#saphira rambles

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i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai i hate ai

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Not the new sanders sides ep giving me even more fuel on my "Passion is a prior light side who was twisted and turned 'dark'" theory that I've built my orange side OC on...

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I realized something about the finale.

Wilbur was revealed as the traitor, that he was always going to blow everything up no matter what happened with Schlatt.

After Schlatt died, Tommy was named as President. And who was it that suggested Tommy be the leader?

Wilbur.

Wilbur never intended for this to be a victory for Tommy. He wanted Tommy to think they had won, to give him back the country he loved so much, only to take it all away again. He didn’t plan on Tommy passing the presidency back to Wilbur, and he quickly gave it to Tubbo who he knew would happily take it.

Wilbur’s final goal was to destroy everything they had built together, and leave them to deal with the aftermath.

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Arranged Marriage Logince AU

Out of all the AU’s I created for Fluffuary, this was one of the few that I felt I didn’t get to tell the story I wanted to tell. In fact, unlike the others that I want to expand, I don’t think I even gave a good glimpse into the world I had imagined. So, here’s some random stuff I brainstormed.

Logan is the younger son of the Andromeda family, who own several large, well renowed chains like upscale hotels and restaurants, as well as a large stock in the medical industry.

Logan is the only heir to the family however, because three years before his older brother Remy had run away with someone he had met in town, and his father immediately disowned him and cut all ties. He also doubled down on training Logan to be his successor, as he had always been his father’s first choice.

Roman is the older son and only heir of the Prince family, who’s brother disappeared from the public eye only a year before. His mother is Liliana Prince, the matriarch of the family who has brought the family back from decades of ruin in under 10 years.

Liliana is fierce, and while she hasn’t yet reached into the same industries the Andromeda’s are in, Logan’s father Calvin is rather concerned that he could lose his hold on them if she ever did decide to. Therefore, he concludes that the only way to keep that from happening is to have his son marry the only heir to the Prince family, and use that as a way to maintain control.

Logan doesn’t react much to the news - he’s known since he was a kid that an arranged marriage was his fate, it just depends on whoever his father thought was important enough for it when the time came.

However, after Calvin arranges everything with Liliana and Logan finally meets his husband-to-be, he finds that Roman seems to have a much different idea about the arrangement. Namely, that he’s supposed to court Logan as if they were some common couple marrying for love.

Logan tells Roman that there’s no need for all of that, that it’s simply a business arrangement and it doesn’t matter if they know each other at all. Roman’s not really happy to hear that, of course, and they can’t come to an agreement.

Then Calvin speaks to Logan privately, and tells him that going along with whatever Roman wants is the best way to get into his good graces, and perhaps learn some of the Prince’s secrets to success.

So Logan allows Roman to take the lead, who’s very happy at Logan’s change of heart and immediately starts courting him. He’s very open about his life, almost to a fault, and Logan takes careful notes to bring back to his father.

I have way more about this AU, so I’ll probably make some other posts about it to explore the other plot points I have as well as where the other sides fit in to everything! Feel free to shoot me an ask if you’re curious about the AU!

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Do you ever think about the fact that Deceit might be dying to share his name, but can’t?

Deceit can’t share information on his own. Thomas has to want to know - whether it’s said explicitly or just implicitly.

The fact that Deceit hasn’t shared his name yet means that while Thomas might be curious, the majority of him doesn’t want to know, doesn’t want to put in the effort to ask. And why?

Because giving him a name makes him real. Makes him complex. Makes it that much harder to push him away and forget that he’s just as important as a side of Thomas as all the others.

So Thomas doesn’t ask.

And Deceit can’t tell him.

And he has to sit there and know that Thomas doesn’t really want him around, but he’s too proud to prove him wrong the way he urged Virgil to. So he won’t sink out.

He just has to stick to the shadows and wait. And wait. And wait.

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When Virgil first starting joining the other three to hang out outside of videos, he was always on edge. Tense, body like a taught bowstring, ready to bolt at any sign of trouble.

Even after Thomas had verbally told Virgil that he wanted him around, the anxious side still didn’t relax. The other three silently decided amongst themselves not to bring it up. After all, they knew who he used to spend time with. It must have been hell, they agreed. He probably had to fend off countless attacks from the other three. If he wanted to spend more time in his room to feel safe around them, to always sit closest to the stairs to have an easy escape route, then they would oblige.

Roman tried to engage Virgil, tried to make up for how he’d treated him in the beginning. He invited Virgil to movie nights, offered to let him pick the movie and the snacks and the lighting conditions and everything else that might make him uncomfortable. Yet despite that, even when Roman tried his best to make everything perfect, Virgil always left before the movie was over. Roman never saw him go - the anxious side seemed to wait until he was engrossed in the movie to sink out and disappear. He didn’t know if that was his way of trying to be polite, or if Roman was coming off too strong and overwhelming him. Virgil dodged the topic any time he tried to bring it up

It hurt them, especially Patton, to see Virgil so on edge. He was safe here, he insisted to Virgil whenever he noticed he was forcing himself to stay awake when his eyelids were drooping. He didn’t have to worry. They weren’t going to hurt him, and they wouldn’t let any of the others hurt him either. Virgil’s only response was a terse smile and a thank you, and when Patton would reluctantly fix his eyes back on the screen, Virgil would disappear.

It was a late night when Patton finally decided to speak up. They’d made it through three quarters of the movie, and Virgil was still here. Patton didn’t know why, but he had a gut feeling that if he could just keep Virgil here through the credits, it would break whatever nervous spell had him captive. When he saw Virgil starting to shift as if to leave, Patton yawned and threw his arms up and out, letting one land on the back of the couch and inches from Virgil’s shoulder. He tried to move smoothly, but the anxious side jerked as if he’d been shocked and pulled his arm in close, away from Patton.

Logan saw the look in Virgil’s eyes and knew he was ready to bolt. He held a hand up to stop him, murmuring encouragement, and he noticed Virgil’s own hand twitch into a fist.

Roman, sitting on the floor, reached out and gently set his hand on Virgil’s socked foot. Immediately, he pulled that leg up into himself, hugging it and nearly hitting Roman in the face.

Why was he so scared, they asked. They weren’t going to hurt him. He was safe here, they assured him. Safe from the others, safe from the horrors of the dark sides. It must have been terrible, they sympathized, but it was over. He could relax.

Virgil’s face twisted into something dark, and he ducked his head as he mumbled something. What was that, they asked. We couldn’t hear you.

I’m not scared, he growled at them. His hands were balled into fists and every muscle in his body was tended. I know you’re not going to hurt me, he told them. They weren’t like that.

Then he mumbled one more thing before he sunk out, just as the credits began to roll.

“I’m afraid I’m going to hurt you.”

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Tonight we appreciate all of the amazing people who make animatics/animations for the fandom! Y’all are incredible and dedicated and I love each and every one of you.

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So, we all know at this point that Virgil is... not great at apologizing. He’ll say something mean and tends to get away with it because nobody calls him out for it, and instead make the other person (*cough* Roman *cough*) apologize instead. Which is, not great.

But, I would like to argue that it makes perfect sense for his character, and in fact it’s likely to be a character flaw of all the dark sides.

From the beginning of the series, Anxiety was rude and harsh. He made cutting remarks and didn’t really care about the effect they had on Thomas or the other sides. He’s calmed down a bit, but that sharp tongue is still around. I think that this is a coping mechanism, coming from years of being pushed to the side and ignored. In order to be heard, he had to make them listen, and the easiest way to do that is to be mean. If you’re arguing with him, you’re at least listening to what he’s saying. But, in building that kind of persona, you can’t show any weakness. You can’t concede a point to the other side, because then the argument is over and they’ll go back to ignoring you. You also can’t apologize for the mean things you say - and really, why would you want to, when those things got you listened to in the first place?

We can see this behavior with Janus and Remus as well. In their intro episodes, once they were revealed, they were boisterous (in their own ways), loud and intimidating, making snide remarks along the way because it got reactions. They were the center of attention, if only because the other sides felt they had a villain to rally against.

I believe Virgil is still stuck in this mindset, in some ways. He might know consciously that he doesn’t have to be mean to be heard anymore, but those instincts are still there. As is the instinct to not apologize - or rather, he never developed the ability to realize when he should apologize.

This also might explain why Virgil is so hostile to Janus (aside from the hints at their history.) if he can make Janus out to be the bad guy, or rather the bigger, worse threat, then maybe they’ll listen to him still. Because if he doesn’t kick up a fuss and simply lets Janus into the discussion, then what’s stopping them from pushing him away again?