#tulbonds

Our new collection of headmates don't have a group name yet, but we're leaning towards The Irregulars for some and for the others the Fifth Era Folks.

The Irregulars are a subgroup from the main timeline of our paracosm, currently in the Seventh Era. Fifth Era Folks came from our Era's End book and are from that era of our paracosm, leading in to the beginning of the Sixth Era.

Neither group is being counted as Crew or Passengers. Which is good because otherwise our numbers would be more than doubled. 😭 Seven Fifth Era Folks, and then seven Irregulars in a subsystem. The Fifth Era Folks are okay being referred to by name, the Irregulars don't want to be known by name here quite yet.

Fifth Era Folks are all in the process of signing on to our Code of Conduct - we're going to do a little semiformal adoption ceremony on our next system meeting. The Irregulars want time to think it over. But if the Irregulars are going to be participating, however briefly and intermittently, in our external life that's a requirement.

Each of the two groups has nominated one of them to be the general spokesperson. They'll run their own meetings, and the spokesperson will bring concerns and updates to our larger Crew system meeting.

I'm trying not to feel overwhelmed but I kinda am. Big changes like this are always a little anxiety inducing, as I worry that we won't be able to adjust and be able to make sure everyone's taken care of. It does help that they're comfortable in the innerworld and neither group wants to front regularly. Both groups do want to interface with fronters - which is how we describe "being in the back but able to talk to folks in front" - but neither want to take on the responsibilities of the front and that's 1000% okay — we have plenty of folks who can and want to. Like when they DO front, which will be with at least one Crewmate, they'll still be held to our Code of Conduct but they're not going to be required to come front and handle things regularly.

We feel that these two disparate experiences are similar enough that they feel like cousins. It's enough that when we Willows go headhop into Jas's body in the innerworld as a ridealong, it feels overwhelming but also not that far off from our own. And when she fronts here, the words at least make her feel a little less cutoff from a sense she's always had.

If she REALLY focuses, she can see a LITTLE bit of auras in our body. Just like how we can, if we REALLY concentrate, see a few words here and there in Jas's body.