Janus' Scar: The Closure? (Genetics or Injury)
(TW for images and mentions of injuries)
If you must know, I was the one who posted about Janus' eye blemish back in 2024 [Here's the link] and ever since then the fandom has adapted greatly to it to the point of it reaching Thomas I've heard. I didn't even expect this payout at all and it's genuinely shocking to say the least. However, I have a few add-ons to contribute to that old post that may build up the theory or just end up giving you all more fanon fuel. Whichever is totally okay with me.
According to a recent livestream, Thomas has allegedly debunked the scar by saying that it's just a natural snake marking and I vaguely remember him always claiming this before. Yet, Joan had their interpretation as it being implied to be a scar by using it as a way to make Janus seem gross and menacing. Talyn at the time also contributed to the design and it was a combined agreement between them during the designing and writing of the character due to their shared interest in sci-fi body horror. However, the implication that it's a scar for scary purposes seems offensive to those with long lasting injuries. It would make it more respectable if there was a canon explanation, but it may be too much to get into sensibly or from a writing standpoint although it wouldn't be hard to try.
Theory One: Is it Genetics?
The answer: No. At least, not in Janus' case. See, there are snakes that have red or pink pigmentation for example the Western CoachWhip or the Coral Snow Cornsnake. Some snakes are naturally born pink before growing into their scales. Another instance of pink or reddish skin would be from leucistic or albino snakes. These snakes are typically pure or off white morphs and are considered rare. Any albino animal often has red eyes. Another possibility is that of it being red blood vessels under the dead skin and they tend to swell when a snake is approaching shedding time. Yet, the sign of shedding for a snake involving their eyes is usually them becoming a foggy blue or grey color and not pink or red unless it's a shedding albino or light colored morph. There's also a genetic phenomenon known as chimera or paradox morphs which are described as the fusing of two different embryos causing two distinct DNA pigments like white snakes with dark spots or snakes with split patterned bodies. Another instance of genetics would be deformities or mutations. Common deformities snakes tend to endure during development range from cleft lips, "shark mouth" or a misaligned jaw, missing eye(s), scoliosis spines and bicephaly(two heads). None of these involved a skin specific deformity.
Now, implying this all to Janus, several things are clear. The obvious first example is that Janus is not any of those specific species of the snakes mentioned. If anything, he's been linked to Mangroves and Anacondas. And, even with that in mind, his scales are often depicted as various shades of green in many pieces of canon merch and media like the YouTooz figure and plushie as well as his two sprites in POF/Redux. Even in the GRWM tutorial video where he showed us how to accurately replicate his features, two shades of green were used. This also proves that he's not an albino or leucistic since his scales aren't white. His snake eye is not red and is depicted as an off-yellow color. He can't be a paradox or chimera morph snake since he's more of a chimera in the sense that he is a fusion of both snake and human DNA and not two different snake DNAs fused. It has been stated that allegedly Janus does shed, however if the redness is a sign of shedding and we see the blemish all the time when he's present then that would insinuate that he's always shedding. In theory that would work with his "self-care" symbolism with ever-evolving but according to Janus himself in the GRWM video that could be 'semi-canon', he stated that he sheds 2 to 4 times a year which is in the typical range for adult snakes. Also, the reason a snake's eyes become foggy during shedding is due to fluid build up under the spectacles or eye caps that covers their unblinking eyes since they lack eyelids. Janus clearly has eyelids, so either he has a whole patch of skin over his eye or he was just lying and he doesn't shed at all which just makes the whole shedding excuse impossible to believe. It is clear that Janus lacks any of the deformities that snakes are prone to having since he's of human form and technically his snake genetics are a mutation that C!Thomas' mental development forced upon him during his imaginary conception. And, obviously Janus wasn't born or hatched in the literal sense. So, it is conclusive that Thomas' answer is questionable. Yes, it could be an aesthetic choice like the streak of silver in Remus' hair but Thomas has stated that this blemish is "just a snake thing" even though the evidence proves otherwise. And, Joan's implication insinuates that it was a scar for the aesthetic choice of making him look gross and menacing. Thomas could've realized the negative stereotype of Joan's statement and retconned it but it would be a great representation for those left scarred by past injuries or mentally left scarred by their past if it was given more thought.
Theory Two: Is it an Injury?
The answer: Likely. See, most often if not, snakes are prone to their own set of accidents. These accidents result in unintentional injuries. However, some of these accidents can be due to poor care. Oftentimes, snakes get injured by larger predators in the wild or even get scratched or bitten by their own prey. During shedding, a snake may rub his body and face against any hard and jagged surface to loosen the dead skin since they obviously lack the limbs to remove it. This action can result in injuries like scrapes, scratches and cuts. Poor care can lead to resorting to pulling and tearing the shed off prematurely by hand in a rough demeanor which can result in tearing their scales and skin underneath which then leaves them with flesh-like pink scarring. Something similar to this is a snake getting caught in any adhesive product like glue traps or tape used for cheap grates or mesh covers on enclosures. This adhesive can irritate their scales and removing it slowly is crucial to avoid the same tearing of skin that prematurely pulling their dead shed would. Then there's the largest and most likely injury for this blemish pigmentation and that's a burn. Snakes are often burned by surfaces they slither against or over, typically being heating lamps over the enclosure or heated pads that are too hot underneath. In the wild, they can burn themselves either by slithering over hot rocks or asphalt roads with the obvious burn injury coming from forest fires. The pigmentation of the burn is red or pinkish in the hue and if left untreated, it can become inflamed and infected. The other option is blemishes due to illness. Many snakes suffer from conditions like scale rot and mites which can leave their scales with red or black spotting that's not normal. Fluid filled blisters or abscesses that are reddish in color can also form due to high humidity levels and bacterial infection. Some unnatural red pigmentation can be due to dehydration. There's also the likelihood of Snake Fungal Disease which can cause crusty or scabby disfiguring lumps or lesions.
Now, since Janus is also half human, there are some eye related infections that would cause this kind of blemish. Allergies are fairly common to cause itchy red eyes from pollen or dander. Other more serious infections can range from styes, cellulitis, eczema or blepharitis which can cause red, itchy or inflamed skin or swelling. Environmental causes can again be pollen or dander but also any harsh chemicals or gas getting in one's eyes. And obviously, red or inflamed eyes can be a result of injury such as a scratched cornea, foreign object or blocked tear ducts with the most obvious being...bruises. Getting punched in the eye is the most likely to cause this kind of pigmentation due to blood pooling in the area from physical trauma endured and depending on the health of the person can take days or weeks if not months to fully heal. There's also a condition known as "raccoon eyes" which can be an underlying blood related disorder or disease. I even questioned someone I know personally on the matter that burns can result in the same deep red inflammation since they were a burn victim themselves and stated that the blemish on Janus resembles their graphs and scars.
Apply all of this to Janus, it's clear that this blemish takes up his entire eye socket. Since Janus has the capability to pull off his stuck shed without needing to rub it against anything negates the accidental self injury. However, this isn't the first time a theory has spawned over a self inflicted injury. Someone actually started this scar theory way back in 2019 on Amino with one take being that Janus hated his scales and picked them off of his face which left the scar. This take has been used in some fanfics and fanart before, so this scar theory isn't new. There is the likelihood of it being an accident. On the comedic end, maybe Janus got stuck in some adhesive and Remus or whoever just tore it off like a wax strip. On the more serious end, maybe it was stuck shed over his eye that was torn off prematurely. It could be an accidental burn from maybe his own heating to regulate his cold-blooded body. It could also be due to an illness or defect that he may suffer due to his snake DNA.
On the darker end of speculation, there's the take I originally proposed and that was, what if someone else hurt him? Again, we're not sure if it was an accident or on purpose but we can weigh the possibilities. One, it could've been a "wrong place, wrong time" injury. Two, it could have been a "selfless act" injury he took. And Three, it could be a purposefully inflicted injury whether it was out of malice or not. The speculation is on who might've done it. My first take would be Remus. With him however, it would most likely be accidental because he never would intentionally hurt any of the Sides purely out of malice or hatred and mostly just in impulse. Yet, it has been confirmed that what Remus does never lasts and disappears as soon as it happens like the Intrusive Thoughts that he supplies. That's why Logan was able to bounce back so quickly from his advances and how Remus healed his eye so quickly in WTIT. Roman was just too caught off guard to prep. If Remus gave Janus the scar on accident, it would be long gone by now but it's been there ever since Janus appeared. If the Sides can heal or regenerate to a certain degree, why hasn't Janus tried to heal or conceal this blemish? Is it that he can't and it's permanent or is it still something that holds enough sentiment that he chooses not too. You'd think that since he's Self-Care that he'd fix it or keep it from getting worse but it's just gotten darker over time(ignoring makeup change). This blemish has to be significant enough for Janus to still have it and not even try to explain or cover it yet. This leads into the next candidate for blame: Virgil. We know that Virgil and Janus have a history and personal vendetta between each other due to something or multiple things. Who's to say that Virgil didn't have a moment similar to Logan throwing the paper at Roman and hurt Janus out of heated resentment during a fight? This could be something that Virgil is guilty of and Janus keeps the scar because it's a permanent reminder to Virgil of what he did and the wound in their shattered relationship. It's also likely that Virgil could've done something accidentally and was not spurred on that hurt him at the wrong time. Then there's the third and final culprit: Orange. In Joan's implication, they did hint to the Orange Side and how it correlates to him. Now, this could be a hint to the fact Orange himself will have his own scarring, physical features or eye significance and it has no link to Janus at all. Yet, if Orange did hurt Janus since it does resemble a burn and he's tied to fire imagery, this is where it could be purposeful. What if Orange has his own heated rivalry with Janus over something and this injury was a result of that. Maybe, Janus has it permanently as a reminder of what could happen if he crosses him. Orange could've hated the fact of Janus keeping him caged and repressed and he retaliated. Or, Orange and Virgil could've had an argument that escalated and Janus stepped in or was an unfortunately affected bystander. Either way, the likelihood of it being Orange's doing is higher than Virgil or Remus. It also doesn't help that for a while people were pointing out eye injuries towards the other sides since the crumbled paper incident. Sure, Thomas called those coincidences, but then explain the new knife eye injury for Remus in WTIT, the moment with the ORANGE stress ball being thrown at Roman's eye by JANUS in the Quotes and all the eye related imagery lately which I'll discuss in a later post.
Sure, I could be being pedantic and overthinking it but there's too much to ignore in my opinion. Yes, it was aesthetic at first but the insinuation of it being "gross" scar tissue is intriguing. It would be an interesting story plot for Janus and add depth to him. Even if it was just a silly accident on his end, it would add something to him. It would be a way to show how physically or mentally long lasting scars can affect us. The idea of Janus having a physical scar to reflect C!Thomas' mental scars would be a cool touch. As a matter of fact, in my previous post, I sighted Zuko and Harvey Dent as possible evidence since they were tied to either Thomas' personal inspirations for his writing or were directly referenced at Janus. Then there are other scarred villains and vigilantes like Janus whose scars tell multiple stories in different ways like Scar from The Lion King. There was also Volley and Lars from Steven Universe which someone pointed out in the reblogs. And, Lars suspiciously has a similar outfit to Janus' and he's worn that before Janus even appeared. Inspiration or coincidence, you decide. Then again, Janus appeared on February 3rd 2018 and Lars changed his outfit in January of that year and they probably had the design for Janus way before that but who's to say that they didn't see the similarity and ran with it afterwards since Steven Universe is one of Thomas' inspirations for some plots and aspects of the Sides series. So, in all seriousness, Thomas could have lied and said it's just a snake thing to cover the fact that there is a story behind it now even if there wasn't one planned originally or if there was, it has been altered to be more sensible.
In the end, this could all just be an unfortunate fun fact that was retconned and will never be addressed or talked about again and I'm wrong or it could be actually true and will be explained later. Overall, I'm glad to have at least spilled some past lore for the fandom to use for their own creative work whether it's canon or not. You can continue your headcanons, fanfics and fanart of it all since it's great to see. And who knows, if it gains enough traction, it could become canon like other fandom wide jokes and theories. Either way, it's all up to fate at this point. Is Janus scarred? Maybe not. If he is, I can't wait to see what story is behind it.
Ps, I don't recommend contacting Joan in regards to this due to them having their own life and projects to focus on now. While it would be great to have their input, it's best to leave them be and respect their peace. As for the lack of proof of the 2019 Livestream where Joan confirmed this whole thing, the stream has long since been archived and marked private since 2020 when the YouTube Membership closed and can't be obtained. I can see if I have the clip archived but it's likely gone forever unfortunately.
(Forgive my long absence, I've been so mentally drained lately but hope to be active again soon)
