39. When people look at your character, is there some assumption they might make about them just by appearance? Is that assumption correct?
Janus almost always has a smile on his face, so people often assume he’s a very upbeat, optimistic person – and this is true! However, Janus also uses his smile to hide his true emotions, so sometimes his outward appearance does not match what he’s feeling inside. There are also times where Janus will change his expression on purpose to mess with people, such as frowning suddenly to trick people into thinking he’s angry with them, then switching back to his normal grin and saying “Just kidding!” Some people also find his expressions irritating, thinking that he’s smug or doesn’t take anything seriously, though in that case they’ve fallen for the persona Janus presents on purpose.
Janus also almost always wears a uniform – either the Subway Boss uniform or the Ginkgo Guild uniform depending on the arc – so people tend to assume he takes great pride in his work, which is correct! Janus considers both the Battle Subway employees and the Ginkgo Guild members to be his family, so by wearing their uniforms, he feels connected to them!
42. Is there anything in your character’s past that they regret, haunts them, or they wish they could change?
Before the Hisui Arc, the moment in Janus’s past that most impacts him is when Ingo went missing. Only about a month before Janus was planning to start his journey as a trainer to gain the experience he needed to one day become a Subway Boss himself, his Uncle Ingo went to Lostlorn Forest to train and never came home. Janus put his journey on hold to assist the search and rescue teams, but it was to no avail. Janus was meant to go with Ingo to train that day, but ended up canceling the plans to go to the Nimbasa amusement park with his friend Amelia to ride a new roller coaster instead. Because of this, Janus blames himself for Ingo going missing, feeling that it wouldn’t have happened if he’d been a more responsible trainer and gone with him. He knows deep down that he’s not at fault, but it doesn’t change his feelings. Even after deciding to start his journey after all a few months later, Janus still dedicates most of his energy to trying to solve his uncle’s disappearance, investigating any and all rumors that he thinks might be related.
This search leads him to end up being thrown through space and time via mysterious ruins in Sinnoh, arriving in Hisui and losing most of his memories in the process. After this point, his greatest regret is his lack of memory. He knows that he’s forgotten something important, and frequently worries over the people he knows he left behind, even if he can’t remember them.
43. Does your character have a switch that changes aspects of their personality whether they are around friends, family, etc. Is there someone who gets to see their true self?
Janus hides his feelings behind his cheery expression and mannerisms, though most of the time, his smile is genuine. While he’s truly friendly and outgoing, he doesn’t show his most honest feelings and self to anyone but those he considers close friends and family. Prior to the Hisui Arc, these people were quite numerous, and anyone who spent time with him for long enough would be able to pick up on his various moods without too much difficulty, even though he expresses himself differently than most people.
However, after he ends up in Hisui and loses his memories, Janus becomes much more guarded. This is partially due to his amnesia, but also because people in Hisui tend to be wary of him – seeing him as an outsider and finding him strange and even threatening due to being a Faller. Janus doesn’t want to get hurt or shunned even more, so only opens up around a very select few people and even then, the only person who he shows his most true self to is Volo.