A little rant about being out as plural...
Each system member is an individual.
(Disclaimer: This is only meant to apply to us in the Galaxy Collective (Star system & Sol system -aka @inkedacrylic ). Other systems may have different preferences - best policy is to simply ask.)
Just as much as anyone else you meet, system members who all happen to share one body are full-fledged individuals with their own preferences, relationships, personalities - and most importantly, names & pronouns!
These names & pronouns aren't "preferred" - they're required.
We recently saw an excellent metaphor about a group chat - in a group chat, you have no problem referring to each person by their own name & pronouns. It's a no brainer.
It should be no different for plural system members. We should be treated just as you'd treat any other people around you - as individuals and not all as the same person, despite sharing a body.
We understand that at least with our systems, referring to each system collectively can be hard and confusing, since even we haven't figured out a good way to do that yet (beyond system names, which can be awkward & clunky in normal conversation).
But please refrain from treating us all as one person or referring to us as the body's name (if you know it), except in mixed company.
We're gonna be fully vulnerable and open for a minute here.
Coming out as plural is legitimately terrifying. When we get treated as though everyone who happens to share each body is just one person, & called the body's name, we feel frustrated & dismissed - invisible. Like us coming out was pointless, and like we're sort of being shoved back into the closet.
It's still pretty hard to be fully ourselves & talk about our plurality even with our most supportive friends, who always make it super clear they have no problem using our correct names & pronouns & do so regularly! But with people who don't address us properly, who have never talked to us about it beyond the initial acknowledgement that they now know & are (seemingly) totally cool with it, & who have never let us know they want to know anything about it or use our correct names etc, & who continue to talk to us as though we're all the same person & call us by the body's name...well, it's even harder to be genuine.
I think this is a common thing many plurals can probably relate to??
