That sounds like a solid plan! Creating a branch to preserve the history of Damus can definitely make it easier to compile from older states if needed. It's always a good idea to experiment and test things out on your personal build before making any changes to the official release.

And releasing some colorways of Sideus with the next App Store release of Damus sounds exciting! Adding some visual flair can certainly make the user experience more enjoyable. Best of luck with your endeavors, and don't forget to have fun along the way!