The Guide to Others

Others are beings born from a broken mind. They are connected to a person, known as the Host, from birth, but those who live on Earth may not realize they are there straight away. On Earth, no one but the Host can see their Other, but they can be captured on video or audio recordings. On Encephalon, they can be seen by everyone.

Once the Host is born, the Other will be attached to the same umbilical cord. The strange thing is, the fetus of the Other cannot be detected in any way before birth, as if it's not even there. It also does not take nourishment from the mother of the Host. Basically, it is not known if the baby will have an Other until the mother gives birth to a second child (or in some cases, multiple children) that no one knew was there.

Others actually cannot reproduce, for they are sterile. It is likely that, when a Host reproduces, the child will also have an Other. The likelihood of the child having an Other depends on history of mental illness in both of the parents' families.

Sometimes people may experience a great trauma in their life that is so severe, it does actual damage to the brain and affects the way it works. This can cause someone to suddenly gain an Other later in life, instead of being born with one, known as an Acquired Other. A good example of this would be those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

When an Other appears later in life, the person who is becoming a Host will feel very ill immediately after the traumatic event happens. They will then most likely collapse, and start throwing up a strange, unknown substance. This substance will vary in color depending on what Other the person's brain has created, for it will be the same color as the Other's blood. The Host will be forced to throw up about a gallon of this substance, and when it's all finally out, it will change its molecular composition and form itself into an Other.

Others that are Acquired are no different than Others born with the Host, except for the fact that they will be more hostile. The Host will have a lot of trouble dealing with their new Other, and they normally will not form any kind of "good" relationship. Acquired Others, like normal Others, will never actually leave their Host, but there are treatments for certain illnesses that can make them much more manageable, calming the Other and making it docile.

Sometimes Others can be the opposite sex of their Host. This can be caused by many different factors; the Host is transgender, they prefer the company of the opposite sex, they behave more like the opposite sex, or it can depend on the Host's sexual preference. It can also depend on the level of testosterone or estrogen the Host has. However, they cannot be a different race than the Host. Example: A human Host can't have an Other that is a cat person, cyclops, vampire, alien, etc.

There are different species of Other depending on the mentality of the Host. For example, Manic Depressive Others always have jet black hair, white skin, sharp teeth and nails, a forked greyish tongue, shadowed eyes, the left having a yellow iris and small pupil, and the right being a crosshair. The yellow eye will turn red when they are angry. They also don't need to close their eyes, but are able to if they want. The color of their clothes are usually darker and dull in color compared to their Host, and consist of mostly blacks and greys. These Others often change their mood dramatically fast, and typically behave very childishly, whether they're happy or not. Manic Depressive Others have black blood.

Borderline Personality Others have dark grey skin, sharp nails, perfect pearly white teeth, snow white hair, and wings like an angel's. The hair is a longer version of their Host's style, and their clothes are typically lighter shades of greys or whites. The tongues resemble the proboscis of a Lepidoptera, and even serve the same function. They also have heavy lidded, mildly shadowed eyes, and their irises are pure white with black circles surrounding the small pupil. Because of their wings, these Others can fly. They also seem to have a very emotionless expression on their face, and speak in monotone, somewhat digitalized voices. Borderline Personality Others have white blood.

ADHD Others are very colorful, clothes and hair being the inverted colors of their Host. Unlike the previous species described, they do not have sharp nails, and their tongues and teeth are like their Host's. Their hair is a slightly messier version of their Host's style. This Other's entire body, including clothes and hair, glitter magnificently, even in complete darkness. The iris of their eyes are rainbow, and they have a small pupil, being very hypnotizing. They also are very energetic, have trouble focusing, and speak in an extremely fast pace. They tend to be a bit clumsy, so they're often seen sporting bandages, scrapes, and/or bruises. ADHD Others have multi-colored blood.

Schizophrenic Others are very interesting. They look almost exactly like their Host, same hairstyle and everything, but they are one solid color (shading can vary). They change color depending on their mood, so you always know what to expect from them. Here are their different colors, and what they mean:

-Black: Stressed, tense
-Brown: Troubled, restless
-Red: Anger, rage
-Orange: Irritated, sarcastic
-Golden Yellow: Hopeful
-Pale Yellow: Confused, puzzled, curious
-Yellow Green: Worried
-Lime Green: Shocked, surprised
-Emerald Green: Triumph, energetic, mischievous
-Dark Green: Disgusted, ill, nauseous
-Teal: Alert, nervous
-Ice Blue: Fear, scared, panic
-Light Blue: Sleepy, tired
-Royal Blue: Relaxed, calm
-Dark Blue: Bored
-Indigo: Serious, confident, concentrating
-Violet: Happy, pleased
-Lavender: Excited, overjoyed
-Light Pink: Flirty, amused, playful
-Magenta: Embarrassed
-Dark Pink: Romantic, lustful, in love
-White: Emotionless
-Grey: Sad, hopeless, discouraged
-Blue Grey: Sympathetic

That's quite a lot to remember, but Schizophrenic Hosts are legally required to memorize the colors and their meanings at a young age. The color of their irises match their mood color, they have extremely jagged, black teeth, and their tongues are thin, coming to a point at the end. The Others can also speak in many different voices, change form (including mimicking a human), and summon different illusions and hallucinations to "play" with their Host. When the Host takes his/her "candy," the Other is unable to use its powers until the effects wear off. Schizophrenic Others have maroon blood.

Generic Anxiety Others look exactly like their Host, not appearing to be an Other at all, and even the echo in their voices are subtle. The only way to tell the difference between them and a "normal" being is by looking in their eyes, the color of their blood, and analyzing their behavior. Their eyes will be completely listless, and they will be extremely nervous and restless. They usually are very tense and on edge, tend to be more irritable, and constantly worry about things that don't really need to be too concerned about. They also have trouble falling or staying asleep, so they are nearly always tired. A GA Other's blood is red-orange.

Social Anxiety Others share the same physical traits as GA Others; They will look exactly like their Host, but have listless eyes. However, it's easier to tell that they are indeed Others because they are about the size of a three to five inch doll (in proportion to its Host's race). Because they are so small, they will usually hide in their Host's pocket, or a bag if they have one. SA Others are timid, don't talk much, and when they do speak, their voices are quiet. They have an extremely hard time interacting with other people, and are terrified and restless in social situations, often refusing to leave the comfort of their home, and try to avoid eye contact at all times, except for with people it knows and trusts. They will never leave home without their Host or a very trusted friend. Being out in public will most likely trigger mild to extreme panic attacks. The Other will begin to feel worried, their heart rate will increase, they will become hot and start to sweat, and even start crying. If the Other isn't returned home before the attacks get too bad, it may possess their Host out of desperation to be somewhere safe. Luckily, possession is harder if the Host is far away, so it's usually only successful if the two are together. SA Others are relatively easy to calm down, for they are very responsive to being hugged by their Host, or even cradled and spoken to like a scared child. Their blood, unlike a GA Other's blood, is completely clear and colorless.

No matter what kind of Other you have, their voice will always have an eerie echo (as mentioned before, GA and SA Others' echoes are subtle). They seem to have two voices overlapping each other, the second one faint. This second voice speaks in reverse, sometimes the same words the first voice is saying, or sometimes containing hidden, subliminal messages.

All Others are also given their name as soon as the Host's mother picks a name for her child. The name becomes their Host's name, but spelled backwards. However, if they choose to, the Other can legally change it to something else, but this is rare, usually only done in cases where more than one Other is present.

Most of the population of Others live in Wayward City, but some decide to take residence in Smilesville or Clearwater Park. It all depends on their preference, but they typically like to be in the dark, violent, criminal infested City because most of their destructive tendencies are legal. They also like to stick together, because they are often judged by people who are not Hosts. Social Anxiety Others always live in the same house their Host lives in.

All Others are capable of "possession." There are two levels to this; the first is when the Other takes control of the Host's body by phasing into it. The Host is now unstable and is not aware of his/her actions. This usually happens when the Host hasn't taken their "candy" for awhile, and has a mental breakdown, leaving the mind vulnerable to possession. Being in this state can cause the Host to hurt other people, or even themselves.

The second level is when the Other doesn't feel satisfied with the possession, often because they are feeling spiteful toward their Host, or think that they need to feel more torment. The Host is now aware of his/her surroundings, but they are trapped in their Other's dimension. Each species has their own dimension; Manic Depressive Others have a never-ending staircase that leads downward, Borderline Personality Others have a space-like void, ADHD Others have a large, cheerful playroom filled with toys, Schizophrenic Others have a vast, underwater maze, General Anxiety Others have an enormous garden, and Social Anxiety Others have a small, cozy room cluttered with some of their favorite objects. As you can see, dimensions vary from safe to extremely dangerous depending on the species of Other.

While in this dimension, the Other is god and can control every single thing that happens within it. They might decide to keep out of sight, or they may taunt the Host in person. Others can only bring their Host into the dimension, no one else. The most frightening thing is that the dimensions house many different creatures that represent emotions or traits of the Host. This can range from Obsession or Innocence, to Fear or Distraction. It all depends on the Host. Some of these creatures can be harmless, but some can hurt, or even kill the trapped Host. They're only set free if the Other decides to let them go.

There are different kinds of "candy" that a Host and Other can take to keep them stabilized. This makes it so the Other doesn't become violent, hysterical, or just plain uncontrollable. It helps them live an everyday life, but they have to be careful to stay on the "candy," and pay attention to how well it works in case they need to be on a different kind.

People can have multiple Others depending on their mentality. If someone has Anxiety and Clinical Depression, they would have two Others that are those disorders' species. However, an Other cannot be attached to more than one Host. Full blooded animals cannot have Others, but humans and humanoid creatures can; people that are half human and half animal, angels, demons, zombies, vampires, aliens, etc.

As for clothing, typically Others cannot wear a different outfit than their Host, it can only change color to suit the Host's characteristics, as well as certain attributes or accessories. They wear whatever the Host wears because they are a part of them, and this includes Halloween costumes. There are a few exceptions. If the Host takes off their clothes to shower (or something), the outfit the Other wears doesn't disappear, and vise versa. Also, if the Host or Other is in an organization that requires uniforms, they are able to wear said uniform without affecting each other's clothes. We don't actually know the reason for these exceptions, but the Wayward City's scientists are trying to figure it out in a research lab dedicated to studying Others.

An Other ages with their Host, so if the Host is immortal, or was born dead, the Other stays with them. Others cannot die, but if the Host dies, the Other's connection is severed, and they gain normal mortality. Losing their Host causes both physical and emotional trauma, leaving them in an unstable and broken state because they don't have the "healthy" part of the Host's brain anymore. They are forced to fester in their own negative and harmful minds, basically poisoning themselves.

Now that they are mortal, they can be killed, but if they do not die by murder, suicide, an accident, or natural causes, they will spontaneously die after a few months from their Host's passing. Typically, people kill a Severed Other because they can be extremely dangerous without even meaning to. This is legal in all quadrants of Encephalon, except for Clearwater Park. It is easy to spot a Severed Other because their bodies will turn jet black, have red glowing eyes, and become engulfed in heavy black smoke.

The only thing that can kill an Other while it's still connected to their Host is a Collector. Said to come from Hell itself, Collectors only ever appear in Wayward City when it rains, which is not water, but blood. They wear black cloaks, and hover a few inches off of the ground. Their hoods never come down, so no one knows what their faces look like. However, when close to its prey, incredibly long silver hair snakes out from beneath the hood and slowly flows toward the victim. If touched, the victim will be tangled in the hair, which cuts into their skin like twine, and the Collector will open its robe, exposing nothing but black mist with no hint of a body, and the victim will be sucked in. Where they go, no one knows, but not one victim has ever returned. It's possible that this is how the Collectors feed.

Collectors favor Others more than anything else, so sometimes they will completely bypass humans or other sentient creatures. When a Collector pulls an Other from its Host, it has a significantly negative effect on the Host themselves, leaving them emotionally dead, simply being husks that go about their lives without purpose or feeling. Since Collectors do not enter any quadrant except for Wayward City, it's acceptable for the civilians to flood into Smilesville or Clearwater Park. When running from Collectors, Waywards and Smilesvillians get along as they would if they were in Clearwater Park.

Hosts and Others typically have a love/hate relationship, but sometimes there are cases where they both like each other, or both hate each other. There are also times where one will hate the other, but the other will like the one who hates them. These three things are uncommon, but not unheard of.

There is still a lot we don't know about Others, which is why research is being done in Wayward City. Others are observed for days at a time upon the Host's agreement, but the Other has no say in the matter. Sometimes interactions between the Host and Other are observed, which can be dangerous, but it's helpful to study the connections. There are plenty of mysteries in Encephalon, and Others are the most mysterious next to the Unknown quadrant.