Plurality

Synonyms:	multiplicity, systems
See also:	bodysharing, soulbonding
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Plurality is the state of multiple entities sharing one body. Unlike the bodysharing trope, this occurs naturally through many means.

In fandom spaces, fans themselves can be systems, and will often provide certain information on their alters or headmates. Particularly noteworthy are introjects, internalized versions of external concepts, such as real people or fictional characters.

Brief Terminology for Context

• Alter/Headmate: an entity in a plural system.
• Core: a system member who has been present since birth, usually the "original" person present.
• Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID; previously Multiple Personality Disorder or Split Personality Disorder): a dissociative disorder characterized by the presence of multiple distinct identities, consciousnesses, or personalities.
• Endogenic: a system not formed from trauma; alternatively, a system not diagnosable with DID.
• Headspace/Innerworld: a mental world.
• Host: the primary fronter/main alter.
• Fictive: a headmate based on a fictional character.
• Front: to have control of the body or be able to communicate with the outside world.
• Integration: the (usually) permanent merging of system members or the system as a whole; alternatively, the therapeutic lowering of barriers and building of communication to allow collective functioning.
• Introject: a headmate based on an external concept or being.
• Little: a young headmate; an internal child.
• Singlet: someone who is not plural.
• Switch: to take control; to front.
• System/Collective: the sum of headmates in a plural body.
• Traumagenic: a system formed from trauma; alternatively, a system diagnosable with DID.

For further information, see Pluralpedia and/or Multiplicity and Plurality Wiki.

Canon

Many characters are written as plural, whether explicitly or implicitly, including characters with dissociative identity disorder, who host gods, who are temporarily possessed, who host symbiotes, who have inaccurate schizophrenia, and many more situations.

• Adam Milligan and Michael, who share control of Adam's body during possession, from Supernatural.
• Ash Tyler / Voq, whose memories and DNA were spliced together, from Star Trek: Discovery.
• Bad Cop/Good Cop, who has a split personality, from The LEGO Movie.
• Crazy Jane, who has multiple personality disorder, from Doom Patrol.
• David Haller, who has multiple personality disorder or occasionally "schizophrenia," from X-Men comics and Legion.
• Eddie Brock and Venom, through symbiosis, from Marvel.
• Gemini Saga, who is sometimes controlled by his "evil face," from Saint Seiya.
• Jean Grey, who hosts the spirit The Phoenix, from X-Men.
• Jeritza von Hrym from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, who developed a split personality called the Death Knight after killing his father to protect his sister Mercedes
• Korekiyo Shinguji, who has a split personality, from Dangan Ronpa V3: Killing Harmony.
• Latka Gravas, who has multiple personality disorder, from Taxi.
• Marc Spector, Steven Grant, Jake Lockley, and Khonshu, who have dissociative identity disorder and host a god (Khonshu), from Marvel comics and Moon Knight.
• Niki Sanders, who has a split personality, from Heroes.
• The Daycare Attendant, which is two characters who share a body, from Five Nights At Freddy's.
• Toko Fukawa, who has an alternate personality named Syo, from Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.
• Mike, who has six personalities, (including his,) from Total Drama: Revenge of the Island.
• Uendo Toneido, a rakugo performer and a trial witness in Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice.

Fandom

Some characters are frequently interpreted or written as plural despite it being unclear or even explicitly not present in canon.

• Character Thomas Sanders, who has conversations between parts of his personality, from Sanders Sides.
• Sonny Crockett, who has an undercover persona called Burnett, from Miami Vice.

The following fans are, appear to be, or have claimed to be plural:

• Andrew Blake, who claimed to have dissociative identity disorder in a conversation with carlanime.
• Panopticon, who have dissociative identity disorder.
• LB Lee, who is multiple.

Example Fanworks

The following fanworks have themes of plurality, often non-canon.

Fanfiction

• You, Darkness by Nan Dibble, in which Vincent has multiple personalities (Beauty and the Beast (TV), 1991).
• Heat-Trace by Helen Raven, in which Bodie develops a disassociative disorder with split personality traits (The Professionals, 1992).
• Quintet by Patricia Laurie Stephens, in which Spock has multiple personalities (Star Trek: TOS, 1993).
• No Islands Any More by Betsy Tacy Ray-Kelly, in which Blair has multiple personality disorder (The Sentinel, 1998).
• The Weaknesses Series by Viridian5, in which Mulder has multiple personality disorder (The X-Files, 1998 - 1999).
• To Have, to Own, to Hold by Viridian5, in which Mulder bas multiple personality disorder (The X-Files, 1998 - 1999).
• Enemy Mine by Greywolf the Wanderer, in which Kirk's personality is physically split into two people (Star Trek: TOS, 1999).
• Me, Myself, and I by EmySabath, in which Harry has multiple personality disorder (Harry Potter, 2005).
• Broken Mind, Fractured Soul by SensiblyTainted, in which Harry has multiple personality disorder (Harry Potter, 2005 - 2015).
• Winter Wooer by salytierra, in which Bucky has dissociative identity disorder (Avengers, 2016).
• Loving Them by knicnort3, in which Bella has dissociative identity disorder (Twilight, 2019 - 2020).
• Letter from Hades by Demeter, in which Blair has multiple personality disorder (The Sentinel).

Meta

• Vincent Revisited, which discusses the interpretation of Vincent as having a dual personality (Beauty and the Beast (TV), 1992).

Recommendations

• Recs for good fics featuring DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder)?, r/Fanfiction post by Gabriella_Gadfly (2021).
• plural works that don't make us squirm, AO3 collection by SOBQJMV_Sphinx (2021 - 2022).

Miscellaneous

• 50% OFF by Octopimp, an abridged series in which Haruka Nanase has multiple personalities (Free!, 2013 - 2016).