#what reason does he have to believe that any of them are here with him?

[unpopularly-opinionated]

So you believe that Boeing paid off the family juuuuuust enough to get them to say that he wasn't assassinated, but not enough to stop them from saying "Boeing is responsible for his death and should be held responsible for their grotesque conduct that drove him to suicide?"

I guess I should've been more clear when I said Boeing "paid off" the bereaved family, that's on me I guess, but I didn't mean they paid them off in the same sense that you'd pay off a cop. If it even transpired, it would more than likely go something like: "Hey, we feel really bad about the tragic loss of your son who definitely for sure killed himself, so uh, here's some money for your loss. See, we're the good guys in this! Please don't point fingers at us."

Or alternatively, they could've not been paid at all. Both are just as likely and explain why the family might still be pointing fingers. It wouldn't have been hush money, more like a gift meant to ingratiate them as an innocent party that obviously didn't work (again, assuming it even happened).

The evidence you have is an apparent belief that money has evil-gravitic properties, and anything bad that happens must have originated with the closest concentration of money.

Not anything, no, just the ones where Occam's razor applies. Again, which is more likely, a hundred billion dollar company who are active agents of shady, illegal business practices had both the cause and the means to have someone with information dangerous to their company killed and covered up... or that the guy who was about to testify with said-dangerous information just up and decided to end it all right before the finish line?

You seem to be under the impression that money holds little to no power which is as amusing to me as it is grossly naive.

By your standard, is there any evidence that is not hearsay? Because the evidence is "all of the evidence," and I appended the assessment of the family to pre-empt the accusation it was all made up evidence. What evidence does not count as hearsay?

To reiterate, I don't have any evidence that he was killed, nor did I ever claim to. But the evidence that he killed himself is the hole in his head and the "trust me bro" we get from the cops, which is the same exact kind of evidence that we got from Epstein's supposed suicide as well, just a man hanging in his cell and a "trust me bro" from the cops.

Now, is this me saying that we should question whether or not every suicide by gunshot/hanging is legit or just actually a covered up murder? No, obviously not. Again, I'm just applying Occam's razor here. Joe Blow who lived an average life before deciding to end it all probably wasn't secretly murdered. But the guy with information that could harm a lot of really powerful people, who is in active pursuit of revealing that information to the proper authorities, decides to end it all just before the finish line? You can't reasonably argue that it's not the least bit suspect.

The rest of us know Epstein didn't kill himself because we observe facts about reality and observe when they do and do not align with a conspiracy or cover-up.

You know, I don't mean to be rude, and what I said about you being naive about money was rude, so I apologize. But if not money, you seem to think that maybe only politicians or political figures have the modicum of power necessary to have someone killed and cover it up.

Like let's just examine your admission here: You've admitted that the circumstances surrounding Epstein's supposed suicide were suspect enough to justify questioning it's legitimacy. You admit to this despite the fact that he was in prison and under close watch by guards and cameras. Which, mind you, I agree with. But you're telling me that someone in those circumstances was somehow murdered, and said-murder was then covered up?

So then explain to me how exactly it's so unbelievable that a dude not in prison, not under watch by guards or cameras, was murdered in his car and then covered up as a suicide? How was one dude with dangerous information under total security and surveillance mysteriously killed and staged, but the other dude with dangerous information with no security or surveillance probably just killed himself?

This isn't the hill I'm prepared to die on, but sure, maybe he did kill himself. But then again, maybe Epstein actually just killed himself too.

Remember earlier this year when Boeing very clearly had a whistleblower executed? And law enforcement didn't even look for anyone or release any info about it or anything?

People keep comparing Luigi Mangione's case to the subway murderer who got off because of systemic eugenics, but I think there's something more apt about the fact that a CEO had someone executed in recent memory, with zero attempts to find a culprit, while they spared no expense at all to find (and probably frame, it's beginning to look like) someone who shot a CEO. It's always fine to slaughter if you're rich, but if you kill the rich, they will hunt you down.

[pushing500]

Mechi decided he was bored and that to cure his boredom, he would drag his sick twin out to perform dark rituals on the lawn and see if anything interesting happened.

It's alright, Kwahu. All you need to do is stand there. Mechi will do the hard part, and it'll all be fiiiine.

Time... time... time...

Time!! Oh, that's right! Our lives are short. We are in this universe for mere moments, which means...

About time he came to this conclusion, I think.

Kwahu is just as upset as Mechi, but today, one of them has to be the more emotionally stable one, and it looks like Kwahu will take that burden.

If only they knew just how stubborn their baby sister is. Yamka would never let them leave without saying goodbye!

With all the drama of gut worms and grief-stricken psychic shock, there is only one colonist available to greet the nociosphere when it arrives.

Godspeed, Alistair...

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[meglosthegreat]

So... everyone pretty much hated Veilguard's "secret ending", right? Beyond speculation about the Executors themselves, I haven't exactly seen anyone excited about its presence, and for that matter, haven't seen many people talking about it at all.

The closest way I can describe my initial reaction to it was an immediate, visceral disgust. I think I remember uttering at my screen something along the lines of "Fuck off! What the fuck?! Are you fucking kidding me???" and ever since then I've wanted to put into words exactly why it made me feel that way.

For the 88% of you (according to Steam achievement statistics) who didn't see this ending due to not picking up three very specific codex entries by complete chance, you can watch it here. In short, the clip depicts a mysterious voice who sounds suspiciously like Matt Mercer talking about how a group of shadowy figures has "balanced, guided, and whispered" over scenes of villains from the previous DA games, implying that these shadowy figures have been at least partially responsible for all of the bad things happening in Thedas, towards some unknown nefarious purpose.

Now obviously, this sucks. This is hamfisted, unimaginative writing that simultaneously retcons and re-contextualizes elements from DA's past that absolutely no one thought needed further explanation, as well as being exactly the kind of irritating sequel-bait tactics that people have largely grown tired of these days. But why does it suck so much? Why did I feel such palpable distaste for this scene?

For starters, it simply reeks of entitlement, and a lack of respect towards Bioware's own past games. Remember those villains you loved and thought were compelling? Well, their own personal, very complex and thought-out motivations were really just the Executors whispering in their ears the whole time! Loghain making a difficult and calculated decision at great personal cost for a greater good he truly believed in? Executors. Bartrand succumbing to his own greed to the point that he betrays his only family and devolves into a tragic husk of himself? Executors. Corypheus and the Magisters breaching the Golden fucking City??? Executors.

Ignore the infuriating lore ramifications for a second and consider: what do all of these things have in common? They're all instances of complex character motivation; of people in this world doing things for their own reasons that ended up having massive ramifications. In short, they're not events that can be explained easily in terms of black and white morality. And from what we've seen in Veilguard, the current dev team has a serious inability to work with any story elements that do not have absolute moral clarity: the Venatori and the Antaam are Evil. The Shadow Dragons and the Crows are Good. Any nuance; any potential questioning of this duality is quickly explained away or snuffed out.

And that's exactly what they're trying to do, retroactively, with the rest of the series. Having a hard time deciding whether Loghain was right or wrong? Well, worry not, the Executors are Evil and if they were guiding him the whole time, then what he did must have been Evil too! Grappling with how the plot of DA2 was about the inevitable tragedy of a series of oppressive systems reaching their natural breaking point? Well, wrestle no further, for if the Executors were involved then Meredith and Bartrand must've been Evil, no question! What the Magisters did was definitely Not Great, and what do you know, there were consequences for it that they and the whole world very much did pay for. But if the Executors were behind it all, then it was someone else's fault, some Evil power reaching in and making them do what they did, rather than their actions being the result of a horrific series of power abuses done by actual people.

Which leads me to where my initial disgust comes in. Because in a world which has always had core themes of power and its many abuses, actions that have consequences, and the idea that there are no true higher beings; every horrible thing that has ever been done was done by people, the simple act of putting shadowy figures behind key moments in history completely debases and neuters all of those themes. The whole point of Dragon Age as a series up until this point has been to illustrate the complex relationships people and societies have with power, choice, and morality. To remove that link - to place an external force between those characters and their choices - is to rob the series of any meaning whatsoever.

There is a staggering difference between the messaging of a game that tells you ordinary people are to blame for society's wrongs and a game that tells you a secret shadowy faction of evil forces are to blame for them. The former invites thought about one's own society; it has the potential to be uncomfortable and difficult to reconcile with. The latter assures its audience of the fantasy it is couched in. It gives the audience a boogeyman to be angry at, and in so doing deflects any potential for introspection. And that, I think, is the real point of the scene in question.

In a time where our media has become inundated with bland, unchallenging liberal politics, the idea of "cozy" stories have become a growing trend. These types of stories often sport a broad rejection of complicated themes, painful emotions, and nuance, preferring instead to provide a "safe" place to escape to. And with that "safe" space comes a directive not to engage in critical thinking about a work, and not to draw any message from that work and apply it to the real world. Yet this is exactly where Bioware seems to be heading nowadays.

Veilguard has already been faced with heavy criticism about playing things overly safe; removing anything that might be potentially uncomfortable for the player. And the end credits scene is no different. Don't think about things too hard, it whispers to you seductively, in Matt Mercer's soothingly Evil voice. See? The Bad Guys were behind everything, all along.

[thethronezone]

Alright, if we are still doing Primarch Father AU, I have a prompt proposal. How would they comfort their crying child? For example, the child woke up in the middle of the night because of some nightmare that caused them to cry real bad, and when asked, they said something along the lines of 'I had a dream where you'll be gone/leave me alone.'

Yes, this is inspired by Stolas and Octavia from Helluva Boss! Instead, the little child saw their father die/corrupted and left/just never returned, and now the little one wants reassuring!!

For a moment, Mortarion does not know what to do when his kid appears in front of him, lower lip trembling as they seek comfort after having had a nightmare. He barely even pays attention when they tell him what it was about, busy trying to come up with a way to make the situation better. Awkwardly pats them on the head and tells them that it's ok, he's still here. Urges them to go back to bed and forget about the dream.

Oh, Fulgrim is nothing but sympathetic when his child approaches him, with them admitting to having had a nightmare. He patiently listens to them as they explain how in the dream, he were somewhere they could not go and that he couldn't come back. Oh, sweetheart, come here. Scoops up his child and tells them that they have absolutely nothing to worry about. As if Fulgrim would do something as foolish as leaving them behind. He'd have to be mad! Comforts his child by acting slightly overdramatic, causing them to laugh and distracting them from the memory of their nightmare.

Angron stares at his kid awkwardly when they suddenly appear before him in the middle of the night, eyes wet with unshed tears as they confess to having had a nightmare. His muscles twitch, hands itching to reach out and hold them, bring them some semblance of comfort. But he can't. Not with the way the nails are digging into his brain, urging him to grab them by the throat and- He can't. He won't. So Angron tells his child to leave, lies that he doesn't care about their nightmare and they they shouldn't act so weak. And when they leave, disappointment and sorrow evident on their face, he forces himself to believe that this is how it had to be.

Magnus can sense that his child is having a nightmare and makes his way towards their room to calm them down when he suddenly senses... something more. He realizes that whatever they are experiencing is no simple dream, it's a vision. How fantastic! To think his child would develop such a gift! Magnus' enthusiasm somewhat dims though when he sees how upset this vision has left his child and when they explain why, he feels his heart ache. He promises them that the future is not set in stone and that no matter what, he would never leave them like that, not for anything in the world.

Perturabo sighs with frustration when his child awake at night and bothering him as he's filing reports. And when they admit the reason, a nightmare of all things, he doesn't even bother letting them finish the sentence. "Go back to bed. Now." He waves them off, annoyed by the fact that they let something as silly as night terrors (what do they even know of fear?). It's only after they've left and Perturabo is left in the silence of his office that he feels a twinge of... something. Regret? He's not sure. Unwilling to dwell any further on the matter, he dives back into work.

It's Omegon that finds the child awake in the middle of the night, absolutely inconsolable. However, when he approaches them and they see him, they break out into tears and say they have to see Alpharius. The twin Primarch quickly shows up and once they are all together, their child explains their terrible nightmare. Alpharius and Omegon share a look before comforting their child. They are both aware that this might just be a simple night terror but they also know that it might be something more. Their family has multiple members with the power of foresight and it would be foolish to assume it could not happen to their child.

The moment he sees the tears in their eyes, Lorgar does not hesitate to scoop up his child in his arms, one hand cupping the back of their head and smoothing out their hair as he attempts to comfort them. They tell him about their nightmare, about how in it, Lorgar finds something that makes him leave them all alone, and even though he has done no such thing, Lorgar still feels guilty. He sings his child various hymns he knows they like to calm them down, rocking them in his arms the entire time.

Horus is on his feet the moment he spots his child's fearful expression, instincts going into overdrive to both protect and comfort them and get rid of whatever threat has caused them such distress. When the child admits to simply having had a bad dream, he feels relieved, though he still feels the need to comfort them, especially when they tell him about the specifics of the dream. He attempts to bolster their confidence, make them feel better by promising that he's never, ever, going to go to some place they can't follow. He'll always be their father, above all else. Nothing will come in the way of that.

Konrad feels his blood run cold when he hears about the dream his child had. He does not believe in coincidences and fully believes that his kid has inherited his future sight. And what a terrible gift, the burden of knowing about the bleak future that is ahead of them and being unable to do anything about it. Konrad can't bring himself to lie to them and tell them that it was just a bad dream when he comforts them. Instead he holds them close and tells them that he loves them, that he's so proud to be their father and all the words that he knows they will need to hear when he does die.

Similar to Konrad, Sanguinius fears that his child might have ended up inheriting his power of foresight. He tries to remain positive though by trying to convince himself that this might just be a simple dream. But even as he holds his child close and comforts them, he can't shake the feeling that he's brought something terrible unto them, that he's somehow doomed them. Oh, how he wishes he could take it away, blind them to the future. He can't even promise them that their nightmare will never come true. What an awful father he is.

Usually, his child is quite independent. That's why it surprises Corvus when they suddenly approaches him in the middle of the night, far past their bedtime, crying about a nightmare. He's not upset at them though and quickly scoops them up in his arms and holds them close as they tell him about the bad dream. He murmurs soothingly to them, words of comfort and encouragement, along with praise for seeking him out when they were scared. Stays with his child for the remainder of the night and tells them tales until they fall asleep again.

It's no great overestimation to say that Ferrus has absolutely no clue what to do when his young child approaches him, haunted by night terrors. As a parent, he's meant to comfort them. As a the Primarch of the Iron Hands, he's meant to make them strong. Strength. Or comfort. He tries to do both by simply telling them that the dream was not real and that their own mind should not scare them. It might sound harsh but Ferrus does it to toughen them up for their own good. He hopes that by telling them this simple truth, he will save them from future nightmares.

The moment his child steps into his office during the night, Rogal pauses his work so he can attend to their needs. He sees the tears in their eyes, the look of fear and despair on their face and quickly deduces that his child is in need of comfort. Let's them explain what has them so upset and upon hearing the reason, he calmly talks them through the nightmare, making it seem less scary. Offers to tuck them back into bed if they feel like that would help them fall back asleep.

Vulkan's heart breaks when he sees his child approach him in the middle of the night, tears in their eyes and looking absolutely devastated. With a gentle voice he asks them what's wrong and when they tell him about the bad dream, he gathers them in his arms and softly rocks them back and forth, just like he did when they were an infant. He murmurs in their ear that he would never leave them like that and if he ever did, then it would only be temporary. Don't worry, little flame, your father will always come back home. He lets them fall asleep in his arms and holds them a while longer after that before he tucks them back into bed, just to make sure that they are sleeping peacefully now.

When Lion sees his child standing in the doorway of his office, in the middle of the night when they should be asleep, his initial reaction is to scold them, tell them to go back to bed. But then he sees the look in their eyes and he can't bring himself to follow through. Instead he sighs and beckons them closer. Feels conflicted when they tell him about the bad dream they had because on one hand, it was just a dream. Dreams can't hurt you, they should know this. But at the same time, they are but a child and it is natural that they would feel frightened after such a dream. Lion supposes he can let it go for now. Patting them on the head, he tells them he's not going to abandon them and that it's safe for them to go back to sleep.

Leman's kid is so brave, so strong and independent for their age, that he sometimes forgets that they are just that; a kid. So when they approach him during the night, looking so very unsure and scared, he falters, just for a moment. But then he's by their side, asking what's got them so upset. When they tell him the reason, a bad dream where they couldn't find him no matter how hard they looked, he scoops them up and ruffles their hair. Aw, don't worry, pup! Your old man is not going anywhere! Makes his kid forget about the bad dream by acting goofy and making them laugh. He carries them on his shoulders when he takes them back to their bed, joking the whole way and making them feel safe.

Jaghatai huffs with mild amusement when he sees his kid suddenly appear in front of him in the middle of the night because he can immediately tell what's happened. Does not waste a second in scooping them up into his arms and listening patiently as they explain the nightmare they had. He's very sympathetic as they tell him that in the dream, he had gone and disappeared without a trace. Yes, that does sound very scary, doesn't it? Don't worry though, little one, your father is not planning on doing that. Jaghatai will hold his child in his arms, letting them watch as he does some paperwork, until they doze off. Then he'll carry them back to bed and tuck them in.

It surprises Roboute when his child shows up in the doorway of his office one night, long after he knows they were put to sleep. His expression softens however when they admit to having had a nightmare where he was gone and that they just hat to see him when they woke up. Roboute takes them back to their room where he tells them about how he also had nightmares sometimes but that they are nothing to be afraid of because in the end they are just the mind playing pretend. He talks to his child, a soft, murmuring voice, until they fall asleep. He carefully smooths their hair out of their face and wishes them happier dreams before he leaves.

[thequeenofthedisneyverse]

How to NOT write like Vivziepop guide!

Writing tips:

1. Don't treat SA/Rape as a joke. Seriously, it shouldn't be that hard. EX: In Helluva Boss; Spring Broken, Moxxie goes to talk to Verosika and her crew in hopes to get them to move her car. He gets SA'd as a result and we're supposed to see that as a joke.

I don't specifically remember the episode name, but Sir pentious asks Cherri if she wants to have sex with him but he then gets scared/nervous and says "BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH EVERYONE!!" or something like that. He then gets taken by a bunch of people into a room and he CLEARLY looks uncomfortable. Again, I suppose we're supposed to see that as a joke for some reason.

SA/Rape isn't funny, and you can offend tons of people writing it so carelessly. DON'T DO THAT!

2. If your characters come from a certain era, RESEARCH THAT ERA. Ex: Alastor was supposed to be a famous radio host in the 1920s (seeing as he died in 1933) when he was alive despite being a mixed (Black and white) man. Jim Crow laws existed in those times so Alastor couldn't have become a popular radio host unless he was white passing, which we don't know. Also, from what I got from @bump-inthe-night the first black radio personality in Louisiana was Vernon Winslow, known as Dr. Daddy-O, in 1949.

Also, from @bump-inthe-night - (her words were pasted here because I couldn't have said it better myself) Despite dying in 1947, Angel overdosed on PCP. This drug was discovered in 1926, and it started being utilized as a general anesthetic in the 1950s. PCP became a street drug in the 1960s and gained popularity in the 1970s. It's impossible for Angel to have overdosed on this drug when he was alive. RESEARCH. BEFORE. YOU. WRITE. THE. CHARACTER.

This is also from @/bump-inthe-night. Sir Pentious died in 1888, but he’s wearing a shoulder-padded suit. Shoulder pads, invented in 1877, were used in football uniforms. They didn’t cross over into fashion and become popular until the 1930s. Sir Pentious shouldn’t be wearing a shoulder-padded suit, and neither should Vox, who died in the 1950s, when this started falling out of style.

3. Don't victimize characters that obviously shouldn't be victimized. Example: Stolas.

I will tag the people who inspired this post and paste their stuff here because they say these things better than me.

@flower-boi16 says "So fucking what if Stolas was neglected as a child or had a mean wife? How does that relate to ANY of his actions he takes throughout the series??? It doesn’t excuse SHIT. Granted, the “this character’s trauma is not an excuse” argument is a kind of argument I’ve grown to be annoyed by due to how often it gets misused. Yes, a character’s backstory or trauma doesn’t excuse or justify their actions.

The issue arises though when the character’s bad actions are a direct response to that trauma and so it can make it look like your just ignoring major context for what lead to the character doing these actions just so you can label them as irredeemable. With Stolas, however, I have no hesitation in saying that whatever backstory and trauma he may have I genuinely don’t care because that trauma doesn’t matter to ANY of his actions.

The “his daughter doesn’t like him” defense doesn’t work because 1. Octavia is shown to still care for her father and is actually shown to be excited to spend time with him in Seeing Stars and 2. Octavia has a perfectly valid reason to dislike Stolas given how shitty of a father he is to her.

The “Stolas is well meaning/believes that Blitzo likes being treated like a sex toy” defense also doesn’t work when Stolas can very clearly see that Blitzo does NOT like being treated that way. Ffs Blitz was completely shocked and disgusted by Stolas’ sexual remarks on him on the phone in Loo Loo Land, Stolas can clearly see Blitz DOESN'T ENJOY THIS but continues flirting with him anyway. Anyone who is well-meaning can still see when they fucked up."

@floralcavern "Stolas is the epitome of writers thinking they wrote a deep character when they actually created the most shallowly written character of all time. Stolas receives no consequences, no call outs, no growth, because he gets the excuse of ‘he’s abused’ to not have to face anything bad happen to him. It’s infuriating how shielded he is by the writers."

4. Understand what your writing! This is also from @/floralcavern and I couldn't agree more. "And Helluva Boss didn’t need extremely deep characters. It started off as a comedy, where characters could do messed up, edgy shit because nothing is meant to be taken seriously. But then suddenly the show decides to become a super serious, soap opera drama?? It completely derails its original premise to be something completely different. The beginning of Helluva Boss and what we currently have are 2 completely different shows. And I’m not saying comedies can’t have depth. One of my favorite examples is Dan Da Dan! It’s literally a show about a guy whose dick was stolen by a ghost. And yet, the show writers know how to balance ridiculous comedy and storytelling with genuine, human moments. But Viv’s shows don’t have that balance. The show is hardly a comedy anymore and takes itself way too seriously, while also refusing to acknowledge actual things that need to be acknowledged."

5. This should be obvious but don't make male characters (or any characters for that matter) that are supposed to be gay call their sisters "hot" or "Sexy". Example: Andrelphus or whatever his name is. It comes off as extremely gross and really unnecessary. Vivziepop said he does that to make others think he's straight?????...Andrelphus was literally in the pride parade art. WTF VIV?!

So yeah, don't do that unless it's relevant to the plot. Like the characters have a secret incestual relationship or the incest is being pushed/forced onto the other sibling character or SOMETHING! And no, before you say it, Stella never looked comfortable being called attractive by her own brother.

5. Don't fetishize rape or have/hire people that work under you that do. It's as simple as that.

6. When writing serious topics such as SA, TREAT THE TOPIC SERIOUSLY!

7. Be mindful of stereotypes. I've learned (with the help of others pointing it out) that Angel Dust is a stereotype of gay men.

8. Call out your characters for their actions. Angel is shown to sexually harass other male characters with no call outs or apologies. Same can be said for Stolas.

I'm not sure of what else to add. If anyone else wants to add something, feel free to comment or reblog. Your words will help others a lot!

[siri-ike]

A little crime, as a treat

chapter 2

Prev

"%!&#%@/×/@^#&×%^ %@&× %@^×!" Jason shouted from his ofice window. "Was that a #^!&@ carriage? A !%@^ Carriage just drove into the !%&@ ground with my best %^@ assistant?!?!? My right-hand man!? My %!& %@^# %!^#@ for a %@&@: %@^ and @%&@:?!?!" He jumped out, landing on the ground three floors lower.

That $@% brainless, $@%#, @%#; hot pice of $@^@ better not have gotten himself $@%#^, or some other eaqualy $@^ up version of %#^!^. Not on Jason's payroll.

《~~~~~~》

Danny couldn't believe it. He came to the ghost zone expecting to get arrested, proposed to, or challenged to a duel of some sort.

Not this.

"I, I can't be ghost king." Danny pleaded. "I'm not even fully a ghost." The giant hands around him felt less comforting by the second.

"You defeated Pariah Dark. That alone makes you worthy." Frostbite beamed with approval.

"But, but I'm too young. Wouldn't it be better to have someone older?" Danny's breath quickened.

"Pariah was old, and you saw how that worked out. Perhaps it is time for a more modern view."

"But I, I can't, I," He struggled.

"Sir, the people await," the short ghost from before got their attention before opening another large pair of doors, revealing what looked like some kind of giant opposite church. A hundred rows of ghosts on either side of a clear aisle. And at the end stood Clockwork, the observants and,

A sword in a pumpkin.

《~~~~~~》

As soon as the call ended, Constantine hurriedly grabbed everything of importance or value in his apparent. There was no way he'd stick around to see what $@%^* the red hood wants from him. Best case, sinario, he wants some magic devilry. Worst case? John does not have the imagination for that. He rushed out the door, only to be intercepted by gang members wearing red. Bollocks. How's he meant to bull^!%^ his way out of this one?

《~~~~~~》

"No excuses," Frostbite lifted Danny's face up by his chin. "My boy, the title is largely symbolic. The ghost zone has run without a ruler for longer than most of us can remember."

That was at least a little reassuring. Not enough to let go of his death grip on Frostbites arm.

"Now go, I'll be right here." He beamed. "Remember to let out the cold."

Danny looked down at his hands. He was shaking.

OK, just like they'd trained. Breathe in, breathe out.

《~~~~~~》

Jason's usually a safer driver. Not a safe driver. Mind you, just safer than this.

《~~~~~~》

His first step, the carpet leading to the alter, froze. Delicate embroidery is obscured through a thick layer of ice. Icicles grow behind him and quickly melt into slush. In front of both Frostbite and Clockwork. And other people he supposes.

As he walks down the aisle, alone, he notices some familiar faces. Ghosts he'd fought, ghosts he'd helped, ghosts who had helped him. Whith varying degrees of satisfaction on their faces.

Had any of them even tried to challenge him for the crown? He searched his memory and couldn't find a significant ghost attack, even for other reasons in the past 10 years. Might they actually want him to be king?

《~~~~~~》

"Better not be trying to leave." Red Hood was plenty scary over the phone. He simply had no business being scarier in person.

"Who, me? Never." Constantine lied.

"This morning, a horse-drawn carriage appeared out of nothing, took my assistant, and disappeared into the ground. Know anything about that?"

"That sounds like relms business, I had nothing to do with it." He stuttered.

"I know you didn't take him. You know better than to take what's mine." Hood reassured? Threatened? "Tell me who took him."

Constantine breathed a sigh of relief.

[transrevolutions]

I know thematically Grantaire standing up with Enjolras is supposed to be the middle class rising up but I’m confused to how he got there. Can you point out the chapter where Grantaire changes his mind and embraces revolution? I thought he just rants, falls asleep and wakes up in time to die with Enjolras.

That's the thing! Grantaire doesn't join in the fighting, or help with the barricade during the battle. He does just rant, fall asleep, and wake up in time to die with Enjolras. But Enjolras isn't the only moving piece here, so to speak.

Him waking up in time to die with Enjolras is him embracing revolution. But it's not just (or even primarily) because "oh Enjolras was there and Grantaire is in love with Enjolras and has an innate brain buzzer that goes off whenever Enjolras is in danger near him".

(Explanation under the cut for length)

When Grantaire falls asleep, he says "let me sleep here- until I die". This is another expression of his characteristic cynicism about the whole thing- at this point, the barricade is not in immediate danger and things are actually going quite well with its construction. There's no solid reason to assume any of them are definitely going to die... unless you're Grantaire, who thinks revolution is just doomed.

When he wakes up, things are entirely different. The barricade has been overrun. Many of the insurgents are dead. The government has not been toppled and the soldiers have breached the tavern. When Grantaire awakens, he is explicitly described as immediately perceiving what has occurred ("the drunkard... is aware of how things stand"). All at once, he comes to the realization that the government has just killed his very close friends.

Another quote in the OFPD sequence goes "The fuddle of drunkenness, a kind of vapour that blinds the brain, dissipates and gives way to the clear, obsessive, sharply defined claims of reality". This is about literal drunkenness, of course, but I believe also about the nature of Grantaire's philosophy. All of a sudden, the man who previously "had no strong feelings against this government" is seeing and acknowledging just how horrible it is, and how standing against it is a necessity, not merely foolishness.

Grantaire has every selfish reason (which Hugo has earlier derided as being a flaw of the same non-revolutionary inactive subsect of the populace that Grantaire is posited to represent) to just. continue not to act! He could quite possibly fake sleep and save himself and twist these circumstances to prove his worldview correct and justified (that revolution will always fail, that it's not worth the sacrifice, that nothing can change, etc.)

But he doesn't.

He stands up and says "Long live the Republic". Not long live Enjolras. Not even long live the ABC Society, or long live my friends, or anything referencing solely the 'personal' losses he's just incurred. No, he says "Long live the Republic"- the greater cause. The ideological cause. The abstract principle which the others fought for, and which he'd so frequently mocked. He's not even purely reactive to his circumstances in this instance! He has an actual political conviction!

And then he goes and stands and dies beside Enjolras (who, for his part, has been fully on board with this cause since his introduction). This is the scion of the apathetic, self-serving, mind-your-own-business portion of the populace, and he is standing beside the representative of the involved, committed, politically engaged, revolutionary portion of the populace. It's foreshadowing of a possible- probable- inevitable future in which all gain conviction and take a stand for the freedom and equality of humanity.

[candyheartedchy]

Part two of this, so if you want more context on this analysis, please read the first part!

In part one I went over the struggles of SpongeBob’s desire to fit in and how he falls into this perfectionist nature. And because of this, he also falls into being a people pleaser A LOT. Where he’ll put the needs of others (mostly his friends) before his own. He also gets tricked and manipulated constantly by folks for their own personal gain and selfish reasons. Not to say SpongeBob doesn’t have any himself, but he tends to put his own on the back burner in order to please his friends. Again, he’s a people pleaser, he wants everyone to like him. The episode “Not Normal” is another example of him worrying he’s not normal enough and changes his personality and appearance because he thinks he’ll be better. He also worries what his own parents think of him, even though his parents don’t mind his energetic nature and childlike wonder.

Once again trying to prove himself to people. But the question still stands, will he ever “grow up” and “be mature”?

Well, that’s where Coraline (my self insert) comes in.

Coraline is a sea monster. Her species is well known for being scary and dangerous. But she’s not. She’s an outcast. Spending her entire youth bullied by other sea monsters due to being seen as “sensitive” and “weak”. And once old enough, she leaves her trench. Going from town to town trying to find a place to call home, before finding herself in Bikini Bottom and ends up working for Plankton because no one else will hire her. Already sealing her fate of crossing paths with SpongeBob. And once the two do meet, SpongeBob of course wants to befriend her, offering to show her around because he wants to make a good impression. But due to Mr. Krabs threatening him when they find out she works for Plankton, the sponge once again puts others before his own needs, causing Coraline to get stood up by him. And then SpongeBob ends up having to apologize later on.

[More context of this in the first two chapters of the fanfic about them here!]

Eventually he forms a friendship with the sea monster, almost in secret from his own boss.

Right away the two hit it off, discovering that they share a few similar hobbies and interests. But the two also start to notice that they share the same struggles as well. People pleasing. SpongeBob does it to avoid being alone, while Coraline does it to not be seen as a threat. Unlike SpongeBob, Coraline accepts her loneliness, purposefully avoiding folks and will sometimes deny the sponge’s offers in fear of scaring him off, but because she wants to keep peace, she keeps accepting them.

But SpongeBob is scared. Not because Coraline is scary. He’s afraid of being tricked and disappointing his boss. With Mr. Krabs filling his head with the idea that Plankton is using Coraline to get to him to get to the secret formula, SpongeBob starts to get paranoid. While Coraline on the other hand feels trapped because she has to do what Plankton tells her or else she loses her job. But because she’s honest, she’ll let SpongeBob in on the plans, allowing the two to be one step ahead of their bosses to avoiding any conflict between them. The two then start to make a game out of it, sneaking around and being very tongue in cheek whenever they have to “confront” each other during work hours. But once the two starts to catch feelings for each other, it gets messy really fast.

Coraline believes she’s a mistake. Believes every time SpongeBob is nice to her is out of either pity or as a joke. She wants to avoid him but can’t, SpongeBob is stubborn, but so is she, so it’s a constant push and pull between the two. SpongeBob genuinely enjoys her company. He never met anyone who treated him gently before and he doesn’t want to mess up whatever they have going between them because he’s afraid he won’t find it again.

Skipping forward to them dating. For another analysis post on the whole thing about SpongeBob and dating can be found here!

Neither have any dating experiences. The only time SpongeBob had form “relationships” was with a boat, a spatula and a krabby patty.

With “Spatula” he had to get a replacement in order to continue his work and the episode is kinda treated like a “cheating” allegory in a way that SpongeBob chose his work before the spatula, later in tears asking “Spatula” for forgiveness. Again we could see this as an internal battle SpongeBob most likely have that he himself worries about being replaced and sorta acts the scenario out. I know this (and the other episodes) is played for laughs, but I’m making this deeper than it should because I like him to have depth dammit!

“Boatie” comes from SpongeBob’s loneliness of everyone leaving town and once again starts to believe the boat has it out for him while he talks to a puppet of Patrick, again most likely acting out a scenario he most likely fears will happen to him one day. I could also go on about the whole “National No Spongebob Day” subplot at the end of that episode, but that would end up being a rant…

Heck even Bubble Buddy plays into this since SpongeBob created him out of loneliness due to all his friends being busy (before it’s revealed that the bubble is alive).

And then there’s “Patty”. He becomes infatuated with a krabby patty and I think the little teasing comments from Squidward about it triggered the attachment into an obsession from SpongeBob. Because if we once again go by the one comment in the episode “The Chaperone” where he never had a date to prom, it’s most likely he never dated in general.

He wants to feel wanted, but doesn’t know how to get it without it backfiring.

Once getting closer to SpongeBob, Coraline catches on right away that SpongeBob goes to desperate measures to make her happy, which makes her uncomfortable. To her SpongeBob is more mature in her eyes since he has more life experiences than her and she’s the only one who treats him with respect because of it, so once noticing his people pleasing nature, she tries to step in out of concern. Because he doesn’t need to change for her, she already accepts him as is. Which of course throws SpongeBob out of loop because this is what he always does, he has to help others however he can, and he recognizes Coraline’s struggles and wants to help her too. Eventually the pair starts to get frustrated by each other due to this, not realizing that they are both not only forcing themselves out of their comfort zones, but also growing as people from their impact on one another. Causing them both for the first time in their lives to “grow up” and accept being different.

[kiyomitakada]

AU where Sayu is there when Light tests the Death Note. She comes into his room and asks what he’s doing and he shows her the notebook like “check out this hilarious prank I found” and they start laughing about it like “omg are you gonna write someone’s name in it” and then of course Light does write a name down and the person dies. And he and Sayu both saw it happen live on TV

oh god. i really like this actually. i feel like light would try to hide it at first because he's embarrassed he even brought it home in the first place but sayu would snatch it away from him and go "lmao i didn't know you were into this kind of thing onii-chan" and light would relax and think why was i so stressed in the first place? it's just sayu. and then they test it, sayu egging light on, and otoharada kuro dies.

i feel like sayu would immediately panic. soichiro says in the hospital that he thinks sayu is the kind of person who would try kira's weapon on someone in school as a joke and have a breakdown upon them actually dying, and while soichiro is literally never home sayu does canonically blame herself for the death note being lost to mello (sayu you were literally kidnapped it's not your fault), so i'm inclined to take him as accurate here (plus he says nothing about what he thinks light would do with kira's weapon… so). light would probably act as the voice of reason just to reassure his sister (and himself) that they haven't just committed a murder. obviously it was a coincidence, sayu! don't be ridiculous, that's impossible, etc. etc. since light is #1 expert at believing his own lies this means he does actually relax a bit more than in canon.

now. do they test the book again? sayu would immediately want to destroy it i feel like. (morally questionable sayu interpretations are my beloved forever but in canon she's just a really sweet if mischievous kid who has a guilt complex the size of the sun, i'm going to go with firmly anti-magic killing weapon sayu for now.) light obviously wants to test it again, and has superficially convinced himself it was probably a coincidence haha sayu's so silly, so he might even go for a riskier target. maybe he tries writing down the next criminal who comes on the news and sayu has to yank the pencil away from him. at this point light realizes sayu is really really upset and apologizes and stows the notebook away, forcing himself not to think about any longer. sayu leaves the room.

this lasts for like maybe 30 minutes before light is like …………okay but what if it did work—

he tries a car accident this time, again with someone on the news. (heart attacks are ruled out because sayu would know.) aaaand yep it does work! congrats light you're a murderer now!

at this point i think the most likely course of action is the one outlined in this post by corviiids (very similar AU: sayu gets the death note first) where light still becomes kira, the yagami siblings both see ryuk, sayu realizes light is a serial killer and has a meltdown, light makes sayu give up her memories (promising falsely that he'll also do it right after) and then keeps the death note for himself, and canon proceeds as usual.

…what if sayu didn't give up her memories though. what if she screamed for her mother instead.

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

Compromising Positions: Final Part

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~1.7k

Warnings: canon violence, canon language, canon talk of death, methods of kill

Summary: An unsub is targeting and killing married couples, and you and Spencer go undercover in hopes of drawing out the unsub. Not only does it not work, but it opens a can of worms you don't think Spencer is ready to open.

Season Six Masterlist

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Criminal Minds. All credit goes to their respective owners. If there are any warnings that exceed the normal death/kills from the show, I will list them.

x

You walk back into the apartment and take a seat across from Maryann. You don't want to confront her right out so you decide to ease her into the conversation and target your inner Spencer.

"So, I read this pretty fascinating theory recently. It said that humans weren't designed to be monogamous and that in our hunter-gatherer phase, women took several mates. The idea was that if the men in the tribe didn't know who the father was, they'd all be more invested in the child. Interesting, right?"

"I guess," she shrugs.

"While I would never judge you or the way you live your life, I do think the only reason you got into it was to make James happy. Just like how you only got pregnant after his surgery to make him happy, only, I don't think that it's working."

"That's not true. James is overjoyed to be a father."

"Look, I'm only going to say this because I know it's true. You can deny it all you want but I know you know the truth. I know James is hurting you. Maybe not physically but he is hurting you. I also know you love him and you want to make him happy because how can the man you love be such a monster, right?"

"No, you're wrong," she says, her voice cracking at the end.

"You got pregnant after his surgery because you thought that would make him happy. For a while, it worked. Then, I'm assuming when you started showing, he got angry because he knew this child was not his. It's someone else's which only reminds him that he can't provide for his family. For an alpha male, that must be soul-crushing. I think that your pregnancy drove your husband to try to recreate those parties so he could feel in control again. Only, instead of swinging, he's killing people."

"Why won't you people listen to me? He's not capable of doing that!"

"How about killing the man who got you pregnant? Do you think he's capable of that?"

"No, because you'd be lying. This is his baby."

You take out the files of the unsolved murders that the detective brought over and lay them out in front of her.

"These files are recent unsolved murders, men who have been killed since you conceived. Now, if I'm right about your husband, I think that the father of your child is somewhere in here." You open the first one and lay it open in front of her so she can see the victim's picture and crime scene. "Bob Atkins? Is it him?"

"I can't believe this," she scoffs.

You open another one and show her. "James Boyd?"

"You don't give up, do you? You just can't accept the fact that my husband and I love each other." You open another folder and present it to her. She keeps talking. "Yes, we have an unconventional marriage, but that's not a crime. We have a strong relationship." you open another one and lay it in front of her. "James respects me. He would never do anything--"

She stops talking when she sees the one you just laid down. She lets out a strangled cry and you know you have your man. She finally believes you which means you can move on to the real questioning. You take the files away from her so she doesn't have to look at them and give her five minutes to compose herself. She picks up the landline phone and calls her husband but it goes straight to voicemail.

"It went straight to voice mail. He must have turned it off."

"Maryann, we need you to tell us what you and your husband used to do before you got married. What were your habits?"

"Do you mean like where we went on dates?"

"No, your sexual habits. Think about it. You don't just jump into swinging. Most people have games building up to it. What were they?"

"He'd sometimes pretend to pick me up. We'd meet at a bar. I'd arrive and he wouldn't be there. He was in the back watching me."

"What were the names of the bars you went to?" you ask and take out your notepad.

"Just one. Dunley's. It's at the town mall."

You nod and write the name down. "How did the game end?"

"He'd make me dress provocatively. He wanted guys to hit on me, and then when I'd show some interest, James would step in and seduce me back to him."

She's been through enough trauma for one night so you leave local police with her while your team heads to Dunley's. You don't want to go storming in because then he might shoot a bunch of people so you have to play this safe. Derek walks in without his FBI vest to see if he's in there and returns moments later.

"He's in the middle of the bar. There's no way to take him down without risking collateral damage. If we go in there, he'll start shooting up the place."

"He'll do that anyway. This guy's looking for a spark," Emily says.

"Hotch, let me go in there. I'll be your distraction. He's gone back to his old patterns. He wants to play the game he played with his wife."

"Debra Wilson played that game and it got her killed, Y/N," Derek says.

"Hotch, do you trust me?"

"Yes." You begin stripping yourself of anything that would suggest you're in the FBI including your weapons. "Keep his focus off the crowd long enough for us to take him down."

"I can do you one better. I can bring him out here. Just wait for us to leave."

"You're confident enough to separate himself from the crowd?"

"Yes but knowing you, you'd stand by and enter the bar anyway. Just wait for my signal. If I touch my nose, then you know to come in."

"Okay."

Once you look presentable, you head inside the club. You fluff your hair up, pull your shirt down to expose more of your breasts, and pinch your cheeks to give yourself a rosy look without using makeup. You pass by a couple who are making out at a booth, and the woman's purse is lying on the seat next to her. You hate doing this but it's for the greater good. You swipe the purse without her knowing and walk over to the bar where James is. He has his hand inside his jacket pocket ready to pull out his gun when you step right next to him.

"James!" You grin and put the purse on the bar. "I thought that was you." He looks surprised someone knows him here. "How's Maryann?" He still doesn't say anything. "Oh, you don't remember me? We met at a party."

"We did?"

"Yeah. I walked in with Brian one night. He'd been part of the scene more than me, and I got a little curious if I'm honest. You were with Maryann and I immediately took a liking to you. You sent Maryann over to Brian just to get the ball rolling when I walked up to you. They got into it, we got into it, and we all did. Brian didn't stop talking about that for weeks," you laugh.

"Look, I'm sorry. I really don't remember you," he stutters.

"It's okay. I'm Y/N. Maybe that will refresh your memory." It doesn't. "So, do you still hit the scene?"

"No, I don't."

"Yeah, me either. I came here tonight hoping to find a real man. Lucky for me, I found you," you smile sexily.

You pull your hair to the side and expose your neck, and his eyes drift down your neck and over your breasts before returning to your eyes.

"You sure we've met?"

"It's hard to forget a face like yours."

"So, where's Brian?"

"He's not around anymore."

"Yeah. Well, that happens... Lose your boyfriend. The scene will definitely do that."

He's testing you. He said the word boyfriend. Alpha males look to other alpha males, and they are always married. He's waiting for you to sip up, but you don't.

"No, not boyfriend. Husband. Come on, boyfriend?" you scoff. "You know this. We look for someone stable and secure. You know, someone who poses a real threat. It's how the fantasy works."

James smirks, having fallen for your act. He removes his hand from his jacket and presents his elbow for you to take.

"Do you want to get out of here?"

"Of course."

You hook your hand in the crook of his elbow and walk to the exit where you know your team is waiting. It doesn't take James more than five seconds to realize what is going on, and he turns to you angrily. He whips out his gun to shoot you but is shot by Derek instead. No one had any time to remove the weapon from him.

"Are you okay?" Hotch asks.

"Yeah, he didn't touch me."

The worst thing Maryann will have to go through is the loss of her husband but at least he's not out hurting people anymore. You're safe and sound back in your bed to which you decided to go to bed early. Spencer and Derek are going to hang out for a few hours so he's waiting for his friend to come over.

"Hey, I called the restaurant and they have an opening they can fit us in. They're pretty busy."

Spencer opens the bedroom door to make sure you're sleeping, which you are. He can hear your soft snores coming from the bed. He closes the door as quietly as he can before walking over to Derek.

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"Picking out a ring because I want to ask Y/N to marry me."

Derek is ecstatic that he's taking this step to further your relationship with you, but Frank isn't. In fact, Frank is pissed. His first thought is to go over there and slit Spencer's throat for having the idea. Then, a lightbulb goes off in Frank's mind, and he leans back in his chair with a wicked grin on his face.

How amazing would it be for you to bask in the happiness that is Spencer Reid only for it to be taken from you at a moment's notice? It's going to take a lot of work on Frank's part but there is only one person you belong with and that's him, and he's going to make sure you never get the chance to marry Spencer.

"We all wear masks and the time comes when we cannot remove them without removing our own skin." - André Berthiaume

x

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[antianakin]

hi, hope your holiday season is going well! i was rewatching the phantom menace and got to the very end where obi-wan talks with yoda about his determination: "i will train anakin. without the approval of the council if i must" and wondered what your interpretation of that was.

my first thought was that either there are cases when jedi can train someone even if the council disagrees, or obi-wan is willing to give up being a jedi.

the first scenario seems possible (?) given that qui-gon's solution to the council's refusal to train anakin was to say that he would take him as a padawan and that obi-wan was ready for the trials; the council's immediate response was less so about anakin, but about how the code forbids two padawans, and that they will judge obi-wan's readiness. perhaps that implies that there's some level of autonomy where the council can't interfere with master-padawan choices; but yoda does go on to say that anakin's fate will be decided later, so maybe they have the final say? if so, then why would obi-wan think it possible to train anakin without the council's approval?

the other choice would be what's often in alternative au fics: obi-wan leaves to train anakin. it's more straightforward, but as someone who strongly believes that the core of obi-wan's character is being a jedi, i wonder if he would ever truly decide to leave the order on his own volition. i don't think its in character for him to do so for his own happiness (which is why the satine line "if you said the word" doesn't hit for me). here, it is more plausible since it's specifically for qui-gon and his belief in anakin as the chosen one who must be trained. but that also makes me wonder if obi-wan places his promise to qui-gon on higher priority than his commitment to the jedi, and what that says about his character.

any thoughts? it's possible i'm sleep-deprived and overthinking, but you have a much broader grasp on the sw universe than me.

I imagine that there is a middle ground here to some degree of Obi-Wan being able to train Anakin (and not leave the Order himself) without Anakin technically being considered a Jedi PADAWAN.

In later years, post Order 66, status as a padawan is determined primarily by just whether you got trained by someone who considered themselves a Jedi. Ezra is a padawan because he was trained by Kanan, Luke is a padawan because he was trained by Obi-Wan and Yoda. But BEFORE Order 66, during the Republic era, status as a Jedi padawan does require you to be a member of the Jedi Order officially. This doesn't stop a Jedi from just training someone on their own if they choose to do so, but it means that the person they train theoretically isn't supposed to claim the title of Jedi (they COULD, obviously, this isn't something that would likely be super enforced, but if it got back to the actual Jedi Order, things could be sticky for them).

However, Qui-Gon's claim that he's just going to take Anakin as his padawan also seems to imply that it's entirely possible for Jedi to just... do that, to just pick up a random Force sensitive child and bring them in and say "This one's my padawan now" without needing to wait for official approval from the Council. It's also possible Qui-Gon is pushing the limits of what he's technically allowed to do in order to get his way, and that he's hoping the Council will just let Anakin in the Order as a normal Initiate so he doesn't HAVE to do this. You can probably interpret it a few different ways.

So I think that Obi-Wan is saying he'll do whatever it takes. He'll train Anakin while remaining a Jedi himself, or he'll leave the Jedi to train him, and whatever else he has to do to complete his promise. I don't know that it's a super specific threat, he's leaving it vague for a reason.

I also think that, much like Qui-Gon before him, he's not truly expecting to have to follow through with it. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon use this as an ultimatum to try to FORCE the Council to comply with their wishes in order to keep it from happening. They're both anticipating that the Council will fold and just make Anakin a member of the Order. Obviously by the time Obi-Wan makes his declaration, the Council's already decided to let Anakin into the Order anyway, Obi-Wan just doesn't know that yet.

I don't know that this is proof that Qui-Gon or Anakin were more important to Obi-Wan than his identity as a Jedi. The Jedi's first priority is supposed to be following the will of the Force, and Qui-Gon firmly believed that training Anakin was exactly that. Obi-Wan didn't really, but he's chosen to have faith in Qui-Gon's faith at this point. He's choosing to believe that Qui-Gon knew something he did not, so he's following the will of the Force by following Qui-Gon's will. I think, as far as Obi-Wan's concerned, he IS acting like a Jedi in this moment. It's perhaps not the Jedi he thought he'd be, but it's the Jedi he's committed to being now.

All that being said, I DO generally think it would be perfectly in character for Obi-Wan to leave the Order if he felt it necessary. It's been used twice now that I know of in officially licensed content: Jedi Apprentice by Jude Watson, and Padawan by Kiersten White (note that while Obi-Wan DOES fully leave the Order in JA, he doesn't actually officially do so in Padawan, but he does consider it pretty seriously for most of the book). In both stories, he doesn't leave for his own happiness, he leaves because he wants to stay on a particular planet in order to help some kids he's connected with and he's begun to doubt his place among the Jedi. By the end of the story, he generally has to realize that his desire to help these people is exactly why he DOES want to be a Jedi, because that's the path that will allow him to do that, and he chooses to commit to it more fully.

I think, at the end of TPM, Obi-Wan is in a place where he could absolutely feel like leaving the Order to train Anakin was the right thing to do if the Council makes it necessary. I don't know that he WANTS to, he'd RATHER be allowed to remain in the Order and train Anakin as a regular padawan, but he's chosen to believe that training Anakin is Important and so he'll do whatever it takes to accomplish that task, regardless of what that requires of him. Qui-Gon believed it was the will of the Force, and Obi-Wan made a promise. He WILL see it through. You could make a solid argument that no Jedi SHOULD see their identity as a Jedi as more important than doing the right thing, or following the will of the Force. The very concept of "being a Jedi" can become an attachment of its own, as we see with Anakin himself later. The reason he doesn't just leave the Order to marry Padme is because he can't let go of his desire to be a Jedi and what that means to him. Obi-Wan's willingness to let go of something that IS important to him is actually an example of a LACK of attachment rather than an indication of an attachment to either Qui-Gon or Anakin. I think most true Jedi would be willing to set that identity down if they absolutely had to.

Obviously Obi-Wan's motivations in this moment are somewhat complicated, his love and his grief for Qui-Gon ARE mixed in there, but I also genuinely believe that this is an important moment of GROWTH for Obi-Wan. His willingness to lay aside his identity as a Jedi in order to do something that Qui-Gon believed was the will of the Force IS a step forward for Obi-Wan towards that ultimate Jedi we know he becomes.

I think it's important to remember that Obi-Wan is, for the most part, a work in progress throughout the Prequels. By the end of TPM, he ISN'T the wise old Jedi Master that we know he'll become. He's still learning, still working on the skills that will allow him to grow into that person. So his statement that he'd be willing to leave the Order if it comes to it is both a moment of growth and an indicator that perhaps Obi-Wan is still GROWING. An important part of who Obi-Wan becomes is that he ultimately chooses to refuse to let go of being a Jedi, even in the darkest of circumstances, even when he's lost everything. So much as this is a step towards Obi-Wan learning to put his faith in the Force, it's also an indicator that this Obi-Wan ISN'T the one we meet on Tatooine in ANH yet, too.

Obi-Wan IS the Ultimate Jedi in so many ways, and being a Jedi IS important to him in-universe, but I don't think that his willingness to leave it if he had to in order to train Anakin is an indicator that it's not as important to him as Qui-Gon or Anakin.

[ceruleanwhore]

I made a post a while ago in which I psychoanalyzed Jin and I just wanted take a minute here to do the same with Chevalier, since he is my favorite and I have already posted about the ways in which he presents as being autistic. My impression is that, like Jin, Chevalier has a deep, complex psyche that the writers aren't really aware of but, unintentionally, they have written it into the story nonetheless. This is going to be a really long post so you might want to get a snack or some water before you start reading lol. Also, spoilers for various parts of the series, I guess.

I believe there are two main components to Chevalier's psychology: autism and trauma. It is also my belief that he does everything he ever does because of the trauma, but those choices and actions outwardly present the way they do because of the autism. The biggest example of this is his utterly fucking stupid plan for total conquest of the whole continent — he sees it as a black and white, binary choice (either Gilbert takes over everything or Chevalier does) because he's autistic but the reason he sees it as being those particular choices (total conquest with him on top vs. total conquest with him being crushed under Gilbert's boot) is because of his trauma. I've talked about the autistic side of things in that other post I made and I will also talk about it later on in this post, but I want to start with the trauma side of things.

So, first and foremost, the most important thing when it comes to Chevalier's trauma is his denial. With his autism, he exclusively intellectualizes his emotions and doesn't allow himself to actually feel anything beyond mild irritation but then he also refuses to consciously think about them as well. This results in what is basically the emotional equivalent of that one disorder that makes people not feel any pain — damage is done, and yet he doesn't register that it's there at all and just keeps going, but there is, in fact, damage. The way I think about it is that his inner child is bleeding out in a closet somewhere in the back of his subconscious and that scared, lonely, dying child is driving all of his decisions. Even though he doesn't feel things like fear, he is driven by it because he never fucking processed it.

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let's take it back and actually pinpoint what this trauma is, where it came from and how, as an adult, it affects all the choices he makes and everything he does. If we look to his childhood, there seem to be two key things: abandonment and mortal combat. From a concerningly young age, he was targeted by assassins and, also from a concerningly young age, he was fighting them off himself. Along with that, he seems to have had the horrid experience of being born a perfect baby people loved and adored but then, when he was still only a toddler or very small child, everyone started to fear, envy, and hate him, including his own mother. When we're talking about psychological trauma, it doesn't matter so much what his own actions were and whether or not certain consequences were deserved because, whether or not it was valid for his mother to fear him after he killed someone at, what, like six years old, the fact remains that her having that reaction traumatized him. The fact that she died shortly after this incident and Clavis even blames Chevalier for her death, claiming that the emotional impact of that incident killed her would have only compounded the impact of that trauma.

With the assassination attempts, I think it's perfectly obvious how that would traumatize any child, but I think it's equally significant that he had to start killing people at such a young age for his survival because taking a life is just as traumatizing as having someone else try to take yours. The incident with his mother is where we see an intersection between all these things: at like six years old, someone was trying to murder him, so he ended up killing that person in self defense and, after that, his mother viewed him not as her son or even as a child but as a murderer and was afraid of him, and then she died and it seemed to at least one other person that her death was a consequence of that situation, that it was Chevalier's fault. Even if Chevalier always seemed ridiculously mature and intelligent for his age and even if he never allows himself to feel or even think about his emotions, all of this damage was done and, since he never processes anything, it's all just festered over the next couple decades.

As an adult, I think it's safe to say that his identity is inextricably tied to his country, so his survival and self-preservation now is more a facet of his greater goal of prosperity for Rhodolite but, just as much as he became a smaller piece of Rhodolite, Rhodolite became a smaller piece of him. What I mean is that, when it comes to something like his conquest plan, one side of that is that, in his mind, he needs to stay alive in order to carry out that plan since no one else can do it, but the other side is that he needs to conquer the whole fucking continent under the banner of Rhodolite to truly secure his own personal safety. Even though he's so highly skilled and competent in so many ways that result in his safety in spite of all the attempts on his life, there are still things that can hurt and kill him. Being the dictator in control of the whole continent would go a long way to covering those few remaining bases. This sounds extreme but so is his lifelong fight against literal assassins.

As for the abandonment issues, this explains literally every interaction and dynamic he has with every other character. He leans into his reputation and the horrid impression others have of him, encouraging all those lies and even adding some of his own in order to push everyone away, and yet it's painfully obvious that, at his core, he desperately wants someone, anyone, to truly accept him for who he is and love him as he is and not leave him. Yes, I'm sure that part of the reason he has so many romance books is because he's trying to teach himself social pragmatics and romance as a genre has the most focus on interpersonal relationships and interactions, but it is also because that's something he genuinely wants, even though he can't even admit to himself that he wants it. Just like Clavis and Licht, he wants someone to love him unconditionally the way his mother was supposed to but didn't. I also think he's afraid of loss, like his mother's death, which is why he pushes everyone away so that he doesn't have any weaknesses that could potentially be exploited, but also because he doesn't want to have that experience of becoming attached to someone and then losing them.

Taking it back to my point about how he connects himself to Rhodolite, this also drives that intense, patriotic loyalty he has and how, from the beginning, he's threatening to kill Emma on the spot if she ever betrays Rhodolite, because betraying Rhodolite is the same as betraying him and on a deep, internal level, that fear of abandonment and betrayal is what's really driving that. He says himself, multiple times, that he doesn't actually like killing people, even though he ends up doing it quite often, and it seems to me that this threat of killing anyone who defies him/Rhodolite is really an expression of his hope that people won't commit such a betrayal and he won't have to kill them. I also think that the degree to which he bothers to understand the people around him is, yes, a useful tool but I think some of it comes from this internal conflict of wanting to be able to trust and get closer to others but deliberately pushing everyone away and never allowing for that risk of yet more abandoment and betrayal. One thing like this that comes up in canon is how he memorizes the names of all the soldiers who die in his service so he can uphold their legacy as he strives to finish the work they started. It's a little different but it is a very similar sentiment that, again, he doesn't allow himself to really think about.

Now, as I move to transition to the autism part of the equation, I have to talk about the inherent trauma that comes with existing as an autistic person, which Chevalier has as well. Basically, being autistic feels like you were just born wrong and every fucking thing you ever say and do is just wrong and, left and right, people hate you for existing the way you are and talk about it like you're a normal person who's just choosing to be an asshole for no reason. Well, that's actually more like half of it and then, for those of us who are more like Chev (minus the murder), half of it is people lauding you as a genius and either being jealous of you or like gaslighting you about how your brain works and trying to get you to 'maximize the good points' of your literal disability while 'minimizing unwanted behaviors'. Yeah, it sucks out here.

So, in addition to the trauma I just discussed, there's also this element of how, from a young age, he got this message loud and clear about how his whole existence is just wrong, but it's worse than that because he's literally told, time and time again, that he isn't even a human being. Now, to be clear, dehumanizing shit like that is also a pretty common autistic experience (which is also why Clavis bothers me so much even though I like his story a lot) and this exact sentiment is where we get stuff like the changeling myth from. People talk about how horrible it is that the superstitious folks of Europe came up with a bullshit story like that to justify killing their autistic kids, but we don't talk as much about how some autistic people, like Chevalier, strongly identify with this sort of thing. In real life, this is the reason why people on the spectrum are at such risk of ending up on the alt right pipeline through new age spiritual shit like starseeds but, in Chev's case, he feels this same difference and responds to it by leaning into the shit people say about him without any kind of spirituality. He doesn't need a girl on TikTok to tell him he's a superhero from another world, he can instead just lean into the core beliefs of conspiracy theories like that and view himself as someone who is intelligent beyond the scope of the human mind, who in unhindered by pesky 'human' things like emotions and personal connections, and who isn't even human at all.

All of this is to say that, even if he never feels it or consciously acknowledges it, Chevalier fundamentally believes that this world is not for him, that he does not belong here because he was made wrong somehow, and he's worked his fucking ass off every day of his life since he could walk to try to carve out a space for himself and earn his very existence. I think it's ironic that his name is 'Chevalier' because every time I see his name, I think of the title chevalier mal fet, which is what Lancelot refers to himself as in The Once and Future King, and it translates to "the ill-made knight", which I think really is how Chevalier feels about himself on a deep, fundamental level. This kind of perspective is inherently traumatic, mainly because of the unfair treatment, discrimination, and cruelty it results from, so Chevalier also has this trauma.

Remember how I said that his trauma is the driving force of why he does everything he does? This desire to do whatever is necessary to belong in this world that he was born into yet also totally alien to is exactly what's driving him to conquer the continent. If the world is not for him, then all he has to do is sieze it and make it his, which he and everyone else knows he is fully capable of doing.

This brings us to the autism itself, and I first just want to quickly list off the autistic traits and symptoms I've seen from him in the text: hyperlexia, strong pattern recognition, above average logical/academic intelligence, below average social/emotional intelligence, a tendency for literal, black-and-white thinking, a photographic memory, sensory issues, and he likes parallel play once he actually starts to get closer to Emma. I want to start by clarifying that a true, photographic memory like his has never actually been proven to exist (it's physically impossible to have total recall like he does), but when it does show up in media as a fictional trait, it's always autistic coded, like with Spencer from Criminal Minds. My opinion is that Chevalier isn't really a genius, he's just autistic and the combination of traits like his memory, the literal thinking, the hyperlexia, and the pattern recognition are what make him come across like some incredible genius.

His true genius is how he's managed to use his privilege, resources, and the people around him not just to accommodate his disability (because yes, this is a disability, even when it's someone like Chevalier) but go so far as to turn his weaknesses into perceived strengths. It's no longer a weakness that he has abominable social skills and no emotional intelligence whatsoever, now it's a strength that allows him to be a better leader because he's uninhindered by all that illogical riff-raff, because he said so. Genuinely, it's really impressive he managed to pull that off even though it's all a load of bullshit. In addition to that, he also relies on his faction to make up for these same weaknesses at the same time he's trying to claim they're not weaknesses. Even he can recognize the importance of interpersonal skills in the political arena, so that's where Clavis and Nokto come in to cover for him.

But, like I said earlier, when it comes to the choices he makes, it all really comes down to the way he thinks as an autistic person. Everything is either simple math or a binary choice after he 'considered all options and eliminated the ones that were inefficient' because of how his autistic brain works. For him, it will always come down to a violent solution because diplomacy and negotiation are just too hard for him to do, so it really is more efficient to just whip out his sword because at least he's competent with that.

This is where that internal conflict around his autistic identity comes back up with some of the trauma because he really doesn't like killing people and it is, unfortunately, true that he never would have started killing people like that if he weren't autistic. People saw him as a threat from such a young age because of the 'genius' of his autism, so the assassination attempts along with his reputation all started with his autism. His reputation and the very literal, very autistic, black-and-white choice he made on Bloodstained Rose Day are then also the reason why everyone keeps trying to kill him currently. On top of all of that, you have this true ineptitude when it comes to social pragmatics and communication skills so, between all those different things, he very literally keeps killing people because he's a prominent figure in society and he is autistic.

I think this is why he's actually willing to work with Emma and change to be less violent because he never wanted to kill people this way and, on top of that, he literally has childhood trauma around that exact thing. This massively tangled web of contradictions is what makes him the way he is and yet he can't stand to consciously recognize the vast majority of all this shit, so he's like the fucking Plato cave allegory with the denial about it and it's so fucking dangerous. Think about it — he's making all of these critical decisions about Rhodolite, who lives and who dies, and even conquering the whole fucking continent out of this psychological mess of his personal inclinations, emotions, and trauma, all while being fully convinced those things don't even exist and he is actually making the best, most objective choices since he believes that he's free of all that other crap.

The tragedy of Chevalier is that his psychology is going to destroy Rhodolite and he won't even recognize any of that as it's happening. Coming from the USA and looking at other massive countries like ours around the globe, I can say with confidence that there is absolutely no way to make a country this big and actually have it work, especially when the idea is that you're expanding a smaller country. The second that Rhodolite gets combined with another country, 'Rhodolite' is dead, and Chevalier has no concept of that. He sees countries as borders on maps with a name slapped on top and fails to recognize that what really makes his precious Rhodolite the country he's sworn to protect is the people within those borders, their culture, their language, and all that kind of stuff. Assimiliating Rhodolite with the entire rest of the continent to make one massive country will inherently destroy Rhodolite, and there is no way to avoid that.

This isn't even to mention the problems with succession and how the worst problems of any monarchy get even worse when we're talking about an empire that spans a whole continent. Chevalier is, unfortunately, exactly the type of guy that if, in the future, one of his descendants takes over the empire and fucks everything up because that's exactly how shit like this always turns out, that's only on them and Chevalier wouldn't see himself as being responsible for that even though he would have made the whole system in the first place. By keeping a totalitarian structure, especially if he gets rid of the Belle system like he wants, he will have completely sealed Rhodolite's fate. However, he won't see it that way and, if he does all of that, he will live the rest of his life thinking he succeeded in all of this and saved Rhodolite.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Here’s a thought I yapped about to someone on Discord:

“Was having shower thoughts about how the whole idea of “having sex to feel something” idea that used to be popular with killer could actually fit color a lot more.

Like, pre-void but before meeting killer-color.

And like, he does it impulsively when his world feels too dark and consuming, or back when he didn’t think the voices of the souls in head were actually real, whenever one of them spoke and made him think he was back in the void, he’d impulsively go find someone to sleep with just to either brighten his world again, feel something, or shut the souls up.

Probably sleeping with Grillby’s, underfell sanses. And Asgore’s too, because Asgore’s are triggers for most of the souls, and it makes them go quiet and he doesn’t remember most of his time with Asgore’s afterwards, but so long as it’s quiet.

And like, he’s not sexually attracted to any of them, he’s doing it to both cope and self harm. But the hypersensitivity of his body causes him to cry a lot which relives tension and stress, but also his body is always in pain (edit: and exhaused and drained, probably would have panic attacks afterwards if it weren’t so tired) afterwards, which means lots of colors to see—even if he hates how he let strangers he doesn’t know touch him and makes him hate his body even more; on top of the voices of Justice and Integrity criticizing him.

Maybe also he can’t help himself but to think about them and their feelings, if they feel used or not, and he tries to like..cut off his own empathy, so he doesn’t have to feel their pain on top of his too.

And I don’t know, maybe it leads to a friends with benefits situation with aroallo Delta, cause at least then it was with someone color trusts and knows—and delta doesn’t have to worry himself sick wondering if colors going to be coming back to the apartment or not. They call it off eventually of course, but maybe color doesn’t want to talk about it.

And I don’t know, maybe Color used to hookup at a bar where a Lust Sans worked and that’s how they met? And maybe Lust is the reason Color stopped.

I don’t know. Maybe Lust finds Color somewhere crying, bruised and dirty and his clothes are messed up, but it’s actually Bravery who just had Color fight off an Asgore because it thought Color was being attacked and it was going to die again. And Lust takes care of the kiddo even if he doesn’t understand what’s going on.

Color not being a responsible adult or caring about himself and his body because he didn’t expect to survive, didn’t want to live, and definitely didn’t want to be “stuck” with voices in his head and kids in his body telling him what to do.”

I’m not quite sure about this one—because i believe Color is more likely to turn to other unhealthy, impulsive habits before turning to sex—such as binge eating, impulsive buying and spending, or chasing adrenaline highs by putting himself in or allowing himself to be lead into dangerous situations by/with dangerous people—but it’s a thought.

Especially since it causes the most distress and pain, to keep him both in the present and out of his own head—to keep everything bright and not back there—due to his physical hypersensitivity, pain-to-color, heightened senses, and although he refuses to acknowledge or admit it yet—the triggering memories of the souls.

Also, man’s so kind he probably leaves all his one night stands a water bottle and a painkiller for when they wake up.

Color feels so bad after a one stand he just starts leaving his partners a water bottle/glass of water and a painkiller with a note on their bedside tables if they were also drunk too. He never stays until the morning or when they wake up though.

Asgore’s are harder to be kinder too for some reason, as if some part of him starts hiding and moving away (from Asgore) and reaching for empathy or kindness for them is a lot harder to do—but he makes himself do it anyway.

[neatalchemist]

how i would react to the characters if i had to talk to them/be around them irl but im avoidant

kuras: i would not speak a word for a Long while. id stay a couple feet away too, intimidated asfuck and also hes so pretty i wouldnt be able to say anything, id definitely look up to him and see him as someone to behave more like

leander: would still stay a few feet away because id be attracted to him and i cant be around people im attracted to. would talk to him but probably remain mostly quiet, so hell have to lead the talk. but wed definitely be friends because hes friends with Everyone

vere: i wouldnt be around him LAWLLLL id probably. text. or email. Fuck it send a pigeon, but if it had to be verbal id probably keep it short and shoot down any of his stabs at me(physical and verbal) and id probably(i know fs) hate him. ENEMIES

ais: same as vere. but his vibe is quieter so id probably be distanced physically talking and have a normal conversation he seems sane enough ignore the dev post. we could be acquaintances?

mhin: i dont think any of us would talk, like with the rest id talk because Theyd maybe talk to me, this here nope. wed be sitting at different sides of the rooftop and not even look at eachother because Again i cant be close to people i like because if i had to talk to them face to face id constantly be red and constantly bully them. but id absolutely start talking if we hung out more and then theyd beg me to leave them alone(never)

ren(14dwy): i would be sorta reluctant to talk to ren because of his soft aesthetic, but id probably do anyway, it would be a lot easier to talk to him, and again, stay at a distance and like. talk about anime? wed be friends :3

sol(tkatb): same as with mhin, i dont think wed talk Or be around eachother unless there was a reason to. id definitely be Scared but also Turned on mysteriously(as i am now) and be envious of his fucking OUTFIT AND HAIR, but if wwe kept hanging out cuz im sure id get along w hyugo, then we could for sure be friends

crowe(tkatb): probably be acquaintances, the type of "what hw did we have/do we have class" and thats as far as the talks go, but i believe id physically stand closer to him

mychael(mushroom oasis): now it gets tricky because id be stuck with him in a forest and i feel in my element in a forest so id probably be easy going and so so laid back (and ignore how he looks because its not the scariest thing ive seen) definitely id be like on guard but id keep a casual convo and stay closer physically, definitely just like acquaintances

john doe: id move countries. the stench.

jack(swwsdj): id consider going to a psychiatrist Fr/stay as far away as possible

casper(adwd): casper i would not want to be around you im so sorry. wed probably get along Great with talking though, id definitely bully him(with love) so texting Yes being around him No because well. my boaner. i think we could be like Best Friends. Yes Yes I know

[greenerteacups]

I can't help but giggle how Ron and Harry in LH both doubt Draco's feelings for Hermione when it's, like, the complete OPPOSITE of what they think. Harry's being all big brother-y like about Hermione and how Draco should treat her right and respectfully or ELSE whilst Ron in the latest chapter assumes he's playing around with the poor girl.

And in reality I'm pretty sure Draco is envisioning his and Hermione's wizardesque wedding for the past 2 books.

Can't help but love the boys' obliviousness in regards to feelings here.

Also goes to show how Draco truly opens up only to Hermione in the most profound-est way. I love them.

Oh, yeah. I think I wrote this in a reply to a comment on AO3, but Ron and Harry are very good people afflicted with Teenage BoyBrain, and in Harry's case, Brother Instinct wherever Hermione is concerned. So they assumed that if Draco and Hermione like each other but aren't together, it's because Draco's not being an upstanding young gentleman, not because (as is the case) Hermione's indulging in a bit of age-appropriate emotional terrorism.

There are also broad gaps between (1) what Draco reveals via narration, (2) what he reveals to Hermione, and (3) what he reveals to Harry and Ron. They know each other very well, but Draco plays his cards so close to the chest — especially when it comes to the whole "if you're important to me it means I'd firebomb a hospital for you" thing. He has this unspoken idea that the moment he admits he cares for someone, they're immediately going to get snatched away by the long hand of the universe, which in fairness to him is informed by certain events that make him not totally wrong. (You might also attribute this to his taste in people, however, which trends towards the reckless and the driven; cue moth/flame metaphor, etc., etc., you all know.) So that's why there's about a half-year lag between whatever Draco recognizes in his own emotions and what everyone else in the story seems to believe: that's about how long it takes Draco to get comfortable broadcasting his feelings.

By the middle of fifth year, both Harry and Ron are full aware (as the chapters reveal!) that Draco cares for Hermione, but I think both boys project themselves onto him, to the detriment of their understanding (as most teenagers do). Ron reads a little more into Draco's possessiveness and jealousy, which are the traits they have most in common (cf. Ch.73). Part of that judgment is Ron's emotional straightforwardness: he sincerely can't imagine any reason that Draco wouldn't be dating her properly if the feeling was reciprocated, so he assumes that there must be some obstacle somewhere, and because he's a bit in love with Hermione in his own right, he obviously assumes the obstacle is Draco. What's Draco's number one problem? He's got a bucket of daddy issues and hangups over his family legacy, especially vis-a-vis public displays of affiliation. And Ron doesn't maybe think Draco's being actually prejudiced here (otherwise, he would have been much, much harsher with him in their argument) but he does think there's a degree of shame or uncertainty on Draco's part that's in the way of them getting together.

Harry, meanwhile, reads the whole situation as a communication failure: he thinks Draco doesn't realize what he's doing, because if it were Harry, messing someone around sincerely would be a cognition failure. It's not outside Harry's frame of possibility that Draco could end up in a romantically charged situationship by accident. And he probably rates higher the possibility that Draco would deliberately maintain a relationship like that to avoid losing Hermione's attention. Notably, Harry doesn't assume that Hermione's particularly hard-done-by in this situation; in fact, his default assumption is that she's where she wants to be, and if she didn't like it, she wouldn't be there. His trust in her is helped by the fact that he regards her as a pseudo-sister, and doesn't have any stake in the love triangle except that everyone treats each other well. For that reason, his final comment on the matter is a plea for Draco to consider how Ron might feel: he wants to remind them that they're friends, because he watched the group fall apart last year over an argument similar to this one (jealousy, possessiveness, and a torturous litigation of in-group favoritism). Harry is provoked to intercede because he thinks there's a danger of the situation blowing up due to miscommunication and leaving all of them isolated when they need support the most — which is naturally something that the increasingly isolated and angst-ridden Harry thinks should be top priority.

Anyway, I love them, too.

[contradictory-label-culture-is]

Not to like dump a first draft in your inbox before I make a proper post on bilesproblems, or to put some like actual Queer Theory in here on the silly blog but like. Contradictory label culture is believing in the principle of self exclusion.

The principle of self exclusion is that any person who does not belong under a label, will simply not identify with it. If someone identifies with a label in good faith, and it is a truly held identity, they must have their reasons and therefore belong. It is only necessary to define who or what a label does describe, not who it does not. The people who it does not describe will not feel represented by it and will not identify with it. It is an inclusionist principle, of course. It's not entirely perfect, it doesn't describe every situation ever, but it's a general rule. The definition of "genderfluid" doesn't need to be changed to specifically state that people with a constant state of gender cannot use it in order to exclude me. It only needs to say that one's gender is fluid, and I will practice self-exclusion by not identifying with the term that I do not feel describes me. Meanwhile a person who is bigender like me, but one gender is fluid while the other is constant, does not end up excluded.

Since it's going on bilesproblems when I make the proper post, let's use lesbians as an example. Most bisexuals will not identify as lesbians. They don't need to be told that under no circumstances can they ever be a lesbian in order to not identify as a lesbian. They just go "yeah no I don't think that describes me." Bisexuals who do identify as lesbians have their own personal reasons for resonating with the lesbian label, and shouldn't be excluded, because if there was nothing about the label that described them, then they wouldn't feel compelled to identify with it. Most men will not identify as lesbians either. The definition doesn't need to make sure to state you're not a man and be strictly enforced. It's only necessary to describe what genders one may be, and if a man is multigendered, otherwise genderqueer, trans, or has some other reason to feel like a lesbian, then just let him be a lesbian. If the word did not describe him, he would practice self exclusion.

Self exclusion is NOT denying oneself an identity because of exclusionists despite resonation. It only refers to going "that doesn't describe me, so it doesn't resonate with me, and I do not identify with it." It's usually not conscious. In my own inclusionist theory, it would be the answer to "well then what's stopping straight cis men from identifying as lesbians?" and other similar questions. We don't need something to stop them. They won't actually, in their hearts, identify as lesbians if the word doesn't describe them or resonate with them in some way. It is not necessary to stop certain people from identifying with something. All you do is ignore nuance.

TL;DR Self exclusion theory is a general rule that says labels only need to be defined by what they are, not what they aren't, and nobody needs to be forcefully excluded. People who the label doesn't describe will naturally choose not to identify with it, and those who do identify with a label will always have their reasons to feel it describes them.

Thank you I feel like people also just overlook the fact that if someone didn't identify as something(or being a lesbian ahem) and use it as a joke or something to mock "actual lesbians" it'd be SUPER obvious. Like no the lesboy that is really proud in their identity while talking about it a lot and not even using a mocking tone isn't mocking lesbians. If they were, you would know they were.