Function terminology

After years of using terms like "host", "co-host", and "frequent fronter", our system now uses terminology based on filmmaking to describe our functions. We also have a schedule in which we regularly trade off hosts in consistent patterns over periods of a few days.

When my system uses the word host, it is more like a verb to describe the act of holding a certain role. A headmate who holds that role is perpetually in or very near front, unless they are actively taking a break.

We have a limited amount of control over who hosts. While main hosts tend to be chosen by circumstance (i.e. being best-suited to handle our life as it is now), it is possible to choose other headmates, especially frequent fronters, to take the role of hosts for a period of time, e.g. days to weeks. We seem to default to having two hosts.

When a headmate is hosting, they are in front by default. It is very difficult to get them to leave front, and they are easy to front trigger when they are away. Making sure they stay out of front usually requires another frequent fronter to leave to make sure they stay out of front.

To prevent burnout, we have a method by which our main hosts are responsible for fronting and managing our life between Monday and Thursday (weekdays for our schedule) and two secondary hosts take over Friday to Sunday (our weekend). If it is agreed upon that the host position will be held by other headmates for the time being, the typical hosts are easier to keep out of front.

As a result, "host" is a position that changes over the space of just a few days, but does so in predictable patterns. We thus find it more useful to use different terminology to describe the management of the system.

"Production credits" are the terms we give to structure-related roles like "host" and "fronter". They are borrowed from filmmaking terms because we find them applicable to how our system works.

A director is a headmate who regularly spends time hosting for the system. We have two main directors, and our structure has two directors fronting at most all times, but we can choose different directors for different periods of time. This is like how films can have more than one director, but the more directors the film has, the less likely it is that all of them are on set at the same time.

An assistant director is a headmate who is seldom or never fully a host but who takes over host roles in the very short term (i.e. a few hours or the rest of the day, as opposed to several days). They usually have other roles that involve frequently fronting.

A producer is a headmate who is responsible for things like life choices, long-term goals, and the rules/guidelines of the system but who may not be as central to the moment-to-moment functions of the system. A producer often has this role due to being calmer or more responsible than other headmates and are something of an authority figure.

An actor is a headmate whose role involves fronting and interacting with the external world. They are also called cast headmates, as opposed to crew headmates, whose roles are mostly or entirely internal.

A lead actor is a headmate who fronts frequently. This is equivalent to a "frequent fronter". A lead actor, unlike a director or a producer, does not necessarily have many or any responsibilities. They usually enjoy fronting, in comparison to headmates who do not enjoy fronting.

If a headmate is a crew headmate, that means none of their known roles involve them using the body and/or talking to people, and they do NOT go out of their way to talk to people. Crew headmates CAN talk to people outside the system, and occasionally do to say hi, but they don't do it very much or very often. This is like if a movie allowed one of the crew members to have a very very brief cameo.