#overtly AND covertly

[regulusrules]

Here again wailing my vocal cords about the fact that arthur was going to legalise magic in the disir if merlin had just said so. this is not a merthurfication of the show i swear, but pure blatant fact. Arthur was terribly conflicted at that choice, because something in him was telling him in bold exclamation marks that "perhaps my father was wrong" and if he had found the reassurance of that statement from merlin, if merlin just simply hinted it, arthur would have legalised magic.

But instead he sees fear in merlin's eyes, and there was no way arthur would ever take a decision that might relatively hurt merlin.

Fucking bitch episode

[larrylimericks]

4May24

When the idea of your being straight’s Cinematic pop cultural bait, Take a ride, clear your mind (If it’s sponsored by Lime) In that jumper you stole from your husband mate.

[blackhholes]

teen wolf meme: [5/5] motifs -> pain

It still hurt! And that's what keeps you human- pain.

[ssruis]

Eternally irritated by the Prsk fans who go there isn’t a misogyny problem bc like. Take my hand we’re learning about unconscious bias. Misogyny isn’t always On Purpose.

[itstimewehavesomesoliddick]

The US and Israel used the pier they swore up and down was only for humanitarian aid to infiltrate commandos inside a humanitarian aid truck (also a war crime btw) to rescue 4 hostages (out of 128) while planes bombed everything in the convoy's path, including a market, resulting in 210 dead civilians (52 per hostage btw), including children? No way man that's crazy, who could have thought they would ever do something this fucked up oh wait

[thewalrusespublicist]

Hi I was wondering if you were familiar with Brian allegedly inviting Paul to a party and being distraught when he didn’t show up? I remember reading about it in the jhp days but I can’t recall the source or time period. If you have an idea it’d be appreciated thanks <3

Hi Anon!

I do know the one! (This is taken from @eppysboys excellent compilation of Paul and Brian quotes which I highly recommend everyone read.)

“[Brian’s party at his Kingsley Hill estate] had a soft, dreamlike quality to it. The prophets were here, the masters were in control, there was good food and liquor and friends. A Whiter Shade of Pale, interspersed with Sergeant Pepper, played all afternoon and into the evening. Brian, of course, found something to ruin his fun. Paul had phoned earlier in the day with an impeccable excuse and was not coming. Brian was deeply paranoid about Paul anyway, and with his emotions magnified by the LSD he had taken, he was devastated by Paul’s absence. He strode around the living room at dusk and leaned dramatically up against the piano. “Paul… didn’t come…” Brian intoned softly. “This day of all days… he should have come…”

John and George, who were in the room with him at the time, rushed to where he stood to comfort him. “Come on now, Brian,” George said, hugging him, “we’re all here, and we’re good friends, and we love you!”” 

- Peter Brown (w/ Steven Gaines), The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of The Beatles. (1983)

They're talking about Sgt Pepper so 1967 by the sounds of it!

[dykenav]

has anyone read the mirror visitor series. EXTREMELY mixed reviews but it sounds intriguing to me like I need more books where the premise is killing god

[tyrannuspitch]

world's shittiest screenshots as ever (ouch my aspect ratio no i will not fix it) but. incredible that they put this on our screens and the prevailing view TO THIS DAY is that frigga is an unproblematic queen and everything wrong in the house of odin was 100% exclusively odin's fault

[chiyana]

Remember fellow hwites, white supremacy is an invasive species in your brain garden that will just as happily overtake and kill you just as it does everyone else. It's not necessarily your fault that it got planted there, but it's there all the same and denying it when it crops up just gives it time and space to grow. Whenever someone points it out, the appropriate response is NOT "how dare you say that about me after all the weeding I've done!", it is "ah fuck, sorry about that" and then getting out the gardening tools to dig it up.

I think for a lot of white people, when you call them out on their casual racism (microagressions and non-overt things), they see it as a case of hurt feelings from your point of view as opposed to a discussion of harmful practices that aid the vehicle of racism. So in response, they take it as a personal attack, rather than a learning experience, and go on the defensive by bringing up a time that you made them upset as leverage. Or they defend their actions by doubling down on the behavior at hand and dismissing your criticism as over sensitivity and emphasizing their “harmless” intent. And I think that is one of the reasons why it’s so hard to address casual and interpersonal racism with the general white population (and also other poc tbh).

[ammoknightsofficial]

While the abject hostility to storytelling, mind bogglingly forthcoming bigotry, the valuing of shipping above all else, and general severe tone deafness is not at all a new invention by the Mouthwashing fandom - nor is the visibility or severity of all of these things - I deeply, sincerely hope that the criticism that the spotlight being put on the Mouthwashing fandom for this stuff can maybe pave a sturdy path towards the criticism of fandom as a whole, and shipping culture as well.

For many years, people have been acting as though fandom + shipping culture are fun, wholesome, welcoming for everyone, and entirely devoid of negative politics. That is why it has been defended viciously and endlessly from even the most minor of criticism. The reality is that it has always been deeply hostile to marginalized people. Misogyny isn’t new to fandom. Rape apologia isn’t new to fandom. Ableism isn’t new to fandom. Homophobia isn’t new to fandom. Transphobia isn’t new to fandom. Racism isn’t new to fandom. They’ve been overbearing, oppressive forces in fandom and shipping culture for decades - no matter how hard people want to try to say that fandom is for the marginalized, it has literally always been overtly and covertly hostile to the existence of every single minority group.

I’m glad I’m seeing people actually talk about it for once. Often, when you open these kinds of discussions, people will shut you down or chase you off social media entirely. Do not stop talking. Because no, we shouldn’t be seeing wholesome AUs of a rape victim being forced to carry her rapist’s baby to term and happily raising it. No, we shouldn’t be seeing people say that a canonical male rapist is a trans woman, or is a closeted gay man who would have been “fixed by sodomy”. No, we shouldn’t be seeing cutesy art and videos about a disabled man being given talking button mats made for literal dogs in lieu of an actual AAC device. You’re right, this shit is fucked up… And it’s even worse that plenty of fandom members in different communities got away scot free with doing similar or worse things. We should be talking about this. We should be talking about how fandoms generally protect this kind of behavior. And we should start throwing hands at this behavior more and more often.

Fandoms are never going to be “fun for everyone”, nor are they going to be welcoming to the marginalized, until we start making an effort to deconstruct the way it further marginalizes people, and recognize when fan content goes beyond the realm of “harmless fun”.

Remember: Just because it’s free doesn’t mean it’s above criticism.

[flawseer]

Wings of Earth

"For Wings of Earth, search through the mud, for an egg the color of dragon blood."

This line from the Dragonet Prophecy is very funny to me, specifically because it refers to the color of dragon blood.

At face value, that makes sense. These kinds of eggs are relevant primarily to Mudwing culture, and it follows that they would call them "Blood Eggs", as they are the same color as the blood of their people, i.e. a deep red.

However, later we learn that this prophecy did not come from the impartial mouth of fate, rather it has been carefully engineered by the Nightwing elite circle to further their tribe's interests. With that biased origin in mind, note that they did not make reference to a "Blood Egg", which is the established Mudwing term for it, but rather opted to word it as "an egg the color of dragon blood".

Why do I think this is noteworthy? Well, by divorcing the subject from its Mudwing cultural roots like that, it becomes more of a general statement. It's saying "The egg is the color of dragon blood. Dragon blood is red." This statement is true for six of the seven Pyrrhian tribes. The sole exception are the Icewings- who happen to be ancient enemies of the Nightwing tribe -whose blood runs blue instead.

What this implies is that this prophecy was written in a way that covertly insults Icewings. It's insinuating they are not true dragons, i.e. their blood is not the appropriate color. That is on top of already overtly insulting them by not including an Icewing hatchling in the prophecy. As this prophecy is relevant to all the tribes on the continent, it ensures that every tribe will receive and accept this propaganda piece that insidiously proclaims Icewings as lesser beings, including the Icewings themselves.

Or that was the plan. In practice it went nowhere and its authors wound up shamed and humiliated. Whoops.

It is uncertain whether all this was intentional on Sutherland's part; I am likely putting way too much thought into a phrase that was just meant to sound good in a poem. But whenever I read this line, I picture Morrowseer, sitting alone in an empty cave with his writing scroll in front of him, smiling self-importantly while congratulating himself for sticking it to "those snow lizards in the north". Then he goes home and finds a note from his mate telling him she's gone out for the night and that he should de-frost himself some hot dogs in the sink.

And that picture is very funny to me.

[nayatarot777]

A Lot of You Have Subtle/Covert Control Issues, And Here’s Why:

One thing that I’ve noticed about a lot of people is that they have control issues that are given a pass and overlooked. Especially in relationships and friendships.

When we think of ‘control issues’ in the context of connections, we think of someone telling another what they can and can’t do, or what they can and can’t wear, or who they can and can’t speak to. Those things definitely fit into that category, but those are OVERT forms of control issues. Read through some of the following points and see if you can relate to any of the more subtle ones:

Refusing to accept people for who they are (positive or negative) and therefore opting to try to change them for better or for worse - instead of choosing to change YOUR behaviour and whether or not YOU continue to deal with them.

Thinking that you have the power or influence to change someone into a ‘better person’ and refusing to give up despite them not being receptive to that, nor even asking for your help in the first place.

Trying to force people to love and care for you. Instead of just choosing to love, care, and focus on yourself. Thinking that if you do ‘this’ and ‘that’ for them, or if you stick around them long enough, then they’ll eventually treat you like you want to be treated.

Refusing to change what YOU accept in terms of disrespect (when you definitely could if you wanted to), and instead trying to force someone to respect you. THEY DON’T WANT TO. Simple.

Trying to “fix” other people constantly (people who most likely never asked for that/don’t want that in the first place) while barely fixing anything about yourself.

All of these scenarios are just examples, but they all include someone trying to change someone else instead of choosing to change themselves, and their OWN behaviour, and their OWN standards.

So, this is my question: If you think that you don’t have the power nor the influence to change yourself into who you want to be, what makes you think that you’re powerful enough to change someone else into who you want them to be?

Please recognise your control issues. People who struggle with these types of things - covertly or overtly - are people who feel out of control in their own lives so they try to control someone else’s life. And that energy repels people. Because hardly anybody ever asks for someone to impose themselves onto them like that. Doesn’t matter if you think that you’re doing it to make someone “better”. If they don’t WANT to be a better person, then leave them to it. You don’t have the right to force someone onto a path that they don’t want to be on. Just like nobody else would have the right to do that to you.

There’s a reason why we have free will. To control ourselves. A lot of you shame manipulative people due to the way that they impose themselves on another person’s free will and mindset. However, I can guarantee you that if you relate to doing any of the things listed above, you attempted manipulating someone’s mind and behaviour - even if it was for something ‘good’ or ‘better’ - whether you realised it or not. Manipulation is something that humans do consciously and subconsciously all of the time. My question is, if you’re willing to try to manipulate someone’s behaviour for better, why not put that energy into yourself? Or at least someone who has directly ASKED for your help with that?

Please, everyone, stay in your lane and control YOURSELVES 💀.

[nickeverdeen]

Being in a secret relationship with the Iron Flame characters

Violet Sorrengail

Violet would use her knowledge of military encryption to send you secret messages

She'd quietly observe you during meetings, taking mental notes to discuss later in private

Violet would carry a small keepsake from you, like a token or a ring hidden under her clothing

She’d give you intense, meaningful glances across the room that only you understand

Violet would arrange to train with you often, using it as a cover for spending more time together

She’d compliment you in ways that others would take as friendly, but you’d know they mean more

Violet would sneak into your quarters at night just to check in or share a quiet moment

She’d use your relationship to subtly guide strategic decisions, always keeping your safety in mind

You’d keep a shared journal, hidden in a secret place, where you write to each other

She’d give you wordless support during stressful times, like a squeeze of your hand

Violet would be meticulous about planning your encounters, ensuring no one notices the patterns

She’d give you a small talisman for protection, something with deep personal meaning

You’d meet in secluded areas and communicate in whispers, making sure no one overhears

Violet would mark her territory subtly

She’d constantly strategize about how to eventually reveal your relationship safely

Mira Sorrengail

Mira would struggle with the secrecy due to her family’s expectations but would find ways to prioritize you

She’d secretly arrange for extra protection around you during dangerous missions

Mira would leave letters for you in hidden locations, making it seem like military orders

She’d ensure you receive special treatment in small, unnoticeable ways

In public, she'd be overtly caring in a way that seems sisterly to others but is much more to you

Mira would meet with you in secluded spots like supply closets or unused rooms

She’d secretly pull strings to ensure your career advances alongside hers

Mira would invent code words for different aspects of your relationship that you could use in public

She’d have others watch out for you under the guise of their duties

Her compliments would sound casual to others but would have deep meaning for you

Mira would offer silent support during tough times by simply being there when you need her

She’d make the most of every stolen moment, cherishing them deeply

Mira would navigate social situations carefully, ensuring no one suspects anything

She’d play the role of your superior and your partner seamlessly, never letting on

Mira would dream of a day when you can be open about your relationship, planning every detail

Brennan Sorrengail

Brennan would send you letters under the guise of official military correspondence

He’d create a system of symbols only you two understand, leaving them in places for you to find

Brennan would be overly protective in battles or dangerous situations, without drawing too much attention

He’d insist on training together often, using it as an excuse to spend more time with you

Brennan would keep a small, personal item of yours as a reminder of your relationship

He’d find ways to touch you covertly, like brushing your hand or arm in passing

Brennan would discuss battle strategies with you privately, ensuring you’re always one step ahead

His compliments would be veiled, understood only by you as something more personal

He’d create moments of quiet intimacy during times of chaos, grounding you both

Brennan would take you on private walks away from others, just to spend time with you

He’d watch over you with a protective gaze, ensuring your safety without being overt

You’d share secrets that no one else knows, deepening your bond

Brennan would develop a system of silent communication with you, like hand signals

He’d visit your quarters at night, just to be close to you without others knowing

Brennan would talk about his hopes for the future when you no longer have to hide

Aaric Graycastle

Aaric would arrange your secret meetings to coincide with official business, ensuring no one gets suspicious

He’d adopt an overprotective stance, especially during combat, ensuring you’re safe

Aaric would use military codes to send you private, affectionate messages

He’d express affection in small, hidden ways, like a squeeze on the shoulder or a knowing glance

Your serious discussions would be disguised as strategy meetings, keeping your relationship under wraps

Aaric would be stealthy with his gestures, ensuring that only you catch them

He’d arrange private training sessions to spend more time with you, under the guise of preparation

Aaric would leave secret gifts for you to find, always something meaningful

He’d carefully plan your missions, ensuring your safety at all costs

Aaric would watch over you subtly, ensuring no harm comes your way without making it obvious

He’d coordinate your interactions carefully, ensuring no one suspects your closeness

Aaric would give you a personal symbol of his affection, something small yet significant

In public, he’d be overtly formal, ensuring no one suspects your relationship

Aaric would offer quiet support during tough times, being there for you without saying much

He’d make promises for the future, when you can be open about your relationship without fear

Xaden Riorson

Xaden would embrace the secrecy, seeing it as a form of rebellion against the establishment

He’d find the most obscure, hidden places to meet, enjoying the thrill of the secrecy

Xaden would subtly tease you in public, his way of showing affection without revealing too much

He’d take protective actions that seem normal to others, but you know they’re for you

Xaden would invent secret symbols only the two of you understand, leaving them as messages

He’d take risks just to be with you, pushing the boundaries of what’s safe

His glances would be intense and meaningful, full of unspoken words only you understand

Xaden would flash mischievous smiles at you during tense moments, keeping the mood light

He’d show hidden affection, like brushing your hair back or squeezing your hand quickly

Xaden would plan missions around your safety, ensuring you’re always out of harm’s way

His attitude would be defiantly protective, daring anyone to question his actions

You’d share secrets that no one else knows, deepening your bond and trust

He’d visit you at night, just to be close without anyone knowing

Xaden would steal dangerous, thrilling kisses when no one’s looking, enjoying the risk

He’d talk about how your relationship is a rebellion against everything wrong with their world

Rhiannon Matthias

Rhiannon would be playful in public, teasing you lightly to keep suspicions at bay

She’d leave secret notes for you to find, hidden in places only you’d think to look

Rhiannon would find hidden spots for your meetings, like quiet corners or secluded gardens

She’d show affection in stealthy ways, like a brief touch on your arm or a quick hug

Rhiannon would carefully plan your time together, ensuring you’re not caught

Her glances would be playful and full of affection, something only you would understand

Rhiannon would have strong protective instincts, ensuring you’re safe without being obvious

She’d make sure to share a laugh with you during tense moments, easing the stress

Rhiannon would have hidden gestures, like a wink or a nod, that only you understand

She’d give you gifts disguised as something mundane, but with a hidden meaning

Rhiannon would create private jokes between you, things that only make sense to the two of you

She’d make covert plans for your future, discussing them in code

Rhiannon would be subtly protective, always looking out for you without drawing attention

She’d disguise her affection with cheerfulness, making it seem like nothing more than friendship

Rhiannon would dream about a future where you can be openly together, sharing those dreams with you

Sawyer Henrick

Sawyer would give you cheeky compliments in public that seem innocent to others but are meaningful to you

He’d engage in witty banter with you, using it as a cover for deeper affection

Sawyer would find playful ways to touch you, like ruffling your hair or poking your side

He’d develop a system of secret signals, like hand gestures or winks, to communicate in public

Sawyer would leave hidden notes for you in places only you’d think to check

He’d steal quick kisses in places where no one else can see, enjoying the thrill

Sawyer would make sure to share a laugh with you during stressful situations, keeping things light

He’d come up with secret nicknames for you, using them only when you’re alone

Sawyer would play light-hearted pranks on you, making sure you’re always smiling

He’d arrange covert meetings in unexpected places, keeping things exciting

Sawyer would disguise his affection as friendship in public, making sure no one suspects a thing

He’d use humor to protect you from stress, always finding a way to make you smile

Sawyer would have private conversations with you in crowded places, knowing no one’s paying attention

He’d take you on exciting, secret adventures, keeping your relationship dynamic

Sawyer would talk about all the mischief you’ll get into together in the future, once you don’t have to hide anymore

Jesinia

Jesinia would arrange secret rendezvous in the library, using it as an excuse to spend time with you

She’d engage you in deep, intellectual conversations, knowing it’s a safe way to connect

Jesinia would show affection in subtle ways, like brushing against you in passing

She’d offer covert support during tough times, ensuring you feel her presence without anyone knowing

Jesinia would write private letters to you, filled with her deepest thoughts and feelings

She’d develop secret codes that you can use to communicate in public

Jesinia would give you thoughtful gifts, disguised as ordinary items to avoid suspicion

She’d take you on quiet walks in secluded areas, just to enjoy your company

Jesinia would share books with you, marking the pages with notes only you’d understand

She’d develop protective strategies, ensuring your safety without drawing attention

Jesinia would show covert affection, like a soft smile or a quick glance

Jesinia would leave hidden messages in books or notes, always thinking of ways to stay connected

She’d create private moments in public places, ensuring your relationship remains hidden

Jesinia would make plans for the future, dreaming of a time when you can be together openly

Imogen

Imogen would keep a protective distance in public, ensuring no one suspects your closeness

She’d show subtle affection, like a brief touch on your arm or a quick smile

Imogen would insist on private training sessions, using them as an excuse to be alone with you

She’d offer strategic support, ensuring your success without drawing attention

Imogen would have quiet gestures, like a nod or a wink, to show her affection in public

She’d arrange hidden meetings in obscure places, ensuring your privacy

Imogen would share secrets with you, deepening your bond without anyone knowing

She’d take protective actions that seem normal to others, but you know they’re for you

Imogen would show strategic affection, ensuring no one suspects your relationship

She’d have private conversations with you in public, knowing no one’s paying attention

Imogen would leave hidden notes for you to find, always thinking of ways to stay connected

She’d make covert plans for your future, discussing them in code

Imogen would have protective gestures, like shielding you from harm without making it obvious

She’d offer quiet support during tough times, being there for you without saying much

Imogen would dream about a future where you can be openly together, sharing those dreams with you

Sloane Mairi

Sloane would want secret training sessions, using them as a cover for spending time together

She’d leave hidden messages for you in places only you’d think to look

Sloane would have strong protective instincts, ensuring you’re safe without being overt

She’d share secrets that no one else knows, deepening your bond

Sloane would offer quiet support during tough times

She’d have hidden gestures, like a nod or a wink, to show her affection in public

Sloane would take you on private walks away from others, just to spend time with you

She’d disguise your meetings as routine tasks or training sessions, blending in with your normal activities

Sloane would form strategic alliances to ensure your safety and success, without anyone knowing the true reason

She’d develop a system of covert communication, like hand signals or code words

Sloane would carefully plan your time together, making sure there are no risks of being caught

She’d create a system of symbols only you two understand, leaving them in places for you to find

Sloane would show affection in stealthy ways, like a brief touch on your arm or a quick hug

She’d make sure to share a laugh with you during tense moments, easing the stress

Sloane would dream of a day when you can be open about your relationship, planning every detail

[rayday-mayday]

I know this will probably be a pretty niche acceptance/positivity post, but for for the people who are minorities and fetishize/sexualize that part of themselves: You aren't a "bad example" for doing so.

Being a minority can be really traumatizing, and the trauma and abuse we endure can often go overlooked or be minimized. It isn't wrong for you to react to that trauma in a way where you attempt to take control back of your identity, even if that control takes the form of a sexual coping mechanism.

Personally, me being misgendered for 4 to 5 years fucked with my head a lot, and while that doesn't sound "that bad" to most since they've never endured that type of pain, it basically meant the people around me was ignoring and denying me my identity for pretty much my entire teen life which were already fucked over by other factors.

While I won't go into too much detail, all those years of having such an integral part of me denied ( especially during such formative years of my life ) lead to me developing a forced feminization kink as a trans man.

At times it can trigger my dysphoria, I have to be careful participating in it, and do my best to not oversexualize myself too much, but either way, I'm not bad for that happening to me nor am I bad for having the kink. Similarly, you're also not bad for it, no matter what your story looks like, nor how your kink manifested.

Even without any explicit trauma like that, being a minority that's just existing can be inherently traumatizing and scary as fuck. I mean, why wouldn't it be when the world around you is hostile towards you, be it overtly or covertly, simply for existing?

While I know you can also be into this type of stuff without having trauma like this, ( which is also just as valid, ) I've just never see anyone talk about this type of stuff in the sense of it developing from trauma, so I wanted to make a post like this in case anyone out there can relate and needs to hear this.

Cuz if I'm completely honest? It's kinda lonely and isolating to go through this type of stuff, due to how taboo it is to fx. be a trans person that fetishizes themselves. People can make you feel shameful for developing a kink like this, or for simply fetishizing yourself at all, since it can make those mentioned people label you as a "bad [insert whatever minority here]"

Just remember to pace yourself, know your limits before it starts to harm your mental health, and remember that at the end of the day you're more than just a sexual object; you're a person that deserves respect, love, and acceptance.

Even if you can't do any of those things just yet for whatever reasons, I'm sure you can work towards partaking in the kink you have in a healthy way eventually. I believe in you.

[longing-for-rain]

I don’t even understand the character Sokka stans are stanning. It’s not even Sokka. It is like they are taking the big strong tough guy Sokka thinks he is and acting like that is his actual character when it isn’t. I know not all of them are z*kkas but it does seem like atla renaissance and z*kka popularity added to this trend of taking Katara traits and giving them to Sokka instead

Me neither? I honestly don’t dislike Sokka as a character. I never particularly related to him like I do with other characters, but what frustrates me is how the fandom treats him in relation to other characters, especially Katara.

I definitely agree with you that there was a noticeable shift with the ATLA renaissance in 2020. I was in the fandom long before then and the biggest shift I saw was character bashing taking a faux-progressive spin. For example, Mai bashing used to involve calling her ugly and abusive, but shifted into shoving her into sapphic side ships for the aesthetic instead (while still making jabs at her appearance and demeanor, of course, because people can’t be normal about lesbians). As for Katara, it’s even worse. I’ll get into that.

I remember that historically, Katara has been one of the most bashed and hated on characters in the fandom. People would call her bossy and self important, say she was too emotional, that she was too rude, that she didn’t care about other people’s problems, etc. It was blatant back then, but I honestly see the same trends now, just more covertly. People acting like Katara is not as mature as Sokka, not “mom friend,” or otherwise downplaying the responsibilities she had to take on, fundamentally, are operating on the same logic. They do it in a very jokey way a lot of the time or even act like they’re “letting her be a kid” but really it’s just erasing the nuance of her character in the same way overtly misogynistic fans once did.

Because here’s the thing. We can all recognize Katara was forced into a parental role at an early age and that wasn’t fair to her. But acting like that was something that randomly happened on its own is not addressing the problem. But these fans refuse to address the problem by answering the question of why Katara constantly has to take this role…because that would require them to hold Sokka and Aang accountable for their actions and these people will not do that.

I really do think this is tied in with zukka too. I will say that I’m not a zukka anti. I actually really enjoy some zukka content because it can give a refreshing perspective. But I do see a lot of characterizations that are deeply annoying because they really seem like they’re trying to replace Katara. They want the Zutara dynamic but want slash. And I know these characterizations are no longer unique to zukka, but I would agree they were popularized by it.

Just off the top of my head:

The character who is the first of the group to trust Zuko? That was Katara. Sokka was the one in favor of leaving him to die whereas Katara trusted him twice during Book 2.

The character who emotionally connects with Zuko? That’s Katara.

The character who Zuko feels safest letting his guard down around? That’s Katara.

The character who helps Zuko heal from his trauma? That’s Katara.

The character known for showing the most compassion to others? That’s Katara.

The character who primarily bears the burden of having to step up into a parental role? That’s Katara.

The character who represses their emotions to be strong for others? That’s Katara.

And yet, for some reason, there is this new wave of fans who take all of these traits central to Katara and give them to Sokka instead. It’s just frustrating. Sokka is his own character. He’s different. I really just think this is a new brand of misogyny where we take traits like these for granted in female characters but overemphasize them in male characters.

[multiplicity-positivity]

Here’s some positivity for systems with covert switches!

Not every system has switches that are obvious with members that behave in unique or distinct ways! Many systems may find that their switches go unnoticed by others, and may even experience switches that the system themselves struggle to detect! There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a covert system or experiencing covert switches - this post is for systems who fit this description!

☘️ Shoutout to systems whose members share the same handwriting, mannerisms, tastes, interests, or tones of voice!

💠 Shoutout to systems with members who look, act, and feel very distinct on the inside, but who appear very similar when fronting!

💙 Shoutout to systems who try to mask their plurality or switch covertly for their own comfort and/or safety!

☘️ Shoutout to systems who have been fakeclaimed in the past due to the covert nature of their system and switches!

💠 Shoutout to those who wish that their system could have more overt switches!

💙 Shoutout to systems who used to have more overt switches, but who became covert suddenly or gradually over time!

☘️ Shoutout to systems working towards final fusion whose switches have become more covert as they work towards their recovery goals!

💠 Shoutout to systems who love the covert way their system functions and have no desire to change the way their plurality presents!

💙 Shoutout to systems who feel isolated or left out of the plural community due to how often overt system experiences are centered, uplifted, or treated as then norm!

☘️ Shoutout to covert systems who regularly don’t notice or realize they’ve switched until afterwards, and to those who don’t notice their switches at all!

💠 Shoutout to covert systems who keep their headmate information private and don’t let outsiders know who’s fronting or when a switch has occurred!

💙 Shoutout to overt systems who sometimes choose to present covertly, and covert systems who sometimes choose to present overtly!

Systems of all origins and experiences can present in all sorts of different ways! If your system is covert, or often presents covertly, we want to remind you that you are real, your plurality is beautiful, and you will always belong as a cherished member of our spaces and the plural community just the way you are. You don’t have to have overt switches or present overtly in order to be recognized as a system worthy of respect and kindness!

Please don’t judge yourself or your system too harshly for the way your plurality presents. Whether your system is covert naturally or by choice, know that we’re rooting for you and wishing you the very best in all that you do! Thanks so much for reading, and have a great day!