Information About the Midnight Empire
(Meta note: if I did not include something, it's because I haven't come up with the information on it yet, not because it doesn't exist.)
Founded within 1000-D and stretching all over Destiny-Alduran, the Mindight Empire is a multiversal organisation dedicated to the study of all worlds and the protection of those under its wings. It established the World ID naming system, an inter-dimensional travel network, a great deal of categorisation of worlds, and much more. To read up on the structure of multiverses and universes, visit the worldbuilding blog.
Notable worlds include:
- 0001-D: Destiny Prime
- 0002-D: (PSEUDO-LOCKED)
- 0100-D: Blinding Light AU
- 1000-D: Eternal Midnight AU
- S1-D: a magical testing ground (ENTRANCE LIMITED TO IRED ONLY)
- S7-D: Intertwined (ENTRANCE LIMITED TO IRED ONLY)
- S13-D: Satellite Battery World (LOCKED)
- S2-D–S6-D; S8-D–S12-D; S14-d–S20-D: Eternal Midnight's Satellites (hub of the travel network)
- D1-D: a now-deteriorated deadworld whose Children of Destiny have migrated to 1000-D; original name unknown
- D15-D: Eternal Twilight, a re-stablised deadworld that is now heavily connected with 1000-D; shares commonalities with Destiny Prime, but also has major differences; cause of prior instability unknown
- D76-D: the oldest known deadworld in Destiny, codenamed Black Hole; serves as an inverse to Blinding Light
- 001-A: Alduran Prime
- The Dream Realm: a "realm" to the Omniverse itself, a void-like place which exists outside reality and can be bent to the wishes of any who enter. As its name implies, only one's subconscious self can enter the Dream Realm, and all that occurs during their stay has no direct effect on their physical body. It is most frequently utilised for private, inter-dimensional communication or as a method of faux time travel
The Empire is run by a Twilight Council comprised of the heads of each of its divisions, as well as advisors to the Emperor. The list of divisions within the Empire goes as follows:
- The Inter-dimensional Research and Exploration Division (IRED): a branch dedicated to the investigation of key universes within and outside Destiny-Alduran
The member list of the Twilight Council goes as follows:
- 1000-D Dee-Dee/Midnight/Aura Kuro: Emperess/Emperor/Monarch (typically Midnight takes charge, so they are referred to as Emperor unless a specific alter is being spoken of)
- Juno Nightingale: Direct Advisor to the Emperor, Vice President of the Inter-dimensional Research and Exploration Division
- D1-D Daigo/Eclipse: Advisor to the Emperor (note: this world's equivalent of the Celestial magic Eclipse is named Solar Eclipse)
- D15-D Dee-Dee/Midnight Kuro: Advisor to the Emperor
- 1000-D Cassidy Fox: President of the Inter-dimensional Research and Exploration Division
Q&A: About the Galaxy System
Q: How can I tell who's piloting?
A: Online, we use certain emojis as identifiers of sorts, typically somewhere on our profile such as in the description or status. The emojis in question are:
- 🌹 (rose) - Atticus
- 🌌 (galaxy) - June
- 🏵 (rosette) - Robyn
- 🕯 (candle) - James
- ⚔️ (swords) - Archie
- 🌌⭐ (galaxy + star) - Juju
- 🌌🖋 (galaxy + pen) - Simon
- 📚 (books) - Asher
Please note that depending on your operating system, these emojis may look different or even not appear at all.
We also encourage asking if you're unsure! We actually really like when people try to know more about us individually.
Q: Do you have DID/OSDD-1?
A: No. Our form of multiplicity was intentionally created through conscious effort and shares none of the dissociative symptoms of DID or OSDD-1—or any dissociative disorder, for that matter.
Q: What's the difference between DID/OSDD and your created multiplicity?
A: Dissociative Identity Disorder and Other Specified Dissociative Disorder type 1 deal largely with dissociation, which is where the separation of ego states comes from. While both are charictarised largely by their multiplicity, that is not the only symptom; both also involve varying levels of amnesia, notably between alters (in DID and OSDD-1a; OSDD-1b experiences it to a lesser degree,) depersonalisation and derealisation symptoms, identity issues, and other problems such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, and more (Mayo Clinic). In addition, both are caused by childhood trauma, and although I have heard various explanations, one I have seen a lot recently is that the trauma creates such barriers in the developing mind as a way to cope with its effects. (Please note that I am not a medical professional, nor do I have DID/OSDD myself, so take this with a grain of salt.)
Now, I knew very well that I was singlet (non-multiple,) even as I developed an interest in plurality. My research never once made me question whether I myself was plural, because I had a stable, singular identity and no dissociation. Additionally, when I discovered Tulpamancy and later decided to employ it myself, I made sure to record the entire process so that I would never forget the details. Creating my first tulpa was a months-long process in which I was constantly making effort to will them into existence, to let them explore their own self and diversify further from me, and to help them realise their own identity over time. But that is all it really is—we have no separation of memories, and we do not feel as though we are "watching" our own body act while another is in control—we only share the simple trait of multiplicity.
Q: Can you describe how multiplicity "feels" to you?
A: Sure.
- Each of us has our own distinct identities. We have our own "voices" and can tell each other apart with ease. Due to aphantasia, we cannot "see" one another, nor do we have much of an "inner world," but we are able to sense how close another headmate is to the forefront of the mind.
- When someone is fronting, or in control of the body, they are the only one able to access active thinking, but everyone is capable of influencing passive thinking (and especially introjecting with their own thoughts) at all times. Multiple people can front at once, and in those instances, we can usually tell who's more in-control by fluctuations in the front's inner voice. It is usually done best between headmates with different accents, otherwise things can get easily confusing, but even in those cases, we are able to figure it out through other means.
- Switching, to us, is more like, say, one colour cleanly transitioning into another rather than the colour going dark and another colour fading in. It is often very fast and almost always voluntary, though certain things can bring someone to the front by accident. This is more likely to occur if we are not paying to close attention.
- We can become muddled, where we're not sure who is fronting and who isn't. This is particularly common if, for whatever reason, the headmate in front is unable to reach the others. Commonly, this is because of stress causing too many racing thoughts.
- Because we lack dissociative amnesia, we all share a collective memory. Forgetfulness does happen, but not as a result of switching.
- Headmates each have different levels of "groundedness," which affects how well they're able to maintain their hold on the front without actively thinking about it, how well they can force their way in, etc. The longer one has been here and the more frequently they front, the better "grounded" they are.
- Rarely do we experience somatic sensations, but it has happened. For instance, if someone is harshly forced out of the front, we may feel a sort of "rubber-banding" in our head.
We are very open to questions! Feel free to ask us about anything, and we will try our best to explain.
Q: Do you still use Tulpamancy terminology?
A: We try not to. Sometimes, in discussions of origin, we won't dance around it, but we generally don't consider ourselves tulpas anymore and feel iffy on using the terminology now.
Q: Why do you use so many synonyms and made-up words?
A: For one, we don't like being redundant, but it is mainly because we are making an effort to use less terminology that would get certain people pissed at us for "invading their space," even though we've been staying far, far away from it. If you know, you know. Personally, we have no problem with someone using that sort of language for us, we just don't wish to ruffle the wrong feathers.
Q: Are the Junos a subsystem?
A: Kinda? We're going with "yes, but atypical." They all have the same source, just differnet relationships to said source. June was created before a lot of the lore was established, so they're kinda like a reverse-fictive, Juju split from Juno following an attempt to "reset" and thus has very little connection to the lore, and Simon is the only direct introject of the three. Their connection to each other does not really effect fronting, but when they are co, they can ping-pong frequently. They don't seem to get all that blurry, somehow. We use the galaxy emoji to represent them as a group as well.
