#i think i might be done wanting to discuss poly with mono people forever actually. spoons permanently depleted for that activity.

[tavtime]

I think I finally figured out what exactly is bothering me about all these "Halsin's inability to commit is a symptom of his past trauma with the drow" posts. The subtext to basically all of these analyses that I've seen is that he would want commitment in absence of that trauma, that amatonormative/mononormative commitment mimicking or at least adjacent to monogamous commitment is the default and preferable state for his character (read: for any character). That is, at best, a deeply incurious reading of the character that neglects 1) his own stated nuanced feelings about his confinement and 2) his clearly declared preferences about how he conducts intimate involvements.

It's just... as a polyamorous person who empathizes a lot with what Halsin has laid out as his very clear preferences, seeing all this is. Not fun! It's a little too reminiscent of everyone I've ever dated who was convinced they could Change Me Through The Power Of Love. Halsin's feelings for the player character are not less valid for having priorities that don't include cohabitation.