interstellarsystem

[interstellarsystem]

Daily reminder that if you want something to be more present in your community you have to start posting about it

If you want more serious discussion posts- you need to make more serious discussion posts.

If you want more silliness around your type- you need to post more silliness around your type.

If you want more art, writing, photodumps etc. of your type or kin- you need to get to creating and posting.

You have autonomy online, use it

[interstellarsystem]

”I want to know your headcount” “I want to know who’s fronting” so do I, get in line

[interstellarsystem]

Who Reflects Badly on the System?: In-System Mistreatment and Abuse towards Fact-Folks

Writers: Mod Silhouette, Former-Mod December, and Mod Reaper

Length: 5.2k words

Disclaimer: This post is not a substitute for medical or psychiatric treatment. We do not offer any medical or psychiatric advice.

This post contains a lot of bigger, bold, and italicized texts, but no all-caps. We apologize in advance for the post not being entirely in plain text.

Content Warning

This post will have detailed examples of abuse (including sexual abuse and forced fusion), shame, and trauma, both in one’s system and in the more-than-one community at large, as well as its effects (including self-harm and suicide).

It will also have a section about protecting yourself from purity culture.

This post also contains mentions of fakeclaiming, system exclusionists (“sysmeds” for short), and religion.

Important

Before we begin, here are the shorthands we use in this post:

“System” refers to the group of self-aware entities/consciousnesses in one body/brain.

“System member(s)” refers to one or more of the individual entities/consciousnesses in a system.

Feel free to replace them with “collective”, “person/people”, “headmate(s)”, “alter(s)”, or anything you see fit.

The “you”s in this post are meant to be general “you”.

“Headspace” refers to headspace/inner world/wonderland/astral space/etc. that some plural people may have.

“Introject” refers to fact-folk people, system members, and other alterhumans with fact-sources, i.e. based on an existing person. We know many people prefer other terms (including ourselves), but this is done for length.

This post may apply to fiction-folks, but the main audience for this post is fact-folks. Therefore, this post does not talk extensively about the fiction-folk experience. However, we know that experiences overlap - that's just the beauty of diverse alterhuman experience. Fact-folks and fiction-folks solidarity forever!

Thank you for understanding!

Why did we make this post?

To be perfectly honest: Mods Silhouette and December made this because they and other fact-folks were abused by some of our systemmates since 2019 (not anymore, thankfully, but this took a lot of work). Mod Reaper was so terrified of facing the same thing that he denied and hid his fact-identity for 4 years, and only in 2025 did he start to show and accept himself.

This post was made in 2021, and edited over the coming years. We hope that this post helps at least one of you fact-folks realize that you are not alone. We hope this’ll help you realize that you are/were being abused by your systemmates and protect yourselves and heal, if you wish to. May this post help your systemmates realize that they are/were abusing you and change their behavior for a safer system environment.

This post will link some resources: those that are explicitly geared for plurals, and those that are not. Use any of them if you see fit. Or don’t use them at all. This post is a suggestion, not a command.

If you have any comments, critiques, or suggestions for this post, please word it politely. Please do not swear at us or call us names. Please do not fakeclaim us or anyone else. There are people on the other side of the screen. Thank you kindly.

TL;DR

In-system mistreatment is a real experience, and it affects many introjects.

There are many kinds of mistreatment a system member (or more) can inflict on an introject – physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, conscious suppression, unconscious suppression, and disrespectful behaviors.

Abuse and suppression is distressing for the affected introject.

Introjects can develop long-term trauma from the mistreatment from their own systemmates. This will affect the entire system eventually.

To prevent/minimize the effects of abuse or suppression of introject, a system needs to foster acceptance within themselves, and stay away from rhetoric that demonize fact-types and ficto-types (particularly sysmed fakeclaiming and purity culture).

Establishing an accepting plural community will also help minimize introject shame.

If you are an introject mistreated by your own system, you can try being kind to yourself and reaching out for help.

If you are a systemmate who isn't abusing that introject, you can help separate the person doing abuse from their targeted person, emotionally support the introject, and help the person doing abuse to change.

The rest of the post is under the cut.

Preface

Which of these two reflects badly on one’s system?

A) Some “problematic” introject, etc. who are simply existing and minding their own business,

or

B) System members who suppress and/or abuse them into anonymity?

In case you were ever in any doubt, the answer is B.

No, “suppress and/or abuse” does not include situations in which:

The system member(s) labeled “problematic” prefer to stay anonymous for their own comfort.

The system member(s) labeled “problematic” prefer to stay anonymous to protect themselves from fakeclaiming and other sorts of abuse.

The system member(s) labeled “problematic” prefer to stay anonymous to protect the rest of the system.

The entire system is closeted at work, school, online, and other aspects of out-system life, for their own safety.

Although, as some of you(&) might know/relate, the 2nd and 3rd can be caused by option B back at the beginning.

“But how about internalized shame? That also causes no. 2 and 3!”

You’re right. Partly. Internalized shame is different from externalized shame, abuse, and suppression. But yes, we acknowledge that “externalized” here has a very ambiguous meaning because a system member abusing another happens in one body/brain, so it’s partly internalized. That depends, however, on these factors:

Whose internalized shame are we talking about? The introject, or other system members? (Yes, this includes the host/s if the system has any.)

If the introject themselves, it’s not abuse. In this case, it’s up to them and their systemmates to help overcome the shame.

If other system members, it’s only abuse if they take out the shame on the introject.

And not all suppression is abuse (which is consciously done to control another system member) – some suppression can be unconscious. (It’s still not a good thing).

How does your system work? How attached (or detached) is a given system member to the brain, and collective memory and/or trauma? Does the body/brain have trauma that can cause debilitating internalized shame? Is the brain also a sentient being (and a system member), and if so, how are they like?

However, to repeat the point above, internal/external is often ambiguous because a system’s members share one brain/body. Sometimes the division can be helpful, sometimes it can’t – that depends on the system.

For the purposes of this post, we’re going to assume the shame comes from other system members. Whether it’s “internal” or “external” is not a useful distinction.

Moreover, suppression and/or abuse from other system members can definitely cause the introject to develop their own internalized shame. But that’s for later.

Scope of the Post

To keep the post cohesive, we will only talk about 3 things – whether caused by internalized shame, or external pressure from plural spaces especially and alterhuman spaces in general:

Conscious abuse

Conscious suppression

Unconscious suppression

that forces an introject to be anonymous, i.e. hide their identities (particularly the fact-folks hiding the identity of their source person).

Aside from those, they are outside the scope of this post.

How can an introject “reflect badly on the system”?

According to our observation, there are four main causes:

The introject are “based on” a “problematic” person, such as a bigot, an abuser (for fact-types), or a villain or antagonist (for ficto-types).

The system might be afraid others will see them as a whole as “bad people” because they “have these bigots/abusers/villains/antagonists” in their system. Or, the system might be afraid that they themselves are bad people for forming, splitting, inviting (gateway/soulbond), or unconsciously creating (tulpamancy/thoughtforming/muses) these “problematic” introject

The introject is “based on” someone (usually a famous person) who are vocal about “not wanting people to kin them”.

This is based on a misunderstanding of factualkin/factkin, and trolls, as well as disrespectful fans (which is a very good boundary – famous people should stay safe from their stalkerish followers). The system might be afraid of being called “disrespectful” because they’re “kinning” a person who says no repeatedly to this.

To find out more about how factkin isn’t disrespectful – or a choice – we recommend checking out @ama-factkin (the important part is that factkin/factualkin, factives, etc., if they are respectful, will NOT publicize their identity in front of those “no kinning” people).

But, even if your fact-identity is a choice, it does not make you inherently a bad person or faking.

The introject’s counterpart/source/media is “problematic” and it’s the system’s fandom, comfort person/media, hyperfixation, or special interest.

Systems who are stuck in communities where purity culture is rampant are afraid of being ostracized, or worse, cancelled and doxed for liking X media/person. This may happen due to the character’s or creator’s actions. Remember, fandom/comfort/hyperfixation/special interest, and/or having an introject of X in one’s system does not reflect anyone’s actual morality.

Fictives who have a different queer identity from their source character are called "erasing representation" and factives who have different queer identity from their counterparts are called "disrespectful" or "faking".

This is how other system members are afraid of being seen. introjects themselves also feel these often on their own, but self-shame is not the main topic of this article. Moreover, this could also be caused by in-system and community mistreatment.

Example Story: A Day in the Life of a System

Disclaimer: This example below is NOT universal.

When a system forms, splits, invites, or creates a member (intentionally or not), it often (not always) causes anxiety throughout the system (especially new systems). Sometimes the most anxious person would be a system administrator who is “stressed enough with the current number of members”. Sometimes it’s a host who’s scared they’re “too traumatized” and feel pain when splitting. And other kinds of anxiety.

Upon finding out this new member is an introject, the anxiety may increase exponentially because of the reasons listed in the previous section. Sometimes just one reason, sometimes a combination, other times it’s all of them. (Or even reasons not mentioned above.)

Some system members can internalize that an introject’s source does not define them. Some system members can internalize that liking a 1980s celebrity with outdated views doesn’t make them a bad person. That their favorite villain may walk in if they watch their TV show enough. That sometimes, to cope with your relationship trauma, your brain needs to introject your abusive ex.

So they accept the new member(s) and treat them well.

Others, however, can’t internalize these things. It might be because they were abused by their parental figures. It might be due to the doctrine of the religion they are in, or one they had left. It might be because they accidentally stumbled into a server full of sysmeds and got bullied out of it. It might be because they have done abuse to others themselves, and are now trying to be a better person with more egalitarian views. They might feel fear. Anger. Shame.

If this happens, they can try to cope with these feelings, to ask others for help.

Or, they can take it out on the new member(s). Make the introject “understand how much they’re reflecting badly on the system”.

Some examples of in-system abuse and suppression towards introjects

Yes, a lot of them are the same or similar as out-system, bodily mistreatment. No, abusive actions are not limited to these examples.

Abuse

Physical abuse

Out-system: They co-front with the introject and hurt the body, just to hurt the introject. This may also be a form of self-harm for the non-introject.

In-System: They use violence towards introjects in their headspace.

Emotional abuse

Violation of boundaries

Source-consumption when the introject tells them not to, especially when co-fronting.

Intrusive questions, be it sending a physical/mental message to the introject, or pulling them to the front, to answer questions about their life based on the source media they’re consuming (if they are a public figure).

Getting into the introject’s personal space in the headspace.

Stalking an introject in headspace.

Forcing all doubles of the introject to pretend to be one person.

Forcing all doubles of the introject to fuse into one.

Forcing introjects to fuse into a fewer number of system members.

Invalidation

Deadnaming and/or misgendering the introject (usually because their name/gender is different from their source/counterpart, but not always).

Saying an introject introject can’t be X (gender, sexuality, religion, etc.) identity because of their traits or source.

Insisting that the introject can’t go through trauma or be abused - especially by a minority group, women, or feminine people - because they’re a part of the majority group, a man, or a masculine person.

Manipulation

Forcing an introject to do what they don’t want to (such as hobbies or intimacy). Even if their source likes it, or this specific introject liked it in their canon, they may not like it now.

Guilt-tripping.

Threatening self-harm, suicide, or egocide.

Threatening to hurt people the introject cares about.

Threatening to break and/or steal belongings, especially sentimental objects that the introject cares about.

Forcing an introject into a system role or job against their will.

Calling them names.

Forcing the label of persecutor/malicitor on them.

Gaslighting

Insisting events in the introject’s past didn’t happen (especially abuse and traumatic events), because it doesn’t match “canon”.

Insisting that the introject “must be canon compliant or they’re faking”. This includes:

Denying an introject’s age, gender, etc. because it’s different from source/counterpart.

“Fact-checking” the introject with the media they come from, wiki entries, biographies, etc. when they’re talking about their life.

Victim blaming.

Demonizing

Telling an introject they’re a bad person because of their mental illnesses, neurodivergent, disability, gender identity and expression, religious beliefs or lack thereof, and other traits/identities.

Telling an introject they’re bad for existing.. Telling them that they’re reflecting badly on the system. Including “Your existence makes this system cringy/fake/bad/an easy target!”

Telling an introject that they can never “repent” from their source’s mistakes. That they’ll always be defined by the bad things they did in the past.

Telling an introject they’re the only good [insert source here], or the only good fact-folk, and the others are bad.

Insulting an introject for their appearance (be it in-system or how they “wear” the body).

Insulting an introject for their source’s appearance. Indirect ones included, such as, “Oh my god, X is so ugly, I hate that we have them here.”

Making unwanted jokes about how they don’t want an introject of [insert source here], or how they have too many system members, or too many doubles of said source.

Isolation

Not allowing the introject to have friends, partners, family, and/or other relationships in-system and/or outside the system.

Not allowing the introject to front at all.

Trapping the introject in an in-system prison or away from everyone else.

Convincing other system members that the introject is dangerous and should be avoided.

Sexual abuse

Out-system:

Co-fronting with the introject and making them have sex with a person the introject dislikes, or make them watch against their will.

Masturbating while co-fronting with the introject when they don’t want to. Especially while doing imposition of the introject’s features.

In-System: They use sexual abuse towards the introject in their headspace. This can include, but are not limited to:

Catcalling

Groping

Non-consensual affection (also related to “getting into the introject’s personal space”)

Sexual assault

Asking about the introject’s sex life (this happens especially if their source/counterpart is famous and other members want the “juicy gossip”) – this is also emotional abuse (intrusive questions).

Conscious suppression

Telling the introject not to front in certain communities, with certain people, etc.

Telling the introject to stop using slang, typing quirks, or other unique speech patterns so they don’t out themselves as X person/character.  (Does not include asking them to translate typing quirks for accessibility.)

Telling the introject to not use their source/counterpart’s face as their social media avatar.

Forcing the introject to change or censor themselves into a more “acceptable” version.

Unconscious suppression

Unwritten rules in the system that an introject is “not supposed to show themselves” – often manifesting the same way as conscious suppression (no source avatars, no slang/typing quirks, etc.)

Other system members having squicks and/or triggers related to the introject or their source/counterpart. (This is not to blame, but this has to be managed. If not, the unconscious suppression will affect the introject badly in the long run.)

Not exactly abuse or suppression, but disrespectful behavior nonetheless

Assuming all introject are canon-compliant when interacting with them. 

Avoiding “problematic” introject for their source.

Using media, biographies, wiki entries, etc. as a guide to knowing an introject, instead of actually getting to know them as a person.

Effects of in-system abuse and suppression on introjects

Like abuse and suppression directed to anyone else, those directed at introjects can cause trauma, including internalized shame for the victims, survivors, or people targeted by abuse.

Yes, introjects can be victims, survivors, or people targeted by abuse. Even those who are “problematic”. We’re not going to stop repeating this.

Here are some of the effects of abuse and suppression:

Feeling like a bad person for existing or being yourself

Feeling ashamed of traits you can’t control - example: “I’m transmasculine. My system says my masculinity makes them feel unsafe. I make the system feel unsafe. I should pretend to be a woman or a feminine NB.”

Feeling like you’re a burden to the system – because you have to be hidden, because you’re “making the system look bad”

Resentment and anger

Flashbacks

Self-harm and/or suicidal urges

Doubting your own experiences – example: “Did my past life really happen? It’s not the same as canon, my systemmates say so!”, or “it’s not really abuse, I deserve it for being a factive of the host’s bully.”

Losing yourself – example: feeling like you’re nothing beyond the trauma, forgetting or hating your identity because you were forced to suppressed it for too long

Loneliness – example: “No one wants to get to know me as a person, all they want to know is my famous counterpart!” Feeling unwanted, hated, like you’re not as important as your performance as a famous person, or your role as a trauma holder, etc.

Self-isolation because you feel unwanted and are scared of being mistreated, even by people outside your system. It may result in trust issues, lack of boundaries, or difficulties making friends.

And more.

This is obviously very bad – not only for the introject themselves, but also for the entire system, in the long run, as trauma and its effects can make life hard in general.

What can you do to combat this?

There are a few ways to prevent, stop, and/or minimize the effects of abuse and suppression towards the introject in your system.

Disclaimer: This is not a one-size-fit-all solution, and there are others we haven’t mentioned. Your mileage may vary. Find a way that works for you(r system).

Fostering acceptance inside the system

Everyone is a person/being/etc. that must be respected

This is one of the most important things you have to tell yourselves. Everyone includes introjects. It includes those whose counterparts/sources are your shitty parents or a dictator or a villain.

They have feelings. They have boundaries. They can also be angry, sad, upset, hurt, and traumatized if you don’t treat them with respect, caring, and kindness.

To make the introject less of a bogeyman and more of a person, you can arrange system hangouts where system members can chat, have fun with, and get to know the introject personally.

Maybe you could schedule co-fronting time with the introject, doing what all parties like (or at least not dislike). Or just doing mundane things like grocery shopping, or house work, or crafting, or watching youtube videos.

Make sure every new member is welcomed and taken care of, including introjects. Reassure them that they’re wanted and appreciated.

If your introject systemmate is being abused by other system members, support them. Help them avoid those abusive system members. Help the abusive ones change their behaviors.

“Everyone is useful”

If number 1 doesn’t work, you can try rationalizing to the system members who can’t cope with the existence of introjects by saying they can/will help the system, including those members. (We know that a system member’s worth is not tied to their usefulness, but this is a good stepping stone towards that mindset.)

Examples:

Some introjects can help by having roles – administrator, host, caretaker.

Others can help by taking care of the body, or of other system members, or of the system’s friends, partners, etc.

They may be able to mask as singlet, neurotypical, cis, etc. and make your life smoother.

They can hold trauma and feelings other system members are not ready for.

They can add a new perspective.

They can learn new knowledge that others aren’t interested in/haven’t learned.

They can add a new skill or improve existing ones.

For trauma-based systems, we heard something great from The Rings System (@TheRingsSystem on Twitter): Stop saying “I/we hate getting new members”.

New members of your system may not know they’re formed, invited, or split because of trauma. They may take the “hate getting new members” as an insult to them, to their existence. Instead, try saying “we are so stressed or traumatized”, “oh no, we’re going through [insert traumatic event here]”, or “we’re not excited about getting dissociated”.

Also, please remember to say that you appreciate and want to make space for new folks whenever you talk negatively about this trauma.

Minimize jokes about how you don’t want an introject of X, or doubles of X.

Especially if they’re already in your system, and most especially if they explicitly say they don’t like those kinds of jokes. Don’t be rude. It may very well make them feel disrespected, unloved, and unwanted.

Protecting the system from exclusionary and fakeclaiming rhetoric

Block system exclusionist tags and mute their keywords.

Stop watching fake-claiming videos of systems less common/less “acceptable” than you. That high horse isn’t healthy. You can’t tell who’s faking or not.

Block people liberally.

Take a break from purity culture

Here are some reminders:

Your interests are not a reflection of your morality.

You’re not a bad person if you like a “problematic” person or media or make fanwork about them. For any reason. Hobbies, kink, trauma, making money, gifts for someone else, any reasons we missed, or even no reason at all.

Your existence is not a crime.

Thought crimes do not exist. For some people, thought crimes can include the existence of “problematic” introjects. It is still not a crime. Existence is not inherently harmful.

Abusing one’s systemmates is not a thought crime. It is an action and it hurts people. Even if it’s not visible to others.

There are no thought heroisms, either. You can’t think enough good thoughts to become a good person. Hiding/forcibly removing every part of an introject’s “problematic” identity doesn’t make them a good person and doesn’t make you a good plural. Treating other people well does.

You cannot buy your way into being a good person.

You cannot “consume enough healthy media” to become a good person.

You are not a bad person or contributing to societal bigotry for having a personal fandom, hyperfixation, special interest, comfort, or introject of a “problematic” person or character.

Block accounts who do call-outs, send anon hates, harass, abuse, and ostracize others for not liking the right media/people.

Block keywords and tags. Especially the discourse tags.

Leave communities who do the above.

Purity culture, like religious/spiritual abuse, can also worsen moral OCD/scrupulosity, so finding ways to cope with that can help.

Be more open as inclusive plurals

Being more open when you’re inclusive can make other people (even within your own system) feel safer in alterhuman communities, and less encouraged to hide their identity. It’s good to be open and have long experiences. While it shouldn’t be our burden, it will humanize (for lack of a better word) us and our experiences. It will show others that we’re more than a discourse topic and we are just people with lives.

Be open minded to other people’s experiences, even if you don’t understand them, or don’t like the people sharing them. Mutual discussion and consensual QnAs (ask games, forums, and the like) can foster a good sharing space where people feel like they’re listened to.

But please remember to do it in a safe way – remember internet safety! And please do not share your triggers with any public space!

If You’re Mistreated By Your Own Systemmates

We’re sorry that you’re being mistreated by your systemmates. It is unfair. It is not your fault.

We know that it’s difficult for survivors, victims, and people targeted by abuse to acknowledge their experience, especially when the abuse is in-system and not visible to other-bodied people. It’s even more difficult to separate yourself from the people abusing you, because they’re in the same body. And more so if there are only two of you… But you’re not alone here in the alterhuman community.

Reminders

You’re not a bad person if your source/counterpart is “problematic”. What matters is not your identity, but your actions. So if you act kindly and respectfully to others, you’re fine.

You're not fake, disrespectful, or erasing representation for being yourself and having a different identity from your source.

You don’t have to beat yourself up all the time. You can grow and change, and if your source or your past was bad, if you were abusive, you don’t have to continue being that way. And if you’re improving, other people should not dismiss your progress.

You don’t need to “repent” for just existing as an introject.

In-system abuse is REAL abuse. You’re allowed to be hurt, angry, sad, traumatized, and more.

The abuse was/is not your fault. It has never been your fault and it will never be. Nothing you do makes you deserve abuse. Abuse is caused by abusers, NOT your source/counterpart, not “problematic” media, not your identity, religion, gender, sexuality, etc.

You don’t have to be a “good victim” or match the common trauma descriptions to be valid and deserve help.

You don’t deserve victim-blaming or fakeclaiming (such as saying the abuse was your fault, or it wasn’t real because there are no bodily signs).

Please try to be kind to yourself/ves. Try to find ways to cope with this. Even kinks, dark fantasies, and the like may work. No one should judge you for these coping methods.

You don’t have to hide your identity (unless you want to).

Please stay safe. Be careful. Use your own discretion when accessing communities, looking for resources, using hotlines, or outing yourself as an introject.

Click on this link for our positivity post for fact-types who are abused by their own system.

Whoever abuses you has the capacity to change for the better. But you’re not obligated to forgive them, or want to have anything to do with them, even if they do.

Reach out for help

Because, once again, you are not alone.

Ask your out-system friends, partners, etc. to support you emotionally.

Ask your systemmates for support, if you know at least one of them is sympathetic.

Find inclusive introject communities if you can.

Find forums, hotlines, and other communities for abuse/trauma survivors, to share your experiences. You may need it, you always deserve it. You don’t even have to say that it’s in-system abuse.

If your mistreatment stems from unconscious suppression, tell your system to help those members to resolve their issues. Or, they can find out-system people to help.

If it’s safe and you have the financial means, you may consider professional help. There’s no shame in that. However, this is a huge undertaking, especially when you’re more-than-one, on top of any other marginalization you/your system are facing. We know firsthand that psychiatric abuse is sadly common. And we do not want therapy anymore. There is no shame in not wanting professional help, either. So, please stay safe. 

If you do find therapy, please respect yourselves as clients. Protect your own boundaries. It’s good to do “therapist shopping” for the most respectful, queer-affirming, trauma-informed, plural-knowledgeable ones, or any other requirements you may need.

You can send a confession to our ask box. Please consult the rules and guidelines beforehand.

It’s okay if you can’t do any of these. You’re not a lesser person for struggling. I hope your systemmates or out-system people you trust can help you.

To System Members Who Are Not Abusing Their Introject Systemmates

Thank you for treating your introject systemmates with kindness and respect, or at least civility and basic decency. Please listen to them, believe them, and respect their story if they tell you what they’re going through.

If possible, please make sure that the person doing abuse and the person targeted don’t front together, and are separated in headspace if you have one.

If your systemmate “A” imprisoned their introject systemmate, don’t imprison “A” too. Know that imprisonment hurts people and doesn’t work. So, please do not cage anyone. Even those who have done harm to others. 

Conclusion (TL;DR)

In-system mistreatment is a real experience, and it affects many introjects because they/their existence “reflect badly on their system”. The main reason system members think this about their introject systemmates is because they’re afraid of what other people might think of or do to them/their system as a whole.

However, an introject “reflecting badly on the system” is NOT a justification – nothing can justify mistreatment. Not even if their source/counterpart is “problematic”.

There are many kinds of mistreatment a system member (or more) can inflict on an introject – physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, conscious suppression, unconscious suppression, and disrespectful behaviors.

At the very least, abuse and suppression is extremely distressing for the affected introject. Introjects can develop long-term trauma from the mistreatment from their own systemmates. This will affect the entire system eventually.

To prevent/minimize the effects of abuse or suppression of introject, a system needs to foster acceptance within themselves, and stay away from rhetoric that demonize fact-types and ficto-types (particularly sysmed fakeclaiming and purity culture).

Establishing an accepting alterhuman community will also help minimize introject shame. Some ways are to talk openly about your experiences and to keep an open mind towards others’.

If you are an introject mistreated by your own system, you can try being kind to yourself and reaching out for help.

If you are a systemmate who isn't abusing that introject, you can help separate the person doing abuse from their targeted person, emotionally support the introject, and help the person doing abuse to change.

Appendix (External Resources)

This is not an endorsement of specific people.

Your mileage may vary - what works for a plural system may not work for another. Take parts of what you need. You don’t have to do everything in every resource - just do what you can, and what helps. You can stop doing what doesn’t work for you. There’s no shame in that.

You are allowed to use resources or tips about out-system abuse (workplace abuse, domestic violence, physical support groups, etc.) and find help from them. You are not stealing resources.

Plural Resources

In-System Conflict Guide by @marecog: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16aAV0ssDwCaX7ukW1z15hrbZG72PZywMVawNjUFx85Y/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.tbcfbnhalj4q

Crisis Links & Support by the Dissociative Initiative - https://di.org.au/dissociative-crisis-support-pack/ 

United Front Boot Camp by Crisses: https://kinhost.org/Main/BootCamp 

Not Specifically Plural Resources

Creative Interventions - Resources for Everyday People to End Violence: https://www.creative-interventions.org/

Tips for Dealing with Difficult Roommates: https://www.weidner.com/blog/2020/05/11/tips-for-dealing-with-difficult-roommates/ 

Moral Scrupulosity by International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/faith-ocd/living-with-ocd-religious-traditions/moral-scrupulosity/ 

Crisis Resources by Hearing Voices South Australia: https://hvnsa.wordpress.com/crisis-resources/ 

Harm Minimisation by Self Injury Support: https://www.selfinjurysupport.org.uk/pages/faqs/category/harm-minimisation 

How to Care for Self Harm Wounds by Spunout: https://spunout.ie/mental-health/self-harm/self-harm-wounds/ 

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Posting this on tumblr because i do NOT trust tiktok to not have a good faith answer

Does the specification of other paw, otherkin, etc. and not blanket stating “therian” really matter all that much? Im honestly confused and curious

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i love being fictionkind so much. im thankful for it even if it can causes me grief at times. what a wonderful way to exist in the world.

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every character is plural now. i dont care. all of them

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actually you know what. we have GOT to get weirder about fictotypes. i don't wanna tone down or hold back anymore.

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Useful Website for Theriotype Questioning

just a collection of websites that I find useful when kinsidering!

Wikipedia - Good for finding basic information about a wide variety of things!

AWD - an online database of animal natural history, distribution, classification, and conservation biology from the University of Michigan

Macaulay library - wildlife media archive. Hundreds of thousands of videos, photos and even audio of animals!

A-Z animals - an Animal Encyclopedia, simpler and more concise then AWD

RefSeek - Academic search engine. Good for finding scientific documents

Animalia - another Animal Encyclopedia

Species specific websites

Monkey Worlds - All about Monkeys!

Dinosauropedia - a Dinosaur Encyclopedia! made by Animalia.

Genuine Mustelids - All about Mustelids

All about Birds - As the name says!

Ultimate Ungulate - All about Ungulates, Hooved mammals!

I might end up making an actual compilation of websites to help anyone who is kinsidering

[interstellarsystem]

Lemme just say . if you're icked out by or discriminatory towards or otherwise believe factkin(& related terms, not super familiar) are Bad or Wrong or Problematic in any sort of sense, then as a factive introject i do not trust you and never will. I see kinship as a singlet or acquired identity version of what introjects are, and what i hear when you talk poorly about factkin & other fact-IDs is that you're not safe for me or my system to be around, because you dont respect us as people for how we exist. Introjects dont choose how we form, and 'kin often dont choose their relations either. and if they do, so what? people can and should be able to pick their identity, even if it relates to an identity shared by or originated from someone else

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fictive culture is looking up references of you when you want to draw yourself and feeling bad about it because “how can i not know how i look???”

.

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hi! sorry to bother, but did you get an ask about walk-ins a little while ago?

Hello, yes we did! We take a while to get around to asks usually because of low spoons and also wanting to take the time to answer them thoroughly if need be. Sorry for the wait, but it is in our inbox!

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plural culture is constantly opening up your phone to realize the lock and home screens have been changed

.

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Fictionfolk Experiences Ask Game

Yeah, you. Fictionkin, fictive, fictionhearted, fictionlinker, fictionflicker--whatever else you may be in the tags. I wanna get some potentially positivity and experience sharing going because there's some Stuff that isn't great in the tags right now but ALSO I think fictionfolk as a whole (and not just identify-as fictionfolk but yes those too) deserve a nice little platform to share their experiences. So, use this ask game. Or just reblog and answer the questions. Or post the answers yourself. Be free.

1. What's your fictional identity (hearttype, kintype, etc)?

2. If you have multiple, do you have one you're closer to than the others, or is more important to your identity overall?

3. How many fictional identities do you have?

4. What's your favourite part about being fictionfolk?

5. What's a positivie interaction that's happened as a result of your fictional identity?

6. Have you told any people in your offline life about your fictional identity and gotten a positive reaction?

7. Have you told any people in your online life about your fictional identity and gotten a positive reaction?

8. Is there anyone you've met as a result of your interactions in the community who's very important to you now?

9. What's your favourite thing about the fictionfolk community?

10. Tell us about a time you've experienced species/identity euphoria as a result of one of your fictional identities.

11. Do you experience any shifts (mental, phantom, dream, etc) of your fictional identity? Share a bit about those and how they feel!

12. Do you have any canonmates (if applicable)?

13. Do you have any sourcemates (if applicable)?

14. Do you wish to seek out canonmates/sourcemates? Why/why not?

15. Do you have a favourite piece of fanart/fanfic/etc that ties into your identity? Share it (with credit)!

16. Do you have any art/fic/etc specifically made for you as a fictionfolk of your specific identity (made by yourself or someone else)? Share it!

17. Does your fictional identity differ from source in any way/is it canon divergent? Explain a bit about that!

18. Are there aspects of your fictional identity that you previously questioned, decided weren't a part of your identity, but you still look fondly upon? (Past 'types, etc).

19. Do you have any spiritual identities? Explain a bit about that!

20. Do you have any psychological identies? Explain a bit about that!

21. How old were you when you discovered/chose your first fictional identity?

22. Did you ever take a break from the community, but came back later? What made you come back?

23. Have you ever considered fictionlinking? If you already have, what made you decide to do it?

24. If you decided to 'link a fictional character, who would it be and why?

25. If you decided to 'link a fictional species, what would it be and why?

26. Have you ever questioned being fictionhearted? If you already are, what started your questioning into that connection?

27. Do you have any fictional hearthomes? What are your favourite things about them?

28. Have you ever questioned being a fictionbased archetrope? If you already are, what's your archetropal identity?

29. Have you ever questioned being fictionkin? If you already are, what started your discovery of that connection?

30. Have you ever had a fictotype turn out to be a fictionflicker or vice versa? What was that like?

31. Do you have any fictionflickers? What are they, and how do they make you feel?

32. If you're a system, do you have any collective fictional identities?

33. If you're a system, how many fictional identities do you have across all of your headmates?

34. Do you have any soulbonds from a fictional source? Share a bit about that!

35. Do you have any memories/noemata around your fictional identity? Share some if you'd like!

36. If you do have memories/noemata, what's your favourite?

37. Does your identity intersect with your gender in any way? Share a bit about that!

38. Does your identity intersect with your sexuality in any way? Share a bit about that!

39. Is there anything you'd have loved to hear back when you were first questioning your identity?

40. Is there anything you'd like to share toward fictionfolk who may just be starting to look into the community?

41. Free space! Share anything about your identity/ies that you'd like to!

[interstellarsystem]

im tired of people pretending that fiction is reality.

fictionkin hurts one's identity because the person stops being themself to be someone else they believe they were in a past life, alternate universe, or another world. you stop being yourself to be Noob from Forsaken. thats not okay.

its also strange how we are treating fictional worlds as if they are real.

i cant even write anymore nowadays. if i create a character, is he real now? what if he is a terrible person? am i responsible for his actions? what if he has trauma? will someone who is fictionkin suffer just because i created a character out of joy and boredom?

i prefer to think that fictionkin is just not a real thing. it is unhealthy, im tired of people pretending that it isnt.

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This vessel/body neck too dang short. 😭 I just wanna lay down curl up like a pretzel roll and only move my head to do things.

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i learned about two labels from the soulbounding community and i thought it would be nice to introduce them to the wider plural community!

insourced: when a headmate is sourced from inside your head.

outsourced: when a headmate is sourced from outside your head.

a fictive that's an introject of your original character would be considered an insourced fictive. a factive that's based on yourself at a younger age would be considered an insourced factive.

a fictive based on an anime would be an outsourced fictive, and a factive based on a celebrity would be an outsourced factive.

i thought these were cool so yeah! have fun.