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The term "Co-fronting"


Lucilyn

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Guest Reilyn-Alley

Seems like it was an independent blog on WordPress till it got moved.

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  • 2 weeks later...

We're trying really hard to wrap our minds around all this, so please correct us if we're totally off the mark about something.

 

From what we understand, fronting seems to be synonymous with possession? We're still uncertain whether switching is also synonymous with possession or not. From previous posts and definitions, it appears to be a contested point. To be honest, Night and I both prefer the words "fronting" and "switching" over the word "possession" because of its negative connotations in contexts unrelated to tulpamancy (i.e. one takes control at the expense of the other). But that's beside the point.

 

Anyway, regarding the term "co-fronting", I thought of an interesting and potentially stupid analogy while driving home from work the other day. Has anyone here watched the show Steven Universe? What we currently understand about co-fronting kind of reminds me of fusion. (All the spoilers I've marked are just spoilers of who fuses with who, nothing plot related).

 

For anyone unfamiliar with the show, it features "aliens" that are basically gemstones that project a physical form around themselves made of light. Because they are made of light instead of organic matter, they are able to shapeshift, summon magical weapons, and various other weird things that organic organisms can't really do. Fusion is when two (or more) individual gems fuse their forms into one, creating a new gem. For example, when the characters

Amethyst and Pearl fuse, they form another character named Opal

.

 

Once fused, all the component gems maintain their own consciousness and awareness of the body and its surroundings, and can interact with each other. This is seen when

Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst argue with each other while fused as Alexandrite, or when Lapis holds Jasper in the Malachite fusion, or even when Steven and Connie talk to each other and express their own individual thoughts while fused as Stevonnie

. But at the same time, the minds of the component gems work together to speak, maneuver the body, etc. As a result, fusions often end up having personalities and powers that are a mix of the component gem's personalities and powers. And if fused for a long period of time, the component gems may start to lose their sense of individuality and start to identify more as the fusion itself (I think this may be similar to what Reilyn described as "blending").

 

It's also significant to note that some fusions are more stable that others. If the personalities or opinions of two gems clash, or they dislike each other, or one of them is emotionally distraught, then the fusion is incredibly unstable and sometimes breaks apart because the two minds can't work together to control the fusion. On the other hand, two gems that get along really well, such as romantically, can stay fused seemingly indefinitely (such as

Sapphire and Ruby always remaining fused as Garnet because of their love for each other

). Additionally, fusions become more and more difficult to maintain when more gems are thrown into the mix, because then more minds have to work together. That's why fusions of more than two gems are exceedingly rare. In fact, there have only ever been four in the show:

Alexandrite, Sardonyx, Sugilite

, and Fluorite, and only Fluorite is stable enough to maintain her form permanently.

 

If you just replace the word "fusion" with "co-fronting" and the word "gem" with "host/tulpa", it seems to be pretty similar. But hey, that's just my take on it.


| Zero || Night |

 

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Switching is when one party takes on the role of the host/ controls both the mind and the body as themselves. Possession is where the one who isn't switched in takes control of the body, but without assuming association as with switching. Co fronting seems to be somewhere in between.

 

What happens in Steven Universe is more similar to blending, where in 2+ system members become the same entity for a period of time thinking as each other. And when they communicate independently that is analogous to systemates talking normally.

 

Also, in the base ball episode there were 4 or 5 rubys fused together

I have a tulpa named Miela who I love very much.

 

 
"People put quotes in their signatures, right?"

-Me

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I don't see "fusion" as being similar to co-fronting, or even blending. It's made very clear that fusing in the show results in the two gems forming to become something new. That would be more akin to merging: two thoughtforms becoming one. Blending is just when your thoughts are affecting each other's, it's not the same as you becoming a single identity. If a merge were to have the independent members start talking to each other or acting separately, well then that's not a merge anymore.

 

Cartoon analogy aside, here's how my own definitions are. Ofc they're different for others, but this is personally how I use these words.

 

Possessing: controlling the body, to any extent (full or partial)

[align=justify]Fronting: controlling the full body while being the active thinker

Co-fronting: multiple people are controlling/connected to the body and are actively thinking[/align]

Switching: one is fronting while the other is inactive

 

If a tulpa in our system is fronting solo, but the host is still there, we don't call it co-fronting, because 99.99% of the time the host isn't actively doing anything, just passively watching. If Indigo and I are actively doing things together in the front, then we call that co-fronting.

 

If two people are both aware but one of them isn't doing anything, I'd probably just call that co-conscious, not co-fronting.

 💡 The Felights 💡 https://felight.carrd.co/  💡

🪐 Cosmicals: 🔥 Apollo Fire the Sun God (12/3/16) Piano Soul the Star Man (1/26/17)

🐉 Mythicals: ☁️ Indigo Blue the Sky Dragon (10/2/17), 🦑 Gelato Sweet the Sea Monster (12/11/22)

🦇 Nycticals:  Dynamo Lux the Shock Rocker (3/3/17), 🎸 Radio Hiss the Song Demon (2/8/00)

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So the difference in switching and "fronting" is whether or not I'm talkin' to Lumi? I think your definition of fronting refers to a state (of the system) I've never even really heard of..

it kinda feels like a pair of definitions that only fit your system, but I guess from your perspective they're very obvious states huh? I just feel like we need a lot more people experiencing those states before terms on them can be clear

 

since fronting isn't our (.info's) term, I still don't want to separate it from switching/possession, I think it means the same thing, just being in control in one way or another so that you're "the main person in front"

Hi, I'm one of Lumi's tulpas! I like rain and dancing and dancing in the rain and if there's frogs there too that's bonus points.

I think being happy and having fun makes life worth living, so spreading happiness is my number one goal!

Talk to us? https://community.tulpa.info/thread-ask-lumi-s-tulpas

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I think if you're switched, but you talk to your host, it would still be switching if the host goes inactive once you stop giving them attention, aka they are only temporarily active. You're still the dominant thinker there, and his activity requires your attention.

 💡 The Felights 💡 https://felight.carrd.co/  💡

🪐 Cosmicals: 🔥 Apollo Fire the Sun God (12/3/16) Piano Soul the Star Man (1/26/17)

🐉 Mythicals: ☁️ Indigo Blue the Sky Dragon (10/2/17), 🦑 Gelato Sweet the Sea Monster (12/11/22)

🦇 Nycticals:  Dynamo Lux the Shock Rocker (3/3/17), 🎸 Radio Hiss the Song Demon (2/8/00)

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