Imagian

Imagian is where one feels that their imaginary friends make them feel plural and/or make them plural. They often feel like their imaginary friends are part of themselves, and can have conversations with them in the same way as talking to another person. This is different than roleplaying or pretending for entertainment value imagians treat their imaginary friends as real beings who exist separate from themselves. Imagians can have multiple imaginary friends, and these can be of any age, gender or personality. Some imagians feel like their imaginary friends are separate from them, but still part of themselves. Imagians might use their imaginary friends as an escape from stress or boredom, or as a way to cope with feelings like loneliness, anger or sadness. Imagians often have vivid imaginations that can be very powerful and influence their life.

Note: not everyone with imaginary friends may consider themselves plural or imagian

Basic Terms
Imagi is a shortened version of the word imaginary friend and is used as an alternative by those who identify as imagian because it is less dehumanizing. Imagi is also used by those who identify as imagian because it is a more inclusive term than imaginary friend.

A transfer is when a person with imaginary friends chooses to act as, speak for, or has their imaginary friends influence them. These transfers can be intentional or unintentional, depending on the individual's level of awareness and comfort with the presence of their imaginary friends. Transferring is an important part of the imagian experience, as it allows the individual to connect more deeply with their imaginary friends.

Roles
The term 'functioner' is used to describe the individual is imagian who is responsible for controlling the body. This person usually speaks, makes decisions, and generally takes control of the situation. They are often seen as the leader of the group, although other members may also take on this role at different times.

Attendants are imagis that comfort, encourage the functioner, and help with everyday tasks and functions. Attendants may also assist in personal care tasks, like bathing, dressing and grooming. They are also the ones that take on responsibility for the functioner’s thoughts and actions so that they can focus on what they do best. There are two specific kinds of attendants: Mediators Who are responsible for the functioner’s actions and thoughts. They are often very organized and detail-oriented, and can be quite perfectionistic at times. A mediator helps the functioner stay focused and makes sure they do not get distracted or sidetracked from their goals. Mediators may also help with decision making by giving suggestions or advice when needed. Guardians take on responsibility for the functioner’s emotions so that they can stay calm, cool and collected. Guardians are often responsible for making sure the functioner does not get too emotionally invested in situations or people; this can be especially important if the person is prone to being overly sensitive or easily hurt by others.

A defender is an imagi that protects and defends all other imagis and the functioner from bad situations, thoughts, and feelings. The imagi is the first to feel and sense danger, so it provides a warning system for all other imagis. It’s also responsible for making sure that nothing bad happens to the functioner or any other imagis. The defender is a very powerful imagi, and it has no problem taking action. If there’s any type of threat to the functioner or other imagis, it will go after that threat head on. An example would be if someone said something negative about you, the defender would immediately jump in to protect you from feeling bad about yourself. The defender is the most active imagi, which means it’s always on the move. It’s your personal bodyguard and will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. The defender can be a bit overprotective at times, but it’s only because it wants to keep the functioner from getting hurt.

Imagtive is an imagi based on a fictional character while an imagictive is an imagi based on someone or something real.

Note: not all of these roles apply to imagian and those who are imagian may prefer to use different terms for themselves. We encourage everyone to use the language and terminology that best suits them.