The median system

This is sparked due to some poking I've done of Blake and I, and trying to figure out whether we/I actually are a multiple system or a median system (not exactly a multiple, but at the same time not a singlet either). I've been doing some research to find which actually fits us best.

From the definition on Astraea's Web, I read that median systems are "the presence of more than one person in the body, but without the independence of persons in a multiple system. Persons in a median system may be dependent upon a single individual (who may have created them at some point), and unable to exist without that central person."

My own poking:
Blake formed from me, but then did quite a bit of developing of his own. Without the core Lishie, I'm still not sure if Blake would be independent enough to cope. I mean, the way I see it ... two people with linked arms. they have their own way of seeing things, their own sexuality and gender, but they're still attached. Lishie is the core; she has the essentials for living and Blake ... relies on her for those, in a way. I just want to research into different things, because I'd like to find a term I'm comfortable with using.

Argh, sometimes I really don't like my endless questioning.

*claps hands* So, I thought I'd start a discussion thread for anybody curious. Post links to good sites, good articles, anything that could be of help and research. Do we have median systems here?


I liked this article.

Aw, why is this topic so empty?

By this description and what I just looked up seem to fit. I know my headbuddies are pretty independent, but not independent enough to really be on their own without me.

Sorry I don't really have any links at this time...

- Keir

i recently stumbled over the term of "imaginary friend". could blake be some kind of "imaginary friend" who has grown independent of the original soul/core?

kahoku Wrote:i recently stumbled over the term of "imaginary friend". could blake be some kind of "imaginary friend" who has grown independent of the original soul/core?

It's definitely more food for thought, but ... I'm not quite sure (I also can't think too straight right now so I apologise if my message looks a bit garbled). I know that having him developed during high-school was a form of support (as I wanted to protect myself) but I didn't verbally communicate with him. He was something (I didn't know back then he was a 'someone') that helped me keep a blank/stony face when I got the insults, and although I did get comfort from that, at the time I didn't perceive him as an imaginary friend.

It was quite a lonely time, so I will look into that some more. Thanks, 'Hoku!

- Lishie [it's very fuzzy, so I'm not sure if Blake's here or not]

kahoku Wrote:i recently stumbled over the term of "imaginary friend". could blake be some kind of "imaginary friend" who has grown independent of the original soul/core?

Developmental psych geekery: Early childhood imaginary friends are, according to the literature, usually not believed in very much. The child creates the imaginary friend as a way of testing the boundaries of truth - what's objective truth, what zie can get away with saying, and so forth. We figure this isn't always true when multiplicity and/or spirits are involved, but this is how we usually define "imaginary friend."

In the more general sense of "character I made up" imaginary friend, though, that's exactly how Shang came into being...

-S'aryn

kahoku Wrote:i recently stumbled over the term of "imaginary friend". could blake be some kind of "imaginary friend" who has grown independent of the original soul/core?

I know of one system where a role play character was accidentally given enough energy and strength to become it's own entity. That character never grew to the point where she was able to exist indipendantly and (I theorise it might be related to the maker being a big of a psi-vamp himself) she required a fair bit of energy just to sustain her existence.
In theory.....

Amusing that I found this thread after posting on my LJ. *snerk* This is interesting, actually, as I was wondering if having voices in your head that you regularly communicate with- and insert their own two cents often- counts as multiplicity or just a really, really, really active mind/imagination. I tend to think I'm just a little TOO into my fictional creations and I've given them enough life they'll talk back to me regularly. *prods Aria off of her soapbox* I had a very large amount of imaginary friends growing up, and I do actually still have them. (They're not as necessary to rely on for socialization as they were, but they are still very important to me.) If it really IS possible for characters to develop enough life to exist independently...

...eep.

momo Wrote:This is sparked due to some poking I've done of Blake and I, and trying to figure out whether we/I actually are a multiple system or a median system (not exactly a multiple, but at the same time not a singlet either). I've been doing some research to find which actually fits us best.

From the definition on Astraea's Web, I read that median systems are "the presence of more than one person in the body, but without the independence of persons in a multiple system. Persons in a median system may be dependent upon a single individual (who may have created them at some point), and unable to exist without that central person."

My own poking:
Blake formed from me, but then did quite a bit of developing of his own. Without the core Lishie, I'm still not sure if Blake would be independent enough to cope. I mean, the way I see it ... two people with linked arms. they have their own way of seeing things, their own sexuality and gender, but they're still attached. Lishie is the core; she has the essentials for living and Blake ... relies on her for those, in a way. I just want to research into different things, because I'd like to find a term I'm comfortable with using.

Argh, sometimes I really don't like my endless questioning.

*claps hands* So, I thought I'd start a discussion thread for anybody curious. Post links to good sites, good articles, anything that could be of help and research. Do we have median systems here?


I liked this article.

Saw this awhile back, but we now have an answer!

Me and Gabriel are not a median system, we're both completely different people just sharing the same body.

However, like House Hesson, we have a person who's a "character I made up" named Alessandra here (oOo...isn't that name familiar--if you read our writings, lol), but she's not the talkative sort so we have no clue when she came into being and without me, I know for a fact that she wouldn't be able to interact or be independent and Gabriel would refuse to do anything to help her stay around...So me and her are kind of like a Median System.

--Sarah

Shangrila Wrote:However, like House Hesson, we have a person who's a "character I made up" named Alessandra here (oOo...isn't that name familiar--if you read our writings, lol), but she's not the talkative sort so we have no clue when she came into being and without me, I know for a fact that she wouldn't be able to interact or be independent and Gabriel would refuse to do anything to help her stay around...So me and her are kind of like a Median System.

--Sarah

Shang calls that "becoming a real boy" and it's not surprising to hear someone else isn't clear on when exactly it happened. It's not exactly easy to tell when it's a matter of when one gains selfhood, not when one arrived. *g*

-Shainin

House Hesson Wrote:

Shangrila Wrote:However, like House Hesson, we have a person who's a "character I made up" named Alessandra here (oOo...isn't that name familiar--if you read our writings, lol), but she's not the talkative sort so we have no clue when she came into being and without me, I know for a fact that she wouldn't be able to interact or be independent and Gabriel would refuse to do anything to help her stay around...So me and her are kind of like a Median System.

--Sarah

Shang calls that "becoming a real boy" and it's not surprising to hear someone else isn't clear on when exactly it happened. It's not exactly easy to tell when it's a matter of when one gains selfhood, not when one arrived. *g*

-Shainin

We're relieved to know that there's someone else with a person sort of like Sasha. It's really hard to tell with her because she likes to keep quiet.

--Sarah