Systems function the best when they are all on the same page. When they all know and care for each other, when it's more of a family than a bunch of roommates.
We've had the benefit of always knowing about each other. Even during 2018, which was the start of our system as we know it today, we were always able to see, perceive and interact with each other. And the impact that has had on us is immeasurable.
But, in the end, the outcome is the same. Said outcome is that we know and care for each other. We advocate for each other. We can push limits—I plan to do some things that Logan is too afraid to do—and we can do it safely because we know what's okay to push.
This is more than a lot of (mainly disordered) systems can say for themselves. Members do things the others don't approve of, or even hate. There are no clear boundaries, it's the wild west in there... and as a result of that, there is conflict and maybe even oppression.
Sure, we have conflict sometimes. It's mainly light-hearted—recently the Vulpix (@MintPix) played a prank on Logan. He made Logan think he ate an entire box of Goldfish Colors in something like an hour. In reality, he just swapped the boxes.
We know what we as a system can handle, and we care about ensuring that we stay safe and healthy (at least as much as we can with DID). It helps that we don't have wildly differing interests, but even if we did, we probably would have reached a compromise of some sort anyway.
Any systems out there that don't know their other members... get to know them. Make friends with them. <3
This is something that we agree with a lot: cooperation is key. We weren't always aware of each and every one of us (That we know of), but when we did become aware of others (Despite some slight hesitation one time), we've done everything we can to make sure we're on the same page. It's been invaluable, since being a cohesive collective allows us to act with due regard for ourselves very quickly. It's likely in some part due to luck, as not every system is as closely integrated as we are
We can't stress the importance of communication, cooperation, and cohesion: each step is essential in being functional as multiple. It can honestly become exponentially easier if those processes are subconscious, like they are with us. It actually makes us curious how many decisions we make have all of our influence; maybe we should put some thought into that at some point, but, it digresses. Being able to make decisions together, whether it's on the fly or needing involved thought is beyond helpful; it can't recommend knowing and working with yourselves enough
Systems are a lot like found family - you don't often get to pick who your stuck with but even the most different personalities can come to love each other eventually
We're sort of lucky in this regard; we have all loved each other from the start, and we all have bodies that everyone likes. I think this is because we happened relatively late—after Logan had already become otherkin and settled on Umbreon—so we all picked up soft fluffy forms of our own, sharing his preferences.
A lot of systems weren't lucky like this, but if form is important (like it is for us) some might be able to change their forms to be more comfortable/compatible with each other in the same system.
We've encountered a few systems that are made up entirely of small animals, or critters, or monsters, they're precious <3
