Upfront notes:
Real life has been bad. Really bad. I've been getting people asking if I've just given up on all my fanfic projects when the reality is that I'd like nothing more than to be able to work on them without real world horrible keeping me from any progress. To prove that I'm still alive I wanted to post something. This is a bit of Life After that the main story won't catch up to for a long time, but it stands alone and is mostly non-spoilery. Yeah, it means that the protagonists will eventually all be in the same place at the same time, but other than that it's pretty well isolated.
As always, Shin Possible is the creation of Blackbird. (Used with permission.)
Because of when the timeline was changed, Kim and Ron haven't encountered the term "trap-trap" yet. Wade, however, showed familiarity with it when it was introduced. That should cover everything one needs to know.
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"But that's exactly what everyone thinks is at Area 51!" Tara said.
"Yeah, it's . . . what's the generalization of a trap-trap?" Wade asked.
"Sith Lie," Shin and Jacob said as one.
"Right," Wade said.
Kim and Ron apparently felt the need to get on the speaking in unison train, and asked, "What's a trap-trap?" together.
Jacob was visibly shocked at the question and said, "This really is early in their career."
"I've been telling you that for ages," Shin said.
"So what is a trap-trap?" Tara asked.
"Ok," Shin said, "all traps -well most traps at any rate- can be placed into four categories. Category one: the simple trap.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. Jacob puts a trap in the front hall in hopes that, one way or another, I'll end up in the front hall and be caught in the trap. A simple trap depends on concealment because if I knew there was a trap, I'd just avoid it."
Jacob took over, "That brings us to category two: the bluff trap. If Shin knows the front hall is a trap she won't use the front hall, which defeats the entire purpose of putting a trap in the front hall. Resources are finite and it's hard enough trying to defend every point of entry, so why put a trap in a room she's not even going to be in?
"It's better if I let her 'discover'," Jacob used air quotes, "that I've put a trap in the front hall when there really isn't one. Then she'll avoid the front hall which saves me the resources that would otherwise go into defending it.
"The worry here is that if I make it too easy for her to 'discover' the trap, she might realize what I'm up to, call the bluff, and waltz right through the front hall because she knows that's the one entrance I'm not expecting her to use."
Shin resumed the lecture, "Which brings us to category three: the trap-trap. Jacob puts an actual trap in the front hall, but is so obvious in letting us all-"
"Seriously?" Jacob asked. "All of you? It's bad enough when there's just one of you."
Shin continued, "He's so obvious in leaving clues that there's a trap in the front hall that we just assume it's a bluff trap. We think he's trying to trick us into avoiding the front hall, when in reality he's trying to make us over think things to the point that we ignore all evidence there is a real trap, try to call his 'bluff'," Shin used air quotes, "when he's really got a royal flush, and walk right into the front hall trap.
"This requires that he let us know there's a trap, which is true, in such a way that we assume he's trying to trick us. If we don't assume the trap is a bluff, then we'd think it was a simple trap, avoid it, and thus defeat the entire purpose of him setting up a trap-trap. We have to think the truth is really a deception for it to work."
"Thus the generalization to things that aren't traps," Jacob said. "A Sith Lie is when you tell the truth in such a way that people think you're lying. You have no real control over what they do think the truth is, but you've managed to control what they definitely don't think the truth is: the actual truth.
"The name," Shin said, "comes from the trope Jedi Truth, which is a lie that can be seen as true from a dubious point of view. A Sith Lie is something just as true as a Jedi Truth is false, but since the delivery of that truth is specifically designed to be disbelieved it serves the same function as a lie from a rational point of view."
"All of these mind games bring us to the last type of trap," Jacob said. "Category four: the thought trap. You've discovered evidence of a trap, or you think you have, but is it real evidence of a simple trap, planted evidence of a bluff trap, planted yet real evidence of a trap-trap?
"The question becomes, 'Do I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that I know that you know that you know-' and your brain explodes. Divide by cheese, blue screen of death, snow crash, out of memory.
"At this stage it doesn't really matter whether there's a trap in the front hall or not because I've got you second guessing your third guesses while fighting shadows in your mind. Traps have a tendency to be, at best, temporary solutions anyway, so throwing you into a spiral of self doubt is actually a better outcome than you falling into the trap, if it exists.
"And if it does and you do, so much the better because with all of the distraction I've placed in your mind it'll take you longer to escape the trap and when you do you'll be trying to figure out what it means that the trap was really real, and trying to stop thinking such thoughts is pretty much a lost cause because it's like, 'Don't think of a naked mole rat,' but more pervasive and less cute."
Bonnie broke her silence to say, "A naked mole rat is not cute."
Rufus popped his head out of Ron's pocket and blew a raspberry at Bonnie.
"Made you think of it though," Jacob said, "didn't I?"
"And now you are familiar with the four categories of trap," Shin said.
"Use them wisely," Jacob said, "use them well."