#oh my god i just wrote a whole manifesto lmao i really hope this is okay

[echoes-lighthouse]

Okay follow up question then if that's alright; Is the Non-Sexual version of Age Play just Age Regression, or is there a difference between actual Regression and SFW Age Play? I love Age Regressor headcanons and ships, but I never related it to Age Play and I'm curious your take on the two.

OOOoo excellent follow up question!!!!!

The relationship between nonsexual age play and age regression is super complicated and that's why I'm so damn interested in it *wiggly fingers gif*

Some people have different opinions, but for me there are THREE main aspects to consider! *gets out my little soapbox and hops up*

1- Power Play/Power Exchange

The main separation to me is in the idea of power exchange. In an ageplay scenario, an essential part of that dynamic is that there is a caregiver acting as Dominant and a little acting as the submissive. For both of them, an inherent part of the pleasure is the fact that the Dominant is in control and the submissive is not.

Meanwhile, in an age regression scenario, the caregiver is just facilitating the age regressor's experience of reclaiming their childhood: they're not dominating or expressing control over the regressor. And lots of people feel just fine regressing alone and don't need a caregiver at all!

Externally, that means that ageplay is more likely to rely on humiliation or punishments to make the little feel powerless in the roleplay (and use safewords in case either of them need to stop/pause the roleplay). But that's really dependent on the specific people: some regressors feel more safe in their regression if their caregiver does make sure they adhere to agreed-upon rules (ie. bedtime, brushing teeth), and some ageplayers don't like humiliation or punishments.

So while there may be external signs of power exchange, only the two people in the dynamic can really know whether the power exchange is an important part of it to their experience/enjoyment.

2- Age Regression as a Symptom

For me, personally, there's an important difference between agere and age play and that mostly falls in the headspace.

I experience involuntary age regression as part of *waves hand at vague mental health*. That means that when I'm overwhelmed, I sometimes fall into a younger mindset and might not be able to get out of it. This often comes with disorientation, memory loss, and significant emotional distress.

I can also voluntarily reach something similar to that headspace: it's not just playacting as a young child, but genuinely dissociating to a younger mindset. For me, that's age regression, and it's very different from roleplay.

However, some age regressors don't have a defined headspace, and don't have involuntary regression as part of their experience.

And on the other hand, ageplay can lead to people falling into 'subspace,' which is another kind of headspace that can cross over into dissociation (in my own experience).

So once again, it's something that each individual person has to define and explore for themself, which leads us nicely to point number three!

3- Personal Identification

In conclusion, nonsexual ageplay and age regression cross over in a lot of ways, and that's okay! They're both complicated experiences, and at the end of the day it comes down to the individual person's experience and comfort.

For some people, even though they're roleplaying more than regressing, they're not comfortable with the powerplay elements of ageplay or the sexual association they have with the kink community, so they choose to identify as age regressors or age dreamers.

Other people never heard of age regression and learned about their headspace through nonsexual kink, and don't want to switch over to regression terminology even though their experience might align with that side of things, because the kink community has been good for them and they enjoy being a part of it.

I still believe that it's important to keep nonsexual ageplay and agere separate as communities because a) minors can experience age regression and shouldn't participate in kink spaces with adults, sfw or otherwise, b) many age regressors have previous trauma and might be triggered by power exchange visuals or other aspects of kink, especially when regressed, and c) there are important differences between them and people deserve safe spaces to explore both of them

But whether they stay on one side or choose to play on both sides of the line, all age regressors and ageplayers are valid in my heart!

*tucks away my soapbox for another day*