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Selfishness vs Selflessness (Redux) Examination

SPOILERS! Don’t read onward if you haven’t seen the Sanders Sides episode released on 05/01/2020. Escape this post. Refresh your dashboard, put “ts spoilers” or “sanders sides spoilers” in your blacklist, and don’t read this.

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So...

 I notice......

...that we got a NAME REVEAL-

*clattering, an explosion, cat meowing, police sirens*

Deceit’s name? Finally revealed! The glove came OFF and the binch gave us the cookie from the jar.

BUT

The spelling of his name. I’ve seen one variant different than my own original, immediate thought already.

Is Deceit’s name spelled as JANICE or  JANUS?

Both, arguably (depends on dialect of the speaker) are pronounced the same.

Let’s review.

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Option 1 - Janus:

[Image Description: Means “archway” in Latin. Janus was the Roman god of gateways and beginnings, often depicted as having two faces looking in opposite directions. The month of January is named after him.]

Now, with the meaning of the name Janus, let’s break it down in regards to Deceit.

Deceit has...

A logo patch with two snake-heads that look opposite directions

Has acted as a gateway to Thomas discovering that being selfish isn’t an evil act

The episode the name was revealed in is, arguably, Deceit’s true beginning of being recognized as a side. A “gateway” to the table.

Now, these are all excellent points to be made. Deceit would very well fit the Janus definition for very, very obvious reasons: it goes with the theme of Roman names being in use for the Dark Sides (just how the Light Sides have the theme of ‘AN’ or ‘ON’), there is a lot of meaning of this name definition that can be tied with the SvS: Redux episode.

However, there is one small counter that needs to be considered:

In the past, all the pretend name-reveals at a convention that Thomas and Joan attended were traditionally female names (Madonna being an example), AND Roman made fun of Deceit for having a name that made him sound like a 12-year old middle schooler.

Thus, the next spelling option which brings an entirely new meaning.

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Option 2: Janice

[Image Description: Janice is a feminine given name, an extended version of Jane. Jane is one of the feminine forms of John in English. The meaning of “Janice” is “God is gracious” (from the Hebrew).]

With the breakdown of that name definition, let’s examine the next set of points in how it compares to Deceit.

Deceit has...

Spent the end of this episode ultimately helping Thomas realize that he’s not going to be damned (like in the song “Forbidden Fruit” from the Dealing with Intrusive Thoughts episode implied he would for not being a “good person”)

It is a feminine name, which fits with what can now be considered as hints from the pass

Deceit, even though he’s been constantly dismissed, has still come to help the best he could even with evidence in the past showing he’s not ultimately listened to once he reveals himself.

And, again, Roman mocked it for sounding like the name of a 12-year old girl (which Janice is, but Janus would not be. Then again, they are pronounced the same more often than not).

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Now, what does this all ultimately come to?

The truth is that both options are very, very valid for Deceit’s name-spelling and meaning. And, really, either would be perfectly in place.

However, I do propose the question of... why not BOTH names being correct?

Deceit does have two heads in his logo, and thus, why would he not have a double-meaning to his name. Deception, at it’s route, has two values to it: self-preservation and then a desire to escape something in an dishonest manner. Now, ultimately, while the same, they have very different applications.

To view these applications, lets give two scenarios that have different values of deception’s use:

Self-preservation would be... pretending your mother is calling you in a shady Uber, and you giving her information about where you are and telling her you’re on your phone right now, and going ‘Mom, you don’t need to track my phone’ to imply that someone knows where you are. There’s no guarantee (though instinct should be listened to if you’re in a scary situation) that something would have gone wrong, but it is not wrong to hold a faux conversation if it means protecting one’s self.

Desire to escape deception would be... you decided, consciously, not to do an assignment for no reason other than the fact you, say, didn’t care about the class it was for at all. It was a large assignment for a large grade percentage, you were given months to do it, and you try to give some sort of elaborate lie to escape the consequences of your actions at the last minute.

In application to either of these examples, BOTH Janice or Janus can be implied. Janus could be a gateway to self-protection or a gateway to avoid one’s own faults. Janice could be the graciousness to accept that it’s okay to defend one’s self and that there’s no shame to doubt someone else’s intentions, and can even be implied to thinking you can do no wrong as long as you give a reason believable enough to escape a form of conviction.

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Ultimately, in the end, we’re going to have to wait until the “Don’t make any conversation that’s spoiler-ly in concern of others!” period before Thomas will likely confirm which spelling of Deceit’s name is the propper one.

...But, then again, maybe he’ll never confirm it at all. Who knows?

After all, everyone needs some deception for themselves.