Simply speaking, Tavros doesn't have a hidden agenda. It's why people generally trust him. There aren't a lot of irons in the fire for him. He doesn't sneak around, forge and break alliances on a whim, or play games with people's heads for his own selfish desires, or really pick a fight about anything. All in all, he remains one of the most - if not *the* most - stable of all of the sGrub players due to his even nature and temperament. This simple, gentle personality makes it rather easy for him to get along with many of the people he comes across. He has a knack for friend making. And as an alien from a warmongering race, not a single one of these traits is considered "good" or "worthy". In all honesty, if it wasn't for his friends, he'd probably have been dead long before anything actually happened to him.
All in all, Tavros is just bad at being a troll. Even by the internet definition he falls short. He's bad at antagonizing people in a purposeful way. He's bad at maintaining a facade. The kid can't even whisper right.
In casual conversation, he was once quite prone to apologizing in advance for things or dismissing slights against him in an effort to placate a potentially angry party. He apologized for everything save for his own paralysis, but even then, seems to willingly accept blame for how much trouble it caused the people around him. This has changed significantly in the eons in the afterlife. Tavros apologizes just once for something that actually was his fault, interrupting Vriska's story with his squabble with John, and continues to assert himself and make himself more of Vriska's equal than her servant. Still, he's prone to being walked all over. Asserting himself is something he still struggles with, choosing to go with the flow rather than causing a fuss.
The boy is a stuttering, faltering mess in social situations, often unbearably awkward even in the most relaxed of conversations. The only people he ever seemed completely at ease with were Gamzee, Nepeta, and Aradia. He was generally very accepting of their strange quirks, welcoming of their differences, and values every second he spends with them.
Troll society told him that due to his gentle personality and paralysis, he wasn't worth a whole lot. With a certain person's constant bullying and the offhanded remarks from his other friends, it's not surprising that he preferred to keep his head down and tried to make everyone happy. When not tripping over himself with apologies, Tavros alternated between being painfully straightforward and beating around the bush. He fumbled for a simple explanation, backpedaled, danced around and even tripped over the point he's trying to make in a vain attempt to keep the other party from becoming angry with him. When "confident" he said what's on his mind and trusts that the other person will simply accept it, because in his mind confidence is the key to winning people over.
This is largely because he, even now, is simply not a confident person. His ideas of "confidence" are as warped as his idea of normal friendships. Even if he has good reason, he hides behind stronger people and tries to avoid conflict and confrontation out of fear. Decisions for him are not something that should be made on a whim, but should be consulted and spoken with so he can have a backup plan and maybe someone to save him should things go sour. He also does not handle trauma very well! He resorts to sleeping to play around on Prospit rather than to busy himself with leveling up and assisting his fellow players after a traumatic experience scarred him in canon, and is even more than happy to remain dead because it means he's safer from what's to come... up until a point, of course.
He only knows what he knows about confidence by having watched the more confident of the trolls, who have a lot more going for them than just their own self-assurance.
To Tavros, being loud and in-your-face was about as close as he could get. We see this spectacular failure at self-confidence for the first time after he consults Rose for advice on what to do with Dave, rejecting her offer to help with a boast of his own abilities. In the end, after accidentally blocking the human, he reverts temporarily back to his usual self to apologize for the mistake. Then he goes on to destroy Dave with his "sick fires", oblivious to the face that he has literally done nothing to the human with his fumbling attempt at slamming. And again, later, after the attachment of his robot legs and subsequent, incredibly forward, conversations with Jade, we see just how hard he's trying to pump himself up and seem like a somebody she could like.
Like I said, after dying it's not as bad. but he still maintains a number of misconceptions about how to be confident and self-assured. He's still reasonably sure it has something to do with being kind of mean to the people who aren't as good as you, and still tries to target people weaker than him to make himself feel better. He also said this gem of a line:
TAVROS: i NEVER HEARD THAT AGE OLD SAYING, iN MY CULTURE, sO, fUCK YOUR LINGUAL HERITAGE, aND GIVE ME THE RING,
All in all, Tavros was never very happy with himself in life. When he found himself enjoying something, he'd inevitably told that he was wrong for it and be shoved into doing something he didn't want to do. He had no agency. No opt outs. He spent most of his life well aware of how hopeless and unwinnable his situation was, and most of his afterlife coming to terms with the fact that he was unhappy with it. Despite how miserable his situation in life had been, Tavros always remained bright and hopeful on the surface. After dying, he found solace in the fact that no one would expect him to do anything at all. We can't talk about Tavros' self confidence without inevitably moving back to the complication that is his relationship with Vriska.
TAVROS: nO, i MEAN, iT WAS PRETTY MUCH MY FAULT, i THINK, TAVROS: i ATTACKED YOU WITH MY BOGUS SELF ESTEEM, aND i PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE, VRISKA: No, you idiot! That's not what happened at all. I sta88ed you through the chest 8ecause I was 8eing a huge 8itch! TAVROS: i MEAN, iT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, bUT THAT'S NOT REALLY HOW i REMEMBER IT,
Vriska is his bully. His worst nightmare. His greatest enemy. His best friend. It's summed up best as "it's complicated" and filled with rampant quadrant flipping, ultimately ending in the destruction of whatever friendship remained between them no matter how hard they try to make it work.
She prodded, she pulled, she pushed and did whatever she could to make him into a stronger person the only way she knew how. The result was certainly not as desired. She is a large part of the reason for his submissive, doormat personality. Yet, despite it all, it isn't until after promising Kanaya that he wouldn't speak to her anymore that he attempts to close off communications... which lasted for maybe five minutes. Even after killing him, he forgives her and goes back to letting her push him around without much fuss. He even seems to develop legitimate romantic feelings for her and starts accepting her assessments of him. Which, leads to lines like this:
TAVROS: oH GOD, TAVROS: nO, tIME OUT, i'M FLAGGING THIS, vRISKA, aS TERRIBLE BEHAVIOR, VRISKA: Tavros, the 8igger man is only ACTUALLY the 8igger man if he doesn't refer to himself as the 8igger man. That's kind of the point? VRISKA: Unless the intent is to produce some form of socially awkward comic relief, which let's face it, is what you're all a8out. VRISKA: 8ut that's what I like a8out you. TAVROS: yES, }:)
Prior to his death, her words were taken as truth and internalized. After he'd died, he stops caring. He makes no real effort to defend himself when an insult is tossed his way, and simply tries to distract her or present an argument to counteract whatever plan she has - usually prefaced with an "uh" and ending with a "mAYBE," or "i GUESS,". When she snipes at his faults, he simply acknowledges that she is "probably right" and leaves it at that. Without the massive disparity between their abilities, Tavros begins to realize that she's not always right and she's not been right about him. And that treating people like puppets isn't a good way to get things done, and it doesn't make him feel good to do it.
There are things he cannot and will not do. Even when people are bullying him and breathing down his neck. For one, he wouldn't kill (unless it's Lord English, but that's a boss monster and not a person) -- he doesn't have the heart for it. For two, he draws the line at apologizing or taking responsibility for things that were well beyond his control. For three, he absolutely refuses to lower himself any further than he's already been lowered. These traits have grown much stronger after his death, leading to a boldness he was previously lacking and a willingness to stand up for himself. It's always too little or too late, but in the end Tavros does what he feels is right.
Still, responsibilities and the "right thing" are not things that Tavros seems too invested in if it means serious effort. Above all else, Tavros seems to abhor being relied upon or having expectations put on his shoulders.
This is absolutely no surprise, since in the past any time anyone relied on him or expected something of him, he would inevitably fail to meet their expectations - leading to pain for him. Tavros is nothing if not practical and he understands the situation he is in well enough to know keeping his head down and not making a scene is a good way to survive it.
TAVROS: nO WAY, TAVROS: i LIKE BEING DEAD, TAVROS: i LIKE IT HOW THERE ARE NO RESPONSIBILITIES, oR PROBLEMS, uSUALLY,
He has his moral compass and it's a strong one. He knows the clearcut difference between right and wrong. But the idea of trying and failing keeps him away from intervening unless it's under the most dire of circumstances. In reality, Tavros has an incredibly low threshold for emotional and mental stress - while other trolls might snap and use violence, Tavros simply curls up in a ball and cries. As Karkat pointed out, something is "wrong" with him - he doesn't handle stress well, he's completely aware of his limits and doesn't try to push them. He doesn't really have the capacity for "hate", and doesn't seem to care. He dodges the possibility of being hurt at every opportunity and it often leaves him left out, and far behind the rest of the group in terms of strength. Whether or not this has changed post-death was never really clarified, but it's fairly safe to assume that the way he bends to Meenah's threats would be a no.
This bleeds into other areas. Added responsibilities mean growing up in ways that he doesn't want to prevent him from wanting to take part in anything at all. He's content to do things for the fun and pleasure of it, not because he has to or has any desire at all to fulfill an obligation. The Peter Pan homages are for more than just a nudge and a wink, Tavros is very much a victim of arrested development and Peter Pan syndrome - both a product of a lifetime of being shoved around, and the reason for the suffering in the first place. Most unfortunate is when he finally breaks free of desire to live consequence free and safe, he dies.
This leads back into a cycle of avoiding problems (staying dead, not wanting to live again, doing whatever Vriska says to make her happy) and being dragged along by his nose straight into them. He's a cautious person by nature, and that cautiousness leads him to desiring to play his whole life "safe". Even now, it's hard to say if Tavros has actually broken free of this or made any steps towards really living, as he jumps ship just when things begin to wind down towards their conclusion. When it comes to fight or flight, he will almost always choose flight.
And while Tavros isn't usually outright aggressive or hostile he is consistently passive-aggressive. Prior to death it was more subtle and hesitant, aiming for passively-asserting his feelings on the matter and is quick to back down when they're pressed.
AT: iT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THAT, mOSTLY, AG: Man. I knew it. Toreasnooze is 8ACK IN ACTION. AT: wHY DON'T YOU, iN LIKE, AT: a NOT BORING WAY, bUILD, AT: mORE INCLINED SURFACES, lIKE YOU DID OVER THERE, AT: mAYBE YOU COULD COLOR THEM, wITH FUN COLORS, AT: sO YOU WON'T THINK THEY'RE BORING AND GET ANGRY AT ME SOME MORE, after death, he's much more assertive and upfront about his feelings and opinions. TAVROS: nO, TAVROS: nO, TAVROS: nO, oKAY, i REALIZE ALL i'M SAYING IS NO, WHICH IS JUST HELPING MAKE YOU LOOK AS RIGHT AS POSSIBLE ABOUT MAKING FUN OF ME, TAVROS: bUT i LEARNED IN YOUR BRAIN THAT YOU AREN'T ALWAYS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING, VRISKA: 8ut like I said, that's suuuuuuuuch old news now, it might as well not have even happened. VRISKA: Tavros doesn't give a shit a8out that stuff anymore. TAVROS: hEY, wAIT, mAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T, SPEAK FOR ME? TAVROS: i STILL KIND OF THINK THAT STUFF WAS ALL PRETTY MEAN, eVEN THOUGH IT WAS FOREVER AGO, TAVROS: iT'S JUST, i HAVE CHOSEN TO BE THE BIGGER MAN, aND NOT HOLD IT AGAINST LIKING YOU,
While he still struggles to properly assert himself, he gets his points across with quiet, subtle comments, back-handed compliments, and asides to himself about how he feels on the situation. Tavros always tries to be the bearer of bad news as gently as he can be. Once in a blue moon he's pushed far enough to stand his ground and lays down the law in a less than kind manner - usually to Vriska, when he thinks she's gone too far or is too misguided, but even that is usually still overridden and will usually let himself be bowled over or told he's wrong.
no subject
Simply speaking, Tavros doesn't have a hidden agenda. It's why people generally trust him. There aren't a lot of irons in the fire for him. He doesn't sneak around, forge and break alliances on a whim, or play games with people's heads for his own selfish desires, or really pick a fight about anything. All in all, he remains one of the most - if not *the* most - stable of all of the sGrub players due to his even nature and temperament. This simple, gentle personality makes it rather easy for him to get along with many of the people he comes across. He has a knack for friend making. And as an alien from a warmongering race, not a single one of these traits is considered "good" or "worthy". In all honesty, if it wasn't for his friends, he'd probably have been dead long before anything actually happened to him.
All in all, Tavros is just bad at being a troll. Even by the internet definition he falls short. He's bad at antagonizing people in a purposeful way. He's bad at maintaining a facade. The kid can't even whisper right.
In casual conversation, he was once quite prone to apologizing in advance for things or dismissing slights against him in an effort to placate a potentially angry party. He apologized for everything save for his own paralysis, but even then, seems to willingly accept blame for how much trouble it caused the people around him. This has changed significantly in the eons in the afterlife. Tavros apologizes just once for something that actually was his fault, interrupting Vriska's story with his squabble with John, and continues to assert himself and make himself more of Vriska's equal than her servant. Still, he's prone to being walked all over. Asserting himself is something he still struggles with, choosing to go with the flow rather than causing a fuss.
The boy is a stuttering, faltering mess in social situations, often unbearably awkward even in the most relaxed of conversations. The only people he ever seemed completely at ease with were Gamzee, Nepeta, and Aradia. He was generally very accepting of their strange quirks, welcoming of their differences, and values every second he spends with them.
Troll society told him that due to his gentle personality and paralysis, he wasn't worth a whole lot. With a certain person's constant bullying and the offhanded remarks from his other friends, it's not surprising that he preferred to keep his head down and tried to make everyone happy. When not tripping over himself with apologies, Tavros alternated between being painfully straightforward and beating around the bush. He fumbled for a simple explanation, backpedaled, danced around and even tripped over the point he's trying to make in a vain attempt to keep the other party from becoming angry with him. When "confident" he said what's on his mind and trusts that the other person will simply accept it, because in his mind confidence is the key to winning people over.
This is largely because he, even now, is simply not a confident person. His ideas of "confidence" are as warped as his idea of normal friendships. Even if he has good reason, he hides behind stronger people and tries to avoid conflict and confrontation out of fear. Decisions for him are not something that should be made on a whim, but should be consulted and spoken with so he can have a backup plan and maybe someone to save him should things go sour. He also does not handle trauma very well! He resorts to sleeping to play around on Prospit rather than to busy himself with leveling up and assisting his fellow players after a traumatic experience scarred him in canon, and is even more than happy to remain dead because it means he's safer from what's to come... up until a point, of course.
He only knows what he knows about confidence by having watched the more confident of the trolls, who have a lot more going for them than just their own self-assurance.
To Tavros, being loud and in-your-face was about as close as he could get. We see this spectacular failure at self-confidence for the first time after he consults Rose for advice on what to do with Dave, rejecting her offer to help with a boast of his own abilities. In the end, after accidentally blocking the human, he reverts temporarily back to his usual self to apologize for the mistake. Then he goes on to destroy Dave with his "sick fires", oblivious to the face that he has literally done nothing to the human with his fumbling attempt at slamming. And again, later, after the attachment of his robot legs and subsequent, incredibly forward, conversations with Jade, we see just how hard he's trying to pump himself up and seem like a somebody she could like.
Like I said, after dying it's not as bad. but he still maintains a number of misconceptions about how to be confident and self-assured. He's still reasonably sure it has something to do with being kind of mean to the people who aren't as good as you, and still tries to target people weaker than him to make himself feel better. He also said this gem of a line:
TAVROS: i NEVER HEARD THAT AGE OLD SAYING, iN MY CULTURE, sO, fUCK YOUR LINGUAL HERITAGE, aND GIVE ME THE RING,
All in all, Tavros was never very happy with himself in life. When he found himself enjoying something, he'd inevitably told that he was wrong for it and be shoved into doing something he didn't want to do. He had no agency. No opt outs. He spent most of his life well aware of how hopeless and unwinnable his situation was, and most of his afterlife coming to terms with the fact that he was unhappy with it. Despite how miserable his situation in life had been, Tavros always remained bright and hopeful on the surface. After dying, he found solace in the fact that no one would expect him to do anything at all.
We can't talk about Tavros' self confidence without inevitably moving back to the complication that is his relationship with Vriska.
TAVROS: nO, i MEAN, iT WAS PRETTY MUCH MY FAULT, i THINK,
TAVROS: i ATTACKED YOU WITH MY BOGUS SELF ESTEEM, aND i PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE,
VRISKA: No, you idiot! That's not what happened at all. I sta88ed you through the chest 8ecause I was 8eing a huge 8itch!
TAVROS: i MEAN, iT WAS A LONG TIME AGO, bUT THAT'S NOT REALLY HOW i REMEMBER IT,
Vriska is his bully. His worst nightmare. His greatest enemy. His best friend. It's summed up best as "it's complicated" and filled with rampant quadrant flipping, ultimately ending in the destruction of whatever friendship remained between them no matter how hard they try to make it work.
She prodded, she pulled, she pushed and did whatever she could to make him into a stronger person the only way she knew how. The result was certainly not as desired. She is a large part of the reason for his submissive, doormat personality. Yet, despite it all, it isn't until after promising Kanaya that he wouldn't speak to her anymore that he attempts to close off communications... which lasted for maybe five minutes. Even after killing him, he forgives her and goes back to letting her push him around without much fuss. He even seems to develop legitimate romantic feelings for her and starts accepting her assessments of him. Which, leads to lines like this:
TAVROS: oH GOD,
TAVROS: nO, tIME OUT, i'M FLAGGING THIS, vRISKA, aS TERRIBLE BEHAVIOR,
VRISKA: Tavros, the 8igger man is only ACTUALLY the 8igger man if he doesn't refer to himself as the 8igger man. That's kind of the point?
VRISKA: Unless the intent is to produce some form of socially awkward comic relief, which let's face it, is what you're all a8out.
VRISKA: 8ut that's what I like a8out you.
TAVROS: yES, }:)
Prior to his death, her words were taken as truth and internalized. After he'd died, he stops caring. He makes no real effort to defend himself when an insult is tossed his way, and simply tries to distract her or present an argument to counteract whatever plan she has - usually prefaced with an "uh" and ending with a "mAYBE," or "i GUESS,". When she snipes at his faults, he simply acknowledges that she is "probably right" and leaves it at that. Without the massive disparity between their abilities, Tavros begins to realize that she's not always right and she's not been right about him. And that treating people like puppets isn't a good way to get things done, and it doesn't make him feel good to do it.
There are things he cannot and will not do. Even when people are bullying him and breathing down his neck. For one, he wouldn't kill (unless it's Lord English, but that's a boss monster and not a person) -- he doesn't have the heart for it. For two, he draws the line at apologizing or taking responsibility for things that were well beyond his control. For three, he absolutely refuses to lower himself any further than he's already been lowered. These traits have grown much stronger after his death, leading to a boldness he was previously lacking and a willingness to stand up for himself. It's always too little or too late, but in the end Tavros does what he feels is right.
Still, responsibilities and the "right thing" are not things that Tavros seems too invested in if it means serious effort. Above all else, Tavros seems to abhor being relied upon or having expectations put on his shoulders.
This is absolutely no surprise, since in the past any time anyone relied on him or expected something of him, he would inevitably fail to meet their expectations - leading to pain for him. Tavros is nothing if not practical and he understands the situation he is in well enough to know keeping his head down and not making a scene is a good way to survive it.
TAVROS: nO WAY,
TAVROS: i LIKE BEING DEAD,
TAVROS: i LIKE IT HOW THERE ARE NO RESPONSIBILITIES, oR PROBLEMS, uSUALLY,
He has his moral compass and it's a strong one. He knows the clearcut difference between right and wrong. But the idea of trying and failing keeps him away from intervening unless it's under the most dire of circumstances. In reality, Tavros has an incredibly low threshold for emotional and mental stress - while other trolls might snap and use violence, Tavros simply curls up in a ball and cries. As Karkat pointed out, something is "wrong" with him - he doesn't handle stress well, he's completely aware of his limits and doesn't try to push them. He doesn't really have the capacity for "hate", and doesn't seem to care. He dodges the possibility of being hurt at every opportunity and it often leaves him left out, and far behind the rest of the group in terms of strength. Whether or not this has changed post-death was never really clarified, but it's fairly safe to assume that the way he bends to Meenah's threats would be a no.
This bleeds into other areas. Added responsibilities mean growing up in ways that he doesn't want to prevent him from wanting to take part in anything at all. He's content to do things for the fun and pleasure of it, not because he has to or has any desire at all to fulfill an obligation. The Peter Pan homages are for more than just a nudge and a wink, Tavros is very much a victim of arrested development and Peter Pan syndrome - both a product of a lifetime of being shoved around, and the reason for the suffering in the first place. Most unfortunate is when he finally breaks free of desire to live consequence free and safe, he dies.
This leads back into a cycle of avoiding problems (staying dead, not wanting to live again, doing whatever Vriska says to make her happy) and being dragged along by his nose straight into them. He's a cautious person by nature, and that cautiousness leads him to desiring to play his whole life "safe". Even now, it's hard to say if Tavros has actually broken free of this or made any steps towards really living, as he jumps ship just when things begin to wind down towards their conclusion. When it comes to fight or flight, he will almost always choose flight.
And while Tavros isn't usually outright aggressive or hostile he is consistently passive-aggressive. Prior to death it was more subtle and hesitant, aiming for passively-asserting his feelings on the matter and is quick to back down when they're pressed.
AT: iT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THAT, mOSTLY,
AG: Man. I knew it. Toreasnooze is 8ACK IN ACTION.
AT: wHY DON'T YOU, iN LIKE,
AT: a NOT BORING WAY, bUILD,
AT: mORE INCLINED SURFACES, lIKE YOU DID OVER THERE,
AT: mAYBE YOU COULD COLOR THEM, wITH FUN COLORS,
AT: sO YOU WON'T THINK THEY'RE BORING AND GET ANGRY AT ME SOME MORE,
after death, he's much more assertive and upfront about his feelings and opinions.
TAVROS: nO,
TAVROS: nO,
TAVROS: nO, oKAY, i REALIZE ALL i'M SAYING IS NO, WHICH IS JUST HELPING MAKE YOU LOOK AS RIGHT AS POSSIBLE ABOUT MAKING FUN OF ME,
TAVROS: bUT i LEARNED IN YOUR BRAIN THAT YOU AREN'T ALWAYS RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING,
VRISKA: 8ut like I said, that's suuuuuuuuch old news now, it might as well not have even happened.
VRISKA: Tavros doesn't give a shit a8out that stuff anymore.
TAVROS: hEY, wAIT, mAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T, SPEAK FOR ME?
TAVROS: i STILL KIND OF THINK THAT STUFF WAS ALL PRETTY MEAN, eVEN THOUGH IT WAS FOREVER AGO,
TAVROS: iT'S JUST, i HAVE CHOSEN TO BE THE BIGGER MAN, aND NOT HOLD IT AGAINST LIKING YOU,
While he still struggles to properly assert himself, he gets his points across with quiet, subtle comments, back-handed compliments, and asides to himself about how he feels on the situation. Tavros always tries to be the bearer of bad news as gently as he can be. Once in a blue moon he's pushed far enough to stand his ground and lays down the law in a less than kind manner - usually to Vriska, when he thinks she's gone too far or is too misguided, but even that is usually still overridden and will usually let himself be bowled over or told he's wrong.