To explain the roles of each alter, I have to tap their shoulders, in a sense for permission. Danny, is the primary guardian, protector. He calls himself a field medic, from pre civil war era. When he holds the front, he reads and breathes medicine, reading and studying everything he can find on what we are living with and ways to make life a little easier for each other. He views himself as a healer, and often takes the front to help people in need we speak with. #DID #Alterintroductions #Danny

Nomika is the child among our collective, she was rendered mute around 8 years old, roughly around the time I was forced back into the closet about my transgender identity by my father. She underwent a great deal of growth over the last few years, with Danny, and Es both assisting on helping keep her safe and ensuring that she has the best of childhood we can provide her, even in our shared headspace. She is the inspiration for my drawings and artwork. #DID #Alterintroductions #Nomika

Es is the maternal self, she loves and cares for everyone and nurtures everyone that allows her to help. She is something of an otherkin, I suppose, she calls herself a dragon. Very rarely does she step to the front, but when she does, she usually has something really important to say or address. She has a keen awareness of patterns in behavior and word choices, more so than I take notice of. #DID #Alterintroductions

(She gets a really curious quirk in her maw when she laughs and is in a good mood. I like having her around, makes me feel like my own mom is still looking out for me.) Q is a blended role, the sensual and the hyper vigilant, she is often perceived as the altruistic part of my identity's. Hell, she's the one that nudges me along to open up more to everyone around me. #DID #Alterintroductions

Asuka is the masking self, she and Shade are connected, exchanging one for the other often when it comes to fight or flight situations and confrontations. They both are linked and are quite direct, blunt even to a hurtful point at times with their perceptions of the world and matters going on around us. Shade however, is the fighter self, she surfaces usually when I can't take anymore and pushes me to the backseat into something like a box. #DID #Alterintroductions

When they switch with me, I'm usually pushed back into a state where I cannot speak/hear/do anything. It's been explained as a form of amnesia as I often don't remember when Shade or Asuka take the front, but I have something of an unspoken agreement with all of them to introduce themselves if they come to the front while I'm online interacting with anyone to help lessen confusion. #DID #Alterintroductions

FAQ's:
It is a frightening thing to have happen, being locked away inside of your own mind. You can hear murmurs of the others there constantly, and their presences too, but the two most aggressive tend to avoid taking the front until it's the most extreme of circumstances. We are harmless, misunderstandings happen and talking them out often helps clarify what they are dealing with and facing. The only times I've been locked away as the core-self, is when we are in a fight. 1/

FAQ's: Yes, we do communicate with one another, almost like sitting at a round table facing each other. Sometimes we pace in the headspace, impatience is a common trait among us when it comes to taking a turn to speak or do anything, and we always ask for permission from the protector selves to ensure we are not surfacing at a bad time for the core, Melrose. 2/

FAQ's: No, we do not act without a clear consent from the protector roled selves. Switching takes a lot of spoons, and sometimes we can't help but surface when we heard a song we like, or see a toy or game we enjoy and identify with. More often than not, you are speaking with Melrose here, so no worry of confusion. Last night was the first time Danny, and Es, worked together to speak up and out about transphobic presences.

FAQ's: It's like sharing a home, but the walls are paper thin, and you don't get to always stay in your seat, sometimes you have to switch a seat with someone to help lessen stress/anxiety/what have you - there are triggers that causes us to switch, but it's something we're still learning about ourselves and discovering one instance at a time. It's not easy to live with this many in the headspace, at times it can be outright exhausting because of how 'noisy' it can get in the headspace.

The other day for instance, when I mentioned having white noise issues, it was them fighting over some internal matter. I tune into music and put on sound canceling headphones in order to lessen the distress I experience when they get like that. Like siblings or a family, we do have disagreements on decisions and things we do, but at the end of the day, we always come to agreements and compromises that work for us all.

If there's any further questions, we're open ears and eyes. Each of us are eager to help build understsanding about us and our presence. We know this sounds crazy but we really like you guys.

We know it can be confusing, we will try to hashtag name ourselves if we switch at the keyboard. Sometimes it's almost like automatic writing for us, only switching in part, co-conscious. But we love this community and how wide the spectrum the members are here.

@PaganMother
Thank you for being brave enough to share this information. It's really helpful. Survivors of childhood trauma need to be more open about who they are and why they are that way. It will help lessen the stigma surrounding what they call our mental illness, which is basically just our brain doing what it can to protect us from what happened to us -- guarding us to make sure it doesn't happen again.

@Oma_Trisha We agree, informed approach is often hard to do, and it takes a lot to speak of it, but we know that mental health is something of a troubled topic in todays society. We mask, like Asuka and Shade often, in order to keep ourselves safe but sometimes we find a moment to open the door to share, and build a greater understanding of who we are, and what we live with so others can learn too.

@Oma_Trisha Admittedly, we are excited to be able to speak and share of our experiences and our life, a bit of a scramble between us to speak in turn at the moment, but this is a step in self confidence that we, and Melrose all needed to express ourselves without fear of shame or reprisal.

@PaganMother @Oma_Trisha I try to be open about my mental health issues when it comes up. I feel that since I don't feel ashamed, and can't feel peer pressure, that puts me into a better position than people who suffer from the slings and arrows of others, and it makes sense for me to speak up where others might not feel able to.

@AskTheDevil @Oma_Trisha Exactly, this community is outstandingly unique for that particular supportive atmosphere. It's scary at first, Es is cautious, but the rest of us are quite comfortable sharing and helping others understand.

@PaganMother @AskTheDevil

I used to be ashamed to tell people about what I went through as a child and young adult, but I realized hiding what happened to me doesn't help anyone and that possibly my speaking up may give someone else the courage to speak up as well or to leave an abusive situation. It wasn't easy in the beginning, but I'm getting more comfortable with it now. We have to stop being ashamed of what we've been through and who we are.

@PaganMother From what I read here, I take it that you have DID? That's something I have a lot of experience with so no judgment here. And much love to you&.

@divinedeathly Thank you, and yes, we don't often co-conscious like we are today, but given the artwork we worked together on, we anted to help others understand who we are, and our roles in Melrose's life.

@PaganMother

It’s a real honor to hear from you all. Thank you so much for sharing. 🌸

@ATXJane We thank you for taking the time to read and listen. There's a lot that we struggle with on a day-to-day basis, but we manage okay working collaboratively. #Taurussystem

@PaganMother I've known a few people with DiD before. It's a way to cope with the trauma you've all endured.

This world hasn't been easy on any of us I think, and pressure can be mutagenic to the soul.

I'm a safe person and an ally

@PaganMother Always fun to watch people argue about whether you exist, or your experiences are real. ; )

@AskTheDevil It can be upsetting at times, even with what we appear as in visualization of the artwork, but we are as real as anyone else is, the only thing we lack, is individual bodies.

@Mauve_matelot @lilyunsub Yes actually, we're DID sibs in fact! We both are very creative souls with a lot of love for our creative works. <3 We support one another!

@artildawn Yes, we call ourselves the Taurus System, we find the name fits us well as we do share the taurus star sign for the core self.