kingdom of balance
A short introduction to a plural mind
Our Plurality
General Info and the mechanisms of our plural mind in a metaphor
People of Balance
Short descriptions of some of the people written in their own words
Our works
Links to our portfolios and other sites.
Our Plurality
What do we mean by plurality?
Plurality is the state of being where more than one identity or sentience coexist in one human brain. There are a wide variety in structures, functions, origins, and dynamics of plurality in existence, some of which are disordered and some are not; some have been scientifically examined, and some have not. Regardless of the diversity, humans of many origins throughout time, have often reported having a subjective experience of plurality, some of which have been documented and classified as disordered experiences (such as DID and OSDD).We, the Kingdom of Balance, do not know the cause of our plurality. We neither seem to fit all the criteria for DID, nor did we live without overwhelming experiences in childhood. We have lived a few decades of our life without access to plural terminologies that are commonly used, and so we have our own terms for ourselves. We refer to ourselves as a kingdom instead of a “system” or “collective” as we had come up with that descriptor when we knew no other terms.
Metaphor for our plurality
Our body is like a spaceship. The brain is like the computer that controls the ship. The mind is like the operating system of the computer. And each person we have is a passenger or crew of the ship, who can “log in” to the operating system. The person sitting on the pilot “seat” and “logged in” to the operating system, is “at the front” and that person becomes connected to the mind and the body. The “pilot” then merges with the body, and their emotions start getting reflected in the body. The others in the ship can watch everything that is happening but they are not in direct control. They can want to do things and make requests but they can’t control the body directly, until they take turns piloting the body themselves or share control as a co-pilot.This has helped us cope with a lot of difficult situations in our life. Each of us have different capacities to handle different situations. So when we were in a situation that was scary for one person, another person could take the responsibility of piloting so that the first person or the body did not have to deal with the emotion while piloting.Our brain grew to accommodate more people because it was a useful way for us to live our life. However, when we tried to force ourselves to become one person, life became difficult. We concluded that being one singular consciousness is not comfortable for us. So when we are at peace we are a team that works towards living our shared life.
People of Balance
The images of the people on this site were generated using Piccrew and RinmaruGames
Social: I am a socially anxious introvert person. I have a tendency to push emotions to the back of my mind, even though I am very sensitive. Once I am comfortable in a group, I have a tendency to overshare information. I enjoy telling stories.Food: I like beef. All forms of beef. I am also interested in trying new food that we have never tried before. But besides those experiments I am more into beef and other land animal meat than most vegetables, fruit, or fish.Special Interest: I am into programming, computer music, and engineering. I like a wide variety of video game genres. RPG, strategy, FPS, combat, puzzle, and whatever else there is out there. One of my favorite games was Chrono Trigger. I also like most of Final Fantasy. I was very much into Ultima as well. Other games I love are The Legacy of Kain, Half Life, Longest Journey, Metal Gear, and recently the Blackwell Series. I’ve loved programming since we first discovered it at 13. I like superhero stories (more DC and Spawn), comic books, and anime.
Sajia
Neuromancer of Balance
Nonbinary femme (she/her/hers)
Late twentiesI am logic oriented and I love programming and technology.The past: For the second decade of our life, I would usually deal with schoolwork and anything to do with education. Many people’s perceptions of us in school were built from observing me. My experience at a young age was that expressing myself always led to ridicule or social rejection. I felt the need to maintain a stoic masculine image to be safe in public. The others were not able to maintain that if they fronted, and so I protected them from the consequences. It was not a conscious decision.
Lily
Princess of Balance
Female (she/her/hers)
Subsystem (age slide 8 to 38)I am a creative, emotional, insightful princess, who loves pleasures, new experiences, and positive attention.The past: In the first two decades of our life, I was mostly in the background but somewhat blended with Sajia. Whenever I came out accidentally at school, Sajia would get scared and push me back to protect me, because my femininity would have been noticed by bullies. I was not allowed to be adventurous because our parents were living their own traumas from their lives and were overprotective. For this and other reasons I fit the profile of a princess in a tower.Social: I like hearing about other people’s passions. I get drawn to dramatic flares of emotions.I prefer one-on-one interactions and get uncomfortable in group settings, unless its a workshop.
Food: I love most kinds of food. I love big pieces of meat, big bowls of pasta, buffets, cheesecakes, savory pies, burgers, pizza, hot dogs, biryani, and pretty much everything :). I usually don’t like red sauces (tomato sauce, salsa, etc.). I can’t stand red pepper. And I rarely eat anything that doesn’t have meat with it. But I also like trying new things that I haven’t had before.Special Interests: Kingdom Hearts is one of my biggest special interests, and other games with good stories. Social justice, psychology, sexuality are others. I am asexual, but I can feel sexual energy and can energize myself using it. I don’t need to have sex myself. I can be just as energized being around other people who are having sex. I read articles on psychology and self help almost every day. I am also very much into social justice and finding patterns between different types of oppression and social discourses.Other interests: I like art, superhero movies (mostly Marvel), comic books, whedonverse, D&D, boardgames, cooking, Pentatonix, Blackmore’s Night, costumes, and dancing.
Social: I am somewhat of a social introvert. I want to have a close group of friends whom I can have sleepovers and intimate conversations with. My headmates tell me that I tend to get flirty, but from my perspective it is just forming connections. I tend to be attracted to people who exhibit compassion. Pets bring me a lot of joy.Food: I enjoy a wide variety of food, but I particularly miss the food from Bangladesh.Special interests: I love learning about animals. When I was a child I used to love reading about animals, and watching documentaries on the animal world. I used to dream about forests and traveling to natural locations with different animals all over the world. I am not that much into video games, although I can enjoy them if I choose to play. I like visual novel style games usually.Other interests: I enjoy reading, and watching movies. I enjoy taking care of the house and making it more livable. If Sajia was not so scared of singing, I would have gotten into singing as a child. Art is fun as well, but I don’t feel any urgency for it.
Shaon - Healer of Balance
Female (she/her/hers)
Around 30 yearsI am artistic, cheerful, and compassionate, and I love animals, books, and good company.The past: I am one of the first people to emerge in the group. I have fond memories of the good parts of our childhood at home. I feel like I had all my needs met and got all the love I could have gotten. I loved playing in the garden and being surrounded by plants and earth. I miss being surrounded by my family and I miss the food from home. I remember enjoying reading, drawing, and being creative. As we grew older, I stopped coming to the front. When life got difficult, Sajia would grip the front tightly and keep anyone else away. I guess in a way she was protecting us. She saw me as the “girl in her head” during early years. I started coming to the front again when we started acknowledging our plurality.
Shaazlin
Female (she/her/hers)
Around 38 years
To be updated later when she has time
Social: I like to think I’m extroverted and lively. I also have a hard time putting my emotions aside. I tend to get angry quickly but my anger also disappears quickly after I express it. I also cry easily when something is upsetting. I also have a tendency to be clumsy. Almost every time I come out I accidentally drop something or knock something over. I feel comfortable talking with people. I am more interested in having casual conversations with people rather than “discussions” of theories.Video games: I am not into video games. I never felt the urge to play any video games. I got bored when I tried them.Special Interest: Not sure what to put here. I know I like shopping for clothing. I have good taste in clothing compared to the others.
Lilyanne
Female (she/her/hers)
24 - 28 years of ageI am social, emotional, and aestheticFood: I am mostly vegetarian. I tried eating meat but I hated it every time. I feel gross at the concept of eating burnt animal flesh. I like falafels, pierogies, lentils, pasta. I enjoy going to restaurants with a friend and chatting for a long time.
Story of Balance
Agender (she/her/hers)
Appears 14 - 15 years of age, but feels older
To be updated later when she has time
Social: I like to believe I am extroverted. I enjoy good quality humour and like to make jokes when there is no sense of danger. I also tend to be hyper vigilant if something stresses me out. I am not a fan of letting risky people into our lives. I get very protective about social justice issues and nature. I value loyalty, bravery, and compassion, and I wish to mostly connect with people who share those valuesVideo games: I have tried playing some games but it's not a big thing for me.Special Interest: I don’t know if this counts as special interest but I am interested in survival. I enjoy going camping and finding a way to live under non-luxurious circumstances. Instead of movies and tv shows, I would rather watch documentaries on people who achieved a lot, especially women. I also enjoy TED talks.
Leone: Guardian of Balance
Androgynous (he/him, they/them)
Body's ageThe past: I am one of the protectors of our kingdom. I have been around since we were in high school where we were not socially safe.Food: I am not a fan of any particular type of food. I feel the same way towards food that many asexual people feel towards sex. However, I’ve been told that I’m good at cooking.
Our Works
We& are aspiring artists and game designers. We started streaming games on Twitch from July 2020 onwards. We like exploring games with good stories and unique game play. For now our main focus is to play games we love, and to provide a quick first impression demos of the indie games that were included in the Racial Justice and Equality Bundle of itch.io