#it's fun to create us vs them dynamics that don't matter

[femslashspuffy]

School spirit is really cool actually why didn't they tell me about this in high school? It's really fun when your school is calling for action on Instagram (voting for your mascot in a small poll someone's running on Instagram)

[deramin2]

Critical Role Campaign 3: Political Situation vs. Monster Situation

Campaign 1 was a monster situation. The monsters created a disruption that was mostly ended by killing the monsters, even if the world was changed. Killing the monsters was the clear course of action.

Campaign 2 is a monster situation with a backdrop of a political situation. The political tension erupted into outright war, but they resolved the pretext (accidentally and then with intention) and things fell back into steady mistrust and unease. Meanwhile The Mighty Nein were dealing with multiple monster situations that by and large the public remained unaware of. Killing the monsters was the clear course of action.

Campaign 3 is a political situation with a backdrop of monster situations. Who the monsters really are and which ones need to be killed vs. worked with is very murky. Nana Mori and Ira Wendagoth are both by every definition monsters who create situations, but they're also consistent allies who are contributing to protecting the world from Ludinus, who everyone agrees is much worse. They don't agree on whether the gods are monsters who need to be saved, run off, or killed.

The gods are an extremely handy proxy for institutional powers that present a set of ideals they don't follow. They have more in common with other institutional powers than the mortals they often send to their deaths. But Earth is not controlled by a family of incomprehensible cosmic horror beings, some of whom are benevolent. So there's a useful separation from real people's struggles while still expressing a meaningful dynamic. (Those are also important speculative fiction stories, they're just a different approach.)

There is not a definitive answer to "Are the gods monsters?" Or "Would be better off without the gods?" They may be monsters, but they're better than Ludinus. At the very least they might be a problem for later. Ludinus is a charismatic leader running a mainstream cult on the promise that the chaos and upheaval he cases will disrupt a harmful status quo. He promises that all the death and destruction he unleashes will one day be regarded as the greater good. Internally he may simply believe that everything would be better if he was in charge. (Sound familiar?)

Bell's Hells aren't a unified front, they're a conflicted coalition who mostly just agrees on what situations they need to stop. No plan survives contact with the enemy, and they've been under attack the entire campaign. At best they're breaking bread together in foxholes. No one knows what's going to happen, even as they're planning their next move.

Which can be a really fun and freeing way to play if everyone's down for it. It takes a lot more communication to manage conflicts and keep them in the game, but getting to pluck all the narrative strings just to find out what sound they make can be a really rewarding way to create. All possibilities are on the table and there isn't a right solution. In the end something will happen and no one really knows what that will be or what it will change. The world building toys don't have to go back in the box at the end.

Politics doesn't have one completely correct answer for how society would function best, even if individual battles seem pretty clear. Unfortunately Ludinus has a few good points despite being widely considered the worst person even his allies know. Those disputes won't go away if he's overthrown.

There isn't a binary choice of "no on Ludinus, yes on gods." "No on both" is something that could happen in the power struggle. The uneasy tension of both existing has ended. Whether it should is a matter of debate, but things developing on the ground in the moment may end up making a bigger difference than philosophical choice (doing nothing is a choice to cede the outcome to other people).

Many viewers think of Campaign 2 as "the political campaign" because the backdrop was zoomed out and easier to see. Campaign 3 is more of a "the personal is political" situation. No one fully knows what change will result from their actions when they're in the middle of it. Everyone's got a different vision for what the best future looks like. Unfortunately we have to act anyway to collectively shuffle in a favorable general direction. The individuals who are totally certain of the best course of action end up being like Ludinus. The rest of us have to work towards our goals while holding space for the possibility that we're totally wrong.

[sjmvillainweek]

Hello everyone! October is now three months away and soon the prompts will be out for everyone to start making content, we can't wait to see what you all create!

Due to some confusion for the sixth rule on the Rules/FAQ post, one of our co-mods @readychilledwine has made an informative post on the differences between Non-Con and Dub-Con to clear up any confusion on the matter, and for something to refer back to when making your content!

✨️Smut Education with Liz✨️

Noncon vs. Dubcon and the importance of consent

Warnings: Liz isn't sugar coating language; discussions of consent; discussions of SA

With Villain Week being announced, we have received a lot of questions regarding our rule about not reblogging fics involving graphic SA. All three of us understand how yummy taboo dark smut is to read and write, but there are limitations to what is acceptable. I wanted to take some time to address noncon and dubcon fanfiction and consent with you all to hopefully clear the air a bit.

Noncon and Dubcon are both very real-world situations that have been modified to fit into our world of fanfiction, and it is important to acknowledge something really quick. In the real world, both of these are forms of sexual assault. Questionable consent is not consent, and coerced consent is not consent. Consent is an enthusiastic yes. Sex without an excited yes throughout is considered SA or rape in the real world. These same rules do not apply to fanfiction, though.

Noncon is short for nonconsensual, meaning it is clear there is no consent from one party involved, sometimes both depending on content or context, even in fanfiction. To put it bluntly, a noncon fic is essentially writing a rape scene. It is not arguably SA; it is blatant SA. Even with proper warnings, tags, and labels, this type of content is extremely triggering for survivors of sexual-based attacks, both male and female. In these fics, there is a clear victim, and the victim knows and acknowledges that they are a victim.

We are all probably aware of fics that somehow gained popularity involving this style of writing, and we are all probably aware of the fallout. We, as writers who are working to create a safe place for our followers, mutuals, and anonymous strangers lurking in dark corners, cannot allow this type of content to be reblogged in this event. If this is the type of content you are wanting to write, as kindly as possible, ✨️no✨️. I, Liz, will not allow this type of content to be reblogged.

Dubcon would be the other category of dark smut. Dubcon is short for Dubious Consent. Dubcon fics may have questionable consent methods, but it is clear the characters involved are enjoying them. Dubcon, when properly tagged as such, allows the reader to know that consent may seem questionable, but it is there, and it will be written to show both characters enjoying the interaction. Dubcon, too, does not have what we would call a victim. The “victim” is not perceiving themselves as a victim. They are enjoying and wanting the sex act.

Dubcon fics are far more popular than you may think: seduction, sex potions, magic, pollen, and bargain-based sex.

I'm sure we have all read a sex pollen fic where unaffected character x says to affected character z, “I don't want to take advantage of you,” then they have mind-blowing sex that's so good the sex pollen just magically leaves their system. That's a form of dubcon due to the fact that it can be written between two characters who may not have hooked up without the influence of the pollen. In seduction, character A typically chases and woos character B restlessly. Seduction can be written with 100% enthusiastic consent or a dubcon stand point. In dubcon, it typically starts with character B “caving” and then enjoying sex with character A. This is considered Dubcon in fanfiction. In bargain dubcon, one character offers the other a reason to sleep with them (protection, money, food, a job).  These types typically have other fun power dynamics at play, but we still see in these fics both characters enjoying sex with each other. These are the types of dark smut fics we will reblog. Yes, it is a little bit questionable, but enjoyment is clear on both ends.

I also want to talk to you all about an age-old concept: hate fucking.

Have you ever disliked someone so much that you wanted to have sex with them to feel a bit of power and control over them? That's hate-fucking. It's consensual, it's fun, it's hot, and the best part is that your characters can go back to hating each other afterwards and even throw it into each other's faces that this happened. You get to write your smut scene while honoring—let's say Beron and Helion's tense hatred and complex relationship, or a delicious moment where Rhys snaps and gets off on how he is capable of bringing Amarantha over the edge to give himself a feeling of power. Sex won't change how these characters feel about each other, but you get to touch that hatred dynamic while writing something everyone will actually get to enjoy, and we will reblog.

In summary, the biggest thing we want to see is consent, even if it's in a questionable dubcon fashion. This is fanfiction, yes, but for survivors of violent crimes, the distinction between dubcon and noncon is very important. Use this as a chance to play with the characters a bit, play with an intense hate-fucking scene, and play with the villain playing the long game and getting the hero to say yes. There are ways to write smut this week that still show consent. That’s all we are asking for.

Liz, or @readychilledwine, has left a list of types of dubcon fanfiction. Her inbox, or our ask box, is open. If you have questions, please reach out. There are also several bloggers who have written dark smut/Dubcon: @tadpolesonalgae has several options, @gothicbabydollz has a few, @secret-third-thing has some Beron smut on @thevanslut, and Liz, shameless plug, also wrote a dubcon bargain piece with Beron. Please search these blogs if you need help with ideas as well!

✨️Dubcon Fanfiction✨

Fuck or die.

Sex Pollen/Potion/Magic

Seduction

Bargaining

Drunk/Impaired Sex (starts noncon-y but becomes enthusiastic)

Modified “Pon Farr”/Mind Control

“Aliens Made Me Do It”

Please ask if you have any further questions regarding the event!

We'll see you in October

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/732112938662494209/its-always-been-kind-of-weird-to-me-that-incest

100% agree. I think the appeal of incest as a taboo in fiction is pretty obvious: people are attracted to the boundary-pushing, taboo nature of it, but they don't ACTUALLY want to fuck their relatives, they're still grossed out by that. but it's fun to watch someone else, someone fictional who is not their relative, transgress that particular taboo with someone else who is also not the reader's/viewer's relative (but is the character's relative). and by definition, there is an existing and likely complicated relationship between these characters that they can build on to create an interesting sexual/romantic relationship. the family relationship means the other person often knows and understands them intimately. there's often some degree of power imbalance. it just trips a lot of wires of things that people find exciting in romantic and smutty fiction.

it's also a particularly ridiculous thing to fixate on in terms of the supposed "real world" effects of reading idealized fiction about it. like, let's put aside the fact that we all know here that antis are wrong about what you get off to in fiction being what you're into irl, and the way they distort "representation matters" to mean that fiction always has a perfect 1:1 effect on how it influences people who consume it. for starters, incest is literally not something that an unrelated stranger can "groom you into," lol. because if they're not related to you it's not incest. and if they don't know anyone in your irl family... how would they be able to groom you that way? second, even if there were some potential that reading that would make you more interested in incestuous relationships more generally, that's only going to be a danger if there's someone else in your family who is already interested in and looking for opportunities to abuse that way.

(which, as a previous ask pointed out, is the only real "danger" of problematic fiction. yes, an abusive adult who wants to convince a teen that it's totally normal for them to have sex with that teen can probably use some fictional adult/teen romance they both like to make that seem more okay, but if they didn't have that they'd use something else. if they didn't have an adult/teen relationship, they'd use an age gap between adults - i've seen people use "well my parents were 10 years apart when they got married [as adults]" to excuse those kinds of relationships between adults and teenagers even though they're obviously different - and if they didn't have that, they'd find some other relationship that involved the characters having something in common with them. "age-gap relationships" are not inherently dangerous. abusers are dangerous, and abusers are opportunistic. shipping a certain dynamic does not make you an abuser. and honestly, probably the best people to put a stop to that are other people in that shipping community who can explain why enjoying this dynamic in fiction doesn't make it ok irl and how their feelings about the fictional vs. irl versions differ. but i digress)

honestly, i suspect that a lot of antis don't really understand what is the real "problem" with incest. they get overly fixated on blood quantum stuff, act like it's purely about the potential for birth defects and then project that same stuff on to couples where that isn't an issue (like same-sex couples, or distant cousins where the potential is significantly reduced). but the real issue is the potential for abuse. and most fictional incest either is an idealized version where that potential for abuse is not there OR if it's fucked-up, that is the POINT. no one was into shipping cersei/jaime in game of thrones because they were under the impression that the twins were NOT dangerously codependent. that was the appeal! it's the taboo of it all! it's that sometimes it's fun to watch people do things that they know are bad for them! it scratches the itch that makes you want to make bad choices yourself!

--

[theclearblue]

Love you blog, thanks for your posts. I'm kinda tired with "war-fandom", where each side like "Mine are better, yours are suck" (especially in twitter). Like, when I said that now I love JJK, some of my anime/manga moots like, "Why love that? One Piece & Hunter x Hunter are waayyy better?" or "CSM > JJK" And I was "Why can't I love all of them? All things have strength and weakness...." (in the end I block them). And don't get me started with shounen vs shoujo fandom, like why people love to spread hate just to say what they like are better.....

Sorry for my rant, just want to say, love your blog.... 🤩

Also, what are your opinions about shipping in fandom (especially shounen & seinen)? I don't really have a shipper heart, but even I get it (the power of bromance)....And yes, I'm so happy about Kenjaku/Takaba, I'm surprised that even in the end, Kenjaku did not blame Takaba.....

Thank you anon this message is so nice, I'm happy you enjoy my dumb ramblings here🤧 And yeah I get what you mean with this competitive nature in constantly comparing shonen, which on one hand I get and I do to a certain extent as well, these series are in the same genre and can share a lot of similarities. And I think each series can have different strengths and weaknesses while still being good (an example being if I were to compare JJK and One Piece, generally I think JJK has way better fights while I think One Piece is a little bit more consistent in fully fleshing out most/all characters we see. I still like both a lot). I think it's partly facilitated by the this culture of having a "big three" shonen series, both in the fighting of what's better between naruto one piece and bleach but also where a lot of people are trying to create a new big three with recent shonen. Which. It's fine but ultimately a little silly in my opinion lmao. Unfortunately being a fan of a lot of different shonen, at some point you kinda just have to accept the people who treat the genre as a dick measuring contest and not much more. And oof don't get me started on shonen vs. shojo (which as a big fan of both...let's just say it's not typically the shojo fans who are being terrible...).

And oh, what an interesting question about shipping, I guess I hadn't thought about it too much before but I'm quickly realizing I have Opinions on the matter the more I think on it lmao. Generally I'm pretty positive on shipping, where I don't think it's the end all be all in any series, but it is a tool one can use to put a new lens on character dynamics, and I think that's fun and interesting! Taking a pair like Takaba and Kenjaku, I think this is a really good pair to look at because it's clear they have a connection, right? They fundamentally understand each other at a level nobody has, maybe ever (and isn't that insane on Kenjaku's part?! He's been alive for a 1000 years!) And I think you can color the dynamic in different ways and get really interesting yet different results, are they like brothers? friends? lovers? soulmates? Is their connection platonic, sexual, or an actual love? It's up to you! This kind of analysis has been done since literally ancient times (Greek concepts of love with Eros, Agape, and Philia), so I guess I get a little confused when shonen fans are against shipping entirely?

A series that features Big Fight with BIG Punch can still have layered and complex characters that hold love for each other, and people interpreting it as romantic is not weird or gross or even fetishizing in my opinion (that's a whole can of worms that might warrant an entirely new post lmao). I think a good example is Satosugu. They certainly aren't explicitly romantic, but there is a lot of subtext within JJK that imply they might have romantic feelings for each other. But some JJK fans are just so weirdly disgusted by this concept of...gay people existing in their media? That they SCREAM from the rooftops that "they're like brothers! 100% straight!" And it's like...we could have a good conversation here! Interpreting them as brothers is just as valid I think as shipping them, but you gotta explain why. And I've seen some fans say "Hey their relationship reminds me of my relationship with my brother/best friend or there's Scene A and B that makes me think they're platonic and that's how i interpret it, with no romance." And as long as they aren't shitting on people who ship Satosugu, this is completely respectable to me. But I'm going to respect a shipper who just thinks they're both hot when they stand next to each other way more over someone who clearly is just uncomfortable with the idea of two fictional men or women being interpreted as having a romantic relationship lmao.

Shipping culture is certainly not perfect, but generally I think it's just a harmless fun hobby that can inspire people to make really cool art in all different forms, and, speaking as someone currently studying history, shipping has probably been going on since at least 4000 years ago when the Epic of Gilgamesh dropped in ancient Mesopotamia with Gilgamesh/Enkidu so I just think people, particularly shonen fans, are wasting their breath throwing a fit about it and acting as if shipping is this new evil gay phenomena that's poisoning their battle action series.

[nobodysdaydreams]

Hey, Bods! Sorry this took me a while to get to, it's been a busy week on my end. I hope you are doing well!! As always, fee free to ignore as many/all of these as you want to :)

Rhonda Kazembe 2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

Pedalian :) 20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Rhonda Kazembe

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

How strong she is. She's so young (especially in the books) and loses so much, but she's still an adult figure to those kids. I admire that.

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

For Rhonda...I don't really have a song. (sorry, if I think of one I'll add it!).

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

Emphasize how young she was, because I think that's important. She's only in her early 20's (in the books anyway).

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Yes...but I think at some point she's get a little annoyed about cleaning up after me. We'd very much fall into a Rhonda and Number Two vs. Nicholas dynamic.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

That the show version of Rhonda also met Nicholas when she was very young. Might have more to say on that later.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

Number Two of course. They're still sisters in the show, idc what anyone else says about it. They are family.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

I like that people emphasize her relationship with Number Two, and how young she is (as previously stated). As for something I don't like...not really sure? Again, can't think of anything but if I do, I'll let you know.

Pedalian :)

I was so excited when I saw you put my OC on here, Sophie you don't even know.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Hahahaha... well I WOULD say Curtain but um...we all know how that turned out (spoilers). But honestly, Nicholas and Nathaniel. Pedalian would have gotten along really well with the Benedict siblings if he'd had the opportunity to meet them all. That's about all I'll say on that for now.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

Favorite thing to do? Why have him haunt the narrative of course!

Least favorite? Trying to come up with a first name. Not fun. Why could the show not just give us character names?

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

This is an odd question to ask because...this is my OC. I'd didn't meet him, I created him. But, it's also a perfect questions so good job Sophie. You see, at first, he was more of a plot device. He ends up dead pretty quickly, his purpose is to explain the backstory the show failed to clarify, namely, Curtain's relationship with SQ's birth parents. But now that the story has taken off more than expected, and I've realized the power I have to do flashbacks and other fun stuff, the brain bees have been buzzing. That's all I have to say for now.

[mickstart]

Yeeks. It's easy to hate on Mercedes now since they are public enemy no.1 for dominating for so long. But I can honestly see a bigger tribalistic shit show if it's Ferrari and RB heck and heck for the title, when fans of both sides don't have an easy target anymore.

fdjfsdjhdsf I agree! It's super easy to hate on merc right now and that actually creates a weird harmony because nobody has anything to lose bc merc has everything. Rivalry is a lot less passionate when you're fighting for Best Of The Rest. But I do have Thoughts on this topic and it's 4am so I'm just gonna ramble them all out! Just gonna pop it below a cut tho because I Don't Like To Take Up Space <3

This scenario like... makes sense? A lot of sports fan behaviour is rooted in group dynamics and the "popular" psychological theory is that it's a less destructive modern outlet for irrational Us vs Them mentalities that are harmful when practiced socially. Even when I'm trying to be objective, unless I'm writing formally, I'm very aware that I have favourites and that's everyone's perogative when watching sports.

But you can be respectful AND biased! One of my favourite tumblr interactions was at the F2 title decider when my dash was pretty much entirely callum and mick fans being like "Hey I am going to tell your favourite to fuck off today but it's nothing personal. I know he's not satan but I am going to call him satan and it's okay you can do the same to my guy I get it."

idk this is rambling I guess my point is just that... motorsport is supposed to be fun and I wish more people understood that both you and "rival" fans have the right to irrational opinions about things that don't matter outside the sport. I can't stand red bull but I have mutuals who are rb fans and I hope they know that I love them and any hate I have for red bull does not extend to them and if someone went up to them and told them their team was shit unprovoked I'd be furious. 

That said, I am so sorry anon but if we did get a ferrari v red bull title fight I would be the first person stood there like "charles, kill." the idea of ferrari beating red bull specifically to a title is immensely personally satisfying to me I would be full on jenson button 2009 "WEEEE ARE THE CHAMPIONS MY FRIEND" like I can't pretend to be objective about that sfdjhfsdjhfsd. I don’t have to justify being biased toward ferrari and rb fans don’t have to justify being biased towards rb. 

Ofc this is a broad statement and can’t actually be applied to everything! Social biases from outside the sport informing your opinion should still be looked at critically and objectively, supporting an outright awful person like m*zepin is supporting something bigger and more awful for example. Nuance is important in every situation but, if we’re speaking in the most general and basic terms, irrational opinions like “ferrari are a better team they deserve to do good because I like them” are part of sports.

[youtubetheories101]

Roman Analysis

If I am going to be doing analysis of the sides why not start with the noblest Roman of them all! Let's go plebs.

We're going to analyze and sort things into 4 different categories which. They'll probably overlap like a lot but it's fine. (ihope) So the categories are going to be

Moral Alignments/Standards

Social Standing/Interactions

Personal Issues

Use/Goals for Thomas

Ready? No? Me neither but let's dive in.

Moral Alignment/Standards

Neutral Good

I debated with this and Chaotic Good a bit, however, Neutral Good fits better.

Roman would prefer to follow the law but only if the law is just and upholds to his moral standards.(kinda funny he was a judge.) He wants to help and while he can be self righteous at times and prideful, he generally tries to treat people well and uphold a standard of purity.

He may have moments of doubt such as in SvS. He was the judge because he was the one who was in the most agreement with Deciet, however he chooses what he believes is best for Thomas in the end.

Social Standing/Interactions

This one is an interesting one for Roman. He is generally respected among the other sides, however he is somewhat antagonistic. He tends to but heads with Virgil and Logan most, because of their criticisms of his optimistic attitude, and at times his input will be ignored.

His antagonism to the other sides has improved however it seems. He's genuinely making an effort to be more understanding, lessening the nicknames and trying not to judge people because they don't agree with him.

(ex: SvS "Are you seriously so close-minded to think that everything said by someone you don't like is automatically untrue?" and DWIT "Oh, shut up, Nerdy Wolverine. No! Ugh! I mean-*sighs* I'm sorry, Logan. I didn't mean that.")

Now to analyze interactions with specific sides:

Patton & Roman: A friendly interaction, mainly positive, however Roman has belittled Patton before. They do care about each other which has been shown and will often agree on matters of Romance and Dreaming. There doesn't seem to be any antagonism between the two of them besides sometimes not taking each seriously.

Roman & Logan: Friends however, they argue plenty. They can be annoying to each other, and fight over ideas over Thomas's future and what he should do. That is also, oddly enough what they agree on the most, even creating alliances against the others when arguing over it. They are both critical of each other but will support each other in some of their pursuits. They have been trying recently to understand each other and be more kind.

Virgil & Roman: They started off really rocky. Really rockily. However over the episodes they get better, and are friends now. At the beginning they mainly fought and didn't find a common ground until The Dark Side of Disney and even then it didn't really relive the tension between the two until AA. They tentively became more aware of each other, and Roman even started including him more in videos such as the Christmas episode.

Roman & Deciet: Roman and Deciet actually seem to get along fairly well. Deciet plays to Roman's sensitivities and desires, advertising to his ego I suppose. Roman even comes to Deciet's defense, probably because he's trying to be more... trusting? Less judgemental? Not sure which exactly but he's trying. They're an odd duo but they seem friendly.

Remus & Roman: They have literally interacted twice and Remus knocked him out twice. They're definitely more of Cain Instinct siblings than anything else. And from what Roman has said on Remus, he dislikes him, due to him being like a mirror image of everything he doesn't want to be. I want to see more of them because I love sibling dynamics and I want to see if they could ever be nice to each other but I don't think we will. :(

Personal Issues

Oh this is going to be fun because Roman still hasn't had his issues resolved. We've had an episode on his issues (Am I Original?) but it didn't really address what was wrong and it's ending didn't really... fix anything. Roman was still dissatisfied. And it didn't address all of them. But I think it's coming up because at this point it's been lead up to for so long that if it doesn't I will be very surprised and riot. Help! Him! So what are these issues?

Well the one addressed in An I Original was his dissatisfaction with his own work and perfectionism because he can't let Thomas down and while it was,,, handled? Sorta, it felt like it was putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. Roman still seems to be disappointed in his work and instead of well, dealing with said issue, internalizes it.

He also seems to be disappointed in... well himself and Thomas's relationship status. He's lonely, and his view of his own worth seems to... be lacking.

Examples of said thoughts:

Am I Original?

[Roman]: No! If I can't think of an original idea, what would you think of me? I can't.... let you down.

[Roman]: It's just... I only ever pushed you toward your dreams, Thomas. And I never said a bad word about you. Why don't you want to listen to me more? This whole thing could've been avoided if you did.

Moving On Part 2/2: Dealing With Breakups

[Roman]: Possibly because it reminds you of a time when you felt... worthy of someone.

Crofter's: The Musical

[Roman]: Roman, you dunce! You made a joke and now they'll think that everything is fine.

Learning New Things About Ourselves:

[Roman]: I'm sorry that everything I make isn't the Creation of Adam...

[Roman]: Earlier. I made you angry. I do that quite a bit actually... I provoked you and you retaliated with violence. (Under breath) Like a stupid caveman.(Aloud) But! I am responsible for my actions and my actions alone...So, I'm sorry

[Virgil]: You feel low.

[Roman]: That's not true!

[Patton]: It's okay!

[Roman]: Don't assume!

[Thomas]: You don't need to save face.

[Virgil]: In almost any case,

[Patton and Virgil]: We'd embrace you.

[Roman]: That's rich...

[Roman]: -sighs- It's so hard to create anything that I'm proud of when it's critiqued, so harshly... by you.

[Logan]: What?

[Roman]: Nothing ever seems to be good enough, professional enough... Serious enough for you.

Selfishness vs Selflessness:

[Deceit]: Wow, guys, it's so cool how you never listen to Roman.

[Virgil]: Why is he still here?

[Roman]: Why am I still here?

[Deceit]: Wooow.

[Virgil]: I meant Deceit!

[Roman]: The one and lonely! What? Freudian slip.

[Roman]: It's my sworn duty to help Thomas achieve his hopes and dreams.But Thomas wouldn't dream of attaining his hopes through deceitful means.

[Deceit]: Sure, and you want that stuff that makes you happy, right?!

[Patton]: Do I!

[Roman]: Do I...

Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts

[Roman]: *sighs* Yeah. It's a little like looking into a funhouse mirror, but instead of a giant head, or, like, long legs and a tiny torso, ... it shows you... everything you don't wanna be.

His self worth is... lacking in many aspects. But I don't think it's what's going to be addressed next, I think that's going to be Virgil being an ex-darkside. So hopefully it's soon but... I'm not sure. And I'm not sure if the others are noticing this issue.

Use/Goals for Thomas

He is "Good" Creativity, Ego, Dreams, Romantic aspirations, and Passion. He also is the embodiment of his femininity and masculinity at the same time? Fuck gender roles is what I'm getting from this. Of course he is still a "Manly man, a man who is Manly!" but Thomas has said he represents femininity in a Q&A. So.... fuck gender roles. That's the answer right? Probably.

What he aspires for Thomas to do is to be able to persue his dreams and goals, as evidenced with "I only ever pushed you toward your dreams, Thomas." (AIO) and "It's my sworn duty to help Thomas achieve his hopes and dreams." (SvS) Roman typically goes after this by pursuing a new role, a new romance, or encouraging Thomas to try things to expand his career. Since Thomas is an Actor/Youtuber, Roman is able to influence a lot but seems to be willing to take the side line if Thomas doesn't feel comfortable following said dreams in the way he intended.

He's a dreamer, through and through, complete with the idealization factor. He encourages Thomas to accomplish his dreams but only if Thomas is willing to do so in the way purposed. Which makes sense seeing as he is,,, Thomas.

So that is my Analysis for this week, and until next time, it's just a theory.

A SANDERS SIDES THEORY.

Thank you for reading. Peace out!