#but the possibility is intriguing

[beauty-and-passion]

Headcanon: the doomed future of Father Cronus

I thought my next headcanon post would come after the introduction of the Orange Side. But then I had a great brainstorming session with my dear friend @dorriostareyes about this part of my headcanon and it was so fun, I had to further develop it in a full post.

(Of course, if you, my dear - or anyone else - want to add more, feel free to do it! I would’ve never written this post without your contribution after all :D)

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An obligatory premise

In order to understand where this headcanon comes from, there are a couple things you have to know first. If you read any of my fanfictions, maybe you already know them. But in case you haven’t or you forgot, here they are:

1) There’s a reason why Janus has this name and the reason is that, just like the god whose name he bears, he can see the past and the future. His vision of the future, however, is not 100% perfect or accurate: he can see possible futures, doomed futures, or parts of the actual future. He can only interpret and decide which one to follow - or wait for the future to just happen.

2) Every time Janus meets a new Side, the mind gives him an introduction about who this Side is/will be and it shows him the possible futures of this Side. For Logan, it showed him how he could thrive or wither. For Roman and Remus, the mind showed him a future in which Thomas used them both.

And for Patton, the mind showed him two possible futures: in the first one, Patton is a caring, father figure, the Sides are all together and Janus can trust him. In the second one, Patton is a tyrant who takes control over the mind and his figure is associated with the god Cronus.

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Who is Cronus?

Cronus is the ancient god of time from Greek mythology. He is famous because he overthrew his father Uranus (the primordial ruler of the universe) and became the new ruler by taking his throne.

However, soon Cronus learned from his mother Gaia (the primordial mother earth) that he was destined to be overthrown by his own children, just as he has overthrown his father. To avoid that, he devoured all of his children, as soon as they were born. Only the last son, Zeus, escaped his fury, thanks to his mother who devised a plan to save him. This plan will then lead to Zeus successfully overthrowing his father and becoming the new ruler of the universe, thus fulfilling the prophecy. But that’s another story.

So, as you can see, Cronus isn’t exactly a nice figure. He is an incredibly powerful force of chaos and disorder: he is not just a god, but a Titan i.e. a primordial force of the universe. And he defeated the first ruler of the universe. According to the myth, the Titans were ALL scared of Uranus: only Cronus was bold enough to take the lead and defeat him.

But Cronus is also a being who was so afraid to lose his power, to do the most terrible thing a father could ever do: devour his own children. If you’ve ever seen Saturn Devouring His Son from Goya you might have an idea of what I’m talking about.

And this was also the starting point for my headcanon.

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The association with Patton

Patton is and will always be a very powerful Side. He is the center of Thomas’ emotions and his own heart. Patton is a force impossible to ignore: whether Thomas wants it or not, in the end, he will always have to deal with Patton.

Patton never used his power with malice: he did wrong, sure, but never to hurt. His one and only goal was always to guide and help Thomas.

Patton is a great liar and manipulator but, again, he never does it because he wants to hurt others. He never forces the other Sides to agree with him. All he wants is to work together.

This is the Patton we all know, the one that has always talked about cooperation and compromise, the one who does wrong and apologizes, the one with no bad intentions behind his actions.

But how would Patton be if, instead of pursuing compromise, he focused on his goals only? How would he be, if he decided that he was right and everyone else was wrong? How would he be, if he used his influence and power with malice?

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The one and only ruler

This Patton is a tyrant. He is the only guide Thomas ever needs, the only Core Side, the main one. Thomas must follow him and listen to his advice only, because Patton knows best: he knows what’s good and what’s bad, so if Thomas has any doubts, he should ask him. Patton will always guide him on the right path.

Of course, this Patton didn’t get so much influence in a day: he gained it slowly, day by day, by being on Thomas’ side for every little thing. Oh, a friend is asking for your help, Thomas, wouldn’t it be nice to help? It would and you would be very happy! See? Aren’t you happy, now that your friend is happy too? Good kids are happy when their friends are happy and you are a good kid, so of course you’re happy!

Look, Thomas, that poor child doesn’t have anything while you already have so much. Wouldn’t it be nice to give your toy to them? Aren’t you good? You are and good kids like you always do good things.

Mom and Dad are so proud of you, Thomas, when you do good things! You should always be good, so they will be happy too. And others will be happy too. Wouldn’t it be nice to be good for the rest of your life and always take care of others?

And Thomas would listen. Why should he question Patton, after all? He’s his guide, he always points him on the right track. If Patton says something is good, then he can be sure that thing is good. And if he says something (or someone) is bad, then Thomas should stay away from it as much as possible and everything will be okay.

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“Devouring his sons”

This Patton is a tyrant, but he’s also a father. He has a family, of course. And he is more than happy to introduce his kids to Thomas.

The first Side he introduces is Logan: he’s Thomas’ logic, so he is immensely helpful! He will help Thomas through knowledge, he will show him proofs of goodness and, when Thomas doubts Patton, Logan will provide evidence to support Patton’s point. After all, Patton is always right so it’s natural that logic would be on his side.

The second Side Patton introduces is Roman: he’s Thomas’ creativity, so he is even more helpful! Thanks to him, Thomas will find a lot of ways to help others. Roman is full of wonderful, family-friendly ideas that will always do good and be good, so Thomas knows he can do them and be even better than he already is.

And then, Patton introduces another, random Side. And this one is his kid too, of course: everyone is his kid and he’s a father of a very big, happy family!

But Thomas should be careful because this kid is problematic. This kid doesn’t behave too well. This kid can be dangerous for Thomas. And yes, sure, Patton talks to him and does his best to make him good, but this kid is still very bad. He just refuses to be good. Thomas can’t be good with such a bad Side around. What if he does something terrible because of this Side? What if he hurts someone, because of this Side?

Thomas can’t hurt anyone. He should - no, he must be good. And the bad Side refuses to change. Can Thomas do anything? No, of course not, only Patton can do something but, oh no, nothing works. Maybe they can ignore this Side? No, they can’t either, because this bad Side will always push Thomas to do bad things. And Thomas doesn’t want to be bad, right?

There is only one thing they can do to solve the problem and, as always, Patton has the right answer.

As I said in my headcanon about the life of a Side, Sides cannot kill nor be killed. The only one who can hurt them is Thomas. So, what would happen, if Thomas gets forced to choose between “a very dangerous” Side and his one and only guide, who has always shown him the right thing to do?

Just like Cronus devoured his sons, this Patton would (metaphorically) do the same. He would be the tyrant, who rules the mind over mountains of bodies: the bodies of all the Sides he made Thomas kill, to keep his power intact.

Because he’s the only one who is good.

Because he is the only one who is right.

And Thomas should be as good and righteous as Patton wants him to be.

And so, every time a new Side appears to challenge him or even just to change Thomas’ perspective, Patton welcomes said Side with open arms and sugary smiles, introduces him to Thomas, shows Thomas how terrible and bad this Side is and how impossible it is to change himm, then he convinces Thomas to destroy that Side.

Of course he won’t talk about “killing”, nor “destroying”: he would just tell Thomas he has to “get rid of” that Side. Because that’s what Patton is doing: he’s getting rid of all the bad things that might push Thomas to be bad.

All he’s doing all of this for Thomas’ sake.

Only after some time, Thomas will finally realize what he’s actually doing when he “gets rid” of a Side. But he doesn’t have to worry: Patton is here to reassure him that was absolutely the right thing to do. Patton knows Thomas better than the mind. And it doesn’t matter if the mind keeps creating “bad” Sides: Patton is there, to help Thomas recognize between good and bad.

Because only the good Sides will survive.

Because only the Sides who work with him can survive.

Because if you are against him, you will be destroyed.

Would Thomas have any doubts about this whole thing? Sure, of course. But Patton is his good, trustworthy guide. He would never give him bad advice.

And so the cycle goes: new Sides are born and try to oppose Patton, only to get destroyed. Because either you are with him or you are against him.

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Logan: neutral yet cold

This Thomas won’t be an actor. He must help others, so he must do a job centered on this.

Like being a doctor. A doctor can help a lot more people than an actor and bring a lot more good into the world. It’s the perfect job and Thomas must do his best, to be as morally righteous as Patton wants him to be.

This job is the gift Patton gave to Logan, to get him on his side. Patton always knew logic is very powerful and that having logic against him would be a HUGE thorn in his side. How can he justify his morals to Thomas, if logic itself is against him? How can he make his power more stable, if one of the strongest destabilizers works against him?

And so, he tries to lull him with his usual weapons: sugary words, cuteness, an overly innocent behavior.

Nothing works, because Logan does not care. He does not care about morals and emotions because those are not his area of expertise. His only goal is to gather more knowledge.

So Patton makes him an offer instead: work with me and I will let you be closer to Thomas than any other Side. Work with me and I will grant you access to all the knowledge you want.

This works: Logan is interested. He agrees and Patton convinces Thomas that being a doctor is what he has always wanted.

This puts Logan in the best possible position: like every Side, he wants to be close to Thomas and this job allows him to be close to Thomas almost all day. He can also constantly expand his mind because doctors never stop studying and learning. He has everything he wants.

In exchange, all he has to do is support Patton’s ideas when necessary. He just has to pick all the evidence supporting him and ignore the ones against him. That’s all. And, again, not that Logan cares: all he cares about are knowledge and being close to Thomas. Feelings are not involved.

So, well, the good thing about this possible future is that this Logan is the fully neutral logic he is supposed to be. However, this Logan never deals with his emotions - on the contrary, he completely ignores them. He doesn’t care about Pattor or the other Sides, he doesn’t care about the constant battle of the mind against the tyrant. He just took advantage of the situation: Patton is the one in charge, no one can overthrow him, so he sides with him to get what he wants. Simple as that.

However, since this cooperation is not made out of love but of convenience, if Logan is sure Patton is going to lose, he won’t have any problem changing sides. Still, even if he does that, he won’t openly oppose Patton: he would still pretend to be on his side while working on the sidelines for the resistance. He would be a major player in the exchange of information, a great help in letting more Sides talk to Thomas and his knowledge would be incredibly useful in general.

Still, he won’t do any of that, until he is absolutely sure of Patton’s defeat. He won’t lose everything he gained, for “morals”, “good causes” or “wellbeings”. Those are all concepts he doesn’t understand or care about. All he wants is knowledge and if someone can grant him that, he will work with them.

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Roman: Prince without kingdom

If Roman is angsty in canon, in this possible future Roman is very, very miserable.

He is the Side most influenced by Patton, who molded him into the perfect, obedient son. He’s still allowed to make Thomas creative, but his creativity should always be good and righteous and serve others, not the ego.

That would tear Roman inside because he is not just Creativity, but Ego too. And, according to these morals, he should basically deny half of his role, while constantly stifling the other half to meet impossibly high morals.

As a result, his ego is devastated and Roman clings to every second of creativity Patton grants him, no matter how much he should twist and turn his works to meet Patton's standards.

And these seconds won’t even be enough: Thomas is a doctor, so there’s not too much room for Creativity. Roman’s time with Thomas would be short and even shorter will be the times when he can use his abilities.

Still, would he complain about that? Oh no, he can’t. He should be the perfect son of Patton’s perfect happy family: he can’t complain, nor criticize his father.

But he can try asking for a little more. A little more creative freedom, a little more time with Thomas, a little more in general. Patton can grant him this, right?

Sure, Patton would say with a kind smile and soft words. He can give Roman everything he needs. He’s already giving him everything he needs! He has plenty of space to be creative: he has a whole room to do beautiful, good things. And he has Thomas too! Thomas is aware of his existence, so he can ask for Roman every time he needs him. Isn’t that perfect? Isn’t that what Roman wants too? To be useful for Thomas? He always says he wants to work for him: isn’t he happy to do that? Sure he is. Then all he has to do is keep doing his great job. He’s a beautiful, good, righteous prince. He knows what is good and what is bad. And if he has any questions, he can always ask for his dad and Patton will help him immediately!

And so Roman trusts Patton and keeps going with his job. He is a righteous prince. He should be the one Patton wants him to be.

However, he would still be consumed inside by jealousy. Logan spent 30 minutes talking to Thomas? He’s jealous. Logan can expand his knowledge as much as he wants? He’s jealous. A new Side is introduced to Thomas and spends some hours with him? He’s jealous.

And of course he is, he’s the embodiment of ego. He wants things for himself. But, again, Patton taught him to not be selfish so Roman can’t be selfish.

That leads to him constantly denying his own nature, keeping his thoughts inside and venting only in the depths of his room, deeply hidden from Patton’s sight.

This Roman won’t care about the Others. He would barely see them - except for the occasional Side that is introduced to Thomas and then destroyed. For Roman, they are just a bunch of terrible Sides, who constantly try to oppose Patton and their happy family.

Does that mean he would be able to physically hurt one of the Others? I don’t think so. It would be too much for him. And if he does it even by mistake, he would be obsessed and consumed inside. No matter if Patton comforts him and says it's okay and he did well: slaying fake monsters is a thing, slaying a Side is haunting. It’s a being like him. And hurting others should be wrong, right? Hurting is bad, right? And he’s not bad. He’s good. He must be good.

What would Roman think about his brother, Remus? Well, that’s more complicated. Roman should care about his brother because he’s his brother and family is important and caring for family is good. But Remus is full of weird, awful, bad ideas. And Roman can’t have bad ideas. He can’t be bad. He’s good. He’s a good prince.

As I said in my previous headcanon posts, Remus’ ideas can rise from his room up to Roman’s. If under normal circumstances Roman would just let them be and modify an occasional good idea when necessary, in this timeline he would be so obsessed with the idea of being good and righteous at all costs, to not let them emerge as much as they should. He would voluntarily block most of them and the few that can go past his control would be hidden deep down, away from Patton’s sight.

The final result is a very tamed creativity, even more tamed by Roman himself, in a desperate attempt to make his creations acceptable to his father figure. Maybe, if Patton likes them, he will give him more freedom. Maybe, if Patton likes them, he will grant him more time with Thomas.

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Remus: the most hated Side

Remus is everything Patton’s morals are not and this makes him the most hated Side of the entire mind. Every time Remus sets foot in the Subconscious, Patton is already there, ready to stop him. They would look at each other and Patton, with his sweetest tone and honeyed words, would ask him to come back into his stinking place, where his hideous influence won’t touch Thomas or his brother.

Or, if he wants, he can take another step. And suffer the consequences.

Remus won’t give a shit about Patton’s insults or his subtle threats. He doesn’t care about his morals. He doesn’t care to be nice or diplomatic: he sees past Patton's shit and openly tells him he is the worst. He does not move an inch and just tells him how disgusting he is.

It’s fun to tell Patton what he thinks, but Remus is still pissed. Patton is still succeeding in pushing him back. Remus still can’t find a way to get past his control.

But we all know Remus has a sharp mind: if Patton stops him, it’s because Remus hasn’t found the right way to sneak past him yet. He has to be more clever, more subtle, more creative. And so he keeps trying: he tries to sneak into the Subconscious, he tries to sneak his ideas into his brother’s room. He doesn’t always succeed, but when he does, it’s a small victory and it pushes him to try harder, to be even more creative.

Because that’s all it is about: being creative. He wants to free his creativity - and to free his brother’s creativity too. He’s Creativity just like him, so he deserves to create whatever he wants, no matter if Roman doesn’t think so. He’s his stupid himbo bro, after all, and Remus just wants to have fun by annoying him as all brothers do.

And he can't do it if Patton stays in the way.

Remus would be an absolute bitch. If the Others are the only force strong enough to oppose Patton, Remus is the one who tries the most. He has reckless plans and risks his life more than any other Side: but he’s clever, he always finds a way. And when he gets into trouble, Janus saves him before Patton can land a finger on him.

The result is that Remus keeps annoying the shit out of Patton and Patton can’t manage to get him long enough to destroy him.

At the same time, Patton isn’t sure he really wants to destroy Remus. First of all, he’s Roman’s brother and he’s not sure he will keep Roman’s blind trust intact if he kills his brother. Secondly, Remus is a rather huge part of Thomas’ Creativity (even if Patton doesn’t like the idea in the slightest) and the consequences of destroying him might be very dangerous for Thomas’ life. Too dangerous to even try.

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Virgil: a son and a spy

If in canon Patton and Virgil are a very powerful team, here they would be a terrifying good team. If Logan is the justification Patton needs to keep his power intact, Virgil is the force that scares everyone into submission, Thomas first. A grim reminder of how good and righteous he should always be: this is exactly what Patton wants.

So, just like he did with Logan, Patton tries to pull Virgil to his side. Virgil is a good guy, after all, he just wants to protect Thomas. And Patton can explain it to Thomas. He can convince Thomas to see Virgil in a better light and accept him. Doesn’t Virgil want to talk to Thomas? Doesn't he want to protect him? Doesn't he want to be accepted? If he works with Patton, he will be accepted. He saw what happened, to all the bad Sides who didn't work with Patton: they are all destroyed now. But he can avoid this terrible fate, work with Patton and be part of his perfect happy family, in which everyone does what Patton wants. Wouldn't that be great?

Virgil would be very, VERY conflicted about this offer. He knows Patton is too powerful and must be stopped: he actively works with Janus and the Others to do exactly that. He constantly tries to get to Thomas, for the sole purpose of reducing Patton’s influence on him.

At the same time, Virgil is a Side and all Sides want is to get closer to their person. In Virgil’s case, this need overlaps with another need: he wants to fulfill his role as Thomas’ protector. And, to do that, he can’t leave Thomas with Patton, the last Side who will be able to protect him.

But working with Patton makes him even more anxious. Virgil knows what happened to all of his dead brothers and he knows that, by working so close to Patton, he has to watch his every move, if he wants to survive. He has to keep calm and collected. He has to lie and hide his real thoughts. And he has to do all of this while being in the enemy’s territory 24/7, with zero contacts with the Others and zero ways to get in touch with them - because if Patton ever finds out, he won’t live long enough to regret it.

Virgil would be torn inside between two equally powerful forces: his fears and his need to protect. What should he do? What is the right choice?

He would talk with Janus about that. He would discuss Patton’s offer with him and Remus. And, in the end, it would be Janus himself to tell him to accept, for three reasons:

Virgil would fulfill his primary role as a Side (i.e. to be closer to Thomas)

Thomas’ protection is more important than anything else. If Virgil joins Patton, he will be constantly controlled, sure, but if he behaves, he would be allowed to talk to Thomas and protect him. And Thomas needs a protector as close to him as possible.

Virgil would be Janus' eyes in enemy territory and see if the Core Sides are willing to help overthrow Patton. He should be a spy, for the others and Thomas’s sake.

And, so Virgil becomes Janus’ spy. He goes to Patton, with an already planned lie: he left the Others because he and Janus had a fight. Because Janus insists they have to oppose Patton, but Virgil thinks maybe Patton is right, since he is so good at guiding Thomas. Maybe they should just follow Patton. But Janus refuses to understand, so Virgil left to prove him wrong.

The lie is plausible, enough for Patton to allow Virgil in. Still, he keeps a close eye on everything he does. But Virgil behaves: he doesn’t do anything weird, zero contact with the Others, Janus himself says he doesn’t want to hear from him.

Little does Patton know they don’t have to meet in person, to communicate. A slight change in Thomas’ behavior, a tiny act of selfishness, anything is good enough to prove to Janus that Virgil is okay and he’s protecting Thomas. His son is doing his job.

Virgil’s life as part of Patton’s perfect happy family won’t be easy. In the beginning, he would be very discreet with the other Core Sides. He would keep to himself and spend most of his time looking at how they talk, react and think. He learns about their jobs and thoughts. On the surface, he does it because he wants to better know them. Deep down, he’s searching for any chance of possible cooperation.

Logan would be tricky for Virgil, because of his lack of emotions. He would have a hard time, trying to figure him out. Until it would be Logan himself, with his clever brain, to realize Virgil is still on Janus’ side.

And so, he hints he knows and Virgil asks him to not tell anything. Logan would comply: after all, Patton never asked him to check if Virgil was on his side or not. Their deal is only about Logan’s cooperation with Patton... and if he made a deal with Patton, he can make deals with anyone else.

That’s what Virgil needed: now he knows that, if necessary, Logan would side with him and the Others.

Virgil’s relationship with Roman, on the other hand, would be very different - and yet, somehow similar to canon. At first, Roman won’t like Virgil because “urgh, he’s just another awful Side that steps into our perfect family” and Virgil won’t like Roman, because “urgh, he’s just a stupid, brainwashed Side”.

But the more time he will spend with him, the more he will start to feel sorry for him. This Virgil is used to Remus’ bright creative outbursts, so it’s very sad to see Remus’ brother, another Creativity, be so stifled. Virgil would spend time with him, give him appreciation, talk about trivial stuff. It would be an extremely slow plan to erode all the strict morals Patton instilled inside him - but he should still be extra careful because Patton is always watching.

Initially, Roman would be annoyed, but then he would slowly open up to Virgil. Before him, all he had were Patton and Thomas. Now he has someone to talk to, to laugh with, to show his works to. Someone he can, maybe, even call... friend.

This is Virgil’s new life. A life constantly on the line, with a terrifying tyrant watching upon him, while slowly gaining the other Side’s trust. Only at night, hidden in the room Patton accommodated for him to keep him away from the Others, he would let his thoughts roam freely and miss his family. He would miss Remus doing his crazy shit, his dead brothers and the ones still alive. And he would miss Janus, the father who gave him such a difficult mission, because they both knew how important it was to protect Thomas.

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Janus: the leader of the opposition

There is no doubt that, due to the knowledge he gained long ago from his vision of the future, Janus would be the first one to oppose Patton. He would oppose him by all means: by openly telling him what he thinks of his morals, by openly admitting he will never side with him, by constantly finding new ways to get past his control, so that his Sides can get closer to Thomas.

While in canon Janus takes care of three Sides, in this universe he would take care of a lot more Sides. He would have a lot of sons, all born from the mind in a desperate attempt of the mind itself to contrast Patton’s oppressive morals.

Janus would love each and every son. He would take care of them and give them the family they deserve. They would trust each other and make plans together, trying to find a way to get them as close to Thomas as possible. Janus would send them in the Conscious with a blessing.

And he would see each of his beloved sons being destroyed.

That would make him even more melancholic and cynical, compared to canon. He would live in constant pain for all of his losses. It’s hard for a father to lose one son, just imagine how devastating it would be to lose sons all the time.

At the same time, these losses would make him even more motivated in his battle against Patton. He wants to stop him and he will do it. Patton might be the one in charge, but things always change. And even though Janus still doesn't have a vision of the future in which things changed, they will anyway. He believes it. He has to believe it, because he refuses to think his kids will live in an oppressive tyranny forever.

Remus and Virgil would be the closest sons to him: Remus is wild, unpredictable, clever and an amazing ally. Also, he’s a creative force. And there’s another creativity he wants to get back, a force closer to Thomas: his brother, who is unable to express his creativity in full like him.

And, as the mind suggested to him long ago, Janus knows Thomas needs both of these aspects of creativity to work well.

Virgil is the son closest to Janus, the most similar to him: they are both protectors, they have the same visions of the world, they both understand the importance of taking care of Thomas.

And so, when he becomes a spy for Janus and the Others, Janus completely trusts him. He knows Virgil can do it. He knows he can survive. He’s clever, he’s strong, he’s good. He can do it. They plan everything together, down to the details. They are ready.

And then, that same evening, Janus finally realizes he is sending his most beloved child into the enemy’s territory. He won't be there to support or save him if things go bad. He won't be able to talk with him for a very long time. Maybe, if things go wrong, he won’t see him anymore.

That’s the only time Janus would break down completely and allow himself to be weak and desperate, to cry all of his tears and fear for the future.

But then, the day after, he would get back on his feet. Surrender is never an option. He will keep opposing the tyrant forever. Even if Patton destroys everyone else, even if only the two of them remain, he would still oppose him.

Their battle would mostly be made of conversations and subterfuges. Patton refuses to listen to anyone who goes against him - except for Janus. Janus is the only one who can talk to Patton, tell him he’s wrong, ask for a truce and get it.

However, those truces won’t live long: Patton might calm down for a week and give Thomas some peace of mind. But then he would suddenly destroy something or someone, claiming that Thomas wasn’t "as morally righteous as he was two days ago" and that he had to intervene.

In response, Janus would make more plans to get his Sides closer to Thomas. They might appear in the Subconscious, in Thomas’ dreams or whisper things to him while Patton is busy. Patton finds out about these rebellions, maybe even tries to get the trespassers, but fails. When he and Janus meet again, Janus would deny everything, while still confirming he won’t let Patton do whatever he wants.

Despite that - and despite knowing full well Janus is behind all of this - Patton never tries to destroy him.

Why? Essentially for two big reasons:

1) To make Thomas destroy Janus, Patton should first introduce him to Thomas, then convince Thomas he doesn’t need Janus.

But if he introduces Janus to Thomas, Patton would automatically lose this battle. Being introduced to Thomas is exactly what Janus wants: if he can talk to Thomas, he will tell him the truth, unlock all secrets and make him aware of what’s happening in his mind.

In addition to that, Patton will never be able to convince Thomas that Janus isn’t useful. He is Thomas’ self-preservation: no excuse is good enough to justify getting rid of him. Even if he says Janus is Thomas’ deceitful side. That won’t work either, because that’s not all Janus is and Patton knows very well.

Janus’ role is too deeply rooted in Thomas' existence. He can’t die and Patton can’t let it happen. Because destroying him would mean killing Thomas and everyone else.

2) Even if Janus wasn’t such a fundamental part of Thomas’ existence, Patton would still refuse to destroy him. And the reason is that, deep down, below all layers of self-righteousness, he still cares. He still sees Janus as Safe, his first friend. And he still wants his friend by his side.

Just imagine how powerful would he be, with the power of Thomas' own self-preservation supporting him. No one would oppose him ever again. He would be unstoppable, the one and only true ruler of the mind.

And so, he would offer Janus to be on his side. He would try to convince him with everything he has: threats, sugary words, memories of their childhood, deals. He would offer him power and control over everything. And he would see his offer being rejected every. Single. Time.

That would make him very, VERY mad. Why can’t Janus understand that Patton is right about everything? Why is he still so stubborn? He hates him. And yet, he still asks him again and again and again. And he still cares.

And Janus would use this attachment as leverage - because he also, deep down, still cares about his old friend. Otherwise, why would he waste so much time talking to him? Because he wants his friend back. Because saw two possible futures, when he was young: he saw the tyrant, but he saw a father too. A kind, gentle figure who worked with him and with all the Sides, who didn’t want to be a tyrant, but just a father.

Janus wants that future. And he will do anything in his power to get it.

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The mind: loss of balance

Aside from Janus who would spend years suffering for the whole situation, the mind would be the most compromised by Patton’s tyrannical rule. All the mind wants is to reach a balance and one Side ruling over everything and everyone isn’t balanced at all.

So the mind keeps making new Sides. They are all born from the Unconscious and slowly, under the guidance of self-preservation, they find a way to get past the Subconscious and reach the Conscious, up to Thomas. And then, they get destroyed by the tyrant.

The mind gets divided into two huge domains: Conscious and Subconscious under the tyrant’s rule, Unconscious under Janus’ control. Despite wanting full control over the mind, Patton won’t try to venture into the dark domain of the Unconscious: too dangerous, too wild, too many enemies and not “good” enough. He fears it and keeps it away from his reign. He would meet Janus on the border between Subconscious and Unconscious, not one step further.

However, even though Patton doesn’t want to venture into the Unconscious, his actions would still affect it, as well as the whole mind. Thomas’ mental health oscillates between moments of pure concentration while working, to brief moments of self-fulfillment while doing something good for others, to feeling utterly miserable for hours because he neglects himself too much.

That’s a difficult balance to maintain forever. Patton can do his best to keep everything in balance, but all he needs is one mistake to lose everything. And the more he goes on, the more difficult it is.

In the worst-case scenario, Patton can do it. He can keep Thomas under his thumb until he dies - maybe while doing something to save others. And if Patton would tell him it’s good to die like this,  all Thomas would feel in his last moments is relief: he doesn’t have to think about others now. He doesn’t have to do it anymore. He can finally rest.

In the most plausible case, Patton makes one mistake. Maybe he asked Thomas a little too much at the wrong moment. Maybe he pushed Thomas once too often. Maybe Thomas just reaches his limit.

And that would cause the uprising of the Faint Ones.

_______________________________

A possible overthrown

As I said in my first headcanon post, the Faint Ones are an agglomeration of concepts and ideas hidden in the depths of the mind, which represent the darkest, most inhuman part of ourselves, way more inhuman than intrusive thoughts and with no real purpose rather than destruction.

All these forces want is to rise and take control but, when the mind is perfectly balanced, they are kept deep down by self-preservation and never find a way to get out.

However, when there is a huge mental problem or a big toll has been taken from the mind (i.e. after a murder), the Faint Ones can grow stronger. And the worse the situation is, the stronger they become.

In this case, the Faint Ones are already a lot stronger than they are in the "canon universe”. Janus pushes them down basically every day and still, they manage to gain more ground. It’s a constant struggle to not lose more planes to them.

Until the day Thomas reaches his limit and has a full breakdown.

As soon as the mind loses its balance and its power gets weaker, the Faint Ones grow stronger, break free and climb the Unconscious at full speed, by destroying thousands of planes in their wake.

The huge trespassing and the damage caused by them, instantly activate the mind’s defense mechanism, which consists of essentially two things happening at the same time:

All Sides automatically lose their power, get locked into their rooms by the mind, and fall into a deep sleep

Janus takes full control of the mind and pushes the Faint Ones down by force

This won’t be fast, but it will take at least a couple of days. And while self-preservation pushes these forces down again, it also starts rebuilding the damaged planes. It’s not a perfect rebuild, but it doesn’t matter: it should be strong enough to give Thomas’ mind something to keep the balance between Conscious, Subconscious and Unconscious. Then it will be the mind itself to properly rebuild every plane. What matters now is that these forces are locked in the depths again and the mind is stable enough to not crumble.

The obvious consequence of all of this is that Patton will lose his power and Thomas will find out about Janus’ existence.

And the moment he finally meets him, he also realizes something very, very important: he needs help.

After his breakdown, this Thomas would do A LOT of therapy. He would need a very long time to reevaluate things in life and understand how wrong his mentality was. During this period, the mind would slowly start the rebuilding process, aiming for the balance it missed for a very long time.

However, the alarms won’t be turned off right away and Janus will still have full control for a very long time, to avoid any possible resurgences. Even after the alarms are off, he would still be unofficially in charge for some time, before the Sides can reach a full balance. And yes, scars would still be there, both in the planes and in the Sides’ minds. Time will help, but things just won’t be fully healed with a snap of the fingers.

Roman would take a very long time to heal, but the fact he is a creative force will surely help. Remus would help him explore more of his own creativity, Virgil would give him the appreciation he missed. Still, he would be deeply insecure and fear every moment he thinks about something selfish.

Logan would adapt quite soon, but his real change would take place in the far future, when he will finally confront his own feelings. And yes, he will also acknowledge that Patton’s rule was bad and that he is relieved to live in a better, more balanced mind.

While speaking of Patton… well, I like to think he would improve too, one day. Maybe he won’t completely switch from a tyrant to a father but he would mellow a lot.

Sure, he would still think he’s right and that he has always worked for Thomas’ wellbeing. However, he won’t be in charge anymore. He would offer his contributions only when allowed and they would be just a contribution out of many others. Thomas would be free to finally choose whatever he wants, without worrying about how selfish or not his choice is.

And Janus would keep Patton a on tight leash forever - something he would jokingly refer to as his reward and his punishment. He has his friend again, but he won’t be the same friend he had in his childhood. Things are different now. They are different and the mind is different too. But, this time, they can work together and compromise. And maybe, even if Patton will never say it, he likes this present too, when he can work with his friend and not constantly oppose him.

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_______________________________

TAGLIST:

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[chironeis]

the thing is that martin thinks it took "two years of crisis and trauma" just to make him and jon compatible and the reason jon doesn't know how to rebut that wildly incorrect fact is because he's barely aware that he had a stick so far up his ass in season one that it grew roots in his brain before he stubbornly and meticulously and with gritted teeth plucked them all out. jon could've plucked those roots out before all the trauma and crises if he simply chose to. and he would. in so many universes. because martin (and friendship and love and connection) is worth it. mic drop

[eterniravioli]

are they family or are they fucking? you decide.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Reasons to play In Stars and Time: Canon Pronoun Warfare.

[smthaboutuss]

Omg that would be absolutely brutal if Val only cared about the sexual aspect of their relationship?? 💀 I had to draw it

[eyeofthebrainstorm]

Caleb, sitting on a cozy chair, having a snack with fresh tea and pastries while cuddling a cute cat: Essek, we're still spies, undercover agent working together for different sides of a war and dangerous powerful magicians, right?

Essek, knitting a scarf, laying on the bed, with a quilt on his legs: of course, dear.

[moonkhao]

EST SUPHA as PO and WILLIAM JAKRAPATR as THAMEin Thame - Po ・HEART THAT SKIPS A BEAT (2024ISH)

[great-and-small]

As an entomologist who runs a public-sector mosquito control program: thank you for helping with tying to educate people on why mosquitoes are important to the environment and should *not* be completely eradicated. Yes the populations of certain species should be controlled in certain areas, but with over 3000 different species worldwide (all occupying different habitats and ecological niches) complete elimination of mosquitoes in general both cannot and should not be done. Only a comparative handful of mosquito species are a concern re: spreading disease, the rest of them either don’t bite humans at all and/or they are not competent vectors.

And now because I can never resist plugging my faves: one example of how cool and unique mosquitoes can be is the species Uranotaenia sapphirina. Not only do they have beautiful metallic sapphire markings, they’re also the only currently known species to specialize in feeding on invertebrates! They will bite mammals and birds a bit, but they overwhelmingly prefer taking blood from earthworms and leeches!

Anyway, this ask is getting long so I’ll stop yapping. Your blog is cool and keep up the good work!

(P.S. can confirm that the photo you found was indeed an Aedes aegypti - another fascinating species in its own right not least because it’s one of the few invertebrates besides honeybees one could make the case to say is domesticated)

I have to sincerely thank you for not only your very kind words but also the gift of knowledge about several bugs that I will very much be falling down the rabbit hole to learn about. I have to admit I am in awe of her

[harmonictechnicality]

I am a big ‘Steve and Eddie crossed paths in high school’ believer for one main reason.

Season 3, episode 7. Steve has just been drugged by the Russians, and tells Dustin this:

“How many times, Dad? I don’t do drugs. It’s only marijuana.”

By that statement alone, we canonically know that Steve smokes weed. And I can’t imagine that Hawkins is rolling (pun intended) in an array of high school-aged drug dealers. So Steve has probably purchased weed from Eddie.

Another important note, is that he says ‘how many times.’ Plural. Multiple. Steve has probably purchased weed from Eddie multiple times. And knowing that Eddie has a hidden spot where he likes to make his deals, it’s safe to assume that Steve has probably been there. Sitting where Chrissy sat. Having awkward small talk with Eddie. Having Eddie do something ridiculous to break the tension, equalize the social hierarchy with humor.

And they probably developed some sort of customer/dealer dynamic. Which means there’s a level of trust there, right? Keeping secrets (not ratting Eddie out), and remaining loyal (only purchasing from Eddie). So Eddie trusts Steve on a basic level. Which adds to the reason why he doesn’t cut Steve’s throat in the boathouse in s4. Dustin swearing on his mother helped sway his decision too, no doubt.

And sure, Steve could’ve bought weed from someone else. Fine. Whatever. But isn’t it more fun to think that they’ve interacted quite a bit before season 4?

Even if it’s just strictly business? ;)

[justdecadentcollectiondestiny]

One thing about disco elysium that really intrigues me is how it doesn't exactly break the fourth wall, it bends it. It doesn't have anything explicit where either the narrator or Harry acknowledge that "hey we know we're in a video game", but Harry's video-game-y-ness is still acknowledged and either explained by Harry's character or acknowledged that this is a weird thing that Harry does and not how Normal people act. Real life people don't constantly zip from one "interactable" object or "container" to the other, but Harry does because that's just the preferred method of officers in his precinct. Real life people can't/don't run everywhere they go, but Harry does/can. Because he used to be a gym teacher. On the other side of the "weird", it's a total mystery to everyone else how Harry can get people to just reveal anything he wants to know. That's just how Harry is. It's weird, and people acknowledge how weird it is. He literally has a reputation as the "human can-opener". Real life people don't speak in "lists" or "trees" of questions, and Harry can even acknowledge that he only has a limited number of "options", to which everyone replies "What the hell are you talking about." Many people can even remark how much Harry loves questions, which Harry usually just chalks up to being a cop, but that's never the full answer. So Harry is either the weirdest person in the world because Normal people don't act like video game protagonists, or he's the only normal one because he's the only one who's actually acting like he's in a video game (which he is).

[mayasaura]

Imagine if Marcille ran away with the chimera in episode 17. She's just confused! Falin is still in there; she can fix her!

The fun part is, I don't think the Faligon would hurt her. None of the casualties in that fight were people Falin knew. She even went out of her way to scoop Kabru away from Laios before crushing him, instead of going for the kill where Laios would take collatoral damage. Falin is still in there.

[kidokear]

Peak Gabv1el development (for me, at least) is when someone calls V1 an object and it's Gabriel who go off on this someone, like, he will not allow anyone to entertain that notion. This angle will defend V1's autonomy and sentience with his life.

I think it's sweet and it's a great way to show how far their relationship and bond (romantic or platonic) has gone. Gabriel going from calling them a thing to not letting anyone to call them that and even taking offence (probably more than them) to someone thinking of them like that? How can I not love this? He's the king of fast character development. XD

[mags-writes]

me, 14 and reading the end of mockingjay:

me, 24 and reading the end of the ballad of songbirds and snakes:

[d0d0-b0i]

I’ve recently seen that the request box is open, so maybe Zavok noogies Rough, please? If you don’t mind🥹. Just wanna see more of these lovable villian🙏

[pinksilvace]

@levshany: Caleb is also a bird

Me: [instant fear]

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

ON THE TOPIC OF BARNABY. as well as his relationship with Wally.

So. To kick this off - Riv (@funonion) and I were Speculating, and they introduced me to the johari window:

They put Barnaby in the “facade” section, and I entirely agree. To quote them;

“So he’s Wally’s guide, right? He’s the “knowledgeable” one of the two and is always the one teaching him new things. And you know, it’s one thing if you’re just teaching him how to laugh or how to tell a joke. But.

Clown has given us two doors. One says that Barnaby understands Wally in a way the rest of the neighborhood doesn’t, and is willing to do his dirty work so to speak. The other says that their friendship was not a natural occurring thing and had to be enforced repeatedly within the show. HOW THAT’S BEING ENFORCED IS ANOTHER THING ENTIRELY but it is worth it to note.

What is Barnaby willing to keep? What is he willing to bury for his little buddy? I can’t say anything definitively yet, but the fact that I even have to ask is telling. The class clown archetype is usually used as a way to cover up for something else a character might be experiencing”

And my response, (I won’t directly quote because I have little things in the phrasing & elaboration to add / tweak );

Barnaby being a Comic Relief Character immediately raised so many alarms in my head. I love comic relief characters. They’re always so fucked up in one way or another, and Barnaby is almost certainly SO inauthentic. He’s wearing a comedy mask just as opaque as Wally’s own mask. In everything we’ve seen about him so far he’s either Teaching Wally, wisecracking/joking, or… pretty much nothing else. We got that moment of concern in audio 14-14, but that doesn’t reveal anything beyond genuine care for Wally.

Comedic characters have the best disguises. Their poker faces & ability to deflect is always top tier [and practiced], and just look at comedy-focused actors and entertainers - so many of them have severe issues, either with their mental health or life. From what i’ve observed both in that aspect & with fictional characters, they play it off & work hard to entertain/deflect [one in the same] right up until the end. Sometimes it’s a coping mechanism. Usually it’s both. If they laugh loud enough and make people think they’re lighthearted fools w/ nothing underneath, no one will look any deeper and thus they’re “safe”. 

& I’m a little suspicious that Barnaby’s red/orange/yellow spots aren’t naturally those colors. While yes, he could be (in-universe) designed that way to echo Ms. Beagle, there’s a strong possibility that that’s not it. What if he paints them to feel a connection to her, or it’s a physical manifestation of Barnaby covering up his insecurities/issues - what if it’s part of him striving to convince the world that he is what he paints himself as. 

The laidback funnyguy with a loving mom and not a problem in the world. 

And I mean, Barnaby claims to be a natural blue and I believe him! But the other colors? I’m doubtful

(I was going to include the Cast As Lil Kids Designs in this since Barnaby has all blue spots, but given how early in 2021 it was posted and how there seem to be little discrepancies from the ~official~ designs, I don’t want to provide it as evidence.)

& on the topic of Wally and Barnaby’s relationship being both real and not - disclaimer, this conversation happened before my Updated Thoughts On Them post, so there may be some minor rephrasing here from what I originally said - I’m sure that the relationship started out as inauthentic. Wally was assigned Barnaby as a best friend and technically vice versa, but I don’t doubt for a second that it became real to some extent. Clown wouldn’t treat their relationship outside of “canon” WH stuff the way that he does if they weren’t actually friends. They’ve said that Wally & Barnaby would be friends in every universe (which melts my heart <3 platonic soulmates my beloved <3), so then I have to agree with Riv. what WILL Barnaby do for Wally? I touched on this in the Milk Theory, but especially if Barnaby prides himself on “knowing Wally better than anything else”, what would Barn do to preserve that?

This relates to another conversation we had - Barnaby possibly having abandonment issues. It’s such a choice to have him of all characters be explicitly stated as an orphan. That and while every other Neighbor with a mentioned family have a somewhat large one (Howdy and his gajillion relatives, Julie and her three siblings, Poppy and her crowded tree [note: Eddie has a mentioned mother, but that info is tenuous and who knows if there are other Dears]), Barnaby has also explicitly stated that Ms. Beagle is his only family. That’s it. And farm life can’t be a sociable way to grow up, not with all the chores he must have had and how rural he might have grown up. Barnaby jokes that Home is the “Big Apple”, which could just be a joke - but jokes often come from a place of truth, and Home might be the most populated area Barnaby has lived in. Who’s to say!

Either way, Barnaby was orphaned one way or another, and I don’t doubt that it weighs on him. Especially if  his birth parents really did abandon him. That added to a possible life of loneliness… I wonder if he’s latched onto Wally emotionally, which would hit all the painful places if it turns out that my “Barnaby is more attached to Wally than Wally is to Barnaby” theory has merit. Abandonment issues could also strongly back the apparent walls he’s plastered over with circus tent fabric

Back to Barnaby & Wally: the fact that, at present, Barnaby and Wally seem to have the best disguises / strongest masks. That. looking at 14-14, i suspect that Barnaby is excellent at keeping his up, but as soon as Wally’s mask cracks, so does Barnaby’s. 

And then there’s the side of their dynamic that we could look at - it seems to be a very multifaceted relationship. The way that Barnaby genuinely cares yet in the 00 Halloween audio Wally was left off to the side and Barnaby was just “checking on him” while socializing (then again, this could be part of Barnaby understanding Wally & respecting his space / Wally wanting a break from that socialization). Barnaby is patient with Wally and yet he seems to sometimes treat Wally as his sidekick / let him fade into the background and yet Barnaby kept checking in on Wally during the 14 bug audios (this last one I could tie into the abandonment issues theory). 

Then there’s how Barnaby calls Wally kid & can tend to treat him like one despite both of them being in the same age group. The way that all of this could, in a way, relate to the infantilization of autistic people (no matter how well-meaning or unintentional) & internalized ableism. 

Note: Riv pointed out that Barnaby does seem to be doing the best with what he has, and that this can connect to the Johari Window’s blind spot / unknown. 

I do agree with this wholeheartedly! And I have to mention that - and making a Very educated guess here - the interactions we’ve seen take place in the very late 60s / very early 70s, so Barnaby’s behavior towards Wally is actually pretty fucking stellar given the time period. We can’t expect him to be perfect or do everything / say everything right. That would be boring I think! And one thing I deeply appreciate about the Neighbors & their dynamics is that they feel like real layered people, not cardboard cutouts being perfect caricatures of what people are “supposed” to be like.

Riv also presented this:

We likely are going to reach a point where Wally asks Barnaby something that he can’t / doesn’t want to / won’t answer. And like.. Ok. This is a slight tangent but I swear it’s related! When I first discovered WH and learned the Wally basics, I wondered two things.

Are we going to watch Wally “discover” new emotions? Because he certainly has them. Clown has said that Wally only ever feels happy, and a lot of people took that to mean that Wally can’t feel anything else. I don’t think we should take that answer at face value, because. I mean. Look at the project & creator we’re talking about. Layers, guys. Indirect direct answers. I think that Clown meant that Wally only ever feels happy in the Neighborhood because he has no reason to feel any negative emotion. Everything is as it should be. Until it isn’t - and I think that’s where he’s going to have to struggle with new emotions as he encounters them through new situations/events unfolding as the “story” starts to deteriorate. We’ve actually seen this a little bit - in Wally’s record audios (i believe the chronological second to last?), the way he says “Let Me In” so insistently. That’s definitely not a positive emotion being expressed. 

How will the topic of death be handled - because it will be handled, it’s stated in the project warnings. I was wondering this even before I read the list, because I was presented with a blank slate puppet character and so went “oh fuck, this dude doesn’t know about death, does he?” Obviously I wanted to know how that would go. I want to know how it Will go! 

How would Barnaby explain emotions that Wally doesn’t know how to convey? How would Barnaby explain death in a way that Wally would understand - given that Barnaby (& all the Neighbors sans Wally) knows what death is  - and would Barnaby be willing to explain such a thing? I have a feeling we may find out.

And in a way, I suspect that if none of them know, Wally will find out himself and have to process it without help. But then again, how can something die if it was never really alive in the first place? Unless the death warning relates to human characters… I’m currently assuming it relates to both humans and puppets. 

In conclusion: Barnaby has a carefully fabricated facade, he's doing the best with what he has but it likely won't be enough, and uh. shits fucked!