Difference between revisions of "Chris and reality"
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{{quote|I’ve had to commute to here, Dimension C-197, via astral projection [...] The tough part is having to leave my body behind in 1218. [...] Oh, but very soon, I shall finally, finally, be able to bring mys--body here to C-197.|Chris giving a rare explanation on how he delves into his fantasy world.<ref>[[A Moment With Dr Wolf Chris Chan and Greater Struggles]]</ref>}} | {{quote|I’ve had to commute to here, Dimension C-197, via astral projection [...] The tough part is having to leave my body behind in 1218. [...] Oh, but very soon, I shall finally, finally, be able to bring mys--body here to C-197.|Chris giving a rare explanation on how he delves into his fantasy world.<ref>[[A Moment With Dr Wolf Chris Chan and Greater Struggles]]</ref>}} | ||
Chris' behavior and beliefs however align at least somewhat with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypal_personality_disorder Schizotypal personality disorder], which is thought to exist on a spectrum with Schizophrenia. Him matching at least six of the nine diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5: | Chris's behavior and beliefs however align at least somewhat with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypal_personality_disorder Schizotypal personality disorder], which is thought to exist on a spectrum with Schizophrenia. Him matching at least six of the nine diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5: | ||
*ideas of reference (believing that [[COVID-19|certain]] generally innocuous [[Dimensional Merge|events ]] hold special meaning or messages for oneself) | *ideas of reference (believing that [[COVID-19|certain]] generally innocuous [[Dimensional Merge|events ]] hold special meaning or messages for oneself) |
Latest revision as of 23:58, 14 July 2024
“ | You can only escape in your mental depths and recluse for so long before you are pulled back to reality, and too many things leave you feeling like you get little peace at home. | ” |
Chris, December 2016, in a rare moment of self-awareness on his habit of escapism.[1] |
Reality is a concept that Chris desperately tries to avoid acknowledging, instead retreating to the comfort of his imaginary world and hoping that reality will eventually bend to his whims. Many people with autism struggle to distinguish between reality and fantasy, but most make an effort to reduce the impact on their lives. Chris, on the other hand, embraces his realm of fantasy, especially as escapism from stress, life responsibilities, and his bleak future, trapping himself in a feedback loop whereby his real-world life and issues are further neglected while his devotion to his fantasies gets stronger.
Notably, Chris believes that CWCville and his imaginary friends are real: Chris has been spotted conversing, interacting, and dancing with them on many occasions, and even believes that he is married to imaginary people. Chris also holds many delusions of grandeur, from believing he has the power to curse people,[2] to thinking he has psychic powers, and even believing he is a goddess with the power to unite entire dimensions — and that this Dimensional Merge would make him rich and bring his fictional characters, and those of others, to life.
Chris's perception of reality has been on a downward spiral for most of his life, due to a lifetime of being coddled by his parents. Following the death of his father in 2011, and amid the increasing infirmity of his mother, Chris was forced into shouldering more responsibilities that he was mentally ill-equipped to bear, and consequently, he invested more heavily in magical beliefs as solutions to the problems presented by reality. In 2017, the Idea Guys, trolls who utilized role-playing as Chris's imaginary friends, further exacerbated Chris's grasp of reality, giving validation to his fantasies and encouraging him to stay rooted in his fantasy world — a trend continued at present-day by waves of enablers.
Chris maintains his beliefs even in the face of mental health professionals — for nine months between summer 2018 and spring 2019, he was required to see a psychiatrist and therapy group at Region Ten and told them of his beliefs on his imaginary friends and multiple dimensions, to which their reaction was to simply hand-wave him through their program.
Causes of Chris’s poor grip on reality
![](/w/images/thumb/0/04/I%27m_Done_Adulting_T-shirt.png/200px-I%27m_Done_Adulting_T-shirt.png)
Parental enabling
Although autism is one major factor, his parents contributed a lot towards Chris's warped perception of anyone or anything that antagonizes him: Bob and Barbara regularly fed Chris conciliatory platitudes about how he was mistreated out of jealousy, and that "special rules" exist for the benefit of autistic people. The platitudes cemented Chris's all-pervasive sense of entitlement, as well as his indiscriminate belief that anything bad that happened to him was a conspiracy, whether or not it was caused by his stupidity or stubbornness.
Psychological problems
The only known formal diagnoses of Chris are autism, dating from when he was five or six years old, and gender dysphoria, officially diagnosed in 2016. However, his behavior in adulthood suggests he has undiagnosed issues.
Chris exhibits signs of maladaptive daydreaming, a psychiatric disorder comprised of vivid daydreams and excessive fantasies that can interfere with socializing or even replace it altogether. This behavior is observed in Chris with his imaginary friends and CWCville, the Dimensional Merge, and especially the polyamorous marriage. Maladaptive Daydreaming is also associated with pacing and musical stimulation. Eyewitness accounts of Chris such as The Tale of the Crazy Pacer mention these behaviors in him. Chris also stated that music from his phone is his method for meditation.[3]
Peter Pan syndrome is a pop psychology term to describe those who are immature and refuse to grow up and accept adult responsibilities. Chris has demonstrated this with his refusal to seek work, instead begging for money or ignoring his debt payments to afford more toys. An eyewitness to one of Chris's debt hearings noted that Chris was "trying hard to revert to childhood", based on how he made childish noises during his time in the courtroom and talked back to his mother in a childlike voice. The Dimensional Merge represents Chris's ultimate desire to hide from adult responsibilities, as he believes it will grant his wildest power fantasies and enable him to continue living like a child. Chris's devotion to rejecting adult life has warped his perception of reality, as he spends all of his free time playing make-believe as if it were a religion.
A common theory since the Dimensional Merge saga unfolded is that Chris may have schizophrenia, based on his rantings about his imaginary world seeming as if he cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy. However, a closer look at Chris's ramblings shows that he's capable of discerning the difference, but couches it in the belief of different dimensions to preserve his escapist fantasies. Unlike a schizophrenic, Chris will distinguish between reality (or as he calls it, 1218) and his fantasy domain (named C-197).
“ | Damn Dimension 1218’s “Reality” Limits and Shit!!! | ” |
Chris's reaction when reality's dimension and his fantasy dimension did not merge as predicted,[4] a prime example of him being able to differentiate reality from his escapist fantasies. |
“ | though not fully doable on the 1218 side of the Dimensional Curtain yet, [I am] able to draw up a water-to-wine conversion and vice-versa. | ” |
Chris[5] showing he is aware he doesn't have super-powers in reality. |
Also unlike a schizophrenic, Chris's fantasies do not involve paranoia or hallucinations and are entirely self-serving. While Chris has made statements implying he is hallucinating, such as when he insists he can see or interact with his imaginary friends, he often omits that he uses techniques such as "meditation" or "astral projection" (read: simple imagination), another indicator that his issue is Maladaptive Daydreaming.
“ | I’ve had to commute to here, Dimension C-197, via astral projection [...] The tough part is having to leave my body behind in 1218. [...] Oh, but very soon, I shall finally, finally, be able to bring mys--body here to C-197. | ” |
Chris giving a rare explanation on how he delves into his fantasy world.[6] |
Chris's behavior and beliefs however align at least somewhat with Schizotypal personality disorder, which is thought to exist on a spectrum with Schizophrenia. Him matching at least six of the nine diagnostic criteria in the DSM-5:
- ideas of reference (believing that certain generally innocuous events hold special meaning or messages for oneself)
- strange beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms
- abnormal perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions
- suspiciousness or paranoid ideation
- strange behavior or appearance
- excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self, (whilst Chris was largely comfortable around his paid-for companions during High School, his interaction with both the fairer sex and pickle bearers have since been riddled with paranoid fears and delusions)
The last three symptoms, however, namely:
- strange thinking and speech
- lack of close friends
- inappropriate or constricted affect
whilst also present in Chris, can be almost exclusively attributed to his autism, much like his narcissism. Also, Schizotypal individuals generally do not develop the grandiose delusions he has developed over the years and are generally reclusive. So further digging than internet armchair analysis is required, which Chris of course will likely never receive, thanks to his adamant refusal to seek out help voluntarily or benefit from professional help that is forced upon him.
Lack of grounding in the real world
Chris's lack of purpose, combined with his enormous ego, further fuels his disconnection from reality, compelling him to instead seek out the purpose with make-believe, such as being the mayor of CWCville and being the goddess CPU Blue Heart.
Since the government provides for him with the monthly tugboat — along with money from financial enablers — and his parents always provide a roof over his head, Chris has never had an incentive to get a job. Without the structure that a job, even a minimum-waged or volunteer position, would impart to him, Chris is instead free to wallow in his fantasies.
Chris's hobbies are mostly limited to Netflix, video games, YouTube, and Twitter. Despite supposedly having a calling for art, he rarely draws like he used to. While video games can stimulate the brain, his hobbies leave little room for creativity or substantial self-improvement. Even a simple hobby like photography would be a big step up from Chris's current avocations.
Chris rarely leaves his room, instead preferring to daydream for "three to six hours per day[7]". When he does socialize, it is mainly on his terms, role-playing with enablers who keep him invested in his fantasies or appearing at conventions with fans who treat him as a celebrity.
“ | As for what I do while awake, on the recent, I get up, take my meds, meditate while playing Tetris 99 to at least take on the daily tasks for the game. Most days, I go out on errand or simple walking [...] Anyway, during the time at home, I tend to binge a show, do some drawing or creative, work (namely the TSSSF cards and the comic pages). | ” |
Chris describing his day-to-day life.[8] |
Escapist fantasies
![](/w/images/thumb/a/a2/Dimensional_Merge_math_on_McDonalds_napkin.jpg/300px-Dimensional_Merge_math_on_McDonalds_napkin.jpg)
Chris embraces his fantasies as escapism, overindulging in them to the point that his interest in them has largely eclipsed his real-world life. When his childlike lifestyle conflicts with the responsibilities associated with being an adult, Chris retreats to his fantasy realm to cope.
This habit became especially prevalent in the years following the September 2011 death of his father, after which Chris found himself thrust into the world of adult responsibilities as he had to do tasks such as pay his bills and help take care of his mother and pets. Chris was 29 years old when his father passed away; while most people would be accustomed to dealing with responsibilities by that age, Chris was unprepared for the burden since his parents had sheltered him up to that point for example until he died, his father had managed Chris's bank account due to his fiscal irresponsibility.[9]
“ | When my father was alive, I had more freedom; now that he has passed, I lost a lot of freedom and remain to take after the tasks he had left behind. [...] You can only escape in your mental depths and recluse for so long before you are pulled back to reality, and too many things leave you feeling like you get little peace at home. | ” |
Chris.[1] |
Chris occasionally whined on social media about his position in having to help take care of his mother and pets — his statements gradually revealing more of his retreat into escapist fantasies.
In September 2012, he complained:
Everybody else gets to go out for a fun and good time; I am stuck care-giving my mother and our dogs, and it is Very Stressful on me.[10] |
In January 2013, Chris was hoping for a sweetheart to rescue him from his life:
I need my Sweetheart-to-be to make me happy; my heart hurts literally from my depression and loneliness. Serving my mother is not a final purpose to me, and my social life is very slim. I feel like I lack direction in my life as well.[11] |
By summer 2017, Chris was immersed in his escapism to the point that he was dancing with Magi-Chan, one of his imaginary friends, at BronyCon. In October of that year, from his list of reasons for refusing to get a job, half involved his devotion to his fantasies:
I Have a TON and S***-Load of Responsibilities and Worries here at home care-taking my mother, dogs, cats, and to my own passion of my Electric-Hedgehog Pokemon Family, my City of Cwcville, my own Only-Me Psychic Connection to my family and friends there, in that dimension. So, I'll be darned if I Do Not already have enough on my plate[12] |
Chris's desire to be rescued from reality left him desperate for his fantasies to be validated, his mentality similar to people willing to join cults. This led to Chris being exploited by a number of trolls, with the most infamous being the Idea Guys. Chris would only continue to retreat further and further into this elaborate alternate reality he has constructed in his mind. While under arrest for sexually assaulting his elderly mother, Chris chose to ignore the seriousness of the situation he was in and gave a long spiel to the responding police officers about Sonichu, his status as a Supreme Goddess, and the Dimensional Merge. Currently, as Chris sits in prison awaiting trial, he has now chosen to believe that he is also the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.
Cult of the Idea Guys
- Main articles: Idea Guys, Enablers, and List of beliefs brainwashed into Chris
“ | I feel need to also thank them for adding more connection between our sister dimension and I | ” |
Chris on the Idea Guys, retaining his cultist mentality several months after they had been ousted.[13] |
On 25 October 2017, Joshua Wise, the first of a duo that would later be dubbed the Idea Guys, contacted Chris.[14] Initially as an experiment to gauge Chris's gullibility, Wise began a plot to manipulate Chris into believing that Wise had made it into CWCville's dimension. Drawing from his experience in role-playing communities and borrowing lore from video game/anime series Hyperdimension Neptunia, Wise crafted an elaborate narrative that included edited image graphics, doctored audio clips such as Red Forest, and role-playing as Chris's imaginary friends. Chris, by this point in his life desperate for his fantasies to be validated, eagerly accepted Wise's claims.[15]
The association between Wise and Chris morphed into cult leader and devout follower. Wise, taking advantage of Chris's desire for validation, brainwashed his beliefs on CWCville and his imaginary friends, such as by claiming CWCville to be occupied by Nazis, that Rosechu is a transgender woman, and that Chris is married to imaginary friends, with Chris accepting it as fact.
At some point, the second Idea Guy, Stephen Boyd, joined Wise. Together, the two exploited their influence over Chris and had him make false statements for blackmail purposes and conned Chris into giving them thousands of dollars under threats they would destroy CWCville and release the blackmail material if he failed to comply.[16] Their activities caught the attention of people in Chris's inner circle, who formed a group later termed the Guard Dogs to counteract the Idea Guys and remove them from power. However, even after the ousting, and though the Guard Dogs tried to encourage him to seek therapy at Region Ten, Chris still retained most of the beliefs the Idea Guys had brainwashed into him over the six months they were in power. Guard Dog Marvin explained Chris's perspective:
"Reality" is a malleable concept to Chris.
To Chris, that these losers were pretending to be imaginary characters doesn't mean they didn't unwittingly connect with their counterparts in the other dimension or whatever. So yeah, he thinks Wise and Boyd were assholes who stumbled upon some magic or some shit. Chris is mostly mad about money first and being made to embarrass himself second. In regards to why he still maintains a lot of their canon, it's because Chris is too invested in his imaginary world to give up on it so easily. I think after Wise and Boyd were outed, he felt really uncomfortable about retconning most of their changes. Because if he retcons the past six months, then fuck, why can't he retcon all of it? That would make him feel really uneasy about the possible reality of his imaginary world. That reality is most important to him.[17] |
The post-Idea Guys era ignited a wave of enablers who sought to use the Idea Guys' tactics to worm their way into Chris's life. For a few months, the Guard Dogs attempted to protect Chris by screening his messages for him. However, given Chris's refusal to address his psychological weaknesses and willingness to find others to play make-believe with, the enablers eventually broke past their defenses, leading to the Guard Dogs washing their hands of Chris. The Teen Troon Squad in fall 2018, MKRNightVee in winter 2019, Jacob Sockness in summer 2019, and a myriad of other enablers took turns role-playing with Chris and enabling his fantasies in exchange for his attention. In addition, using lore brute-forced into his head by the Idea Guys, Chris declared himself to be a goddess — CPU Blue Heart — and began to preach about the Dimensional Merge, further intensifying the cult vibes of his beliefs.
Consequences
![](/w/images/thumb/c/c4/Discord3.jpg/200px-Discord3.jpg)
Beyond making a fool of himself, Chris's poor grasp of reality has compelled him to self-harm, fall for con men exploiting his beliefs, and cause damage to his home.
Self-harm
Late-onset gender dysphoria is a psychological disorder describing those who identify with another gender over their own, and can present with the desire to be rid of their primary sex characteristics and prefer those of the other gender. Like with everything else in life, Chris sought out magical thinking to treat his gender dysphoria.
In March 2016, he discovered Subliminal Frequency Hypnosis, a collection of music tracks on YouTube claiming to, among other things, magically grant larger breasts and transform a penis into a vagina. Chris's confirmation bias over his breasts increasing, crediting it to the mysticism instead of his gynecomastia and poor measuring of his chest, led him to believe that the claims made by the channel were true.
He pursued the penis-vagina transformation and began to prod his taint while under the impression there was a hidden vagina there.[19] Though the Subliminal channel claimed the transformation would take six months, Chris eventually lost patience. In July 2016, he grabbed a knife and made a self-inflicted taint wound in an effort to free his vagina. Chris's devotion to the delusion was so potent that he initially resisted efforts by concerned fans to pressure him into going to the hospital, though he eventually wore down and admitted it was a wound and obeyed treatment instructions.
Con artists
While Chris has long been taken advantage of by trolls, the tactics and goals from the likes of the Idea Guys and Jacob Sockness surpass the typical catfishing-for-content.
The Idea Guys gradually built up a strong psychological hold over Chris by affirming his fantasies and playing along with them, to the point where Chris had full faith in anything they told him. They then used their influence to con Chris out of $6,000 by threatening to blow up CWCville with a moon laser if he failed to comply, manipulate him into punching his mother, and had him make videos slapping himself in the face and shitting on the floor.[16] Things became even darker when the Idea Guys threatened to falsely report Chris as a pedophile to the FBI if he stopped supplying them with vast sums of money, consoles, and games, thus deepening the Financhu Crisis.
Jacob Sockness, following the example set by the Idea Guys, nearly succeeded in manipulating Chris into a sexual relationship, holding the Dimensional Merge over his head and faking a conversation with Chris's imaginary friend to convince him they should meet and consider marriage.
Though both the Idea Guys and Sockness were eventually ousted — by people countering their role-playing with their own — Chris has failed to learn and continues to leave the gates to his imaginary realm open to anyone who will validate his fantasies further.
Property damage
“ | My hands have punched that wall more than once in the past, yes. But it was part of the sequence of events at the time in practice of physically breaking the threads of the iron curtain veil. | ” |
Chris.[20] |
As of July 2021, a bathroom in the Chandler home has damage to the drywall from being punched in. Chris stated that he had punched the wall in order to physically break the "Iron Curtain" - his term for a dimensional barrier between reality and his fantasy dimension C-197.
A video still showing the punched-in wall.
Fantasy and fiction
“ | You think that comic character wouldn't have its own thoughts and feelings? | ” |
Chris's question to Alec Benson Leary. |
“ | NO! | ” |
Alec's response. |
“ | You are naïve. | ” |
Chris's response to Alec.[21] |
![](/w/images/thumb/8/81/Cwcpaddedcell_credit_Un_Platano.jpg/300px-Cwcpaddedcell_credit_Un_Platano.jpg)
By the time the internet first discovered him circa 2007, Chris already held beliefs that CWCville and his imaginary friends were real, and that he had the power to curse people. Since then, as a maladaptive coping mechanism for his real-world life crumbling around him, Chris gradually took on larger-scale fantasies, such as parallel dimensions.
CWCville
- Main article: CWCville
CWCville is Chris’s original vision of an imaginary and idyllic fantasy world, where everything is built around his comfort and convenience, and where he enjoys great power with scant responsibility. Chris believes that CWCville is real, and uses the city as a way to “escape” from a world that does not give Chris what he wants. CWCville was originally an infill city within the state of Virginia, but it became part of the larger C-197 dimension when Chris started toying with the Dimensional Merge.
All of Chris's characters are aware that Chris is the creator of their reality. Sonichu and Rosechu both refer to him as "father", in much the same way a Christian might consider God to be his or her Creator (it is unknown if the comic exists in the universe of CWCville). Chris believes his characters possess the free will to make their own decisions, and that he is not responsible for their actions. This is how various events, both major and minor, such as Sonichu and Rosechu's wedding, the birth of their children,[22] Kel's romance with Naitsirhc,[23] and even Bubbles and Blake's wedding[24] are said to actually happen "off-screen", instead of just being a spur-of-the-moment throwaway plot elements that Chris is too lazy to depict. Without prior explanation, Chris made a "spoiler" in his own comic that Magi-Chan will eventually get together with Silvana, implying that, in Chris's head, this has already "happened".[25] It is Slaweel Ryam, not Chris, who apologizes for slandering Mary Lee Walsh.[26] Chris once justified his refusal to write Simonla out of the comic by saying that she would not want to leave CWCville, and that she and Wild would fight for her right to stay.[27]
Chris considers everything drawn, written, or even said about CWCville to be canonical if he's the one stating it (regardless of contradictions) and feels it necessary to explain away undesirable changes to CWCville made as a result of outside influences (e.g. BILLY MAYS, as Mayor). The fact that he needs to explain this in his comic pages shows that he assumes everyone else shares this belief as well. Despite considering his own judgment infallible as applied to his own work, he forces others to accept the "corrections" he has made to theirs.
When the Asperpedia Four used systematic trolling to make Chris kill off the character Simonla, Chris viewed it as a deliberate attack on his fantasy world. CWCville, which had always been Chris's way of retreating from the real world, had been infiltrated by outside forces and was no longer impenetrable, so this is likely why Chris put the comic on hiatus; to stop outside forces from causing any more damage.
Chris's beliefs are such that he even claims to hold the distinction of Mayor of CWCville "IN REAL LIFE".[28] He only admits that CWCville is not real when he intends to pacify others he sees as too slow in the mind to comprehend this idea. He most likely defends this belief because he has accomplished and produced virtually nothing worthwhile in his life, and he likes to pretend that he has made a positive impact on something — if only on a metaphysical level. In his opinion, anyone who does not accept this worldview is "naïve".
On 23 July 2017, Chris responded to his True and Loyal Fanbase, who wondered why Chris wouldn't reboot his comics. As a response, Chris explained that if he were to reboot his comics, that would mean that history in the canon would have to start all over again, and all of the characters would have to start over from their original origins. Essentially, he thinks that if he pulls the plug on his Sonichu franchise and reboots it, that would mean that all of his characters would die, and they would somehow reincarnate into their newer upgraded versions.
“ | I believe in the alternate dimensions where each set or all of our animated characters reside and live their lives, and continue growing long after their series is finished (or stay kids; whatever). | ” |
Chris to Doopie.[29] |
Dimensions
- Main articles: Dimensions and Dimensional Merge
“ | the moment I brought up the multiverse, he listened. | ” |
The original Idea Guy on how he got Chris's attention.[15] |
Chris’s belief in alternative dimensions enables him to disconnect from the poor and mundane life he currently resides in and to shift the responsibility over personality flaws to an alternative Chris.[30] It gives him solace to believe that he, or other versions of himself, exist in other places where he is content, successful, and surrounded by characters and people who love him. The Idea Guys exploited Chris's nascent beliefs and desires on other dimensions and further shaped them as part of their cult-like grip over his beliefs.
The Dimensional Merge is Chris's ultimate escapist fantasy, enabling him to think he is powerful, and wealthy, with real friends and a happy marriage, all just waiting for him on the other side of the "dimensional curtain". A concept originally created by the Idea Guys and later expanded on by Chris with the help of fantasy enablers, the Merge is his hope that the sister dimensions 1218 and C-197 will unify, with him overseeing the merge in his role as the goddess CPU Blue Heart. The dimension "1218" (sometimes referred to as "Earth 1218") is the dimension of reality. The dimension "C-197" is the designation for Chris's imaginary world which contains all of his favorite fictional characters and OCs. The Merge was originally scheduled to complete by the end of 2018 leaving behind a universe known as 1C-211987 with elements of both sister dimensions and enable Chris to realize his dream of hanging out with Sonichu and his pals.
Imaginary friends
- Main article: Imaginary friends
“ | And One Day, Very Soon, my family and I will be able to show ourselves to you all, then you will be taking back your own “scizzo” labels. Harrumph! | ” |
Chris, vowing that we will see his characters in the flesh. |
“ | When I look into the eyes of a Original or Fictional Character, I do not see Fiction at all; I see a full living being and individual. I see a friend, or lover in few cases. | ” |
Chris, describing how he sees his characters as real. |
![](/w/images/thumb/a/a4/ChrisOverhearingNightstar.png/300px-ChrisOverhearingNightstar.png)
In addition to CWCville, Chris's belief in imaginary friends is another major element of escapism. A mix of maladaptive coping and daydreaming, Chris believes that his characters actually exists in both C-197 and 1218, and that he can communicate with them via meditation sessions — in reality, conflating his inner monologue with imagined visions and voices of his fictional friends.
There are many instances of Chris trying to interact with his imaginary friends over the years, becoming more prevalent over time as his desire for escapism intensifies. Examples include his confrontation with Mary Lee Walsh in 2004, his imaginary dance partner at the 2017 BronyCon gala, and social media messages near the end of the 2010s written either from a point of view of any of his OCs[31] or in which he claims to be with any of them.[32]
In the fall of 2017, the Idea Guys role-played as Chris's own imaginary friends, giving Chris validation over his preexisting notions and further fueling his maladaptive behavior — such as by convincing Chris that his imaginary friends will be united with him in the Dimensional Merge and that he is married to several of them in a polyamorous marriage.
Magical thinking
- Main article: Magical thinking
“ | Quite frankly I believe you are wasting your time there are more productive things in life than levitating a pen put your energy into those. | ” |
Magician Uri Geller's advice for Chris, who had asked Uri for help training his psychic powers.[33] |
“ | I am Not wasting my time! | ” |
Chris's reply. |
Chris's habit of magical thinking is another maladaptive coping method, manifesting in delusions of grandeur. Instead of putting in the effort to improve his own life, Chris prefers to believe that magic will do it for him. In addition, he believes that magic will allow him to neutralize his perceived enemies.
“ | I intend to do a LOT more good with my Psychic Powers to bring Peace and take down up to All of the Internet Haters and Bullies! I Need to do all these in my own control. | ” |
Chris[33] |
Chris believes he has an array of magic powers. Most notable is the ability to curse his enemies (as well as to undo it). Others include communicating with the dead, brainwashing people, and psychic powers.
Superstitions
While most of Chris's superstitions are his own, he also takes part in popular superstitions as well. Autistic people in general tend to be predisposed to wishful and magical thinking, finding superstitions to be comforting.
Chris dislikes the number 13 because he thinks it is an unlucky number: triskaidekaphobia (the fear of 13) is already a common American superstition, with Microsoft Office notably skipping version 13 during the development of Office 2010.[34] However, Chris's fear of the number 13 had an unusual effect on the numbering of the Sonichu comics, where Sonichu #13 was numbered as Sonichu #12-9 (showing his incompetency with either logic or math)[35] and where the Episode "One Lucky Dog" from Sonichu #6 was labeled "Episode 12.5".[36] On Twitter, when going into multi-tweet rants, Chris numbers the tweets. For Twitter messages which exceed 12 tweets, Chris either replaces the number 13 with a repeated 12 or with 12-9.[37][38][39]
Chris has also shown belief in astrology. He included his and Sarah Hammer's zodiac signs in the Life-Shares. In his OkCupid profile, he wrote that his sign is "Pisces, and it's fun to think about". He wrote to Jessica Quinn, "I am emotion-prone, and I tend to do as I feel and life flows, like the Pisces I was born under."[40] One of the quotes on his first Facebook was "I was born under the Sign of PISCES, the sign of the PROVIDER. I am fully capable of providing the necessities, and then some, for the Lucky Woman who loves me for me, and becomes my True Sweetheart". His belief in star signs may explain why he holds such a high significance to his birthday.
Chris places significance on his birthstone, which he calls "amnyfest". He believes the class ring with the stone is what gives him power, and even pointed it out to Emily on their date. More recently, he has attached an amethyst quartz crystal to his medallion.
In the real world
Science and technology
- Main article: Chris and science
“ | I do not even know of the symptoms, because, again, if I literally overthought about it, I would be at greater risk of infecting myself from reading and repeating the list in my mind. It’s Neurotypical and idiotic for anyone to do that and overthink it. | ” |
Chris rationalizes staying ignorant of the viral disease COVID-19.[41] |
Chris seems completely unaware of what current technology is and is not capable of. In his Sonichu article on the CWCipedia, he suggests that Nintendo pour their resources into developing a Poké Ball peripheral that would have slots for every generation of Pokémon games, including a slot for the GameCube memory card. He expects users of this peripheral to be able to read party data from the inserted game/memory card, display a holographic image of the Pokémon in play, and challenge people in real life who own the same peripheral (in a manner much like on Yu-Gi-Oh!). In addition, Chris has no idea how everyday machines such as cars work, evidenced in how he claimed that a 1997 Cadillac with a cracked engine block was a great "fixer-upper." Normally, any serious physical damage to a car's engine can only be repaired by a very skilled mechanic, or cannot be repaired at all and one must buy a new engine (both of which are not cheap, but that's an entirely different problem).
Chris has also been shown to lack knowledge of basic pathology. When he contracted a cold in December 2019, he had misattributed it to the large-scale triggering he got from a number of people on his Twitter.
Social rules
- Main article: Dating education
Chris also obsesses over popular "rules" about relationships. He's held onto the idea that sex should be given on the third date, as well as other overly generic dating advice.
Other "rules" Chris has culled from pop culture include superficial platitudes about decency, often expecting them to be valid in situations concerning others he has wronged. To name a specific example, besides emphatically claiming to be True and Honest and requesting others "forgive and forget", Chris once openly expressed a belief that learning morals about love and friendship from franchises like My Little Pony and Care Bears can prevent war (woefully unaware that the real world and human beings are many times more complex than what is portrayed in a cartoon for young children).
Conspiracy theories
- Main article: Conspiracy theories
“ | I bet, even Greene County had something to do with influencing that goddamn Michael Snyder [...] to make him pretend to have a reason to kick me out | ” |
Chris blaming his school board for a decision made by a game store manager.[42] |
Chris and his parents have come up with several conspiracy theories to explain away his life problems. Notable examples are Chris blaming his elementary school for keeping him in his autistic shell, his parents' notion that Michael Snyder and Megan Schroeder were masterminds behind the trolls, and Chris's belief that Snyder caused his own injuries when Chris and his mother hit him with their car.
Estimation
- Main article: Mathematics
“ | A CAR WEIGHS A LOT MORE THAN 10 TONS | ” |
Chris, being unaware that most cars weigh two or three tons.[43] |
Chris has a tendency to hugely exaggerate estimates of length, weight, and strength in his favor, as evidenced in his description of a 12-pack of canned lemonade as being fifty pounds (22.7 kg). This behavior is symptomatic of dyscalculia, a common symptom of autism, which leaves the sufferer with poor comprehension of time, measurement, or spatial reasoning. However, Chris does not really display any other symptoms of it, suggesting this behavior isn't mere ignorance, but rather Chris telling childish lies to try to impress people with his physical strength.
Lack of theory of mind
Chris has no idea on what the billions of people on the planet think. He thinks that all men would happily wear bras and skirts (It must be noted that Chris thought these ideas so that he and he alone would feel more comfortable crossdressing), and that every Sonic fan on the planet would support him in his Sonic Boom Protests. When somebody informs him that they have a different opinion from him, he throws a tantrum and denounces that person as a troll. While autistic people have long been stereotyped with a lack of theory of mind, research into the double empathy problem proves they don't necessarily lack it, though Chris definitely does – his actions speak for little, if any.
Narcissistic tendencies
- Main article: Examples of Chris's Ego
Chris automatically assumes his lies will be believed, even if they contradict existing information. This is copiously evidenced in his constant lies during the Father Call, wherein Chris fibs incessantly about his health (among other things), frequently denying things or changing his story whenever he gets caught out. His habit of lying and lying about his lies is likely inherited from his mother, whom his brother described as a pathological liar. When asked by Evan to remove Simonla from his comics, Chris decided that he could have created her without the inspiration of Evan's character Simonchu and, thus, effectively had.[44] The fact that he demonstrably could not have done this did not factor into his reasoning. Chris "corrected" Simonla's CWCipedia entry with a "retraction" denying that Simonla had ever been inspired by Simonchu. Chris expected that this revised version of the truth would be happily accepted by all concerned parties.
In addition to lies, Chris expects that any so-called "apology" will immediately change the minds of any perceived "enemy" of his and everything will be sunshine and rainbows for him again. He has done this many times before but almost always not working out in his favor, especially considering his self-centered temperament and generally nonchalant disregard for social etiquette are often what cause him trouble in the first place.
Later on, however, he opted for a different approach in the form of contracts. In addition to (unwittingly) invalidating his own contract with a stipulation that store managers cannot hand him over to the police, he proclaimed that refusal to let an individual with a history of belligerent and disruptive behavior run amok in a retail setting would prove a manager to be "most uncompassionate and lacking of heart and soul", even accusing them of potential discrimination simply because he identifies as an LGBT person.
Chris considers people with Asperger's syndrome to be "fakers" who are taking "the Shine and Limelight" away from genuine autistic people such as himself.[45] Although Chris has admitted that this "fact" is only his "own idea," he still believes that to think otherwise is to "conform to blasphem[y]."[46] As with many other things which antagonize him, Chris simply assumes Aspergers to be signs of a conspiracy targeting himself.
Unsurprisingly, Chris can come across as highly delusional when he expects to be taken seriously. For example, on 28 April 2012, he made an empty threat to the Kiwi Farms about hunting down each of its members; he claimed to know where each of them lived in an attempt to intimidate the trolls. Even if one were to gloss over the fact that he wouldn't even cough up $800 to travel to Redmond to see his dreams come true (and it should be noted that there are trolls all over America, and indeed the world), there's a high chance that there will only be one outcome of Chris actively pursuing his trolls with the purpose of doing them harm. All things considered, Chris ended up making himself even more of a laughingstock in the process.
Like many of his worst flaws, this contributed to the biggest mess Chris had ever gotten himself into. In July of 2021, Chris felt a need to confide in someone that he was shagging his elderly mom, after previously lying that he was with an anonymous older woman. For this, he chose Bella, foolishly thinking he could trust her to keep the details secret, despite Chris confessing to the illegal act of incest, having been informed by Null she's an obvious troll and that he had suffered the consequences of oversharing personal information (multiple times) for years. Needless to say, this caused a ruckus that ultimately led to Chris getting arrested.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 December 2016 Facebook posts#State of CWC's life
- ↑ According to Jackie Chat 5 and Jackie E-mails 16, Chris wrote that Sonichu was in Mary Lee Walsh’s office with him: he then pretended to be Sonichu himself and delivered a lecture, before using the Curse-ye-ha-me-ha attack.
- ↑ Live Reading of SNT Vs Sonichu, Part 2
- ↑ January 2019 social media posts
- ↑ A Moment With Dr Wolf Chris Chan and Greater Struggles
- ↑ August 2019 social media posts#Barb ain't dead yet + Magi-Chan's likes
- ↑ Discord
- ↑ Jackie E-mails 8
- ↑ September 2012 Facebook posts#I Require Friends
- ↑ January 2013 Facebook posts#Chris needs direction
- ↑ Kiwi Farms#Posts
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CWCSonichu/status/1017879233119469568
- ↑ Date given in Sonichu 13.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Idea Guy Q&A
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 The Chris-Chan Extortionists
- ↑ Kiwi Farms posts (Marvin)#Why Chris Continued Believing Idea Guys Influence
- ↑ The Bad Beginning
- ↑ Reddit#Can males be born with a hidden vagina (minus the uterus)? (3 July 2016)
- ↑ WCT DMs#Upset at MLP G5
- ↑ Alec Benson Leary Phone Call 2
- ↑ http://archive.sonichu.com/cwcipedia/index.php?title=Sonichu#Sonichu_and_Rosechu_from_1998_to_Today Sonichu Page on CWCipedia
- ↑ http://archive.sonichu.com/cwcipedia/index.php?title=Sonichu#First_Encounter_with_Naitsirhc
- ↑ I_Am_The_TRUE,_Original_CCWC#A_history_.286:02_to_9:34.29 I Am The TRUE, ORIGINAL CCWC
- ↑ http://archive.sonichu.com/cwcipedia/index.php?title=Issue_10/Page_37 Issue 10 Page 37
- ↑ Mary Lee Walsh#Possible reconciliation
- ↑ Mailbag 43#...well, this is disturbing!
- ↑ ChrisChanSonichu and WikiSysop correspondence#THAT DOES NOT MATTER (CCS)
- ↑ Doopie E-mails#Hey, Danielle
- ↑ Live Reading of SNT Vs Sonichu, Part 2
- ↑ Twitter messages from @MagiChan111448, 26 June 2019.
- ↑ Twitter messages from @CPU_CWCSonichu, 5 August 2019.
- ↑ 33.0 33.1 Uri Geller#E-mails
- ↑ Flynn, David, ‘Microsoft to skip "unlucky" Office 13’, Australian Personal Computer (APC), 29 March 2007 (accessed 6 May 2019).
- ↑ Captain’s Log, 14 August 2017 (More Positive Content).
- ↑ Sonichu 6, Page 1.
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CWCSonichu/status/1023969772168511488
- ↑ https://twitter.com/CWCSonichu/status/1006915844016869377
- ↑ It should be noted that there are more sensible ways for avoiding the use of the number 13, even if it is necessary to maintain the consistency of numbering. They include:
- Renumbering 13 as 12A, 12½ or 12.5;
- Renumbering 13 as 12B, and renumber 12 as 12A.
- ↑ November 2016 Facebook posts
- ↑ Greene County Conspiracy
- ↑ Mailbag 9
- ↑ Mailbag 44#I want to see Simonla die so very badly
- ↑ Aspergers (CWCipedia article)
- ↑ Autism Awareness E-mails
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