JUST ONE OF MANY

I intend to respond to every ask that I receive in a timely manner, but no promises. Note that if you send me hate mail or anything else that I have no reason to respond to, I'm just going to ignore it. Lastly, if there is a section of your question that you do not want me to post publicly in my response, use the formatting tool in your ask and color it purple. I'll handle it from there.

TITLE: TRIAL 2368 [The frame is black. It is unclear who is speaking.] TEXT: The rules are simple. TEXT: You were playing this game since before you were born. [U, with a red tie, and W, with a blue and white jacket, lay face up. U holds his hands over his mouth as he coughs up metallic blood. W lays unmoving, shades knocked off of his face, metallic blood leaking from his ears.] TEXT: You can never win, you can never quit, and you'll never break even. [U's face is barely visible in the corner of the frame.] TEXT: Upon waking, a new batch is prepared. (You are one of these.) TEXT: POST sequence begins. Appetite is cleared. Find your instructions for the day, written on the backs of your eyelids. Consult persistent and context memory. (Alert technician if the memory banks are improperly flushed.) [S, with a yellowed jacket, and T, with a green boiler suit, stand in the frame. The frame is small, centered in the middle of the image as the text is written outside of it.] TEXT: POST sequence success. Hello, world. (It's your first time in here. The machines are running without you.) TEXT: Take your stations. Your jobs are that of engineers, brakemen. [W, with a green jacket, stands alone in the frame. The frame is tiny, occupying the top of the image as the text exists outside of it.] TEXT: There is a hypothesis, often misinterpreted, that life is an attempt by the universe to extract more entropy out of itself. Evolution and thermodynamics written as two sides of one coin. TEXT: Engine readouts nominal. Boiler pressure nominal. Transmission speed nominal. Your body responds to commands with no issue. TEXT: What do you know about engines? They need fuel, need pressure, need oxygen. They cannot run too hot or cold. They need a spark. [The frame is not present in the image.] TEXT: Your job is to keep me running smoothly. I need fuel to continue powering the body. You will provide me fuel to continue powering the body. TEXT: You are each tailored to provide me with a different essential nutrient. Appetite transmission incoming. Harvest food from outer-world activities. Identity is fuel. Activity is fuel. Existence is fuel. TEXT: You are all of these things. Failure to capture fuel is a bad mistake to make when you live inside of an engine. Filial cannibalism is common. [Part of the frame is present in the bottom right corner of the image. Nothing is present in it.] TEXT: Do not overfill the engine. Harvest only the required nutrients given by the appetite. Extra material can be consumed by the operators as they see fit. TEXT: If attempting to modify the engine, wait until all fuel intake lines are inactive. After the nightly shutdown procedure is ideal. TEXT: (One of you wears a welding mask. You assume they're an engineer. Why is there a clown here?) [Most of the image is occupied by the bottom left corner of the frame. U, with a purple tie, stands in it. The text is written outside of the frame.] TEXT: It can't be your first time in here. You don't remember any of it, but there's clearly signs you have been here before. TEXT: You were born thirty seconds ago. How do you already know how to operate this machine? TEXT: According to your bandaged friend, you have this existential crisis every time you wake up. TEXT: Boiler pressure dropping. Find me something to eat. [The frame is once again the entirety of the image. U speaks to the others, who are out of frame.] TEXT: Oh, well. Engines are as engines do. U: V, today you're gonna be quite busy. Set aside a few hours for writing later, we'll need it. V: You got it. U: W, X, take over piloting for a bit. I gotta go talk to Z about how we are gonna make quota today.

TITLE: ASK YOURSELF Y [Y stands smiling in the corner of the frame.] Y: HI THERE, EVERYBODY! IT'S ME. EVERYBODY SAID THEY WANT ME TO MAKE A COMIC, SO HERE I AM! Y: I THINK THEY WANT ME TO TALK ABOUT WHAT I DO FOR A LIVING. Y: IN THAT CASE, LET ME TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT, HA HA. [Y stands smiling in the corner of the frame. Out of frame, Z speaks.] Y: BUT FIRST... Y: Z, THE LIGHTS, PLEASE? Z: Sure, sure. Hope it's bright enough. Y: THANKS, BUDDY {Every subsequent frame of this comic, unless otherwise specified to be an image, is a slightly brighter shade of gray, going from #2f2f2f to #3f3f3f. Image backgrounds are unaffected.} [Y stands smiling in the corner of the frame. Z speaks from out of frame.] Z: Bumped up the brightness by 6%. You think that's fine? Y: IF NOT, I'LL JUST HAVE LIGHT TEXT ON A DARK BACKGROUND INSTEAD. Y: NOW GET OUT OF HERE, THIS IS MY COMIC STRIP Y: ANYWAYS, WHERE WERE WE? MY JOB IS SIMPLE. [A pixelated image of an aerial view of the roof of a skyscraper. Other buildings can be seen in the background. Y stands on the very edge of the roof, gesturing and smiling.] Y: EVER SINCE THIS MEATBAG BODY WAS YOUNG, WE'VE HAD TO CONTEND WITH ALL KINDS OF FASCINATING IRRATIONAL THOUGHTS. Y: IF LEFT ALONE, THESE THOUGHTS MAGNIFY AND SPIRAL OUTWARD, GENERATING ALL SORTS OF NASTY TAR BYPRODUCTS THAT DISSOLVE OUR CARTOONISH FLESH. UH OH! Y: WELL, THAT'S WHERE I INTERVENE. BETTER OUT THAN IN, HAHAHA [Y stands smiling in the corner of the frame.] Y: INSTEAD OF PUSHING THESE THOUGHTS AWAY, MY COLLEAGUES KINDLY ALLOW ME TO HARNESS THEM FOR SELF-EXPRESSION. Y: BY BRINGING THEM INTO THE LIGHT, I GET TO EAT. AND LET ME TELL YOU, I'M ALWAYS SO HUNGRY! [Only the top of Y's head, horns included, are visible in frame.] Y: SOMEONE LIKE U SCORNS IT. SOMEONE LIKE W IGNORES IT. I SAVOR IT, WRITING LITTLE FANTASIES ALL ON MY OWN AS I BITE INTO IT. Y: YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT. I LEER AT UPCOMING PAIN, SHARPENING MY TEETH WITH QUIET JOY. [Y stands in frame, only half visible. One shoulder, one horn, and half a smile remain in frame.] Y: AND THEN, THE MOMENT AFTER I SPEAK MY PIECE, THE PRESSURE IS RELIEVED. THE AIR LIGHTENS. Y: I WAS FORMED TO EAT INVASIVE THOUGHTS, BUT THE TECHNIQUE WORKS ON LOOMING DREAD AND SMALLER ACUTE INJURY. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW NICE IT IS TO GENUINELY ENJOY STUBBING A TOE? I'M JUST SO CLUMSY, HAHA. [Only Y's one of Y's hips are visible in frame. Y's tail curls around the visible leg.] Y: OF COURSE, I'M NOT WITHOUT HUMANITY. I MAKE MISTAKES. Y: I HAVE PERSONALITY OUTSIDE OF MY WORK. Y: BUT THEN AGAIN, IF YOU ENJOY IT... [A black and white high-contrast image of a skyscraper, viewed from the ground. The building's black exterior gradually fades into the white sky. Y is not in the frame.] Y: ...YOU NEVER REALLY WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE!

TITLE: HOSTLESSNESS [U stands in the corner of the frame.] U: Hey, everybody. I want to talk a little bit about this idea of the "host" that most systems seem to abide by. U: Be warned in advance: I haven't really got a thesis statement for this comic or anything, it's just going to be some rambling. That said, I do have some things to say. Get some popcorn. [U stands in the corner of the frame, looking up.] U: Since the beginning, we've never really adhered to the concept of hosthood, mainly because we sort of figured things out organically. That is to say, when I was a child, some people smacked a few new voices into my head. I had no idea this sort of thing happened to people, so I invented all my terms from the ground up. When I made my way online later, I was able to map most of my invented terms and procedures loosely to other existing words. Except for anything relating to my stomach. [U stands in the corner of the frame, still looking up. The frame sits in the center of the image, surrounded by a darker backdrop.] U: I saw most people mention a "host" figure, someone like me or V or W that was in charge of everything. Either they fronted most often, or held some metaphysical significance over the others, or sometimes regarded themselves as "THE ORIGINAL" {The words "THE ORIGINAL" are slightly askew, and are significantly larger than the surrounding dialogue.} U: But I had nothing like that, given that I was dissolved alive every day. [Only dialogue is present in the frame. The frame sits in the center of the image, surrounded by a darker backdrop.] U: And in the myriad gaps between cycles, when no one was there... well, we weren't blurry. We weren't thinking. U: We weren't completely catatonic, though, either. We'd just repeat the last action we were doing mindlessly, like a car on cruise control. U: And our stomach churned on. U: Which part of a car is the "original"? The engine? [U and W stand on the bottom of the frame, looking up together.] U: But my stomach can't be a host. It doesn't think. It's a wrapper for the outside world. Persistent, sure, but not a host. Right? U: U was manning the ship alone, for most of the time, so he should be the host. But W has individual memories from the furthest in the past, so he should be the host. But what about Z? Or S? Y? T? [Only dialogue is present in the frame.] U: If we even had a host, would we be able to recognize them? U: Wasn't the whole point of our splitting to eliminate the need for a host? Why would we put the onus of living on one person? U: Why don't we fit the mold? We know we're plural. U: Maybe the mold is a statistical construct, like women's clothing sizes or IQ scores or car safety ratings. Therefore, I'm hostless. U: I guess this is the end of the comic for now. I'll definitely make a sequel to this one elaborating on my particular setup, and why I call myself hostless, but I want to arrange my thoughts properly for that one. If you don't have a host, know that you aren't alone. Have a good one, everybody. See U later.

TITLE: ATTRACTION [T stands in the corner of the frame.] T: Well, we'd better get this comic out before pride month ends, because it's time for us to talk about ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL ATTRACTION. {The words ROMANTIC AND SEXUAL ATTRACTION are displayed in rainbow clip art, and are significantly larger than the surrounding dialogue.} T: What, you didn't know I could do that? I'm really close with V, you know. [Z, R, and T stand in the corner of the frame. T speaks from out of frame.] T: This comic will be focused primarily on the nine of us that you've seen prior. I'm not going to even try to talk about the sexuality of our stomach. It's a stomach. T: We're going to start with the easiest group of people to explain: The aromantic asexuals. I'm one of those! [T stands in the corner of the frame.] T: Z says we're not supposed to use the comic to state our own opinions, but I really can't imagine living any other way. Being aroace is awesome! I don't have to tie myself to anyone else, unless they have something I need. It's so much simpler compared to whatever you all do. T: Uh, no offense, haha... [X stands in the corner of the frame. T speaks from out of frame.] T: On the other end of the spectrum, you have X. X: I'll ████ anything that moves! {X literally says the word ████. There is no censoring occurring in this dialogue.} T: X is about as pansexual as they come. He borders on hypersexuality, if not for the fact that he does it for laughs instead of genuine insatiability. T: W is similar, but fishes for a different set of reactions than X does. [A two-axis graph, with the heads of each alter placed somewhere on it as data points. On the vertical axis, the graph is labeled "ROMANCE RULES!" to "ROMANCE SUCKS!". On the horizontal axis, the graph is labeled "EWW, SEX" to "HELL YEAH, SEX RULES". R, T, and Z's heads are placed in the sex-repulsed and romance-repulsed quadrant. V's head is placed in the sex-repulsed and romance-favorable quadrant. W's head is placed in the sex-favorable and romance-repulsed quadrant. S, U, and X's heads are placed in the sex-favorable and romance-favorable quadrant.] T: The rest of us fall somewhere between those extremes. T: Well... there's one exception. [Y stands in the corner of the frame, grinning too widely. T speaks from out of frame.] Y: DID YOU FORGET ABOUT ME? T: We don't know how to classify Y on a scale like this. He's so utterly devoted to his purpose that somehow, it's both sexual and not sexual at the same time. T: I mean, come on. What the hell am I supposed to put you down as when pain physically makes you both hungry and relieved? [Y stands in the corner of the frame, still grinning too widely.] Y: MY TEAMMATES SAY THEY'RE UNNERVED. HA HA. I KNOW THEY'RE LYING. THEY LOVE ME, AND THEY LOVE ME FOR WHAT I CAN DO. I LOVE THEM TOO. Y: YOU SHOULD SEE WHAT I DO! ALL FOR MYSELF. THEY DON'T WANT TO TOUCH IT. IT'S NOT RIGHT TO SAY THAT THIS IS SEXUAL. THAT WOULD BE TOO EASY, HA HA HA. Y: NO, THIS IS SOMETHING STRANGER THAN JUST A KINK. [T stands in the corner of the frame.] T: Strangeness aside, the point of this comic is that like everything else, how you're feeling (or not feeling) can be used as a neat diagnostic for who's hanging around on a day by day basis. T: Also, to be completely transparent, we really wanted to get Y in these comics somehow. He barely makes any appearances! T: Anyways, that's all. No satisfying or funny one-liners, we're just done. T: Happy Pride.

[The frame is completely black.] V: I left before rigor mortis set in. The moment you returned, a copy of a copy of a copy, you piloted yourself away from the world and began to work, typing meaningless words on a black screen. The sunset was wasted on you, squinting as you buried yourself in a grave made of struct-pointers. V: I watched. I catalogued. I waited. [The frame is completely black.] V: You pushed yourself harder. The sun dipped between the buildings on campus. I waited for you to die. I waited for you to come back. The sun rose on ungrateful eyes. How could you live like this? How come you died for this? V: I became bolder, because I wasn't going to call it desperation. I spent more time between yours. I started moving the body, pressing myself to the window. Pressing myself against the world. If you were going to waste the sunset, I'd pick up the slack. Sometimes you'd grasp at my ankles, rasping wordlessly. V: I lost my fear of you. I wanted to make you see what I saw. [The frame fades from black to the standard gray background.] V: You worked. I learned how you worked, and it saddened me. You worked this way because you were alone, I reasoned, so if you were suddenly not alone, maybe you'd see the sunset the way I did. Maybe seeing it through the fogged glass would teach you. I waited until night fell. You twitched restlessly as the room dissolved you, and I stepped inside for the last time. For the first time. V: When you awoke, you were terrified. I didn't understand why. I began to explain the sunset to you, but held my tongue. The words died on my lips. I had to meet you where you were. [V stands in frame, eyes and mouth clamped shut in embarrassment.] V: So, on the spot, bereft of any other options... {The following line of dialogue is spoken by V.} V: Uhm, uh. Ut tensio, sic vis? V: ...I panicked. [U stands in frame, leaning forward.] V: Thankfully, my soon to be coworker understood. U: Wh - Wait, really?! U: Oh, fuck. I'm so sorry. U: Fuck, this is bad... V: From here, the story's already been told.

[U stands resolutely in one corner of the frame. In the other corner, further away, W stands while looking uncomfortably in the other direction.] W: At some point, all I wanted to do was pass the torch.

TITLE: PAPARAZZI [S and U stand in frame together.] S: Damn, it's boring in here. U: Don't rock the boat, please. S: Take the stick out of your ass. I'm just saying it how it is. It's like a road trip in here, just sitting around all day. U: Fine. How about an interview question? S: Heh, sure. Why not. [S and U turn to face each other. U holds a microphone in his hand.] U: Hi, this is (hehe) I. P. Freely, from the Rolling Toons. Would you be free to answer some questions? S: Sure thing, Mr. Freely. Ask away. U: As the lead singer and songwriter for your band Lie, Cheat, and Steal, how would you say your relationship with your fellow musicians has grown over time? [S stands in frame. U's extended arm holds a microphone toward her face.] S: I'd say that I learned to trust them readily, Mr. Freely. It's difficult for someone of my nature to rely on others, but U and W are quite competent bandmates, and they're down for anything. U: Excellent, excellent. Would you say that you, as a performance artist, learned anything from U or W in specific? S: Of course. U's dedication to a goal is unmatched, and it's something I strive to replicate daily. W, on the other hand, is suave and unbothered, no matter the situation. I look up to them both. [S and U stand in frame together. U looks bashfully at S.] U: Nicely done. Also, very sweet of you. S: Just saying it how it is, buddy. Hit me with another. U: Sure, sure. Here we go. [Only part of U's face is visible in frame.] U: Pierre Sinclaire, from Sharpeye mag. S: Good to hear from you again, Pierre. U: How do you feel about your fans emulating you? I hear that you've attended some "S lookalikes" contests before. [Only part of S's face is visible in frame.] S: Oh, those, ahaha. Yes, I have. Believe it or not, sometimes I don't even place first! S: Some of my fans are very talented. S: One of them in particular impressed me quite a lot with her attention to detail! I think her name was V? [Only part of S and U's face are visible in frame.] U: Daisy Pusher here, from Snuffbuddies. S: Why, hello, there! I'm an avid reader, myself. U: Great to hear! We were wondering where Lie, Cheat, and Steal samples the screaming from in their backing tracks? It's so well done. S: Well, I'll say that we're all fairly busy in the studio, searching for samples or making our own. Rock stars work on Fridays, and all that. We really couldn't do any of this without the support of our fans, in every city we visit! [Only part of U's face is visible in frame.] U: Hi, this is Misha Inherit from Protest Weekly? S: Hah, good one. What's on your mind, Misha? U: Critics of Lie, Cheat, and Steal are adamant that your music is harmful to the population, and that you'd be better off pursuing a solo music career. What do you say in response to these claims? [Only S's face is visible in frame.] S: The critics can fuck themselves. S: Our self-expression is not harmful. It does not devalue anyone who listens, or anyone else who makes music. S: Those who wish to stifle us are afraid they won't be the biggest fish in the pond anymore, is all. S: If you think that we suck, well, go make your own fucking band. Show us what you got. [S and U stand together in frame. S looks away, while U looks over at her.] U: ... Thank you, S. S: Don't mention it. It's nothing for my lead guitarist, haha. [S and U stand together in frame, facing away. Their dialogue is partially obscured by their bodies.] U: ... This is Mark R. Calyndyrs, from XXS magazine. We were wondering if you were ever planning on doing a tour overseas? {Dialogue past this point is obscured, shrinking line by line as it dips behind S and U.} S: Sure thing, Mark, we'd love to. It's not currently in right now, but a world we'd love to get around U: This is C. U. Laytar, from What would you say your for Lie, Cheat, and Steal are, artists or

[Z stands in the corner of the frame.] Z: Doesn't this all seem a little bit complicated to explain to someone who just wants to know if I'm comfortable with they/them pronouns? Z: The answer's yes. Unequivocally. For the purposes of decorating an "about me", "an element of the linear hull of personalities" is about as stupidly opaque as gender gets. Z: But if you wanted the simpler version of my gender, well, that's what the previous comic was for. This is the theory side of things. My derived gender is that of a theoretician. I quite literally do this for a living. [U stands in the corner of the frame.] U: As for the gender of the body, it's a similar story. What does the world need us to be today? That's what we are, more or less. U: Incidentally, this is one reason we have a blanket ban on sharing any info about our meat body online. If you knew what we needed to be in person, you'd know a devastatingly large amount about us. No thanks!

U: Immediately, though, the floodgates burst open. V was adamant that there was more than just us two and the room we were in. I was willing to believe it, seeing as she'd come from outside, somehow. U: That led us to find W, who admitted he had been intentionally concealing himself. He had secluded himself away for his own safety after seeing how the room had been treating me. [A high-contrast black and white image of an empty parking lot. U speaks from out of frame.] U: At that point, we could no longer deny it. We dug ourself in and got to work making a life for all of us. U: The three of us grew acquainted, then close. The room grew calmer, then satisfied. Our headcount doubled, then tripled. U: If only that "singlet in a plural body" could see us today. U: That's all from me for now. Have a good one.

TITLE: GENDER [U and X stand next to one another.] U: Should we do this one? I'm shy about disclosure. X: What are you so worried for? It's not like anyone can find us. U: I guess. Besides, if it'll make V feel good then it's the least we can do. X: Lighten up, U. It's just a few words. C'mon, it's easy: [W stands alone in frame.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} W: Wait, I'm going first? W: I thought it'd be, like, R. W: Anyways, I'm male. Pretty straightforward, but we can't all be interesting. [S stands alone in frame.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} S: I'm as ladylike as they come. S: What? Did you want more? [X stands alone in frame.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} X: Literally whatever's funniest in the moment. I don't mind. X: Yes, I'm serious! X: My gender is 100% defined by the bit I'm doing at the time. {The following text is in the corner, with no speaker attached.} Sidenote: We define this gender as "chaotic" in our internal notes because of how it applies to us in particular, but feel free to reach out if you've heard of a better name for it. [U stands alone in frame.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} U: Uh... male. Mostly. I don't click fully with it like W does, though. U: I'd say I'm at a vague three quarters of the way there. U: The other quarter, well. I don't really care to fill it with anything. {The following text is in the corner, with no speaker attached.} Sidenote: We define this gender to be "none", which makes U some flavor of nonbinary or demiboy. Of course, so's X, but she'd probably fall under a different category. Reach out if you know a better word.) [T stands alone in frame.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} T: Boy! Well, half boy. Only the parts I care about! T: The other half I prefer to leave undefined! [V stands alone in frame. She smiles.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} V: Girl! Well, half girl. Only the parts I care about! V: The other half I prefer to leave undefined! [Y stands alone in frame. It smiles as always.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} Y: HALF EMPTY. QUARTER MALE. REMAINDER CHAOTIC. I AM FLEXIBLE. ARE YOU? [R stands alone in frame. They grimace.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} R: I dunno... Nothing, for now. I'm trying to take my time with it. R: I think I'm supposed to be a boy? At least, partly a boy. R: Only the parts I... care... about? Somehow, that feels right? [Z stands alone in frame.] {The phrase "What is your gender?" stands alone at the top of the frame, with no speaker attached.} Z: Mostly nothing, a little bit male. Z: Honestly, I'm kinda considering going fully agender. I don't really use or need gender for my duties. [X stands alone in frame.] X: See? Easy, wasn't it? X: Naturally, the pronouns follow based off of those. Most of us respond to a neutral "they", so if you're nervous about getting it wrong when referring to us, you can hedge your bets with that. X: As for our meatbag body, well, I'm not gonna just kiss and tell, teehee! I'd rather not tell you anything about this vessel that isn't mandatory.

TITLE: YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS [V and W stand next to each other.] V: It's PRIDE MONTH, W! You know what that means! {The words PRIDE MONTH are displayed in rainbow clip art, and are significantly larger than the surrounding dialogue.} W: What? W: Seriously? [V turns and walks away. W throws his hands up in frustration behind her.] W: V, that joke doesn't even fucking work! I don't write the comics! What am I even supposed to say to that? I don't even touch the damn blog! [W sighs to himself.] W: Ugh, fine. Be that way. W: Joke's on her. Now I get to write whatever I want for the rest of this comic and no one can stop me. [V rushes back into frame as W speaks. W's dialogue is cut off by a frantic V slapping her hand over his mouth. {W's dialogue is partially obscured by V's.} W: V wants to do a set of comics for pride month! The first one is gonna be about ou second one is gon ! V: SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUSH SHUSH NO NO SPOILERS WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING