#opinionposting

the main issue the asker had was that normalising it would make people think it wasn't a disorder. discussions around that aside, I think my existence being accepted as part of the human experience is important, even if it results in some people thinking I have no issues because of it.

I would much rather people mistakenly think systems have a magically problem-free existence than the alternative, which is people thinking I live in constant misery and need to be saved/fixed/cured etc. the first option makes people more receptive to explanations, anyway! my efforts to normalise plurality on here have led to many curious questions about the struggles I face, which I'm happy to answer.

functional plurality IS possible (I got there! took years but it IS a possibility with the right tools and support) and I like my life the way it is. autism is ALSO classified as a disorder and there are huge efforts to normalise it for the same reason! and sure, it's resulted in some people thinking autism is struggle-free, but the larger impact has been acceptance and understanding, which is a net positive in my eyes.

I think maybe some of the disagreement comes from the word I'm using? where you might interpret "normalise" as meaning “strip it of the nitty gritty issues and present it as a palatable experience” when I mean it as “destigmatise these experiences and portray systems as ordinary people with an unusual mode of existence, instead of as a horror movie trope that needs to be fixed or suppressed”

this is written very gently and politely, which I appreciate! but I actually love transitioning. I've been watching myself become more and more of the person I love every year. I'm growing into myself. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm glad you figured out that transition wasn't for you, and that you're happier for it! that kind of exploration can be worthwhile, and now you know yourself better. I think that's wonderful.

I DO love myself the way I am. it's just that the "way that I am" happens to involve being transgender. just like growing older, like gaining or losing muscle, like a changing fashion sense, just on a larger scale. people can change and still love themselves. the change is part of who I am. we're very different, you and I, and I understand that you might not understand my experiences. that's alright! I don't expect you to.

I appreciate the concern, but I promise you I'm far from naive about my situation. I've been consciously making this decision every day for eight years now, which is more than enough time to figure out if it was the right or wrong choice for me. I like my life and I like this journey. it's been really nice, being able to feel more comfortable and confident in my life. [: please don't worry about me or my friends, we're doing good!

i am by no means an expert but to my knowledge plurality tends to be a reaction to trauma, not something that just happens to occur. and to me it doesn't sound like a trauma response can really be called normal, because in an ideal world where nobody had to go through anything deeply traumatising, the trauma response would not exist. like i said, it's not something that just happens without an outside catalyst that we'd prefer wouldn't be there (to my very limited knowledge that is). so that doesn't sound normal to me

i don't mean to invalidate you and the other people in your system (sorry if that's not the term you prefer, i'm not sure what other term to use) or say you shouldn't exist in the way you do at all, i just genuinely wonder what you mean when you say it's a "normal" expression of humanity (quotation marks because i'm quoting you, not because i'm being skeptical). maybe i'm misunderstanding something about plurality, maybe we're using the word "normal" in different ways, maybe there's something else. i've just been intrigued by the way you phrased that because i am very interested in the question of human nature and this aspect of it i hadn't really previously considered has been in the back of my mind for weeks

so yeah. i am curious to know how exactly you conceptualise things like normality and human nature and plurality. but if this is a weird/intrusive question or something feel free to ignore/delete it (and sorry this is long. i suck at keeping things concise because i'm always going for 100% clarity)

hi hi!!! good question, and I'm happy to clarify [:

by "normal variation", I mean it's fairly common all things considered AND it's more than just a direct response to trauma. I've been able to work through my trauma (which I'm very thankful for! years of therapy and then more years of using the techniques and knowledge I gained from it) and while I'm better mentally, I'm still exactly as much of a system member as I was when I was younger.

it's a normal variation in neurological makeup, the same way that autism is. the origin of said variation doesn't discount or nullify that normality, at least in my opinion [:

also, while the want to eradicate traumatic experiences is both admirable and understandable, it's just... not possible! trauma, while awful, IS a common and "normal" experience. systems have always existed and will always exist. this is also what I mean by normal! I'm talking about frequency, commonality, and how we CAN live normal lives especially as we work through any trauma.

it's less about the initial trauma response, and more about normalising this type of existence in the long run, because while rare, there ARE many many many systems out there. we deserve to be seen as normal! not a spectacle or something to be "fixed!" I'm a firm advocate for functional multiplicity, which is the belief that those living as systems/part of a system do not need to be "made normal" if they feel that continuing to live as a system would be beneficial or non-harmful (that's me! I don't WANT to "integrate" with the others in my crew. we're good, thanks!)

Most of the time they are a collaboration of many minds and hearts working together to make something we can all enjoy. Games are a very unique art form because it is interactive. You aren't just reading something, you aren't just observing- you are thrust into a world or given an objective and it is up to YOU as the player to experience that through your own actions. Even games without a story- games who's only objective is to be competitive, or games that are meant to be puzzles- they are still art. People came together and MADE that happen.

Every pixel on the screen is a piece of concept art, a 3D model or sprite, and lines of code. Every single piece of every single game is created by various forms of artistry coming together to create an experience for YOU to engage with.

I have always been fascinated with game development because I love video games. Video games have been one of the most impactful forms of art in my life, and they have been my guiding light in a sea of vast darkness. They taught me how to keep living when I had no hope, the worlds within various games have ignited passions within my heart that enabled me to create my OWN world with writing and storytelling. Games have provided me with so much inspiration and joy throughout my life. My favorite two videos on YouTube that I would watch over and over again in high school were the Behind The Scenes videos of how Oblivion and Skyrim were made. I wanted to work for a AAA studio, and part of me still does because I KNOW I would be a good concept artist.. but things are different now. Things are scary.