I feel like you guys would like these funny fellas.... they're a system who run a school together in my hypothetical idea for deltarune chapter 5. it started off as a funny gag with the idea that every classroom you'd enter, you'd find shapes ampersand colours teaching a different subject, but evolved into them being part of a system where every headmate teaches a different class! making a plural character can be tricky but it's also a fantastic exercise in character design.
(shapes and marmalade use they/them, navy and vermillion use she/her, turquoise and offwhite use he/him. shapes & colours is the principal!)
I think a lot of people are too scared of messing up when writing a plural character to even try including a system in their story, and that's okay! It's totally okay to feel intimidated when representing experiences you have no frame of reference for.
But systems are so rarely included in stories, and I for one would really love to see more people like me in the stories I love. So, if you think you're up to it...
Here's a guide to how to write plural characters and include them in your story!
(long post warning.)
Here's the simple answer for how to write a plural character!
Step 1: Make a character, like how you would make any other character. Give them their own thoughts, feelings, and personality.
Step 2: Make another character the same way.
Step 3: Repeat a few more times if you're feeling fancy.
Step 4: Make all of those characters share a body.
Aaand you're done! Congratulations, you've made a system! It's really as simple as that if you want it to be, as at its core, plurality is just more than one selves sharing one body!
But that's not really the most nuanced way of doing it, is it? That's how you can create a generically plural character, but what if you want to get fancier, resonate with specific plural experiences?
Well... Let's forget the simple answer for now, then!
First, you want to decide what type of system you want your character to be.
I'd say there are four primary spectrums to consider here, all of which can be decided independently of each other!
Spectrum #1: disordered to nondisordered.
A disordered system typically refers to a system that meets the criteria for a specific diagnosis with a CDD (complex dissociative disorder), such as DID (dissociative identity disorder) or OSDD (other specified dissociative disorder). The symptoms and diagnosis requirements for these can be easily accessed online from sources such as the DSM-V.
A nondisordered system refers to a system that is, well, not that! This does not mean that plurality is never a struggle for them, nor does being a disordered system mean that plurality is inherently a negative experience.
If you want to write a system with dissociative amnesia between headmates, you'll likely want to write a disordered system! If you do intend to label your character with a specific medical diagnosis, please take extra care when doing research, as DID and OSDD are both highly stigmatized and frequently misunderstood diagnoses.
Also, avoid the term "multiple personality disorder"! That is no longer a medical diagnosis, it hasn't been called that since the release of the DSM-IV, and use of this term is largely considered ableist.
And lastly, maybe they don't use this framework at all! Not all plurals choose to identify as strictly disordered or nondisordered. If your OC doesn't, why not?
Spectrum #2: system origins.
Now it's time to answer why your system is a system to begin with!
Did childhood trauma cause it? Did they become plural intentionally? Perhaps it just sorta happened, or they were born as a system! Maybe it has something to do with their religious beliefs, even!
Broadly, system origins can be split into four categories: adaptive, spontaneous, created, and spiritual. A system can also be multiple of these!
Adaptive: adaptive systems are systems which became plural in response to some kind of stressor in their life, such as extreme childhood trauma or prolonged stress. Most disordered systems are adaptive! Ask yourself how their trauma may affect the relationships between their headmates. Does it cause hostility, or are they even closer because of it? A mix of both, perhaps?
Spontaneous: spontaneous systems are systems with no especially clear cause. Sometimes plurality just happens! Some folks are systems from birth! Some might not know why they're plural at all! Maybe your system OC has a unique or silly explanation for their plurality.
Created: created systems are systems which became plural intentionally through various mental exercises. It can be a long and complicated process for some, and come quite naturally for others! I recommend actually researching methods of system creation if you want to make a character who is a created system, to get a feel for what the process may have been like for them! Also, why did your OC choose to become plural to begin with?
Spiritual: spiritual systems are systems whose plurality is tied to spiritual or religious beliefs! This is quite broad. If you want to base this around a specific real world religion, be mindful to do your research! If not, what might their specific beliefs about their system be? Do they see their headmates as having come from somewhere else, like another world? Please remember to treat all spiritual and religious beliefs with respect, even more unorthodox ones.
Mixed origins: as I said, none of the above terms are mutually exclusive! Maybe your OC's system was created intentionally for spiritual reasons! Maybe your OC's system formed spontaneously but has since been influenced heavily by trauma! Don't be afraid to mix it up!
Unlabeled origins: many systems choose not to label their origins at all! It's not something all systems care about, for one, and some systems also actively dislike the idea of putting themselves in a specific box. Some systems also just don't know their origins.
Spectrum #3: singlet to plural.
Okay, well, this one's weird, isn't it? Either you're plural or you're not, right?
Well, actually, no!
Some systems are what are called median systems, essentially in-between plural and singlet. Median systems may see their headmates more as differing facets of themselves than entirely separate people!
Median systems may identify with both plural and singlet experiences.
Separation between different headmates in a system can vary wildly from plural to plural!
Spectrum #4: headcount
Finally, how big is your plural OC's system?
There's no wrong answer here! Smaller systems may be easier to write, but if you want to write a large system, you don't necessarily need to precisely define details on every single headmate. Maybe they have more common fronters, so you can focus development on those!
Systems can be any size, from as small as two to as big as, well, infinity! Yes, you read that right, some systems actually claim to have infinite or uncountable headmates! The sky's the limit.
Please do note that duo systems, systems of two headmates, seem to be the most common in media, but are actually rather rare among systems in real life. If you make a duo system character, I recommend also making one other plural character with a higher headcount to reflect this! Obviously there are plenty of duo systems in real life, though, they're just not especially common.
I'd say a good number is about five to ten headmates. It should be manageable from a writing perspective, but it's also closer to the actual average headcount I've observed among plural peers (15-20). If you're up to the challenge, though, I absolutely recommend creating a larger system! Systems with a hundred or more headmates are actually quite common! Obviously this could be a huge writing challenge if you actually want information on every single headmate, but you don't need to be that detailed, and you can make new headmates for your OC as it comes up in the story.
Things to consider
Here are some more miscellaneous things to consider when making a plural OC!
Do they have any introjects?
Introjects are headmates that are in some way based on an external source. For example, a system might get an introject of their sibling, or a favorite fictional character! Not all systems have them, but they are very common.
Do they have introjects of real people in their life, and does that cause tension? Maybe their system has been heavily influenced by a special interest, so they have many introjects from a piece of media that's important to them!
What is their internal communication like?
Some systems can talk to each other freely in their head, while others can't communicate internally at all! And everything in between.
If they have difficulty with internal communication, what external tools might they use to talk to one another? Maybe they keep a journal, or leave each other sticky notes! Maybe they don't talk at all!
What are the relationships between headmates like?
Do they get along? Do they hate each other? Does it vary between headmates? (That last one is the best answer!)
Are any of them friends? Family? Enemies? Dating? Exes? And yes, headmates can be all of these things!
Maybe they have so little communication that they're practically strangers to one another, but one headmate has a lot of spite towards whoever keeps eating their leftover cake!
How do they feel about roles?
Many systems use a framework of roles for their headmates, as many headmates split for specific purposes! The most common fronter may call themself the host, for example! The one who takes care of the others may be the caretaker, the one who protects the others from harm may be the protector, and so on.
Some systems find role language like this helpful, others don't! What about your OC?
What ways do their headmates vary?
...And what ways might they be similar?
Do they have different genders, orientations, fashion senses, music taste, mannerisms, interests, accents, fears, hopes, or dreams? Do these differences cause tension, or do they all accept each other?
Are some of their headmates different ages? The most common terms for a child headmate are little or syskid!
Are some of them different species? If so, do they consider themselves otherkin or a therian, or do they see it as something else?
Maybe they're similar in some ways too! Maybe all of the headmates are the same gender, or the system trends towards a specific area of the gender spectrum!
Do they have a headspace?
...And if so, what's it like?
A headpsace, or innerworld, is an internally imagined space. Basically, exactly what it sounds like, and singlets can have them too! But they're more common among systems.
It can serve as a place for headmates to speak with one another, a place where headmates go when they're not fronting, and just generally a world for headmates to occupy.
Not all systems have one! Does your OC?
If so, how big is it? Is it a room? A building? A town? An island? A world? Does it even have an edge?
How detailed is it? Is it an empty void, a fully fleshed out world, or somewhere in-between?
Did they create one intentionally, or has it just sorta always been there?
What terminology do they use?
Many systems have varying idiolects when talking about their systems!
What do they call their headmates, for example? Just headmates? Alters? Members? Sysmates? Facets? Parts? Brain friends? Or something unique to them, like stars or puppies or fuckers or anything else! Does it vary between headmates?
(Note that "alters" is generally more common among disordered systems! Also, parts language is considered offensive to many systems, but many also actually prefer those terms for themselves. Always ask!)
Do they call themself a system? A collective? A plurality? Something unique, like a flock or a constellation?
How complex is their system's structure?
This can relate to headcount, the larger the system the more generally complex it is, but there's more to it than just that!
For example, maybe your OC's system also has subsystems! Those are exactly what they sound like, a system inside a system, a headmate with headmates.
Maybe their system has different layers or sidesystems! Essentially two entirely or mostly separate systems within the same brain. Sidesystems may have worse communication with headmates from other sidesystems, or they may not be able to communicate at all!
Do they have any fragments, "partially formed" headmates?
Do they know they're a system?
Maybe they don't! Maybe they found out recently! Maybe they've known for years! Maybe they've always known!
If they don't, are they going to find out during the story? What might that look like for them? What do they think is going on, if they don't know it's plurality?
Do they use external tools?
Do they keep a journal? Do they leave notes for each other?
Maybe they wear pins or bracelets to show who's fronting! Maybe they use an app to track their system and their fronting!
Plurality and magic
If you're writing a story with magic, how might magic and plurality intersect?
Maybe different headmates can use different types of magic! Maybe their magic looks different depending on the fronter!
I would caution against having your only plural character be plural from magical origins, such as possession, though. Those can very much be akin to plurality in media, and there's no reason not to explore that! However it is fundamentally disconnected from the experiences of real systems, so if you are specifically setting out to make a plural character, I'd recommend against explaining their plurality with magic. This doesn't apply if you're willing to include multiple systems in your story, like one magical in nature and one not!
Closing thoughts
Writing a plural character is much like writing any other character.
Do your research, be prepared to receive constructive criticism, but don't be afraid to try! This may all seem like a LOT to consider, but you don't have to include every single thing I mentioned here, this is all just something to get you started and give you a basic idea of what's out there!
The bottom line is, write your plural character like a person. Plurality is not a gimmick, and it's not an entire character in and of itself. It's a trait a character can have! Yes, it's quite a unique trait, and comes with a lot of implications for the character, but it's still just part of the character.
Include your plural OC in the story how you would any other. Let them be a character, with their own story, with friends, with enemies, with strengths and weaknesses.
Writing a plural character really is just a lot like writing multiple characters, at the end of the day! If your character views their headmates as entirely separate people, write them as such!
Fighting my way thru art/a partial style change rn, but seeing the new version of Sam vs the old ref in the corner makes me very happy, even if again its only the new style.
I finally have all of the stratos system drawn!
So these are the five alters in the system as they would appear in headspace!
From left to right:
Malice - A persecutor more or less. He is a shapeshifter most predominently and will casually appear as a big dark shadow covered in eyes or take on the shape of the one who fronts. Due to some things he's been taking the front more solo and this is his casual solid state of being. Or looking like Shockwave.
Kolibri - The 'little' of the system. She's a sweetheart and very flitty. Happy to offer people chances and waste her times with games and casual hanging out. She has the least access to memories.
Kaze - Predominant host and the one with the most flux in emotion. He can be temperamental and short fused and respond to life like a wounded teenager, also with a teenager's sense of justice or duty.
Ghost - More of a fragment they are quiet. Mute actually. And speak with chirolinguistics/sign language. They formed as a response to some fresher trauma of trying to reconnect with his sister only to not be recognized and then having a hard falling out with her over a few things.
Fleet [FL-282] - The gatekeeper and primary protector of the system. He's fronted or co-fronted for a long time. He's the one that mostly shouldered their trauma and especially the tasks they were made to complete while in the lab. He's sweet but stoic and direct.
hair is made of shrimp/shrimp tails [with the appearance of alive shrimp] (ahoge is just 1 live shrimp peeking out. it sometimes shows the same emotions as shrimp cookie xemselves)
system!!
her clothes remind xem of the ocean
auDHD and dyslexia
physically 12½ but some alters are older
4 eyes
it CAN see shrimp colors
we forgot to add them but they have antennae on zir head too (in front of the ahoge, one antenna on each side of it)
fingerless fishnet gloves because she thinks they're cool
Ideating for one of my stories, everyone say hi to the Peppermint System :D Trying to nail down Minty's system and everyone's personalities. I think I'm getting there!
Ofc these aren't comprehensive lists of front indicators but it gives Me something to work with more than anything lols
