#facets and fragments

[sparethedreamer]

uh oh

so uh, our system structure might be more complex than we thought

Ayla's not gonna be happy about the work that might need to go into our simply plural...

[lunargazing-png]

some diamond redesigns for a Mass Effect / Steven Universe Crossover AU :-)

[aura-oracle]

Neurogenic median plurality/regular plurality is so real. All the masking can cause our personality to fragment. For me and my system they are each still me who has a different personality, likes, viewpoint and outlook on life who also felt like each different name fit them.

Aura is so hyper empathetic that @yuki-sage came out to be the opposite and handle the logical side. @sora-journey is the tomboy facet. @indigo-turquoise is the little girl. @annabelle-porcelain deals with the chronic health issues (ehlers Danlos syndrome) moreso. @auragray-cyborg-kinblog does too at times. Ehlers Danlos Syndrome can have us feeling like a ball jointed dollkin sometimes or a cyborg at other times.

Sure maybe trauma contributed as well but I am mainly neurogenic. I am not diagnosed with a disorder but I feel the experience of myself being/having fragmented parts.

(There is also @auraindigos-paraspace where my paragenic subsystem is and @aimee-if-tulpa is my imaginary friend).

[multiplicity-positivity]

Hi, do you know the difference between a fragment and a facet? I'm having trouble telling.

Hiya! Folks might use these words interchangeably, but we personally understand them to be different things!

A fragment (in plural contexts) is a system member who is not a fully formed headmate, or a member who lacks a well-rounded or complete identity. Sometimes fragments only hold onto a memory or a role without developing further, and they may or may not have much personal agency in their own lives. Fragments can exist in systems of all sorts!

A facet is a one-dimensioned side of something that is multi-dimensional. So for, say, systems with members who are all interconnected, they might refer to each other as facets instead of headmates, parts, or some other term. A single facet is one facet of a multi-faceted system. Facets may present as different “sides” of a single person, or as the different members of a median system!

Gonna go ahead include the Pluralpedia entries for these words in case they explained it better than we could >w<

Other folks may have different or better definitions for these words, but this is how we understand them currently. If anyone has a better understanding or if our answer is misinformed, please let us know!! But we hope this helps! :3

[mechanichum]

WAIT OH MY GOD THIS IS SO. US? LITERALLT THIS IS 100%%%%%% US OMLLLLLLLL

[purcaholic]

In the stillness of low poly valleys, history whispers through angular leaves, unfolding tales of ancient echoes carved in crystalline simplicity. Time flows gently over faceted rivers, where serene contours capture fragments of distant eras, each polygon a silent sentinel of memories past.

[fragmentedblade]

No but even beyond the heathcliffean air of his story as a kid, Nelly scene and revenge fantasies included, and even beyond the identification of the self with the craft, the entire concept of Yingxing is so good.

The glimpse we get of the relationship he has with his master has so much potential. What it says about him, what it says about everyone around them, what it says about the kid.

The fact that already as a child Yingxing was vindictive, as he will be as Blade.

His self-consciousness about being a short life species, and how he is right to be self-conscious about it. How in such a short time, being so young, he's had to deal with enormous tragedy, so that he can even as a kid look the truth in the eye and admit it. Admit that he has to work harder, longer, more obsessively, and that still nonetheless there's little chance to get ever at the level of the long life species that look down on him and take him for granted. How he is able to overcome it.

It's incredible also in the context of Dan Feng. How both struggle with their identities and how they get new ones, but in totally opposite ways. Dan Feng is weighted down by what he is and what he can do, and wants to escape that fate, and dreams of a new life in which he can be something else; and Dan Heng is born. Yingxing takes pride in that which he can do, something he wasn't born into, something he had to work very hard to achieve, and that was the path to overcome the prejudices and undermining gazes he had to bear as a short life species. He crafts his place into the Xianzhou society and becomes the legendary Furnace Master. Even on a more personal level, one could argue this is his way of maneuvering his life, of expressing himself, this is how he deals with things; like his relationship with Jing Yuan having a turning point after giving him his weapon, or how he crafted that jade flask. And then he loses his ability to create and loses himself; he becomes Blade.

The fact that even as an adult, as an exceedingly arrogant craftsman, something of the shy self-conscious kid remains is both endearing and heartbreaking as well. In some ways we still see that in Blade.

We also see echoes of that personality in Mr. Xiao, who worked under him. And that alongside his craftsmanship, his ability to fix and create auromatons even though they are vanishing in the civilian landscape, live on through Mr. Xiao. And die alongside him, for Mr. Xiao too has become but a relic of another time.

The way the other stories of craftsmen enhance facets of Yingxing's is so good too. Mainly in the story of Master Ryan and Chengjie, with the insight we get of the struggles of short life species in the Xianzhou, especially those dedicated to a craft, and how hard it is for them to reach positions of prestige. It also poses the question of how we can transcend time, if it's possible at all, and how the sharing of knowledge, the passing down of skills, the shared loved, is one of the answers. This was all already significant before, but the information gains weight with the existence of Mr. Xiao. I'd argue there's echoes of Yingxing even in Master Gongshu. His love for his automatons, his sincere fondness for them, his pride on his job, his loyalty to his position and duties, the way he is both hard and stern as well as loving with his apprentices, and how he talks about short life species.

On a sort of ontological way, it's very interesting to see how Yingxing goes from craftsman to tool or weapon, from creator to creation, from subject to object. The potential in the context of Abundance/Destruction is also extremely intriguing, I think. He who created is unmade by a curse of Abundance. He who forged weapons now follows that path of destruction. There's so much going on with Yingxing conceptually around the cycles of death and rebirth, destruction and creation; it's so fitting that now Blade is stuck in such a cycle in the most literal way.

And it's so fitting too that, in all this context, given Yingxing's entire story, Blade's entire being, that which he made unmade him. That which he created and gave him so much pride was the weapon that killed him. And now he wields it himself, his tool of revenge while he follows the path to eternal and irrevocable death.

[lemememeringue]

ngl I rly took for granted how easy fragmented identity crises are in comparison to the big Whom The Fuck Am I crisis

[longagoitwastuesday]

To be quite honest, while I'm enjoying it, I think Anthony Burgess' translation reads a bit (and at times very) condescending with the play and its characters.

[lunargazing-png]

I remembered I had all of the homeworld domains for all the diamonds in my ME/SU crossover drawn out! I love drawing in the steven universe style for background work, it's so fun. I have different names for the diamonds as well, i'm sure it's easy to figure out who is who.

[aura-oracle]

What do you think about IFS-Internal Family Systems? Do you think Medians especially could benefit? It kind of uses the theory that everyone has parts actually. Since we’re already in between, it feels like we have something more akin to parts, don’t you think? 🤔. Feeling neither singlet nor plural feels so odd to me. Being trapped in the middle. I’m trying to learn about IFS but I don’t know how well it’s going. I cannot seem to categorize each of my parts as firefighter, manager, or exile only. They don’t fit neatly into any of them. I might can label one or two of them but some others doesn’t seem to fit. Sometimes I feel so lost like I don’t know who I am. Yet other times I feel more singlet. Like it’s a spectrum. But I do seem to flow along the median spectrum I believe.

[multiplicity-positivity]

Hi! So I have recently discovered that I am part of a (mostly traumagenic & median) system. I’m our host and I’ve have had headmates since early childhood, but we’ve always felt like they’re vague/partially formed and don’t really have solid identities, awareness, thoughts, or feelings of their own. I don’t entirely feel like I do either actually (though still more than them)…I wanted to know if any other systems have ever felt this way?

I’m also wondering if it’s possible for a median system to help their partially formed headmates develop into more solid identities and if you know of any resources that elaborate on this?

I’ve spent so long trying to block the others out since I first noticed them because I didn’t understand why our mind was like this, but now that I finally do, I feel so lost after years and years of rejecting them. Now that I know we’re a system, I think I’m finally ready to work with them instead of against them and I want to stop fighting/pushing them out, but it’s difficult when we all feel so fragmentary and incomplete. I think we’d all be happier if we could each feel a little more whole on our own.

Anyway, if you know anything about this or any resources that might help us, it would be very appreciated…Thanks so much for taking the time to read this! -🦋

hey 🦋, we’re sorry to hear that you’ve been struggling lately to accept and connect with your system, but it’s good to know that you’re interested in making some positive progress :)

to answer your first question yes, it is possible to be a system made up of members who are fragments or partially formed. we believe that in median systems the term for this sort of headmate is facet (<- pluralpedia link) - they can range from being a simple emotion holder to having an almost completely fleshed out identity. all of these things are valid experiences for any system, including median systems.

it is possible for many systems to have fragments who later develop into complete headmates. our own system has had this happen on many occasions. when it comes to helping fragments find individuality, interests, and a sense of self, we do have a post that might help you.

keep in mind though that every system is different. some systems may find that their facets, fragments, or members are unable to reach the degree of individuality that they were hoping for… and that’s okay. if your system is struggling to self-actualize with little success, it may be better to shift gears and focus on learning self-acceptance as you are.

we recommend therapy here a lot - we have benefitted immensely from it and we feel that many other systems could as well. if you have access to a good, open-minded therapist in your life, this may be a good thing to try discussing with them. they may be able to help with some advice more tailored to your system’s needs. as for further reading or resources, nothing is coming to mind right now regarding developing facets/fragments into more well-rounded headmates, or anything about median systems in general… so sorry about that.

finally, we’d really like to open this up to any median systems and/or systems with fragments to share some of their experiences with 🦋. what is life like for you as a median system with fragments? were any of your fragments or facets able to develop into more fully-formed headmates? any advice or words of encouragement for 🦋 would be greatly appreciated.

[actuallymeculture]

me culture is having so little of a solid identity that the only way you get to function normally is by splicing up the little fragments and pieces that some of your experiences fall under and trying to make them full enough to roleplay as them in your day-to-day life. kinda pissed now becaus my one main/shield guy got brutally killed by antidepressants and then their grave was burnt from covid. the one actual guy we had is dead. and now i think were at an all time low we have like. o.o5 of a guy left and hes the one doing everything WE DONT EVEN HAVE A TENTH OF AN IDENTITY HOW DID WE GET HERE

.

[bitemedotmp3]

‘I believe the kids say, you ‘pogged’ it’

Do they say that? Uzi's so behind on teenage slang that she's still not sure what rizz means, and skibidi is just right out. But she has to match the energy, or else she'll be a laughingstock at school again- is there even a school in this place? She hasn't thought of that yet. If she's finally free from the shackles of- She's getting off track here, back to the slang.

"Chat, is... is that real?" she says, with only a smidge of uncertainty.

The other boy looks at her- judgmentally? Then he nods, and speaks again. "That's so ohio."

She's in. "Fanum tax."

"Gyatt."

"Real alpha."

"Chad W!"

"Very sus!"

"Sigma!"

Uzi stands proudly, having communicated in a way that is, presumably, completely intelligible to the other boy. There may not be any classrooms here, but she's achieved a passing grade in conversation, which is a very normal thing to think.

The other boy leans in; he's a little taller than her, but not by much, and Uzi has to crane her head back to meet him. "Alright, you gotta tell me... What does any of that mean?"

The only sound in the air is the gentle hum of Uzi's processor as it tries to light itself on fire. "I... I don't know! I thought you did!"

"No! But you were saying it all so confidently that I figured you must have! I thought you were one of those... what are they called, computers. A repository for human knowledge!" His eyes sparkle as he speaks. "I've got so many questions!"

"Bite me, not a computer! And they're all dead!" snaps Uzi. "At least, they are where I come from. All of them died. I'd never met a human before coming here. A live one, I mean."

The sparkles fade. "Oh. Really?"

"Yeah."

There's no sound in the air now. Uzi feels... not guilty, but maybe awkward? She should at least try to salvage things, but she only knows one or two things about humans. "Do you... know about anime? Humans invented it, I think."

"Yeah, Luz told me about that. Why?"

"I have a couple terabytes saved on my computer- Not me, like, my computer at home. If you want, I could show you-"

And the sparkles are back. "Really? From context I assume that's a lot! I'd love to!"

He's a little too close, and Uzi steps back. "I-I mean, it's no big deal, I just do a lot of pirating-"

"And you're a pirate? This is just getting better and better!"

"Uh, sure. We'll find something to watch; humans may have messed up a lot, but they did make some good anime." The energy is more upbeat now, and Uzi's glad she hasn't killed anything but vibes in this city. "Lucky for you, you have an expert to guide you. Now, how much time do you have? Have you ever heard of Naruto?"

[trenchgardens-ooc-ooc-ooc-ooc]

maladaption be damned, i can draw a vent character in very bad situations