#light sides

[grey0-0]

My Roman Empire is the sides and Thomas’s reactions after Janus got slapped

[micropoet]

Burned

Inspired by “The Line” by Twenty One Pilots. I might add more chapters to this later, so comment if you want to see more. Enjoy!

What if Virgil leaving the Dark Sides was a painful process in more ways than one? 

TW: Blindness, illness, burns, fighting, bad feelings lol

Ft. Mostly Virgil and Janus, but everyone else shows up for half a second.

Take a seat

But I'd rather you not be here for

What could be my final form

Stay your pretty eyes on course

Keep the memories of who I was before

So stay with me because

My body's on the line now

I can't fight this time now

I can feel the light shine on my face

Did I disappoint you?

Will they still let me over

If I cross the line?

---------------------------------

Virgil sunk back to the dark side with his eyes firmly closed. He opened them slowly, adjusting to the darkness in stages. He squinted out into the shadows, then fully opened his eyes. Virgil tried to pick out the shapes of his desk and his bed, and after a few minutes of tensely waiting Virgil could make out their outlines.

Out of habit, Virgil flicked his light switch on and off. He barely noticed the difference between the two. How long would it be before he couldn’t see anything on the Dark Side? 

A knock at the door interrupted the depressing thought. Virgil shuffled to his door and pulled it open. 

“Ah, so you are back,” Janus stated and shuffled into the room without waiting for an invitation. Virgil rolled his eyes and moved to close the door. He froze when something brushed his arm. 

He hadn’t seen anything there. What touched him? Did one of Remus’ creatures sneak its way into his room? Janus would have told him about that, right? But what if Janus couldn’t see it either? What if it was creeping around, waiting for one of them to drop their guard, then it could… 

A hand grabbed Virgil’s arm and he most definitely did not scream. 

“What’s wrong?” Janus asked. The hand was Janus’. 

“Something touched me! Is there…? I thought…?” 

“You’re not making sense, sweetheart.” 

Virgil felt Janus’ cold hands move to rest on either side of his face. 

“Oh dear! You’re burning up!” Janus exclaimed. A hand was moved to Virgil’s forehead. He sighed into the coolness, letting Janus’ cold blood suck away the excess body temperature. 

Janus tutted. “Come. Lay down. No, no whining. You need to lay down.”

With half-hearted grumbling, Virgil found himself being gently shoved into his bed. The covers felt cool and crisp against his fevered skin. He’d always been freezing cold, what was happening? 

“Here.” Janus stated. 

“Here, what?” 

“Tea.”

“... what?”

“Seriously? Can you not see the cup of tea that I’m holding six inches from your face?” Janus asked incredulously. 

“Whatever,” Virgil scoffed. He squinted in the darkness to see the edge of a cup and hesitantly reached out to grab it. 

“Virgil,” Janus’ voice was deadly serious. “Can you really not see the cup?” 

Virgil’s hand closed over the warm mug, but Janus refused to release his hold. 

“Answer me, Virgil.” 

“It’s not a big deal-

“Answer. Me.” 

Virgil paused. 

“Sweetheart…” Exasperation filled Janus’ tone. 

“Jan, you don’t need to worry about it.” Virgil started. 

“Worry about what? The fact that you can’t see something a foot in front of you? Or the fact that you’re lying to me?” 

“I’m not answering that question.” 

“Why?” Virgil didn’t reply. Janus finally let go of the mug. “Why won’t you listen to me on this? Why won’t you admit those Light Sides are bad for you?” 

Again, Virgil stayed silent. What could he say to resolve their months’ long debate? Staring at the near empty-blackness, Virgil couldn’t recall his usual defenses and justifications. Eventually, Janus sighed. He sounded so tired. Virgil heard him step away from the bed. The anxious side panicked at the sudden absence and the disappointment he was sure Janus had on his face. 

“I told them my name.” The words tumbled out of Virgil’s mouth before he could think about them. “We were filming and it just kind of… slipped out.” 

The silence in the room was heavy.

“I’ll let you rest, but we’re not done with this conversation. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.” Janus said simply. Virgil only knew Janus had left the room from the sound of the door clicking shut. 

The warm cup of tea felt like flames on his skin. Even the bed became unbearably hot. Virgil took off his hoodie, but kept it close, unwilling to lose it to the darkness around him. It was too hot to sleep, and too dark to do anything else, so Virgil simply lay there thinking of Janus’ threat to continue the conversation. 

Honestly, he’d been narrowly avoiding talking about the Light Sides for weeks. Janus hadn’t thought much of it when Virgil had first joined a video, but his opinion had quickly shifted when Virgil returned. The shift between the Light and Dark Sides wasn’t like walking through a door, it was a whole different environment. It was… well lighter, with the Light Sides. Brighter might be a better word as colors appeared more vibrant, smells more potent, every sense was amplified on their side. That, and the Light Side was unbearably hot, like standing on the surface of the sun. 

The first few times Virgil had returned from filming with debilitating migraines and shivering uncontrollably. Janus took care of him (and Remus promised not to use his jackhammer during those times, which was something) but Virgil could tell it weighed on him. It was around his third or fourth time going to the light sides when Janus broke down. He begged Virgil not to go back, to stay on the Dark Side where he was safe. 

Janus didn’t understand that it wasn’t up to Virgil anymore. There was an instinct driving him forward, pulling him back to the Light Side over and over again. Even when Virgil tried to resist the pull, he’d wind up back at the Light Sides, no matter how badly it hurt. 

But Virgil hadn’t been able to explain this, not in any kind of valuable way, and it had devolved into an argument. At least, until the migraines went away. At that point, Virgil reached sort of an equilibrium between the two sides. The fighting stopped and it was almost normal. Virgil would come home from filming and join one of Janus’ self-care days or watch Remus make questionable modern art. But of course Virgil wasn’t lucky enough for that to continue. 

He noticed the temperature changes first. He hadn’t noticed when it first became comfortable to be on the Light Side, but he had noticed when everything on the dark side started to feel colder. Even taking scalding hot showers couldn’t match with his apparently elevating body heat. That had been relatively easy to hide from Remus and Janus, not that they were continuing to point out what was wrong with going to the Light Sides. They assumed that he had figured out the balance between the sides. They didn’t think they’d have to deal with any weird illnesses again. And Virgil couldn’t take the disappointed stares, so he kept it to himself. The vision changes were much harder to hide. 

The dark side grew dimmer and dimmer at an alarming rate. At first, Virgil could rest in his room for a little while until his eyes adjusted to the darker area, then go on with his day. But as the light gradually disappeared from his home, Virgil was at a loss. He spent more time in his room, trying to hide the reality of the situation from his family, but that only brought accusations. 

Remus was the first to suggest that Virgil might prefer the light sides over his family. Virgil wasn’t sure if it was an intrusive thought or something Remus had actually been worried about. In the end it didn’t matter because Virgil could only dispel the suspicion once or twice before it set in. 

Virgil had to say no to so many of Remus’ “outings” that the creative side had stopped asking him altogether. Virgil could go days without seeing or hearing from Remus, which was a feat in itself. Janus, on the other hand, only grew more clingy. Nearly every conversation between the two was an interrogation or an argument. Janus wanted to know why Virgil was filming so many videos, why he spent so much time in his room, why he was so jumpy recently, why he didn’t do any of his normal activities. Why why why why. 

It never stopped. And while staring at the pitch-black space where his ceiling was supposed to be, Virgil nearly started to cry. It was hopeless, wasn’t it? If he hid what was happening to him, Remus and Janus thought he was avoiding them. If he showed them what was happening to him, they would demand he stop seeing the Light Sides and Virgil couldn’t just stop. So Virgil just resigned himself to waiting, taking the suspicion, and holding out until he got better. 

What if he didn’t get better? What if he spent the rest of his life trapped in darkness? What if he couldn’t see Janus or Remus again? What if the only burst of light he got was when he filmed a video. Could he live like that? If the heat kept building Virgil was sure he couldn’t. But would Janus keep taking care of him, even if Virgil couldn’t give him an honest answer? Janus would never abandon him. They’d been through a lot and fought a lot, but Janus was always there for him when it counted. But part of Virgil wondered if there was an end to Janus’ patience. 

“Oh Virgin~!” Remus called from outside the door. “Dinner’s ready! Hurry before I come up with something creative to do to your plate!” 

Virgil shook off the train of anxious thoughts and stood up. He traced the wall with the tips of his fingers, trying to lead himself back to the kitchen. As he struggled to find the doorknob, Virgil was struck by a horrifying thought that it may be getting darker. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay. Breathe. Breathe.” Virgil repeated. He closed his eyes. Strange, it was darker with his eyes closed, but only half as terrifying. His closed around the doorknob. With a sigh of relief, Virgil opened his eyes and pushed the door open. What greeted him was a black void. 

Virgil took in strained breaths. He was fine. Perfectly fine. He walked forward five steps and bumped into the small table they had in the hallway. No problem. Virgil turned to the left and walked forward. He found the wall with his fingers. He found the deep gouges where Remus had practiced with his morningstar. He was almost there. He was so close. 

Something cold and slick pressed into Virgil’s side. He froze, waiting for Remus’ cackling laughter. There was no laughter. Instead, the thing disappeared somewhere into the infinite blackness. Virgil shook. 

There was something there. Something that moved. And he couldn’t see it. It could be anything. It could be anywhere. Virgil hadn’t even heard it move. Was it still there? What was it waiting for? He couldn’t see ANYTHING.

Virgil dropped to the ground in a fetal position. Panic gripped his entire body. His eyes frantically scanned the surrounding area, to see nothing. Absolutely nothing. Virgil tensed and tucked his head defensively. 

The thing could be anywhere. It was waiting for him, Virgil knew it. The fear seeped like ice through his blood, freezing him in place. It was dark. It was so so dark. Anything could happen and Virgil couldn’t move and he was all alone in the dark and it was so hot his skin was melting and it wouldn’t stop it wasn’t stopping it will never-

“-gil. Virgil!”

Hands, too many hands, grabbed him out of the darkness. He couldn’t see where they started or where they ended. It was endless. Where were they taking him? 

“Virgil, please. Focus on me. Focus on my voice.”

“I can’t! It’s here. They’re everywhere. I-I….”

“It’s alright, sweetheart. It’s just me. It’s just Janus. You’re safe.”

“There was a-”

“Shhh, little one. Breathe with me.” 

Janus counted. His hands tapped out the rhythm. Virgil struggled to follow along, shaking through uneven breaths. Janus’ pattern stayed steady. Virgil looked instinctively for Janus’ hands, but couldn’t see anything. He couldn’t even see his own body. Virgil felt like he was floating in darkness, completely isolated in the pitch black. 

“Stay with me, sweetheart.” 

The hands squeezed Virgil, reminded him of his body. He whined. It was so hard to stay present. He screwed his eyes shut. 

“Just focus on my voice and relax.” 

And Virgil did, eventually. As Virgil’s breathing evened out, Janus drew him into his chest in a hug. Virgil caved into the familiar gesture easily, closing his eyes as Janus wrapped him in his arms. It was nearly impossible to be afraid when Janus held him like that. But as he calmed down further, Virgil realized that Janus was just waiting to start the interrogation. 

“Would you like to tell me what got you so worked up?” Janus questioned. His tone remained calm. 

“No,” Virgil answered. He kept his eyes firmly closed. 

“Will you open your eyes for me?” 

Virgil shook his head. 

“Why not?”

“It’s too dark,” Virgil muttered. 

“I would think it would be darker with your eyes closed, sweetheart.” Janus chuckled. One of his many hands brushed away Virgil’s bangs. Virgil flinched at the bitter cold. 

“Please open your eyes for me.” Janus’ tone was so soft and pleading that Virgil complied. He opened his eyes, facing the void.

“Dear, can you see me?” 

Virgil was already in shattered pieces on the floor, but somehow, that question broke him further. “It’s so dark,” Was all Virgil managed to say before bursting into sobs. Janus breathed in sharply, then tightened the hug. 

“Oh sweetheart. I’m so sorry. It’ll be alright. You’re going to be okay.” 

The words were comforting, but Virgil could hear the waver in Janus’ voice. He was lying. 

“What’s wrong with emo?” Remus’ voice cut through the darkness. Virgil didn’t even bother attempting to answer. 

“He can’t see,” Janus answered for him. “The Lights did something to him.”

“Those mother-”

“It wasn’t them.” Virgil answered quickly. 

“You don’t need to defend them, Virgil.” 

“I’m not defending them. It’s the truth!” Virgil pulled away from the hug but kept a hand on Janus for stability.

“Oh, so your eyes just suddenly don’t work for no reason?” Janus retorted sarcastically. 

“Ooo! They could have imploded and be leaking blood into your brain right now!” 

“Not helpful, Remus.” 

 “I’m telling you, this has nothing to do with them. Use your mind reading thing if you have to, I’m NOT LYING.” Virgil repeated firmly. 

“Then what caused this? Because you could see this morning, you come back from the Light Side and you’re suddenly blind? What do you want me to believe?” 

“Me, Janus,” Virgil spat. “I want you to believe me.” 

“Then tell me what happened when you stayed late today, hm?” Janus’ voice was a near growl. 

“We were brainstorming for the next video. Nothing crazy.” “You mean the next video where they ridicule you?” Remus snapped. 

“They’re not really like that!”

“But they’d blind you?” 

“They didn’t do anything to me!” 

“Stop saying that!” 

“Then stop denying it!” 

“I’m not denying anything! It’s the truth!” Virgil’s heart thudded in his chest as he screamed. The heat in his body built like steam in a pressure cooker. The darkness surrounded and suffocated. 

Janus grabbed Virgil’s arm. Virgil lurched forward as Janus yanked him. He could feel the coldness of Janus’ breath on the side of his face. 

“If they’re so trustworthy, why don’t you stay with them instead?” 

The words burned white-hot. The hand on Virgil’s arm scalded his skin. Then suddenly, he could see. 

Brilliant light dispelled all darkness. In the stark white light Virgil could see Janus’ face in stunning clarity. Virgil could make out every line of anger and disgust. In that split second, Virgil met Janus’ eyes and saw a face of utter disappointment. 

As quick as the vision came, it vanished. 

Instead of returning to darkness, Virgil found himself in a bright hallway. Colorful paintings dotted the walls. To his left, Vigil could make out a blue, indigo, and a red door. In front of him, was a door painted dark purple. 

Virgil blinked, but the image stayed. 

His door. The Light Side. It didn’t make sense. 

“Oh, Heya kiddo!” 

Virgil’s head snapped to the side to see Patton walking towards him. Had Virgil lost his mind? This had to be a dream. 

“Did ya forget something? I’m an excellent finder, seeing how I have… four eyes.” Patton tapped his glasses, then laughed for an unwarranted amount of time. Definitely not a dream. 

“Anx- Virgil, what happened to your arm?” Patton asked, his face suddenly showing concern. 

Virgil looked towards his arm to see a handprint emblazoned in red. He prodded it and felt the burning sensation anew. 

“Are you okay? What happened?” 

Virgil was done with questions. People kept asking him questions when he had NO CLUE what was happening. 

“He- He wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t do this to me,” Virgil choked out. His voice shook, but no tears fell. He was spent, completely dried out. 

“Who wouldn’t, kiddo?” “I- I can’t- I’m supposed to-” “Shh, shh. It’s okay. We’re just gonna lie down in the living room for a minute, okay?” 

Virgil allowed himself to be led away from the vibrant hallway, to another vibrant hallway. The colors blurred into a kaleidoscope of useless visual information. He was sat on something soft. 

Warm arms wrapped around his torso. It felt wrong. Janus’ hugs were always cold. Awkwardly, Virgil was pat stiffly on the shoulder. Wrong. Remus was slimy or unsanitary, but never stiff. A third voice echoed in the room heroically declaring vengeance. Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong. 

Virgil forced his eyes shut, placed himself back in the darkness he was supposed to inhabit. But burned on the inside of his eyelids in blazing white was that look in Janus’ eyes. That fear and disappointment. 

He didn’t belong in the Light, but he could no longer go back to the dark. He’d reached too high, and, like Icarus, Virgil burned. 

[citruside]

Sander Sides - 💙 Light 🩵 Side ❤️ Eyes 👁️

Dark Side Eyes 💛💜💚

[queen-of-bleptune]

So kinda a weird theory for sanders sides

All of the Light Sides have their Dark Side opposite

now this may seem weird because you initially think that only Roman has his opposite- Remus. But hear me out. Deceit/Janus is Patton’s opposite because Deceit is the lying and dishonest part of Thomas. On the contrary, Patton is nice and honest. Also Patton seems to share the amount of hate for Deceit that Roman has for Remus. That leaves Virgil as the opposite for Logan. It’s not the hate factor, and you may find it weird since they can team up and work things out. But remember when Virgil said just “something was wrong”? And then Thomas says “Ugh, I hate when you’re so vague!”. On the other hand with Logan, he explains things to the very last detail.

If anyone has something to add to the theory, please go ahead

also please repost so Thomas can see this 👍

[waffleduckiegacha]

Yk what

*makes all the light sides and redesigns my virgil & Roman*

Nice

[uniquecellest]

I've been watching Sanders Sides again and recently looked at Thomas' merch for thw first time in years and I noticed that Virgil (and Remus - though aside from the Sides sticker pack I don't think I've ever seen Remus merch) doesn't have anything new. Like there's new long sleeve shirts and out of the 5 Sides I've seen with merch Virgil doesn't have one - also I'm taking note that Janus is the only one with matching pants - and with new 3.0 shirts, again Virgil is left out.

What if Janus is getting stronger messing more and more with Thomas and making it seem like Virgil is unreasonable as seen in the SvS and Can Lying Be Good? videos. Virgil has had enough and doesn't show up for a video or so. Character Thomas can take note but the others cover or assure Thomas (bc they got lied to) that Virgil is unwell. The light sides keep taking note especially with Character Thomas getting more paranoid recently causing the light sides to worry. It isn't until Thomas is close to or is in full blown paranoia that Logan, Patton, and Roman - with Thomas - attempt to look for Virgil. However Remus and Janus appear acting like everything is fine, nothing is wrong at all until Remus let's it slip that they let something - rather someone - out. In Virgil's part of the mind it's much darker than we see in Accepting Anxiety. Snakes, Spiders, and Remus' creepy critters (i like to think beetles) come out from a room and they see a body. Logan, Patton, Thomas, and Roman assume it's Virgil. The person laughs manically claiming that Virgils name is not one he has heard in a while. The body turns and it's Virgil but it's not. There's no black or purple, no eyeshadow. In fact the person looks very relaxed - either looking like a business person or someone on vacation. We know from Can Lying Be Good that the sides - in particular Logan, Patton and Roman - cannot inform Thomas of the Dark Sides unless Thomas wants to know. I'm thinking Remus and Janus can though, however even those two are even scared of this person and the person very calmly introduces himself as Thomas' Paranoia aka Virgil "all grown up"

[lolia21]

I have an angsty sanders sides hc

Hear me out

Virgil is Thomas' fear/anxiety so he reacts to when Thomas or any of the sides are upset about something. I came up with the when I was watching the intrusive thoughts episode and they point out that virgil and Patton where the ones freaking out. What if it was Patton freaking out and virgil was just reacting to how anxious that made Thomas?

So the hc is that Virgil doesn't actually dislike Janus or Remus. It's just his job to make sure that Thomas something is wrong or upsetting. Like he knows that those parts of him upset him or parts of him, so he naturally rejects them. He's like an unwilling Warden. In charge of making sure the parts of Thomas that could cause hum distress don't.

Janus knows this and knows it actually hurts Virgil a lot to go against sides that he used to (and still kind of is) be friends with. Janus and Remus are constantly referencing this secret Virgil has. Even after Thomas knows about the other dark sides. My hc is that they know the truth and what Janus, especially, is pushing for is Virgil explaining the impossible task he has.

Janus knows that part of Thomas taking care of his mental health is Virgil not constantly working over time reacting to Patton and Roman's negative reaction to them.

Virgil doesn't want to bring it up because he knows how guilty Patton and Thomas would feel. He also thinks being honest would make them and Roman feel like they have to change instead of letting them do it naturally.

Idk I just like the idea that Virgil is torn between the two sides not only because he wants the light sides and Thomas to like him but also because it's literally in his nature to react negatively to them regardless of his personal feelings.

I really like leaning into the nature of them being representations of emotions and the limitations and complexity that would bring.

I like to imagine that he just collapses at some point and asks for Janus to take care of him becuase that what he always does. Janus takes him back to where the dark sides are and finally explains the situation. It's a moment of really healing and comfort for Virgil and we get to see peak mom friend Janus. Also the light sides and Thomas trying to figure out how to navigate this.

[analoceits]

roman logan and patton as iterators from rain world. this drawing took me ages but i fucking love it.

outfit-less version bc i spent too much time on them to NOT show off

some quick lore under the cut for this au

this will make 0 sense if you dont know rain world lore so. sorry

this also might make 0 sense if do know the lore bc this is mostly memory on how rw works.

anyway

pattons the oldest. hes actually a very old model of iterator, probably one of the first few made.

his city was a big local capital, and there were two nearby cities.

logans and romans!!

as time went on, and all three cities expanded, getting closer and closer until they were practically touching.

after a while, a solution was clearly needed for this.

soo.. the cities were fused.

this now left 1 mega city being supported by three iterators!! the dramaaa

logan and roman were at first. a bit Disgruntled

after a while, tho, the three managed to actually bond.

no clue what the dynamic is yet exactly. but theyre close <3

(bonus hint for a future drawing: in this au, the dark sides are scugs)

[pickledoctopushair]

Okay since we know that Thomas loves Steven universe one can only assume that so do the sides so, which Steven universe characters do each of the sides kin? I'll start Remus most definitely kins/relates to amethyst. I mean just think of how he acted in dwit, while yes he was just saying most of that to get Thomas to believe he was a bad person his words of being made the way he was definitely had amethyst seeping through.

[notnobot]

WANNING: FUCK IS SAID!!! was bored...and was in a sanders' sides mood. Sorry, it's bad quality because I didn't want to re-do this.

[grey0-0]

Logan is me and donuts 😭

The fact this is canon is giving me life

[out-of-users]

I’ve got thoughts!!! It’s a possibility for an orange side arc, or extreme character development! The heavy topics could deal with (if we’re focusing on orange), extreme rage, or a complete ducking out of logic! Mayhaps we get more dark side lore, or some more Roman or Patton lore? But I do agree, the possibility of a heavy topic is likely, but I’m betting on a more complex topic instead of a heavy one! Like a problem that can’t be solved as easily?

-Roman!

Boss just posted this!

It’s sounds like it’s gonna be part of the main narrative (so not an asides) and it sounds like it’s going to have a theme— which means maybe costumes, locations etc? Maybe it’s a heavier topic? I can’t imagine what at this point, but he’s covered heavy topics before…

Thoughts??

[citruside]

Orange Relationships with the other Sides: Light Edition -Patton, Roman & Logan (2/2)

While Patton is aware of Lucius’s existence, he never talks about him unless the topic is brought up. Considering how he represents an ugly emotion and is referred to as “The Devil”, he doesn’t think too well of him even though he’s a part of Thomas who wants to help him just much as everyone else. If they were to meet, Patton would be extremely cautious and wary around him, despite him being a very sweet guy who likes dad jokes just as much as he does.

Roman sees him as a villain, a monster, the literal devil himself trying to ruin everything for Thomas. The thought of him puts him on edge, always high alert, holding his sword out in defense, ready to attack when necessary. Despite his devilishly good looks and charming good voice, he will not be swayed by the Angel of Darkness’ words. As tempting as they are, sounding like music to his ear.

As for Logan, he visits Lucius down in the basement to see how he’s doing and asks about how Thomas is doing since Lucius monitors his body. He brings down freshly baked cookies as “sacrifices” for the devil, which in turn Lucius tries to help Logan understand and deal with his emotions, while also talking about his issues too. He has found The Devil’s company quite nice and refreshing, finding peace and comfort in his arms whenever he comes down to visit him.

“Now then, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

-

Bonus - Nicknames/names used to refer to Lucius by the sides: 

Luci (Patton uses this name a lot if he has accepted Lucius, Roman uses it too but to make fun of him)

Luci-poo (Remus)

Lucifer (Roman)

Lu 

Lulu

Lucici

The Devil (Patton)

Angel of Darkness (Roman)

Who’s Lucius? Learn about him here!

Dark Side Relationships 💛💚💜

[abandoned-quiche]

I LOVE ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS BTW. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOUR HATE FOR THEM ON MY POST

[onegiantmeep]

Severance 2x05 • Helly R // Helena

alt caption: Lumon really said fuck you and fuck your bodily autonomy to everyone involved

[darishima]

made a chart of the straw hats' skin tones with the colors being screencapped directly from the episodes, to show how much they've lightened. this is more than just an "artstyle change" or "design evolution" or "just the timeskip" this is blatant racism/colorism. it's fucking ridiculous and i don't understand how toei is continuously getting away with it please reblog btw, i think this is something people should see