On The S.I.D.E.

Why I Love Dukeceit

Normally, I would've done another playlist, but I do want to get this out there, because I really want to share my reasoning behind it. You all know that Dukeceit is my OTP, and that I love it beyond words, but there's a reason that I love it so much, and I'm going to be delving into it right now.

First---yes, there's the obvious. Remus's "I love being given two D's at once" and "there's a snake in my butt" lines did kick it off for me, and I did like the general idea---I mean, who doesn't love a villain ship, right? Lots of potential there.

But the more I thought about it, the more I liked it... and then it hit me.

Janus and Remus?

They're perfect for each other.

Think about it.

Janus is all lies. A big part of his purpose is keeping things secret from Thomas, and that includes himself. He deals in mystery and deception, barely ever telling the truth. And beyond that, he's classy. He's all elegance and sophistication, perfectly slick at every opportunity. He's the kind of villain who'll let his henchman take care of the killing, because god forbid he get a speck of blood on his brand new designer gloves.

Meanwhile, Remus is just... pure honesty. He has zero filter. He'll say whatever the hell pops into his head at any given moment, regardless of how disturbing it is, and he has no shame whatsoever. Plus, he's a trash man. There's no putting that lightly---he is a literal trash man. "Class" and "decorum" are foreign words to him. He's the kind of villain who'd recline on a throne made out of the entrails of his enemies while snacking on a raw, rotting leg bone of some animal that even he doesn't know what it is (gross, I know, but this is Remus we're talking about).

Those two could not be more different.

And yet. And yet.

They're both so damn similar.

Both of them are absolute drama queens, and both of them adore the theater. Both of them love the villain aesthetic, even though Remus is the only one who seems to truly revel in it. They both rebel against society and delight in causing chaos, they're both secretly absolute dorks, and they're both unapologetically themselves. And, of course, they're both shameless flirts.

Janus and Remus mirror each other perfectly. They're complete opposites, and yet exactly alike in all the right ways. And beyond that, it's canon information that Janus prefers Remus to the rest of the Sides, and it's safe to assume that it's the other way around, too. They're the ultimate power couple.

I know that the fandom seems to appreciate the hero/villain dynamic, and that's all well and good, but in my mind, nothing is better than two villains who are different enough to be interesting but similar enough to actually function as a pair. Janus and Remus are both wonderfully unique characters, and they're both a wonderfully unique couple---and honestly? They're probably the closest ship to being canon---I'm even taking Prinxiety and Logicality into account here---and they haven't even interacted on screen in canon yet.

In conclusion, Dukeceit is one of the greatest ships of all time, it's severely underrated, and I would really like more fanfictions that give them the healthy, loving, and stable relationship that they deserve. Thank you for your time.

*drops mic, walks out*