paracosm

paracosm: noun. An intricate imaginary world born in childhood. Often begun as a subconscious escape from traumatic experience, the child forms deep connections with the paracosm, including complex relationships with its characters and settings that shape the creator's personality as they age. Existing with its own unique geography and lore, this world grows more sophisticated with time, potentially enduring into adulthood.

If one is invited into a paracosm by its creator, it will often come in pieces. Their world is secret and sacred, as deeply personal as the innermost self. Sharing it with...