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First off, lemme make it clear that I do not believe in censoring or gatekeeping, I’m not going to tell you to take down your fics, you’re free to write whatever you want.

But here’s the thing. When writing it as a singlet, there’s a lot of issues that arise.

First off, I think you guys should understand that yeah, while some systems want the physical intimacy of being separate, there is so much emotional intimacy in being a system that outerworld people DON’T have. Knowing their thoughts, feeling their feelings, it’s something that can be so comforting and even sensual between insys relationships. Writing them as separate outerworld people takes away this aspect. And I get it, y’all aren’t gonna understand this part of plurality because you don’t experience it. But challenge yourselves.

Which leads into my next point. Writing separate bodies often feels like a cop out, trying to make it “easier” to write so you can avoid writing a plural character. DON’T DO THIS. If you cannot take the time to study and understand systems and how to write them, then hey. DON’T WRITE THEM. It’s the like for example, drawing POC and disabled people. LEARN how to draw them, don’t just darken their skin or slap them on a hospital wheelchair.

Most of the separate bodies thing is for nsfw reasons which. Again let me go back to my first point. The emotional intimacy is something that you can use for that! Systems can be sexy and fuck, don’t take away their plurality to do it.

Being plural is an integral part of Moon Knight’s identity, heck, it’s an integral part of any system’s identity. For most plurals it runs deeper, it’s more important that most other aspects. It’s more important to us than our queer identity, than our disabled identity, even sometimes cultural. We can go a minute forgetting we’re queer, we can go a minute forgetting we’re disabled, we cannot go a minute forgetting we’re plural. It is the the BIGGEST part of our identity. Taking that away from us feels worse to us than straightwashing, because it is SO interwoven in our every day life. I’m going to admit this section is much more personal opinion and others will disagree, but that is the biggest part that makes us :/ at separate bodies.

Marc and Steven end in Moon Knight as happy and healthily plural. They care for each other and support each other in ways that outerworld people CANT, so why take that away?

Layla could totally lift up Mr Knight (and Moon Knight but I love the sharp looking suit more) and he loves it…

Marc, distracted: Hey Khonshu, can you check who that is?

Khonshu: Only because it's you, my son. It's Layla.

Marc: Oh what's she saying?

Khonshu: It seems she's replying to what you said earlier. She says "mood elmow".

Marc: Mood elmow?

Marc:

As you wish!

Somehow this notif didn’t come by but YES.

I want them to love each other, I want them to care for each other and have a deep connection—but it’s not romantic. It’s a beautiful unlabeled relationship that only Layla and Jake understand.

They watch shows together and make popcorn and rootbeer floats. They exercise together and are running partners and Layla helps wash Jake’s (spotless) car. They talk shit and flirt and say so many true and genuine “I love you”s, but they’re not dating.

Jake’s not a touchy person, but he loves giving Layla forehead kisses and sometimes pulling her in a tight hug. Layla loves to cuddle him on movie nights.

Marc thought Steven and Layla would like a sphynx cat

do NOT put whether an alter is an introject or not above them being a real person. as a singlet BY DEFAULT their source does not matter to you. treat them like you would anyone else until you know what they are and aren’t okay with.

do NOT treat alters other than the host like they’re lesser than them. everyone in a system is in the same boat, your host friend included. if you treat any other alter like shit the host (and everyone else in the system) WILL be affected.

do NOT trigger alters on purpose. i shouldn’t even have to say this. we aren’t fun little toys for you to play with, we’re REAL FUCKING PEOPLE. i don’t care how big of a fan of our sources you are or how stupid you think our triggers are. be a decent person and treat us like you would anyone else. it’s dehumanizing to act otherwise.

do NOT make jokes about “waiting for [x] to split” to your system friends. this one really depends on the boundaries of whoever’s in question, but joking about wanting us to split is insensitive. we don’t split for fun or for you to interact with your favorite character. we split because it’s how our brain knows how to cope. you’re not in the place to make jokes about this unless you KNOW it’s okay.

I’m specifically looking at the insys shipping fics. I’ve even seen one that directly says Layla left them.

Here’s the thing, we are by no means against Marc/Steven or Marc/Steven/Jake. We’re completely for it.

But… I think something to be realized is Layla isn’t just any old love interest, she’s the love interest of a system. She is the system’s partner. She is, actually, part of the system rep in Moon Knight because of this.

She actively supports and understands what’s going on with the MK sys. Her characterization and relationship with the boys was SO IMPORTANT for systems to see. Yes, singlets can love us and treat us as different people and not call us crazy. Layla was so important to systems as part of the positive rep of Moon Knight.

Unlike comic-verse Marlene, who was very angry at the mere existence of Marc and Jake, Layla is supportive, understands that both Marc and Steven are different, and loves them in different ways.

I don't write insys fics (Well, right now, I don't write fics) because I KNOW I'd have trouble writing them also in a relationship with Layla. I am not a good thruplet writer. But I'd suggest to those who want to write the system being... monogamous to themselves? (Can you be monogamous if it's a threesome?) to try and write reasons for them not to be romantically involved with Layla that are not "Layla couldn't understand". Because she does. And more importantly, unlike EVERY OTHER ROMANTIC INTEREST the guys have had? She treats each of them as different people, respects their differences and doesn't push for one to be "the real" one.