I finished writing it and in the last couple days I read it all: I can confirm that now everything works a lot better than before, I am satisfied wit hteh conclusion and I hope you will be too.
So, what happens now?
First of all, the episode analyses: they are all written, I just have to proofread them. Once they will be ready to go, I will post them - so you can expect frequent updates from now on.
After the episode analyses will be over, I will start posting the episodes of FSS3. They will be available on AO3 too, so you can save them here on Tumblr or on AO3.
And that's all for now. After all of this is over, I will write another post to explain what happens next, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves: this adventure is far from over.
The analysis of Can Lying Be Good will come soon, so keep an eye around for that one ;)
Welcome, everyone, to the unofficial season 2 finale.
First I will post the four parts of my take on the season 2 finale of Sanders Sides, then all the episodes of season 3.
Updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
HERE is the explanation of the project
HERE is the introductory post
HERE the AO3 link to read this part (every part will be available both here and on AO3)
As said in the introductory post, Fanders Sides Season 3 (season 2 finale included) could have triggering themes/scenes. Please keep that in mind before reading.
And now, finally, let's start.
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This episode serves as a recap of the situation until now.
Thomas and Nico are on a date and we get to know Nico a little more: he studied art and literature. He wants to be a songwriter and a few singers already commissioned him some songs, but he’s still not gaining enough money to leave his current job. So, he keeps working as a bartender and he usually picks the night shifts, because the salary is better. Also, he’s kind of a night owl, so he doesn’t mind staying up late.
Thomas comes back home, still giggly and excited about the date. Everything was perfect, everything was amazing, Nico is amazing.
Roman approves and revels in the beautiful feeling of love. He looks completely satisfied and relaxed, even if his expression still shows an underlying tension.
Logan is happy too. Nico seems nice, but they are still wasting too much time in basic discussions about themselves: they should talk more about art and literature, since Nico is an expert in this field. They can compare their favorite writers, talk about their favorite singers and discuss the different musical genres.
Roman doesn’t care about the topic of their conversations: they can talk about everything they want, they can even talk about grocery lists and it would still be wonderful and perfect.
Patton is happy for Roman and admits that yes, Nico really seems like a nice guy. It’s good Thomas found love, he makes his old dad proud!
Virgil gives a sarcastic remark: jeez, thanks Patton for giving your approval, now we can keep seeing him. But we’ll do it anyway, because Nico seems a very cool guy.
Thomas agrees: Nico is great, isn’t he?
All Sides give their approval, except for Janus, who just stays in a corner, minding his own business. Thomas notices it and asks him what he thinks about Nico.
Janus replies that he’s not interested in Thomas’ mushy, romantic feelings. They are not his area of expertise.
(Both Roman and Virgil give him a dirty look.)
However, adds Janus, since it looks like this guy makes Thomas happy, he is happy as well.
Thomas confirms he’s very happy indeed and tells his Sides there will be another date tomorrow. He is over the moon, he can’t believe Nico enjoys his company so much, to ask him for another date!
At the same time, he’s a bit worried: is it okay? Are they truly ready for this? He doesn’t feel… ready. Is he going too fast, maybe?
Roman laughs: too fast? If anything, they’re going too slow! Thomas should’ve already confessed his love and called Nico his boyfriend! But they’re still stuck in the “friends/a little more than friends” stage! Thomas should make his move asap and get Nico before someone else does it.
Yes, Remus confirms, by suddenly appearing and scaring the shit out of everyone (except for Logan, who just rolls his eyes). You better get a move on, Thomas. Just tear his pants apart, then go straight for the d…
You can’t hurry these things, Logan interrupts Remus. Relationships take time to grow, hurrying them would lead to regret and disappointing expectations.
Patton agrees: Thomas needs more time to get to know Nico better. Right now, he cares for Nico, sure… but he doesn’t love him yet.
Janus confirms that yes, of course Thomas needs more time. He cannot pretend to fully know a guy he met twice.
Roman dismisses their protests: they don’t know what they’re saying and they’re all stupid anyway. They just talked about how cool Nico is and how great this relationship is for Thomas! Of course they should make the next move as soon as possible! But Virgil knows better and he will side with Roman, right?
Virgil takes a moment to look around and bite his nails. Then, under Roman’s expecting gaze, he finally admits that Thomas needs more time.
Roman is shocked: what? Why? Weren’t they both on board with this?
Sure they are, Virgil confirms. But they also need more time.
Roman raises his voice: they did it together, Virgil was the one who pushed Thomas to start this relationship and now he wants Thomas to slow down?! Doesn’t he care about Thomas? Doesn’t he see how happy he is and how happy they both are? Thomas and Nico should be a couple asap! They should be boyfriends now!
Every word makes Virgil feel more and more uneasy. The others notice it and, in the end, it’s Janus who snaps first by asking Roman a simple question: do they really know who Nico is?
Sure they know, Roman replies. He’s the cute guy they met in the mall, he’s a poet, a songwriter, an artist and a beautiful soul.
And what does this “beautiful soul” really want? Janus asks. Are they really sure Nico wants Thomas for who he is? What if he wants to exploit Thomas’ fame for himself? What if his kindness is just a façade and all Nico wants is to use Thomas to pursue his career? He admitted he’s not making enough money with his songs: but if he finds a guy with a stable fanbase and enough money, he can drop the job he doesn’t like and let Thomas pay everything for him.
Roman protests: Nico is not like that! He didn’t even know Thomas was an influencer! Heck, he had absolutely no idea of who he was, before Thomas himself told him today! It’s pretty clear he doesn’t like him for his fame!
Janus crosses his arms: so you think it’s pretty normal that a normal guy accepts a date from the weirdo who admitted he spent hours spying on him and his backpack?
It was to check if he was gay as well!, Roman protests. Thomas wasn’t “spying” on him!
So it wasn’t weird? Janus retorts. A guy approaches you, tells you he was checking if you’re gay and you think he’s good enough for a date? Would Thomas have done the same? Of course not. But what if it was a famous influencer who stalked him and asked for a date? Now that guy doesn’t seem such a weirdo as before, right?
Not good in both cases, Logan replies. You cannot trust random people, whether they are strangers or influencers.
So, Janus continues with a thankful nod towards Logan, since this is common knowledge and Nico looks clever enough to know that, then there should be another reason why he thought it was okay to accept Thomas’ request: he knew who Thomas was and wanted to exploit the situation.
Roman protests again: Nico accepted Thomas because he was touched by his purity and honesty. By openly admitting what he was doing, Thomas proved he was good and kind. And since Nico is good and kind too, he agreed to go on a date with him. His honesty attracted Nico, not his money or fame. And Janus would know too, if he had any idea of what honesty is.
Patton intervenes because he notices the rising tension and admits that, hey, they both have a point. Sure, Nico seems trustworthy and kind and nice… but they also do not know him well enough to be sure. And even if he feels it’s okay to trust Nico, he wants everyone to feel the same. And Thomas should think about it too.
Thomas agrees with Patton: he should take his time, until every part of him feels more at ease with the idea of pushing things further with Nico. He should learn more about him, to know where his heart is. And Nico should prove to him that he likes Thomas for who he is and not for his fame or money.
Patton nods: he’s very proud of Thomas’ decision. He’s really growing up and becoming a mature boy!
Janus agrees too: Thomas should keep his guard up and not blindly trust everyone.
Logan agrees: a longer relationship will only strengthen their bond.
Virgil approves too: spending more time developing their relationship will make Virgil feel more at ease and ready for when it will be time to push things further.
Remus shrugs and leaves, without a single care.
Roman, on the other hand, doesn’t say anything. He just balls his hands into fists, before sinking with a furious expression.
_______________________________
END CARD
Virgil and Roman are discussing and Roman accuses Virgil of not siding up with him. Three Sides were against him, but if Virgil sided up with him and his stupid brother, they would’ve reached a tie. But he chose to take these traitors’ side instead!
Virgil justifies himself: it’s not that he doesn’t want to push things further with Nico, but all things need time and he’s the first who needs more time. He still is 100% on Roman’s side, he just asks for a little more time. That’s all.
Roman is still angry and leaves, to sink into his room. We see a study, part of a table filled with documents/scripts/books.
Roman hides his face between his hands. For a moment, it looks like he will start to cry: the moment after, he stands up angrier than before and, with a frustrated scream, throws everything that is on his desk on the floor. He even picks up a book and angrily throws it against a mirror.
The broken mirror echoes in his ears, his reflection shows an orange hue in his eyes. Roman snaps out of his fury: he looks around, while a disembodied voice softly snickers in his ears.
Roman yells to “go away” and “leave him alone”, until the snickering stops and he’s alone again, in his trashed studio.
_______________________________
AUTHOR’S NOTE
As said in the beginning, this episode serves as a recap, because it’s been YEARS since the last canonical episode and people have all the reasons to forget what the fuck happened. So we will reintroduce Nico and raise the conflict between the Sides once again. Too many useless things happened in the meantime, we need them to rebuild the tension.
In addition to that, I wanted to reintroduce the trademark element of Sanders Sides, which is Thomas standing in his living room and talking about an issue with his Sides. Not all episodes have to be huge and complicated after all, especially this one which is just part 1 of 4.
However, along with the trademark element, I also added a new element, which is the private conversations between Sides, in which we can expand on them, their conflicts and their ideas.
And yes, I added one first little orangey hint, because it was time to give something more than just orange eyes. Consider this an additional element of tension. This is a finale, after all.
What is FFS3 - Introduction - Season 2 finale - previous episode - next episode
AO3 link for this episode
DISCLAIMER: As said in the introductory post, Fanders Sides Season 3 (season 2 finale included) could have triggering themes/scenes. Please keep that in mind before reading.
_______________________________
Thomas is driving to Nico’s bar to pick him up after the end of his shift. The plan is to go together to his place, play some more songs, plan a new video, and have dinner together. Possibly, not in this order.
But when Thomas arrives, he sees Nico is already outside, talking with a handsome man. Thomas is a bit surprised: he gets out of his car and walks to them, then he asks Nico if everything’s okay and he’s good to go.
Nico is surprised by his sudden appearance, but he still looks calm. He greets Thomas, asks how he is doing, then introduces him to the other man as “his friend”.
Thomas is hurt by this and he instinctively replies that he’s not his friend, but his boyfriend.
The other man looks a bit surprised: he didn’t know Nico was gay, he says. Nico replies that he hopes this won’t change anything.
The handsome man reassures him and tells him he will call next week. Then, he gets in his car and leaves.
As soon as the man disappears, Nico turns around and confronts Thomas: what was he thinking? Why did he introduce himself like that?
His words hurt Thomas even more: what was the problem with him introducing himself as Nico’s boyfriend? He is his boyfriend. They are a couple. They shared their stories, talked about their feelings for each other, kissed and now Nico is all nice and friendly with that handsome guy. Thomas is the one who should be pissed, not him!
Nico sighs. The guy was an old friend, who recently became the head of administration of a publishing house. He was telling Nico about a newly available position as a copywriter and Nico was interested, because the working hours and the salary are much better, compared to his bartender job. They were just planning a job interview for him, before Thomas jumped in and introduced himself like a jealous, weird boyfriend.
Thomas feels a bit ashamed now. He apologizes: hopefully he didn’t mess up too much, didn’t he?
But Nico is still a bit frustrated. This is not the first time he acts like a jealous, possessive boyfriend, he retorts.
Well, they’re boyfriends, of course Thomas is a bit jealous!, he replies. He cares about Nico! He wants and needs him!
Instead of reassuring him, these words worry Nico: he’s not Thomas’ property and Thomas is not his property. They are a couple, sure, but not joined at the hip. They have their own lives to live.
Thomas knows that, but what’s the problem if he worries a little? Nico introduced him to this new guy as a friend, as if he wanted to hide him! Why? What was the problem? Is Nico not happy with him? Is Thomas not enough for him?
Nico replies that he barely knows the guy and he knows absolutely nothing about the company. Is it a problem if he wants to keep his relationship a secret from people he doesn’t know? It’s his personal life, he has all the right to keep it hidden. He’s not as quick as Thomas, in divulging his personal life around: heck, he revealed their relationship to everyone on the Internet, kissed him after a couple of dates, dropped a love confession, offered him to work together… it’s been a few months since they’re a couple, but it seems like Thomas is speedrunning their relationship! Even though Nico asked him to take things slower! What will the next thing be? Suggesting him to move to Thomas’ house and live together?
What would the problem be?, Thomas asks. We’re happy together, we love each other…
Nico stops him. They’ve been together for four months. Four. Months. It’s too early to truly know each other. He doesn’t really know Thomas and Thomas doesn’t really know him.
Thomas’ voice sounds even more hurt. They don’t know each other?! Thomas told him about his old job, his family, his friends and his current job! How can Nico say that they don’t know each other? He knows basically everything about him!
Nico is perplexed now. Is Thomas joking or what? Knowing each other is something that requires years, not days, and definitely not four months.
Oh, so that’s what you think?, Thomas asks. In that case, since you do not know me, then have a nice day and go home by yourself.
And after that, he gets into his car and drives back home.
°
Once Thomas slams the door closed behind him, Roman appears and starts accusing him, with a hysterical tone: what the hell is he doing? Is he insane? What was all of that?!
Thomas apologizes, the last remnants of anger disappear from his expression: he doesn’t know. He was just too angry, he lost control…
He can’t even finish the sentence, because he notices someone on his couch: it’s a black and orange figure, sitting sideways, his punk boots against the armrest. He’s examining his gloves, when he asks Thomas: “Gone wrong?”.
Roman notices him and rolls his eyes: he really, really doesn’t like this guy. Zero style.
You’re not that good either, Anger says to Roman and he gets from him the most offended expression ever.
Thomas steps in: so it was Anger who made him so pissed at Nico! He made a mess! What if things go bad now? What if they break up? He must call Nico immediately!
Anger scoffs. Sure, come back crawling to the same guy who friend-zoned you in front of his friend/possible future boss. You don’t have a shred of self-respect.
Virgil appears and immediately attacks Anger: what is he doing here? Is he on his way to ruin Thomas’ life? Well, not anymore: if he wants to keep doing it, he will have to go through Virgil first.
Once he sees Virgil, Anger gets up. Oh, look who’s here!, he welcomes him with open arms. Virgil! The Side who was a fighter, confident, proud of himself and his job! And look what he’s now: a barking little dog that doesn’t scare anyone anymore.
Anger gets closer, until he’s standing in front of Virgil. He’s livid. You were cocky, you were strong, he says. Now you’re nothing.
Before Virgil can reply, Patton appears and asks them to please, calm down and be kind to each other. They can talk and have a proper discussion about what happened and what to do next.
Anger dismisses Patton’s request: he doesn’t take orders from him, he says.
Virgil, on the other hand, accuses Patton again: now that he’s bestie with Janus, even Anger is good! First he approved Remus, now he approves Anger. What a hypocrite.
Look who’s talking, Anger accuses him. You were our brother! We were a family! And then, you decided you didn’t like us anymore and threw us away like trash.
The tension rises, Janus appears. He firmly orders them to calm down and take a step back and they both do it.
Anger turns to Janus and says he was just doing his job. (His tone is calmer and more polite while talking with him.)
Virgil accuses Anger: that’s bullshit! He was ruining Thomas’ life!
Anger immediately grows frustrated again: sure, now we’re the bad guys, aren’t we? Now you’re the perfect hero and we’re the enemies to defeat. Is this why you dumped us? To play the hero with Remus’ stupid brother?
(Hey!, Roman protests)
It’s because I couldn’t stand your attitude anymore!, Virgil yells. You were always so proud to be villains, so confident in your idea that being horrible was right and good!
Why, what’s wrong with that?, Remus asks. He’s eating a bag of cockroaches, sprawled on the couch. Good and bad are just made-up nonsense, after all.
It is wrong!, Virgil insists. Because it sucks to not be appreciated! But of course you don’t understand, you don’t care about anything! And you (pointing at Anger) don’t care either. You just want to bring chaos and do whatever you want.
Anger shrugs and rolls his eyes. Oh please, don’t be so melodramatic, he tells Virgil. And don’t act as if no one ever appreciated you.
Janus diverts his gaze. Virgil notices it and shuts up.
Thomas notices and asks what’s going on. In return, Janus changes the subject: Virgil knows why Anger is necessary and he knows why they need him around.
Well, Roman intervenes, Anger can’t be that useful, if he ruins Thomas and Nico’s relationship. He made Thomas too jealous over nothing!
He makes everything funnier, Remus replies. He lifts a hand and Anger gives him a high five.
Patton cautiously admits Anger is useful and gets a dirty look both from him and Virgil.
Virgil scoffs: he insists that this is all stupid and Patton is a huge hypocrite. Anger laughs, then gives him a pitiful look: it really sucks when even the hypocrite is better than him, mh?
Virgil is on the verge of jumping at his throat, but before he can do it, Logan appears. He steps in, stops Virgil from getting closer, and says that Anger is fundamental and what he’s doing is good.
Silence falls after his words. Virgil and Roman are both shocked.
Roman asks how is that possible: what utility would this Side bring, if the first thing he does is mess up a perfectly good relationship with jealousy and impulsive actions?
Virgil, on the other hand, turns to Janus immediately. What a manipulator, he accuses him. All the private conversations he had with Logan… did Janus think no one noticed? Well, Virgil noticed. He knows they met in private. And he knows Janus used those moments to manipulate Logan into thinking Anger was good.
That wasn’t manipulation, Janus defends himself. Logan is just clever enough to understand we need to work all together. Anger included.
Logan himself takes a step back and looks at Virgil with an outraged expression: does Virgil really think he’s this gullible? He’s goddamn Logic, not the first stupid, impressionable Side! He can perfectly think by himself! He’s grounded in reality, he’s the most clever Side! He’s not as volatile as the emotional Sides or Creativity!
Hey!, Roman protests again
It’s the truth, Logan replies, pointing at Roman. Sometimes you’re here, sometimes you’re not, you do everything as you please and we should all be at your disposal! But once you see a new Side you don’t like, you immediately start complaining.
Roman is offended: he doesn’t act like that!
You did the exact same thing with Virgil, Janus and Remus!, Logan replies.
Roman admits that fine, he was stupid in the past, but now he has all the reasons to mistrust Anger, considering the problems he just caused between Thomas and Nico!
It’s because you can’t see past what benefits you only, Anger replies. And that’s probably why you and Virgil bonded so well: you are both huge egoists who just think about yourselves.
Virgil points a finger at him, accusing him of being the egoist, while protecting Roman. On the other hand, Logan stands between Virgil and Anger and he accuses them of not being rational. Their voices overlap, Patton intervenes to ask everyone to calm down, but his voice gets drowned: the other four Sides keep discussing, their voices get louder and louder, insults overlap until there’s nothing but chaos all around Thomas, chaos that pushes him down, weak in front of his Sides arguing.
They become so much, so overwhelming, so huge to fill the whole house. And all Thomas can do is turn around and run outside.
°
Thomas parks in front of Nico’s house and runs out of his car. He repeats what he wants to tell him: that he’s sorry, he was stupid, he will be better, everything will be okay.
He pushes the door’s handle down and, to his surprise, the door is open.
When he opens it, he sees Nico smiling and laughing with Hugo, who has an arm wrapped around his shoulders.
A sudden rush of jealousy blinds Thomas, anger gets the best of him: Thomas runs in, grabs Hugo’s shoulder, forces him to turn around, and punches him right in the face.
Hugo falls to the ground with a cry and Thomas snaps back: he immediately realizes what he did and falls next to him, checking if he’s okay. He apologizes, he says he didn’t mean that, he wasn’t thinking, he apologizes even more.
Hugo says it’s okay, he clearly mistook him for someone else: that’s fine, he’s good.
But Nico intervenes. He asks Hugo to sit in the living room for a little while, then he turns around, grabs Thomas by the arm and accompanies him outside, then closes the door behind them both.
Thomas keeps apologizing: he really didn’t want to, he just… lost control. But now he knows why and he will solve the problem. So it’s okay, it’s nothing actually, he’s fine now and everything will be…
Nico lifts a hand and stops him. One thing is if you want to introduce yourself as my boyfriend to strangers, he says. Another thing is you punching my friend because you think he was hitting on me. Hugo isn’t even gay, so your jealousy makes no sense.
Thomas apologizes again. He knows, that was such a stupid move! It was just a little bit of jealousy, nothing too serious. It’s just that he cares about Nico so much…
And that’s why we need some time alone, Nico says. Thomas cannot be so dependent on him. He needs to gain his own balance. Only then, they will be a proper couple.
But I need you, Thomas insists. He has so many things going on in his mind, he needs someone who makes him feel better and he feels so better with him… Nico can make everything better.
But Nico shakes his head. Thomas is the only one who can help himself, not Nico. Thomas should take some time to think about himself, explore his emotions and learn how to be self-sufficient. Only then, they can talk again and move things forward with their relationship.
Thomas nods. Sure, he can do it, he can do everything Nico asks him to do. But please, he begs, stay with me. I cannot deal with myself all alone. It’s too much. It’s too overwhelming. It’s too confusing. There are so many conflicting feelings… I need you. I need you to be happy.
But Nico, again, shakes his head. He cannot give Thomas the peace of mind he needs. Only Thomas can solve Thomas’ problem.
And so, he asks him to leave: he needs to take care of his friend.
All Thomas can do is stay outside, while Nico comes back into his house and closes the door behind him.
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END CARD
Roman is crying, sitting in the field of his room. Janus approaches him and sits next to him, in silence. Roman keeps sobbing for a little while, then he asks Janus if it’s really his fault, like Virgil said. Did Janus want to introduce Anger, to mess everything up in Thomas’ life?
Janus explains that things are a bit more complicated than that. So Roman asks him to explain.
Janus looks around: he fumbles that it might be too complicated for him to understand, but Roman interrupts him, still with tears on his face, but a determined expression in his eyes. Janus told him he wanted to prove to Roman that he’s better than he seemed. Well, now it’s time to do it.
Janus sighs: he explains that growing up is a painful process. It requires a shift in perspective and a shift in behavior. And changing all those things you’ve grown up with and have taken for granted for all of your life isn’t easy.
Roman confirms: it’s not easy at all. He himself is still trying to understand who he is and who he should be.
Thomas is doing the same, Janus explains. The only difference is that his process takes longer, because while we’re single aspects of him, he’s a multifaceted human being. So it’s like your personal growth but multiplied by ten.
Roman ponders Janus’ words: he thinks he can understand a little bit better. Still, why should Anger mess everything up like that?
Because it’s necessary, Janus says. Just like it was for your change.
Roman thinks about it: he can understand. But that’s painful. Does it have to be this painful?
Janus nods. That’s life, he says. You have to go through some pain.
Like a battle, Roman says. You have to do bad, before doing good.
Janus confirms that yes, it’s a bit like that.
Roman wipes his tears. He can understand better now. Still, he has one question: is Janus really sure Anger cares about Thomas? Is he really sure he’s not just an evil villain?
Janus turns to Roman. Was any of them a villain?
Roman shakes his head and gets up. Then, he thanks Janus for talking to him: maybe he really is better than he seems, he jokes.
Janus gets up as well and holds one hand: he promises Roman he will do everything he can to improve Thomas’ relationship with Nico.
Roman is a bit surprised: wasn’t Janus the Side who didn’t care about Thomas’ relationships at all?
I don’t, Janus replies. But you care about it and if you care, that means it’s important for Thomas. So I will do my best to take care of it as well.
Roman thanks him with a smile and shakes his hand.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
Oh well, time to start messing things around <3
First of all, Anger and Virgil: until now, none of the dark Sides ever said anything. Janus is just very sarcastic (and clearly hides something), Remus doesn’t hold any grudges. We need someone to look at Virgil and tell him he’s a hypocrite and a traitor. Why? Because a story without drama is boring and because if no one ever brings up Virgil’s past, how are we supposed to know more about it?
About Thomas and Nico’s relationship: these two needed a pause. I purposely enhanced Thomas’ canonical reasons to start this relationship (his need to have someone in his life because he doesn’t want to deal with his own shit), to reach this point. Why? Because with another person around, Thomas will never truly face his own shit. With Nico, he always has an excuse to run away and postpone.
Now it’s time to take that excuse away from him. There is a lot of stuff going on and Thomas must deal with it. Also because with Anger, as you noticed, there’s no way to postpone stuff: it’s an instant fight.
About the endcard: Janus and Roman needed a post-season-2-finale moment. First, to show again Janus’ character growth. He needs to learn how to cooperate with others and talking to Roman instead of keeping him in the dark is a good start.
And then, to show how Roman is growing as a character. He’s still thinking about love, he still needs it, he’s still Ego. But also, he can better understand what’s happening and why. And thanks to the awareness he reached in episodes 1 & 2, he can even give the benefit of the doubt to Anger, even if he’s still far from trusting him.
What is FFS3 - Introduction - Season 2 finale - previous episode - next episode
AO3 link for this episode
DISCLAIMER: As said in the introductory post, Fanders Sides Season 3 (season 2 finale included) could have triggering themes/scenes. Please keep that in mind before reading.
_______________________________
Thomas is dreaming: in the dream, he’s back at Nico’s house. Once again, he punches Hugo, Hugo falls to the ground and Thomas realizes what he has done.
Once again, Thomas apologizes, but before he can help him up, Nico stands between them: this is not unacceptable, Thomas is dangerous and violent, he’s out of control. Nico wants to break up with him. For. Ever.
Dream!Thomas tries to apologize, he begs Nico to change his mind - he will repent, he will become better, he will hide all the bad parts of himself - but Nico disappears, Thomas turns around and he is alone in a cemetery. He’s surrounded by graves and, when he turns to the right, he sees an empty hole in the ground, waiting for him.
He tries to stand up and run away, but his legs are not strong enough: he falls to the ground and looks at his hands: they are getting old right in front of his eyes, full of wrinkles, less and less skin on his bones.
He calls for Nico, but he’s not there. He calls for his parents, but they’re not there either. He calls for his friends, one by one, but he just gets an echo of his own voice.
He tries to lift a hand, to call anyone. But he can’t do that anymore: his arm is too decrepit, his voice too old and faint. The hole is still waiting for him, for his old bones. He tries to escape it, but he cannot keep himself up: he scratches the ground, but still cannot escape it.
And so, the hole gets him and he falls down.
Thomas jolts up. He’s covered in sweat. He looks at his hands: he’s still okay, he’s not dying yet.
But he can die any day. What if he gets up, hits something with his feet and falls? He would hit the wall with his head, his neck would crack, he would die. When would people find his body? When would they realize? Would anyone ever realize he’s dead, before it’s too late?
He looks at the wall and can almost see his own body rotting on the floor of his bedroom.
Thomas takes his head between his hands. Those are just intrusive thoughts, they are not real. It’s just Remus doing his thing.
But while he tries to convince himself, he still sees flashes of him dying in horrible ways: by falling down the stairs, by hitting a piece of furniture, with a shard of glass, with a knife, crushed by his own car, crushed by a piece of plaster falling on his head. And in all cases, his body would rot for days and rats would eat the skin piece by piece and reach the organs…
Thomas shakes how head as violently as possible. Those thoughts are not helping! And they do not stop! He must find a way to stop them.
But he doesn’t know how. He knows they are not dangerous thoughts, but they still torment him! What did he do, when he was a kid and had those kinds of thoughts?
Thomas remembers his grandma telling him that all bad thoughts disappear when the word of the Lord is within you. So he gets up, searches in his cabinet and picks up a Bible. Then, he gets up on the bed again and starts reading it.
The more he focuses on the words, the more the bad thoughts disappear. Thomas’ breath calms down, his expression relaxes a little. He turns the page and something black and orange suddenly appears.
Caught by surprise, Thomas jolts, with a small yelp. Anger is sitting on Thomas’ bed: he scans Thomas from head to toe, looking at him with pity, while he puts both boots on the bed.
Thomas looks back at him, then he asks Anger what is he doing here, all while slowly shielding himself behind the Bible.
Anger’s gaze focuses on Thomas’ face and grimaces: he’s disgusted by his behavior, he says. No religious organization ever helped him and religious people never accepted him because, apparently, being gay is so much more important than being a good person. So, he rightfully stopped caring about all that shit. But as soon as a tiny little issue arises, here he is, crawling back to that bunch of bigots, like a filthy little coward.
Thomas tries to justify himself, but someone puts two hands on his shoulders, scaring him: he turns around and it’s Remus, sitting on his bed with an overly excited smile on his face.
Unlike Anger, he looks even too happy about this change and he asks Thomas to please, keep doing it, religion gives him so many juicy ideas! He’s such a bad little Catholic boy, he should be sooooo punished wink wink.
Thomas instantly puts the Bible away. Anger says it’s too late, he already proved to be a coward and a hypocrite. Religion is nothing but a corrupt system that wants to control people, so it takes rules written millennia ago and decides which ones should be taken literally and which ones should be interpreted, according to their own personal, disgusting agenda. This way, you can ignore rules like “do not discriminate against anyone” but keep following rules like “gays bad”. It’s a huge mess and getting away from it was one of the few good things Thomas did in his life - but here he is now, crawling back like the coward he is.
Anger leans forward. Does Thomas think that this system based on corruption will save him from hell? If there is a hell, then he will definitely go there.
Remus is delighted by the mere thought: yes! Hell! Let’s do whatever we want!
Thomas tries to explain that, if there is a hell, he would definitely end up in a better place, but Remus shushes him. Hell is better. Being a sinner is better. Why should Thomas spend his whole life repenting, chastising himself, renouncing all the earthly delights - for what? A place filled with light and angels? What kind of place asks you to waste your life, just to enter it? That’s a shitty deal. And you’re not even sure you will end up there! You could’ve wasted your entire life and ended up in hell anyway!
Hence why, hell is better: it doesn’t ask you anything and you can freely enjoy your life. No need to be someone you’re not. You’re just you and when you’re dead, there’s a place waiting for you.
Thomas tries to stop them: they are not helping at all with this conversation. On the contrary, they’re making him feel much more anxious and it’s just 10 am…
Virgil suddenly appears. He looks around and immediately asks Thomas if these two are bothering him: Anger doesn’t answer, Remus starts rolling on Thomas’ bed and says yes, he has been so, so bad, punish me Virgil!
Virgil turns to Thomas: what’s going on here?
Thomas explains they were talking about religion and they told him he would go to hell and how hell was waiting for him and that made him a tiny little bit… anxious about dying. So, maybe, Virgil can help him with that?
Virgil looks at Thomas from head to toe, like Anger did minutes before: did Thomas forget who he is talking to? Does he really expect his Anxiety to make him less anxious?
Thomas lets out a desperate groan, so Virgil sits on the bed as well, trying to not touch Remus and as far away as possible from Anger. He cannot help Thomas, he says, but he can still try to remind him what reassures him. Fine, religion never helped him either, but maybe Thomas can feel better by knowing that he’s a son of God? Even if even the son of God had to die anyway, so Thomas will surely die like everyone else…
Thomas gives him a desperate look that says “please, stop, it’s worse”. However, Remus finds all of this even better! He says that there’s nothing wrong with death either. On the contrary, death is so mesmerizing! It’s just too interesting to not think about it, you know?
Thomas replies that there’s nothing mesmerizing about death, so Remus takes his words as a challenge: Thomas talks like that, because he never truly stopped and thought about death. Do it and you’ll see.
Thomas would rather not do it, but Remus insists: he should try right now. And if he’s scared about Remus’ evil influence or whatever, he can calm his tits because two Sides are keeping an eye on him.
It’s pretty clear Thomas thinks Virgil is a bit too anxious to do anything and he’s not so sure Anger wants to keep Remus at bay at all, but Remus is already sitting cross-legged in front of Thomas and asking him to focus. He’s weirdly insistent on this topic: he gives an accurate description of skeletons, rotten bodies, meat falling from the bones, animals eating the carcasses. Death is a slow process and yet, it’s quick too. And where there was a living being before, now there are just bones.
Remus talks about this stuff with a shine in his eyes, but Thomas does not share the same excitement. That’s just how death works, he says. Things die and that’s it.
Anger scoffs. Of course, Thomas is clouded by that stupid system that makes him think once you’re dead, you have nothing to do with anything. He can’t really see how death works.
Thomas cannot understand: death works exactly like Remus said, you die and animals eat your carcass. That’s it.
And what happens after animals eat your carcass?, Anger asks.
This time, it’s Virgil who intervenes: they die too. And someone else eats their corpses and they will die as well.
Thomas understands a bit better now: oh, so you meant it’s part of a cycle. The body you leave behind will have a purpose, because it will be part of a cycle that includes every other living being. Mh, that doesn’t sound too sad…
But Virgil continues: this is the reason why death is inevitable. Because it’s everywhere. Because it’s in everything. And everything is drawn towards death. Death is the final, last end.
Okay, now it’s not helping anymore, Thomas replies, but Remus laughs: Virgil always had this problem with death, he just can’t see how useful it is!
But Virgil just talked about how useful death is, Thomas remarks. He said how it’s part of a cycle and how it helps others to live…
Remus shakes his head. Instead of explaining himself, he just tells Thomas to close his eyes and think about how everything and everyone is drawn to death, no matter how big or small they are. But this time, listen. For real.
Thomas closes his eyes and tries to focus, unsure about what he should listen to. He focuses on how everything is drawn to death and listens, but can’t hear anything. So he thinks and waits and while he thinks and waits, his breath gets slower and his heartbeat calms down.
He’s suddenly more aware of his heart beating. Of his chest, rising and falling with every breath. He’s aware of his eyes, moving behind the eyelids. He’s aware of his hands and fingers and of how they bend at his will.
Death is just here, Remus says. You cannot understand it and you will never do. All you can do is accept it.
And so, Thomas opens his eyes again.
Death makes me more aware of my own life, he says.
Remus nods.
So, he asks, why the fuck do you still care?
Thomas is a bit taken aback: what is Remus talking about now? Care about what?
About everything!, he says. About who you should be, how you should act, what you should say, what you should and shouldn’t do. What could happen? That you die? We will all die anyway!
Remus falls back on the mattress, with the same carefree tone as before. Instead of wasting time with all these stupid questions, just enjoy your life. It’s one and it’s short, so try everything you can while you still can, because once you’re in a coffin, you won’t have time to try anything anymore.
That’s why you shouldn’t waste your time with bigots, adds Anger. And with corrupted, broken systems. You have one life and it’s perfect as it is. So, instead of disregarding its beauty because bigots convinced you to do so, tell them to fuck off and make your life worth.
Finally, Thomas connects all the dots: this is what Remus was trying to make him aware of, with that dream. To keep going with his life. To not obsess over the mistake he made, but to move forward. To not focus on how he and Nico separated, but on working on himself: his life is one and short. He has a lot to do.
And if he does things well, he will become the person Nico deserves.
Remus gives him a grin and jokes that Thomas sure is slow at understanding things.
Thomas smiles and says okay, fine, it took him a while. But was it really necessary that weird detour through death? Remus could’ve just told him all of that.
Remus and Anger both look at him as if he’s stupid. Duh, of course it was. How was he supposed to understand, then?
Well, Virgil explains in an accusing tone, Patton told him the same thing years ago and he didn’t need to scare the shit out of him, give him a nightmare and a ton of terrible thoughts. (ref. Growing Up)
And look how well it worked, Anger mocks him. Thomas didn’t get it. While now, he got it. Wow, it looks like we, the bad guys, can achieve more than the always-perfect Patton.
Virgil crosses his arms and replies with the same sarcasm: is Anger happy he got his little revenge? And played his funny little game? Good, now he can leave them alone.
But Anger gets more comfortable on Thomas’ bed and, with a defiant smile, challenges Virgil to make him go away.
Virgil replies with a smile too and says he will gladly kick his ass, if Anger really wants to. To which Anger says that, in that case, he will kick Virgil’s ass first.
Oh, he could’ve done it when they were kids, Virgil jokes. But it’s been years since Anger defeated him.
Anger laughs: he’s much stronger, they all know that. Virgil is the poet, he is the fighter.
Virgil minimizes: his poems are not so good. Anger confirms they’re not, to which Virgil replies, with a sudden spark of pride, that they’re not bad at all, hey, how dare you.
Thomas looks at them with a mix of disbelief and curiosity at this unexpected, playful banter. Remus, on the other hand, is enjoying every single second of it. He admits, with a delighted smile, that he’s very happy to see them having fun like this!
But as soon as he says it, the atmosphere gets heavy again. Both Anger and Virgil drop their smiles. Virgil stands up, his arms crossed, and says they’re not having fun. Anger gets up too and says he doesn’t want anything to do with traitors. Anger leaves first, Virgil shortly after, both with an extremely pissed look on their faces.
For a moment, Remus looks at where they disappeared, then he shrugs: it didn’t last long, but it was better than all the previous times. At least, this time they talked. And he had so much fun!
Thomas disagrees: that wasn’t funny, that was… weird.
It was fun!, Remus insists. His favorite emo and his favorite punk were bickering, just like old times!
Well, it doesn’t seem like a good thing, to argue and bicker all the time, Thomas says.
Remus turns towards him: why?, he asks. Didn’t you do the same with your brothers, when you were kids?
Thomas opens his mouth, but he really doesn’t know how to reply to this question. He stands still, thinking about it, while Remus leaves too.
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END CARD
We see someone leafing through Thomas’ Bible, someone with yellow gloves. The camera shows us it’s Janus: he’s sitting on a log in a forest. Behind him, we see Patton approaching, then sitting next to him.
Janus says it’s easy to fall for something that gives you a sweet, sweet reward in exchange for a little remorse. It seems even too easy, you know? Repent and bam, heaven for you. You might’ve been a bad guy for all of your life, but once you feel you can be good, you will have a chance to prove that yes, you can be good.
His tone should sound sarcastic, it should be clear he’s mocking this whole idea. But the way he gently holds the Bible and looks at it shows frustration, rather than irony.
Patton says that he has never truly focused on the Bible. All he needs to know is that God made everything and told people to love each other. Sure, there might be other rules here and there and things happening… but do they really need anything else?
Janus focuses and thinks about it. He flips through the pages, until he finds this passage when Jesus says:
“So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.”
Janus murmurs it and Patton smiles: that’s the one, isn’t it? The commandment above all others and the one all others refer to.
Janus confirms it. He slowly smiles and says that yes, Patton is right: they really don’t need anything else.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
What happened here? A few things:
1) I had to move the plot forward. Nico will be momentarily put on the side, because now Thomas has another goal: to become a better person. Nico’s role is changing: he’s no longer Thomas’ distraction/supporter, now he’s the light at the end of the tunnel. He’s what awaits Thomas in the end, if he does everything well.
2) I wanted to show how the dark boys all understand each other. Even if Virgil left, he’s still the first one who gets what Anger and Remus are doing - and he doesn’t even stop them, from teaching the lesson the way they want.
3) I wanted to show how Virgil and Anger interact. And to give a glimpse at how they used to do it in the past. Also, since Anger is, well, anger and therefore a strong motivator, I find it plausible that Virgil (i.e. a very anxious figure, with lots of doubts and very low self-esteem) gets from Anger a boost in the fight-or-flight department and regarding his self-esteem - that’s why he becomes more cocky, playful and sarcastic. Just like he was pre-AA. So yes, this can also justify this behavioral change.
4) I wanted to show a bit of Anger’s mentality. And yes, he’s a rebellious punk, who hates systems and corruption. The dark sides all took from Janus, after all, so it wouldn’t make sense for him to be the opposite.
5) Speaking of Janus, the end card didn’t just show how he and Patton connect to religion, but how they are learning how to cooperate and how their points of view are getting closer. They both understand that love is what will help them in the end, not fighting all the time against each other. (And yes, it’s also a reference to the “stay connected” from WTIT.)
after the introductory post about FSS3 and before starting with the actual episodes, I wanted to write a short post about the Asides too.
As you all know, recently Mr. Sanders moved a few episodes here and there: random stuff became part of the Asides, while ATHD, FWSA and WTIT became main series episodes. Why did it take him so long to realize they were following the plot more than other videos? No idea.
But even though Mr. Sanders seems to find it a bit difficult to distinguish between main series episodes and Asides, the fandom on the other hand seems to know pretty well what the difference is and your suggestions in the survey have been AMAZING.
This is why I wanted to write this post: to expand on some of your best ideas. But also to offer you this post as a starting point. If you have even more ideas/thoughts/concepts for other possible Asides episodes, feel free to add them with a message or a reblog. We can go on forever with great suggestions.
Once again, I applied the same three rules I talked about in the introductory post:
to write something in the real of human/editing possibilities
it should be an idea that can be developed in a 20-minute-long video
no ships
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The promised rap battle
During Am I ORIGINAL?, Logan had the best rap battle of all time and in the end, he said Patton would be the next one he would “fight”.
So this Aside will be the match Logan wanted. He will crush Patton with great verses, amazing flow and sick burns.
Patton, on the other hand, won’t take any offense at all and reply with puns. Just. So. Many. Puns.
Will Logan still win? Will the puns be enough to defeat him? Will he start using the power of puns too? Will this battle turn into a huge battle of puns? Will Patton have fun regardless of the result?
You decide on the answers to all of these questions, except for the last one. Because we all know Patton would enjoy some quality time with Logan.
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The very normal vlog
This episode is a very normal vlog in which Thomas talks about very normal stuff happening in his life and the Core Sides comments/offers suggestions as always.
So Logan says Thomas should've remembered that doing X thing wasn't great. Thomas replies that it was an infinitesimal mistake.
Patton compliments Thomas with a pun. Thomas replies with another pun.
Roman tells Thomas they should strive for greater things. Thomas says that they should start by improving their acting skills.
Virgil reminds Thomas that trying new things can be challenging and he can fail. Thomas says that it won't be as bad as Virgil's make-up.
Virgil is caught off guard by this, but before he can comment, Thomas ends the episode and sends them all away. Only after the Sides disappeared, he said goodbye to his viewers and turned off the camera, only then he reveal himself as Janus.
Janus stretches, snaps his fingers and says he's still the best liar of all time, before leaving.
The episode ends with Thomas, who is still sleeping in his bed. He suddenly jolts up: "Oh my gosh", he yells, "I need to do a video!”
Bam, start intro.
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The troll
An April fools episode titled “Am I the ASSHOLE???” and the whole video is over dramatic and makes fun of tropes, also is poorly shot.
This is the original post of @dillydallydove from which this person took the idea. And it's hilarious, I love it.
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The most serious argument ever
A prequel episode set when Virgil was still one of the Dark Sides and centered on an argument they have.
You can choose whatever topic you want, but it should be the stupidest argument ever. And the dark boys should all act as if it’s the most important topic in the world, nothing is more important than this topic and nothing is more important than proving the others are ALL wrong.
Follows shenanigans, Janus pretending to mediate only to say something and add more fuel to the chaos, Virgil trying to prove his point with extra convoluted thoughts, Remus throwing stuff around only to add more chaos, Orange sending death threats.
Bonus points if they manage to set something on fire without matches.
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Grocery shopping
Thomas going grocery shopping with his Sides.
Logan is in charge: he wants to put just healthy food in the cart.
Patton begs Logan for at least one single pack of cookies ("Thomas needs them, as a treat!").
Roman checks for the most aesthetically pleasing packages and the ones with the most promises, no matter how far-fetched they are ("Logan, this shampoo will make Thomas' hair fluent and shiny! And this cereal mix will make him taller! We must buy them!").
Virgil disappears for entire minutes, then comes back with a full emergency kit, a new alarm system, pepper spray and a blanket. When Logan asks him why, he replies that the safety stuff it's necessary, while the blanket is for him because it will help him stay calm, once Thomas starts handling this stuff.
Remus runs all over the grocery store, then comes back with different stuff: the first time with the biggest zucchini and carrots he can find, then with sticks and poles. Then, with all the different brands of condoms he can find. Then with lubricants. He says Thomas needs them and drops everything in the cart.
Janus pretends to help Logan, but also sneaks stuff behind other stuff: shorter boxes behind taller ones, chocolate chips under a bag of vegetables and so on. When Logan finds out, Janus picks a bottle of wine and puts it on the conveyor belt. Logan sighs and lets everything go.
Thomas, who went to the grocery store to buy one bag of apples, comes back home with a bag of carrots, a bag of zucchini, 2 boxes of cookies, 3 new shampoos, a pack of condoms, a new emergency kit, two cereal boxes, a blanket and a bottle of wine. And no apples.
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The game night
The episode has the structure of a game show, in which every Side has to answer questions about the other Sides, in order to win an amazing prize.
Logan tries to use his intuition, but it doesn't always work.
Patton replies with kind, good, nice answers and everyone feels bad about telling him he's wrong, so he somehow wins.
Roman has no idea, so he drops the first thing that pops into his mind and fails miserably.
Virgil mumbles something, then says he doesn't know/it's stupid/he doesn't want to reply. Somehow, ends up second after Patton.
Janus straight out lies about everything and somehow he's right. But everyone refuses to acknowledge he's right.
Remus throws the most sexual ideas and argues about who has the longest dick. Somehow, he ends up being just one step above Roman. No one understands how, Roman first.
In the end, the amazing price was the last piece of pizza.
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The "Sides' daily schedule" series
This can be a series of seven videos, in which every Side takes his time to tell us what they do during a normal day of their life.
Logan shows a perfectly organized schedule, down to the second. His routine includes cleaning, organizing, planning, working, writing, reading and a relaxing hobby: chemical reactions.
Remus sneaks in to be his lab assistant. The video ends up with them blowing up something.
Patton's schedule is more relaxed, made of sunshine, happiness, hours spent remembering the past, sad hours, more sad hours - but then Patton gets better, he gets out of his room and meets his friends. And plans a nice time for all of them.
The evening ends with Logan emptying a whole fire extinguisher on the barbecue, because somehow Patton set it on fire.
Roman starts his day by being his most marvelous self, removes his night-time beauty mask, makes his daycare routine, strikes poses, talks about how great he is, goes around slaying monsters and dueling... all in the morning. Then, he sits and the desk and works non-stop for 20 hours straight. Then, he gets up still with his marvelous self, says he has not been “very productive” and goes on a trip to slay more monsters and flirt with beautiful men in distress.
In the end, Remus has to stop him from working even more, by hitting him on the head. He throws Roman on his bed, throws the sheets on him but, before leaving, he never forgets to carefully put on Roman his night-time beauty mask.
Remus' video alternates between him starting to say something, to huge censored parts. Around half of the video, he loudly protests, because he's censored, even when he doesn't say anything sexual. His day includes pissing out Roman, messing with Logan's chemical stuff, obediently sitting and listening to Janus reading him a book, throwing stuff in a volcano, jumping in a river with piranha and 20 different sexual positions all censored.
Virgil's video shows him doing something peacefully, only to suddenly stop, look directly at the viewers and ask them questions. Like: he's peacefully knitting, then he stops, lifts his head and asks: did you turn the stove off? Is it still off? Or is it on? Is your house burning down? Will it burn down before you go to bed? Will you die in your bed?
The questions stop, to show us more of Virgil’s day and his different ways to relax. Some are heavy blankets and knitting, others are push-ups, running like a madman for hours, sleeping like a log, watching horror movies and doing make-up while listening to emo/rock music.
Janus' schedule is weird. The scene before he's walking, then it abruptly cuts to him knitting, then to him halfway into an explanation of a specific part of a book, to him explaining what he will eat. It looks like a series of scenes randomly put together.
Only in the end, we will find out he did it on purpose, because he has no intention of telling what he actually does. So he tells the viewers to have fun with what they have (which is basically nothing), while putting on a beauty mask, a glass of wine in his hand and relaxes into a bathtub.
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The "Dressing like each other" series
This can easily end up in another series of videos, in which every Side raids the closet of one Side and they all dress up like him.
Logan's closet should include tons of shirts and lab coats, so they would all dress up like teachers or lab technicians. Roman hates it, Remus loves to dress as a mad scientist.
Patton's closet should include bright colors, funny hats, animal prints everywhere. Either they would dress up as animal lovers or as stereotypical fathers from the 50s. Janus searches everywhere for something that's not bright-colored. In the end, he fights Virgil for the only two gray clothes.
Roman's closet should include rich, embroidered dresses with beautiful details on every piece of fabric. They would end up dressed as members of the court or royalty, with matching, fabulous makeup. Virgil complains and calls it "extra and preppy", only to end up being fabulous.
Virgil's closet should include black, emo, laced dresses for everyone. Also, guyliner and leather/laced matching accessories. Roman complains and calls it "dark and gloomy", only to end up being fabulous.
Janus' closet should include black and yellow dresses, fancy hats, polished shoes and fancy accessories like golden pocket watches, handkerchiefs with embroidered initials and so on. Logan appreciates the formality, Roman the nice details. Virgil calls it "even more extra" and ends up being quite fabulous. (Janus refuses to acknowledge it)
Remus' closet should include the most insane, batshit stuff, possibly put together in the weirdest way. They could end up dressed entirely in fishnet clothes, rainbow clothes, silly costumes or the most baroque, heavy costume ever known to mankind. Also, a shit ton of accessories, wigs, makeup and everything you can think of. Somehow, Janus is the only one who manages to find a coordinated set.
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And now, it's up to you!
Do you have more ideas for the Asides? Share them! The weirdest, the strangest, the better! :D
Nothing than a simple confrontation in the night to have a good sleep.
Updates every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
What is FFS3 - Introduction - Season 2 finale - previous episode - next episode
AO3 link for this episode
DISCLAIMER: As said in the introductory post, Fanders Sides Season 3 (season 2 finale included) could have triggering themes/scenes. Please keep that in mind before reading.
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It’s the middle of the night, when Thomas suddenly wakes up. He glances at the window: the white light of the moon fills the room. Considering how high and bright it is, it’s probably very late.
He turns to the right and picks up his phone: three in the morning. It’s very late indeed.
When he lowers the phone, he sees Virgil staring at him one inch away from his face.
He jerks back with a strangled scream and asks Virgil what the heck is he doing, appearing just like this. He almost gave Thomas a heart attack!
Virgil doesn’t reply, but sits on the edge of the bed. He still glares at him.
Thomas asks what’s wrong and Virgil says it’s Thomas’ fault. He didn’t listen to Virgil’s advice. He promised to never let Janus or any of his friends stick around and then, not only he accepted Janus, but Remus too!
Virgil notices he raised his voice too much, so he puts both hands on his mouth and looks around. His eyes are huge, his movements quick and nervous. He tells himself everything is okay, no need to worry, everyone is asleep and he won’t call “him”.
Thomas asks what’s wrong and tries to calm Virgil down, but Virgil interrupts him. He thought that opening up to Thomas and telling him he was one of the Others would’ve made him feel better but nope, he doesn’t feel better in the slightest: his stomach is in knots, his mouth is dry and he can just blame himself, because everything has been a huge mistake from his side. He lowered his guard and not only Janus wriggled his way into Thomas’ life, but Remus too and now even Anger is out…
Thomas tries to calm him down again. He says he’s okay and things between them are okay too. In the past, knowing Virgil was one of the “dark Sides” would’ve upset him. But now, he’s starting to think that divisions between them have no real sense. Virgil was one of them? That’s fine. He trusts Virgil. He knows Virgil works with him now and not against him. He knows Remus cares in his own, weird ways and he knows that, when Remus is controlled and his ideas are filtered through Roman, he can even trust them. And he knows he can trust Janus too.
Virgil’s expression slowly shifts from hopeful, when Thomas talks about him, to skeptical when he talks about Remus, to scared when he talks about Janus. He immediately tells Thomas that no, he cannot trust Janus. He should never trust him. Janus is a manipulator, he knows things he purposely hid from Thomas. He did things he’s still hiding from him.
Thomas asks Virgil what is he talking about, but Virgil can’t tell him: some things are a secret and, when Janus wants, he can keep everyone’s mouth shut. His included.
Well, Thomas replies, but if I want to know something I can know it, right? So, he orders Virgil to tell him.
Before Virgil can talk, Janus appears near the bottom left corner of Thomas’ bed. He tells Thomas he should sleep and not ask for answers in the middle of the night. Thomas insists: he wants to know and he wants to know now. What did Janus do behind his back?
Janus gives a blaming look at Virgil and says he did nothing, but Thomas keeps looking at him, waiting for the truth.
Janus sighs, then he starts with a convoluted explanation about how everything gets much smaller and much more complicated, every time you look at the details. That’s why “the devil is in the details”: because it’s the perfect place where the smallest threads and rules can be bent and distorted. And if you look too much into it, you start to question your whole life. Has everything happened by chance or was it the result of reasoning? Was the change random or wanted? And what’s best for you? To know that or to live in blissful ignorance? Maybe, sometimes, the solution is ambivalent and denial is what connects them. Because the line between denial and knowledge is very thin and denial in itself can be considered a form of knowledge.
Thomas doesn’t understand a single thing, so he asks Janus to stop and just tell him what he did.
Janus takes another long breath and starts again. By now, Thomas knows that he’s not just Deceit.
Thomas nods.
And he knows Janus hides things, information and even Sides from his conscious mind.
Thomas nods again.
However, these hidden Sides are not unknown from the entirety of Thomas’ mind. Deep down, he has always been aware of their existence and he knows who they are. Just look at what happened today: you recognized a Side, despite never meeting him in person.
“Anger”, Thomas murmurs.
So, even though your conscious mind is not aware, you still know who your Sides are. However, they do not have permission to show up to you. And Janus, as their guardian, does not have permission to show them either. The only permission he got from the mind was to hide these Sides: that’s what the mind wanted and that’s what he did.
Okay…, Thomas replies, a bit worried. What went wrong, then?
Nothing went wrong, Janus answers. The system was perfect. It would’ve stayed the same forever, if I didn’t do anything.
Thomas’ worry becomes fear.
What did you do?, he asks.
Janus sighs again. Long ago, he realized that Thomas would never become an adult, if he didn’t acknowledge and accept all of his Sides. He needed to meet them, understand them and realize how useful they are.
But Thomas kept hiding them. He still didn’t want to deal with them. And so, Janus used a loophole.
Thomas is confused: what loophole? Wasn’t the system perfect?
Janus explains that, as guardian of the hidden Sides, he didn’t have any permission to show himself as well. He was a hidden Side too. So, when he tried to talk to Thomas face to face, he had to do it by using another Side’s appearance. Patton’s appearance.
So what happened when Thomas realized this guy wasn’t Patton and asked what was going on? What did the other Sides tell him?
Thomas reminds Roman’s words from CLGB: “You have to give us permission first”. His expression changes, as he starts to realize.
You gave me permission to show myself, Janus explains. And, since I was the guardian of the hidden Sides and a hidden Side myself, I used that permission as a pass and gave it to the Sides beneath me.
This is why Remus was free to introduce himself without permission. And this is why Anger did it too.
But that’s not all, Virgil adds immediately. Once they took the chance and showed themselves, they both strengthened their position, by making Thomas acknowledge their roles and existence. Remus even gave his name, so Thomas accepted his existence as a whole and now he’s free to do anything he wants.
And now that Thomas acknowledged Anger’s role, he gave him permission to do the same: now Anger can appear whenever he wants and do whatever he wants. He’s not bound to permission anymore.
And if Virgil was okay with Remus because, at the end of the day, he’s just a very gross Side, Anger is another thing entirely. He’s dangerous, impulsive and out of control. And Thomas just acknowledged his existence - and he did it without knowing what he was doing, because Janus let Anger introduce himself without Thomas’ approval!
Thomas is shocked. He looks at Janus and asks him why. Why doing this to him? This doesn’t help him at all! It just makes everything worse!
Janus leans forward, his voice gets softer while he asks Thomas to trust him. He knows what he’s doing and he knows it will be painful for Thomas. But he also knows this is all necessary, for Thomas’ growth, for his happiness and for his future.
But Virgil doesn’t buy it. He crosses his arms and tells Thomas to not trust his words. He should not make the same mistake Virgil did.
Janus’ gaze moves to Virgil. After all these years, the devil is still in the details, isn’t it? But Virgil cannot stop changes. Changes happen and will always happen. This is why Janus exists: to guide Thomas through them and protect him.
Protect him?, Virgil replies. How? By constantly lying and deceiving?
Janus snaps and accuses him to stop pretending he doesn’t know the importance of lies. They are not just false information, but means of protection. Lies are a way to save a conversation, spare other people’s feelings, keep good relationships. Sometimes, the truth is just too harsh and it needs to be softened with the help of a little lie. And Virgil knows that very well, considering he let Janus use lies for years.
It’s because he was desperate back then, Virgil admits. He thought he would’ve always been just a villain. He thought Thomas would never accept him like he accepted the Core Sides. He thought he had to work in the shadows forever, with Thomas’ scorn and hate as his only reward. And so, since Thomas would’ve never seen him as a good guy, he would’ve kept acting like a bad guy.
You weren’t a bad guy, Janus replies. You were a fighter, you were strong and you were honest. Now you’re the liar and you pretend to be better than you are.
That’s not what you said, when I told you I wanted to work with the Core Sides, Virgil says.
That’s not what you said either, Janus replies.
A silence falls between them, but it’s heavy and full of unspoken things. Thomas shifts his gaze from Virgil to Janus, but neither of them resumes talking.
In the end, Virgil gets up and just says he’s on his own side now. He works alone and, if necessary, he will protect Thomas from them all by himself.
But before he gets up and leaves, Thomas grabs him by his arm: he cannot leave, not like that! They clearly have something going on and he wants them to solve it now.
However, Virgil refuses. He says Thomas cannot order him to do this, because it doesn’t involve him at all.
Janus, on the other hand, says that it’s just a very simple story: Virgil asked him to leave and, once he did, he cut ties with them. All of them.
Thomas is very curious and opens his mouth to ask a question: Virgil takes advantage of that small distraction and leaves before Thomas can stop him. Thomas tries to call him back, but Virgil does not appear.
He turns to Janus, who is still sitting at the edge of his bed. He notices he’s quite stiff and his hands are balled into fists. He’s hiding some emotions and it’s clear the whole issue is not just “a simple story” as he said. But, before Thomas can console him somehow, Janus gets up, tucks him back into bed, tells him it’s late and that he should sleep.
The last thing Thomas sees is Janus getting up in the penumbra, wishing him goodnight and disappearing. Thomas is left alone, tired and confused.
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END CARD
Janus is standing in front of a closed door: the spiderwebs identify it as the door of Virgil’s bedroom, so we know he is in Virgil’s room.
Janus says this is what growth leads to: no one can reach full knowledge of themselves, without going through some pain. That’s how life works, that’s how it has always been and will always be. Denying or opposing changes would just lead to more harm and pain.
He waits, but the door is still closed. He says he hopes Virgil will at least understand this. Then, he leaves.
Once he leaves, the camera shows us Virgil on the other side. His back is against the closed door, his arms are crossed and his expression shows anger and frustration: it’s clear he listened to everything Janus said.
However, once Janus leaves and silence falls on the other side of the door, Virgil’s expression shifts from anger to pain and he lets himself slide down. The last scene is him sitting on the ground, silently sobbing with his head hidden behind his hoodie.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
Soooo…
First of all, we had to talk about the moment Virgil revealed to Thomas he was “one of them”, because in canon they never addressed that anymore. It was time to close it.
Then, we have the first crumbs of information about the story between Virgil and Janus. This is something the fandom craves to see, so it needs time to be built. And I didn’t want to shove it in full into one episode only: it would be boring and bad, so here are the first bits of information and more will come along the way.
Also, references about Virgil’s past: yep, they will appear too. After all, Virgil’s drastic change from sarcastic bitch to his post-acceptance self is just too drastic to not require someone to address it. And now all dark Sides are here, so it’s unavoidable that Virgil’s past comes back to face him.
About the permission thing: if you read my analyses, you know that the whole idea is something I got from CLBG. But, honestly, that connects so many things and explains so many others… I couldn’t help but use it. It’s perfect to justify what Janus did, why and how. And it works in Virgil’s favor, because he said to not trust him and see?, he shouldn’t be trusted. It adds a bit of an additional obstacle - which is always necessary and fun ;)
This is the fourth and final part of my take on Sanders Sides season 3 (affectionately called Fanders Sides season 3).
The first episode of season 3 "What is art?" will be posted on Monday, November 13th
HERE is the explanation of the project
HERE is the introductory post
HERE is the previous part
HERE the AO3 link to read this part
As said in the introductory post, Fanders Sides Season 3 (season 2 finale included) could have triggering themes/scenes. Please keep that in mind before reading.
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Before starting, we have a very brief recap of what happened, made of scenes from part 3 with Roman’s monologue as a background, until we reach the same scene part 3 ends with: Thomas yelling “NO!”, while Roman’s sword falls on Janus.
°
The second before Roman’s sword touches Janus’ head, the blade turns into a fish, that falls on Janus’ lap.
Thomas is perplexed. Roman is perplexed as well. He tries to make a new sword, but the blade explodes into a bunch of popcorn. He tries again and the blade turns into a dildo.
Roman stomps his feet and protests. He orders to stop and insists on turning his blade into a sword, only to end up holding different things: plushies, a foulard, even one of his shoes.
Roman keeps protesting with something invisible. An incorporeal voice replies with a laugh, then Thomas feels something touch his head and say “Boop!”. Only after that, the invisible force disappears and he can finally get up on his feet.
Roman yells to go away, to which the voice replies that he just came - pun intended. Thomas recognizes the tone: it’s Remus.
He suddenly appears, sitting sideways on the throne. He has the biggest grin ever while Roman scolds him, insisting that Remus is ruining his plan and that he should go away.
Janus, on the other hand, sighs and asks Remus if he’s having fun. Remus giggles and admits he was watching from the start: he just wanted to give them all a little scare! Did Janus get scared? Remus told him Roman can be pretty vengeful when he wants to!
In the meantime, Roman has finally been able to make a sword - even if it’s a plastic one. Still, he points it at Remus and orders him to go away and let him do his thing. Remus replies he can’t, Janus is his best friend forever and ever! They do sleepovers and braid each other’s hair! Roman can’t take his bestie away from him!
Janus rolls his eyes and says they are not friends. Remus blows him a raspberry with a laugh, while Janus ditches the cloak splashed with blood. This has all been a huge waste of his time, he says. Roman doesn’t even have the guts to confront him face to face, without forcing him into a stupid fantasy. If he’s such a villain, why didn’t Roman give him any free will to kill puppet!Nico? Was he afraid that, perhaps, the oh-such-a-villain Janus wouldn’t follow the prejudice Roman has about him?
In the blink of an eye, Janus is at the base of the staircase, lying on his back. Roman stands on top of him: his eyes are burning, orange shines in his irises. The tip of his sword, despite being a plastic one, points at Janus’ throat.
Thomas rushes towards them, while Roman blames Janus for everything: he took advantage of Roman, played with his feelings, pushed Roman to make the wrong decision, introduced Remus, manipulated Patton’s view of the world, manipulated Thomas into believing his lies, he even manipulated Logan into agreeing with his ideas! And he’s working against the relationship with Nico! He’s doing everything he can to stop Roman from moving things further, to stop Thomas from achieving happiness and to leave them all alone. Oh, Roman doesn’t have any doubt he is a villain, because he is. He did everything to destroy Thomas’ life and Roman knows it.
He might’ve been fooled twice, but he won’t get fooled again. He knows evil and destruction is all Janus wants and he will stop him, before it’s too late.
Janus, on the other hand, doesn’t show any fear for the sword pointing at his throat. With a stern tone, he tells Roman he is just a spoiled, pampered kid who thinks the world is a buffet ready for him, filled with people ready to bow to his will. Guess what, the world isn’t. Like. That. Does Roman want to know the truth? The truth is that nothing is entirely good or bad, there are no heroes and villains out there. Even out of his own, delusional fantasy, even his fellow Sides are both good and bad. And if he looks at himself, he will realize that he himself is not the purely good hero he pretends to be.
Roman yells he’s a liar and tries to stab him, but the sword disappears. He screams in frustration and tries to punch him, but Remus grabs his wrist: with a serious tone, he tells Roman it’s not funny anymore. He already told him Janus is his bestie! Roman cannot harm him.
Roman tries to use the other hand, but Thomas grabs it and stops Roman as well. He asks him to calm down, because this is all wrong. His hero would never do this!
Livid with rage and shame, Roman pulls away from them both. What does Janus have more than him?, he asks, frustrated. He is evil! Why is everyone so fucking blind?
Thomas tries to say something, but with a wave of Roman’s hand, he is pushed to the ground again by that invisible force.
Janus moves to shield him like he did in POF, but with another wave of Roman’s hand, he’s pushed to the ground, away from Thomas. Thomas protests, but Roman says he won’t let the evil snake trick him again. He will fix everything. He will wash Janus’ words and ideas off Thomas’ mind. Thomas will finally come back to his senses and see the world as it is: with heroes and villains and Roman is the only hero he needs.
Janus lifts his head and challenges Roman: really? Who is the real villain here? The guy who is forced on the ground and stripped of his free will, or the guy who forced him on the ground and stripped him of his free will, because he refuses to consider other points of view aside from his own?
Roman points his plastic sword and orders him to stop, his tricks won’t work anymore. He can see the truth now. And the truth is his word. He is right. He knows that.
Do you?, Janus asks.
Roman approaches him.
(With the corner of his eye, Thomas notices Remus moving behind Roman, away from his field of vision, then he disappears.)
I know, Roman replies. I’ve been right for years. Life had been perfect for years, before you introduced yourself to Thomas. Things were going well. We were doing our things and learning how to work together…
Janus scoffs. Please, Roman. Lying to the embodiment of lies? Were things really going this well as you say? Is this the actual truth?
It is!, Roman replies, but his anger shows an underlying fear. Things were good, everything was good! But then Janus came and brought so many… changes!
Roman’s voice suddenly cracks on the last word. He’s so caught by surprise, that his anger fades enough to show more fear and confusion hidden in his eyes.
For the first time, Janus’ expression softens.
Changes are inevitable, he says and his tone is softer too. They will come anyway, no matter if we want them or not. All we can do is accept them, both in our lives and inside us. And you were already changing before I introduced myself.
Roman steps back. The anger had disappeared from his eyes, which show only fear and confusion.
Before he can say anything, a noise gets everyone’s attention and a shadow approaches the throne room. Roman draws his sword again, but lowers it as soon as the figure appears on the threshold.
It’s Patton. He comes closer, a confused expression: his gaze shifts from Thomas to Janus, to Roman. He asks the latter what’s happening.
Roman makes his sword disappear and approaches Patton. Everything will be okay, he reassures him: Roman will solve everything, he will do the right thing. He stopped the snake and now Patton can finally return to being the pure, innocent softball he has always been. And Thomas will come back to normal as well. Roman will do everything good, he will solve all problems. He is the hero and heroes always do the right thing. Princes always do the right thing, just like in the stories Patton read him when they were kids.
Everything’s okay, he repeats. He will prove to Patton and everyone else that he is worthy of his role, that he deserves to rule Thomas’ life. He is the Side in the driver’s seat and he will show everyone he can do an amazing job. He will be the hero and defeat the villains. He will save everyone. And they will all love him.
Patton listens, in silence. He listens to him talking about how good he will be. He listens to him saying these things with the tone of a man who doesn’t believe his words anymore.
And in the end, Patton takes Roman’s hands and says he’s sorry.
Roman stops talking, surprised. Patton doesn’t have any reason to be sorry, why is he sorry?
Patton takes a long breath. Since he was young, he explains, he always knew Roman was ambitious and impatient. He always wanted everything, right there, right now. He always wanted glory and fame. But Patton also knew that, behind that ambition and that bratty behavior, there was insecurity. A lot of insecurity. Before being a hero and a prince, all Roman wanted was to be loved and appreciated for who he was and for what he made.
And so, Patton tried to show Roman his appreciation, by giving him a moral. A moral that, he hoped, would’ve made Roman feel more at ease with himself: good people deserved good things and since he was good too, he would’ve deserved good things too.
But then, Roman associated the idea of being good with the figure of the prince and the idea of being evil with everything against the prince. And the world slowly divided into heroes and villains.
Back then, Patton didn’t explain to Roman that the world isn’t like that. He didn’t tell him that everyone has a bit of good and a bit of bad inside. He didn’t tell him that there was nothing wrong about being a little bad. He wanted to make him feel good about himself. And he still saw Roman as a little Side: there was still time to correct this worldview in the future.
But then, Roman started to show an internal conflict between the prince who should always save everyone and the Side who embodies the Ego and only thinks about himself.
Again, Patton didn’t intervene to help him conciliate these two parts of himself. He didn’t tell him it was okay to be a little egoist. That there was nothing wrong with being a prince and the embodiment of Ego. On the contrary, Patton forced Roman to always put others before himself. Because Patton himself was making that same mistake (ref. POF).
This stifled Roman and left him frustrated, because it undermined his role as Ego and didn’t let him be who he actually was: a bold, egoist, Side. A Side who wants to be creative in extra ways - ways Patton would probably not like.
So, instead of being who he was, Roman tried to fit the role of a figure that did not exist. A prince that did not exist. And that led to him making mistakes, feeling bad and even more insecure than before. Because that wasn’t him. It was never supposed to be him.
Roman is shocked by Patton’s words. He takes his hands away from Patton’s, shakes his head and denies everything. No, no, he is like that, those were all his choices…
Patton stops him with a kind smile: it’s okay, it’s not his fault. Deep down, Roman always knew the world wasn’t just made of heroes and villains, didn’t he? He knew for a long time. And yet, he tried to convince himself it wasn’t like that, because he wanted to fill the role he constricted himself in and follow the morals Patton gave him.
(Roman shakes his head, but his expression makes it clear Patton is right.)
Patton reassures him: it’s okay. Again, it’s not his fault. Roman just knew, because he’s much more clever than this. The real Roman is way better than a perfect, dashing prince.
Patton’s words hit him and Roman falls to his knees. What will it be of him?, he asks. He looks at Patton with longing, fear and, deep down, a hint of hope too. Who will he be, he asks, if he doesn’t fulfill the role he fulfilled for all of his life?
Patton sits on the ground with him. Roman can do whatever he wants. If he wants, he can still be a prince. Or he can be a king. Or he can be something completely new! He’s Creativity after all, he can be everything! And no matter what his choice will be, Patton’s love and care for him will never falter.
Roman hides his face behind a hand. With a trembling voice, he admits that Patton’s morals gave him a lot of power. And that power made him feel… well, powerful. He was confident, he was strong, he had certainties.
But the more time passed, the more he felt he was forced to play a role. He wasn’t free to be who he was.
Roman takes the hand away from his face and looks at Patton: his expression is desperate, scared. Will Patton still be his father and friend, even if Roman is different?, he asks.
Patton gives him the biggest smile: this is something that will never, ever change.
Roman’s eyes shine with tears but instead of crying, he tackles Patton in a huge hug. Patton hugs him back with a smile, while Roman hides his face against Patton’s shoulder.
The two hug each other for a very long time, then they get up. Roman rubs one eye and admits that this whole plan has been very stupid indeed. He was too… (Janus stares intently) whatever. Now he can think straight again.
He moves a hand and frees Janus and Thomas, who can get up again. Roman turns to Janus first and apologizes: he has been very stupid indeed. Janus is right, Roman has been the real villain, all the time. He shouldn’t have blamed Janus for everything, insulted his name and acted like a dirty coward. He has been a spoiled, bratty child and that’s not who he really is. He wants to be better than this. He knows he can be better than this. And he hopes they will let him prove it.
But.. he needs time. He needs to think. He needs to understand himself, his wants and needs and start from that to grow into a better Side.
Janus accepts his apologies. This behavior shows much better who the real Roman is, he says. Sure, Roman might be spoiled and bratty, but he’s also a brave Side. And he just proved it.
Janus holds out a hand and apologizes as well. He shouldn’t have exploited Roman’s feelings, but worked with him. He shouldn’t have scolded him, but helped him. He hopes he will also be able to prove he can be better than this.
Roman nods, they shake hands. Then, Roman turns to Thomas: he tries to say “I’m sorry”, but all he can say is “I’m so…” because Thomas stops him with a huge, tight hug. No matter who he is or will be, Thomas will forever accept him. Roman is his precious Creativity, his best friend, his hero. And without him, Thomas will never be complete.
Roman looks at Thomas, his eyes shining with tears again. He shifts his gaze to Patton, who looks at him with a smile and confirms, again, that he’s proud of him.
Only then, Roman finally shows a genuine, watery smile and hugs Thomas back.
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END CARD
Janus is in the same forest from the Into the Unknown cover, when Patton approaches him and the two start walking.
Patton thanks Janus for calling him through Remus and for letting him do things his way. See? In the end, he really managed to talk some sense into Roman!
Janus confirms that Patton’s way of handling the situation has been the best indeed. He apologizes: he was just so used to how he treats his boys, to not consider Roman was different. He made a mistake and he hopes he will be forgiven.
Patton reassures him: Roman will forgive Janus and Patton already did. In fact, he’s there to propose something.
Janus is curious: he looks at Patton, waiting for him to explain himself.
Patton proposes Janus to cooperate. To work together, steer the boys and guide Thomas through his everyday life. The last events made it clear Patton cannot work alone anymore and with Remus joining the conversation, it’s even more important to have someone like Janus working alongside him. The Sides need both optimism and cynicism. Thomas needs a grayer vision of things. They are the only two Sides who can do that.
Janus diverts his gaze and thinks about that. They walk in silence for a little while, until Janus admits that he’s used to working with his boys, he knows what to expect and how to handle them. But, he admits, while looking at Patton, he doesn’t know how to work with him.
Patton smiles: this is exactly why he’s the one offering Janus to work together.
He stops and holds out a hand. After looking at it, then at Patton’s smile, then back at the hand, finally Janus shakes it.
°
Second scene: Janus is sitting on a couch in a dimly lit room. He holds a glass of wine in his hand and is sipping it, when he suddenly stops, turns the wine in the glass and, while looking at it, he asks: “Did you have fun today, when you pushed Roman to almost kill me?”.
We see a black figure shifting behind the couch, snickering. A new voice says it was just a little joke, he didn’t really want to hurt Janus! He perfectly knew Remus was watching and knew he would’ve jumped in to protect him. It was a calibrated risk.
The black figure approaches, we see black arms caressing the head of the couch.
And then, the voice says, Roman had so much resentment, so many feelings bottled up! It was liberating to finally see him spill them everywhere.
Janus still looks at his glass. He admits: “You did a good job”.
The mysterious voice giggles again and the black figure shifts away, leaving only a red apple on the couch.
°
The third and final scene shows someone stumbling into a room, only to fall on a different version of the same couch Janus was sitting on.
The person is Logan: he takes off his glasses, pinches his nose and closes his eyes. He looks very, very tired.
An orange light glows behind him. In the penumbra, a hand rests on the backseat of the couch, right behind Logan. For the first time, we see a hand: it’s covered with a fingerless, leather glove.
Logan opens one eye.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
Well, well, well.
Some conversations were absolutely needed. Patton had to apologize. Roman and Janus had to apologize to each other. Remus had to be a gremlin because he deserves it.
And I know this isn’t a conclusion at all, but the season 2 finale was never intended to fully close Roman’s arc. This should be the starting point of Roman’s growth. Roman isn’t stupid, he’s just been blind for too long. But now, he can start to think, focus and grow: he really needs this and I want to give it to him, because he’s a good boy and deserves the world.
While the three end cards… well, after this, there’s the third and last season. It deserves to start with a bang.
After apologizing and admitting his mistakes, Patton deserved to prove he’s also clever. He’s not stupid and he needs to prove it. Also, establishing his cooperation with Janus from here, will help move things further in a smoother way. They are both Sides responsible for steering everyone: if they work together, improvement is easier to achieve and all future developments are justified.
And Orange. Well, he’s the last boy, so he deserves to be teased a little more. As a treat :3
(Also, this helps me to show a bit about his mind and how he thinks)
And Logan… well, I’ve said for years that I don’t want him in the season finale, but in the end card. He deserves to close it with a scary foreboding. He deserves to make us go wild. The following season will have a lot of moments dedicated to him, after all.
