#systems who maladaptive daydream

[the-moonjay-forest-system]

I wanted to share my experience with system communication as a system who maladaptively daydreams. I'm unsure if any other systems share our experience with this or idk maybe it's a sign that we're faking or are wrong about having a CDD.

We really struggle with internal communication (communication in general but this is a bit different) like talking to eachover inside our head, we do have an inner voice and if there are multiple alters near by there will be multiple voices but conversations between them just do not work.

We maladaptive daydream and it seems that's what's getting in the way of communication. If we're not actively daydreaming about the world's and characters we've created or different scenarios that could happen in the real world we're kinda just monologueing about our every thought, feeling and whatever is going on around us as if we're writing a book or something. some alters even monologue outloud if they're alone.

So let's say that there's two alters co-conscious with another and there's nothing really interesting going on or anything they're really doing the body's just calmly sitting down. In that scenario we're gonna be very compelled to daydream in some way, the two alters trying to talk to eachover are going to struggle remaining focused on talking and blocking out that urge. I don't know about you but our brain just cannot hold a conversation between two alters and some form of daydream at the same time it has to be one of another. And just like how our brain chooses to daydream over sleep, food, hobbies, socialising, work etc. It chooses it over the alter communicating.

So we have to resort to talking to eachover out loud which isn't always an option, or writing down our conversation since the daydream can't interrupt a piece of paper or a screen but even that isn't always possible. I also prefer more physical forms of communication so I know it is an actual alter talking to me and not me just imagining their response if you get what I mean?

Anyone struggle with internal communication for the same reason? Or maybe different reasons? Maybe you have some advice but I'm not sure if anything will actually help

[xpierce]

So question. Is we/us normal to refer to yourself as? Like we have been starting to use that more frequently mixed with normal stuff to refer to yourself as and it’s so confusing to me. Liek what does this mean????

Just asking even if it’s most likely a grammar thing even though those don’t randomly happen and have a reason behind them I can go back to.

I don’t think daydreaming or maladaptive daydreaming conversations that just start randomly should be normal. Or when writing and rereading stuff that didn’t seem right and something telling me to change it.

….I have questions

[permacosm]

Not a system

[anomalymon]

"nobody is denying that an innerworld is not a real place" we are 👋

Like gateway systems, which are systems who feel like their headspace is an existing world, aren't that uncommon. Hell that's what we've identified as since like 2016.

We view our headspace as a real place metaphysically. It might not have the same properties as the physical world and it's a complex thing, but yeah we would consider it to be a real place overall and more a dimension we inhabit.

This isn't even a system-specific belief. There are singlets who might have inner worlds that they consider real, see astral travel/astral spaces. We've met plenty of maladaptive daydreamers too who feel their paracosms are real.

Also once again, comorbidity with psychosis and sanism aside, boy howdy you guys have to stop telling people things aren't real when dealing with dissociative disorders

[zeros-sys]

positivity for introjects!

shout out to introjects who don't identify with their source at all

shout out to introjects who do identify with their source

shout out to introjects of people/factives

shout out to introjects of original characters/octives

shout out to introjects of objects/obtives

shout out to introjects of concepts/conceptives

shout out to introjects of other alters

shout out to introjects of the body/what the body was like before being a system

shout out to introjects of imaginary friends

shout out to introjects of paracosms/that formed from maladaptive daydreaming

shout out to introjects of "trendy/one hit wonder" media that the system isn't interested in anymore or hyperfixations

shout out to introjects who dislike being an introject due to how people have treated them for it

shout out to nonhuman introjects who are forced to be source seperated because they are in a human body

shout out to introjects of people/factives that hate/are upset about the lack of positivity for them

shout out to introjects who identify with labels that wouldn't align with their source

shout out to introjects whose source would hate them

shout out to introjects who love/obsess over their source

shout out to introjects of things that are very old or not well known/niche

shout out to introjects who hate/are apathetic to their source

shout out to introjects who don't fully consider themselves introjects

shout out to introjects with no source memories

shout out to introjects who also kin

shout out to introjects who used to think they kinned their source

shout out to introjects of people/factives that love their source

shout out to introjects of people/factives that hate their source

shout out to introjects who know nothing about their source

shout out to introjects that know everything about their source

shout out to introjects with shifting/changing source memories

shout out to introjects who forgot a lot about their source

shout out to introjects with trauma that closely resembles exotrauma

shout out to introjects who are never mentioned in fandoms

shout out to introjects who get upset at the way people "misinterpret" their source

shout out to introjects whose experiences are ignored by other systems/the cdd community

shout out introjects!

[queerdisabledmuslimlove]

Shout out to

LGBTQ reverts in a homophobic and islamophobic household

Aromantic allosexual Muslims

Lesbian couples who can’t decide who pays mehr /hj

Queer Muslims who have cried to Allah SWT, begging for forgiveness for being queer

Queer Muslims who tried to “pray the gay away”

Transmasc Muslims who still wear their hijab and transfems who can’t wear hijab

Genderqueer and multigender folks who can’t decide if they should wear a hijab or not

neurodivergent Muslims

Muslims who can’t recite prayer in arabic because of neurodivergence

Muslims who are in DID/OSDD systems

Muslim system who feels guilt when a non muslim alter fronts

Muslim alters in non Muslim systems and vice versa, that’s probably pretty rough :(

Muslims who forget prayer because of amnesia

Muslims who forget prayer due to Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder

Muslims with invisible disabilities that prevent them from prayer

Muslims who can’t fast during Ramadan for any reason

Poor Muslims

White and Black Muslims

Arabs who have been accused of t3rrorism

Any Muslim who have been accused of t3rrorism

Muslims with addictions

Muslims who are therians, otherkin, or nonhuman in anyway

Muslims reverts who aren’t sure if they can still identify as a therian, otherkin, or nonhuman

Hijabi quadrobists

Hijabi cosplayers. Your hijab looks great

And anyone who feels they don’t fit into the community. You are loved, I promise. There’s people out there for you 🤍

[sophieinwonderland]

Answers for r/systemscringe

It seems like the subreddit is now denying the existence of imagination.

An NPC is a character in your head who you may or may not control but also isn't really a person.

You may have experienced something like this when you dream, where the other characters in the dream are completely autonomous. Although with the intelligence level of your subreddit, I wouldn't be surprised if you start claiming that dreams don't exist either.

If you were to head over to the immersive daydreaming subreddit, you would find a community that has a lot of these sorts of non-headmate characters. (And probably a few headmates that they don't realize are headmates.)

It's 2024. When are you guys going to finally learn that partial dissociative identity disorder exists? A dissociative disorder that is characterized by a lack of switching. Switching in that disorder is either rare or non-existent.

This has been in the ICD-11 since 2019. You all have had 5 years to educate yourselves!

You can't keep relying on other people to do it for you. Especially when you ban us for trying!

I'm not really sure that I understand what this user is getting at with the point about self-consciousness. I think that they are suggesting that a person who was plural wouldn't realize that they were plural because it would just be normal to them?

Which can be true if they aren't talking to people about their internal experiences, but isn't really what I'm talking about here.

When I refer to a rudimentary self-consciousness, what I am meaning is that the headmate should have its own perspectives and be able to have some awareness that those perspectives are their own and not someone else's.

The most basic version of this is an entity who could say, "I like x where you like y" to the host. This involves an implicit acknowledgment of separation. Whether the headmate is calling itself a person or a part or a spirit or something entirely different, it is aware of its own wants and desires, and that those wants and desires aren't necessarily shared by everyone in the system.

This basic level of self-consciousness isn't indicative of a headmate on its own though. Dream characters may also demonstrate this basic sort of self-consciousness. So can some daydream characters.

And lines can get blurry quickly if you have a system who is in an inner world together which is sort of like a shared daydream. Not everything that can talk in the inner world is going to be a full headmate. Some are going to be like the daydream characters of singlets. These are what we call NPCs.

Super important reminder that immersive daydreaming exists without being maladaptive!

Systems immersing themselves in the inner world can be healthy because it can allow them to develop stronger bonds with each other and lower dissociative barriers.

And even immersive daydreaming can be healthy for singlets simply because it's fun and can relieve stress. You could say somebody sitting around daydreaming for hours is dangerous but if they enjoy it, I don't really see it being any more dangerous than playing a video game a lot or other activities that don't involve social interaction. And I think it might be far more healthy than mindlessly scrolling through YouTube shorts or TikTok while they slowly deteriorate your attention span.

Daydreaming only becomes maladaptive whenever it starts to impact your life in unhealthy ways.

This really isn't that complicated!

[canis-constellate]

i don't know about anyone else, but we feel... very put off by the idea that traumagenic plurality is somehow so different to other forms of plurality. in no small part because we're multi-origins. it leaves a bad taste in our mouth when folks act like traumagenic and endogenic plurality are nothing alike or only have surface-level similarities.

like, we're not going to deny that there's differences. obviously. but endogenic and traumagenic plurality aren't two completely different things. least of all are they things that don't intersect.

but then, where do neurogenic plurals fit? especially when their specific neurodiversity was caused or influenced by trauma (eg., bpd systems; our own schizophrenia has been influenced by trauma, and our plurality has been influenced by our schizophrenia)? the plurality itself might not be traumagenic technically, but the thing that caused their plurality is. do you consider them to still be endogenic because their plurality wasn't caused directly by trauma, or are they traumagenic-by-proxy because their plurality's source was (or at least was influenced by it)?

what about mixed origins collectives like us? we were born plural, median-monocon, and even if we'd never been traumatized, we believe we would have ended up partitionary regardless due to autism, ipseity disturbance from schizophrenia, immersive/maladaptive daydreaming (we kind of ride the line), accidental thoughtforms and soulbonds, etc etc. but the trauma we did end up facing shaped our plurality into a disordered and partially traumagenic kind, and we became partitionary much earlier than we otherwise would have. where do we fit in your little dichotomy? are we endogenic because we were born plural, because of our soulbonds and walk-ins, because DID didn't cause our plurality, or are we traumagenic because of how our current functioning was shaped by what we went through, because we have DID in the first place? none of our origins can be discounted from what we are, because then you just don't get the full picture.

you deprive not just yourself of community and valuable perspectives when you claim that traumagenic plurality is so wholly different from endogenic plurality, you also deprive it from others. others like us, who can't and won't and never will fit neatly into either category.

[the-moonjay-forest-system]

Rating plushie dreadfuls plushies

Part one: The ones we have:

Dissociative identity disorder

Our rating: 8/10

•The first member of our collection, a Christmas gift from my qpp. It being a gift from somebody to show support of our system definitely adds even more value to it for me.

•their name is Astaroth btw

• so soft!!!

•I like how their colour pallete is likely inspired from the DID flag (the white, orange and black one)

•the bunnies in the ear is, in my opinion, a great way to portray alters in the design! While being seperate in a way they all belong to the same vessel. I personally prefer this over to it like having two heads or a half and half kind of thing (like having two seperate expressions on it's face or being split with two colours)

•the face is perfect, I think it displays dissociation beautifully.

•I don't know exactly what the rabbit shape on the forehead represents but it looks nice. I'm also not overly familiar with the symbols on the belly.

•it is a bit on the plainer side compared to some of the other plushies, it doesn't bother me too much though. But perhaps it could be made better with some more details.

Maladaptive daydreaming

Our rating: 10/10

•one of (if not) our favourite buns from plushy dreadfuls. Bought it for ourselves when it was on sale I think? We still haven't settled on a name for them so if you have any suggestions please share!

•The colours!!! Omg they are the epitome of daydreaming and I love how (at least I think) each maladaptive daydreaming bunny will look slightly different, ours has a mostly blue and green belly compared to the yellow shown above.

•the stars in the ears are also such a lovely touch and gives the bunny "space cadet" vibes. I also like the sleep mask and how it looks literally sewn onto the face which portrays how hard it is to get out of or stop a daydream when you struggle with maladaptive daydreaming.

•I don't know what the symbols on the feet and belly mean, I'm sure I can find them somewhere maybe even the official site but I am indeed lazy. Same with the purple bands on the hands and feet..maybe they're supposed to be like restraints trapping us in our daydreams??

•on several reviews I've seen people mention not partocularly liking the texture of the bunny, it does have a rougher, less soft slightly scratchy texture so I thought I'd mention it here. Personally I don't find it too bothering but I get why others might. The feet and tail are soft though.

Cancer ♋ (zodiac sign)

Our rating: 9/10

•this is actually a birthday present for our younger brother who loved the two Buns we have so we decided to get him his own. It arrived a few days ago and we've only briefly looked at it to check it was in good condition but omg it's so cute and so soft!!

•while not being my favourite colours I can't freaking resist a pink and blue colour combo they just belong together.

•just look at the crab, need I say more? I love when the plushies come with other plushies.

•I might have to steal it from him after his birthday/j

•you can't see them but on the back of the ears there are crescent moons

•it's the softets thing ever!!!! Like heavenly soft!

Part two will be the ones we want/apply to us which will be much longer since there's a lot. Feel free to use this idea and rate your own if you'd like

[reisspecialcorner]

Sorry if this seems rude, I'm simply uneducated on the subject

I'm a DID system and have a theory on endogenic systems, which you seem to either be or know quite a bit about

Please tell me if there are any aspects of this you might agree/disagree on

(pls say if you agree/disagree, I'm not trying to invalidate or anything it's just a theory 😅)

Soo my current theory is that tulpas, willogenics and any kind of 'created' system are some form of maladaptive daydreaming

So, maladaptive daydreaming is a disorder (currently not medically recognised last time I checked) where one has a complex world in their head that they are actively making, imagining, with characters, a plot/plots etc. it impairs the ability to function because beings with the disorder want to always daydream/may act out the daydreams

So what if 'created systems' was a form of maladaptive daydreaming where instead of daydreaming and the plot/world, the main focus is the CHARACTERS

So consciously or subconsciously the maladaptive daydreamer or 'created system' 'switches' into the different characters and the characters all have their own identity and the 'core' of the 'created system' consciously or subconsciously acts like the characters made, thus thinking that they are multiple/plural

Idk I get the feeling I might be onto something, but who knows

Might just be my yapyapyapyapyapative AHH spitting utter nonsense

PLEASE TELL ME YOUR OPINION ON THIS IM NOT TRYING TO BE RUDE ITS A GENUINE THEORY IM NOT BEING HATEFUL IM SORRY IF I CAME ACROSS THAT WAY :[

-R

no, you dont sound hateful, and this may be controversial but in some cases, and without other coping mechanisms for stressful situations, this could be the case in some instances

i dont think this applies to all created systems obv but i do agree you may be onto something, that in some cases esp in cases where systems are created on purpose as a coping mechanism. not all systems but i do think many who identify as having intentionally fostered the creation of a system likely did so as a means of companionship, stress relief, or aid in daily activites. and like all things, that can become maladaptive. the key is that maladaptive daydreaming is inherantly HARMFUL, so this only applies if their systemhood becomes a detriment to their life.

in my opinion, it could be possible for someone to develop a system as a result of maladaptive daydreaming, and also for the maladaptive daydreaming to BE the systemhood/members if that makes sense. Caused by the thing (and still present once the daydreaming subsides) versus being a part of the thing (and going away once the daydreaming is treated)

DISCLAIMER, however, i want to emphasize that you not fall into the trap of trying to go for people and specifically suggest that they might be a maladaptive daydreamer. that just seems all too similar to going into someones acc and saying "youre delusional" and feels hurtful and devalidating to many. this information is useful, but it is not your place to claim that specific systems are experiencing this, unless they say so publicly themselves first.

rei isnt fronting right now so apologies if i sound a little different, but i havent opened tumblr in a hot second and this has been marinating in the askbox for a while so im just going to answer it (also!! i see you are anon and i do not want to blast you publicly if you dont want to bc this community can be hateful at times, but if youre comfy, dm me!! You seem like a very interesting person to talk to or at least follow, i wanna know who you are 🙏)

[marisol-holme]

The retired good girls guide for writing

I haven’t always been able to understand myself. 

I never felt like I was able to clock pure basic needs. Couldn’t tell if I was hungry or thirsty. I finished my meals early, preferring to always feel full, in a silent critic of my mother and father’s controlling rule over my life. A few bites of fuck you always left on the plate. I liked to see how far I could push it. How little I could drink, sleep, or eat, and still function. A true desert island scenario would see me lasting years; I had inadvertently trained myself for it. Except my desert island was more devoid of emotional fulfilment and attention. 

I had to get creative. I developed some interesting tendencies, sure. But mostly I just wanted to escape. Now my parents never went out, and my internal world was already tumultuous at best, so I did what anyone would do and read. I read voraciously. The ability to turn off my hunger had seeped into all areas of my life. A fugue state dissociation through most of my early years through to adolescence. But I was able to come alive when I was reading. When I read, it was like my first breath. Hungry. I could imagine these worlds and built them up easily, colourfully within my mind’s eye. I'd picture the strong female characters that I admired. I’d taste food, hear music. It was the only time I was ever able to really live, before I had to go downstairs and pretend to eat.

Unwittingly, my upbringing fostered just the correct environment for me to develop a writer’s hunger. Because a writer is always a reader before they grow mad to write. I grew mad fast. I had to. I had to create worlds for me to escape into, away from all the shouting and fighting. Alchemise what I’d read into something new and original. It helped that I was an avid daydreamer, although a psychiatrist might call me a maladaptive daydreamer, but it only ever occurred to me when I was bored. Parallel to this, I grew into shame, so what I wrote I would throw away. I sadly have none of my early works. They are long decomposed into sub-atomic and absorbable waste, probably seeped into a water system somewhere and live inside all of you. Yuck. Not even my best work. 

Then I grew up and I had no dreams because I was not hungry. I hadn’t picked up a book in a long time. I dabbled with things that made me feel warm. Partying and shallow conversations. Grotty pubs and sticky clubs. Good friends made me feel a good kind of warm. But it took me a long time to find my way back to literature. Through a work stint as a Nursery Practitioner, I found my way back into writing. You see, at the nursery we had to send updates to parents all about what their children were getting up to. I enjoyed this task and wrote the children’s days like stories. Descriptive and alive. I’d got the bug and the bug had bit me. I didn’t last long once I had started writing again and I quickly found myself working at the Ideas Foundation. 

Through my new employer, I was encouraged to trial as much as possible to find out what I enjoyed doing. I was also very privileged to have access to several creative professionals who genuinely wanted to help and mentor those younger than them. Mentors can see all your ducks and help you to get them in a row. My ducks were all over the place and needed very graceful guidance. You push my ducks too much and, well, they explode. Poof!

Speaking to seasoned professional copywriters, I was able to glean their persistent journey into the profession. The confusion I once had around my goals has seemed to have dissipated. The ability to feel hungry for life and understand myself has only grown. My spark is back. 

The excitement and giddiness I feel when I think about myself as a writer is immense. The energy can fuel me for days. I look to the bottom left of my documents and the number of words that can pour out onto a page grows and grows with each project I set myself. The possibilities as a writer seem endless from this perspective. 

I understand that there is a lot more to these dreams that simple want. I must be focused. Persistent. Take up the offers of guidance from those around me. Accepting critic and moving towards goals. But the potential is there. I understand myself a little better. I value my work a little more. Hopefully, one day in the not-so-distant future a book of mine might get thrown away and end up decomposing in the damp soil into tiny fragments that find their way into us. At least that work will be better and born of something other than the child’s will to survive and create. That would make me feel okay. 

[thebearme]

Here's my Parappa hcs and reimagine ideas for Matt & Paula

Sunny

Sunny is a cosmo flower like her mother.

Because of her mother's recent death, her dad Potter became UBER PROTECTIVE. The classic "ur the last thing of her, I have to protect you" you know.

Unrelated thing but idk when I'll ever talk about this guy but Potter HAS to be half object head, the only plant thing apart of him is his hair. idk maybe yall can figure it out... also i think he gave birth to sunny and no i will not elaborate.

Sunny is asexual and intersex but what do you expect, she's a plant.

She got all her arm strength from her dad. All those home military drills really helped.

She's superb at skateboarding but tends to not do so beings she doesn't want to get her dress ruin. But give her time to change, and she'll start shreddin.

Sunny has Bipolar disorder type 1.

Sunny grew up a lil sheltered. She lives in the middle of the woods and only goes into town for groceries! She started going out more and more when she started school for the first time, especially after she got some friends.

I'm taking this headcanon from the fic life in parappa town and expanding it but Sunny is in this plant belief system where you stay loyal to Mothernature and when you die you'll become a part of her. She doesn't eat meat, she gives back to nature and be kind to all Mothernature's creatures.

Sunny take cares and own her mother's "small" farm. She used to give her produce to the community for free, but because of the government finding out about that, she had to put it on pause. She either sells it for big money, or the government will take her land and profit from it them self.

Parappa

Parappa is his rap name. His name is Pa and his nickname is Pappy.

He's a bagel and hound mix, but has more bagel dog tendencies.

He's hat was bought by his mom before she left.

Parappa's mom divorce her husband after one too many financial crises, just when Parappa was just graduated high school. (explaining the past tense in PtR2) Leaving Pappy with Papa Rappa while she takes care of Pinto herself.

His Mama always encouraged Parappa to reach his dreams as long it wasn't expensive. So after everything, Parappa was more determined than ever to believe in himself and never give up.

Parappa would do anything for Sunny, he would kill Joe Chin even!

After a while working at the videogame shop, Parappa will later work for Master Onion cuz at least he pays him.

Parappa has the n card cuz he's cool like that. im tired of hearing 'who gave him the n card?' well maybe he just born with it. stop judging my dog bro

Parappa's rapping career just recently started. He began rapping his poems by the end of high school, luckily for him his best friend has connections to get him up there.

He grew up with classic 80s-90s rap. Pappy is an oldhead.

Pappy is anti-drug, anti-gun rights and a BIG ACAB. He is a huge believer that 'only community can fix the issues and not some cops that with guns trying to make the problem worst' but if you listen to parappa's album you've probly already saw this coming.

He still an up-and-coming artist, eventho he's known around the town and performed with Club fun's mc twice... he just started selling his first album.

Pappy is pretty smart and could have got into a science major like his dad but choose music instead. His father wept.

Parappa guessed that Katy is lesbian years before she started dating Lammy because the god awful dates she would go on.

Parappa loves frogs, they're his favorite animal.

He has a concentration issue, dude can't stay on track for the life of him. And no he doesn't know he has ADHD.

His ass has maladaptive daydreamer.

Boxy boy was made for Parappa by his dad because of tendency to daydream everywhere and anywhere, he gives him sense.

Pappy has a stuttering and lisp problem, but it adds an interesting element to his raps.

Pappy can NOT keep a secret. He WILL tell Sunny!

He got orange hair

Pj

Pj or further known as King Berri is still the same as always, maybe a lil more tired.

He uses king as a stage name so he can have a bit of his fantasy come true.

Eats weed brownie everyday.

Pj now wears a hooding for pure comforter, it like wearing sleepingbag at all times.

Pj seems very comfortable with his life but he really just compliant.

Pj is estranged from his family. They have not talked in years and he doesn't plan on changing that.

Just like everyone, Pj doesn't hate being a dj but just hate working. All the fun he had for his craft was gone a long time ago. But if he still gets paid by his boss MC Mushi and gets his 'stuff' then his fine.

Pj is brutally honest to Parappa like always, someone got to be the straight man in the friendship.

He's the most likely in the friendship to get the other in trouble.

Pj lives in the college housing, particularly in the basement. He just likes it down there. But funny enough, it turns out the house doesn't stay as empty as what the staff said it would be.

He's roommate is Matt. He's not that bad when you get to know him, He's just a bit snobby, know-it-all and WAY to competitive... but chill? Ok he's a Chin but hey, atleast he's better then Joe.

Him and Matt met one rainy day when the power went out and Matt got jumpedscared but the bear in the basement.

Katy

Chatty Katty was her nickname back in high school and even in the college campus right now. She gets this nickname not because she talks bad of anyone, honestly the opposite. She talks up everyone she knows! Right after talking up herself.

Katy was a church goer growing up, so no duh she'll know everyone in the community.

Her and Pappy were in the church choir growing up, that's how they met. Later she got introduced Pj in school, the three of them started hanging out after that.

Parappa gives the biggest little brother vibe to Katy.

Katy has the vocabulary of a old lady and it's because of the older lady she works with at the diner.

Katy is that friend that went on so many bad dates, tells you about and it makes you think HOW the hell are you still dating men??

She met Lammy after running into each other from the college lecture hall. And she immediately invited her to the milkcan band practice.

Lammy and Katy were a will-they-won't-they thing then they met. Lammy likes Katy but doesn't think she would like her, Katy likes Lammy but doesn't think she's likes women so she continues going for men.

Katy has been going to church less as she goes into college, jobs, dates, band practice and battling the gay thoughts. oooo scary

Katy and Sunny met in middle school, Katy never liked the idea of girls tearing each other down. And Katy was right, Sunny was sweet as she thought.

Katy introduced Sunny to the boys and everyone went nicely, they shared lunch together.

Paula

Paula is base off a kit fox, she just put makeup over her facial mark.

She's got abit of rewrite; She's from a new money household but unlike her parents that fell into complete greed, She's still her old self.

Paula is a tomboy at heart and her true love is basketball and women.

She's a business major oooo. AND the captain of the basketball team.

She still beefing with Katy but you know- it's a friendly rivalry. Or at least it becomes one.

Paula has a little crush on Sunny after meeting her but she's very respectful about it and very real told anyone about it... besides Katy... who told Pj... who told Matt... who told Parappa... who told Sunny. But otherwise Paula got turned down rather nicely and took it well.

Matt

Matt and Joe are doodles, partially a cockapoo.

He is the younger brother of Joe Chin and makes it his LIFE GOAL to be Parappa's rival.

He bascally bradley for the extremely goofy movie.

Matt has a big gay crush on Pappy but he refuse to admit!

Joe Chin got to inherit the family business without even doing anything and Matt is really mad about that. So he's in school for a business degree and in the frat club for extra bonus points. All to impress his parents and get the family business instead.

Ok not related to Matt hcs but just one thing- I think Joe Chin is a womanizer manipulative creep! That's why Matt is a funny villain while Joe is a flatout villain villain.

There more hcs in the bottom but I didn't feel comfortable putting up with more of the light hearted stuff so...

darker things below, read with caution.

[windvexer]

Hello chicken!

I come to you today with a question I've had for a long time, and I read a post a while ago where you gave tips on entering the astral for people who struggle with it. In this, you mentioned, if I remember correctly, that people who day dream a lot should find a way to tell apart their spiritual travels from daydreams.

The thing is—I'm not only a maladaptive daydreamer since I can remember but also a fiction writer. Meaning my mind comes up with random places and people and story fractures all the time. And when prompted with something, it can run pretty far. I have no way of determining wether or not my spiritual encounters with familiar spirits have been legit or a complete result of my own imagination.

I really wanna know if there's a way to determine if my experience are "real" or made up and how I can go about differentiating them. If you have anything that could help with that I'd be super grateful.

Have a wonderful day and thank you already

We're in reference to this, I think?

This is one of those situations where there are IME never any blanket tips, because everyone has their own needs.

"Real astral travel is fatiguing whereas daydreaming is not" is not a rule of thumb that is helpful to people that don't really get tired astral traveling, or who are exhausted by racing thoughts.

I believe it's vital to experiment for oneself to build up a system of checks and balances that works for you.

That being said here are some ways that travel can be tested (again, consider how these checks may be inadequate depending on the areas you travel, your innate skills, etc).

If you have tips or thoughts to add, please feel free!

You have valid experiences with your spirits if they pan out - if your spirits give you information, spells, techniques, etc., that work. A lot of valid techniques and lore aren't written down, so comparing it to other sources doesn't always work - you have to put it to the test. You can also ask spirits to do things for you - things that should be easily doable - and see if it happens (like, asking them to visit you at a certain time and setting a reminder after the fact).

You can't really control spirits in the astral the way you control daydream characters. Your daydream character can say or do whatever you think even on the slightest of whims. Spirits do not, and if you try to force them to say or do things they can become very upset.

In the astral, there is no story to fracture. It's not a story, there is no narrative. It's a lived experience.

Astral realms are causal, just like our normal physical reality. In a daydream if you realize a character has on the wrong outfit for this scene, based on that mere idea the story might retroactively correct to suddenly have the character be in the right outfit. But in the astral, for a spirit to have on different clothes, they have to go change clothes. And that takes time. They have to leave that location, go to where they keep their clothes, change their clothes, and come back.

There is no fracturing the story into two versions, one where the spirit has on the right outfit from the start, and one where they don't. There is no story.

In a daydream, you control the experience. At the perfect moment, it starts raining in the graveyard for the dramatic reveal. In the astral, you are experiencing something external. You can imagine it's raining, try to force it to rain, or project rain. You might even see rain for a few moments. But your perception will tend to snap back to the actual experience. And then the spirits might be looking at you weird, asking what you're doing. You can't restart the scene because there is no scene.

In a daydream if there is a locked door, that doesn't necessarily stop you in any way. You can know what's behind the locked door, where the key is, how difficult it is to open the door, if there are alternate routes, and so on. You can even know who made the door and the forest the wood came from. The characters might be stuck on one side but you are the omnipotent creator god of that reality and you have all the information you want.

In the astral if you encounter a locked door, you don't automatically know what's behind it. If you don't have the key, you can use magic to unlock it or you can try to break it down. But if you can't, then you can't. If your path is blocked, you won't automatically know any alternative paths forward. The narrative isn't going to be rewritten to account for plot holes; there is no plot. Do you want to know who made the door? Well, how do you intend to find out? Because that information isn't up to you; it exists externally from you.

The characters are at a gorge. The next part of the story is on the other side. Figuring out how to cross the gorge isn't interesting right now, the emotional energy is ready to carry us deeper into the plot. Let's just put a pin in the crossing and figure it out later. For now, we teleport into the future. The characters are on the other side of the gorge, ready to travel into the city.

In the astral, you are stuck on that side of the gorge until you figure out how to cross it. You can imagine or pretend you're on the other side, but eventually you will be bounced back to where you are actually standing.

Daydreams remain static unless you are there to change them. The changes may be sprawling and nigh instantaneous, but they come from you; you are making it up. You are never going to come back to a daydream and realized the fundamental reality of the daydream changed since monday and is irreversible to its prior state.

Astral realms will change on their own whether or not you're there for it. One day a new path appears that was never there before. You can't "switch back" to the other version because there is not more than one version, it's a living area. One day there is a blockage and you can't go to that location. The next day the blockage disappears, or it remains until you resolve it.

Daydreams tend to be low-energy. You can go through the epic history of an empire in 30 minutes. Astral travel tends to be energy-intensive. You can hang out for 15 minutes and talk to one fish in a fountain before you get tired and sleepy.

Similarly, changes in daydreams can be done with nothing more than the energy of a thought; you can raise up houses, neighborhoods, cities, empires, and solar systems with the blink of an eye. In the astral, if you want a bucket of water, you have to pick up the bucket, go to the well, get the water, and walk back. And if it takes you 15 actual IRL minutes, then that's how long it takes you.

My tl;dr is that if it feels like you're an omnipotent multiversal creator god having adventures in endless stories with clear narratives, side-quests, and character arcs, then I'd be more likely to hazard that you're daydreaming. If it feels like you are a person trying to live your got dang life, if you run into problems that require real time and energy to resolve, and if you drop the ball and the world moves on without you - it's more likely you're traveling.

(The only thing I will say is that time in the astral generally doesn't work like how it does here - time can scroll forward very quickly. But if you have time-god powers like editing the past, jumping around from past to present and into alternate timelines, or flash-freezing the universe to walk around in it, I'd be suspicious.

In addition, what worlds you're going to can have a huge impact - personal astral spaces you're fully in control over are, well, much easier to control than external spaces where you're a visitor.)

[iliterallydecepticanteven]

I just. Like fuck dude. 170 million users and it's gone. Like if you're someone who gloats about not using tiktok this post isn't for you so scroll on.

But like tiktok for all its flaws was incredibly useful for me and others. I learned about what maladaptive daydreaming was on tiktok and realized I'd been doing it constantly for escapism and how terribly it was impacting my life. I learned all sorts of fun recipes to try out and incorporate into my meal rotation. I learned about plasma donation as a source of supplementing my income and how it's not as scary as most people make it seem. I got tips on buying a new car and how not to screwed over with financing. I learned little ways to improve my cats' health and what to avoid for them and easy enrichment ideas. I found cheap outlet websites to buy overflow clearance items for cheaper than in store and save some money. I got an insight into how fucked the healthcare system is from the doctor's perspective and how to best handle that if I wanna go into that field. I found tons of fun music, movies, tv shows, anime, books, manga, video games, and crafts to try.

And it's all gone. Just like that.

This fucking sucks.

[sysmedsaresexist]

I do not mean to sound stupid, but I read your post "dissociation is not solely trauma-based", and I was wondering if you knew of any sources or books about it? I think I don't fully understand what dissociation is. For exemple, no matter how I look at it, I don't understand how meditation could be considered like anything close to dissociation, simply because it's also used as a grounding technique.

I'm combining two asks here, because I'm going to cover both in one go :) you don't sound stupid.

You've got to start with the understanding that dissociation is a continuum from normal (aka nonpathological) to "abnormal" (I hate that word, but aka pathological). I finally dropped the wild existence of Dr Jamie Marich, clinical trauma specialist and a pro endo, CDD system, who wrote Dissociation Made Simple. Let me quote because the book is actually good.

Yes, dissociation is so hard to understand that she wrote an entire book about the concept.

"The English word dissociation comes from the Latin root dissociātiō, meaning “to sever” or “to separate.” At this point when lecturing, I usually ask my students: What are we severing or separating from when we dissociate? You may take a moment, before reading on, to ask this question of yourself. Try not to think on it too rationally. Listen to your gut-level response...

For the purposes of this opening chapter, let’s focus on the form of separation that every human being can likely relate to —severing or separating from the present moment—especially when the present moment becomes unpleasant, overwhelming, or otherwise painful."

Dissociation is a disconnect from something-- this can be memories, thoughts, emotions, or, in worst cases, reality. The present moment.

Not all meditation is dissociative, but most is. For example, emptiness meditation is about disconnecting from everything in the moment. You are literally fine-tuning your dissociative techniques. This is also true when you're using grounding meditation to disconnect from overwhelming emotions or thoughts to get back into the moment.

There are a variety of tasks that we either develop naturally or learn as a way to achieve some degree of separation (e.g., enough to stay somewhat present but still get some relief, or going further into totally cutting oneself off from in-the-moment presence). Dissociation of this nature is not all or nothing—it generally happens in degrees and can depend upon how much distress you feel in any given context. We can do this by daydreaming, drifting off, zoning out, zoning inward, disengaging eye contact with people, losing focus (especially when driving), or getting a little floaty in many other life circumstances. Some people frame this “floatiness” as similar to hypnotic trance and others feel it is quite distinct. We may even take deliberate steps to enhance the experience of separation. How often have you escaped into a book or a movie, into your phone or computer, or into some activity, because it makes the harshness of dealing with the present moment and the emotions it can elicit somewhat more bearable?

Let me be very clear, if you said yes to this question, this answer does not mean that there is anything wrong with you! All of these can be quite ordinary forms of dissociation that every human being is capable of experiencing.

A really, really good way to understand this concept is actually through maladaptive daydreaming (MADD), a highly addictive form of dissociation.

Indeed for many of us, substances or other behaviors that cause major surges of dopamine (e.g., spending, computer games, sexually acting out) can become the accelerant of dissociation...

Whenever we become accustomed to dissociating, especially as children growing up in complex trauma, our brain becomes bonded or some would even say addicted to that state of escape. Once chemical or other reinforcing behaviors are introduced to us, they can accelerate that already familiar experience and we become further bonded to that behavior.

Daydreaming itself is dissociative. Point blank. It is both the most normal kind of dissociation, and yet the most common maladaptive dissociation.

Daydreaming and journeying into my head’s imaginative scenarios is another series of behaviors that can have both adaptive and maladaptive qualities. As a kid, they kept me safe. As an adult, they are the source of so much of my creative power—yet if I engage them too long, too hard, or too much, I run the risk of getting lost and not being able to attend to what helping professionals might call my activities of daily living (e.g., eating properly, sleeping, taking good care of myself, getting to work, attending to loved ones appropriately and with good boundaries).

Let's cut away from the book really quickly to look at Eli Somer, the guy who came up with MADD.

Maladaptive daydreaming is a dissociative disorder: Supporting evidence and theory.

The only real thing I want to quote is:

Although trauma may be one causal factor, we indicate several other etiological pathways to the development of MD. We discuss associations with related concepts and suggest directions for future research.

And

MD is strongly related to dissociation and seems to rely on an innate tendency for absorptive and imaginative fantasy. Through its rewarding properties, this form of immersive daydreaming becomes abnormal. MD may thus be viewed as a disordered form of dissociative absorption.

While Somer talks about how it can be a behavioral addiction in that paper, I find this is a more succinct description.

Maladaptive Daydreaming: Epidemiological Data on a Newly Identified Syndrome

Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is a proposed mental disorder characterized by excessive, compulsive immersion in vivid and complex fantastical daydreamed plots, generating intense emotional involvement, often accompanied by stereotypical movements. This addictive absorption in daydreaming becomes maladaptive as it consumes many hours a day, generates shame or guilt, hinders achievement of short- and long-term goals or tasks, and overall causes clinically significant distress and/or interferes with functioning in social or occupational realms. Maladaptive Daydreamers (MDers) report a strong urge to daydream whenever they can and annoyance whenever they cannot, and, repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop daydreaming, like other behavioral addictions.

And that's the best way to look at DID and other maladaptive, pathological forms of dissociation. It's a behavioral addiction, an escape that we not only crave, but can no longer live without. Just like you can get addicted to working out and gambling, you can become addicted to severing ties with reality through pleasurable (and in some cases, necessary) forms of escape.

I don't know if this is going to make sense, but I've found looking at dissociation like an upside-down iceberg helps me.

At the top, the widest part, is everyone on the planet, and the basic, general concept of dissociation. Severing from the present moment, be it through your phone, book, daydreaming, meditation, zoning out.

As you go down, and it gets narrower, it becomes more important to put names to specific types and forms of dissociation, and fewer people struggle with these forms. In the middle is a confusing mix of seemingly normal and pathological dissociation. You have mediumship, authors with living characters, OCD (yup), ADHD (shocking, I know), MADD, DPDR, (C)PTSD, people on the edge of forming behavioral addictions.

At the bottom, the smallest point, only pathological dissociation, with a much smaller population experiencing it. DID, OSDD, severe and chronic DPDR, DA.

For people that struggle with dissociation... they fell down a hole and travelled all the way to the bottom of the iceberg. What was once a general, normal, human experience became a very specific problem. Over the years, as they travelled deeper, they used and developed a complex mix of various normal dissociative reactions until it eventually became a named, pathological experience.

I sincerely hope that this helps explain and answers both questions ):

Here's another really interesting paper (from none other than, DUNDUNDUN, Colin Ross).

Maladaptive Daydreaming, Dissociation, and the Dissociative Disorders

[the-silent-fellowship]

MaDD Symptesque

[PT: MaDD Symptesque]

MaDD Symptesque, a symptesque holder(link) subterm; an alter who presents one or many Maladaptive Daydreaming symptoms when the system/the body isn't MaDD.

Colors based off(link)

[ID: in Alt text]

[Tags] @system-term-archive, @pluralitywords, @pluralterms, @radiomogai, @plurchive