How do you write a merge of personalities?

[NotaNuffian]

What defines us is our experience, our memories. Or at least that is how I, and maybe majority of the people, would like to define.

What happens when somewhere, somehow, you have someone else's memories?

So yes, I am having a difficulty in writing out the kinks and knots during a merge between two personalities.

Mind you, I understand the idea will be that the dominant personality is often the one "stronger" ie headstrong, tough, etc because that also how real life works, the strong leads while the weak slaves.

What I am trying to have is the person merging with his parallel earth self. In most cases, works will always present the weaker attitude gets shoved away or die off while the more aggressive and powerful one takes charge.

But has there been works that played with such a dynamic? Not saying the entire attitude shift, but rather how the "weak" one learns from the strong/ odd and grow.

For example:

I never liked the mind jump, feels so weird having brand new experiences shoved into me. Another childhood; another birthday parties, another family. Though calling them another is always odd. He is me, I am him, it is just that we are now me.

But when did me stop and he began? In fact, did I ever stop? Did he?

 

[RepresentingPride]

What defines us is our experience, our memories. Or at least that is how I, and maybe majority of the people, would like to define.

What happens when somewhere, somehow, you have someone else's memories?

So yes, I am having a difficulty in writing out the kinks and knots during a merge between two personalities.

Mind you, I understand the idea will be that the dominant personality is often the one "stronger" ie headstrong, tough, etc because that also how real life works, the strong leads while the weak slaves.

What I am trying to have is the person merging with his parallel earth self. In most cases, works will always present the weaker attitude gets shoved away or die off while the more aggressive and powerful one takes charge.

But has there been works that played with such a dynamic? Not saying the entire attitude shift, but rather how the "weak" one learns from the strong/ odd and grow.

Maybe Seven? They help the mc grow.

On another note, there some novel where the mc came from earth and change his personality but still have some weak personality from earth or still think like the rule on earth apply on the new world or at least he should follow them. As the mc grow he try to give up of this trait of him.

Don't know if you ever try Suprem magus but the mc come from earth and think differently from the other in this new world, he don't trust anyone and try to reach his objective while changing slowly through the story. (don't know if that what you looking for)

 

[NotaNuffian]

Maybe Seven? They help the mc grow.

On another note, there some novel where the mc came from earth and change his personality but still have some weak personality from earth or still think like the rule on earth apply on the new world or at least he should follow them. As the mc grow he try to give up of this trait of him.

Sevens is not what I am looking for.

While I do love the work, I am trying to not look for those with floaty ghosts that are advice churning machines.

I am looking for when all of a sudden, you got a bunch of new memories. Memories that might lift up your spirit for being cool or a downer.

How does one deal with the spiral of new, implanted emotions?

 

[ThrillingHuman]

our little dark age has something like this, but overall I am sure there are popular videos on psychology about it or something.
If your guy got a load of memories out of nowhere, he will only analyse them from his perspective and his biases so there won't be any problems with personalities fighting. He at most will learn and change from the lessons he will get, become wiser.
After all, you do not become possessed after you read an autobiography or study someone's life, no matter how strong or confident or charismatic the person you study is (help I am being possessed by Joseph Stalin after reading his book Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR!)

 

[RepresentingPride]

Sevens is not what I am looking for.

While I do love the work, I am trying to not look for those with floaty ghosts that are advice churning machines.

I am looking for when all of a sudden, you got a bunch of new memories. Memories that might lift up your spirit for being cool or a downer.

How does one deal with the spiral of new, implanted emotions?

If I remember correctly in Seirei gensouki (depending on the version LN or WN), the mc is an orphan and a earth soul enter his body, but he didn't lose his body, instead he take information from the soul from earth to improve himself. if I remember right, at the end he merge with it.

 

[NotaNuffian]

our little dark age has somerhing like this, but overall I am sure there are popular videos on psychology about it or something.
If your guy got a load of memories out of nowhere, he will only analyse them from his perspective and his biases so there won't be any problems with personalities fighting. He at most will learn and change from the lessons he will get, become wiser.
After all, you do not become possessed after you read an autobiography or study someone's life.

Yeah, that reminded me of some Jap works where instead of the usual BS Jap soul getting shoved inside an otherworlder and end up becoming the dom, the Jap soul becomes something that the otherworlder studied on and gaining new insights.

The same with Cultivation 40K. MC nearly got possessed but ended up able to fight off the spirit's plan to rewrite his soul and end up with knowledge.

If I remember correctly in Seirei gensouki (depending on the version LN or WN), the mc is an orphan and a earth soul enter his body, but he didn't lose his body, instead he take information from the soul from earth to improve himself. if I remember right, at the end he merge with it.

So like what @TenderHuman (I nearly typed TrashyHuman) said, there is a dom soul.

Oh boy, this will be not fun.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

Overall, I believe that memories do not define us but shape us. There should either be a will or just some brain chemistry mumbo jumbo that causes our synapses to fire depending on our perception of current outside world (except for this great witch that doesn't have a fleshy organ like this and uses more mystical means to think and remember). So two people sharing a very similar memory will judge it differently.
Like two people seeing something, say an meteor falling, from a similar vantage point and circumstances.
One will go "huh. Neat" and go play lol or what you youngers do nowadays and the other will be frantically recording it and then gushing about it to all his friends and family for years

 

[RepresentingPride]

isn't there a spiderman like that too? When Dr osborn died and take possesion of peter body but ended overwhelmed by the memories of peter and became spiderman in his place

 

[NotaNuffian]

isn't there a spiderman like that too? When Dr osborn died and take possesion of peter body but ended overwhelmed by the memories of peter and became spiderman in his place

That is Dr Otto Octavius (Dr Octopus) and yes, he stole Peter's body and became the Superior Spiderman. And yes, in the end, his soul got Peterfied.

 

[RepresentingPride]

Octopus* my bad

 

[NotaNuffian]

Overall, I believe that memories do not define us but shape us. There should either be a will or just some brain chemistry mumbo jumbo that causes our synapses to fire depending on our perception of current outside world (except for this great witch that doesn't have a fleshy organ like this and uses more mystical means to think and remember). So two people sharing a very similar memory will judge it differently.
Like two people seeing something, say an meteor falling, from a similar vantage point and circumstances.
One will go "huh. Neat" and go play lol or what you youngers do nowadays and the other will be frantically recording it and then gushing about it to all his friends and family for years

Hence the usage of soul to define personalities.

Which just begs the question, how are they going to merge?

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

What defines us is our experience, our memories. Or at least that is how I, and maybe majority of the people, would like to define.

What happens when somewhere, somehow, you have someone else's memories?

So yes, I am having a difficulty in writing out the kinks and knots during a merge between two personalities.

Mind you, I understand the idea will be that the dominant personality is often the one "stronger" ie headstrong, tough, etc because that also how real life works, the strong leads while the weak slaves.

What I am trying to have is the person merging with his parallel earth self. In most cases, works will always present the weaker attitude gets shoved away or die off while the more aggressive and powerful one takes charge.

But has there been works that played with such a dynamic? Not saying the entire attitude shift, but rather how the "weak" one learns from the strong/ odd and grow.

For example:

I never liked the mind jump, feels so weird having brand new experiences shoved into me. Another childhood; another birthday parties, another family. Though calling them another is always odd. He is me, I am him, it is just that we are now me.

But when did me stop and he began? In fact, did I ever stop? Did he?

So far, other than the cold and callous elimination of personality in the Mother of Time, or whatever that fic wascalled, the mergers all sucked. None of them feel like they are done correctly.

 

[NotaNuffian]

So far, other than the cold and callous elimination of personality in the Mother of Time, or whatever that fic wascalled, the mergers all sucked. None of them feel like they are done correctly.

I forgot MC name, but didn't the guy got remorseful about "killing" the OG and take over his body?

 

[RepresentingPride]

I forgot MC name, but didn't the guy got remorseful about "killing" the OG and take over his body?

There a few story like that, when the one who take possession of the body make the owner body wish come true to repay the debt of taking his body. (Most of time the owner are already dead before the new soul come in)

 

[NotaNuffian]

There a few story like that, when the one who take possession of the body make the owner body wish come true to repay the debt of taking his body. (Most of time the owner are already dead before the new soul come in)

And I kind of do not want to write like those.

Because it feels cheap. But it sure hell is convenient.

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

I forgot MC name, but didn't the guy got remorseful about "killing" the OG and take over his body?

Maybe?...

 

[RepresentingPride]

And I kind of do not want to write like those.

Because it feels cheap. But it sure hell is convenient.

Maybe write it like Izombie? Some time one personality take over the other, changing completly how he/she does thing, like fighting, talking etc

 

[NotaNuffian]

Maybe?...

Zorian from Mother of Learning.

Did not google it.

Good, I no dementia.

Also, Zorian who lived in the time loop in the end "murdered" true Zorian by overwriting the soul and he had to get peptalked by everyone in the loop to do it. Because that was the only way to save the world.

 

[ThrillingHuman]

Hence the usage of soul to define personalities.

Which just begs the question, how are they going to merge?

I thought your guy just got memories?
But since it isn't so, make the change gradually and become more similar. Have them bicker a lot in the beginning and have the food speak more often, and then reduce their bickering and food's screen time. Have opinions of both of them change, like main guy going mad over an idol singer and then as time progresses he goes: "I suddenly don't feel much about this song anymore"

 

[NotaNuffian]

I thought your guy just got memories?
But since it isn't so, make the change gradually and become more similar. Have them bicker a lot in the beginning and have the food speak more often, and then reduce their bickering and food's screen time. Have opinions of both of them change, like main guy going mad over an idol singer and then as time progresses he goes: "I suddenly don't feel much about this song anymore"

Initially it was just for memories, but you made a point that memories are not personalities.

So I dragged in souls with personalities, because that was my goal at start.