#And everyone insisting on using he/him for Kris is adding to the problem btw.

[hoodie-prince-kid-archived]

It's 2:30 in the morning and I don't think my brain will let me sleep until I post this, but I'm thinking about the theory that Ralsei is Kris' old red horns headband, and that he's a projection of what Kris wishes they were. And an argument I've seen against that theory is that Ralsei uses he/him, not they/them like Kris, and while that argument is valid, my counterpoint is that wishing you were something vs actually being something when it comes to gender identity are two different things.

I'm going to disclaim right now that I obviously do not know Kris' assigned gender at birth, and this counterpoint rides on the idea that they're amab or masc-leaning intersex (the first of which is my personal headcanon, but again I am not the authority here and you are at liberty to disagree with me so long as you're polite about it). The argument also rides on Asriel being amab and cis, but can be read as transmasc Asriel as well depending on your viewpoint.

Based on what we know, it sounds a lot to me like while they love their brother, Kris struggles a lot with self-image when it comes to their family, especially Asriel. With him being off in college and so many people asking about him to Kris rather than Kris themselves, I imagine Kris inwardly compares themselves to Asriel a lot, and wishes they were a monster like he was, born into the family instead of adopted, popular and successful. This is where the main theory stems from, because Ralsei is a goat monster; he's kind and likeable, and forces himself to be so even though we know he's likeable enough without expending himself for the sake of others. Ralsei, in part, is what Kris would be if they forced themselves to be more like Asriel even though that's not who they are.

This is where gender identity comes into play. On the assumption that Kris is amab, they probably wish sometimes that they were cis and just went by he/him, like Asriel. Or, even, that their identity fell into the gender binary, so they could be "normal" like everyone else. I don't think this is a result of not being accepted by their friends and family, because they are- but rather, societal norms and internalized transphobia. There are thousands of trans and nonbinary and genderqueer people including myself who wish they were cisgender and didn't have to struggle with dysphoria or fight to be called by their preferred name and pronouns, and while Kris doesn't seem to have to fight for this (at least not anymore) I think they might fall into this category. Yes, Kris goes by they/them, and yes, the people around them respect and accept that, but there's probably still internalized transphobia left within them that makes them wish they were cis; and it was probably a lot stronger before they lost/abandoned the headband, which must have been a short time before they finally came out to their family. And while I do think Ralsei is still his own separate character, I think that part of him is still what Kris wishes they could have been, including with gender identity and expression. Ralsei is an expression of the mindset Kris used to have before they got older and finally decided to try being themselves, which in turn is likely why Kris is uncomfortable with Ralsei- he reminds them too much of themselves when they were younger. Maybe Kris befriending and learning to accept Ralsei, as well as watching him change and grow, might lead to them finally fully accepting themselves for who they are and learning to express themselves confidently as a result.

In conclusion, Kris is still growing and figuring themselves out; and a part of that is their gender identity, which is fighting against internalized transphobia among other self-perception issues. By using they/them for themselves, they are not misgendering themselves by any means- their identity is real and valid, after all. The issue is not that they're forcing themselves to be nonbinary, the issue is that at some point they internally believed or perhaps still do believe their identity is invalid, despite what the people around them say.

It is now 3am, thank you and goodnight.