#plural thing

[thattheater-kid]

Here’s my metaphor for systemhood that I tell my singlet friends.

Imagine you’re playing a first person video game. You have the controller, you control your character. It’s a normal first person game. You are an alter, the character is the body. This is fronting.

Other people live with you. Sometimes, they come into the room and sit and watch while you play. They sometimes try to guide you, give you advice on what to do next. They don’t always agree, and they can argue with each other. Other times they scream at you that you’re doing everything wrong and you suck at this game. This is co-consciousness.

Imagine how distracting it would be for people around you to tell you what to do, or to scream at each other or at you, even if they have good intentions. It wouldn’t be easy to focus on your game, would it?

Then sometimes, something happens in the game that prompts you to hand off the controller to someone else so they can play and you get a break. This is (some types of) switching. This can be good.

Other times, someone rips the controller out of your hand or fights you for it. This is (other types of) switching. And sometimes, six other players hook up their controllers, but there’s only one character to play as. So all of you have your controllers, but you’re all trying to play the same character. This is cofronting.

Imagine how difficult that would be. Imagine how hard it would be to try and play a game while someone is trying to take the controller from you, or while six other people are trying to play too.

There are also times that nobody is playing, or you can’t decide who should play. What’s happening to the character in the game? What are they doing if no one is playing? This is dissociation. The character is doing nothing. They’re stuck.

This is the best metaphor I have come up with for being a system. It’s something a lot of people get because they’ve played games before.

[fetty-fazbear]

“Stop thinking of alters as separate people” this and “alters are each there own different entities that shouldn’t be blended” that

How about we let each system decide what feels best to them and stop policing systems that are already dealing with a very complex and varying disorder

[edible-emerald]

saw this on pinterest and thought it might be something traumagenic systems who struggle with thinking their trauma isn't enough need to see

[luxlitemidnight]

This Just In!

The characters in my head are no longer living there rent free!

They have gained sentience and are now expected to contribute.

[lebloodymoonsystem]

Being plural is like

Woah I’m glad that breakdown is over, I hope no one saw that.

The fucking Grinch: Yeah

[neon-vocalist]

shoutout to my therapist who, upon me telling her i didn’t like the word alter, started referring to my headmates as “my homies.” like “any updates on your homies? have you heard from your homies at all this week” she’s the only true plural ally

[69constellationsinatrenchcoat]

Reminder

DID isn't just having fun people in your head

Along with shifts in personality, it's often times:

amnesia: 'waking up' with no memory of what's going on

travelling and having no idea where you are or how you got there

dizziness

confusion

spacing out

headaches

feeling broken & worthless

fear

not knowing why or how you're wearing what you're wearing

nausea

pain

anxiety

finding things amongst your belongings you don't remember acquiring

time loss

depression

suicidal ideation & action

spikes in inexplicable emotion, especially anger, fear, and shame

body and voice dysphoria

depersonalization & derealisation

loss of control

hearing voices

finding injuries you don't remember getting

self harm

not recognising friends/family/colleagues

forgetting important events (birthdays, parties, graduations etc)

mood shifts with seemingly no trigger

finding notes in similar handwriting but something about it is slightly off

flashbacks: somatic flashbacks, nightmares, split second flashbacks to 'little things' but not getting more detail

bed wetting

age regression

inadvertently lying, or being questioned if you have

feeling like your body isn't yours

knowing something is wrong, but not what

wondering why your body doesn't align with your perceived sex (for alters whose gender/sex don't align with the body)

watching your body do things and having no control over it (feeling like a puppet or like playing a video-game in 3rd person)

mass fluctuations in libido: fluctuations from hypersexual to zero sexual desire

not being sure if things really happened, or whether you imagined/thought about them

identity confusion

+ many more

I have two book recommendations DID experiences: "All Of Me" by Kim Noble, and "The Girl in The Green Dress" by Jeni Haynes. Please check trigger warnings.

[saragrosie]

I was ltr just drawing them in swapped outfits cuz ya know disco is canon in Yakuza 0 and then bam they fucking Harry Du Bois'd Majima and ive never been more hyped for a video game in my life

Expect to see more of this in non shitpost style (yes I lowered the graphics on kiryu and majima im tired) bc I love disco fashion and RGG and DE <3

[exorsysm]

pre syscovery is "i would notice"

post syscovery is "HOW DID I NOT NOTICE"

[number1-syscourse-blog]

Calling alters "alters, parts, headmates, peices": 🚫🚫🚫🚫

Calling alters: "those bitchass motherfuckers" ✅️✅️✅️

[the-alarm-system]

the system experience

>type did system into youtube search bar

>first option is "did system cringe"

>go onto reddit and type did system

>first option is fake disorder cringe

>feel fucking awful

>do a did presentation in medical class

>someone raises their hand and asks how to know if someones faking

>feel fucking awful

>tell someone you have did

>they ask if you're faking because you have a fictive

>feel fucking awful

>feel fucking awful

>feel fucking awful

>tell a close friend you have did

>they get disgusted when you say we instead of I

>look at tiktok compilations

>did cringe compilation

>follow a funny youtuber

>video on people faking did

>feel fucking awful

>try and look for resources

>psychiatrist making a presentation on how did systems looking for community is a sign of faking, uses system content without their consent

>psychiatrist making a presentation on how did systems being open is a sign of faking

>go onto tumblr

>type plural

>find post about how "the future is plural" is traumatizing children and should never ever ever happen because fuck plurals we don't need acceptance that bad right?

oh my god when does it fucking end

[twiigthetwiink]

my online class is asking me to create an "alter ego" for an assignment. little do they know that

[bethmeds]

Being plural is really funny sometimes. Like. Got stressed about moving troubles so the system gave us a checks notes 8 year old boy that really likes bugs and worms

[interstellarsystem]

Nonhumans are here, even if you do not see us. We always will be. We are often hard to spot, but can be found doing all the things a human might.

A cat went to work at an event stall for a mental health service.

A massive sea serpent wanted to go to science class because it enjoyed it more than the rest of those living in its shared form.

The void sat down, huddled up in a blanket, to watch a tv show with its partners. It had to stop watching after a bit, but enjoyed spending time with those close to it anyway.

A wolf went to a psychologist appointment and gratefully drank the hot chocolate they were offered in the waiting room.

A shapeshifting being of pure darkness spoke publicly about trans rights in front of politicians and then went to the pride festival he helped fight to keep alive.

A dragon went to school so the others sharing his human body could have a break.

A manifestation of the fear of madness itself sat in the food court at the mall eating mochi and drinking tea while waiting for its friends to get back from shopping.

A witch drew a picture of his cardinal bird and shared the work he was so proud of with his friends.

A cockatoo borrowed the next book in his favourite series from the school library and almost couldn't wait the whole day to go home and read it.

An alien went camping and watched the birds outside and the way the wind made waves and patterns on the water.

A fallen angel went shopping for sunglasses to shield his eyes from how bright the sun was.

A harpy went shopping for new plants to look after. He named a few because he loved them so much, and sent pictures to all of his friends.

An anthropomorphic hedgehog traded Pokemon cards with his peers at school. He was happy with his collection.

You may not see us, and you may feel alone, but you are not. We are just hidden. We are in more places than you'd think, and in the places you'd least expect. We are complex, we are valued, and we are here.

[autopsycollective]

a reminder that the host isn’t the only person in the system who should be respected and made to feel comfortable.

the host is not ‘the important part’, we are all completely conscious and capable of our own thoughts, feelings and our own boundaries. our brain created us because it decided that we are all important and needed.

the host is not the only member of a system you should care about.

[webfruit-art]

Self portraits, a comic about a lack of identity and systemhood.

Who is the self anyway?

Made this cause I was bored and also to possibly express things better to people, specifically my therapist.