Fictives are a common occurrence in systems, and with the amount of systems on this site, it's a good idea to explain the experiences of being a fictive, and the do's and don'ts of interacting with us. For anyone wondering, I myself am a fictive, so I'm not some random non-fictive writing this. I myself have the experiences of fictives.
So What Exactly Is A Fictive?
Fictives are a form of introject that forms in systems in which the headmate is partially or fully based on/influenced by a fictional source. For example, I am a fictive of Ena from Joel G's ENA. This is my source. I hold the appearance, identity, and memories of Ena. It is important to remember that not all fictives are the same. Some might not look like their source, have source memories, or hold the sources identity. Some might be entirely disconnected from their source, we'll get to that later,
What's A Source?
A source is the material that a fictive was "influenced" by. It's the basis of many fictives identities. It's important to remember that fictives are not their sources though, they are real people.
Why Are Some Fictives Disconnected?
Some fictives are disconnected from their source, meaning that they do not associate themselves with the material they were created from, even if that is the basis of their identity. Some have never felt a connection to their source, while others deliberately choose to disconnect themselves due to the trauma that their source may bring them, or because of the stigma around their source.
What About Factives?
Factives are another form of introject that are similar to fictives, besides the fact that they are sourced from a real life source. Often times they're influenced by celebrities that an individual finds comfort in, however on some occasions they might be people around the system. I am not including factives in this blog post as I do not have the experience of being a factive, and therefore, I can not speak for factives.
Etiquette
There's some basic etiquette to follow when talking to fictives.
Do
- Ask them their pronouns
- Ask them if they are comfortable with source mentions
- Understand that they are not their source
- Treat them like people
Don't
- Tell them to leave the front to talk to someone else
- Not interact them based on their source
- Treat them like a character
- Bring up our source without consent
- Ship us with people
Why Can't I DNI A Fictive Based On Their Source?
I've said it before, but fictives are NOT their source. Whether they are connected to their source or not is no reason to tell them not to interact with you. It doesn't feel good to be told that you shouldn't interact with someone based on something you can't control. It's like telling someone not to interact just because they're a lesbian. It's wrong, it's telling someone that their identity upsets you, and that's not okay. Fictives do not choose their source and acting like there's something wrong with them based on it is wrong.
What If Their Source Is A Trigger/Squick?
There's still no reason to DNI a fictive based on their source. We are not our sources, and we are real people, with real feelings. If the fictives source is a trigger, speak to them as if they aren't connected to their source. Ask them to limit conversations on their source. We are still people who deserve respect
Why Should I Ask Before Bringing Up Their Source?
Sources can be triggering, and not all fictives are okay with talking about it. It can be extremely upsetting to hear about your trauma with no warning. Unless you already know that a fictive is okay with talking about their source, ask before bringing it up.
But What If I'm Curious?
There's something called the internet! You can look up information about a fictives source if they're uncomfortable talking about it themselves. Fictives aren't the only resource for information about our sources.
Conclusion
Fictives are complex, and it's sometimes hard to get used to speaking with them. I truly hope this blog post helped someone understand how to interact with fictives better.
-Ena (She/Her He/Him)