OOC by circumstance

When a character acts OOC (Out of character) because an unusual or uncommon event. IE: Death of a loved one, someone antagonizes them in a particularly cruel way.

"I've NEVER seen her get pissed like that!"
"OOC by circumstance. Her mom just got murdered in front of her."

by Songbird21 September 23, 2022

Childfree by Circumstance

People often assume people who are child free, do so by choice but in many cases, people are child free by circumstance such as medical conditions, infertility, being chronically single (lack of partner to raise a family with, etc.).

Celine: I have had four abortions, I am childfree by choice

Rosa: I am too focused on my career & I prefer being an Aunt, so I am childfree by choice

Julia, Jessica & Stephanie: We have no partners and are already at the age where pregnancy would be considered a geriatric pregnancy, we are childfree by circumstance.

by GermanGoon January 7, 2025

Fooled by Circumstances Theory

A framework revealing how we mistake transient circumstances for permanent structures, or local conditions for universal laws. Fooled by Circumstances Theory shows how we attribute outcomes to inherent qualities (skill, character, destiny) when they are actually products of specific situations. The successful are not necessarily better; they may just be in favorable circumstances. The failed are not necessarily worse; they may be victims of circumstance. We are fooled when we ignore the power of context, seeing only individuals and their choices.

Fooled by Circumstances Theory "He succeeded, so he must be brilliant. She failed, so she must be lazy. Fooled by Circumstances: ignoring that he had family wealth and she had none, that he had connections and she had none. We see people; we miss the circumstances that make them. Circumstances fool us, and we never even notice."

by Dumu The Void March 8, 2026