What if the Orange Side represents something not inherently perceived as bad to break the pattern with Janus and Remus and really drive home the fact that the whole split of "light" and "dark" and "good" and "bad" is all relative when they're all a part of Thomas-? Like deceit and intrusive thoughts (even though Janus and Remus do represents more than their titles) can instantly be labeled as bad but the Orange side helps them from that?
Hello! Thank you for sending in the ask. Typically it’s me sending your AU asks: my how the turns have tabled.
Okay, I totally agree with you that the Dark Sides (Janus, Remus, Virgil) aren’t all objectively bad. They are contextually helpful in some scenarios, as we’ve come to see in episodes like Accepting Anxiety and Putting Others First. Anxiety covers stuff like fear and can be useful when identifying a potential threat that could harm Thomas. Likewise, Deceit covers self-preservation which can lend itself to more positively viewed traits like self-care.
I’ve seen enough theories to really, thoroughly think about the Dark Sides, so while you don’t explicitly mention the term, I think it’s important to discuss it. Canonically, the Dark Sides or “the others” refer to “sides that have been hidden by Janus from Thomas” so when Virgil says he used to be a Dark Side, it means that he used to be hidden from Thomas by Janus. However, even if Virgil has been accepted into the main group, he is still technically a Dark Side – at least in the view of the show. He’s grouped that way with Remus, Janus, and the Unknown side on the Putting Others First thumbnail. Whether or not that is the Orange Side as the Unknown, it is the most canonical reason we have for another side.
The reason I say this is because Janus would’ve had to hide the Orange Side for a purpose, him being something Thomas wasn’t ready to deal with yet. So, while I am open to having a side that isn’t on a first glance problematic, he kinda has to be in order to be a Dark Side. That brings me to the more Fanonical part of the Dark Sides. Typically, Dark Sides have on the surface negative traits, and I feel like that has sort of hampered the community’s theories a little bit.
For instance, let us take popular fan theory, the Wrath Side. Wrath is often portrayed - rightfully so, to be honest - as destructive, angry, and full of negative energy. However, if I were to take a more “positive” spin on Wrath, the side could also be the embodiment of righteous anger. Sometimes bad things happen and it’s okay to be upset about them, to not be complicit. All that matters is where that violence is being directed: are you punching down (at the oppressed, the victims) or are you punching up (at the oppressors, the powerful)? Like, I could very easily see this storyline being addressed in the show since it has a direct tie to Christianity, but it wouldn’t be the exact same as the lesson learned while in Intrusive Thoughts.
In Intrusive Thoughts, it was about accepting that those feelings weren’t an honest reflection of who Thomas truly was, and that having those thoughts did not automatically make him a morally failed person. While here, it could be about embracing that anger, that energy for a good cause and utilizing that anger in a more constructive way, instead of just suppressing it or letting it fester silently beneath the surface. There are so many things to be rightfully angry at in the world right now, and it’d be a neat lesson to learn about not only accepting that that anger is okay, but ways of dealing with such feelings.
And that, in of itself, I personally believe could fulfill your theory’s requirements, especially since Thomas and Patton have just realized in Putting Others First that applying total moral objectivity to emotions and actions is not only difficult but harmful. If Thomas can accept that there are no Dark Sides, and just sides he has to get to know first and use properly, then he would definitely have a better sense of self.
...That’s all I have to say on the matter. While it’d be nice to have a new side that is at a glance unproblematic, I don’t personally think that’s very likely – unless he’s like a yandere side or something, and the more you get to know him, the more twisted he is, but that wouldn’t necessarily help your idea.
Regardless, this was a very interesting idea, and I loved playing with it. The world isn’t always black and white, there’s... nuance. If there's anything you felt like I skimmed over or didn't go into enough detail about, feel free to prompt me. Again, thanks for the ask!
