jojen reed (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
prophesied) wrote2014-11-16 06:32 pm
prophesied) wrote2014-11-16 06:32 pm
so solemn, so tiny
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JOJEN •
• REED
{little grandfather}
— ooc. —
personality
The thing to keep in mind about Jojen, from start to finish, is the fact that he's considered peculiar in a place like Westeros. There are any number of strange folk to be found all through the Seven Kingdoms, but Jojen Reed is odd even amongst them. There are even some who would find his behavior and mannerisms particularly unsettling, and he does very little to actually help with this. He's fairly difficult to faze, between being able to see the past, present, and future, what may happen and what will happen. So his calm can become fairly eerie rather quickly, and his attitude can frequently come off as someone thinking themselves a know-it-all.
To be fair, he really does know it all, or at least can see it all. He just doesn't see much of a point of pretending otherwise, because he is what he is. Old Nan rightly calls Jojen "little grandfather," because his general air is that of someone far older than what he actually is. Jojen is serious and calm, mature and solemn much of the time. This may be an effect of his greensight or the fact that his childhood was quickly taken from him because of the illness that brought him to the brink of death, but one thing is for certain: Jojen is wizened, a prophet in a boy's body. And, truthfully, he can't really afford to be much else most of the time. Between nearly dying once of greywater fever, becoming ill again in their journey through the North and beyond the Wall, and knowing the day that he will die, exactly how it will happen, he can't really act a child anymore. That isn't to say that he doesn't have some lighthearted aspects to him, where a teasing but dry sense of humor may come out, considering that he and Bran bond over a fondness for stories, especially the scary ones. But he's bright for his age, unsurprisingly when matched up with his demeanor, an avid reader and listener when it comes to tales and songs and legends. It's the one place he can live freely, after all, and he embraces it with a glimmer of childish light that is otherwise tucked away in the face of his responsibilities. Which he absolutely takes just as seriously as everything else. When the three-eyed crow visited him on his sickbed, giving him his abilities, he didn't protest them. He never has, although there is a bitterness to him, from knowing his own death. It can push him into a depressed state fairly easily, though he refuses to really talk about it with those around him. After all, why should he worry those that he cares about so much, who care about him in return? And that is a major point about Jojen, itself. Jojen's loyalty and familial ties are strong, stronger than the roots of a weirwood tree. He is the loved son of Howland Reed, and his sister Meera his caretaker since he was young. His love for them is rivaled only by his loyalty to the Starks, though most of all Bran. While he is an oddity amongst the men of Westeros - he is not a warrior, due to his sickly nature, where his sister is the one who carries the weapons - he doesn't find this particularly hindering. His sister is there to help him, and they're there to help Bran. Jaded as he may be to many things at such a young age, with his understanding of the world and the people in it, he's not embittered about this. There's nothing wrong with people helping people, although he knows you should take care not to trust everyone around you. He can, at least, afford that caution, considering the ability to see how a situation will turn out in the grand scheme of things. But, someday, his death will come. And he will spend much of his remaining time helping both his sister and his friend, ensuring that they're prepared for what's to come once he's gone. Despondent and bitter as it makes him, because it will mean his end, he took an oath. He saw the chained wolf who would become the winged wolf. Jojen Reed's journey may come to an end, but it will have regardless been a journey.
abilities+skills
Jojen's primary ability, above all else, is his greensight. As a greenseer, he's capable of having dreams (named, you guessed it, greendreams) and wakeful visions of events. He describes the greensight to Bran in a conversation as, yes, "seeing things that haven't happened yet," but also "things that happened long before you were born, or things that are happening right now, thousands of miles away."
In Jojen's case, he was gifted the sight by the three-eyed crow that is frequently spoken of (and referred to as the Last Greenseer). This does not make it any less than those that had been born with it, however, as Jojen's visions are vivid and frequent. He tells Bran that he's seen many things-- the Rebellion that their fathers participated in, Bran's fall, and Eddard Stark's death-- and he continues to have visions during their journey. One particular vision that he's had is that of his death, though he doesn't tell anyone the details of it. Some are in striking detail as the events happen, others are more vague (such as the sea flooding the keep symbolizing the Battle of Winterfell and Theon Greyjoy overtaking Winterfell). Unfortunately, he pays for his prowess with the sight. While it's not stated exactly why he has them-- whether it's because he uses his abilities frequently, or if they're just a side effect of having greendreams (though Bran does not have them)-- Jojen frequently suffers from seizures as brought on by the ability.
court
Jojen: I swear it by earth and water. Meera: I swear it by bronze and iron. Meera and Jojen: We swear it by ice and fire. Truth be told, if you were to exchange the North of Westeros with the Seelie Court of Drabwurld, there really wouldn't be all that much of a difference. The Starks rule the North with the ideal of chivalry, of honor and truth and justice. The Reeds, for as long as they have worked alongside the Starks, have sworn their loyalty to this idea. Jojen is amongst them, for as peculiar as he is - he's a little more jaded and cynical for his age, knows that the good and right will not always win, but the old songs have still been instilled in him and you would never meet a more loyal friend to the Starks than Jojen. Once he's sworn his loyalty to someone, it's practically impossible to lose it. Were he to hear the Golden Cadre's oath, there's no doubt whatsoever that he would find it something good to adhere to. So, there's no doubt in my mind that he would find himself amongst the Seelie. Perhaps he's not much for a knight, for upholding justice in that way, but he's still a guardian in his way. Still believes in the ideals that are rampant in the court.
credit
Coding originally from supersuits, modified to be dreamwidth friendly and to fit character-oriented aesthetics.
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