#sark posts

I’d say it’s definitely possible to be both! I’m not sure if there’s specifically a term for that, but maybe asking monoconsciouscultureis would be beneficial? We’re not super knowledgeable on the new monoconscious labels and stuff like that.

"Alterhuman" is anyone who identifies as nonhuman, human plus something else or even just "weirdly" human. This includes otherhearted people, otherlinkers, otherkin, vampires, systems and many other identities. If you identify as anything like that, then congrats, you're alterhuman! You of course don't have to use the label if you don't want to, but it's there to be such a broad identity label that a whole heap of people can use it.

As for how it's different than otherkin, alterhuman is a huge umbrella term, while otherkin is a specific subsection of alterhumanity. Alterhuman encompasses so many different identities while otherkin is strictly identifying as something nonhuman. Otherkin can fall under alterhuman as a label, but they're not the same thing.

im trying to figure myself out, i feel like im a winged kin but i'm not a system...

You're not a bother at all!

Singlets can definitely be otherkin, or basically any other alterhuman identity that doesn't involve strictly being plural.

Good luck figuring yourself out!

We’re not super knowledgeable about dragons specifically, so I’m going to give some general advice here.

As with any potential kintype, do as much research as possible into it! Obviously with dragons it’s hard to research them because the definition of a dragon is so broad, but perhaps researching different types of dragons would be a good start? Keep in mind though that you may very well be dragonkin in the sense that you don’t have a singular dragon as a kintype--think like a cladotherian but for dragons. You might feel like all sorts of dragons are your kintype, and that’s perfectly okay!

I’m also going to say that if you feel ready, it’s always okay to try on the label! Even if you find out you’re wrong later on, trying on labels can be a great way to actually figure yourself out. Taking your time is always good with personal identity things like this, but if you feel like you want to try on the label, there’s nothing stopping you and it can be really helpful to figure out if it actually fits or not. Does saying “I am a dragon” or “I am dragonkin” fit? Or does it feel weird or wrong somehow?

We’ve also found that keeping journals of all alterhuman related experiences is helpful. Even writing on a Tumblr blog about your experiences occasionally can be something to reflect on and learn from in the future. It’s not necessary, but it could help to have something to look back on.

For dragon-questioning specifics, though... I’m going to direct you toward a-dragons-journal. They’ve helped us a lot in the past and have good information on their blog, and they’d probably have more information about dragons than we do!

Good luck with the questioning!

So hi, I'm the host of an OSDD-1B system, and we just developed a fictive due to recent trauma. Thing is, he's scared to death, and doesn't know he's an alter. He just kept asking "how did I get here" (text message logs I saw and memory filling in) and panicking. I want to do everything I can to help him. I have my brother that I'm very close to and he knows all the others in my system. But he's not experienced in this kind of thing at all, and all he can do is provide support for the panic attacks. Do you have any advice at all, or a point in a direction, for how I can maybe make his next time fronting easier? Should I leave a note? Or give my brother instructions? My system isn't very functional, so I can't stay by the front or access the headspace. I also can't ask protectors to stay by the front either because we have no communication save for co-consciousness. At this point, literally anything will help, even just ways to calm his panic that my brother can use. Our therapist doesn't know we're a system yet, and though she specializes in trauma, she doesn't specialize in DID/OSDD so I'm kinda stretched thin for help. I'd really appreciate it.

We wrote something for similar situations here. Give it a read and see if you think it'd be useful! If so, maybe leave it with someone you can trust to show the fictive when they're out again. It's kinda written in a way that has mostly spiritual explanations for systems in mind, but it could still be helpful to at least take ideas for what to say from.

As for calming down, try grounding techniques. Some of these might not work, but they're something to try at least!

Place your feet on the ground, preferably barefoot or with socks. Keep them there while doing these other things. Sit up straight but make sure you're comfy. How does the ground feel? Focus on that.

Count backwards from 20 slowly.

Try to say the alphabet backwards.

Smell things! Essential oils, food, flowers, anything!

Play with stim toys. Tangles, fidget spinners, chewelry, slime, squishies, fidget cubes, even something not normally considered a stim toy can all be used!

Draw, if you like drawing. Don't worry about the art being 'good', draw whatever comes to mind to get those emotions out!

Listen to some music.

Hang out with a pet. How does their fur/feathers/scales feel?

Describe your surroundings using all of your senses, the most common thing is these. Don't worry if you cant fill out all the numbers, just move onto the next one. -  5 things you can see. -  4 things you can touch. -  3 things you can hear. -  2 things you can smell. -  1 thing you can taste.

I'm sorry if I'm annoying you..

You're not annoying us at all! This blog is for helping people like you figure themselves out. We wouldn't run the blog if we found it annoying!

Anyway, you don't need amnesia to be a system! You need amnesia to have DID/Dissociative Identity Disorder, but not all systems have DID. Some have OSDD or other disorders, and some don't have a disorder at all. You also don't need trauma to be a system, or even to have DID/OSDD.

I'm going to say though, that it sounds like there's a possibility of you being a system of some kind. I'd recommend looking into median systems, considering those sound closer to what you're describing than a multiple system. Median basically just means you're not quite a singlet, but not multiple either.

If you're concerned about any of this, though, especially the depersonalization and derealization, asking a medical professional about it might be helpful. Remember that people on the internet are not qualified to diagnose you with anything and they're not qualified to tell you what you do or don't experience, either, so take everything we say with a grain of salt and apply your own thoughts and knowledge to this to see if it fits. We're here to give you the tools you need to learn about systems and such, not to tell you what you do and don't experience.

You can definitely have no innerworld/headspace/etc and still be a system. A lot of systems have headspaces, but a lot of them also don't. You could make a headspace with enough visualization and such if you'd like, but it takes a fair bit of work and isn't a requirement at all.

I think I know the name of what could be an alter/headmate, and she has said a few things (emphasis on few) over the last month, but only short remarks. She doesnt actually want to converse proper though, straight up saying no when I offered to talk.

I dont want to force her but I do want to talk to her. Should I try and strike up conversation every so often? Or just leave it be and it will happen when it will happen?

I'd say trying to start up a conversation sometimes could be useful, but also make it known that if she wants to be left alone that you can leave her be. Forcing her to talk to you might make her upset and stop talking altogether. Just generally try to be friendly but leave her be if she wants to be left alone.

To think of conversation topics, maybe try to get a feel for what she's interested in and try to talk to her about that, if there's anything she's shown she likes?