#sanders sides anniversary thoughts

[xandriagreat]

Happy birthday Wolf and Happy 7th Anniversary

[askcosmickins]

apparently I missed the eighth anniversary of Sanders Sides, so…here goes nothing.

eight years is uh…crazy? I guess? I might not have thought we could make it this long, but here we are. a lot happened and I couldn’t have made it through most some of it if it wasn’t for the three idiots who picked me up and showed me that I can, in fact, serve a purpose.

just…don’t tell them I said that.

-Virgil.

[tscritical]

Hi just another anon here. I find criticizing my favorite stuff fun and interesting so I have a thing to bring up.

The way Thomas interacts very actively and personally with his fan base, incorporates fanon into the content to the point where fanon almost defines the series, and makes content that is very “nurturing” in nature (which is also clearly aimed at a younger audience) creates a perfect storm for unhealthy parasocial connections. I will say that this is partially on him (and his team) maybe? Idk

But also that unhealthy parasocial behavior can take on many forms, like feeing that a person can do no wrong, seeing them as a replacement for real human connection, or even (possibly like you and me right now) obsessively looking for things to criticize about the person/overthinking the things they do. We probably wouldn’t be here criticizing Thomas Sanders in such a detailed fashion at all if we didn’t have at least somewhat of a parasocial connection to him. If we detached ourselves from him we would say “yeah, well he’s a celebrity. I don’t even know him, and he probably goes through stuff that isn’t my business. Lack of content happens, so eh. Celebrities advertise because they want to make money. Thomas Sanders isn’t different, and it is what it is.”

We don’t see Thomas and his crew as a for-profit organization because they fostered that image on purpose. All YouTubers do. A relatable guy who would be your friend, even though celebrities aren’t your friends, and they live a very different existence than regular people (valuing status, image, and money in a way regular people don’t)

I won’t go into detail, but I have a very complicated relationship to sanders sides because of this atmosphere of parasocial relationships that is rampant in the fandom. I found sanders sides when I was in a really difficult place mentally, and it was comforting but I also had a sort of… bad feeling about it? It made me physically anxious for a while and I didn’t know why. A lot has happened in my life since then that I’m still processing so my feelings about this are a bit of a mess.

Idk it’s 3am and I’m rambling. Sorry for the long ask, I had some Thoughts

yeah there’s definitely something to be said about the parasocial aspect of it all, even if i don’t quite have the spoons or brain cells to go into a detailed discussion about it

basically Shit’s Complicated lmao

and you’re so right about the fanon influence, it’s especially obvious in the five year anniversary video (for example: when the sides all declare their roles in the “family dynamic” (patton being the dad, logan being the mom, etc) and perpetuating the idea of family being these strictly defined roles. i have nothing good to say about that shit)

[oatmealdaydreams]

Invisibility vs Visibility

Theory Time!

A shorter theory because brain is low on braincells. Enjoy :D

Edit: haha, nope. Not short. It is, in fact, very long. Biggo post. Extra long motherf*cker. Giraffe-long theory we've got here.

Disclaimer: I am referring to the character Thomas Sanders, not the real person. I may make reference to the real person for a few different things, but the main one I will be discussing is the character.

Trigger/Content Warning: discussion of morals/morality, religious themes, discussion of intrusive thoughts, brief discussion of self-harm & grief/death

[Masterlist]

Thinking about the 5 Years Anniversary video, and how Remus mentions whispering the whole 'bubblegum shrimp' thing to Roman in his sleep. Then, I thought about how in Remus' introductory video (DWIT), there's the sticky note that says "Aunt Patty Naked" in the background. I remember how Roman had said the whole 'Aunt Patty Naked' thing in a previous video.

Which got me thinking: what if some of Roman's weirder outbursts were from Remus' influence?

And that got me thinking: but how would he be able to whisper things like that during a video? And before his introduction??

One answer: twin telepathy, which would be both funny and fun to mess around with as a fanfic writer.

However, I thought of something else.

What if the Sides had an Invisibility side effect?

I'll explain.

===

A. Imaginary Characters

The Sides are all imaginary characters, made of Thomas' psyche to better help him through dilemmas. They're all aware of being technically-real-but-also-not-real people. Metaphysical, as Logan might say.

They're just parts of Thomas, given specific roles to what they represent. Originating from Vine characters and turned into their own personas, sans Remus and Janus. They're fictional. They are aware of them not being entirely real, to some degree (the dark Sides moreso as they constantly break the fourth wall).

So, how would the imaginary appear on screen as if they were real?

Ignoring the fact that they're fictional and played by Thomas himself. We're focusing entirely on the Sanders Sides canonverse/Sanders Sides universe.

Anyway: they appear on screen like real people because it's Thomas' knowledge and awareness of them. They're Thomas' Sides. They're as real to him as the parts of his personality they're based on. It's his psyche, his imagination, his characters. As long as Thomas is aware of them, they appear on screen and become somewhat real (in the SaSi universe).

To prove my point: remember the first and only three Sides we saw visibly for the first two episodes?

Logan (Logic, Sense of Reason), Roman (Creativity, Passion, Ego), and Patton (Morality, Emotions/the Heart).

The "light" Sides, as they're called.

Why are they the only three on screen? Because Thomas is aware of them and already knows about them.

Just because the Others aren't seen doesn't mean they aren't there.

They're just not known to Thomas yet, sans maybe Virgil.

(he's a special case; you'll see what I mean a little later into the post)

-=-=-=-=-

B. The Lights & Being Visible

The Lights: Logan, Patton, Roman

Thomas knows these three the most out of the six of them. The Lights are the ones in the forefront of his mind, in the 'spotlight'. They're the ones labelled as 'welcomed' and 'good'.

Logic and Sense of Reasoning? Humans have Logic instilled in them since the beginning of their creation. Logic isn't just intellect and smarts, it's literally what helps the brain most when functioning a human being. It's something so physical that it'll never go away. It cannot fade away. It's there to stay.

That being said, it's still a part of personalities because it's also intellect and smarts. It's also Common Sense. It's Learning and Wisdom and all that entails.

Thomas is a very smart individual. He's neurodivergent (irl Thomas literally has ADHD and made a whole video about it). Neurodivergents (NDs) tend to have a higher intelligence. So yeah, Thomas is very intelligent and curious. He depends on his Logic for a whole sh*t-ton of things. He's used to Logan, his Logic.

Morality and Emotions/the Heart? Morals are such an important part of humans and their values. Emotions are something we can't always control. Our Heart and Morality goes hand in hand. Our morals can shape our heart and vice versa. Both are equally important.

Thomas has a big Heart. He feels things and Emotions very deeply. He's a sensitive person. Dare I say, he's an empath. His morals lay heavy on his Heart. Because of his Catholic upbringing, his Morality tends to follow that of a religious standpoint. And that affects how his Heart grew and got shaped during his childhood development.

Since Patton is also his Love for Dad Jokes, and an obvious dad character, it makes sense for him. Morality and morals? Well, who teaches you morals, right from wrong? Your parents do. The people who raise you do. So yeah, Patton has this Preacher Dad thing going on. But I digress.

Anyway: Thomas is used to Patton. He's the embodiment of some of his core beliefs. So yeah, definitely a Side he's well aware of.

Creativity, Passion, Ego? So many things to tackle here.

First off, Creativity is literally where a lot of his intelligence comes from. Thomas is a creative type, a creatively intelligent person. He made his entire livelihood based on his creative merits. Though only half of his Creativity, Roman is definitely an important character of Thomas' personality.

Passion means many things: romance, career/hobbies, creative passion, and just a whole lot more. Since Roman is definitely one of the gayest motherf*ckers in terms to romance, it's safe to say him being Thomas' Passion means a lot of different things. He plays a big part in Thomas' romantic love life. He's passionate about his creations, as Creativity, and what he provides for Thomas. He's passionate and dramatic in general, especially considering he represents most of Thomas' love for theatre and acting.

The Ego? Oh boy, is this an essential part to Thomas. The Ego, put simply, is a person's sense of self-worth and self-esteem. It's kept healthy by positive reinforcement and attention. It's in no way bad. In fact, it's a very good thing. It keeps peoples' mental states healthier.

Which explains c!Thomas' mental breakdown, but I digress.

Anyway: The Ego (aka: Roman) is super f*cking important and essential. Thomas knows Roman as the Ego (amongst other things). He's very much used to his Ego, his [family-friendly half of] Creativity, his Passion and romantic Side.

Thus: yes, these three are known enough by Thomas to be appearing on screen. They're visible to us because they're visible to Thomas.

Which explains the dark Sides (and Virgil).

-=-=-=-=-

C. The Darks & Invisibility

The Darks: Janus, Remus, Orange

As I mentioned above: the Lights are visible to us because they're visible to Thomas, known by Thomas.

So, it follows that because Thomas doesn't know the Darks until later, they aren't visible to us until they're visible to Thomas.

Deceit and Self-Preservation? Deceit/Deception and realizing your capacity for it is very important. Lying and deceiving others isn't exactly the best thing on its own, but it can keep you alive. It's a part of emotional/physical survival. It keeps you out of trouble. It can help protect your being and Self. Self-Preservation is, put simply, preserving your Self and your sense of Self. It's protecting your mental and emotional health. It's protecting your Ego and self-worth. It's keeping you alive, trying to preserve your mental state. It's trying to keep you from snapping and completely losing it. Self-Preservation will keep things from you because you aren't ready for them yet, because forgotten memories hurt you, because you need to be in a different place to handle certain things better. Having Deceit and Self-Preservation paired together makes more sense than not.

For Thomas, I'd say he had a lot of Deceit going on for the purpose of Self-Preservation and protection. Especially considering he grew up as a gay Catholic kid in 90s Florida. And thus is a similar experience for most of us fellow queers.

Anyway: Thomas hadn't realized his capacity for Deceit yet, not had he brought his Self-Preservation to light. His mental was indeed suffering, and he wasn't being entirely honest with himself. He was a bit deep in Denial. His Self-Preservation was keeping things from him (other Sides of him, Janus himself, the hard truths he had yet to face), which plays into Denial and possible Self-Ignorance.

The other Sides, that he knew at the time, were trying to hide the existence of Janus as well as convincing him Lying Is Bad, period. His Morality swore off lying, it wasn't right, we shouldn't lie. His Anxiety went off at the thought of lying, even if for good reason (this also had something to do with Virgil's general distaste for Janus). His Logic was a bit neutral to it, as far as I saw. His [known] Creativity, as well as his Ego and Passion, wavered between lying and telling truth. Roman mostly acted in Self-Interest, if only to boost Thomas' Ego or play positively into his passions.

Only did Thomas start to realize his Deceit, and his Self-Preservation for mental health specifically, when his Morality is faced with a more shades-of-grey question. Janus shifts into Patton to appeal to him as something he already knows and is aware of before revealling himself (CLBG). Things go from there to Janus helping him realize how truly f*cked his mental is (SvS & POF). Only then does he become visible.

Intrusive Thoughts and [Darker] Creativity? As much as they aren't welcomed, Intrusive Thoughts are important to note. The more frequent you have them, the more likely your mental health may need to be checked in on. They don't make you any less of a good person. Thoughtcrime isn't real. Thought doesn't equal action. You choose whether or not to act on the thoughts you have. You have control. You'll be okay.

I digressed a little bit. Whoops.

Anyway: Darker Creativity is super f*cking important, especially for a creative person (like Thomas). The darker side of Creativity helps explore more mature ideas and concepts. Without it, many things might not get addressed in your creative works. Things like self-harm, the darker things of mental health, the cruel reality of many different things, grief and death, etc. That includes Intrusive Thoughts (heh). With Darker Creativity, you could explore gore and such monstrosities. Horror games? Thrillers? Cruel realities and dystopias? Body horror? All from that comes from Darker Creativity. Your favourite shooter games? Zombie Apocalyptic fiction? Yep, Darker Creativity.

Having Intrusive Thoughts paired with Darker Creativity makes a little too much sense, honestly.

For Thomas, he had shunned away his Darker Creativity. He repressed his Intrusive Thoughts. Repression does no one any good. Ignoring something like that is more harmful than anything. He shackled his Creativity by repressing and shunning the darker parts of himself like that.

Funny how both of his Creativities feel shackled and restricted, huh?

Moving on: his Self-Preservation helped hide away (in a way) his Darker Creativity. A part of himself that just wants recognition and attention. Remus literally said, and I quote, "Thomas, you made me this way." When you shun a part of yourself and repress it, especially so deeply, it becomes intrusive. When something is so foreign to you and labelled as 'bad', it becomes intrusive. No matter how dark your mind or Creativity is, you're still a good person. Thoughtcrime isn't real.

I need to stop diverging from my point, jfc-

The point: Thomas didn't know his Darker Creativity until much later. He didn't recognize his Intrusive Thoughts as Intrusive Thought until much later. He was denying himself until much later.

Only when his mental was really drowning in the depths of a self-deprecating sea did he see those things. Only when he was so close to a mental breakdown did he start stop repressing those parts of himself.

Only then did Remus pop out, finally able to be recognized for something, and got seen.

Wrath, Jealousy, Regret, and every mystery of Orange? Yeah, this will be a tricky one. We haven't seen Orange on screen just yet, so this is heavily theoretical territory.

Basing everything of Orange on all the random theories I've collected in my lil theory hoard of him.

First off: Wrath relates to anger (it's literally defined as 'extreme anger'). Among that, I believe it can also relate to Righteous Anger. Both are 100% important for humans to have. Wrath, both repressed and expressed, is just as needed as any other feeling or emotion. You're going to feel angry when you're hurt or upset. You'll feel angry or mad when you've been wrong, or at least when you feel like you've been wronged. When you've been mistreated or shunned, there'll be angry. In the case of Thomas, and my fellow queers/minorities, there is the feeling of Righteous Anger. Not righteous in a religious sense/context, but in a sort of vengeful way.

When you've been mistreated for things you cannot change about yourself, you are angry and want Justice. Who are they to say such things about you? To assume this and that? They hurt you, so you want Justice. Sometimes, this can come in the form of vengefulness.

Aka: Karma.

Jealousy? You most often get angry when you get jealous of someone or something. You want to have what they have. You should have or be what they have or who they are. You want that career, that attention, that romantic partner, that family life, that friend, that house or car, etc. It's important to pay attention to that Jealousy, and to see what you really want. Chances are it's more than just wanting something of someone else's. Jealousy is what I believe to be a form of anger.

Regret? This can be more of anger directed at yourself. Guilt. Shame. Regret. You can be angry with yourself for doing or saying something dumb (or that you think is dumb). Why would you do that thing? You hurt that person; now look at the mess you've created. Why would you do that/say that? Why, why, why?

^Regret is important. It's a form of Shame and Guilt unlike any other. Regret also comes from your sense of Morality, and it can be a result of Anxiety.

And all those things I've said for Orange? They're all equally important things Thomas could learn and realize.

Only then, when he finally realizes whatever Orange represents, will we see Orange.

Overall: the Darks are not seen by us until they're seen by Thomas. They remain invisible to us, though they're still there. They're known to us once they're known to Thomas.

And Thomas still has some learning to do.

-=-=-=-=-

D. The Neutral Side & His Flickering Visibility

The Neutrals: Virgil

Virgil represents Anxiety. There's already a two-part episode entirely about him and his role (AA, part I & II). There are many parts to Anxiety, as we've seen. He's a former Dark, a current Light (as far as it's somewhat implied), and a definite Neutral. He's a bit in-between the black-and-white imaginary for the Lights and the Darks. He's both sides and neither of them at the same time.

And how does this affect his visiblity?

Well... it does and it doesn't.

The defining factor of being seen or unseen is Thomas himself.

Virgil is first seen, assumingly as a Dark, in the third SaSi episode (Taking on ANXIETY [TOA]). He goes through his arc and (also assumingly) becomes a Light during AA (parts I & II).

Going back to TOA: Thomas was already aware of his Anxiety, to some extent. Virgil popped in, scared Thomas (lmao), and Thomas immediately recognizes him for who he is. He recognizes his Anxiety; Virgil's no one new. However, at that point, Thomas recognized Virgil as a somewhat obsessive Anxiety. An overbearing Anxiety. Something only there to be negative and annoying.

This, of course, changed as the series progressed. Not the point, though.

He is seen because he is already known. BUT! He was seen as a Dark because that's how he was known.

He is then seen as a Light because that's how he becomes known as.

He never once, to Thomas, is seen or known as a Neutral.

This is important. Virgil is already seen. Then he is seen again, in a different spotlight. But he still isn't seen.

It's almost like his visibility shifts and changes, almost like a flickering streetlight. Like a transparent png file, he isn't all there. Not yet, anyway.

Virgil isn't entirely seen until Thomas recognizes and realizes him as a Neutral Side. As far as I know, that hasn't happened quite yet. Perhaps, with the coming days of Orange, he will be seen then.

And only then will he be seen in his entirety.

*Side Note: I cannot articulate clearly of what I mean exactly about the 'flickering visibility' yet. Brain ain't got the braincells for that today. May revisit and expand on this later.

[stupidbullshitallday]

Could Logan's wine gag become plot relevant?

Listen people it's 2 am and my brain is word vomiting so even if this doesn't make a lot of sense please stay with me, good? Good

Alright so in "Working Through Intrusive Thoughts" also known as WTIT we see Remus showing Logan a notebook with his plans for today, Logan sighs and throws his coffee away replacing it with wine.

This is a one time gag at the time of release and i can tell it made a lot of us laugh, however, we see this happen again during the 5 year anniversary video where Logan starts saying he doesn't think they deserve it since during 5 years they have ammounted 9 hours on camera and drinks from a relatively normal glass.

Everytime he appears the wine glass keeps getting bigger but also more full. All of this scenes end with him taking a sip (more like implying he is drinking)

The one thing relating this two scenarios? Logan is putting up with something he doesn't want to, he understands why it's important in both cases but he doesn't really want to be there regardless. (Putting up with Remus and his shennanigans and the anniversary respectively)

With that stablished i would like to bring to the table how alcohol affects people's rational thinking, in this case everything that Logan embodies.

As we know alcohol allows for more emotional than logical actions the more it is consumed, in short it makes it harder for the brain to control things such as balance, speech and memory among other options but the part that interests me more is that alcohol interfers with the communication pathways of the brain causing all mentioned before.

This is interesting to me because sanders sides is a series all about communication, specially from Logan's part because if he isn't in his right senses to guide the conversation it can only evolve into chaos.

I would also like to point out that the first time we know of orange, the moment we see Logan "blinded" by rage is the same episode we see him drinking in.

A coincidence perhaps then again, Thomas loves his attention to detail which could mean the joke had some other porpouse or intention we as the viewer aren't aware of due to the lack of context.

All i'm saying is that the brain under the effect of alcohol more often than not tends to have negative outcomes, this could either play out to evolve more on Logan's character and his emotions as well as making an episode on unhealthy coping mechanisms or maybe both if we are lucky.

If anyone thinks they can add anything to this be my guest, goodnight fanders.

[complete-idiot-inc]

Aquatopia Playlist Drop! (Thank you @sxrrandomfanfics for some song suggestions)

Theme of the Story: The Mind Electric.

Theme of First Ring: The Flea Circus

The World: If I were a rich man

Strength: Bad Reputation

Hermit: Theme of Doctor Who (9th era)

Magician: Kyouketsunaru Kyoukou

Chariot: Spear of Justice (5th anniversary)

Death: The Bells

Boss theme: Die-brarian!

Theme of Second Ring: Whispering Rock BGM

Justice: Rät

Temperance: Eternal Youth (Guzheng cover)

Hanged: Medic!

Lovers: One more time (Britany Spears & Jack Black)

Judgment: Here Comes a Thought (Caleb Hyles)

Moon: Ideal And The Real

Boss Theme: Panic Attack!

Theme of Ring 3: Wise Owl Forest (No percussion)

Devil: Welcome to My Mind

Fortune: Junes Theme

High Priestess: Fish inside a Birdcage

Star: Stardust Crusader

Empress: Mama’s Boy (Edit)

Emperor: My Son

Boss Theme: Clocktower (Epic Mickey)

The last couple of songs are going into spoiler territory, so only the song will be listed.

Meat Circus (MOTI)

WAR! (Richaadeb)

The Whims of Fate

You’ll Be Back

Friends on the Other Side (Thomas Sanders)

Pink Elephants (Edit)

Candy Store (Heathers)

You’re So Untrue (Grojband)

Wind-Up Toy

Animal (TLT)

Ready As I’ll Ever Be (Caleb Hyles)

You’re Only Second Rate (Jonathan Young)

Bonus Track: On My Own (Samantha Banks)

[loganslowdown4]

Sanders Sides:

All In The Details! (2023)

Remus Disturbing Frame in DWIT + Filming for Incorrect Quotes 3!

Patton Frames Editorial Birthday Shoot (2024)

Janus Is Cold Blooded Confirmed

If Wes Anderson Directed Sanders Sides Details Part 1

If Wes Anderson Directed Sanders Sides Details Part 2

My Quotes (Incorrect Quotes Vol 3)

Logan’s Lip Bite (Crofters The Musical)

Janus Calling Logan Sweetie (Inside Out 2 reaction)

Theatre Adult/Roman’s Spot (10 Misconceptions About Me)

The Sushi Slip Up (DWIT)

Valerie as The Sides (Making Some Changes)

Twinning (Ro & Re Hand On Chest Looking Sad)

C!Thomas laughing reaction image (ROTB)

Rise of The Bloop Pics

Did Roman Regift His Nerd Socks

Thoughts On What Makes The Perfect Gift Part 1

Thoughts On What Makes The Perfect Gift Part 2

Sides Sweatshirt Design Easter Eggs

Orange Side Tease Thumbnail SvS Redux

Real/Fake Food Anime Detail (Delicious in Dungeon)

SvS Redux Lily Padton/He-Man Comparsion

The Bagel Joke Needs A 3rd (AOVD/SVS:R)

Janus Calling Patton ‘Honey’ SvS Redux

LilyPadton/Stardew Inventory SvS Redux Easter Eggs Part 1

LilyPadton/Stardew Inventory SvS Redux Easter Eggs Part 2

Do We Kiss Now Or… SVS Patton

Cartoon Therapy: Steamboat Willie Lego

2020 Livestream: Who’s Your Fave Side To Play

April 2024 Charity Livestream Summary

Patton/Atticus Finch Comparison (SvS)

THOMAS SANDERS/SANDERS SIDES EPISODES/ANNIVERSARIES/NAME REVEAL DATES LISTS!!

5 Shot Split in ATHD

SvS Redux Patton’s Blink-&-U-Miss-It Look at Virgil’s Spot

Virgil’s Shoe Laces (Skirt Look) Tutorial

Logan Detail from Make Assumptions About Me Vid

The Notebook/Logan Keeps Receipts Running Joke

Patton & Logan in FWSA

The ‘that’s what she said’ joke SVS

Janus’ Dramatic Lighting Throughout The Series

Bridgerton Short Janus Coat

That Time Janus Called Logan a Bitch (svs:r)

GRWM Janus Makeup Tutorial Thoughts

Food Pages Running Gag Shorts

Joan And That Activia Computer Gag (Shorts)

Roman Short Where Is The Love/Glam Makeup/Deserves a Proper GRWM

TTH The Box Poses

Logan’s Skirt Reshoot Thoughts

Roman Hates Mustaches (SVS REDUX)

Remus Drops A Hint (HAVE I GROWN)

Remus Sitting Comparison (WES ANDERSON SIDES)

Remus and His Cockroaches (WORKING THRU INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS)

Logan’s Onesie Has Wings?! (INCORRECT QUOTES 4)

Roman’s Editorial Look Makeup Question Answered

Thomas Giggling While Singing Oh Yeah (IQ4)

Patton’s Dad Moment ‘Calm Down Time’ (LNTAO)

Friendship Bracelets For Patton (CAN PLUSHIES IMPROVE OUR HEALTH)

Daddy (LNTAO; RISE OF THE BLOOPS)

The Different Offices Of Emile Picani

Logan Copying Roman’s Mannerisms To Be Dramatic (MOVING ON; DWIT)

Virgil Reacts To Inside Out 2 PART 1

Virgil Reacts To Inside Out 2 PART 2

What Roman Says About Virgil (VIRGIL REACTS)

Sleep Is The Eyelashes Meme (WHY IS SLEEP DIFFICULT?)

Sleep’s First Appearance Easter Egg (WHY IS SLEEP DIFFICULT?)

Remus And Roman Matching/Opposite Editorial Looks

Lego Movie Batman Reference (CARTOON THERAPY 3)

The Bagel Prophecy (CARTOON THERAPY 3)

SANDERS SIDES CHRONOLOGICAL EPISODE/ANNIVERSARY LISTS

ALL SIDES THEMED PHOTOS CHART

I Am The Walrus (SANDERS SIDES QNA)

Belle Love (ROMAN DISNEY TIERS)

Janus!Patton’s Smile (CLBG)

Janus As Scooby Doo (EMBARRASSING PHASES)

Dom Steals Roman’s Rhyming (ROMAN DISNEY TIERS)

Roman’s (and Dom’s) Disney Films Tier Ranking ALL THE DETAILS!

Rom & Dom moment/possible running joke? (MIND MELD OLD VS NEW FRIENDS)

Logan’s Glasses (MY TRUE IDENTITY)

Roman & Remus Twinning Outfits reoccurances

Roman Writing With His Right (MY JOURNEY ON YOUTUBE)

Called Sleep A Bitch (Because He Is) 😂 (MY CHARACTERS READ YOUR TWEETS)

Transcription Of Argument Between Core 4 (the best I could make out) (RETURN OF THE JAM)

The Liar Liar Test Joke Explained (SVS)

Roman Happy With His Jam (WHAT’S COMING UP EVERYBODY)

4th Anniversary & Flores/Coming Home Edit Explained (FWSA)

Roman’s Pillow Throne (ATHD)

Logan Looks Like Daredevil (NIGHTMARE BEFORE SPIRIT CHRISTMAS)

Nightmare Before Spirit Christmas Character Comparison Guide

Electric Company Head Turn Transition Cut (LNTAO)

BTS Roman’s Arm/Patton Pointing Jokes In LNTAO Raw Edit

BTS Patton Smiling In LNTAO Raw Edit

The Sides + Into The Unknown Lyrics (2nd Anniversary) (ITU)

Costume Redesign (S1 -> S2)

My Roommate Is Hades All The Details Part 1!

My Roommate Is Hades All The Details Part 2!

My Roommate Is Hades All The Details Part 3!

My Roommate Is Hades All The Details Part 4!

[nonbinaryroyalty43]

Lomile (logan x emile) + Orange side is Perception

I'm backkkkk. Did ya miss me?

Characters: Logan Sanders, Emile Picani, Orange Side

Pairing(s): Lomile

Warnings: None I can think of

Summary: Emile thinks Logan forgot about their anniversary. Luckily, he is very wrong.

****

Logan does not have a clue what happened. It's a new experience for him, feeling lost and unsure of the next logical step. To him, nothing should be wrong.

And yet Emile left, seeming upset, after Logan had laid out the plans for their next date. All Emile said was, "I can't do this right now," before walking out. Logan is stumped.

A knock on his door startles Logan out of his thoughts. He straightens and calls, "Come in!"

Orange steps into the room. "Good morning, Logan. Is something wrong?"

Logan considers the question. "Yes, but we can discuss that later. Is there something you needed?'

Orange shrugs, moving to sit on Logan's bed. "Emile is upset about something, but he wouldn't say why. I was wondering if you knew."

"Unfortunately, I do not. I believe I may have been the cause, however." At Orange's inquisitive look, Logan continues. "I told Emile about what plans I have for our next date and he left distressed. I do not know the cause."

"Hm. That is odd. What are the plans?"

"Well, I told him we are going to have a movie marathon with a list of preselected movies. I do not understand his frustration."

"When is this date supposed to take place?"

"This Saturday."

"Ah." An understanding expression dawns on Orange's face. "You do know you anniversary is this Saturday, correct?"

"Of course. The marathon is not the true plan. I was hoping to surprise him with dinner," Logan states, as if it is obvious.

"Emile doesn't know that Logan. To him, it seems like you forgot your anniversary and are just doing a random date."

"Oh." Logan contemplates that for a moment. "I believe I know how to make this right. Will you assist me?"

_____

"I really don't feel up for this, O," Emile says, walking towards the stairs with Orange beside him. "Logan forgot our anniversary and now he's avoiding me. I do not see how a walk in Imagination is going to help."

"Trust me. A walk is just what you need to relax."

Emile swallows his protests, following Orange to the entrance to Imagination. When the two step through, Emile's jaw drops.

The usual castle that stands before the entrance to Imagination is gone, replaced by a forest filled with large evergreen trees. Several strands of fairy lights hang between the trees, lighting up the dark night. A full moon and too many stars to count shine from the sky.

In the center of it all is a lovely table filled with Emile's favorite foods. And in the front of the table is Logan.

Emile steps forward, mouthing still hanging open, just taking in the scene. "Lo, did you...did you do this?"

Logan nods. "With a little help." He gestures towards the Orange Side, who nods and leaves Imagination.

"This is amazing, Lo. I can't believe you did this." Emile moves to Logan, taking his hand.

"I know you were upset because you thought I forgot our anniversary," Logan says, "but I could never forget something this important."

Emile smiles, his eyes tearing just a bit. "I know, Lo. I love you so much."

Logan bends forward gently kiss him. "I love you too, Emile. Happy anniversary."

[noblest-roman-of-them-all]

I've been thinking all day about what I'd like to say, it's supposed to be an anniversary thank you letter, and as such it should be mostly about the subject of celebration, namely, The Sanders Sides series.

But the way this series has impacted me on such a personal level makes it hard not to talk about it without talking about myself and that impact that it has had.

I didn't start watching the series until after both parts of Accepting Anxiety came out. It wasn't long after that that my own mental health and anxiety hit a pretty significant rough patch and having Sander Sides as a type of guide in dealing with my anxiety made a world of difference, I was able to be so much kinder to myself because of the modeling of the series.

Tools like recognizing Häagen-Dazs dispersion cognitive distortions and learning to recognize what were my symptoms of anxiety truly did improve my quality of life. That's not to say I do this perfectly every time, but it is a tool that the series gave me years before I'd be able to get into therapy and that really carried me through in a lot of way.

Talking about The Chart still hurts and it would be a few years after this parties video came out before I would understand why beyond knowing how hurt and belittled I felt at being given my own Chart. Being told that your passions aren't important really leaves a mark.

I've always struggled with intrusive thoughts. Being a trauma survivor, I think it's a requirement. I...for a long time was in denial about my trauma, what it was and the impact it left on me. I thought I was cruel and a monster for writing certain traumas into both my original and fan works. No matter what I did to avoid it, the themes kept returning.

Remus being introduced really did a lot to help me. It relieved that burden of guilt and shame that I had been carrying, but it also made me aware that the intrusion thoughts I was having were like a giant flag that my brain was waving and I realized I was trying to process trauma via fiction. And while I know that wasn't something discussed in the video, it is something that I feel I wouldn't have understood as well or when I did without it.

And then came POF. This is the one that made me understand why I had been so hurt by the Chart I had been given. It wasn't until I saw the wounded expression on Roman's face that I realized that that was what I had felt years before, but had shut out, claiming it didn't hurt, that it was fine and reasonable and all these justifications for something that had wounded me deeply.

The conversation that ended with me having my own Chart didn't just cause an emotional wound, it wounded something even more deeply than that. Because this was given to me by someone who had seemingly once supported me and my ambitions, who seemed to have cared about the things I was doing and creating. So being given the Chart, being very explicitly and literally told I wasn't good enough. It felt like a betrayal. And it wasn't until Roman sank out with that look of hurt and betrayal that I realized that that is thr same kind of hurt I'd been keeping burried for years.

Recognizing that hurt. But I've been able now to take steps to address and heal that wound. I really don't think I would have recognized that with such clarity were it not for this series.

The way this series has helped me has been a bit unconventional, but it has also been invaluable. I truly would not be where I am today without it. So thank you.

Thank you @thatsthat24 and Co. You've really made my life so much better.

[aliceingarbageisland]

Rewatching Sanders sides... terrible idea, now im mad again at what has happened to the series. We havent had an ACTUAL EPISODE in like a year and a half ,since Working Through Intrusive Thoughts. Since then its kinda just bloopers and ads (and the five year anniversary but I kinda hate that video tbh so lets just ignore it).

And like if Thomas wants to pursue other things just like TELL US OR SOMETHING. Or stop posting photoshoots of the characters idk, kinda stings a bit tbh.

At the end of the day Im not really mad as much as I am sad, because this series meant and still kinda means a great deal to me. So seeing it sort of derail like this is heartbreaking. But as much as I feel like Sanders Sides deserves better, that is still all up to Thomas to decide and I am not entitled to anything, so Mr Sanders if u somehow come across this don't take it to heart.

Thats it, thats my ramble for the day, just missing the boys.

[xandriagreat]

Sanders Sides Theory

This theory is about "What makes the perfect gift".

Mostly at the end, with Thomas and Nico hanging out (date)/the message that Thomas wanted to say to Nico. (I know that it is May, don't judge me!)

Thomas was planning to ask Nico to be his boyfriend.

This got me thinking/this theory: what's their state of their relationship before the video?

Here's what I noticed:

In the 5 year anniversary video: Roman said that they should be at the millionth base with Nico. (Which is apparently "Space marriage officiated by Gandolf and Dumbledore")

Also In the 5 year anniversary video: Patton (who did look unsure, maybe still misses Thomas' ex or thought that they're not ready at the time yet) says "looking forward to getting to know him!" Meaning that Thomas and Nico just started to date/hang out, getting to know each other.

Also, by the look of What makes the perfect gift video, it's like a hang out/coffee date. It's something simple.

Those are the things that I noticed.

To me, Nico and Thomas would go out every once in a while and things are going smoothly!

In the Christmas video, Thomas wants to make the next big step in the relationship, which is boyfriends. That's what the message was with his gift(s) to Nico. (The question is probably on a page instead of the back of the front, just in case it was a no).

Now, you might be wondering how long they could have been in this hang out/date.

According to the timeline of Sander Sides, it's still 2019 and Thomas and Nico met a few days after the wedding of Mary Lee and Lee, which was in April.

So, Nico and Thomas have been hanging out/dating for about nine months before Thomas asked Nico to be his boyfriend.

If you think about it, it gives Thomas enough time to sort some things out with his sides and his mental health instead of rushing into a relationship so quickly, which is nice when you think about it.

That's all. That's my theory.

[author-chan06]

Logan Sanders & Me

Logan Sanders:

General Personal Info:

Name: Logan Sanders

Age: 31

Pronouns: He/They

Gender: Trans Man

Orientation: Demi-Panromantic, Asexual

From: Sanders Sides

Canon Compliant Personality? Mostly

Relationship With Me: Partner/QPP

Backstory Of Us:

So when I was Roman, I remember, that we actually were not close at all, until the series started. Even at the beginning of the series we weren’t that close, but before then we mainly had only talked during Brainstorming meetings and Patton’s Family Gatherings, and other than that, we stayed in our own areas.

The series was the first thing to push us close enough together, for longer periods of times, that we started actually learning about each other. And despite what the Fanders would believe it was not love at first sight, for either of us, and I actually quite disliked Logan for a while. Even more than I had Virgil really.

As the series went on though, that hate turned to a burgeoning friendship and as I learned more about him and he learned more of me, I found that we were quite similar. There were some set backs and arguments, as I’m sure you knew if you watched the series, but in the end I would have called us friends. Even if I, perhaps, had started to feel a tad differently later on.

Just like most of the others, we started dating around POF, though this was before instead of after. But I started dating him after I had started dating Virgil and before me and Janus had had our talk. Virgil and I hadn’t been on speaking terms at the time, because of my agreeing with Janus during the Wedding episode and I couldn’t talk to Patton or, gods forbid, Janus, about anything, so I sought comfort in the only other side I thought might understand me, and they did understand.

When POF did come around it strained our new relationship status, but we stuck it thought. Logan didn’t want us to be strictly romantic though, and he tried to explain his feelings on the matter— I didn’t quite get it until I started trying to explain my feelings for Janus and found them the same— and so we agreed that we would be queerplatonic and not romantic. He was also one of the least surprised and supportive of my relationship with Remus, as he didn’t see anything wrong with it at all.

My Remus Post talks more about the transition from Roman to Ari and how I felt and learned about all of that, here: Remus’ Post

And now that I’m Ari, we’re still together, and I’m glad that the selfshipping community has allowed me a place to remember and to continue loving Logan and my other darlings. Without it I would be mourning/longing for him with no way to express that understandably.

So I will continue to love Logan as we grow.

Relationship Info: ya

Anniversary: April 1st

Ship Name: #logari

[r0sethrills]

Today is the 3 year anniversary of my attempt and a lot has changed

okay so I'm mostly making this post because I am comfortable enough to talk about what happened (not in detail of course) but this is not for attention or to gain sympathy. this is simply to get all these feelings out. Okay so to give some background this all happened around 2020, my mental health wasn't the greatest, was dealing with family shit and was pretty isolated because of the lockdown. And then one day in the rough enough mental state I was in thought "why should I keep living? I don't bring anything to this world". And soon that thought kept going. about a month I decided it would be best if I just ended it all.

I attempted and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital. The first person that I saw when waking up was my brother. He didn't talk for a bit until I started to talk and he seemed just happy to talk to me. I didn't expect it and thought he would be angry with what I did. He never question me or anything all he did was talk to me. about a week into the hospital and a mental evaluation I was sent home.

Was not given a warm welcome by my parents but my brother definitely was ready for me to come home. Me and my brother had always hung out before but he started hanging out with me more than usual. I appreciated it and we started to bond more.

then right around July I had made a twitch account and soon discovered a series on youtube called sanders sides. Soon I started trying to find people who were in sanders sides as well and I ended up sticking with someone because I found their works cool. Then that person had gotten me into horror and I found even more people that I still stick with. Then that got me into writing and music as well as working on my art skills more.

Right around 2021 is when I felt like things were getting better, started looking into my gender and sexuality identity. But I kept feeling like something was off. kept talking to my therapist and soon I was diagnosed with C-PTSD and persistent depressive disorder. soon I got help with those and during 2022 I was diagnosed with adhd.

I wanted to share my story but I started seeing stories of people who lost family members from them ending their life and I felt guilty at the fact that I survived. But I've come to the realization that those people who've lost family members to that, while it may make them a little sad at the fact they couldn't save their family members they would also be glad that my brother didn't lose me.

now fast forward to this year. I identify as nonbinary aroace, I have 2 chronic illnesses. Those being chronic migraines and endometriosis. I have C-PTSD, PDD, ADHD and Schizophrenia. I love horror and drawing cute creepy things. I write in my spare time and sometimes do a bit of experimental music making. I like to do drag sometimes, playing video games and talking to people. My dream job one day is to become a therapist.

I hope me sharing my story will help some people feel less alone. and please, you are worth. there is someone that loves and cares about you.

[miguel-manbemel]

I loved this analysis and agree with most of what it’s said in it. However I think there’s a little misunderstanding about Remus that I think is the cause of why the character got that bit of backlash initially. Remus really is not “intrusive thoughts” themselves. As Thomas himself said, and you mentioned it here too, Remus is officially “Forbidden Creativity”, the part of Creativity that Thomas constantly represses because he’s not comfortable with the products it creates. The confusion with “intrusive thoughts” is that intrusive thoughts is the way Remus has to make his creative contributions, because Thomas’ constant repression doesn’t give Remus any other way to let them out. But one thing is that Remus communicates through intrusive thoughts and another that he *is* intrusive thoughts themselves. If Thomas relaxes that repression, like he did in the anniversary video (all episodes of Sides and Asides are completely canon unless Thomas and team say otherwise), Remus is actually capable of communicating his thoughts just like Roman.

There is also one thing that we’ve started seeing in the Sanders Asides episode “Working Through Intrusive Thoughts”, and it is that Remus is also what we could call “brutal honesty”. He’s a mechanism that forces Thomas to face anything and everything that, because of being repressed, is causing him mental problems, so that facing them, while painful, can also lead him eventually to the path of recovery. And that’s not only true for Thomas, it’s also true for any of the Sides, which right now we’ve seen with Logan. It’s Remus who tries to make Logan understand that he can’t fix Thomas “all by himself” and who makes Logan explode with that “STOP IGNORING ME!”, and then makes him that question: “Who would you really wanna scream that at?”, a question that goes straight to the point of making Logan face his own demons. So that is a positive trait of Remus that I can see will be explored soon in the series and that will prove that he’s so much more than Dark Creativity, just like Roman is much more than Light Creativity.

Is one of thomas' Sanders sizes literally just the Sanders from vine that wore the su shirt and Jung out with the vas 😭?

I'm gonna use this ask as an excuse to introduce you to all the sides LOL

I’m gonna preface this by saying that this will be LONG and also it has been a while since I rewatched the series or refreshed myself on some of the older stuff

I’m also gonna go ahead and give a quick rundown of my history with the fandom. I was like 12 or 13 when it first started? I didn’t have vine at the time so I just watched vine comps on youtube LOL but I was already like a causal a fan of Thomas Sanders. It wasn’t until the third episode which was a crossover with Lily Singh (I was a Lily Singh and Liza Koshy fan back in the day) that I started watching the series though. I got really into it after that and it was one of the first fandoms where I was like actually a super active member (You can look at  the comments on some old prinxiety fanfics for proof of that LOL) I don’t remember exactly when I fell off but I fell off from the fandom for a good while around the Christmas episode where they all sing together through no fault of the series itself. I still watched the series but I didn’t like actively get into it or anything like I used to. Then the asides episode “Flirting with social anxiety” like REALLY dragged me back in hard and suddenly its like 13 year old me woke up as a 18 year old with the freedom to peruse tumblr as much as I wanted and I was back into it HARD. I try not to be ashamed of it but I know its one of those fandoms that gets a lot of shit for both valid and super not valid reasons. Long story short i’ve been a fan for years and unless things catch on fire worse than they already are I don’t think I’m ever going to be able to jump ship. 

Not a side but a character: C!Thomas (which I think is who you're specifically referencing?) (and yes there was a vine where he met the VAS LOL, “Who ate my fries?” ) 

So like I said I’m pretty sure Thomas was big on way Vine before he was really big on Youtube. He did other stuff on Youtube before SASI but SASI has sorta become his flagship. A lot of his characters that he uses for instagram and yes indeed the sides originated on vine. The one I think you’re specifically referencing is a weird one because its not one of the sides. Thomas wore his Steven Universe shirt A LOT way back when so its how a lot of early fans took to drawing him and to some extent still do. This is a weird one like I said hafljad. So Character Thomas or C!Thomas is what fans call the version of himself Thomas portrays in SASI. This sort of relatable everyman online persona he puts on. I’m glad we do this is a good and healthy way to separate the show from the the man and it makes it a lot less weird to see like an in-depth post speculating about Thomas’s mental health when there’s a little C! In front of it to let you know its the Thomas as portrayed in SASI. Like I said the reason you still see the SU shirt even though I can’t remember the last time Thomas wore it and honestly I don’t even really think fans draw him in it anymore is that a lot of the art and fan content that like has the most notes and stuff is from the heyday way back when when he WAS still wearing the SU shirt. So yeah SU shirt guy isn’t one of the sides that is C!Thomas. 

The basic plot of Sanders Sides is that its a guy standing in his living room with various aspects of himself talking about life. It did the very modern western cartoon thing of starting out a lot more episodic with some smaller long running plot threads being slowly introduced and then spinning wildly off the rails with a higher budget and musical numbers and intricate grand storytelling as the show went on but the basics are still the same hflajf. 

Logan

Logan is another character that made the jump from vine and our first actual side on the list! He started as “The Teacher” character. Now it gets confusing down the line as we talk about the old Vine characters and their side counterparts but with Logan I’m pretty sure “The Teacher” is dead and gone so we don’t have to worry about that. 

Sanders Sides characters all belong in name HELL. Its not really a problem with Logan or the other sides like it is for one of the them specifically (cough cough looking at you JANUS) but we’ll get there. 

*The place it causes issues and possible confusion is in shipping. When you see the ship names pop up like “Logicality” “Intrulogical” “Prinxiety” etc the early ones were established popular pairings way before the sides had names so Morality + Logic = Logicality and later ships like “Intrulogical” kept up the name scheme. Where it gets weird is the later ships though where some characters did have names and some didn’t or people just wanted to abandon the naming scheme altogether and just use their names. The WORST culprit of this that I’ve seen happens to be my own dearly beloved “Dukeceit” or “Demus” or “Receit” or “Trashnoodle” Both of the characters were introduced late in the game so naming conventions were DEAD and Janus didn’t get a name for A LONG ASS TIME so its just like I said NAME HELL (it suits them though). I can’t even imagine what poor Orange’s ship names are going to look like.* 

Back to teacher man who I’m afraid I’m treating just as badly as the series whoops…Long story short when the series first started the characters didn’t have names they had roles. So Logan made the jump from Vine as “The Teacher” character and became “Logic.” That is still his role but not what he gets called as a thing that got introduced later was that the sides had names and them telling their name to Thomas was like a very big series deal with a lot of meaning. Logan was the first to get a name.

So Logan is logic, his color is dark blue. One of the OG three (later four). He’s like the part of Thomas’s brain that wants to focus on work and being productive. He struggles with understanding his much more “Feeling based” companions. A lot of his angst is derived from Thomas’s career being so creativity focused a place where he feels he doesn’t really have much to contribute and Thomas’s continued struggles with (mental health) being productive and having a good work flow. A lot MORE of his angst is how often he is talked over, belittled and outright ignored by everyone. Logan deserves a lot better and with where we are in the series right now he’s gonna snap soon so hopefully he’ll get it. Logan is a bit of a funny case in the fandom. In the early days when it was just the four sides (aka when I was in the fandom the first time) he was the least popular side by a long shot. However, this did a full 180 and I would now argue he is the MOST popular side, which caused some cognitive dissonance because by the time the team made a meta-joke about him being the least popular, that shift was already well under way. 

Patton 

Is the “Dad’ character from Vine. The “Dad” character is our first instance where we see a split between SASI and Thomas’s other stuff. I’m pretty sure “Dad” still pops up in some of his skits but like infrequently, but when you see “Dad” in a skit it's not Patton unless stated otherwise. So there’s that weird split I was talking about LOL. Patton made the jump from Vine as the “Dad” character and then became “Morality.” 

So Patton is Morality. His color is light blue and he’s the second side to get his name. One of the OG three (eventually four). Patton is a really interesting character, it's all too easy to label him Thomas’s “Heart” but I feel like that’s an oversimplification. He is Thomas’s judgment, he is Thomas’s sense of right and wrong and yes he is most of his mushy gushy feely stuff. Patton is the “Dad” but in a very real sense he’s also pretty childish and I don’t say that to demean him. He struggles with being blinded by nostalgia and black and white thinking. His main source of angst is that he feels unprepared to be Thomas’s morality now that Thomas is grown up and it's not so easy to tell what’s right and wrong anymore. However, a good source of angst for him is ALSO his deteriorating relationship with his once very good friend and son figure Virgil. 

Patton is a complicated one to talk about because of how much perception of him in the fandom has shifted over the years. There’s always a tendency for the super cheerful friendly one of the bunch to get “Bullied” by the fandom (I’m guilty of it too) and in the early days there was a small pocket that didn’t like him or found him annoying or whatever. However, he was always, I would say, one of the more popular sides, I think he may have even been the most popular behind Virgil at that point.

This has definitely changed in recent years largely due to the introduction of the “Dark Sides,” especially Janus. There was always this tendency for the fandom to infantilize Patton and smush him down to his base components and it was easier to do so early on before Janus. His main role in the story besides being the sort of lovable goofy “White dad guy” who would scold the other sides for cursing (but might accidentally do so himself) was bringing Virgil into their little found family. However, he’s had a bit of a negative character arc lately that I believe we’re on the tail end of now. 

The fandom generally skews young so we’re just as bad about black and white thinking as Patton is. Janus was introduced as the liar to Patton’s honesty and the selfishness to Patton’s selflessness and Patton made a bit of an ass of himself through the rocky introduction process. This is true but it's also true that Janus was directly goading him a lot of the time to try to make him seem bad. So yes Patton has the capability to be a jerk but he was also a jerk under duress. This is also what led to his relationship with Virgil now being so rocky (mostly). We haven’t gotten a conclusion to that yet. I can’t really look at Patton centric posts without them being super divided between the Patton defenders who still love him and the “Patton is the real villain” crowd. Nuance is dead, Patton villain AUs are at an all time high and Patton defenders tend to turn it around and shit on Janus (I may not like Moceit like at all but god bless the enemies to lovers crowd working their asses off here). While he isn’t my FAVORITE I don’t think he deserves this at all and I hope things look up in the future.

Roman 

Roman is an interesting one on the name front. On vine he was “The prince” character and he jumped to sasi as “Creativity.” But he was still actively called the prince  a lot of the time and dressed like a prince, I think it was a little while before we actually got confirmation of what exactly his official title was? This discrepancy comes into play with his ships (which I PROMISE I will stop bringing up eventually LOL). I’m not sure if its just because “Creativity” is a bitch to work into a ship name or because of the thing I mentioned earlier but Roman’s early ships like the juggernaut “Prinxiety” (Prince or “Princey” x Anxiety) and Logince (Logic x Prince). His later ships however like the ever popular sister ship to my beloved dukeceit, Roceit (Roman x Deceit) do not share this descrepency as they simply chose to use the names. 

So Roman is creativity. His color is red and he was the third side to get his name. One of the og three (eventually four). Roman is not just creativity, he is as his name and color suggest Thomas’s capability for romance and romantic love. Now, I don’t remember the last time I saw “The Prince” character pop up in an instagram short or anything but where the same characters different but also characters drama rears its head for Roman is a little series called “Role Slaying with Roman.” The best way I can put it is the whole C.A Cupid MH EAH thing except not really because there it was canon she was the same person who had crossed over into the other world??...Role Slaying with Roman is basically just Thomas’s take on a DND podcast in which he (this is speculation) used Roman as a way to draw in his pre-existing fans by making him his player character. The universes are completely separate, the Romans are completely separate but they are both Roman. The fandoms have gotten pretty good at tagging for this but still I know it is confusing and it is a lot. As far as popularity in the fandom goes he has always been pretty middling and I think it suits him! He deserves to be higher but I think its pretty fitting that he has never ever dipped below the half way point of adoration. Roman is a theater kid extraordinaire, a sweet, slightly selfish, goofy himbo with big big dreams. He is a lover-boy and a bleeding heart. I HAVE to mention his early on rivalry with Virgil and subsequent friendship arc because its one of my favorite parts of the series but I think that about sums it up. Virgil is like the cause of all of Thomas’s stage fright and self doubt so of course the two are going to be at odds. Roman is very antagonist to Virgil because he can be scary so Virgil was antagonistic back but they slowly come to understand each other in a really believable and sweet way culminating in this absolute GUT PUNCH of a speech from Roman in the season finale and UGHH. Ever since they are besties who are constantly friendly bickering; they have a surprisingly healthy and supportive relationship and I love them dearly. Roman continues his trend of being deeply antagonistic to the dark sides by absolutely simultaneously adoring Janus because of his (sarcastic) flattery towards him and hating him after he figures out he’s lying. Janus made his debut in the series by impersonating Patton for a whole episode and it sort of made a fool of Roman and ever since it has been a very one sided rivalry with Roman absolutely HATING Janus. There is also this thing with a callback that he is very conflicted on and it made the whole thing so much worse. He has a hero complex and to him Janus is the villain and that is all he’ll ever be. I feel like it may also have something to do with…Who Janus brings with him but we’ll get there :))))). I feel like I’m talking about other people a lot in Roman’s section but that is where he shines, his relationships to ALL of the other characters are so nuanced and liable to change, especially now with everything that is currently happening in the series. Roman’s main sources of angst have been Thomas sacrificing opportunities for creative success for various reasons, not feeling like he can be Thomas’s “Hero” anymore (similar vibes to Patton) and Nico. Thomas in canon has recently started dating a man named Nico and…Wellll…Let’s just say things seem sweet now in a understandably bumpy but still favorable road…But the whole fandom can smell a break up coming that would push everyone including and especially our favorite prince over the edge. Hopefully he and Virgil don’t get back on the rocks! 

Virgil 

OH VIRGIL. Virgil Virgil Virgil… Originally the “Anxiety” character on Vine Virgil made the jump to SASI and became “Anxiety.” His is the character where you will see the most confusion with or at least it was before Roman. The confusion comes not only from “Anxiety” still being a pretty frequently used character in Thomas’s other content but also from the hoodie and his first arc. When Virgil first appeared in the series (although I don’t know if the episode technically counts?) was episode three in the crossover with Lily Singh I mentioned before. Both Thomas and Lily often spoke about dealing with mental health so Thomas’s anxiety character made an appearance in the episode as a (seemingly) one off antagonist for them to defeat (of course with the mentioned caveat that anxiety was not something you CAN defeat but still the point was he was an obstacle to face). Virgil in that appearance and every subsequent appearance throughout season one appeared in a grey plaid hoodie. However, after being “Redeemed” later on he swapped out the grey hoodie for a more patchwork custom purple hoodie. The Anxiety that appears in Thomas’s relatable instagram content still wears the grey hoodie and (I think) has a sign taped to his chest that simply says “Anxiety.” But the distinction can be hard to make so the confusion was always there and he was definitely the character where it was the most confusing until RSWR.

I think I have a lot to say about Virgil unfortunately. He is undoubtedly a fandom tour de force. In the early days finding a fander who’s favorite side wasn’t Virgil was a chore. He isn’t my favorite anymore but he still means a lot to me. I was a scared and dumb little kid with a family that mocked you for using words like “Mental health” and Virgil was the first time I ever saw a nuanced take on anxiety. He helped me come to terms with my own anxiety and not hate that part of myself. Despite the series later failures with handling nuance and mental health I stand by Virgil being a fantastic character. Besides all that he was just an angsty emo teen Zuko figure who loved MCR and Nightmare Before Christmas of COURSE he was popular.  He is the only one I think could give Logan a run for his money (I would say maybe Janus but Janus also has a fair number of passionate haters). 

Virgil is anxiety. His color is purple and he was the fourth side to get his name. When I say “original three eventually four” he is that fourth I am referring to, he has been around much longer than the two newer sides but also wasn’t in the first two episodes. Our first “Dark Side” on the list but also not really! That gets a little complicated lol. Virgil used to be a dark side, a concept introduced with the introduction of Janus. The dark sides are like the less desirable parts of Thomas, aka his anxiety and others we’ll get to later. Virgil, however, has been confirmed to be a “Neutral” side which will factor in later. Virgil is not just Thomas’s anxiety he is Thomas’s fear in general. We have seen that without him Thomas cannot function, he keeps him safe, he is fight or flight, he seemingly has control over more basic reflexes too or at least keeps them sharp and without him Thomas quote “Doesn’t fear death.” Which isn’t really a bad thing #deathpositive but in this case that refers to him not valuing his life and taking dumb risks like not locking his door or looking both ways to cross the street which is not good. Virgil’s whole arc first season was finding this nuance and coming to be accepted and it is still some of the series best. However, as time went on Virgil stagnated just a hair there wasn’t really anywhere else obvious for him to grow, he was on decent terms with the other three sides. I think this was about the time his popularity dipped slightly but I wasn’t around to see it. ALL of that changed however when Janus popped up and dragged all of Virgil’s history with him. Virgil wants so badly to forget that he was ever “Like them” he worked so hard to get away from being a dark side, from being seen as a threat to Thomas and now Janus waltzes in and just reminds everyone, literally. No literally those two have personal beef and Janus loves taunting Virgil over how he’ll always be a dark side. This is also where what had previously been Virgil’s strongest relationship crumbled, partially? I don’t know if its quite clear what exactly is the root cause but its definitely got something to do with these two factors. One, Patton simultaneously implying that all dark sides were unforgivable by the way he treated Janus but also two, treating Virgil as if he’d never been an antagonist in the first place, just generally not handling a (albeit very difficult situation with much grace). But also Virgil is definitely coded the youngest of the sides I think, he’s the most teenager and as such he acts like a teenager. Virgil (speculation) doesn’t like that Patton would imply he’s just a sweet helpless innocent baby, as much as he would love to distance himself from the dark sides I think someone else erasing that history for him invalidates him. On a less deep level it is a very typical teenager snapping at their parent and giving them the cold shoulder sort of deal LOL. They will work it out. Him and Janus though? His other parent figure? That seems like it may be another story. 

Remus 

OGH REMUS. I have two favorites and he is one of them. That being said there is some…Stuff to say about Remus. Remus was the second out of the two sides made specifically for the series and not being pre-existing characters to be introduced. However, he was the first of the two to get his name so that’s why he comes first on the list. He is the only side to date that has (and likely ever will) given their name the very first time they appear/meet Thomas and I love him for it. As much as I love Remus as a character, him as a concept is…Flawed… 

See, the dark sides seem to be doing the Virgil thing but ramping up in intensity. The series' whole thing seems to be that every part of you can be good and is necessary; you just have to work with yourself not against yourself. Janus is a good example of this. He isn’t a mental health thing like Virgil, but he is something that is often demonized: he is Thomas’s selfishness and the series had a wonderful and deep and complicated conversation about that and what the balance is of prioritizing yourself but still being a kind and giving person who does right by others. His whole arc (which isn’t even quite over yet, hopefully) is probably the best thing the series has ever done and I LOVE it. 

Remus on the other hand…Woof…So. Here’s the thing. Remus represents intrusive thoughts. The way they’ve spun this is that he’s also Thomas’s capability for more adult oriented creativity, darker stories and sex scenes and stuff. He’s all the stuff that Thomas has locked away as a creator who has made his whole brand kid friendly. AND THAT is a deeply deeply interesting conversation to have! However, he’s still intrusive thoughts. Now I can tell you as someone with severe anxiety that anxiety is no damn joke, chest pain, nausea, weak immune system, panic attacks, insomnia NO FUN. However, a big factor here is that anxiety isn’t demonized like intrusive thoughts. 

 I’m going to speak out of my ass here for a bit based on discourse I’ve seen but….There is a lot of nuance here and I deleted a whole paragraph because I feel like I can’t speak with experience on the matter. I haven’t really dealt with intrusive thoughts since I was a pre-teen and my memory there is practically blacked out. A lot of the issues come with just being slightly tone deaf I think and a lot of the other issues come from the person they consulted to write Remus who as I understand it isn’t a great person. Then there was the issue with fanders tagging Remus related posts with “Intrusive thoughts” and clogging up a tag that should have been dedicated to a serious mental health thing with their blorbo. All in all it was just a mess. 

Overall I don’t feel like this is a topic Thomas was fully prepared to handle. As such Remus has sort of been reduced to a joke character which is fine? I guess? I don’t know in his debut episode that was sort of the conclusion: that you shouldn’t take him seriously. BUT, the thing is he has so much damn potential as a character.  Remus. I love Remus and I think there’s a lot there, like I said the conversation about feeling limited as a creative is one I think would be very interesting but I don’t think its ever going to happen. It feels like Remus was meant for more but due to the (rightful) backlash he received he’ll never get it. Its like the series has backed themselves into a corner in my eyes. If they want to make interesting Remus content with the aspect of him that they can talk about in an interesting and nuanced manner they have to reckon with the fact that they tried to tackle a demonized mental health issue and people weren’t happy with the way they did so. MAYBE I’m just a jaded fan who’s sad my blorbo isn’t gonna get the spotlight but I don’t know. In all the supplemental material we’ve gotten since he cropped up he’s been sort of like the lovable outcast buffoon side character that’s just sort of tolerated by everyone and OCCASIONALLY we’ll see a moment where he makes Thomas feel like shit. And I’m like?? Where did THIS come from? It feels like Remus is a song where the last note never played. I LOVE to see him pop up and eat spaghetti with a straw but I’d also love to see him get treated like a character which they really can’t do because they decided to make him intrusive thoughts. MAYBE this legendary alleged four part season finale that’s SUPPOSEDLY on the horizon will give me what I want. But I don’t think so, it feels like the series has already moved on. And honestly? I wouldn’t blame them if they did.

The problem is is that the way the series is set up where “Every part of you has a role” is that at this point Remus doesn’t. It feels counter intuitive to what I think the series is trying to say to have ALL THESE OTHER CHARACTERS with so much nuance and good and bad qualities and then have that one guy over there who’s flat as a piece of cardboard by design. If they want to go the Virgil route with Remus and stick true to their (presumed) message and have that interesting conversation I want they have to deal with the fact that they made him intrusive thoughts. They’re going to have to have a very uncomfortable conversation about just how seriously and with how much value they should treat Remus considering what they’ve made him represent and face more backlash. And I don’t think they’re ever going to and honestly I don’t know if I want them to….UGH sorry its just MNNGHHHH. 

Anyways. Remus. Remus is…Lets call him “Dark creativity.” Which I believe is his official title. His color is green. He is the second out of the three new sides to be introduced and the first to get his name. He is canonically twin brothers with Roman and they are the only sides to canonically have a familial relationship with another side (although this is debatable). Remus is insane, clown car horn honking outside your window at three am insane. He is random and silly and gross and I love him. He cusses, makes sex jokes and has constant props and gags galore. He is also prone to anger and has a temper. He hates being ignored which unfortunately…Remus’s most interesting relationship is probably with his brother Roman although its never really been explored. Its the classic golden child vs fuck up dynamic with Thomas being the parent. Its unclear how Remus actually feels about his brother so far although he did bash him over the head in his debut episode, classic sibling behavior. Roman hates Remus. He hates that Thomas has (sort of because like I said, WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN) accepted Remus and he fears that people may see him and Remus as being alike in any way. Remus hasn’t had much to say on this matter so…A final note on them is that there is a very popular fan theory regarding their history. There is a line in the show about them having “Split like an amoeba” I believe it was which led a lot of people to think they were one person. That. And the fact that their titles are the prince and the duke…Both implying a higher power… 

Logan is the character with which Remus has had the most interesting interactions (hello intrulogical shippers I see you). The dark sides all have light side counterparts, the most direct example is Patton and Janus but Remus is an interesting case. While Remus’s light side counterpart is Roman the side that actually balances him out is Logan. Logan like I said is logic. How do you defeat unreasonable nonsense violence that your brain is spitting at you because its bored? With logic. So the two have a love hate dynamic, they’re very frosty but I think Remus is regretfully fascinated with Logan and fixated on messing with him specifically and I hate to admit it as someone who has a DIFFERENT otp but yeah there is a LOT of tension there (I am so sorry Remuskinn, if you’re reading this). My favorite dynamic with him is one we technically haven’t even seen play out yet in canon but MNNGHHHH. I love them. I have to get into shipping for a minute. So my otp is seen as basic for a very funny reason. The most popular ship in the fandom is an oldie but a goodie “Prinxiety” which is Roman x Virgil. I am sorry to logicality shippers but Logicality Logan x Patton was basically seen as a default if you already shipped Prinxiety. So when Remus and Janus were introduced the people who already shipped Prinxiety and Logicality picked them up as the third duo to complete the default set fhadlfjl. So they are seen as basic despite not really being all that popular? I love them. I’ll give you a bit more on the name because I think its funny. So, the two most popular options are “Demus” and “Dukeceit.” SO. The options for the Remus half of the ship name are as follows: “Remus,” “Duke,” and “Intrusive Thoughts.” He gave away all three in his debut episode which set ship namers into a frenzy because oh god there’s so much to work with what do we pick. For some reason “Intrusive thoughts” + “Deceit” never really caught on although I think “Intruceit” is fine if an ungraceful mouthful. So we get ‘The Duke” + “Deceit” = “Dukeceit” and “Deceit” + “Remus” = “Demus.” Other options are “Receit” “Intruceit” “Janmus” “Trashnoodle” and more. Remus was the main one complicating things here but I also feel like the conflict between the old and new shipping conventions in the fandom was just at an all time high title vs name war. This was only made worse by the fact that Janus didn’t even HAVE a name yet and wouldn’t until well over a year after being introduced. In short: they don’t really have a set name and tagging for them is hell. But in all honesty the chaos suits them. 

Now like I said, we haven’t seen them interact in canon: technically. We’ve seen them interact once or twice on screen in questionably canon content but as of yet they haven’t spoken a word to each other in a main series episode. We are working with scraps here but OH BOY are they filet mignon trimmings JUICY JUICY JUICY. There was a tiktok that Thomas reacted to a while back before even the semi-canon stuff had come out that was to the “Let’s not be to hasty, still I think he’s rather tasty” audio that he said was pretty much a perfect fit if that gives you any idea of them LOL. They have a Jessy and James ISH dynamic in that they’re a dynamic villain duo. They simultaneously have so much in common but also are opposites attract. Remus is all about loud bleating honesty and Janus is the secretive one who keeps his cards close to his chest. Remus fucks around and finds out and Janus is sick of his shit and cleans up his messes. BUT the beauty is he sticks around anyway. There’s a scene in the “incorrect quotes” video where Janus is keeping Remus company during a hospital stay and I think that’s very telling. I identify a lot of with Remus as someone who’s prone to saying shit that makes people look at me funny. Overly honest and kind of a jerk. As someone who is “Unlovable” and gross. So the fact that there is someone who sticks around on purpose and seemingly enjoys his company makes me feel all mushy gushy inside. It's that “There’s someone for everyone” thing. Even beyond shipping their mostly unexplored but semi-canon friendship means literally EVERYTHING to me and the second their dynamic is fucked up is the second I probably can’t stomach to watch the series anymore. Dukeceit fans work with what we got which is NOT A LOT but hey! All I can say is “There’s a snake in my ass” LOL. 

Back on topic: Remus fans work with what we have too which is also not a lot and though I’d like to have hope that that will change in the future I don’t think there is any ground for that hope to stand on…At least there’s always fanfiction. 

Janus 

Janus is arguably my actual favorite character. I just love him SO goddamn much. First of all he has the COOLEST design because his face is literally half snake half human so freakin COOL. I love him. There is so much room for headcanon with that. Like? Does he wear so many layers because he’s all full of secrets or is he just cold because snake? Love love love it. 

I will say that Janus is also not free of controversy largely due to some unfortunate ties to anti-semetic stereotypes that I am definitely not qualified to speak on. Janus. Janus is Deceit and his color is yellow. He was the first of the new three sides to be introduced and the second to get his name. He is the side with the current record for longest time between introduction and name reveal which like I said I think sits at over a year. This suits him perfectly and also his name reveal is one of my favorite moments in the series. His name also not only suits him perfectly but fits very nicely into the current trend of dark side names just being a smorgasbord for Remus to make filthy jokes out of (I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Uranus to be next LOL).  Janus is Thomas’s capability for deceit, to tell lies to not only others but also to lie to himself. He is also his capability to be selfish. Janus is a character where its unclear exactly where his morals lay. He seems like a wrong things for the right reasons kind of guy but the beauty is we don’t really know. He desperately wants to take care of Thomas and to be recognized as a valuable and good part of Thomas. He wants him to blow off work and take a nap once and a while but also maybe to commit some arson. He is all secrets and shadows. He has so many fun motifs: Jeckle and Hyde, shadows, snakes and snake eyes. GOD I LOVE HIM. He’s also super well written too. There’s this fun thing where he seems incredibly intelligent and don’t get me wrong he probably is smart but he’s also bullshitting 90% of the time about as hard as your average uni student writing a 10 page paper. Every single one of his sources he cites is usually deeply flawed, he’s scrabbling for anything he can use to make himself seem smart and capable and all knowing. He also has this super fucking sick thing where he has six arm, six shadow arms Dr. Facilier style that he can use to make the sides “Silence” themselves ala Pearl from Steven Universe and slap a hand over their mouth and it is DOPE. He seems like a bit of a marxist so respect there, he’s been seen reading marxist lit lol. He is sarcastic as hell and you have to watch his tone to see how serious he’s being at any given moment LOL. OH! Also it's generally accepted that he has the power to suppress the other dark sides, letting Thomas lie to himself about them not being there which is why they didn’t start popping up until after he showed himself. So oh my god there is a LOT there too.  All in all everything about him is just SO COOL. 

A lot of his angst seems to come from (since he’s my favorite you have to take everything I say with a grain of salt) the fact that he is in fact deceit and as such no one really ever trusts him. Everyone distrusts him and calls him a monster and all that shit. 

People are really indecisive on Janus. He is super popular but he’s one of the sides where the love and the hate are about split equal. Since he is deceit a lot of people think he’s bullshitting at all times and is secretly just a villain. Not only do I think this goes against what the series seems to be about but everything we’ve gotten of him in the supplemental material thus far (keenly his character playlist) seems to suggest the opposite. He is GENUINELY trying to be accepted. Don’t get me wrong the way he went about this was a mess. Like I said way back in Patton’s section he goaded and manipulated both him and Roman into being their worst selves and making them question their own morality, which in a way is a good thing but come on man. He’s not so blameless but everyone who thinks he’s JUST a one note villain is as blind as poor Roman. Janus is grey not black or white. He’s a flawed and complex character. He’s funny and charming and there is SO much potential for angst. I could write a whole other 10k words just on his playlist alone and also before I forget to mention it he has  THE COOLEST theme music but GOD all this to say Janus is the best. I love him. I hope his arc isn’t quite over there’s so much more I want to see from him before he steps out of the spotlight. 

???🍊???

Speaking of characters stepping in and out of the spotlight. 

So. When Janus was introduced he brought a whole lot of new lore with him. We got this new idea called “Dark sides” the fact that our beloved guys weren’t just sides they were the “Light sides.” Patton and Janus have pretty direct parallels and Roman and Remus and twins. So the dark sides are all connected to and the counter parts of the light sides. This lead to a whole thing with the fandom trying to figure out Virgil. Was he technically a light side or a dark side? How many other sides were there? Was Virgil the dark side that was opposite to Logan? No. No he wasn’t. Thomas confirmed that Virgil was a “Neutral” side and is the only neutral side. Which left one more spot to be filled…

For a while there was debate on what color he was. We knew he was going to be a color of the rainbow based on the pre-existing color scheme. Most people immediately went to orange although there was a small pocket of the fandom that thought it may have been pink. This is because the color pink often appears as an entity on merch. But, pink is C!Thomas, that is the color that represents him (there is another character in the Thomas canon who’s color is pink but he’s not a side). 

We don’t know a lot about Orange. People debated his existence for a while until he was all but confirmed by the confirmation that Virgil technically wasn’t a dark side. He has now in fact been directly confirmed by the series via a series of teasers. Most exciting of which is Logan’s eyes glowing a bright orange. 

Orange. Purpose unknown and color orange. Name has not yet been revealed and neither has the character himself. We can speculate and it seems to be the case the orange represents anger. This ties into Logan as Logan has been shown to repress a lot of anger in the past. He is ignored and belittled a lot by characters that he can’t help but think of as less intelligent than him. So orange is anger or rage. 

The dark sides have been building in intensity. Janus is definitely the most intriguing so far and the one that had the most focus in the narrative but Remus is the scariest. Parts of his debut episode are literally like horror adjacent. Janus was a force to be reckoned with Remus is a force that you CAN’T reckon with…So the idea is that oh boy where does that leave orange? And considering that he’s waited to reveal himself until the four part season finale? OH BOY…Well…🍊

This is almost 10k. I had more to say but honestly I am out of energy even for info-dumping lol. If you are reading this why?? But also thank you ahfkjdahfkja. I’ll probably reblog this at some point with the rest. I’m sorry I used this ask to yell about my blorbos but it made me feel good to do so hfldjafhld. So to answer your question again: Yes but also no. He is C!Thomas.

[gothighunicorntolerance]

We’ve seen Logan, Virgil, and Roman interact with Nico, but now I want an episode where Patton, Janus, and Remus have their Nico interactions

[just-a-kitchen-utensil]

Random science puns are things I feel like Logan would secretly like but pretend to despise, sooooo…

Happy Birthday, Logan! We love you so much Moore than you think we do! Curieativity, Intrusive or not., Anxiety, Morality, even Deceit - we don’t think you’re Bohring. We love you without reMorse <3