Plural Stories

Submitted by my friend Chris!

"A mind in a city. A city in a mind."

Blurb: Murder mystery set in the mind of Elias Hodge, scientist.

Why is it worth your time?: The series is a fun combination of noir murder mystery and themes from Disney's Inside Out.

Plural Tags: otherworld, abuse intermediate focus, children, teamwork

Content Warnings: Specific content warnings are given in the episode blurb (such as misophonia: lip smacking). The series is set in a city in the mind going through Prohibition similar to the experience in the US (Al Capone era), so presume innuendo, violence, and alcohol.

Access Notes: Audio/dubbing, with subtitles and a transcript feature that's searchable (in the streaming service).

Misc Notes: Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9riE94Kkwq4
1st episode for free: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pT1OhH3F1Y
Fandom Wiki (may have spoilers): https://dimension20.fandom.com/wiki/Mentopolis

Submitted by erinptah !

A cool quote from the work: "Why does everyone call you princess anyways?" [Don't say it.] [SAYING ITTTTT.] [Don't say it.] "We sold our real name to the fae." [Oh my god, GOBBO WHY?!]

Blurb: It's about a cyborg with DID, also cool armor and magic powers from a deal with the Fae that they warn everyone else not to imitate, trying to become queen of the pirates. First step: rescue a future-Twitch celebrity who just livestreamed herself fighting cops by turning into a dragon.

Why is it worth your time?: Absolutely wild genre-blend with fast-paced action and immediately-appealing characters. The main character is a system of (at least) three, with a fun, affectionate dynamic. (We get a lot of their internal conversation in color-coded dialogue boxes, and when someone talks out loud, their armor lights up in those colors to help you track who's fronting.) No idea if they'll ever reach their Pirate Queen goal, but I'm excited to see how many adventures they get up to in the process.

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, cofronting, teamwork, mindsharing, setting-specific, switching

Content Warnings: Sci-fi violence? So far that's it

Accessibility Notes: images, no transcript. Some fast-moving animations

Misc. Notes (if any): The main character has a fictional cybernetics-induced condition in-universe, but the creator just calls it DID in the author's notes, and says it's influenced by their own experience: "The ways the characters navigate their personas, the difficulties they face, and their coping mechanisms, reflect aspects of how people, like myself, grapple with DID." Comic is currently ongoing.

Start reading it here! (EDITOR'S NOTE 2023/11/28 Deleted? WBM back-up here, but the images aren't in order and I have no way to know how complete it is or isn't.) (EDIT 2023/12/14: the archive is incomplete and not backed up. RIP Princess & The System. T_T)

"You're enjoying this too, aren't you?"

Blurb: A one-page furry transformation comic where two bodysharers decide to play!

Why is it worth your time?: It's cute, it's fun, it's short, it's free, and it's hot. Enjoy!

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, cofronting, nonhumans [dog person], friendship, switching

Content Warnings: It's porn! Explicit sex happens! More details in comments.

Access Notes: Sorry, not transcribed or screenreadable. Read it here! (EDIT: Cohost is going down. Back-up link here.)

"Whoa, we’re all out in the open! I communicate to
her, pressing the thoughts to her heart like wet hooves
stepping on dry ground. Rain dripping off, sending bits of
love into her soul as water coming into soil."

Blurb: "A short story about trans gender feels, spirituality, and a deer getting eaten alive."

Why is it worth your time?: This is a story about cosmic oneness and mindsharing across animal lives. Some plurals are making really experimental work, and that has value, even if by nature it's hard to fit into the "rules" of how this comm is supposed to work. If you're looking for something ecstatically transcendent and unusual, give this one a shot! It's free, what do you have to lose?

Plural Tags: plural creator, abuse not mentioned, nonhumans [deer], mindsharing, spiritual

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: Xenia Numinous have worked really hard to make this accessible! The ebook is plaintext and screenreadable, and it also comes in audio form.

Misc Notes: There's also bonus audio commentary and a print-format PDF, so you can print, fold, and staple it at home.

Read it here!

Submitted by Anonymous! Thank you, Anonymous!

“- You’re somebody to me. - You’ll get sick of me, too. - You kidding? I wouldn’t even get sick of those silly little animated yellow guys you like so much. - They are funny… They like bananas… - They sure do.”

Blurb: “The adventures of three young adult animals just trying to get by in the big city!”

Why is it worth your time?: Bailey, the yellow cat, is explicitly stated to have Dissociative Identity Disorder and a couple of pages depict Bailey with their alters. Even though DID is shown mostly as a struggle, Bailey also has a personality outside of that (they are the goofiest member of the main trio). If you want a humorous slice-of-life comic where one of the characters happens to be plural, it’s for you!

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned (but DID is specified in the tags and additional material), non-switching, mostly enmity but occasional teamwork/friendship, visions and voices, children, imaginary friends, maybe more tags??

Content Warnings: N/A

Accessibility Notes: no alt text/plain text/image descriptions. Paper issues #1-3 for sale at time of entry, or read it online here! Back-up links:

• 1-11 (images incomplete?)
• 11-20 (images incomplete?)
• 21-30 (images incomplete?)
• 31-44 (images incomplete?)
• 45-50
• 49-57
• 58-65
• 66-72
• 73-82
• 83-91
• 92-101

Misc. Notes (if any): the authors were interviewed by Alexandrite System about Secondhand Soup and DID

"It’s because I’m not real. Isn’t it?"

Blurb: A tulpa gets into a fight with the sorcerer who made her.

Why is it worth your time?: It's short, free, and about our ethical obligations to the people we create!

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, cofronting, copies, friendship, plural on purpose

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: Screenreadable plaintext, short and free. Read it here!. Back-up link here.

"Sharing your partner’s every intimate thought and desire lends itself to altering both selves into a blended amalgam of the two, a swirling pool of thoughts where there used to be two distinct beings."

Blurb: a microfic that describes the special, identity-altering relationship between bonded witches and dolls.

Why is it worth your time?: Nonhuman hivemind fic, short and free!

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, setting-specific, nonhumans [witch, doll, robot], teamwork, community, queerplatonic, and romantic relationships,

Content Warnings: Reality and identity distortion

Access Notes: Plain text, screenreadable, free. Read it here! (EDITOR'S NOTE 2023/11/28: deleted? Back up link here.)

"To live in harmony with all intelligences, we must relinquish our ideas of personhood. Just as we abstracted this concept to include corporations and environmental bodies, so now we must include artificial intelligences. --the Machinehood Manifesto"

Blurb: (from back cover) It's 2095 and humanity is entirely dependent on pills that not only help them stay alive but allow them to compete with artificial intelligence in an increasingly competitive gig economy. All that changes when the Machinehood, a new and mysterious terrorist group whose operatives seem to be part human, part machine, simultaneously attacks several major pill funders. They issue an ultimatum: stop all pill production in one week. Global panic ensues, and Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex-special forces, is pulled back into intelligence work by the government that once betrayed her. But who are the Machinehood and what do they really want?

Why is it worth your time?: This book was nominated for both a Hugo and a Nebula, so it's pretty good! Divya has degrees in computational neuroscience and signal processing, so she knows her stuff, and her AIs act like AIs, not humans in tinfoil suits. This book is also the first time I've read about cybernetic headmates and group mind as neutral or positive things, rather than just the Borg. Throughout the entire book, Welga is accompanied by her body-implanted AI assistant, Por Que, who speaks and suggests and then becomes more self-directed and more present in the final quarter, and the thought-dialogue swaps between plural and singular pronouns. This is a rare case where I'm putting the "median" tag in without the author's statement. Also, this book is about older characters with established, loving relationships with each other, which is refreshing to read; the couples have been together for years, the families love each other, and the conflict follows suit. If you want a nice long sci-fi book with cyborg Buddhists, give this a shot!

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, cofronting, median, setting-specific, nonhumans [AI, robots]

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: Available as paper book, ebook, audiobook, and on CD.

Misc Notes: Nominated for a Hugo and a Nebula, won a couple reader's choice awards. You can read the first three chapters and the full Machinehood Manifesto for free on machinehood.com!

Thanks, acorn_squash , for letting me know about these!

"I created you little queer angels and devils. You guys are family now and when I get out I'm taking you home with me. We will always be together."

Blurb: Jamie makes comics about the queer angels and devils she created and befriended, life as a trans woman in prison, her religious faith, and her hopes of liberation.

Why is it worth your time?: Despite the strictures of being in prison, Jamie's work remains sunny, lively, and beautiful. Hers is a valuable viewpoint! Besides, it's free to read online.

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, nonhumans [angels, demons], family, friendship, spiritual

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: No alt-text, sorry!

Misc Notes: Possibly still ongoing. Read for free here! Back-up links (checked, all images work though you may have to click them):

• A Lady In Waiting
• Big House Blues
• Queer Angels and Devils 2
• Doing Time
• Punk Drama 1, 2, 3, 4
• Me and My Jelly Roll
• Queer Angels and Devils 1
• We Are the Champions
• Working That Jelly

"For the first time since she'd arrived in Malaysia, Jess was alone in her head."

Blurb: When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, it isn't even hers, but the ghost of her estranged grandmother, a deceased spirit medium for the god called Black Water Sister. As Jess gets sucked into a complicated world of lies, attempted murder, spirits, and fights for territory, she'll need to regain control of her body and destiny, before the weight of family secrets kills her.

Why is it worth your time?: It's good! It starts a little slow, but the ending is so deeply satisfying, as is Zen Cho's depiction of spirit mediumship, which is transactional, amoral, and deeply inconvenient. Themes of the book include the complexity of relationships to family, home, history, and self, the cages we make ourselves, and dealing with the past so as to better deal with the present. It's been nominated for multiple awards for good reason. Recommended!

Plural Tags: abuse intermediate content, cofronting, temporary fusion, the dead, enmity and family relationships, community, teamwork, spiritual, visions, voices, possession

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: Available in ebook, paper, and audiobook forms.