Headspace is a highly responsive, higly modifiable virtual environment designed by and for its inhabitants (see Inhabitants index). This version update of Headspace comes pre-configured with an easy-to-use fronting and hub system with advanced map and biome configuration options!
Headspace is accessed in a system of levels. These levels are generally categorized by how close to the "outside world" they are. The top level is known as "front." Front is a broad term, but generally refers to being in direct engagement with the outside. This does not always require directly controlling the body (see "dissociation" section), but in order for the complete entity to be functional, at least one inhabitant must be occupying this level at all times.
In order to identify who is in front and enable further Headspace access, the current active consciousness must turn its attention inward as gently as possible. Forcing front awareness may overload the Headspace program and cause errors. In order to turn attention inward, the active consciousness must "release control" momentarily and allow itself a feeling of descending or "stepping back." This can be facilitated by fellow Headspace inhabitants or outside entities. Upon successful descent, the consciousness can engage more directly with Headspace environments and inhabitants.
Important Note: Headspace awareness is not required for outside functioning, and may even hinder it at times! Only descend when in a safe location mentally and physically. Experienced or highly connected users may be able to maintain connection with areas of Headspace without fully descending, but this is an exception, not a rule or requirement.
The front area is a relatively small section of Headspace, and is less dynamic than deeper levels. Its default appearance is that of a mid-to-late-20th-century computer control room, with a variable number of pilot seats that allow for ascent to active consciousness. This appearance can be moderately shifted for comfort, but keeping a consistent space for this border between Headspace and the outside allows for less confusing transitions when ascending or descending. Inhabitants within the front area but not in a pilot seat cannot assume consciousness, but can directly contribute thoughts and emotions to those in conscious control of the body.
Important Note: Pilot seats may change in appearance or become obfuscated, but at least two are always present in the front area. Only one is required to be occupied, but having both occupied by separate inhabitants greatly increases the efficiency of the active consciousness. However, co-fronting may cause temporary merged or blurred states. Do not attempt to forcibly separate blurred or merged inhabitants unless absolutely necessary.
Beyond the front area is a "lobby" that functions as a hub area with transit to other parts of Headspace. While the lobby is at a lower Headspace level than front (and thereby less connected to the outside), it is very close to the action and can easily influence the thoughts and behaviors of those in conscious control of the body when the door to the front area is left open.
Important Note: If the door to the front area is closed and/or locked, do not attempt to force it open. This will either cause or further extreme instability and errors in consciousness processing. If it is closed, it is for a reason! A speaker system is installed in the lobby-side wall that will convey verbal and limited emotional messages to the closed front area when activated.
The lobby is usually very active, and acts as a neutral place for inhabitants to gather. It is highly modifiable, but by default appears as a brightly-lit airport lounge or indoor mall courtyard with large screen-windows displaying the outside world, deeper Headspace locations, or chosen imagination settings. Scattered around the lobby are inhabitant-chosen lounge and activity areas, which can be summoned and edited by anyone. The lobby has comical-violence PvP enabled by default, and inhabitants frequently clash due to the open-ended nature of this space. The Headspace radio is also the most audible in the lobby, and music is a common source of both connection and conflict between inhabitants.
The farthest wall of the lobby is lined with doors of various shapes and sizes. These doors change according to the whims of administrators, inhabitants, and entropy. If a door an inhabitant wishes to use is not available, a temporary version can be summoned or constructed with the user menu, barring hard admin overrides or errors. These doors lead to areas deeper within Headspace, and may be public areas such as biomes and concept spaces, or personal areas such as bedrooms and fictive home spaces. When an inhabitant enters a door from the lobby, a visual projection may be temporarily visible in the lobby to illustrate where the inhabitant has gone and what they are doing. This projection is visible to those in front as well, and can greatly facilitate communication during an inhabitant's transition from higher to lower levels of Headspace.
A secondary way to access areas deeper in Headspace is to use the new map functionality. This is an overview display of the "world" of Headspace in the form of a simplified and condensed map with selectable areas. Only public areas are accessible through this map, and it does not function as consistently as the doors in the lobby do, but it is useful for quick travel, as well as depicting Headspace to the outside world. As Headspace is ever-changing, so is the map view, but its simplified nature acts as a stabilizing feature of sorts, as many sub-locations are indexed in menus accessed through general location categories found on the map. It also provides a way for new or highly dissociated inhabitants to orient themselves quickly and easily. All inhabitants can access this map from their user menu, and it will appear in the format most understandable to each inhabitant.
Since this document is primarily intended for use by those in active conscious control or otherwise in reach of front, its readers may be wondering how to access deeper levels of Headspace. This is complicated, and requires significant time and mental control. Attempting to descend further than the lobby while tethered to a pilot seat is not recommended in daily life and should only be attempted during therapy or in an otherwise safe and stable place. Despite this, there are still ways to regularly communicate with those in deeper levels without actually descending, and there are many ways for inhabitants to relay messages to higher levels, including into front. These messaging systems are still a work in progress, and may not always be consistent, especially in moments of extremely strong emotions and/or stress. Calm, open-mindedness, and patience are key for allowing this communication.
Since every inhabitant communicates differently, the communications may be verbal, visual, emotional, or something even more abstract. Messages may be sent voluntarily or appear automatically as alerts or intrusions on consciousness. Intrusive messages can be stressful, but they frequently indicate an urgent unmet need that may not be as literal as the message may seem. A message may come directly from an inhabitant, or it may be relayed by another inhabitant closer to front. Relayed messages may be paraphrased, edited, or otherwise inaccurate, but message errors should be forgiven and simply investigated rather than punished.
For inhabitants that navigate between varying levels of Headspace, it is recommended to use the advanced door configurations in the lobby. When enabled, these can provide extra information to those in front, allowing for continued communication even as one inhabitant descends. Even simply announcing intentions before leaving for a deeper area of Headspace can make it much easier to stay in contact with front. Descending rapidly into Headspace without informing anyone is regarded as a sign of dissociation and may cause intra-system and outside concern as well as alert administrators to monitor for possible errors.
Dissociation is the common uniting factor that creates a system of inhabitants capable of using Headspace. It is a state of being detached from reality that can be experienced and expressed in many different ways. In Headspace, it can be marked by a lack of presence, either emotionally or physically. The higher an inhabitant currently is in levels of Headspace depth, the more apparent dissociation becomes. Dissociating while in active conscious control can be very obvious to those outside and can cause interpersonal issues as well as internal errors. It may also result in a forced change of front, as dissociating may cause an inhabitant to lose their tether to their pilot seat. Pilot seats can still be used while dissociated, but this does have consequences for the body. It is strongly recommended to gently remove a dissociating inhabitant from active consciousness if there is another present that is able to front.
Important Note: Dissociation can be used responsibly as a coping or survival strategy, especially in extreme or volatile circumstances. Some inhabitants even specialize in controlled-dissociation fronting practices for specific situations. However, this must be used in moderation and with extreme caution. The consequences of sudden uncontrolled dissociation are many and highly varied.
Dissociation may appear very differently in deeper levels of Headspace. A dissociated inhabitant may be locked behind a door, inside or under a Headspace object, or simply "invisible" and beyond all possible perception. If a dissociated inhabitant must be retrieved, doing so with force can cause serious errors and distress to the inhabitant. Memory insertion errors are both a cause and a result of deep-Headspace dissociation and must be handled very carefully.