Plural FAQ
What is a system?
A system is multiple people in a body. Different people might be able to take control of the body, or "front" at different times.
Why/how does plurality exist?
Plurality can have many causes, including disorders (DID, OSDD), spirituality (soulbonding) or other psychological reasons (tulpas, "just born that way"). Most plurals will have different explanations for why they're a system.
How do I act around a system?
The same way you'd act around any other person. Treat them with respect and respect their boundaries. Don't pester them to ask who is fronting if they don't want to tell you and definitely don't out them as a system to anyone else without permission.
Also remember that regardless of what a systemmate is, don't treat them any differently than you would a normal person. Even if they're a fictional character, they're a living being and deserve to be treated with respect, not as a character.
Can headmates be different genders/ages/etc?
Yes, and they often are. Headmates can be different ages, genders, have different orientations and even be a completely different species from the body. They can also be fictional characters, mythical creatures and essentially anything else!
What is the difference between plurality and multiplicity?
Plural is the umbrella term for median and multiple. Multiple is the experience of having multiple people in a body, while median covers any experience between multiple and singlet (singlet meaning not a system).
Can I become plural?
Yes, but it's highly recommended that you do *a lot* of research on systems and system experiences before you make one. Systems are generally lifelong commitments. Before you make a system, you need to realize that you will be sharing your body with one or more individuals for what is likely to be forever. System members are people and they have needs. If you're not ready to fulfil those potential needs, you're not ready to be a system.
Systems might sound fun, and sometimes they are, but you need to think about:
What are fictives and factives?
A fictive (also called fictional introject) is a member of a system who is based on and usually identifies as a fictional character. Similarly, a factive (also called an introject) is a member of a system who is based on and usually identifies as an existing person from this world.
Why do some systems have fictives/factives?
Fictives/factives can end up in systems for a variety of reasons. Fictives/factives can form due to their source being a comfort show/book/etc, they can form due to hyperfixations/special interests and they can form from trauma, to name a few things. They can also be intentionally brought into a system through methods such as soulbonding.
How many fictives/factives can a system have?
There’s no real limit to how many a system can have. Systems can range from having only one or two to having 50 or more, depending on system size and how their system works. Having many fictives or factives would be called being fictive-heavy or factive-heavy respectively.
Are all fictives/factives exactly the same as the character/person they are a fictive/factive of?
No. Fictives/factives can be canon divergent, which means that they diverge or are different from their source counterpart. This can range from minor differences from their source to being extremely different, including appearance changes, personality changes, story changes, gender changes and much more.
I’m a big fan of x character/person! How do I interact with a fictive/factive of them?
Don’t assume they want to be treated as the character/person they identify as, and certainly don’t treat them like they’re famous. Don’t speak about their source life like you know what happened to them or what they did in their memories, and definitely don’t bring up anything that could have been stressful to them from their source. Chances are if you go up to a fictive/factive and treat them just like their source, they’ll be creeped out. They’re a person, just like you, with thoughts and feelings. You haven’t met them yet, even if you know their source. Treat them like they’re just another person, because they are.
I really don’t like the character/person a fictive/factive identifies as… What do I do?
You need to recognise that this person, while they may identify as the character/person you don’t like, is not that exact being. Even if they’re hardly different from their source, most fictives/factives don’t want to be treated as their source counterpart. As stated earlier, they’re a person, just like you, with thoughts and feelings. You haven’t met them yet, even if you know their source. Treat them like they’re just another person, because they are.
What are fogtives, fuzztives and fucktives/faitives?
A fogtive is when you’re a factive, plus something else, such as a nonhuman headmate. A fuzztive is the fictive equivalent of fogtive, meaning someone who is a fictive plus something else. A fucktive/faitive is someone who is both a fictive and a factive, or a mix of the two.
A system is multiple people in a body. Different people might be able to take control of the body, or "front" at different times.
Why/how does plurality exist?
Plurality can have many causes, including disorders (DID, OSDD), spirituality (soulbonding) or other psychological reasons (tulpas, "just born that way"). Most plurals will have different explanations for why they're a system.
How do I act around a system?
The same way you'd act around any other person. Treat them with respect and respect their boundaries. Don't pester them to ask who is fronting if they don't want to tell you and definitely don't out them as a system to anyone else without permission.
Also remember that regardless of what a systemmate is, don't treat them any differently than you would a normal person. Even if they're a fictional character, they're a living being and deserve to be treated with respect, not as a character.
Can headmates be different genders/ages/etc?
Yes, and they often are. Headmates can be different ages, genders, have different orientations and even be a completely different species from the body. They can also be fictional characters, mythical creatures and essentially anything else!
What is the difference between plurality and multiplicity?
Plural is the umbrella term for median and multiple. Multiple is the experience of having multiple people in a body, while median covers any experience between multiple and singlet (singlet meaning not a system).
Can I become plural?
Yes, but it's highly recommended that you do *a lot* of research on systems and system experiences before you make one. Systems are generally lifelong commitments. Before you make a system, you need to realize that you will be sharing your body with one or more individuals for what is likely to be forever. System members are people and they have needs. If you're not ready to fulfil those potential needs, you're not ready to be a system.
Systems might sound fun, and sometimes they are, but you need to think about:
- Your privacy.
- Body sharing/sharing the front.
- The possibility that your headmate might make or bring in another system member, or more.
- A potential systemmates wants and desires.
- The potential for a systemmate to be different from what you expected.
- The possibility for a systemmate to not like you.
What are fictives and factives?
A fictive (also called fictional introject) is a member of a system who is based on and usually identifies as a fictional character. Similarly, a factive (also called an introject) is a member of a system who is based on and usually identifies as an existing person from this world.
Why do some systems have fictives/factives?
Fictives/factives can end up in systems for a variety of reasons. Fictives/factives can form due to their source being a comfort show/book/etc, they can form due to hyperfixations/special interests and they can form from trauma, to name a few things. They can also be intentionally brought into a system through methods such as soulbonding.
How many fictives/factives can a system have?
There’s no real limit to how many a system can have. Systems can range from having only one or two to having 50 or more, depending on system size and how their system works. Having many fictives or factives would be called being fictive-heavy or factive-heavy respectively.
Are all fictives/factives exactly the same as the character/person they are a fictive/factive of?
No. Fictives/factives can be canon divergent, which means that they diverge or are different from their source counterpart. This can range from minor differences from their source to being extremely different, including appearance changes, personality changes, story changes, gender changes and much more.
I’m a big fan of x character/person! How do I interact with a fictive/factive of them?
Don’t assume they want to be treated as the character/person they identify as, and certainly don’t treat them like they’re famous. Don’t speak about their source life like you know what happened to them or what they did in their memories, and definitely don’t bring up anything that could have been stressful to them from their source. Chances are if you go up to a fictive/factive and treat them just like their source, they’ll be creeped out. They’re a person, just like you, with thoughts and feelings. You haven’t met them yet, even if you know their source. Treat them like they’re just another person, because they are.
I really don’t like the character/person a fictive/factive identifies as… What do I do?
You need to recognise that this person, while they may identify as the character/person you don’t like, is not that exact being. Even if they’re hardly different from their source, most fictives/factives don’t want to be treated as their source counterpart. As stated earlier, they’re a person, just like you, with thoughts and feelings. You haven’t met them yet, even if you know their source. Treat them like they’re just another person, because they are.
What are fogtives, fuzztives and fucktives/faitives?
A fogtive is when you’re a factive, plus something else, such as a nonhuman headmate. A fuzztive is the fictive equivalent of fogtive, meaning someone who is a fictive plus something else. A fucktive/faitive is someone who is both a fictive and a factive, or a mix of the two.