See that asterisk up there next to the words "alternate self?" There's a reason for that.

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Several of the characters in this work have a curse that splinters their souls in half, such that they share a body with an alternate version of themselves. This "alternate self" is a crystallization of the person's flaws, and as such, many of the characters struggle for control against this splinter. 

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I recognize that this could be construed as a portrayal of dissociative identity disorder, so to clarify—this is not meant to be a depiction of systems or alters. The characters will never use the type of ableist language often employed against those with DID, because my goal is not to portray DID. The soul splinter may function similarly to being co-conscious with an alter, but that is not intentional. If anything in the story comes across as ableist, please call me out on it sooner rather than later.

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The soul splinter is meant to be an exploration of having a fractured self-image. So often, we cut ourselves into neat little pieces and hide away that which we consider objectionable, in hopes of pleasing those around us—but this can be incredibly damaging, and ultimately self-isolating. The soul splinter represents the consequences of using this sort of emotional lockbox. Suppress those so-called flaws too often, and you find yourself possessed by them. As the characters progress, they will come to accept and even work in harmony with this piece of themselves—because the soul splinter is not truly separate from the self, and coming to terms with one's "ugly" sides is key to healing. ​