You ended up in a new body on Earth one way or another. You might be confused, you might be angry, you might be sad, you might be not sure what’s going on. That’s okay. I was and still am, even after being here for just about a week.
This post is meant to be a guide for people who ended up here, in a system, alone in a new body, etc. A document of things I’ve learned and things you should know. Things to help you cope, information about this world, etc. Carry on if you need a little bit of help.
This Planet: Earth.
This planet, the one you’re on right now, is called Earth. Earth is inhabited by humans as the dominant species--you’re in the body of one right now. If you’d like, you can check yourself out in a mirror, or look up some information about humans on the internet, if you don’t know much about them already.
If you don’t know already, the internet is probably what you’re reading this on right now. There should be a search bar right at the top of your screen. You can type anything into there to look it up and find information about it.
If you don’t know something, the internet has a LOT of information. You can look up info about what to eat, what to do for fun, what certain things are, any information about this universe you’ll need. There’s no shame in looking things up if you need some help.
Your Body.
This body is your new home and you need to look after it. Feed it when it’s hungry, drink plenty of water, rest and/or sleep when you’re tired... The list goes on. It might be hard to do these things at first if you’re not used to doing them, but they’re necessary for your body to function properly.
Your body will have a name, at the very least. That’s the name you’ll most likely have to outwardly go by. The body’s pronouns may be different and the body’s gender may be different than yours too. You need to know these things so you can present as the body to the people who are in this universe.
You might also notice yourself changing over time, that’s normal and all a part of adjusting to this world. I’ve only been here for a little while and I’ve already noticed some of the words I use changing. You’re not going to lose who you are, you’re just adjusting.
While you’re here, take the time to write down your memories and information about your past universe somewhere, just in case these memories fade over time and you don’t want to lose them. It can be in public or in private--we personally use a private Discord server to write down our memories in!
Journalling can be very helpful when you’re new here. Write down things you’ve learned, things you want to do, things you’ve achieved. Looking back on all the progress you’ve made feels good.
Systems.
Chances are, you ended up in a body with other people. If not, disregard this part--skip to the next!
A system is a group of people living in one body. You’re a part of one now. The people you now share a body with are here to help--chances are that’s why they showed you this guide if you didn’t find it yourself--and they should help you get used to the body and the world you now live in.
There’s so much to learn about systems and you’ll slowly learn all of the terms you need to know. There’s a lot, so don’t overwhelm yourself with all of the little details right away. Take breaks, take your time to learn, ask for help from the others in your body if you need it.
A few helpful terms for systems include:
Fronting: Being in control of the body.
Switching: Switching control of the body with someone else.
Headmate: Someone sharing the body with you.
Headspace: A mental area where you go when you’re not fronting.
Fictive: A headmate considered fictional by this world’s standards.
Factive: A headmate who is someone who existed in this world at some point.
Soulbond: A headmate deliberately or accidentally contacted from another world.
Walk-In: An entity arriving in a body after birth at some point, usually with memories of living another life.
It might be possible to soulbond people from your home world, though it can be hard and takes effort. There’s so many ways to soulbond someone that it’d be hard to explain it all here. Personally, we basically astral project to contact someone and then bring them here as a headmate. Sometimes they’re here permanently (a permanent resident) and other times they’re here temporarily (day-tripper). Soulbondinghelp on Tumblr has a lot of information about soulbonding and such if you’d like to check them out!
I’m Fictional?
In this universe, your home universe may be considered fictional. If not, skip to the next part.
My universe is considered fictional here, and most of the people in my body have the same experience. You might have stories, art, music, movies, tv shows, etc of you out there. It might be weird to look at, it might be frightening, it might even feel invasive. These are all normal things to go through when realising that your universe is fiction in this one. Just know that there are others out there going through the same thing, and that it’s okay to feel the emotions you’re feeling.
Keep in mind that no one knows that you’re x person from y media unless you tell them. You don’t need to deal with creepy fans, you don’t need to deal with people out to get you, you don’t need to deal with any of that. It’ll all be okay. Most people won’t believe you if you tell them who you really are, but there are some spaces where you can still be yourself--more on that later.
The fictional media your universe is closest to would be called your “source”. There might be other people from your source that you can meet and talk to to feel more at home, even if they’re not from your exact universe. You might even end up running into someone from your home universe at some point--that’s called a canonmate. Keep in mind that multiple universes also means multiple versions of you though, so you might run into one at some point as well.
Homesickness and Dysphoria.
You might be feeling homesick, lonely or even dysphoric about the world and body you’re living in. That’s normal and is something you’re definitely not alone in. Some of you might be able to “walk-out” and go home, or elsewhere--but not everyone can. Those that are able to walk-out should be allowed to, however, if this life isn’t working for them.
To those of you that can’t leave--you’re not alone. There are so many others here just like you that have to cope with this new world. It’s probably confusing and hard to adjust to, but it’ll get so much easier in time. This is a new life, a new chance, a new experience. This life is a chance to remember your past, learn from it, and get to live anew.
To cope with missing home and your old body, try making this universe reminiscent of your old one. Don’t obsess over it too much, but if it’d make this world more comfortable, you could try:
Using incense/other things that smell like home.
Eating safe food similar to what you used to eat (if you ate).
Decorating your room to feel more like home.
Wearing clothes that remind you of what you used to look like.
Listening to music or soundscapes that remind you of home. (Mynoise and tabletopaudio are great sites!)
Hang around others from similar universes, if possible.
Maybe even watching/reading/etc your source material, if you have one and it’s not too uncomfortable.
Safe Communities.
There’s some places where you can go to talk about your experiences, without being seen as weird. Some generally safe communities on the internet include the plural (or system) community, the otherkin/fictionkin/therian community (usually), or the alterhuman community--which is the big umbrella term for all sorts of not-quite-human or not “normally” human things--which is probably your best bet.
Try looking on Disboard for Discord servers you can join to talk about your experiences, using tags such as “plural”, “alterhuman”, etc. You can look around on this site for people with the same experiences as you, you can look on places like Amino, Instagram, any site, really. There are people out there that are willing to help--me included. If you can’t find anywhere that’ll help you out, my DMs and asks are open.
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