I Can't Stop Thinking About A Plural Future. I Can't Stop Thinking About The Day A Plural Kid Goes To

you have an internal monologue? pussy shit. I have an internal dialogue

I've always been scared of the future (still am), but being a part of a system really helps with that fear. I know that even if things change or get hard to deal with, I'll always have the people in my head to help support me and help share the weight of it all.

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GOD I LOVE PLURALITY!

plural culture is "ive been fronting for quite a while, i should probably take a break" (doesnt leave front for several more days)

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Normalizing loving plurality. Not even your own.

Normalize treating new potential headmates in other systems like a default positive until otherwise. Normalize hearing "I think there's a new guy in here" and saying "Wow! Do you wanna talk to them?" instead of "Oh, no :(" And, of course, normalize treating new headmates who front out of nowhere with no idea where they are with kindness, patience, and understanding. Normalize being a rock they can stand on while they get their footing.

Normalize being frustrated you can't physically hold all your friends in a separate system the way you might hold a non-plural friend group. Normalize adoring your friend's headmates. Normalize being happy for them when they talk about their plurality.

Normalize loving plurality.

struggling with your identity?

try dissociation!!

dissociating from my identity worked great for the last 20 years.

i mean i am 6 people now but im sure thats completely unrelated.

some system positivity art!!

(with the lovely "the future is plural" phrase by(?) @sophieinwonderland !! [hope the @ is alright uaug])

yes absolutely,

we first discoved our system about 6 months ago, and yeh it seemed scary at first, but getting to know each other and learning to work together as a team has honestly been the best experience of our life.

i love how we all support each other in whatever we need, how we work together to better care for the system as a whole. i dont know what i would do without everyone else in here with me.

we love being plural and wouldnt trade it for the world.

question 15: Do you enjoy being a system?

(submitted by anon)

As awareness of plurality continues to spread online, that also means more and more people will realize they are plural. And unfortunately, there will be a response from certain gatekeepy exclusionist types, who will push back against these newfound systems and insist on invalidating them. They’ll insist they’re just hopping on a trend, or just fooling themselves, or whatever other justification they can make up to maintain the idea that being plural is extremely rare and being plural means suffering for it.

Don’t fall for it. Being plural presents challenges and difficulties without question, but being plural also can bring joys and clarity that weren’t possible otherwise. Being plural can be hard, and it can be beautiful.

No two systems present and function exactly the same ways. No two systems are plural for the exact same reasons. So we can’t expect there to be an absolute common trait present in every system. So any attempt to weed out the “fakers” is pointless and malicious.

If someone believes themself to be plural, they have good reason to. No further “proof” needed. If someone comes to us believing themself to be plural, we will help them along without critique or question. And above all we will be happy for them. Even if someday they realize they aren’t plural, that process of being allowed to question and experiment is so important, and they should be allowed to do so regardless of where they end up.

Plurality is a spectrum that encompasses a vast swathe of experiences and outlooks. It can be difficult to reckon with, which is why community is so vital. And as that community online grows and becomes more and more visible, we should all do our part, systems and singlets, to make sure these newfound systems feel safe, seen, and welcome.

Honestly I love super niche origin terms. The why and how you exist is something that can be super duper important to someone – just look at how many religions try to answer that question about the human species or individual people, as well as all the philosophical debate about the meaning of life, or even just the personal family stories of why someone's parents decided to have/keep them – and it's no surprise that we (plurals and headmates in general) like to answer this question for ourselves when we have such unique paths and causes for existence. I just finally figured out how to put into words my own reason for existence and I'm really happy about that! I hope all headmates out there who are struggling with "why do I exist" are able to find a satisfactory answer too, whether that means you find a specific origin term that fits you, you coin your own term, or you decide to forgo origin terms and describe yourself in a freestyle way. You're not alone in searching for answers – not in this community, and not in general, either. A lot of folks out there are asking the same questions you are.