dæmon was corporeal my mental health would improve by 95%

[mapledaemonism]

Dæmonism is

Embracing a part of yourself you have neglected in the past.

Finally understanding what it means to 'love yourself' through loving this aspect of your soul.

Never having to feel alone again.

Your heart separate to you.

Making constant efforts to connect with this new aspect of yourself.

A friend to walk by your side.

Comfort in the darkest of times.

Something beautiful.

[mapledaemonism]

30 Days of Daemonism - REVISED

1) Your daemon's name and meaning/origin?

2) Do you have more than one dae, and what do you think of having more than one?

3) Your daemon's favorite/personal/comfort form(s), and yours? Are they the same or not?

4) What is your symbolic/Pullman form? If you don't follow the TDF systems, make something like art, writing, or a moodboard instead!

5) What is your analytical form? If you don't follow the TDF systems, make something like art, writing, or a moodboard instead!

6) How does having a dae help you, and do you do anything beneficial for your dae?

7) What are your dae's favorite aesthetics, and how do they compare to yours?

8) What is your relationship with your dae? Do you get along, do you fight sometimes?

9) How often and how clearly do you project them onto the physical world around you?

10) What is your dae's voice like?

11) Describe your friends who are also daemians (a person who has a daemon)! Or, if you have none: what do you and your dae like to do together, and what do you both hate?

12) If you're alterhuman, how does being a daemian interact with your kintype identities? Or, if you're not alterhuman: do you see your dae in your dreams/nightmares?

13) Do you own any items that remind you of or directly represent your dae?

14) What is your best memory involving your dae?

15) Does anyone IRL know about your dae or daemonism? What do they think about it?

16) If you've read the HDM books, who's your favorite character and why? If you have not, do you ever plan on reading them, and if not then why?

17) Are your personal rules/headcanons for how daemons work different than canon HDM? If you haven't enough knowledge of HDM to know, then make art, writing, or a moodboard instead!

18) Would you live in a world where everyone's daemon was corporeal, including yours?

19) If you are religious or spiritual, does your dae come into that? Or, if you aren't: do you see your dae as essentially a more "solid" imaginary friend?

20) A question for your dae: what do you think of your other half?

21) How are you different from your dae in personality?

22) How long has your dae been in your life? For years, or less than that?

23) If you are plural, how does your dae interact with your headmates? Do you consider them another headmate or as a part of yourself, making one individual together? Or, if you aren't plural: has your dae ever disappeared from your mindspace for a long time, and if so, why? I know some daemians who've lost their dae for whatever reason and had to replace them with a new one.

24) Question for your dae: how do you interact with the world, with or without being actively projected by your other half?

25) How did you discover daemonism? The HDM books, the online communities, the Golden Compass film, or the BBC show?

26) An extension of the previous question: was it challenging to begin communicating with your dae, and is it easier now?

27) Are there any forms you and-or your dae absolutely loathe?

28) Does your dae(s) have a human or humanoid form? A form that's an extinct animal or mythical/fictional?

29) A question for your dae: what is your favorite place in the mindspace or the physical world?

30) Free day! Have fun, whatever you choose to do!

[mapledaemonism]

Try daemonism before tulpamancy

*pats the seat next to me* Come here and take a listen real quick.

If you are considering creating a headmate to help with

Loneliness

Depression

Stress

Life issues

Anything else related to support...

You'd be better off finding your daemon. Why? Because daemons are typically built for this; this is their specialty. They exist already as a part of you! They've lived your life, seen your struggles, and understand who you are and where you are coming from. They feel everything you feel, see everything you do, and know everything about you. They know what you need.

Another benefit? They can be their own unique individual while still remaining intrinsically tied to you, your life, and your well-being without the risk of being incompatible or your self-interest not aligning. Daemons are a part of you, so they go with the flow of our life without wanting major control or influence. Two sides to the same coin. A feather attached to the wing...

Another nice thing about daemons is when you aren't interacting they merge right back into you. They continue to exist just as they did prior to separation and will continue to be there until you call again. The less you interact the rustier the connection becomes, but you don't risk losing them. They may come back with new personalities or names if a long enough time has passed (because *everyone* changes with time, daemons are no exception) but they are still your daemon.

They still are there wanting the best for you. Wanting you to succeed, to thrive, to survive. They are our built-in support systems. Before creating and hoping to influence a headmate to be the answer, look into meeting your daemon first. See if they can provide what you need. Besides, it's often a far easier process than creating a fully separate headmate from scratch (in my opinion, at least).

Never heard of daemons? Check out Daemonism 101

[mapledaemonism]

(by jessica.hogervorst)

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source

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(by Martin Partridge)

[mapledaemonism]

Clouded leopard at the Los Angeles Zoo Unknown photographer Scanned by ZooChat user TeaLovingDave 1968

[mapledaemonism]

Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) 

Photo by Vincent J. Musi

[mapledaemonism]

I'm just curious about the language of refering to the self when the self is made up of more than one part

[mapledaemonism]

Genuinely makes work 70% more tolerable to have internal conversations with your little imaginary animal all day

[mapledaemonism]

30 DAY DAEMIAN CHALLENGE

Gotta finish this up before the year runs out!! Days 26-30!!!

DAY 26: Was it difficult to begin communicating with your dae? Is it easier now?

Communication was actually fairly easy for me, as I've already had imaginary friends as an adult, so I have practice in that field! Years of it!

DAY 27: Are there any forms you and your dae absolutely loathe?

I can't say there are, no? There's not really any other Ace would willingly take, but like, I'm not gonna look at someone else's dae's species with hatred. Each species means something to each person who has them, and that's cool.

DAY 28: Does your dae have a human/humanoid form? Any form that isn't a real life animal?

Nope! We're quite content with him just having his feline forms. I know some folks have human forms for their daes, some have mythical forms, and those are all good! But for us, we like the simplicity of just having the clouded leopard, with the occasional but very rare cheetah.

DAY 29: What is your dae's favorite place in the headspace (if you have one) or in the outside/real world?

In both the headspace and the real world, my preferred place is the bed or a couch. They're soft, and warm, and usually if we are sitting or laying there, it means all is well and we can be at peace for a while. The exact place of the headspace doesn't matter. In the corporeal world, I prefer my host's bedroom, as it is the most quiet and peaceful place in the house.

DAY 30: Free square!! Blogger's choice!!

Okay so I admit I had NOTHING prepared for this, so lemme just instead share a quote that reminds me of Ace.

I just think it's really sweet and fits the dynamic of daemon and daemian - "I'll share your bad luck - I shared your good luck once" - to just have them there through thick and thin. But, with that, the 30 Day Daemian challenge, while done in broken fragments, is complete!! Thanks for reading along!!

[mapledaemonism]

I think it’s fun, while out and about, to think about how my dae would interact with things if he were corporeal. Like I can project him interacting with things of course, but I like to try and add realism/think about the interactions in line with the real world.

For example, while cleaning the bathroom at the store I work at, there’s a baby changing station, right? And Ace was sitting up there while I cleaned the sink, so I had to stop and think “wait, could you even sit up there? How much do you weigh?” His rather immediate response being a simple “32 pounds.” (Which I reconfirmed after is about mid weight for a clouded leopard)

And in checking the weight limit of the station, he can in fact sit there, which is fun to know! I know for some folks their daes float and don’t obey the laws of reality, since they’re noncorporeal, but it’s fun for us to apply real world physics to projection. Makes it feel more real.

[mapledaemonism]

30 DAY DAEMIAN CHALLENGE

Picking up a few questions again, doing 21-25! Let's go!

21: How are you different from your dae in personality?

While we are both rather quiet and soft spoken, mine is more in a shy manner whereas Ace is simply very measured in how he speaks. I'm somewhat skittish, socially anxious, but still overall fairly upbeat and manage to come across fairly "bubbly" too, though it's not quite the word I'd use. Ace, on the other hand (or..paw?) is reserved in a more intellectual, observing way. He isn't shy or skittish, he's calculated. So while we're both very quiet and introverted, his version is more calm while mine is more anxious.

22: How long has your dae been in your life?

Oooohh about... a year? Year and a half? I think he has sort of always been there but I've been AWARE of him for about a year and a half.

23: If you are plural, how does your dae interact with your headmates? If you're not, has your dae ever disappeared from your mindspace for an extended time and why?

I actually only really started to consider myself even remotely plural when I was informed that some daemians consider their dae a headmate/consider daemians plural. So Ace really would be my only "official" headmate I guess? I'm not sure, I'm still figuring things out. I consider Ace part of me, but I definitely interact with characters (both my own and from media) as if they are real and in the room, and they definitely take up space in my head, comment on daily goings on, etc, so I don't know if that's "actually plural" or just having imaginary friends hah. Either way, Ace gets along fairly well with most of the "others", as they're almost all pretty amicable, save for like one. But even he isn't bad, just likes to irritate Ace. But again, full disclosure, I do NOT know if that's actual plurality or something else!

24: Question to the dae: how do you interact with the corporeal world, with or without being actively projected?

I interact with the world in the same way any corporeal feline would. I follow real world physics. If I'm not being actively projected, I'll usually sit or walk beside or near my host, depending on what they are doing. I'll occasionally remind them I'm there, sitting on their shoulder or lap, but if I am not being actively projected, there is likely a reason, so I just take that time to sit quietly.

25: How did you discover daemonism? Did you first find the books, the community, the movie, or the show?

I don't have a great memory, but I believe I found the community first. I think I stumbled upon it by looking into similar topics and then from there I watched the movie and explored the community a bit! I haven't gotten to read the books yet or watch the show, but they're on my to-do list!

So yeah! There's those!! Only a few days worth left!! Thanks for reading!

[mapledaemonism]

30 DAY DAEMIAN CHALLENGE

WOW have I fallen off of this, so let's pick this back up a little at a time, eh?

Days 18-20 for now!

DAY 18: If you could live in a world where your dae was corporeal, would you?

Absolutely! I think that'd be really neat to get to have him with me every day but, like, in the real where others can see him too! Plus it'd be really nice to be able to physically feel his fur, hear his voice, feel his warmth and weight when he sits on my shoulder or on my lap.. I think it'd be really lovely to live in a world with a corporeal dae!

DAY 19: If you are religious/spiritual, how does your dae come into that, if at all? If you're neither, do you see your dae as an imaginary friend?

So! I am spiritual/religious - I follow the gods of ancient Egypt (Kemet - so Kemetic). But, my dae doesn't really factor into my faith at all, because I DO see him as a sort of imaginary friend/piece of myself/headmate almost. He's not related to my religion at all - he's a separate entity from that. He's a part of me that I have chosen to interact with as a separate entity, not something given to me by the gods or anything like that.

DAY 20: A question for the dae!: What do you think of your other half?

I..don't really understand the question? They are my host. They are my friend. They are my companion. We spend our time together, whether they are projecting me or not. I am part of them. I try to care for them, as best as a noncorporeal being can care for a corporeal one. I care for them deeply. I'm not sure what else to say.

Doin' just this short few so I don't have an INSANELY long post. Thanks for readin', though!