Gonna put this out there, Roman should be the first to apologize to Janus, not the other way around. “BuT JaNuS MaNiPuLaTeD RoMaN DuRinG ThE TriAL” To get Roman to choose his own desires over Patton’s (boy pops up with party noise makers and you think the snake wants that callback more?? He started suggesting ways to get out of the wedding, not Janus)
Plus, there’s the whole flattery vs manipulation thing. He was buttering Roman up like a goddamn biscuit and he was nudging Roman to choose the thing that would be good for him, the ego, the side that keeps getting beat down. No one wanted that callback more than Roman, not even Janus. His goading was encouraging Roman to go after his wants, his dreams, and do something that made him feel more confident. He manipulated Virgil into speaking, he got under Logan’s skin, he put Patton into a position that showed his argument for what it was. His flattery toward Roman, was genuine praise that Roman had been needing for a while.
Roman does accuse Janus of false flattery to build him up so he could plummet to greater depths, to which Janus replies, “That does sound like a funny and wholesome prank. But no I mean it.” So he meant what he said, clearly, since the trial was a serious situation, if not the overall setting, the arguments and end goals were. It wasn’t a “funny and wholesome prank” He acknowledges that Roman sees him in a certain light, validates that he can be that guy, but at the same time provides a context for when he would be that guy, and affirms that the context Roman is referring to is not the kind of situation where he would be that guy. Janus is the Self-Care Snake, self-care is important for a person’s mental health and ego. Who’s the ego? Roman.
Janus has only manipulated Thomas and Roman one time, when it came to lying to Joan, even though it was Roman’s idea to begin with. Janus is simping the prince, literally doing what he can to support him even if it doesn’t always work out.
“But he set Remus---” Stop, hold on just a second, that’s what is implied from Remus’ perspective, and frankly he’s not honest, he just runs his mouth and creates a lot of stuff. He came to light after Thomas’ mental health plummeted because of Roman choosing the wedding. Thomas being a train wreck is what brought Remus out to beat up his ego even more, that’s what intrusive thots do. Janus can only do so much hiding before Thomas takes over. That’s probably why Virgil showed his face first, because Thomas is an anxious mess and he can’t lie his way out of that one.
Janus was pissed after SvS so that line in Remus’ song might’ve been a different perspective on Janus’ rant. He said you’re wanting to be more honest, and be direct dealing with your issues, no longer will you deceive yourself about the ugliness within you Hell reading those lines without context it sounds like somebody was ready to duck out or go on strike. (Which would explain why Remus tried to get Thomas to summon him twice...and why Patton couldn’t lie well under pressure despite having done so in the past) “There are smarter ways to get people to do what you want” Like that ambiguous line could mean a number of things. Like not doing the little things with his job, not coming when summoned, and not going to movie night out of spite.
Back to the main point. Janus is Roman’s biggest supporter, and his goal with the trial was in every way to serve Thomas’ ego and mental health. He made himself vulnerable in the face of Roman’s accusations and insults, trying to prove that he could be trusted to some extent. He could tell that Roman had his own idea of what occurred during the trial and he tried to make his side known while also validating Roman as best he could, even if he had to shift gears a number of times because he was supposed to focus on Thomas. He chose to reveal that one most hidden aspect of himself, the whole, honest truth, and he was apprehensive about it, it took a lot for him to be that open.
And the one person he’s been trying to lift up, the one he’s trying to prove himself to despite Roman repeatedly calling him a villain and accusing him of only ever lying, laughs at him, mocks his name, the one aspect of himself that he’s kept hidden for years. He snaps, hurls an insult that cuts just as deep.
The whole issue comes down to perspectives not aligning, and frankly, Roman was completely pigheaded and unwilling to hear Janus out after he stopped Patton’s rampage and saved Thomas. Roman was angry and confused and he ran his mouth, getting mean because of the position he was in at that moment, so no this is not intended to be an attack on the prince in anyway. But he was the one assuming and insulting Janus the entire time. They both need to apologize for what they said, but I’ll be damned if I see one more post demanding Janus apologize first when he was putting effort into understanding where Roman was coming from, validating him, and proving himself to Roman while the prince had his breakdown.
