#co-fronting

[frameacloud]

When you're talking to a member of a plural system, and you mention something that interests their headmate, so they rush up to co-front

[doin-just-fine]

How it feels to be us.

For questioning systems, specifically those who do not fit the typical DID/OSDD criteria, this will be an in depth dive into how our brain works as we understand it right now!

Bellow is all of us, The Super Fine System. 🛸 DoinFine (23) is on top and from left to right is ☁️ Cloud (~22) , 🌾 Summer (24) and 🧸 Bean (~8).

This is how we "appear in the head space". Technically, we don't have a visual headspace and we don't literally see each other. For us it's kind of like wondering around a space with the light turned off but we all have psychic proximity so we can sense each other when we're in proximity to each other. Even more technically, only DoinFine has psychic proximity in this way and I🛸 don't actually know what everyone else experiences up here.

🛸 I am a front stuck host. It's like I'm plugged in to the front. We call it being stuck in the chair because it's an easy way to explain it but I don't actually feel stuck in a literal chair. I just sort of feel glued in place. I feel like I am the front. Some systems talk about a control panel. I feel like I am the control panel. All I can really do is experience the outside world, sense when someone else is close to the front with my psychic proximity, and imagine what certain events that unfold in my head look like visually to kind of help make sense of it.

🛸 The thing about being front stuck is that I can never leave so we don't have traditional amnesia. What we do have is difficulty with memory recall but usually we'll get there eventually with enough description from an outside party and Emotional Amnesia. The best way to describe Emotional Amnesia is as if you're rewatching a movie but now the movie has no sound and is in black and white. Or like you're watching the movie from way across the room and through really thick glass.

🛸 The other thing about being front stuck in such a permanent way is that no one else can fully front. They all have to through me. This is why I feel like the control panel sometimes is because everyone has to operate and filter through me. This turns Cloud, Summer, and Bean into this:

Here are the originals for comparison.

🛸 Like I said before I can't see anybody nor can I hear anybody. But through the psychic proximity I can feel them and I can feel their vibe, emotions, and if their close enough or "touching" me I can hear them. Example: making these picrews was me making them and doing what I think they'd like and then feeling their reaction. It's genuinely fascinating because I will add something that I think looks good and I'll pause and tune in and feel, especially from Cloud, the vibe of "No, I don't like that." and if I'm really not doing a good job I'll hear a "I would never wear that." I don't actually hear another voice it's more of a passing thought and opinion that very much differs from my own. Thats how we figured out what everyone looks like.

Back to the filtered versions of my head mates. Some systems would describe this as being blurry, blendy, or just co-con. We feel blendy would fit this best. we know for some systems, like our partner system, blended alters can be their own solid individuals with unique names, pronouns, thought, and feelings. However, this is not the case for all systems and definitely not for us. The level of blended changes based on how close the person is to DoinFine.

This was particularly hard to navigate at the beginning of realizing we were a system because everyone talks about switching in and out and we don't do that. This fed our denial spirals for a good long while.

DoinFine has only ever not be in the front maybe twice. Bean seems to be the only one able to boot DoinFine to passenger with ease and has only done it once. The other time Cloud was bonding with his friend in our partner's system and DoinFine consciously decided to try and "look around" the head space (still not sure how to translate that literally) to see if they could learn more info. Cloud is our gatekeeper though so they didn't learn much nor did they full achieve disconnect but Cloud found himself front stuck for a second. We think this only happened because he's never co-fronted before and didn't know how to leave.

After writing that here's some information we may have pieced together. The first level of "fronting": Bleed Over and and Passive Influence is what DoinFine gets from the other head mates on our average day. The second level of "fronting": As someone get close to the front the influence becomes stronger which turns it into being blendy. This when someone sits on the bench with DoinFine or, in Cloud's case, standing just behind it. We don't make it past here very often. This is also where we have to give a heads up to those around us incase unexpected mannerism come through. The third and final level of "fronting": is reaching Co-Fronting where DoinFine stops driving but is still up front and can let the other person "have a turn". Typically it will look like the other person is Fronting on their own. This usually because in these instances who ever is co-fronting usually wants their time to exist as a person.

With Cloud getting front stuck briefly, that was DoinFine consciously and willingly taking "a back seat". Bean still holds the title for being the only one of us to kick DoinFine out of the drivers seat and forcing a co-front without anyone realizing until it was already happening. It wasn't even on Cloud's radar that maybe the 8 year old could be that powerful in the front. He was watching the interaction and suddenly DoinFine and Bean had swapped places and he began to panic only a little bit.

When it comes to our internal communication we don't lol. We communicate by verbally talking out loud to each other. Other things we do is use apps to text to each other. DoinFine, psychic proximity only gets us so far. All though they are developing a new technique where they kind of vaguely think about a question or theorize about an answer and then they try to tune into Cloud who's almost always with in proximity and tries to gage his emotions to tell them the answer or if their theory is correct. We have found that Cloud does not mind revealing information in this way. He still won't reveal everything though. For example we were trying to figure out when everyone first appeared in the headspace, when we got to Cloud he wouldn't tell us obviously but DoinFine noticed that when they would try and guess his vibe and emotions would almost play like a hot and cold game. When we were too far back he would almost boast about how, "i've been here way before that" and when we were too far forward we could feel collectively that it wasn't right. We eventually narrowed it down to early on in our time on this earth but when we were starting to get too close to specifics Cloud stopped the game and wouldn't provide anymore information.

🛸 Though I can tune in to vibes, emotions, and sometimes thoughts I can't access anyone completely. I think It's Cloud and he keeps tight tabs on everyone, I can gather information about people as individuals but nothing about the headspace, how this place works, and if anyone else is around. Though this is frustrating I can feel Cloud and trust that his intentions are good despite his rude way of executing them. I can feel that he is very familiar with me, and he knows what I can handle and when I'm ready for it. He is very much an older brother type. And I do trust that I will learn things when I'm ready for them. I also get the sense that he doesn't know EVERYTHING like he says he does and sometimes he just doesn't have the information and pretends like he's just keeping it from me. As for what everyone else knows I can't get a read on them. Bean is rarely around and it flips back and forth for Summer whether or not she knows things that Cloud knows or is just as clueless as me. Only time will tell I guess. I hope this is helpful or at least interesting to someone.

I’ve been trying to map how we work for a year now and this is where I’m at. I'm sure this will all change as I grow more familiar with my new situation. But for now if anyone has any question feel free to ask them, we are more than happy to answer anything. Questions from other people help us figure stuff out for ourselves.

Remember, you are valid in you're experiences!!!

[bittyfromquotev]

So along with that “Recently Closed Tabs” thing, last night I felt like the body was not mine.

I mean obviously it’s not. It’s OUR body, but last night it felt different. It felt weird.

Also I’m starting to realize that I have random, weird memory gaps or memories that don’t seem real/right.

Switching, we guess.

So unless someone has a better idea, any time someone “co-fronts”, we’re just gonna put their proxy and not mine along with it.

Rah.

[mossy-grove-system]

Hihihi Sakura here!!!! I just wanted to say that if you haven't already, take your meds - eat food - drink water - and take a break!!

Make sure to stretch your body and give your eyes a stretch and a break too!!!

[the-indigo-symphony]

One of the weirdest things of co-fronting is not the sharing [of] moving a body – you get used to that after a while. It's when you forget something, like what to write or where an item you need is, so your other is like "here let me do it for you" and you're just dragged along as they do whatever it is you needed. Like, thanks, but also being shown in real time that you guys can remember stuff I can't throws me for a loop sometimes, no matter how much I've come to expect and understand it

[plural-culture-is]

Hi! I recently found out that I'm very likely OSDD. My therapist stated that he doesn't think I'm distinct enough for a DID diagnosis, which I guess he's right as I still feel like they're all parts of me (and I'm not used to using "we" to call myself... yet?). I'm also not aware of any amnesia for full switching (twice and those only lasted for like less than an hour and I'm at contralling front again, if you know what I mean lol), so I guess I might be OSDD 1a and 1b.

The thing is, that makes us difficult to tell who is who, unless someone being relatively distinct speaks inside my headspace then I can tell by the tone or the contex (there's a "demon" and a "gaurdian angel"), and my little self doesn't show her preference difference except for that one time of short period of full switch. We don't really have our own names other than the name that this person has been living with. What else can we do to try to find out who are blended in co front/co con?

Also, how do we tell if one is DID but almost always co front/co con, or if that's OSDD 1b? Does OSDD 1b basically means DID/OSDD 1a but always co front/co con?

Figuring out who's who is something that generally gets easier with practice, but some things you can do is finding or writing a list of questions you can look over when you're blurry. These questions would be things like preferences, interests, age, pronouns, appearance, etc, whatever might be helpful for you. It's okay to not know the answers to the questions, but even just going with what seems sort of right can be helpful. You could also try looking through your system list to see who fits you best. And maybe if this isn't working because you aren't distinct enough, if you want to try to become more distinct, you could try things like finding names and separate interests. But as a side note, it's okay not to know who you are, you don't always have to know, and learning to be okay with sitting in the blurriness can be helpful.

OSDD-1b is DID but without amnesia. DID with rare complete switching is called partial-DID.

We used to think our host was permanently frontstuck and we could only co-front with him, until we found out we're monoconscious. That means we share a consciousness, so when we switch, we feel ourselves become the new fronter, rather than it feeling like someone is taking control of your body and the last fronter going into the innerworld or going unconscious. Although if you are able to do possession, as in you feel like another headmate is taking some or full control of the body from you, then you wouldn't be monoconscious, and you would always just be co-front in your case, and may have amnesia but you may only be able to tell after a full switch (which it sounds like you've experienced).

It does sound like you have OSDD-1a because your headmates aren't that distinct and they feel like parts of you, and you have some amnesia. Remember you aren't always aware of amnesia, and even if you do only have a small amount, it could still be enough to qualify for an OSDD-1a diagnosis.

[theglassdragoncollective]

Current fronting vibe: sickly Victorian child (adult), estranged rich uncle who is definitely not a vampire, and Ryan (bisexual)

[pluralprompts]

Submitted Prompt #10

Headmate A and Headmate B are usually co-conscious of each other when the other fronts, talking with one another and co-fronting when the other wants to show them something. They're both mutually pining but neither of them realize it. One day Headmate C and Headmate D make a bet on how long it takes for the two to end up together.