How often do you bring your characters into the real world?

[Skylar Grey]

or When do you? Please tell me im not the only one!!!

Take me for example: i bring  my characters into the real world a lot. Whenever someone (typically my dad) says something rude or makes me feel bad i have my favorite DD character james swoop in and calm me down or comfort me. Like he`ll tell me to take deep breaths and not to worry about it. I feel like a complete freak now that ive actually typed this out. Or in stressful sitautions such as yesterday when i discovered a very awful secret i wasnt suppose to find out i was really freaking out on the verge of a mental breakdown and the only thing that calmed me down was my characters. So is this just me or do you other daydreamers do it too?

 

and one last thing: does this mean i have imaginary friends? Cuz that sounds completely insane and weird and i dont know..

[Sarah]

Skylar Grey, Truthful Alibi - seems we all have main characters called James. Weird. Anyone called Chris, Cate or Alastaire? If there is I'm going to get really spooked!

I use my characters to help me deal with real world stuff all the time. One in particular is just incredibly gregarious, a real people person, so I 'channel' him when I need to make pointless chit chat or just appear a bit more socially confident, like when I'm giving presentations at work.

I also use my characters to make things less boring on quiet days in the office.

Earlier this week, I tried to use one of my characters to help me deal with a flight I had to go on (I am NOT a good flyer) but for whatever reason I couldn't hold on to the daydream. Darn it!

Truthful Alibi said:

I will do this sometimes, but only if I'm in bed, because that's the place I make myself have 'emotional' DDs, where me or one of my DD characters is (usually) crying or upset, and by that time I've normally calmd down anyway.

 

Slightly off topic: Your favourite DD character is called James as well!?

Can you read my mind!? OK, you probably can't. Phew, because my DDs would be very embarrassing if anyone found out exactly what they were, even if it was another MDer.  

 

Edited because apparently 'by that tim I've calmed down' and to fix the italics that went weird when I originally typed this.

[Skylar Grey]

everybody whos replied to this, thankyou so much, its such a relief to know that im not the only one who does this sort of thing. I feel almost sane now :) haha.

 

Hahaha, nope no chris, Cate, or Alastaire (although i might have to steal Alastaire ;D  its just too darn pretty of a name!).. Just James <3. Yeah James is the most outgoing person of all my characters (and theyre all pretty confident). Like, if he were in high school he would be the quarterback so i guess he just knows how to handle bad situations and stay calm.

 

MAJOR help with presentations and public speaking for me at school. I guess thats another upside to MD. Oooh man i understand, not the best flyer either :/.

Sarah said:

Skylar Grey, Truthful Alibi - seems we all have main characters called James. Weird. Anyone called Chris, Cate or Alastaire? If there is I'm going to get really spooked!

I use my characters to help me deal with real world stuff all the time. One in particular is just incredibly gregarious, a real people person, so I 'channel' him when I need to make pointless chit chat or just appear a bit more socially confident, like when I'm giving presentations at work.

I also use my characters to make things less boring on quiet days in the office.

Earlier this week, I tried to use one of my characters to help me deal with a flight I had to go on (I am NOT a good flyer) but for whatever reason I couldn't hold on to the daydream. Darn it!

Truthful Alibi said:

I will do this sometimes, but only if I'm in bed, because that's the place I make myself have 'emotional' DDs, where me or one of my DD characters is (usually) crying or upset, and by that time I've normally calmd down anyway.

 

Slightly off topic: Your favourite DD character is called James as well!?

Can you read my mind!? OK, you probably can't. Phew, because my DDs would be very embarrassing if anyone found out exactly what they were, even if it was another MDer.  

 

Edited because apparently 'by that tim I've calmed down' and to fix the italics that went weird when I originally typed this.

[Roobles]

Omg all the time. They never leave me. When I'm at work 3 of my dd charictors work with me so in my head I interact with them. And I walk home laughing and joking with them. When I am at home I live with them. If I am in a difficult situation I will see them or dream them there when I am talking to someone and anxiety happens. If i am going somewhere one of my dd charictors will always come with me if its a anxiety invoking place i can have several with me. Sometimes jus being in a presence of people but not talking I will use there physical body to pretend that there my charictor with me in my head. I do this when shopping a lot on holiday or watching television. My dd charictors will never leave me.

I went to the hairdressers the other day and was nervous but couldn't fit a reason at all why a dd charictor should come with me so I told my self to go alone and I did but the whole time I went there and was sitting there I was dreaming of them outside the window making me laugh or was in a complete different setting so I don't think I can do anything alone . 

[roxanne]

I am the same way, pretty much.  My 2 worlds intersect so much that it would be really difficult to pull them apart.  I think both worlds absolutely benefit from this intermingling.

[Marten]

Hi! I guess it's similar to having imaginary friends but it's not that insane because we know our characters aren't real.

I very often put my characters into the real world. For example, when I walk through the street and I have to be careful and watch and talk with people, I imagine I am L (a kind of "idealized myself") so I can be more courageous and extroverted - sometimes I'm REALLY shy. When I think that I'm a stupid and bad person I always say to myself: "don't worry, you should just forget the old yourself and become L, because SHE is YOU". I think I will do it, because being L is being the best and most smart part of me.

More often I imagine my favourite character, J, calms me and comforts me when I'm tired, stressed or sad. When I go to bed, I'm always in his arms. It makes me feel happy. And in the mornings I often cry because I know J and the others are not real!

I'm a damn freak!

[Marten]

Oh God my main character is called James, too...

Hahaha it's a very popular name I think!!!

Sarah said:

Skylar Grey, Truthful Alibi - seems we all have main characters called James. Weird. Anyone called Chris, Cate or Alastaire? If there is I'm going to get really spooked!

I use my characters to help me deal with real world stuff all the time. One in particular is just incredibly gregarious, a real people person, so I 'channel' him when I need to make pointless chit chat or just appear a bit more socially confident, like when I'm giving presentations at work.

I also use my characters to make things less boring on quiet days in the office.

Earlier this week, I tried to use one of my characters to help me deal with a flight I had to go on (I am NOT a good flyer) but for whatever reason I couldn't hold on to the daydream. Darn it!

Truthful Alibi said:

I will do this sometimes, but only if I'm in bed, because that's the place I make myself have 'emotional' DDs, where me or one of my DD characters is (usually) crying or upset, and by that time I've normally calmd down anyway.

 

Slightly off topic: Your favourite DD character is called James as well!?

Can you read my mind!? OK, you probably can't. Phew, because my DDs would be very embarrassing if anyone found out exactly what they were, even if it was another MDer.  

 

Edited because apparently 'by that tim I've calmed down' and to fix the italics that went weird when I originally typed this.

[Alexsis Hart]

I totally get the imaginary friends part. I'm almost constantly in a daydream so the people in my DD's are always with me. It's almost automatic for me to ask my DD friends what they think about everything I do. I've interacted with one twice already while writing this.  It can be good sometimes though. I always have a second opinion and someone to proof read things! 

[roxanne]

I love it!  Hey, there are real advantages.

[Wish Upon A Wish]

I do that sometimes too, so no, you're not alone. Okay, so I wouldn't personally say 'swoop in' but yeah, pretty much the same thing.

And to the last question: My friend bought me this badge because she thought it suited me perfectly (She knows about my MD) "My imaginary friend thinks you have serious issues" that's when I realized, yeah, they are imaginary friends. Maybe a bit different to a child, who convinces them self that their friend is actually there, but I personally think it really is an imaginary friend. Try and convince yourself it's awesome having imaginary friends when so few other people do, and hopefully it'll seem awesomer to you.

[Brett Elaine]

I do this often. It's happened in certain daydreams more than others, but because all of my daydreams involve more realistic situations (i.e., do not involve typical elements of fantasy such as dragons, magic, etc.) there's a possibility of this happening.  I often incorporate news or events that either have affected me in real life or that have caused me to think long and hard. I know this will make me sound SO narcissistic, but all of my DDs are based on myself so I easily project my actual opinions and feelings on these matters into the DD. The way I do this seems kind of opposite of what you do--rather than having my characters come into reality, I will transplant the reality into the DD. Or maybe it's basically the same thing? My thing is, it just has to fit in with the rest of the DD so while I have done this for some of my DDs, it hasn't happened with all of them. 

I think that it's very natural to do this, because for a lot of us, this sort of DD activity is a coping mechanism and whenever big things happen in your life (good or bad) it makes sense to merge that with the DD because it allows you to think things through in another context and perhaps validate your feelings on the subject at hand with the help of your characters.

I've often wondered if the whole MD thing means I have imaginary friends, but I've always thought of imaginary friends as figments, who you truly believe are real. IMO this is in opposition to a common element most if not all of us: we definitely know that the characters and scenarios we create are just that--creations (and I think this applies even if you have characters who represent real people).   

[roxanne]

I just realized - after reading on this forum - that I live on a continuum from 1 - 5.  #1 is totally in real life- real time; #2 is mostly real life, but withh DD characters in background; #3 (my favorite) is both worlds completely intermingled; #4 is mostly DD world but with whatever is going on in real life as back-drop; #5 is completely immersed in DD world.  I knew both worlds intersected but I see now how I glide back & forth from 1 - 5 depending on my other circumstances & mood.  I love it; I feel really lucky.

[Courtney G.]

All the time :) Its comforting to me. Like last summer I went home for a week to our beach condo. My characters did too. I dont have great relatonships with my family so the characters in my daydreams comfort me and are like my family.