selfhelp | [voice/written/action]

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[voice/written/action]

Hey, ah... Vision - I mean, Jonas - of the Young Avengers got sent home. Sorry, if you knew him.

[Why is he always full of bad news? Ugh... let’s try to be less depressing for a while.]

There’s something else I wanted to talk about today: since I got here almost a year ago I’ve noticed how there’s this huge range of cultural norms across the multiverse- which makes sense, different worlds have different standards, I get it. People who are accepted in one world aren’t tolerated in another. Luceti’s kind of an anomaly, where there’s really not much, if any prejudice. I mean, there’s the whole Malnosso versus Us mentality, but that’s because of what they do, not what they are. Basically what I’m saying is that I think that’s great, and I want to do my part to keep encouraging that universal acceptance here for the people who might not be able to get it back where they come from, open up discussions to people who might not be sure about who or what they are, um...

Okay, this is a really roundabout way of saying I want to start an LGBT club. If you don’t know what that means, here’s a breakdown:

[Below is a jotted list-

L = Lesbian = girls attracted to girls
G = Gay = guys attracted to guys
B = Bisexual = guys and girls attracted to BOTH guys and girls
T = Transgender = People who feel like they were born in the body of the wrong gender (or genderfluid)
*Q = Questioning = Anyone not sure about the above or if they apply

And then it returns to voice.]

Those are really oversimplified, and there's still a lot of other words people use to define themselves, but you get the gist of it. I’d really like to meet up with anyone who matches any those descriptions, or feels like they might, or are just curious about it. I’m gonna put up some posters with suggested meeting times and places, but if you have any questions or just want to talk about it, you can use the journal (it’s okay to be anonymous!) or come right to the school. I’ve got a table set up and I’ll be here pretty much all day. I don't know if this is going to go anywhere, but it's worth a shot, right?

One last thing- we’re looking to make this a safe place, so if you plan to come just to make fun of people: we have a Hulk.

[And true to his word, Billy will be at the school, curled up in a chair at a plain table littered with papers. He’s designing posters and doodling various symbols to use for logos. Come bother him if you like?]

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[It won't be until later in the afternoon after his shift at Seventh Heaven that Richard shows up, still dressed in his waiter's uniform. He debated about it for the entirety of his shift; given his current attempts to be more "manly" and less gay, he wasn't sure at first that he even wanted to go at all. Right now he's not feeling particularly keen on acknowledging that side of himself, but at the same time, the idea of finding more people who are like him sounds rather appealing, if only so he doesn't feel quite so alone.

He still looks a little hesitant when he walks in, though, almost as if he doesn't want anyone else seeing him here.]

[Billy's almost talked-out by then, just finishing up a late lunch and feeling pretty accomplished, though not as much as he'd honestly have liked. He did this for a reason, after all, and that reason had yet to appear.

When Richard arrives, it takes a good deal of restraint to keep from making a show of it; he's thrilled, but from the look of things, he needs to tread carefully. So he lifts a hand in greeting, his smile muted but welcoming nonetheless, voice low.]

Hey, Richard. I was hoping you'd come.

You were?

[He seems honestly surprised by this response; he's well aware of Billy and Teddy's relationship, so he'd simply assumed that they were doing this for personal reasons, perhaps after encountering some less-than-understanding people here. It would never occur to him that he might be the reason behind all of this, especially not given that he's been trying so hard to deny it lately.]

Yeah, I was. But don't feel pressured or anything.

[He gestures, palm-up, to invite him over. Look! There's chairs! And cookies! Come and visit and chat, it'll be awesome.]

[Sadly cookies aren't much of a lure to someone who still has issues eating unfamiliar food, but the chairs look comfortable enough that he'll wander over a little bit closer. Hmm, what's that on the table?]

Has there been much interest so far?

[He's expecting the answer to be "no," honestly.]

[The table's got a sign-up sheet, for one - the names are illegible, but there's quite a few on there - pencils, markers, and a few scribbled and half-finished poster concepts of varying quality. The one on the top, currently a work-in-progress, is still in sketch form, a pair of cartoonishly simplistic wings with scribbled notes on either side.]

A lot, actually. Apparently there's more of us in Luceti than I originally thought.

[Does that give you some hope, Richard?]

[That... is definitely more names than Richard had been expecting to see. He can't help but wonder who all of these people are, and how he's managed to avoid meeting them during his time here. Unless they've been hiding, that is. He could understand if that were the case, given what he's heard about some of the worlds people here have come from.]

So I see. I had no idea there were so many people here who identified that way, or were at least curious about it.

[He's trying not to get his hopes up too much just yet.]

[Billy understands; he's been there, at least early on, until he stopped hiding who he was. It's a quiet, hidden sort of lifestyle that Billy hopes that this club will help with, because even if you don't broadcast it to the world, having at least one person you can share it with makes all the difference.

It's why he's so open with Teddy, after all.]

Yeah... just think about it. If there's this many people in a village of three hundred or so, how many are there in our own worlds?

[Ironically, that had been one of the reasons that Richard had loved Naoki around: being Richard's boyfriend aside, it had been nice to have someone else who understood what it meant to be a man who was attracted to men. Oh, sure, Asbel and Isamu are incredibly supportive, but they can't understand it on quite the same level because they like girls. It just isn't the same thing.]

Probably more than I could count, if they would ever admit to it.

[His world... isn't really the kind of place where that's acceptable just yet, sadly.]

Maybe they just don't feel safe. Even in my world where it's more generally accepted, a lot of people keep it a secret. It can be hard to be open about who you are when there's a chance that others won't understand.

Won't understand, or worse. I have... heard that there are worlds where such a thing is punishable by death.

[Needless to say, that knowledge rattled him deeply. The idea that there are people who would wish him dead just because of something like that...]

...Yeah... that happened a lot on Earth. Still does, in some parts of the world. Even where I live you can still get your share of grief for it.

[He remembers that feeling of fear, of helplessness. He can only imagine how much worse it much be where it's a crime.]

I think my world prefers to act as if it doesn't exist rather than outright punish it, though I can't be sure that they wouldn't take that route were it ever to become a public issue.

[Like if he were to come out, for instance.]

Do you think that's likely to happen?

[With Richard being kind of a Big Deal as far as he's aware, the potential is there, he just doesn't know how far it could go.]

That I don't know. As I said, my world tends to act like it doesn't exist. I can't think of a single example in which it has ever come up before.

I can't imagine wanting to be the first, either.

Nor can I.

[He really, really doesn't want to be the first. Sure, it might lead to good things for the world, but exposing himself to all of that... the thought terrifies him.]

On the other hand, though... you're in some kind of position of power, aren't you?

That's right. Assuming things go well, it could be an opportunity to bring attention to the matter.

But if they don't... well.

I guess it comes down to whether or not the risk is worth it, to be yourself.

[He knows it isn't, not for everyone. But for him there's only ever been one option.]

[He inhales deeply, then sighs.]

I'm afraid it might not be in my case.

[Ouch.]

Sounds like a rough life... hiding who you are all the time.

[He smiles a little, wryly.]

It's to be expected when you have a position like mine. The people are only interested in the me they see in public.

...What about if you kept it private? With, um. A select few, I mean.

[It occurs to him a little belatedly that he's not the only ruler with this kind of issue.]

There are already a select few from my world who know about it, ones I trust not to share that fact with anyone else. I would be far worse off were it not for them.

But I must still keep up the illusion for the sake of my people and everyone else.

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