What is a tulpa, headmate or OC?

Headmate, Tulpas, Folks living rent free in the brain...
Many who RP have characters they play. Sometimes these characters take on a lot of life of their own. Often the writer finds the character is even unwilling to play in the direction the writer was intending to go.

Welcome to having a headmate.

Yep, rent free brain grifters loose in the house...

No, seriously?

Well, we could try to be serious I guess as after all you came here for help right?

Well this site could expand your knowledge of what a tulpa is https://www.tulpa.info/what-is-a-tulpa/

Or you could hear from a tulpamancer like me who used them mostly on Discord. And anyone else who decides to correct me.

An OC - Original Character - starts out life as a non sentient character device, usually starts out as someone's cherished illustration in fact. At this stage, on average, they'll be totally puppeted, like a character mask for the user. This is what many would call the Normal of RP online. So expect to see these the very most elsewhere. All that is required for an OC is some kind of avatar or art work to use as an avatar and, if used in discord, a proxy in tupperbox or pluralkit.

A tulpa or headmate (there are other words used) is a deliberately created sentient character that will act the way they want, regardless of the host's own intentions. This is NOT to say they can suddenly physically act opposite to the host or be a danger. Rather, the host will find they can't narrate actions counter to the tulpa's own desire to act without resistance of all kinds: reluctance to engage, narrate things for the host, be present or even front at all. It's usually a good idea to let such a character speak their own mind - within the bounds of common sense and reason.

To have a tulpa, yes, you can start with an OC, however you'll have to develop them significantly via meditation or hypnosis, or interaction and conscious work with them. Including them solidly in your life one way and another to bring them to life.

Please note, a tulpa is most definitely an invisible friend for an adult for all intents and purposes.

There are wild and whacky beliefs and ideas about them in the wider world. We can't prove any of them so if you favour these wilder notions, I'd urge you to belief them with a light touch, not be overly attached to such beliefs and enjoy the companion you've created if you've succeeded.

On a personal level I believe a tulpa is simply using natural processes the brain has the capacity for in the first place. Who hasn't felt themselves act quite differently in different roles and contexts? We are able to create major and minor personalities for different situations, so a tulpa merely expands this a little. Our self reflective capacity allows us to mentally divide our consciousness in a dialectic fashion. We can hear voices quite easily in mind in most cases, without delusions or mental illness. There's little special about this, other than it goes a long way to explaining how tulpas probably work.