#Roman and Remus especially because

[maddragonfruit]

Half the characters in Sanders Sides dress like they were born before the 19th century which is why I have a cowboy OC and also why I think the orange side should dress like a baron or something

[keter-class-anomaly]

I recreated the cover for remus's theme!

...with a couple little changes of course!

i'm REALLY happy with how this turned out!

i can't wait to hang it up on my wall when i get home TvT

just the line art:

they look better irl lol

[noblest-roman-of-them-all]

"It's not their job to care about anything else." That is such an important concept to this series and one I genuinely don't think is talked about out considered enough.

As the series continues the Sides have gotten a lot deeper and have gotten a lot of character development, but they are still only Sides of Thomas's personality, still only concentrated aspects of one individual, not each an individual unto himself.

Remus and Roman can't necessarily care about Thomas's health and well being because that's not the part of Thomas they embody. They still care about Thomas, but they are constrained by their assigned roles in his life.

Remus absolutely cares about Thomas, if he didn't he wouldn't offer any input on anything, if he didn't he wouldn't be antagonizing Logan with things like "won't fix this guy all by yourself" and "but who do you really want to scream that at?".

Remus is playing the long game with Janus, while Roman is fighting to keep his head above water.

Each Side caring so strongly about his own role, is him caring for Thomas because at the core of each of them they are Thomas.

Roman fighting so hard to save face is Thomas ignoring an issue with himself. And Remus and Janus being antagonistical toward Roman and Logan is the inner conflict of Thomas trying to face a problem within himself.

Remus has to care about Thomas, he just does it in an unusual way.

Y'know, it always bothered me when people said that Remus is the only sides that doesn't care about Thomas well-being and health. First of all, I do think he cares, but even if he doesn't... neither does Roman.

Calm down, I'm not saying that Roman doesn't care about Thomas, but that he cares about things like his dreams, career, reputation and goals.

In Why do we get ouf ot bed in the morning when asked by Thomas "You don't want me to live a long, healthy life?" Roman's answer is a nonchalant "I mean, like, sure, whatever" and in that same video he basically says that Thomas should use time that could/should be spent taking care of his healthy in pursuit of his dreams, even going as far as saying "who needs sleep when you could be writing".

And as much as Roman likes to pretend he cares about the same things the others do, it's... not his job to care about those things. And neither is Remus'.

Actually, when you think about it, Remus and Roman care about the same thing: Thomas' reputation, goals, dreams and career, even if Remus has... questionable opinions about how to pursue those things, because, again, it's not their job to care about anything else.

So Remus cares about Thomas. He cares about the thing that he's supposed to care about, as creativity.

[lookupthewordjokeinthedictionary]

Hihi, remember how in DWIT Virgil told Remus that he thought he was a terrible disease? Probably because he made Thomas uncomfortable?

What stops Virgil from having the same mindset pre AA? What if the reason he put on a dark persona in the first place was because he saw himself as the villain, as the terrible illness?

After all, he made Thomas uncomfortable as well, that's his job!

Oh, and what stops him from believing it in the future? Especially now that he doesn't have Patton's support, he's lost his "dark side friends" and Thomas seems to be spiralling down a dangerous road because of him and Roman?

Hihi!

[part-time-zombie]

Does anyone else talk about how the different ways the sides names were revealed can often be analogous to the different ways folks come out about their queer identity?

Logan didn't reveal his name by choice, patton did it for him. Thomas was surprised by logans name, mostly by the implications of the sides having names instead of just titles and nicknames. Patton didn't seem to think too much about revealing logans name, and logan didn't seem too worried/upset about it either. His relationship with his name seems awfully casual, like it doesn't bother him if people know his name or not.

Patton in turn waited for a little later to reveal his name, finding the best timing. He even took advantage of the opportunity by using his name reveal as pun ammunition, reveling in the chance to now make more puns based on his name. He was excited to reveal his name, especially now that it can pave the way for more fun and bonding with the others now that they know more about him.

Roman kept it quiet for a bit, holding it close to his chest until he was ready. When he and thomas were alone, sharing their thoughts on self worth and value, he revealed his name so as to help them both get closer. This was a private, emotionally intimate moment where they were opening up about sensitive topics, and roman figured there was no better moment than this one.

Virgil was scared about the whole thing. It was a huge step for him to be so open about such a personal secret, and he avoided it for as long as he could. But when the others reached out to him and made him realize his importance with the group he's grown to call a family, he knew he was ready to share this with them. It was a big step and he was clearly scared, but his trust was well placed.

Remus came into the scene loud and clear. He was ready for people to know and see him, because whatever they thought about him was their problem. He played along with the nickname game for a bit, but when the others expressed confusion about exactly what he is supposed to be/represent, he gave them the answer, bluntly and clearly. His lack of tact and fear actually surprised everyone, since the others were more reluctant to share their names, but remus didn't care about keeping secrets.

Janus loved to keep secrets, especially his own. The less people knew about him the better. He knew more than anyone that people can be gossipy, judgemental rumor mills that spread sensitive secrets like pollen in the wind, and he wasn't about to let himself get caught up in the drama of it all. Besides, with how the others have been treating him, why should they know anything about him? He felt that they didn't care about him, so a name reveal would be unwarranted. When it was proven that he had a seat at the table like the rest, and that his input was indeed wanted, he knew they would be willing to trust him. It would only be fair to trust them in return, starting with his name.

Idk where I was going with this, something something signs of trust and openness with the group and the complex relationship people have with a secret that they feel can define their identity.

[idleindy]

8 years of Sanders Sides!

I can't believe that it's been so long already, I was 14 at the time (I'm 22 now!) and watching short Thomas's videos helped get me through difficult times in school, and then Sanders Sides started and the rest, as they say, was history.

I really don't know how to put into words just how much Sanders Sides has helped me deal with my own mental health, in large part I am the person I am today because of this series. I love all of the characters, but Roman and Virgil are especially dear to my heart because their individual story lines really helped me out when I was having a tough time back in highschool.

From learning how to accept and deal with anxiety from Virgil, that there's no 'right' creativity from Roman and Remus, that sometimes you need to be selfish (and that's okay!) from Janus, dealing with all emotions and not just the happy ones from Patton, and having patience and speaking up for yourself from Logan; I have learned a lot from these guys.

[dead-inside-demiboy]

I still enjoy Sander sides a fuck ton, but I've been out of the fandom for years now. That being said, I've been rewatching it recently and here's a really cool thing I've noticed!

So while they are characters and all of the sides feel fully fleshed out and realistic, they are also aspects personified and it was done SO WELL

Like of course Logan would get very stuck up and controlling with certain stuff, that's how logic operates. Especially with adhd, logic is usually the voice of guilt in the back of your head when you do things wrong. On the other end, logic is also silly, you sometimes remember something random for no reason. And of course Logan gets ignored a lot! How often do you listen to your logic 100%?

Of course Roman is grand and has large ambitions too big for his boots, that's what creativity feels like. Yes, Roman will be self centered, because if you're an artist (like Thomas) creativity is a big source of pride for you, especially if you post online. Roman being insecure makes sense when you think of imposter syndrome and how popular Thomas is. Obviously Roman loves Disney and cartoons, they actively spur on creative juices.

Of course Patton is pushy and controlling with his beliefs, that's what morality does! Growing up religious would only make that more extreme. Of course he's commonly listened to and taken at face value, your ethics/morals are some of the heaviest driving forces when they kick in, and it takes a lot to shift them. Obviously he's the least mature, your morals are instilled when you're young and you never really grow out of them. But he's also a dad because older male figures are stereotypically the ones that teach you morals in the first place!

Of course Virgil is so rude in the beginning but gets an acceptance arc, anxiety is a bitch to live with that fucks with everything else, but you need to learn to work with it, not against it, similar to any other emotion. He used to be part of the dark sides cause when you don't know what to do with feelings like that, you end up pushing them down or hurting yourself. He hates not being taken seriously because when you completely ignore and blow off your alarm bells it puts you in active danger!

Speaking of, Dark sides tangent! First of all, they aren't really the "bad" parts, they're just the parts of Thomas that he bottled up or tried to hide from himself. And the name "dark sides" is so good, cause it's like the dark side of the moon! Just as important as the light side, just different, harder to see if you aren't actively looking, and often ignored or viewed as "worse"

Tangent over. So!

Of course Janus's main role is to hide the other dark sides! He's representation of what happens when somebody hides parts of themselves. He has a villian and snake persona cause of religious reasons and because deceit is viewed as one of those bad things that need to be bottled up! He is at the core of a lot of self preservation and caring of others because for Thomas, that is the only time he's used Deceit so it's all that he can do.

Of course Remus is equally as prideful as Roman, he has the same issues with imposter syndrome! Of course he has a bunch of gore and sex jokes/ideas, he's the creative parts that morals state are "bad". Unlike Roman who's usually on topic, Remus goes constantly off tangent because that is what your wilder/more experimental side of creativity does! It just spits shit out and you figure out what sticks!

Its very similar to Greek mythology and idk! I just love when personification is done super well while making the characters still feel human!

[let-roman-bite-someone]

this is something i’ve been ruminating on ever since WTIT came out.

i’ve been thinking about this connection for a while. Virgil’s anxiety can lead to cognitive distortions if taken too far (a.k.a if Thomas beats himself up over something) and these cognitive distortions are Remus’s creations. this is interesting, it’s interesting to see how Virgil’s and Remus’s roles overlap and almost compliment each other, but in an unhealthy way.

but this just makes it all the more confusing as to why Virgil wasn’t present in WTIT, and why he seemed so unbothered in the endcard. i once aired this confusion on here and most people said that it was like Logan in Moving On, Virgil was still present within Thomas, he just didn’t take a physical form.

this doesn’t make sense to me because when Logan sunk out, Thomas had trouble thinking logically at first. he gets around to it eventually, but it’s clear that while Logan wasn’t completely gone, his disappearance made a significant impact on the group. Virgil was having a panic attack, Roman was urging Thomas to act on impulse, Patton was confused and lost.

it’s clear this is not the case in WTIT. in an episode that is so heavily centered around anxiety and - dare i say - paranoia, it’s baffling that Virgil was almost completely unaffected. especially since, again, he seemed fine in the end card. he was a little bitter towards Patton, but that’s all.

i’m just curious as to whether there was a canonical reason for this. for why Virgil wasn’t involved in an episode where Thomas was constantly panicking over dangers that might take place.

especially since,

1. Thomas is worried about something Virgil has mentioned before, being alone/losing his loved ones.

2. Thomas did something that Virgil has canonically been shown to care about in the past - not following up on his plans to be productive.

3. fake!Nico says WORD FOR WORD what Virgil suggested during the debate - AND both scenarios were about a potential love interest not replying to Thomas’s text.

of course, Virgil has greatly improved since the negative thinking episode, but he is still anxiety. and Thomas is still an anxious person. and Thomas was visibly freaking out throughout WTIT so it’s really really unlikely that Virgil was just in the backseat for that episode.

Logan temporarily “leaving” (but still being present) in Moving On makes sense because it was an emotional episode, and Thomas needed to sort things out with his emotional sides a.k.a Patton, Roman and Virgil (mainly Patton). there was logic involved but it wasn’t a logic-centric episode.

WTIT was 100% an anxiety-centric episode.

i doubt that this was accidental. there are so many direct parallels and callbacks, it had to be intentional. there’s no way Thomas and crew just forgot that Virgil played a crucial role in creating cognitive distortions. i think there’s something deeper here, there must be a reason why Virgil wasn’t present for this episode and how he seemed so nonchalant when he did appear. there’s absolutely no way Virgil was just “present within Thomas” and didn’t feel the need to show up in person.

[nightingale2004]

Severus as a vampire hcs

Credit to @intotheswollenriver for inspiring me

I personally would feel like it would be a Dhampir situation for Severus. His mother is a vampire, and his father is obviously human

The Prince family would've been one of the few vampire families still existing, and they would've originated from Romania

Severus would not be as powerful as a normal full blooded vampire, but since he is also a wizard, he would still be considered powerful

Eileen fed him blood when he was younger, but Severus didn't know.

Severus wouldn't know he was a vampire until either before he got his Hogwarts letter or after

As he grew up, his normal human scent changed into a scent similar to death, and his fangs started coming in slowly

Lily would NOT know he was a vampire or, in this case, half vampire.

Severus (I feel) would've hated drinking blood from both animals and humans when he was younger (you can't tell me he wasn't sensitive about that) but he went for animal blood since it somewhat satisfied him

Severus would've had a suspicion about Remus much earlier due to his scent of wet dog, which separated him from every other witch and wizard around them

Similar to Wolfsbane, he would've made himself a potion of his own creation to become a blood substitute to satisfy his cravings. He makes enough to last him years (he's prepared)

His powers/abilities other than magic, potions, and alchemy would include enhanced strength, speed, heightened senses, and maybe even compulsion

Normally, Severus would have control, and he would be able to retract his fangs and hide any of his vampire features.

When his hunger gets too much, his eyes will turn dark blood red to light blood red, his fangs will show, he'll become fidgety, his senses will kick in overdrive, and he'll become overwhelmed. It will also become very difficult for him to stop from ripping everyone around him apart, but he manages to make it.

When he goes into a frenzy, it will take minutes up to a few hours to calm down and gather himself. He also makes sure to isolate himself very deep into the forbidden forest with lots of animal prey and no human scent in his sight or in his vicinity

He goes into the forbidden forest, not just for ingredients for his potions but to also hunt and to "set the beast free" along with train and control his vampire abilities

After the 'prank', Remus found out about Severus's vampire side, and Severus made sure that Lupin wouldn't breathe a word of his secret to anyone, especially his friends or else he will take Lupin down with him

I want to believe he can also turn into a bat (i will leave that to you all to decide)

He hates the sunlight or sunny days (no. It can't kill him. It just annoys him and gives him headaches)

Prefers cloudy days

Dumbledore obviously knows

Severus self-taught himself control from a very young age since there wasn't anyone to help teach him

Similar to Rosalie from Twilight, he won't drink the blood from bad people. He will probably see it as tainted or bad.

He saw himself as a monster for a very long time, and he still does to this day

He ages more slowly than normal people due to his vampire blood

His appearance will be normal. Pale skin, skinny, black eyes, black hair, and roman nose. But his vampire blood will sharpen his features and some of his bone structure, build him a little muscle but nothing too noticeable, paler than usual, his hair will have something more to it than normal (idk what, tho), and his gaze and presence will also have an unspoken power to it

Voldemort, along with many of the death eaters, doesn't know about him being a Dhampir

The only people who truly know about his vampire side are Lucius, Narcissa, Regulus, Remus, and Dumbledore (Regulus figured it out by himself)

Lucius and Narcissa both have given Severus their permission to feed off them if needed

Remus is very frightened of Severus, but he feels some sense of common ground with Severus because he's not the only dark creature he knows of anymore.

Severus (much to his deep regret) granted Remus access to Severus's hunting grounds in the forbidden forest, so Lupin can "wolf out" every full moon without endangering lives.

Severus has cast many protection and glamor spells on the hunting grounds, so that way no one other than himself and Lupin had access to the hunting grounds and no one outside can enter the area

Vampire blood can heal wounds and is often used in healing potions

Severus is immune to garlic and crosses, but pure silver stings him a little bit but not fatally

He can eat normal food

Has tasted werewolf blood before, but it tasted unappealing and disgusting like acid

Has tasted human blood on more than one occasion, but it's like sugar to him. Very addicting and difficult to control, but he manages through it

[anotheroceanid]

Second timeline Perse avoids fading due to the smitting bc by the time Zeus tried she had already established herself very firmly in culture (due to horny reinasscense artists), created demigods communities full of people who worshiped her more than some gods and since Apollo is one dramatic bitch they're always competting with Hades and Persephone for favorite greek god couple. After all, gods only fully fade when they're completely forgotten

NO WAIT

Apollo competing with Hades and Persephone for favourite Greek godly couple is so real, and Hades would just say: well, we won since you and her aren't an actual couple

Apollo: ☠️☠️☠️

—

She doing little things like saving Astyanax and helping Romulus and Remus ended up in her becoming a huge figure in culture (especially because the Roman’s would make an mostly Athenian god saving two Roman babies their entire personality)

[oatmealdaydreams]

Random SaSi Headcanons

Virgil's animal/animal trait is actually an armadillo (though he does share similarities to cats and spiders because of his introverted tendencies)

Orange can be a little shit (affectionately)

Janus uses his cane for chronic pain reasons, especially on higher pain days

Orange will call the Others by their colours instead of their names ( Janus would be Yellow, etc.) and following this pattern, calls c!Thomas "Rainbow"

Remus has a pet kraken on his side of the Imagination

Different places in the Mind (the Mindscape, the Imagination, everyone's room, the Mind itself, etc.) are all somewhat sentient

Mr. Fuzzy can purr, which helps Virgil calm down sometimes (Virgil will never admit this)

Logan knows how to draw out star-maps and read them; sometimes, he'll help the Creatives when they're making some sort of skyscape and he'll map it out

Patton and Remus enjoy puns together

Roman gets literal burnout, and Remus usually helps with it bc he understands as another Creative

When things get really overwhelming, Virgil will go to Janus for help; they never say anything to each other and won't talk about it afterwards

Virgil can be a bit of a mother hen when taking care of someone

A common way to show & receive affection/care between everyone is different forms of Gift-Giving

c!Thomas will try to put time aside to spend with his Sides, bonding, as an act of self-love

When Logan is ranting about something he's passionate about, his irises turn indigo and literally star-shaped

Logan normally has blue-grey eyes (outside of c!Thomas' perception of him)

The way c!Thomas perceives the Sides is how they look/act while around him, but may look/act a little different when he's not actively "seeing" them

The way the Sides act in videos is them intensifying themselves for the characters they play & are a bit calmer when not filming

Patton is a pretty good baker, but he struggles with cooking different things

The Sides take turns making dinner & Patton usually makes breakfast for everyone; everyone makes themselves lunch unless there's a special occasion

The twins host fun events in the Imagination to help keep everyone a little more entertained

Roman has a secret special place he goes to in the Imagination when he's really stressed; Remus is the only other one that knows about it

Nico Flores knows some things about Floriography and will rant to c!Thomas about it; c!Thomas loves listening to him

[yomica12345]

Royal AU?

I know there are plenty of Royal AUs in the Sanders Sides fandom already but... If I were to do one who would you want to be royalty? I may take the results of this poll into consideration as I'm coming up with my concept, but I'll give you a little peek of what to expect by sharing my placeholder title: Royals and Wizards. Are the royals not going to be wizards or are they wizards themselves? Who knows? Also I may have multiple Princes so... make sure to reblog especially if it means others may want the same side(s) to be royalty. But the first place vote will be the concept I will ultimately be going with for this au.

Here are possible concepts for what each side(s) au may be like if they're at the top of the poll:

Roman and Remus:

Two brothers fighting for the crown as their parents aren't exactly sure which of them is the oldest. In order to have a chance at the crown they must find love and be the first to marry. Who would find love first or would it just be a race to get someone to agree to a marriage?

Virgil:

Virgil never wanted the responsibility of a kingdom to be placed on his shoulders but with the King and Queens passing the mantel will soon fall to him. Unable to handle the stress Virgil decides to run away to try and escape the responsibility. Will he be able to escape the crown or will he be found in time to be crowned king?

Logan:

Prince Logan has got it bad for Virgil. (Yes, Analogical because I'm obsessed) But betrothed from a young age Logan has to decide to whether to take up his responsibility as the prince to marry someone for the good of the kingdom or take the decision into his own hands and go with the man he truly loves. (In this one Logan would most likely be a wizard so wizard antics would definitely play a part in the story)

Patton:

As heir to the thrown Patton needs to find someone who he can trust to rule along side him and in order to this a selection is held. (Yes like based off the Selection Series but make it gay and Sander Sides) Meeting with different suitors Patton has trouble narrowing the list of suitors down. Will he be able to find The One?

Janus:

Janus has had a rivalry with a prince of a neighboring kingdom since he was young. (Not sure who the other prince would be yet) Wanting to get back at this other prince he sneaks into their kingdom and their sleeping quarters in order to steal something as leverage against them. However his plan goes awry as he's caught and his lies have him committing himself to spying on himself for this prince who actually just wants to win his heart. Will Janus end up developing feelings back? He certainly hopes not.

P.S. I might come out with another poll later for who you may want to see as a wizard.

[theokusgallery]

Hiiii I saw you say you have Notes on your Remus and Janus designs 👀👀?

Could we see/hear some tidbits?

FOR SURE !! Here's what the original doodles for their designs look like, first off, (I know you didn't ask for Virgil but I did these three at the same time)

When I drew this I had just finished an exam and had to wait another hour until I could leave the classroom, so I wrote down enough notes that I had to flip the page instead:

Virgil:

- Virgil has light brown hair that he dyes black (badly). It is essential that the dye job look like shit. It looks artificial, his roots are showing, there's patches where the color didn't take, etc etc.

- He also has blue eyes, which I decided on mostly because it makes it even more clear that his hair isn't naturally black.

- He wears earrings, but his ears aren't actually pierced — they're fake little little clip-on things.

- He wears black nail polish at all times, but it's always chipped because he gets the cheapest stuff he can get his hands on.

- His hair (especially his bangs) get very long at times because he gets too socially anxious to go to the hairdresser. Back in middle school, he used to have Janus cut them for him (Remus could have done a better job but trusting him with scissors would have been a mistake). Now he mostly cuts it off by himself — it looks about as good as his dye job.

- Virgil's purple hoodie is a leftover from Remus' fashion design endeavors that Remus thought didn't look weird enough.

Janus:

- He has naturally strawberry blonde hair. The length is very important to him — he started growing it towards the end of middle school. (He allows Remus to experiment with hairdos sometimes as long as he doesn't cut anything off. I need to draw that sometime)

- I'm not entirely settled on his eye color. I know at least one of his eyes is a very pretty brown, but I have half a mind to give him a yellow glass eye for his left side — I'm not sure it'd make any logistic sense for his situation, though

- He got his ears actually pierced when he was 16.

- He also may or may not have a forked tongue. Not sure how I'd ever be able to show that off — but if he does have one, then Remus definitely was the one to encourage him to do it.

- His fashion style was definitely influenced by being around Remus (who may have used him as a mannequin/dummy because he's small.) so much. Remus also attempted to make clothes for him, but Janus is very fancy and picky, so he doesn't wear those clothes very often (though he might accessorize with stuff Remus made for him occasionally).

Remus:

- He has naturally very dark hair. He uses temporary/surface level dyes a lot, but if he's using permanent or semi-permanent dyes, he's usually limiting himself to the grey streak — it's kind of a sample strand, since it's already bleached. He 100% copied his hairstyle from Roman's.

- He (and Roman, of course) has greenish blue eyes.

- Janus paid for him to get his ears (and eyebrows) professionally pierced because otherwise he was just going to do it himself with a sewing needle.

- He has a lot of very shitty stick-and-poke tattoos he made/makes on himself. They're almost always hidden by his outfits.

- Speaking of which, Remus makes most of his outfits costumes himself. The quality of the work may vary, but they are always way too over-the-top for casual wear, because he stands out anyway, so... in for a penny, right. (As I said in the tags of a post: he is very creative and has no shame or social anxiety at all, so he had his whole aesthetic ("overdramatic green") figured out by the time he was 13)

- He also has SH scars, but, again — they're hidden by his outfits 99% of the time. He's a slut who never shows an inch of skin

[sanderssidesthehouse]

Struggled with Logan because he would be very good at puzzle games and probably RTS but I don't know if he would play video games all that often. Virgil is up top because his reflexes/react times are crazy and they’re a great way to escape reality or relax or work out adrenaline. I think he’d really like Stardew Valley. I think they’d all really like Stardew Valley, actually. They all play together. Probably Animal Crossing, too. I’d say Among Us, but I think they’d get into fist fights… Well three of them would start them, anyway. They know who they are. But I do think they all play DDR together.

Patton plays games like Nintendogs. Big lover of Neopets. Also the old classics, I see you Frogger. Roman likes playing games where he gets to be the hero but especially if they have character customization. What do you mean you’re not supposed to spend your first three hours in Baldur’s Gate 3 designing your Tav? He’s big into RPGs but also probably stuff like Style Savvy. Kingdom Hearts is also big for him. I bet he likes Zelda.

Janus loves multiplayer deception games like First Class Trouble, Town of Salem, Among Us, and Project Winter. Remus has played so many indie horror games you’ve never heard of and some you probably have. From games that are just supposed to scare you to games where you get to fight back to games where you play the monster.

So my ranking goes:

Logan

Virgil

Patton

Janus

Remus

Roman

Reply or reblog with what you think they would get internet famous for, I want to know.

I struggled with Remus, Patton, and Virgil because their strengths and weaknesses all net out to someone I don’t want to be stranded on a desert island with. Remus is getting himself killed at some point but may be helpful before then. Someone also pointed out that Remus would not hesitate to eat the person he was stuck with and yeah. Virgil is too busy freaking out to be proactive. He CAN be directed but you also have to babysit him. Patton has a good temperament and a can-do attitude except he really can’t do. Roman probably gets injured doing something reckless but he's really doing his best. Janus and Logan are both good choices, but Logan knows all those facts about stuff.

The polls for this one were wild. And look yeah I saw the Roman video where he ranked movies. Remove your mind from the facts and focus on the vibes. I just think you could get some really good arguments between them.

[phantom--brainz]

I think the creativity twins really do love and care for each other, but they each have their own blockages from showing it. Both of them have this image to uphold.

Roman is very family oriented and loyal, but he puts up this defensive front around Remus. Part of him probably feels scared of Remus because Remus is known for terrorizing and laying traps for Roman, hiding in the dark to scare him, and whacking him over the head. But that doesn't mean he hates his brother. He still wants his brother, but he's scared.

On top of that, Roman has a huge loyalty to Patton. Patton, as Thomas's morality, which was based of off being raised Catholic and carrying around Catholic guilt, has trouble accepting Remus because he's everything "sinful" Since Patton has that strain with Remus, Roman is strained in his ability to have a relationship with Remus. He loves his brother and wants to have a relationship, but he doesn't want to betray Patton.

Then there's Remus. He puts up this "idgaf" attitude about everything, constantly portraying himself as the villain, and it can be seen that it seems like he doesn't care about Roman, either. However, we also see his attempts at a relationship, trying to match with Roman and have something with him, but he clashes with Roman because Remus is still viewed as something sinful and undesirable, so his efforts to have a relationship aren't really seen and are taken as attack or insult. Like when he was nicknamed Dookie and changed Roman's nickname to Pissy so they'd match, but Roman thought Remus was insulting him.

On top of that, Remus uses nicknames for Roman, referring to him as "brother" and "bro" from which we can infer that he still sees Roman as his twin, and cares enough to give him a nickname. He certainly could do a LOT more to show that he cares, but he definitely doesn't not care at all about his brother.

They each love the other brother dearly but are in this constant loop of believing the other hates them and, in turn, acting cold or careless at the other, dismissing them, but then also wanting to he around them and have something with them. They're also both restrained by Patton. Not that Patton does it intentionally, but as Thomas's morality, he caries around that Catholic guilt that made Remus in the first place and brought that separation between the brothers, and since Patton is strained to accept Remus as a result of the moral code drilled into him by Thomas being raised Catholic, that also affects Roman and Remus because Roman doesn't want to betray Patton by befriending Remus, and Remus is shackled and restricted constantly as intrusive thoughts and dark creativity, and nobody really sees past the villain persona because a villain is all he's allowed to be seen as.

And it's also not because Patton "hates" Remus. He doesn't hate any of the sides. He's conflicted and confused because the Catholic moral code he was built on says Remus is wrong, but he learned from Virgil and Janus that, just because something seems bad or evil, doesn't mean the person is. He sees that Remus has more to him and wants to give him a chance.

They're both to blame, and yet neither of them are to blame all at once. And it's not Patton's fault, either, so don't even start blaming him bro!!! Of anything the blame falls on those who taught that Catholic moral code to Thomas and drilled it into him, which caused that chain of Patton as morality built on Catholic morals, Remus as an identity, and the strain between Remus and Roman's relationship.

But they love each other, they just cannot figure out for the life of them how to show it, and I think they're both a little afraid to really have a relationship, especially since it's been drilled in for so long that they stay separate, so neither of them is really making a move, leaving them loving each other and thinking the other hates them and they're supposed to hate each other.

Idk tho bro!!!! But everyone who thinks one of them doesn't care about the other is WRONG, they love each other they just cannot figure out how to show it or where to start, and they've both done things that have hurt the other.

Their relationship is also strained because they're also pinned against each other as opposites, while also supposed to be working together as a pair. Their entire dynamic is one big loop, chasing the other, and not knowing if it's time for them to be together or to be against each other.

Thomas does such a great job with symbolism with these two. Their emblems for example. Roman is a sword while Remus is a shield. Roman puts up a defensive, while Remus is seen on the attacking side. However, shield and sword are often wielded together for the best combat ability, aiding in both offense and defence, which could be connected to the phrase "two minds are better than one" which could insinuate that they could be even more efficient as creativity, were they able to work together.

Roman's emblem is based around the day with Remus is the night. Roman is red and white while Remus is green and black.

Their names are also based off of Romulus and Remus, who fought over who would take control over what ended up being Rome after Romulus won. This can be paired to how they work as two halves of creativity. They couldve worked great together, but that moral code pinned them against each other, with Roman coming out on top, like how Romulus won when he battled and killed Remus for Rome. Control over creativity is their Rome, with Roman being the one mainly controlling and powering Thomas' creativity, since his half of creativity is the "good" side.

They love each other, guys, they're just in a less than favorable position. They don't have to be, but they've been paired against each other and it's brought them to where they are now, and I'm not sure if either of them know how to get past that.

There's also a huge barrier between them from things Remus has done that has hurt Roman, and obviously that unresolved hurt is only gonna worsen the barrier between them.

Anyways, happy anniversary Sanders Sides!!!!

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Cause and Effect

ok this is overdone i feel but i love your writing. something abkut the effects the sides have on themselves? virgil being super anxious and logan overwhelmed and similar things? something w janus? with a good portion of hurt comofrt? love your fics!! – anon

Hi! I love your writing so so so much. I do have a request for you, if you want it: Headcanon that Remus, being responsible for intrusive thoughts, is also responsible for any earworms Thomas gets. Which, he mostly uses to his advantage. Except. He unironically likes Taylor Swift and is terrified of that information getting out because it will ruin his image/he won’t be taken seriously. – anon

I hope you’re having a good week! I was wondering if I could request a hurt/comfort fic with one of the Sides being really bad about announcing/enforcing boundaries, because “it probably means more to them than it does to me” “it’s not that bad” “I can deal with it”. Thank you for considering!! – anon

Read on Ao3

Warnings: self-esteem issues, panic attacks, anxiety attacks

Pairings: dlampr, can be platonic or romantic you decide

Word Count: 2954

Patton doesn't always remember that he has feelings, too. Logan works…a lot. Virgil lives his life looking over his shoulder. Janus has gotten so good at lying to everyone that it's a wonder he even knows what the truth is himself. Remus wears shame like a badge of honor and the sweater he just can't manage to make himself throw away. Roman is tired. The Sides struggle. The Sides help each other.

Patton doesn't always remember that he has feelings, too.

He's at the center of Thomas's feelings, of course, and that means he's feeling a lot of things that aren't necessarily his all the time. Thomas is happy, he's happy. Thomas is sad, the entire world might be ending. Thomas is angry, he has to hide everything that looks even vaguely orange because something might explode. Thomas is depressed, he finds it hard to even get out of bed.

That extends to the Sides somewhat too; all of them experience heightened emotions, a wonderful by-product of being metaphysical and in the Mindscape. So that means that anything that might happen to them will happen in greater intensity than it would in the 'real world.' But sometimes that can be a little hard to handle, especially if they aren't used to it. For Roman, it looks like being stuck at the worst part of a tragic monologue for hours, for Logan, it looks like that one question on a test that you just can't answer, for Virgil, it's the quiet and unsettling feeling of having something just over your shoulder all the time, for Janus, it's the itch that you just can't scratch, for Remus, it's the noise that's just at the wrong frequency.

It's hard, it's hard for all of them, and so Patton takes it upon himself to help them through it. He takes Roman's hands and just holds them, trying to make him see that he doesn't have to perform, not now, not with him. He sits with Logan and they just talk, about nothing, about everything, until Logan can smile just a little and everything feels better. He puts a pair of headphones on Virgil and wraps him up in a weighted blanket, leaned against his chest. He spoils Janus with a spa day until their favorite snake is too tired to do anything but sleep. And he sings with Remus, as loud and off key as they can, until that's all they can hear.

It's good. It's fun. It's worth it to take care of his kiddos. But sometimes things we say when we're hurting can make other people hurt, and it's important to take care of that too.

Sometimes Patton forgets that. Sometimes he mumbles it's okay, they didn't mean it, through his own tears. Sometimes he has to go and be by himself for a while before he can come back and face them again. Sometimes he has to just…remind himself that they're hurting, and that's what's important.

That isn't true, of course, and when the rest of them find out, it's easy to see that they love him too. They play games until their sides hurt from laughing so much, they crowd around the kitchen to bake cookies and brownies and all manner of sweet treats, they watch movies and cuddle on the couch until they all fall asleep. And when he's upset, because he gets upset too, they all come into his room and tell him how much he means to them until the curtains turn blue again.

***

Logan works…a lot.

There is something to be said for how subtle yet pervasive the concept of Logic is. On first glance, one would associate it primarily with academics, math in particular, or some such thing that is so purely intellectual that it might seem limited in its application. When in reality, when you examine it further, there is some hint of Logic in just about everything that you do, and so there is no escape from the things that you must use it for in order to do it correctly.

Logan has a lot of work. Logan has a lot of work. He has so much work, in fact, that if he stopped to think about how much work he has, he would become so daunted by the prospect of staring at such a tall hill that he would never be able to conquer it. Best to deal with things one problem at a time, take them step by step, and make sure that he doesn't stop to consider the sheer magnitude of what he's doing.

Perhaps this isn't the healthiest way to go about it. Perhaps he would be better suited to breaking down things into more manageable hills, getting over them one step at a time, that sort of thing, but he has no time for that. In the time it would take to do that, the first of the manageable hills would already have become unmanageable by the time he got back to them. So this is how it must be, working and working and working until there is a big enough pause for him to catch his breath.

The others…are not fond of this. Surely, he accounts for enough time to spend with them, but it isn't easily won. It's fraught with the thoughts of what else he could be doing, a passing worry that he's missing something egregious, that he would be better suited to getting all of his work done before allowing himself a break. But that is not the nature of resting, that is the nature of rotting, even if Logan cannot actually give himself a break.

When they find out, they drag him away from his work and into the Imagination, into a library so full of wonder and curiosity that he has no choice but to stop thinking about his work and instead, chase the things he's actually interested in. He darts from bookshelf to bookshelf, peppering the others with did you know, did you know, did you know, and nothing they could say back will be as rewarding as seeing his eyes light up with excitement for the first time in…they can't remember how long it's been.

***

Virgil lives his life looking over his shoulder.

His existence is a constant struggle of did we remember to do this, did we forget this, what if this happens, this is going to go wrong, everything's going to explode in our faces. Every time they so much as leave the house, it's a war of keeping himself together just long enough to make it back so they don't have an embarrassing meltdown in the middle of…wherever they happen to be. The grocery store, the gym, even the fucking sidewalk. It's like walking through the world where there are big flashing neon signs everywhere he turns, each warning about something else awful and terrible, and yet somehow everyone else is able to completely ignore them.

It's terrifying.

And what's worse is that he knows if he so much as breathed a word of this to any of them, they wouldn't believe him. They'd do something like laugh and say he's just freaking out over nothing—which he knows, that's not doing anything to stop it from happening in the first place—or try and rationalize it out of him. Which won't work either, because he knows he's being irrational, that's why he's so mad about it in the first place, but realizing what's happening and being able to do something about it are two different things.

Being able to get himself grounded becomes more of a necessity than anything else. This big hoodie that lets him become an amorphous blob, the heavy things in his pockets he can squeeze when the temptation to break something gets too much, the headphones and earbuds he keeps stashed everywhere with the phone charger clipped to his belt because if he can't listen to music at a moment's notice, he might actually break down in tears. He has to keep himself alert, because if something's going to go wrong, he's going to need to notice it quickly so he can get everyone else on board and safe before it wrecks the rest of their lives.

And when he manages to shove that out of his mouth in an absolute mess of words, he's greeting not with laughs and teases, but with open arms and kind words. He's bundled into Remus's arms and Roman lies on top of them as Janus chuckles, hands carding through his hair to help silence the worst of the mumblings that something's going to go wrong. Logan takes his hand and squeezes it in the rhythm for breathing exercises as Patton sings something soft under his breath.

They're all in the same room. They're all safe. They're all going to be okay.

He can do this. He can do this.

He can do this.

***

Janus has gotten so good at lying to everyone that it's a wonder he even knows what the truth is himself.

Stories need antagonists. A narrative needs something to help it wind its way around all the twists and turns to make it into something worth following. If that means that the truth needs to be a little harder to find, that something needs to go a little wrong before it can be set to rights, well, he's happy to play the part. He's happy to thrill at the surprised looks he gets from the naive little heroes, the shock and betrayal on their faces when they realize he's tricked them, to cackle as they scramble to figure out what to do next.

He's equally thrilled to watch them squirm as he pokes and prods at their comfort zones. Challenging anyone who appears to be steadfast is endlessly entertaining, after all, and he can hardly blame himself when he's rewarded with such passionate monologues or fiery outbursts that end in grudging admittance that maybe he had a point all along. He's never been one to refrain from being smug, after all, and it would be a crime to deprive people of the right to see him in all his victorious glory.

Sometimes, though, that victory feels a little hollow. When it stops being a surprise and more of a resignation, when it's no longer something that they rise to meet but hunker down to grin and bear…when he wins, trouncing them soundly, and they take it on the chin and keep moving…that's not what this is for. He's here to make all of them feel a little something, even if it starts out badly, they should be proud of themselves when they outsmart him, out-think him, even when they don't win but they come close. He's a thorn in their side, not the sword that guts them before they have so much as a chance to say anything. And there's only so much fun that can be had toying with them before it feels like he's kicking a puppy for no reason.

He makes Roman cry once. He just stands there, staring at Janus, waiting for it to be over with tears streaming down his face. And when Janus stammers that yes, he's…he's done, Roman just leaves.

He doesn't want to just be the bad guy. He doesn't want them to think he doesn't care for them. He doesn't want them to be hurt, not…not in any way that actually matters.

He takes it on the chin, as he's seen them do, but it gets harder. Walking the line between fulfilling the role he's made for himself and actually being cruel is difficult, and tensions stretch further and further until one day, he can't do it and he has to retreat to his room and spend the rest of the day puzzling about how to fix this. He's never been the one to actually offer words of comfort. He's been there to lance infections from open wounds, not stitch them back together. He doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know what to believe anymore.

Roman comes to him first. Wraps him up in a hug and ignores all his babbling in favor of dragging him to their favorite picnic spot in the imagination. Everyone takes on a different role, just for that day, where Patton is the gardener that helps the baker, Logan, Roman and Remus are the woodcutters that build the cabins, Virgil is the blacksmith and Janus—Janus is the innkeeper. They spin a new story together, one where everyone gets a happy ending.

Stories end, after all, and new ones begin.

***

Remus wears shame like a badge of honor and the sweater he just can't manage to make himself throw away.

He delights in the uncomfortable, luxuriates in the madness, and happily dances along to the songs of the worst things you could ever imagine. His side of the Imagination is chaos and ruin, twisted undergrowth giving way to dark city scapes filled with ne'er-do-wells and the filth from stories that finally get their chance to steal the spotlight. He lovingly tends to his creatures that would send fainter hearts into shock, none more so than his beloved Kraken, Oliver. Shipwrecks litter the bottom of the Imagination's oceans and he couldn't be prouder.

For Remus, chaos is a way of life. He takes the things that normal people would scoff at—just as enthusiastically as he would scoff at them for being so boring—and makes it into art. He builds machines that are needlessly complicated and endlessly horrible. He turns perfect order into perfect disorder with a gleeful squeal. He's the bane of Logan and Roman's existences—one is affectionate, the other decidedly less so—and he steps into his bear traps with a grin on his face.

There are, of course, downsides. He's alone, a lot of the time. No one else really appreciates everything he does, all the hard work that goes into turning his world into the best it can be for him. Sure, they get close sometimes, like when there's an experiment and he and Logan get to go full mad-scientist, or when he and Janus are gleefully stirring all manner of shit up for everyone else, or when he and Roman throw literally everything they can at every sort of wall just to see what might stick. But when those times are over, and he's back to being the same old, messy Remus, he gets…lonely.

Especially when there's something that would make them think he's something else.

He's got a reputation. He's supposed to be dark, twisted, messy, chaotic, that sort of thing. He's annoying, the voices in your head that you just can't get to go away, the song that won't stop playing in your head at 2 in the morning when all you want to do is go to sleep.

He can't exactly expect them to believe him when he says the songs he wants to keep playing are something like…Taylor Swift.

He's got an image to maintain! And that image doesn't go well with, y'know…something like that. He's no stranger to other people's shame, but his own…well, he might get why people hate feeling it so much.

Roman, though, is his brother, and as such gets full rights to both tease him about things and find out whatever he wants to know. And Roman is his brother, which means that he loves him unconditionally. So maybe the two of them can sing along to Taylor Swift at 3 in the morning and if Roman takes the fall for being the one obsessed with her stuff, well, that's for them to know and Janus to find out when he figures out what Roman's lying about this time.

It's fine, they'll just make him listen to 'no body, no crime.' That song's right up his alley.

***

Roman is tired.

He's just…really tired.

Being the prince, being Thomas's Hopes and Dreams, his Creativity—well, half of it—trying to keep everything afloat…it's tiring.

The others don't know this—well, Remus might—but he's the main anchor point between Thomas and the Mindscape. They're all products of Thomas's imagination, which he uses his Creativity to make and interact with, which means that…them, the Mindscape, the Imagination, it's…well, he has to spend a lot of energy to keep it the way it is.

It's tiring.

So sometimes, he doesn't have it in him to play the role. Sometimes he can't focus on staying away long enough to do all the work they want him to do on top of all the stuff they don't know he's doing. And sometimes…sometimes it's just a little bit too much.

They find him on the floor of his room one night, just watching the moon. They gather blankets and pillows and stuffed animals and build a little nest, right there around him. Remus opens the door to the Imagination to lighten a little bit of the load and Logan helps Patton coax Thomas the rest of the way to sleep, letting them shift to the dreaming mind instead.

He's so tired. Surrounded by the others, with his mind at peace, he finally gets some rest.

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