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beauty-and-passion · 3 years

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What do you think about Unsympathetic Patton theories?

I don't think any Side is unsympathetic, less alone the one who represents such a fundamental aspect of Thomas' personality.

The thing is: Patton might appear as unsympathetic, because of his role. Patton is Morality, he's the embodiment of all rules and ideas Thomas learned from his parents. But these rules aren't perfect: sometimes, they might be wrong. Or they might be so strict, to enchain us.

Let's take Patton's moral about selflessness: the moral isn't wrong per se. Nature and evolution proved that cooperating and caring for other members of your same (or other) species has always had benefits in the long run. Helping others enhances ours (and theirs) chances to survive, help us gather more knowledge and, in general, one small help might spark something bigger in the future.

Helping others is also a beautiful expression of human compassion: nature might be cruel and harsh, but we are creatures made of something softer. We are empathetic, we are driven towards others and, when we see others suffer, we empathize with them and want to help. We do unto others as we would like them to do unto us.

And this is why democracy and peace will always be better than war: war has no benefits, rather than satisfying a primordial instinct. Helping others only has benefits.

So, if the moral isn't wrong per se, what was the problem with Patton? The problem was that this moral became too extreme. It wasn't just "help others" anymore, but "help others and ignore everything else, yourself included".

This is what happens, when rules are taken too literally. And this works for everything, from the simplest, to the most complicated matters. Working is good, working 24 hours a day is not. Eating vegetables is good, eating only vegetables is not. The Bible has a lot of good messages to take, but taking ALL of them at face value is not good.

What Patton did was a very simple, almost childish mistake: he forgot the gray area. He took his morals as perfect statements and presented them to Thomas this way - exactly like a father might do with a very young son. When you're a child, you need to understand the point, so the morals are all pretty straightforward: be nice with everyone, respect your parents, behave, follow the rules. Then, when you grow up, you learn about the gray areas and the different cases: there are people which you can't/don't have to be nice, your parents might do something terrible, sometimes it's okay to break the rules. As a wise snake boy once said: it depends.

But, as you can see, that wasn't an intentional error from Patton's side. He didn't do it on purpose. How can I be so sure? Because he was the first to acknowledge that mistake and ask for forgiveness. Because, every time he makes a mistake, he tries to do better. When he realized Thomas was suffocated by the weight of "being a good person", he stopped asking himself that ("I'm done asking, "Is Thomas a good person?" I'm just here now to help you be as good at good as a good bud should." DWIT). When he realized that punishing Thomas for his intrusive thoughts was bad, he stopped caring too much about Remus' contributions.

Patton has good intentions and he proved it. He's faulty, sure, but there is a difference between making mistakes and being unsympathetic. And every time he makes a mistake and realizes it, he does everything he can to stop repeating it.

And if he fails, this makes him even more sympathetic! I still have to meet the person who is so perfect to say "I will never do it again" and then stop completely doing it and never repeating a mistake ever again.

#sanders sides #ask #patton sanders #if it's for the purpose of fanfictions it's okay #make him as unsympathetic as you want #but he canonically isn't #patton has a good heart #he's faulty he does wrong and he can be manipulative #but he doesn't do it with malevolent intents

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fillogree · 6 years

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into the snake's den

this is an in-depth hodpodge of character analysis, theory and headcanons for the sides. this does get a little darker and includes some extremes for the sides personality. please proceed with caution.

so we’ve seen that being in the other sides’ rooms effects the other sides’ personalities, & i do very much like the idea of the others growing scales from prolonged exposure in deceit’s room, but i’d like to add onto the theory of lying.

in ‘can lying be good’ we got a number of manipulation tactics from deceit– this was the antagonist that i adored, rather than his scooby doo villainy & opposite day lying. so i’d like to add those types of manipulation to the sides.

Logan:

deceit!patton’s main method of manipulation suits logan the most. he backed up the idea of lying through proof. referring to immanuel kant’s argument. we’ve seen logan use reasoning to describe why the world is beautiful, & why progress and hard work are necessary. so using logic to justify a situation he feels is more beneficial would be his go to. he already does this now.

“it actually would make sense for you to place your dreams on hold, thomas. while they do bring you joy, there are so many more other things in this life you could focus on. moreover, if you pursued a career in this field of study instead, you’d find yourself more financially stable. moreover your schedule would be more consistent, you would sleep & eat better. the pros of placing a stop to your creative endeavors & pursuing something more in line with what you had previously planned greatly outweigh any cons that would arise from the transition.”

not a lie, necessarily. but presenting evidence as irrefutable fact in order to preserve the values logan finds most important.

continued exposure in deceit's room would drive logan not only to get others to see his point of view but get frustrated when they couldn't. he'd become more and more critical, and self righteous. at his very worst his personality could become obsessive. severe and hyper critical of others while rationalizing his own mania and delusions of righteousness.

Disney Hero: Milo Thatch - (Atlantis) Disney Villain: Judge Claude Frollo - (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Roman:

roman already admitted deceit always had nice things to say about him. we also know that roman is our dramatic boy & gets easily carried away. we’ve seen how thomas gets swept away in roman’s enthusiasm as well from the video 'why do we get out of bed in the morning?’ i don’t think our prince would realize he was even lying because he would speak with such hyperbole & enthusiasm as he already does.

“thomas! how could you even think for a moment that what you were doing is wrong?! look at your adoring fans! look at the fandom you’ve created just by being yourself! you’re a celebrity! practically a legend! you are adored internationally! fame is basically your birthright, you have been in front of a camera since you were a child after all! sure there are other things that should be focused on, but they could get done at literally any time! you have to do this now! there has never been a better opportunity to do this, & anyone who gets slighted now will understand in the end! your friends adore you always, no matter what you do! their feelings couldn’t possibly get hurt in the wake of all the joy you’ll be bringing into the world! you have to do this!”

roman’s lying would be the inverse of logan’s. rather than presenting facts he would rely on thomas’s feelings & joyful experiences. using the feeling of accomplishment & happiness to blind him, in a sense, of any potential fallout or reasons he shouldn’t listen to him. hyping him up to the point of unchecked confidence & enthusiasm.

continued exposure to deceit's room would twist roman from ego to pride, to narcissism. continued excitement and hyping up this confidence to an elevated but false sense of self could lead to a more histrionic personality type and a god-complex at his very worst.

Disney Hero: Timothy Q. Mouse - (Dumbo) Disney Villain: Jafar - (Aladdin)

Patton:

not to make this an angst fest, but we all already know– patton is the best liar there is. he would use the same little white lies he always does, only moreso. this was deceit!patton’s very first 'lie’ “logan! everyone’s favorite character! little lies like these are the ones we’ve learned and told ourselves and others since childhood. it’s the very reason why being deceitful can be considered an act of self preservation. lies like these are the ones we tell to avoid any potential bigger problems & patton is exceptional at it. lies like these, constantly told can be incredibly detrimental. these would be the worst types of lies for patton to form a habit out of because he values relationships & happiness more than actual goals in comparison to the other sides.

"hey there, kiddo! i know it’s been kind of a rough day, but dahlia said she could use someone to talk to. just tell her you're a little sleepy but you'd love to have her over! she needs ya!"

"uh-oh! you're not really going to tell camden his shirt is ugly, are you? that would hurt his feelings! tell him you love it! it would make him smile!"

"yikes! you slept in, instead of hanging out with valerie? just let her know it was a crucial day for filming! she'll understand. we can hang out next time and bring her present to apologize, right?!

lies like these are the reason deceit took patton's form, because little baby white lies don't seem like trouble at all until you twist them to delude yourself.

"anxious? no way! this seems like a perfectly safe thing to do, it could be fun!"

"leo couldn't be mad at ya, kiddo! he's probably just tired! just leave that message on read and let him get some rest!"

"sad? not a chance! we'll just watch something silly and not think about it!"

continued exposure to deceit's room would have patton continually minimizing his and thomas's problems. he'd start to become stubborn in his "everything is fine!" phase. this could lead to dissociation and retreating mentally. leaving patton repressed and probably unable to even speak his true feelings properly, even if he wanted to.

Disney Hero: Giselle - (Enchanted) Disney "Villain": Peter Pan - (Peter Pan)

Virgil:

oh boy. if you thought virge in his own room was bad, keep him out of deceit's. virgil and deceit are two sides of the same coin, and that's self preservation. the only difference between the two is intention.

anxiety is a worry that you can't really control. it's what makes you double check if the door is locked and review your test answers one more time. deception is the same thing but a but more selfish. both usually stem from that increase of adrenaline and nervous fluttering of butterfly wings in your tummy.

anxiety is: oh no! okay. what do we do to make sure this okay and safe? deceit is: ..!! what do i do to make sure i'm going to be safe?

in deceit's room virgil's anxiety is heightened. being hyper vigilant he would see the changes in the others right away. his lies would start off cutting and sharp to break any illusions the other sides had about themselves. lies that hurt, but would help his friends.

"no. logan, you're wrong. that doesn't make any sense at all."

"you're foolish for even thinking that, princey."

"i don't like any of your ideas at all patton. they're all horrible"

if the others were straying towards their worst selves, his lies would be almost delusional in his desperation, and he would basically become the embodiment of paranoia.

"everything that they said is right. you did do a bad job. you are a bad friend. you did fail that test. you aren't funny, clever, or creative. this is a mess. this is all just a mess."

"we have to leave right now. roman is going to get too excited and tell thomas to jump off a cliff. he's going to kill all of us"

"logan, if you keep feeding thomas that twisted logic he's going to believe it every single time. then he'll think all lies are the truth. you're ruining his mind, logan."

"patton. patton stop it. just stop it. you're the reason we're here. you're going to ruin everything. we're never going to be happy again."

prolonged exposure to deceit's room would take virgil from worried, to paranoid, to delirious mania. his worries would be amplified, the fear in his own mind would be loud, and the fear for his friends would be louder, but the thought there was nothing he could do would be thunderous. if not pulled from deceit's room quick enough, virgil could become catatonic in a last ditch effort to save himself and thomas.

Disney Hero: Flounder - (The Little Mermaid) Disney Villain: Robert Callaghan - (Big Hero 6)

Deceit:

deceit on his own in his room isn't nearly as bad as the sides in their worst states. he's just constantly looking out for number one. himself & thomas. like roman & logan his focus would be on accomplishment. he's got goals, drive & ambition, & he's not going to let thomas be inhibited by outside or inside forces.

he'd push thomas towards his goals & carefully construct each lie, pick out the right words, & subtly slither past any obligations that would keep him from them, all the while constantly reassuring thomas they're doing the right thing.

in his best state, deceit is a subtle manipulator utilizing roman's passion, & logan's sound reasoning as a basis for why thomas should do things. patton's love for those around him and virgil's worry would be warped into a basis for why it would be okay to be deceptive.

"what if your friends get mad? you can't hurt their feelings!"

in his worse state deceit has the power to make everyone else do what he wants. amplifying roman's enthusiasm, skewing logan's reasoning, blinding patton's sense of morality, and silencing virgil. there's nothing to worry about, because nothing is wrong. now do as i say.

Disney Hero: Captain Jack Sparrow - (Pirates of the Caribbean) Disney Villain: Mother Gothel - (Tangled)

#mine.txt #ss analysis #episode analysis #character analysis #sanders sides analysis #virgil sanders #logan sanders #patton sanders #roman sanders #deceit sanders #sanders sides

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why-is-that-funny · 6 years

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Destiny - Chapter Six

i felt bad because of how tiny chapter five was, so here you go, chapter six, the tiniest bit of fluff before plot! are yall excited???? (you should be)

Tags: brief mentions of child abuse, swearing

Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five (Interlude), Chapter Seven, Chapter Eight, Chapter Nine, Chapter Ten (Interlude)

Virgil didn’t know how exactly it happened, but somewhere in the second day with the three sorcerers, they had convinced him to stay.

I’m pretty sure Patton flashed puppy-dog eyes at me, Logan argued his way into it, and Roman literally sang me a song about it. What the fuck have I gotten myself into?

As much as he tried to protest, though, they eventually wore him down, and somehow the guest bedroom had became Virgil’s Room. Which definitely did not make him cry into the sleeves of his hoodie. It really didn’t. Shut up.

And over time, he learned more about his new roommates.

He learned that Logan was seriously into nature as a whole and spent way too much time researching. He was into astronomy, and it became ‘their thing’ to look at the stars from a telescope, one of Virgil’s more mellow music playlists droning on in the background. And when Virgil had a panic attack, he would knock on Logan’s door. Logan would grab two blankets from the hall closet, go downstairs into the kitchen and grab trail-mix, and then they both would sit in front of the TV and watch nature documentaries.

Virgil learned that Patton was a cinnamon roll. Honestly, if Virgil had to think of the human embodiment of goodness and purity, it would’ve been Patton. Patton would always pull Virgil into helping cook or bake, dancing around in the kitchen. Virgil would always shake his head, but eventually was dragged into dancing along. When Virgil was feeling too down on himself, it was like Patton knew and would come find him and distract him, whether with movies or cuddles. Virgil finally remembered that Patton could actually feel those emotions and when he started to feel that way, went to Patton first.

(The first time he did that, Patton cried. It was embarrassing. And also very nice.)

Finally, Virgil learned about Roman. Roman was a drama queen, in all honesty, but the kind that was never really annoying, and instead was pretty entertaining. Roman loved theater and singing and would never stop, much to Virgil's reluctant amusement. If Roman wasn’t singing, he was humming, and if he wasn’t humming, he was rehearsing his lines for plays. Roman was also very athletic, which surprised Virgil more than it should’ve after seeing those arms. He would jog every morning and do yoga in the evenings. Virgil eventually joined him, and did not at all use the opportunity to stare at his ass. They shared a love of comedy and would often watch Youtube skits together late at night.

Virgil learned about their history together too, about how Patton and Roman grew up together and their powers manifested when they were eleven and twelve. They met Logan in middle-school, who told them that his ability manifested when he was eight. Apparently, they had stayed close ever since.

They also told him about Patton’s younger brother, Thomas, who apparent knew about powers and would be coming to visit soon. Virgil was wary, for a lot of reasons.

What if he doesn’t like me? What if I accidentally hurt him with my magic and get kicked out? What if he’s secretly evil or something?

He didn’t voice most of these concerns, just the one about him accidentally hurting him with magic. Logan was quick to reassure him that it would be impossible, because Virgil’s magic was based on protection, which meant his magic is literally impossible to hurt someone with on accident. In order for Virgil to have offensive targets, he would have to force himself to feel ill-will towards them.

The magic training was hard. Virgil had to learn how to breathe properly, how to stand, how to move his hands depending on what he wanted to use his magic to do.

He learned wards - protection spells for a specific area, which meant no one with malicious intent could enter, shields - which came in handy when Roman wanted to fence with him. Never again. He learned different types of spells, such as lighting up a room or moving something without manifesting his magic in the physical world.

And in every day, Virgil allowed them to get to know him as well. He hesitantly told them what had happened the day Patton found him. Patton checked up on the little girl and found out the children were in a different home, the father and mother in prison for neglect and child abuse. He told them about his past, how he ended up going from different house to different house because he was never the happy kid people wanted. He told them in hushed tones about how sometimes, it was bad, and he would be lucky if he got to eat or escape with no broken bones. He talked about how some places were pretty nice, when he got a TV or new clothing.

The four of them just clicked, like they had known each-other their whole lives, even though it had only been a week and a half. They were a team, a unit, a...a family.

Virgil loved them, not that he would ever say it out-loud. For one, it was just too soon to say it, much less think it. For two, he was a lot of things, but sappy sure as fuck wasn’t one of them. But he loved them.

He called Patton ‘Dad,’ mainly because he wouldn’t stop calling Virgil ‘Kiddo’ and because of all the dad jokes, which were awful and made Virgil laugh or smile everytime he heard them.

Logan was like his cooler big brother, if he would’ve had one.

Roman...well. Virgil didn’t want to think about what he classified Roman as in his head.

Boyfriend material! That’s what Roman is!

Again, he didn’t like to think about it for too long.

But they were comfortable and happy, which honestly was a sign that Virgil should’ve known that things were going to go to shit.

Taglist:

@ryuity

@shadowkittycat97

@sandersmarvel

@hahanoiwont

@phlying-squirrel

@sandersfanders

@brieflyenchantingcoffee

@confinesofpersonalknowledge

@fateoftheharuno

@samathekittycat

@yattwud

@keeshy-ekho

#sanders sides #virgil sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #thomas sanders #prinxiety #logicality #platonic moxiety #platonic analogical #platonic logince #platonic royality #platonic lamp #sanders sides fic

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gloomy-goober · 6 years

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The Ghost of Christmas Past

Anxiety’s first Christmas out in Thomas’ mind was spent down in his basement; alone. It started to become a trend even after he revealed himself to the others. This was something he was used to, something he convinced himself he is fine with, but...is he? (unedited)

(This is kind of a new thing where I am sticking multiple ages into one story. So it fits in EVERYWHERE in the timeline of Growing Up Parts of a Whole while also being my attempt at poetry. Merry (late) Christmas ~A)

Tag List: @holdnarrytight @fandomsandanythingelse @justanotherpurplebutterfly @twinkly-lights @here-to-vent @that-space-gay-writes @fangirl4ever @louvrejpeg @abstractedthinking (I do not have my tag list on me! I am copying this from what I can find buried in my blog. Send me a message/ask to put you name here!)

In the mind palace of Thomas’ head Lived three sides that were snug in bed. The stockings were hung and the tree blinged out, (Roman, that is not how it would be described.) (Well this is how it is going to be transcribed!) Because no one was thought to still be about. This was not true for, as you can you see, There had always been a number of sides that was greater than three. A new boy had left his shadowy cave Trying to learn what this new world gave. What he found was bright lights, laughter, and hearts Yet he did not find the rest of Thomas’ parts...

Anxiety peered out in the living room from the small crack he had made in the door to the basement. He had not been up in awhile and seeing the place still lit up was strange. A tree decorated with lights and baubles now sat in front of a fire place that had not existed last month.

Three large socks, stockings he told himself, hung in front of the fire place. One had a dog face on it, one was a plain blue, and the last was a mickey mouse one. Cookies and a glass of milk sat out on the coffee table.

Anxiety stared at everything in confusion. His mind slowly working to pull from the host’s own memories to understand what he was seeing.

Christmas Eve.

A time filled with family and cookies, carols and fun movies. A time where Thomas was up late waiting for a man he was starting to doubt was real. Anxiety blamed himself for that doubt, he always made Thomas doubt.

He pulled at his hoodie’s long sleeves as he crept into the room. Gently letting his hand touch the stockings. They already had presents inside them. He wanted to peak inside but he knew that it was not his place.

The anxious side wondered who had put them there. They were just figures of imagination; parts of a personality. There was no way Santa Claus could come into their little home and leave the presents. The proof of that was the uneaten cookies and full glass of milk.

The young side sat down on the couch and ate a cookie. Looking over all the holiday decorations. Who ever did all this they had done an amazing job. He loved looking over it all.

Heart was probably the main force behind the decorating with Creativity putting the extra sparkle. He wondered what it had been like; the three older sides all in the living room bickering and laughing as they got ready to celebrate the holidays.

Anxiety wished he had the strength to reveal himself to them. He wished he could have joined them in the holiday festivities.

He looked at the cookie in his hand; the sprinkle covered Santa smiled brightly at him even though he was missing an arm.

“Maybe next year,” he sighed and put the cookie on the plate.

The small side made his way to the kitchen and went to get more supplies so he would have more food in his room.

Christmases came and then they went Yet none of them were really spent With the other three sides that lived up above; Yet the young lad still dreamt of their love. It took a few years for him to be found But still the young child could not be unwound. This little side, made of Anxiety and fear, Found himself unable to join in their holiday cheer.

Coming and going from the basement had taken time to adjust to but the young facet had finally gotten used to it.

Anxiety still had the habit of listening before he opened the door and jumping a little when he saw one of the older three in the common area but it was fine. Now he did not have to worry about introductions, or small talk, or even them hating him. He already knew where they stood on his presence.

Heart was excited but contained himself, Logic was dismissive, and Creativity hated his guts for some reason. This was the fact of the mind palace.

Another fact was that Virgil had no idea what happened around Christmas time as he had always been in the basement with his own work. Making Thomas worry about family gatherings and excite him enough over what the presents would be was tough work. Add that to the general other worries that came with being a teenager.

The youngest side stared at the mess of the common room from his spot at the basement door. It looked like someone had thrown up red and green and sparkles.

In the middle of it all was Patton and Roman; stick together in a ridiculous two-human sweater that was as red and green as the rest of the mess. It was not surprising that Roman had made sure he was on the side that said ‘nice’ while Patton’s said ‘naughty’.

“Anxiety!” Patton beamed brightly when he saw the youngest side. Momentarily forgetting about how he was stuck with Roman as he bounded over to give a one-armed-hug the boy. “I was just about to break free and come get you. We are doing our Christmas planning~”

Virgil stared at Heart a little confused at the statement, “Get me? Why?”

“Family tradition, right Ro?” Patton looked at his ‘Nice’ companion.

Roman looked up from the scroll he had and looked at Anxiety like it was the first time he noticed the other side. “Oh...hello Anxiety. What are you doing from your creepy cave?”

Anxiety rolled his eyes, “Looking for food. Since when were you on the nice list?”

“Excuse you, I am Santa’s favorite helper!”

“I wanted to get you so you could be in the family tradition,” the emotional side said before the two could start bickering, “We can make you a stocking and decorate the tree. Make cookies and you can even join in on the Secret Santa drawing! It is so much fun finding gifts for everyone.”

Anxiety’s heart swelled up with a tiny bit of hope that he usually wanted to keep dead.

Heart was actually asking him to be apart of Christmas; to spend an important holiday with them. He could not believe it...this had to be a trick.

“I...I don’t know, Pat,” Anxiety mumbled.

“Please?” Heart pouted. “I want you to be there.”

“If Anxiety does not feel up to such a loud and bright tasks then we should not force him, Heart.”

The three sides looked over as Logan entered the room. The logical facet had a terrible Christmas themed sweater vest and had a large box. Probably more decorations to add to the mess.

“Besides, prolonged social interaction may not be ideal with how much he is working right now for Thomas.”

“I have been meaning to talk to you about that,” Roman suddenly cuts in and looks directly at Anxiety. “Can’t you stop? Just for a moment? Let Thomas enjoy his Christmas without worrying about knowing some distant relative that came to give him cool presents?”

“Creativity,” Heart frowned, “It is not Anxiety’s fault that Thomas is a little extra nervous.”

Roman frowned, “He is the literal embodiment of Anxiety, Patton, how is it not his doing?”

The hope in Anxiety’s chest died. Logan gave good reasons on why he should not join in and Roman seemed not to keen on the new side stepping in to join in on the fun.

Patton was doing his best to defend the younger’s place in the family but Anxiety made up his mind.

“It’s fine guys,” he said softly, “I don’t really want to do this anyway.”

Patton stopped mid-lecture to look at the boy in front of him. “But...kiddo...”

“Logic is right, I don’t want to get overstimulated. I shouldn’t push myself,” Anxiety tucked his hands into his over sized hoodie’s sleeves for comfort. “Besides, I just came up here for a snack. I am kind of worn out; Thomas napping is giving me a break.”

“Are you really sure you don’t want to join us?” Patton asked calmly.

Virgil did not dare to look at the eldest’s pleading eyes. He just started to move towards the kitchen. “Yeah. You guys have fun....I guess.”

“Alright then!” Roman said, taking over the situation as Anxiety left it, “I think we need to start with the tree...”

Years did pass, more and more. And the side did find it was a chore To stay away from the other three But he had been told it could never be. The boy, Thomas, grew up fast And the others found they could meet him at last. Together the new group celebrated together While the other side was alone in the cold weather. His first time out had gone as expected He wished Thomas understood he just wanted him protected.

Virgil sat in the living room inside Thomas’ mind. The apartment had taken some time to get used to after so long in the old configuration of the mind palace. he guessed this was better for a layout. His place was still super far away from the others.

Usually he would not be out in the open but Princey, Logic, and Morality were out in the real world. Since showing themselves to Thomas the three of them had been very active in and out of the mind space. Either for video ideas or just talking with Thomas.

Right now they were on screen with Thomas.

Patton messing around in the kitchen with an elf-hat on; probably making cookies. Roman was around the Christmas tree singing along to the song on the T.V. show with Thomas right next to him. Logan was on the couch with a Santa hat on, probably given to him by Roman. He looked relaxed under the comfy, holiday themed blanket.

Anxiety curled more under his blanket and rested his chin on his knees. Since Thomas had become a larger part of the picture Virgil had been pushed further to the side. Appearing to the other when the others were not around just labeled him as a problem for them to get rid of.

“How does this look, Thomas? I would say it is my best work yet,” Roman stepped back from the Christmas tree with a large smile.

“It’s very...red and gold,” Thomas laughs, “Kind of throws off my side of the tree.”

When Thomas moved so did what Anxiety could see. The left out side let a chuckle out at the sight of all the brightly decorated side of the tree. Thomas’ side was a bit more personal; less about the color.

“I think they go well together,” Patton said happily as he brought out a plate of cookies. “Match you both amazingly.”

The chipper side sat down next to Logic and stuck a cookie in the more logical trait’s mouth before he could protest sharing the blanket.

The scene was so...nice. Anxiety tried to ignore the pain of loneliness as he watched. After so many Christmases alone he thought he would be used to being alone; he never got to see what he was missing.

He never got to see the presents under the tree, or how the tree was decorated. Never saw cookies freshly made or the smiles on their faces.

They did not even seem concerned about where he was or how he was doing.

The smile on Virgil’s face turned into a frown and he let the tv screen go off just as Patton began to chant for another round of watching Frosty the Snowman.

In the silence of the house he felt his own thought beginning to swarm him.

Failure.

Outcast.

Unloved.

Loser.

Anxiety pulled the blanket over his head and squeezed his eyes tight.

There was no holiday cheer when he was alone in the mind space. Just pain and loneliness.

Of course, now we know that this is Christmases Past. He is no longer the outcast. Roman, Patton, Logan, and Thomas too, Had finally gotten the clue With welcoming arms, they let him join in And celebrated when they got him to grin. We can leave it at that; in breathtaking glory For this is the end to this little story.

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