sliske :: Misc. thoughts on fictional systems and offline coming out.

I sometimes re-attempt reading Gideon the Ninth, but am always hindered by knowing that "Of course you cannot co-exist with a second whole person in the same brain!" is a core caveat that the narrative hinges on later.

It is odd how often that comes up in stories. It isn't common but every so often I see it used. "Another person is in my brain, and only one of us can live!"

It's ridiculous. "The brain cannot support more than one active person." I am coming over to delete your manuscript with a small hammer and pliers. Try something else. There are plenty of other issues to exploit for disruption/tension. Try the issue of privacy, or the differences in memory, or the impossible task of external differentiation. Or any issue that can arise in a group of two or more people. Something.

I do wish that external differentiation was easier, but the main barrier is the simple fact that living things are inconsistent and so a wide variety of behavior is acceptable. Having the usual selection of common behaviors indicative of a single person (manner of walking, posture, dialect-register, etc.) per-person in one body just looks like there is a single consistently inconsistent person, which is common.

I always think about our years of librarian work where coworkers noticed the differences and categorized the "behavior sets" (each of us) with different nicknames derived from our legal ID. Even if the differences are noticed, people don't jump to the conclusion of plurality. Which I suppose is fine, from a safety standpoint. But it was very jarring to be referred to with a semblance of individuality, even unknowing, then sit through yet another conversation making fun of Nervous by Zane  or somesuch.

Which can't be expected from people without explaining, but explaining does not go well, and so around spins the problem.

We've weighed different approaches to a hypothetical coming-out, but that also presents a logistical problem. Take nametags. Would it need to be erasable, with whoever speaks taking a moment to erase the current name and then so-on for the next? Certain genderfluid people use a sort of flip-deck on a lanyard for easy rapid-swapping of identification, which could work, but also presents the same issue for co-fronting. We have tried rings with names engraved on them, but that isn't the easiest to note in conversation. With the partner system, we can mutually rely on knowing verbal cues and body language to differentiate, but even that isn't infallible.

Anyways I will eventually get to the part of Sund where the system-in-a-lich-body appears and then toy with writing this. Then they'll get their intended sequel for which I am writing Sund in the first place. Gesturing.