Plural Stories

SPOCK: There is the other matter--the matter of identity.

NIMOY: Whose identity?

SPOCK: Ours.

NIMOY: I don't understand.

SPOCK: The separation of personalities. The rejection. The book.

NIMOY: You mean, I Am Not Spock? That was just a play of words, ideas. I was just trying to find a way to come to terms and explain... us. Our relationship. Did you feel rejected? I'm sorry.

SPOCK: I would not describe my experience as a "feeling."

NIMOY: I didn't mean to offend--

SPOCK: No offense taken.

Blurb: Leonard Nimoy's memoir about playing Spock on Star Trek, hearing his voice in his head and talking to it, and their relationship through Nimoy's acting, directing, and theatrical career over the decades.

Why is it worth your time?: It's enjoyable! Nimoy is playful and thoughtful, and he and Spock's regular dialogues taking the piss out of each other is a lot of fun. By the time of this book, Nimoy had all the money and prestige he needed, and he feels no shame about having Spock write the foreword trolling him, and for Nimoy himself to say first thing that he hears Spock's voice and talks back to him. Definitely give it a shot!

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, cofronting, identityblending, nonhumans (alien, Vulcan), fictioneers, friendship, voices

Content Warnings: None of substance. Nimoy discusses his parents death affecting him, later into the book, and Hollywood conflict, but on the whole, this book is not a painful read at all.

Access Notes: This book was pretty famous; you have decent odds finding it in a library. Released in hardback and paperback, never had an official ebook release but LibraryGenesis seems to have some digital versions. (Quality not guaranteed.)

Misc Notes: Comes with photos. Nimoy's earlier 1970s memoir, I Am Not Spock, has a chapter of the same name pontificating on the nature of identity and selfhood that may also be of interest!

"It was time to return to the inner world I loved so much as a child. As I'd feared, a decade of abandonment had eroded it away..."

Blurb: A trans girl comes to talk to her headmate one last time... and it doesn't go the way she planned.

Why is it worth your time?: It's short, bitter-turned-sweet, and relatable.

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, fusion, identityblending, intimate relationships, otherworld, visions

Content Warnings: Dealing with self-hatred. More in the comments.

Accessibility Notes: Plain text, screenreadable, free. Read it here! (EDIT: Cohost is going down. Back-up link here.)

"The two of us ain't gonna follow your rules
Come at me without any of your fancy tools
Let's go just me and you
Let's go just one on two!"

Blurb: Steven Universe, a half-human, half-alien Crystal Gem boy, lives with three Crystal Gems on a tropical island, protecting the earth from evil and learning about his origins, Gem culture, and the relationship his now-deceased mother had with his father, Greg.

Why is it worth your time?: Okay, this one goes on here because its "fusion" concept became such a useful concept for a specific subculture of plurals. In Steven Universe, Crystal Gems can fuse with others, mostly via dancing together, becoming one larger, more powerful individual who shares some traits and characteristics of both people while still maintaining their own identity. Over the course of the show, more and more fusions come to light; Garnet, a major character, is a fusion built by two Gems who later marry at the end of the original series. The show also goes into abusive forms of fusion. Rogan still gets all choked up watching "the Answer." The ending is kinda frustrating to adult audiences, and it takes a season or so for the show to reach its footing, but it's worth a watch! Also the music is great.

Plural Tags: abuse low-focus, cofronting, fusion/integration, identityblending, children, nonhumans [aliens, gems, solar-powered robots], community (later on in the series), romantic relationships, friendship, enmity, setting-specific

Content Warnings: contain spoilers; see comments

Access Notes: At least somewhat watchable streaming on cartoonnetwork.com? Also seems to be entirely available on DVD, though it's like $60. Subtitled!

Misc Notes: 5 seasons, 160 episodes. Also had a movie, and a 20-episode follow-up series, Steven Universe Future, which cranks the emotional implications of the series up to the max. We watched the whole thing and found all of it worth watching, though if you're going to watch Steven Universe Future, watching the movie is advised.

"The term “pilot” feels ill-fitting now. Plugging into Nixie is just joining with my other half. When we connect, we become one in almost the same way as the flesh and machine halves of my brain do."

Blurb: A human pilot decides to get to know its mech better, and undergoes surgery to meet it halfway.

Why is it worth your time?: It's a short sweet story of growing intimacy between human and machine. Plus it's free!

Plural Tags: abuse not mentioned, cofronting, identityblending, nonhumans [robots], intimate relationships, on purpose

Content Warnings: None

Access Notes: Screenreadable plaintext. Read it here! Back-up link here.