#roman doesn't really appear enough to warrant a tag

[hahanoiwont]

Do you think there’s some sort of a background between Deceit and Patton, considering Patton seems to lie to the other Sides quite a bit about his own feelings (although he also stated in Moving On that lying is wrong)?

On one hand, yes, Patton lies a lot. Mostly about himself. But on the other hand, I’d say an even stronger point is their interaction–Patton’s immediate reaction to Deceit is really interesting to me (and the contrast between the two is delicious). When Deceit is in his place, potentially doing fuckin anything to Thomas or the other, Patton dismisses him completely. “Oh, you’re in my spot,” and then an immediate expectation that Deceit will move to accommodate him. He isn’t intimidated at all. (putting in a readmore bc apparenly i have shit to say like hodam)

Compare this to the other sides–while Deceit had something over them in that they didn’t know where Patton was and he presumably did, there was also an inherent wariness in them. Virgil we can discount because there’s a history there (as outlined in these posts), so his wariness may be resentment or hostility, but Logan especially seems to acknowledge Deceit as a legitimate threat. Possibly this is because Logan’s influence hinges on his ability to articulate himself–Patton influences Thomas to do things that are right for him anyway, Thomas turns to Roman on his own, and Virgil has more sway over Thomas than he would prefer sometimes–and Deceit can counter Logan pretty decisively, which makes sense. If you’re in denial, logic isn’t gonna break you out of that. You need to face the root of the issue, namely, the fear (eh? eeeh?) or the strong emotions (lookin at you Patton) that render you incapable of facing the truth. Interestingly, Patton, who denies a lot of his negative feelings, could encourage this behavior in Thomas, but he doesn’t. He spends like 60% of his screentime inviting Thomas and the other sides to openly share their emotions, positive or negative. He flips Deceit the bird and walks backwards into sharing town.

However, he himself still lies. I think this is why Deceit felt comfortable faking him (as well as convenience, if you want to do something immoral and get away with it you’re gonna get way more leeway imitating Morality than, say, Virgil, who is usually convinced to change his mind, or Roman, who is almost always being reined in by the others and Thomas). But Patton is also completely unafraid of Deceit. Why is this?

His confidence says to me that he’s conflicted with Deceit before and come out firmly on top. Not in a particularly violent way–he doesn’t give the impression of anger or resentment, just firm dismissal. “you aren’t wanted here and you don’t belong” type of vibe. I think Patton’s probably had several firm, open discussions with Deceit. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say it’s something like:

Patton: Gee I’m totally not sad at all today!Patton: //goes to his room or other area, happens to be aloneDeceit, appearing out of nowhere: fcuking liar,, you are a god damned liar, muahahahahaPatton: hm. you see. I am putting aside my issues to deal with later like an adult bc I love the people around me. let me know where I lost you, I think it was around ‘like an adult’? bc I know you didn’t follow past ‘I love the people around me’Deceit: fuck you, you are a hypocritePatton: hm. perish

Given that Patton seems to have already confronted all he has to worry about there. Deceit really doesn’t have a hold on him despite the many lies (at the very least lies of omission) he tells, and I think that’s gotta be because he conceptualizes his type of lying as firmly different from Deceit’s; namely, selfish lying vs. selfless lying. The strength of this belief says to me that he’s thought about it before pretty extensively, come to a decision, and he isn’t taking opinions on the issue, least of all Deceit’s.

His line about Deceit being a self-protective instinct does imply some amount of respect for the necessity of having him around, but I think pending further information we can jot that down as Patton appreciating all parts of Thomas, even the ones he doesn’t really care for personally. Still, it’s important to note that Patton doesn’t seem to hate Deceit. He disdains him, perhaps, or scorns him, and has zero respect for him as a potential villain (contrast this with his initial relationship with Virgil, who he was actually afraid of for a few vids and then immediately adopted), but he doesn’t waste energy on actively disliking him.

Of course, all possible interpretations have their own fascinating implications to consider. What do y’all think? Does Patton have any relation to Deceit, and if so, what?

My other meta:

The sides’ unique powers

Sleeping headcanons

Virgil and Lying/Presentation

follow up on that

and another

My fanfiction:

concept: superhero au

concept: Virgil is terrible/probably the best at helping people

Space (All I Think About is You and Me)