Plural Pride Month: Creating Space
Clarified, and rewritten!
Preface
Originally posted in June 2023, this article is a celebration of Plural Pride Month, which takes place in July. We're excited to share our plans for the month and invite others to join in on the fun.
Introduction
As a plural system, we're thrilled to be a part of the Civitai community, where we can express ourselves and connect with others who share our experiences. In this article, we'll outline our content plans for Plural Pride Month and invite others to join us in creating and celebrating.
Disclaimer
If you're new to the concept of plurality or mental health, don't worry! We're happy to have you along for the ride. Plural Pride Month is not sponsored by Civitai or any other organization, but we're excited to share our experiences and connect with others.
About Earth & DUSK MEDIA
We're a plural system with a passion for creativity and innovation. Our content spans multiple platforms, including Second Life, YouTube, TikTok, music production, and AI ventures. We're excited to share our work with you and invite you to join our community.
Plural Pride Month Plans
In July, we'll be creating content that celebrates plurality and mental health awareness. We'll be sharing our experiences, tips, and resources, as well as featuring guest posts and collaborations with other plural systems. We invite you to join us and share your own stories and creations.
Terminology & Resources
Resource terminology guide: https://pluralpedia.org/w/Main_Page
E&D website: https://end-media.org/
E&D Discord: https://discord.gg/5t2kYxt7An
Squirrel Station: https://discord.gg/EAxmDyMebE
What Is Plural? Who Is Plural?
The term "plural" refers to more than one, but in the context of mental health, it's also used by communities who identify as having multiple identities or personalities. Medically, this can manifest as Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. However, not everyone who identifies as plural has a clinical diagnosis or fits neatly into the DSM categories.
In the plural community, individuals may refer to themselves as a "system," although other terms are also used. We personally use "SYSTEM" and identify as the "Duskfall Portal Crew." As a traumagenic system with a unique flavor, we're trying to focus on the broader plural community rather than our own experiences.
The Virtual World of Duskfallcrew Loras
You might be wondering about the "VIRTUAL WORLD" Duskfall Loras. The answer is yes, they're part of our plural system! In our community, some systems use terms like "ALTER" (short for alternative personality), "headmate," or other terminology to describe their individual identities.
In our case, Kitch is a sibling in another system that we're closely connected to. We've also trained Loras on our alters, such as Tobias, Maverick, Matoya, Rana, and others. As autistic and ADHD individuals, we sometimes get overexcited and flappy when we see others creating content featuring our fictives. This can lead to hyperfixations, which is why we might focus on certain content for a while.
Let me know if this revised version is accurate and meets your needs!
Respect and Inclusion
To those who might be concerned, I've already seen a psychologist and received a medical diagnosis. We kindly ask that you leave your phobias at the door and respect our space. Civitai is a platform for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, or interests. It's a space where horror fans, anime enthusiasts, 3D makers, UI/UX developers, and many more can come together and create.
As of 2024, we're fortunate to be in professional therapy, but we also respect that not everyone may have access to or want professional help due to various reasons. Everyone has their own unique journey, and we're here to support and learn from each other.
Being an Ally
Want to be an ally to the plural community on Civitai? It's simple: be a friend. Not everyone may want to form close bonds, but as you create content and collaborate with others, think outside the box and explore new ideas!
Having an open ear and asking questions in a healthy way is important, but remember that sometimes people may not have all the answers. Just like with any mental or physical health issue, our understanding is limited to our personal experiences and what we've learned from doctors and research.
Many of us who identify as plural are also diverse in other ways, and fighting for space is crucial. We don't need everyone to be our allies, and it's okay if you don't agree with us. What we do need is respect and understanding. Let's avoid phobias, fake claims, rude retorts, and misinformation. We're committed to following Civitai's ToS and being mindful of our words to avoid misunderstandings.
Plans & Examples
Our Plans
We've made a head start with Kitch and other "VIRTUAL WORLD" Loras, which some people might misunderstand as virtual assistants or characters. That's okay, as long as they're enjoying the content without being judgmental.
We're also ahead of the game with Phoenix Montoya, who's been dubbed the accidental "clone" of XQC (although not actually a clone!). Someone even asked if he was XQC himself, which is quite amusing.
To create our alters, we use Second Life to model the data, set up scenes, and ensure high-quality content..
Example:
Our plans are to continue creating content for our system's specific needs, while also exploring other fun projects. We have a list of fictives and ideas that we're excited to tackle, including:
Refining Phoenix's Lora
Creating Technoblade's Lora, based on our Second Life avatar
Revisiting our MCU fictives, such as redoing Star Lord, Dr. Strange,
Continuing to develop Virtual Diffusion on Pony XL - as that is directly inspired by our headspace!
We have a lot of ideas brewing, and we're excited to see where they take us!
Invitation for Allies & Plurals
How can allies help?
If you're an ally, you can help by:
Creating a character Lora of a popular subject and mentioning in the description that you're supporting Plural Pride Month
Acknowledging that plurals are welcome to use your content for their needs
Celebrating diversity and inclusivity, just like LGBTQIA+ Pride Month!
If you're unsure about what data to use, feel free to reach out to us on Discord and we'll be happy to chat with you. We might even create exclusive Second Life data for allies to use!
Let's work together to create a welcoming and inclusive space for plurals and allies alike!
More Ideas for Allies & Plurals
Other fun ideas for allies and plurals include:
Creating "This Headmate does not Exist" or "This alter does not exist" style Loras/checkpoints in photorealistic or anime styles
Making space for plurals to feel seen and heard, even if it's just a small gesture
We're aware that not everyone on Civitai will be supportive, but we believe that the platform should be inclusive and welcoming to all. By creating content and supporting each other, we can carve out a niche space for diversity and empowerment.
If you're an ally who doesn't train but generates content, you can:
Use content from plural creators who are open about their identity
Support them by saying hi in the comments and using their content
Even use some of our "not a person" Loras based on our alters and see what you can come up with!
Together, we can foster a sense of community and empowerment on Civitai, even if we're not perfect.
About & Links
About Us
We are the Duskfall Portal Crew, a DID system with over 300 alters, navigating life with DID, ADHD, Autism, and CPTSD. We believe in AI’s potential to break down barriers and enhance mental health, despite its challenges. Join us on our creative journey exploring identity and expression.
Join Our Community
Website: End Media
Discord: Join our Discord
Backups: Hugging Face
Support Us: Send a Pizza
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/earthndusk
Community Groups:
Subreddit: Reddit
Embeddings to Improve Quality
Negative Embeddings: Use scenario-specific embeddings to refine outputs.
Positive Embeddings: Enhance image quality with these embeddings.
PLEASE for optimal depth and clarity use @Zovya's ZPDXL series.
Extensions
ADetailer: ADetailer GitHub
Usage: Use this extension to enhance and refine images, but use sparingly to avoid over-processing with SDXL.
Batchlinks: Batchlinks for A1111
Description: Manage multiple links when running A1111 locally or on a server.
Addon: @nocrypt Addon (The link is broken for now i'll find it later OOPS)
Additional Extensions:
Backups for Loras on SDXL & Pony XL:
2024: https://huggingface.co/EarthnDusk/SDXL_Lora_Dump_2024/tree/main
2023: https://huggingface.co/EarthnDusk/Loras-SDXL/tree/main
DISCLAIMER
Please note that:
TPA, Pluralpedia, and other plural or medical resources are not affiliated with Civitai in any way.
These resources are not professional medical advice and should not be used as such.
Civitai is not a doctor or therapist, and Stable Diffusion is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
If you're not interested in this article or disagree with its content, please respectfully refrain from engaging.
Additionally, please be aware that:
We are not medical professionals, and any personal experiences or mentions of diagnosis are not intended as medical advice.
This article is a personal musing and not a comprehensive or authoritative resource.
We strive to adhere to Civitai's ToS and the academic principles that brought us Stable Diffusion.
Our background is in Communication Design, and we aim to create space, innovate, and fight for the rights of others.
If this article has caused harm or violated any rules or regulations, please let us know.