#alterreality

[wonderlightdaydreams]

Alterreality Coining Post 2.0

On August 9th, 2023, I posted “AlterReality: A Coining Essay”. The purpose of that post was to coin a term that describes my personal experience while getting out my thoughts on metaphysics, imagination, and perception in writing. However, due to the personal nature of that essay, I wanted to make this post in collaboration with Lav (@WinreyPlace) and others to clearly and plainly state what alterreality is. While it is a broad term, there are limits to what it does and does not include.

As defined by someone else in the alterreality server: “Alterreality is a process of creating one’s unique sense of reality via imagination and belief. It can be described as a lifestyle or a philosophy, with one central idea: what makes something ‘real’ is nothing but the belief that it is real.”

Another definition Lav gave was “imagination as a lifestyle”. Alterreality can also be interpreted as daydreaming or imagination-based fantasies overlaying or interacting with consensus reality.

What alterreality covers:

Many experiences of those in the self-shipping community, such as going on dates with your f/o in the “real world”

Adding a fantasy narrative to your life (i.e. tests at school becoming monster fights) as long as you choose to believe in the fantasy narrative as part of your perceived reality

Many experiences are classified as roleplay, again, as long as you choose to incorporate the roleplay into your perception of what’s happening in your own life

What alterreality doesn’t cover:

Involuntary spiritual, psychological, or metaphysical experiences 

Any alternative reality experiences you were born with or had awakened within you

Identifying as something while living a non-altered life (i.e. if you’re wolfkin and you are going to mundane human school while only experiencing that physical reality, that's not alterreality)

Manifestation and law of attraction concepts. Alterreality, while it interacts with the shared reality we all experience, doesn’t change its course; instead it builds onto or reframes it. Alterrealizing should not and does not make struggles in consensus reality disappear or cause the universe to provide a more positive life. 

In short, alterreality has three aspects: intentionality, imagination, and belief. Alterreal experiences are incredibly varied and diverse; however, they all require these elements. 

Now, with the above fully explained, let’s understand the why and how. Starting with the why.

There are infinite reasons as to why one would alterrealize their own life. I do it because I find mundane existence to be boring, and I want to engage with something that is beyond mundane human life without believing in anything, particularly spiritual or supernatural. Any reason is a valid reason to create alterreality. You can do it for fun, as a coping mechanism, to connect better with your alterhuman identities, because you love fictional characters or worlds, to help you understand complex things better, as a tool of exploration, personal growth, and creativity, and so much more. You don't even need to have a why at all! There is nothing wrong with fucking around and finding out with your life :3. 

In terms of how to do alterreality, I repeat, there is no one way. I’m still figuring out all the ins and outs of doing it myself. But my best piece of advice is to give yourself permission to fully live inside of whatever fantasy narrative you choose to and let yourself believe in it. This can sometimes be a demanding or difficult process, especially if everyone and everything around you is conforming to consensus reality, but just like they find meaning existing in consensus reality, you are allowed to find meaning existing in alterreality! Another way to phrase all this is to just “fake it until you make it”. Ask yourself questions like  “What world or narrative do I live in?”, “What form does my alterrealized self take?”, “How would I act and speak in my alterreality?”, “What would my tasks, goals, or challenges be?”, and things like that. If you cannot do something in shared, mundane reality for whatever reason, make-believe a reason why you cannot do it in your alterreality too! As you develop your alterreality and discover what works and what doesn’t for your brain, you’ll find it will come more naturally to live out your imagination-fueled life. 

This world is in desperate need of whimsy and wonder. While there are various ways to make your life more whimsical, there are not many that involve actively living a lifestyle of fantasy. In a world where time is a finite resource, where the “have-tos” outweigh the “want-tos”, and where playing pretend is shunned once you age out of childhood, alterreality is a way to live in the physical realm, while embracing the fantastical. So, what are you waiting for, step into a world of your wildest dreams!

[halfwayhealer]

To the Alterhumans Grappling with Consensus Reality

Mel & Mama Bear wrote this for a friend who was having a hard time with the balance between consensus reality and their personal alterreality. Then Mel’s fiancée Lav encouraged muis to tweak it and share it with others, so here it is:

To the heroes, the villains, the creatures, the machines—to all those who are Other in this life, who don’t belong here or who once belonged but no longer do, who are boldly creating the life they want to live on a level most people can quite literally only dream of.

Wei see you. Wei know your struggle. Wei struggle too.

But the truth is, consensus reality needs you. It needs your magic, your wonder, your animal instincts, your unique perspective, the brilliant beacon of your authenticity. There is magic inside each and every person on this Earth, no matter how ordinary, and those of us who have awakened to our own magic are invaluable to those who have forgotten how to stay in touch with theirs (even if they may not always be able to appreciate us in the moment). This duty of care is not as fun or exciting as your past or parallel lives, but it is so, so important. Consensus reality cannot change without enough people dreaming of a world better than the one we're all forced to occupy together. If we all work hard enough, that magic might even become commonplace someday.

Remember, dear one: You are the main character in your own story. You are also an NPC of varying importance in the stories of everyone you meet. Engaging with others' stories—even if they're boring in comparison to your own—is more important than wei can express. Don't be afraid to play in their space, and maybe even try to coax them into sharing a more magical reality with you. You'd be surprised how many people can access their sense of whimsy when led by example. Use boring, non-magical words like “LARPing” or "playing pretend" if you must, ones that trivialize the truth to those ready to dismiss truth in the first place. But we know the truth, and there are others out there ready to be reminded of it. Dance and the world will dance with you.

And in the meantime, admire your heroic sacrifices to the consensus. Putting aside your desires for the greater good takes more strength and more courage than slaying a thousand dark lords. Be bold, be kind, and remember always that you are loved.

[princess-lointaine]

rose satin ballet flat by alterre.

[the-down-bad-blog]

EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR BEAUTIFUL MEN?!?!?

CROWD GOES WILD 💥 BOOM 💥 BOOM 💥 BOOM 💥

Edit: Forgive me. PLEASE GIVE IT UP FOR THE BEAUTIFUL LADY FEATURED HERE AS WELL AS THE MEN RAHGHH

[nuageblanche]

[scarlett-bitch69]

[fluidsberlin]

#higherstateofconsciousness #selfvictimization #scarcetype #pessimism #shifter #complaining #alterreal #lessonslearned #negativeselftalk #optmism #guilttripping #egoself #higherself #mentalhealth #depressionhelp #mindset #selfactualization #selfreflection #bubble #neurodivergent #tamingthemind #transcendence #psychology #mindframe #empath #emotionalactivism #harmony #riseup #positivity #toxinfreeliving https://www.instagram.com/p/CnMH29vsz6m/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[rosettasgraveyard]

I love putting songs in my tags <3

My childhood cat ate lettuce

For some reason

🧍‍♀️

Okay skinny king

But he fucked up the furniture so he was sent to a barn (actually sent to a barn, not put down and then got told he was sent to a barn 🤞)

I got another but this is purely nightmares lover from their perspective to nightmare

Everything you do, I'm obsessed with you

I don't mean to scare, but you're just so cute

Every move you make, you're fucking sweeter than a cake

I wanna cut you up and put you in my oven just to bake

And everything you say is like poetry

Wanna drop you in boiling water drink, you like chamomile tea

I'd love to wipe these other bitches out, so it's just you and me

I wanna hug you like a bunny, wanna sting you like a bee

Also today i learned my older brother once pushed me out the bed because he wanted more room, since he didnt think there would be consequences.

Thanks dude i was 2 😔 go fuck yourself

Have a cat picture

Nice. I once watched my brother chase around a childhood friend with a knife.

And NM’s love is a massive simp. They probably like that he smells awful. /pos

{ @brokenramunebottle }

[somerandomcryptid]

*drags myself out of the swamp of drawing* I COME TO YOU WITH ANOTHER DREAMING OF DEATH ANIMATIC!!!!

this one has taken me 4 days which isn't actually that much but it's been like 25 hours of work and I've barely though about anything else so it feels like a long time and also not that much time at all

it's mostly Cryptid angst because I love them so much and also I heard this song and got brain worms- also I am so fuckin' sorry for rambling I only have one brain cell left and it is currently occupied bouncing around about Dreaming of death

If it wasn't obvious then different color text=different character and if it's not in quotation marks then the character didn't say it also this is all from Cryptid pov and Sam pov

These are all pretty obvious but also they're very important to the story and like what I was doing and all that shit

God I put so many details and thought about almost all of it so much ughhhh I love this animatic

Like I said, only one braincell left

Anyway I am not going to do another animatic for at least a week because I am tired/burnt out

This was like 300 frames guys, over 4 days

I mean to be fair most of those frames were just alterrations but like aishkahaishiajsh

Anyway I'm going to shut up now

(Dreaming of death is an au of the fic Penpal by @calamari-minecraft-corner but Cryptid is mine, but also Wren is theirs)

[wonderlightdaydreams]

AlterReality: A Coining Essay

This world has always felt like the wrong genre to me. Considering how many stories are based in this world, that sounds absurd. After all, we have free will and therefore the right to choose our own genre, right? One would think so; however, this is often not the case. There can be a myriad of reasons for this, but one large one is the hold that hegemony has on modern society. Despite our diverse world, this hegemony paints a coat of bland sameness over the world, creating a shared reality. This gives us, as beings living inside of hegemony, an interesting problem with a wide myriad of answers: how do we re-enchant our lives, considering the enchantment in question does not exist? My answer is that we alter our own realities, living in fantasy worlds of our own design and giving ourselves the adventure that we deserve.

When hearing the claims that were made in the intro, one would not be wrong to think of the alterhuman community. As a being who is part of it, I hold nothing but reverence for this amazing and wonderful group of diverse beings. They helped me and myself discover ourselves, helped us overcome great shame, and allowed us to evolve into the wonderfully diverse beings we are today. However, many members of this community live the lives of not their true selves but the form in which they exist bodily. While I do not fully blame them, as it is mostly out of necessity, I could not help but wonder if there is another option. Dragons don't pay taxes, after all.

Enter my term, alter reality." To clearly define it, it is having your current reality re-enchanted by means of living in a personal reality (which will be defined later in the essay) that is not the one shared by most individuals, whether voluntary or otherwise. This is about individuals who currently live in a personal reality, not those who don't live there due to their past lives or for any other reason. Let me reiterate that this can be  achieved through voluntary means and is a term that can be used by most anyone. You do not have to be alterhuman to be AlterReality, although those two can often intermingle with one another.

Another term that often overlaps with AlterReality is immersive daydreaming (ID). As an immersive daydreamer myself, I can say that one can be an ID and an AlterReality, but there are differences. For one, AlterReality requires the individual to live inside their reality, not watch it like a movie. As such, those who experience AlterReality have their true selves present in their reality, whom they live through. These factors often do not exist for immersive daydreamers.

Earlier, I brought up the idea of a personal reality. This is defined as any reality that is not a shared reality and is often customized to the individual(s) living inside of it. It can be shared, as I will address later in this essay. The nature of an alternate reality’s individual can exist as a hybrid of personal and shared reality, or it can exist entirely as a personal reality. However, AlterReality individuals do not live exclusively in shared reality (if you drank every time I said reality, I deeply apologize to your liver).

If you've made it this far into the essay, you're probably wondering how one can do this. After all, it is very possible for an individual to make themselves alter reality if they so choose. The methods are as infinite as magic itself; however, one common one is daydreaming. If you are interested in this method, please read my essay "An Introduction To Daydreaming V2", as it has very helpful advice in that. However, if you wish to take those methods further and have yourself make this reality real, it is simply a matter of mindset.

This topic is an essay in its own right, but this world is made up of constructs. Everything from jobs to family to even grocery stores is attached to stories. Take the latter: what do you think of when you think of grocery stores? Shopping for your dinner tonight? The dull tedium of the islands? Free samples? These are all items that exist in the shared reality that I am assuming that you, the reader, share as well. Now, what if we change one of these aspects or add one? Instead of going shopping for your dinner, the grocery store can be an epic quest to find sacred ingredients. Instead of the dull tedium of the islands, you can recreate them as sprawling dungeons filled with puzzles and traps. And of course, free samples are the spoils for all of your adventuring. This can be changed to fit your aesthetic and desires, but essentially, anything can be anything if you really want it to be.

It should be noted that this essay is in no way advocating for benign shut-ins or hikikomori. While personalizing your reality is often a solitary activity, it is enriching as well as encouraging to use shared reality as a prompt for your daydream. Being locked in your room on a physical level often creates a boring personalized reality, as your input is often limited. Go on quests, include your friends in your personal reality, and have fun!

Now, the only question left is: what should you even personalize your reality to be? One way to begin is by looking at your favorite pieces of media. You can simply make your personalized reality the media in question, or take what you like in that piece of media and create it based on these aspects. Of course, you can take any combination of media inspiration or none at all. The important thing here is that you enjoy your personalized reality and can feasibly live in it. One thing to consider is self-insertability, or the ability to add yourself to the fiction you create. These differ greatly depending on both the media and the individual, but they often come in the form of categories that the audience can split themselves into; think characters from Homestuck or elements from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Of course,there are many circumstances in which this trait would not apply. Overall, personal realities are just as diverse as their creators!

Many times, we, as an audience, are just passively observing other worlds. As an AlterReality practitioner, you don't only ascend beyond being an observer; you turn your life into a story. Modern life is filled with tons of stories. Stories about getting rich, having a family, and following the beaten path Why not Alter Your Reality someday and make your own story?

[princess-of-the-corner]

WAITWAITWAIT- What if it's Pollen and Needle's powers in COMBINATION that make them impossible to bind when they're together!? Like, Action+Subjugation=CONTROL/NOCONTROL, the way Creation+Destruction=ALTERREALITY. Zoe and Chloe learn this, and they both know what it’s like to be controlled, so their goal in that scenario isn’t to necessarily fight against Ladybug or Hawk Moth, their goal is to free the Kwami!?

AHahahaha YES.

Actually now I'm thinking they recruit Felix because of his 'free the Sentimonsters' thing and he was unaware the Kwami were in a similar situation (Dusuu was not allowed to tell him)

[dark-frosted-heart]

As fun as that sounds, I still think it’s something Alterr!Keith just knows how to do

[omi-papus]

I dont condone hard drug use. But I just have this idea that Robin migh have gone a bit too far with some stuff in university. Like shes just talking to Marguerite and theyre discussing alcohol or something and like

Marg: Yhea I doubt a pretty little girl like you would drink something this strong.

Robin: Yhea no he he. I was much more of a crack type of gal.

Marge: Wimpy Alterr- Im sorry you what?

[girldraki]

hang on other anon was onto something. alterrance kinda slaps.

loving the conversation we’re fostering

[feder-costumes]

I've made a bunch of stuff!

Includeing a vest for my Crowley cosplay, a pair of cute dish towels and two lolita skirts for a friend.... well, the one with the cats is new... the other one is from 2010(???) and I finally had the time and energy to do some alterration after my friend lost a lot of weight overthe years

[scarlett-bitch69]