Jowy Atreides Blight (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} blightender) wrote,@ 2008-06-24 01:04:00 |
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| Entry tags: | 000, character application; polychromatic |
[000] [resources]
[series]: Suikoden II
[character]: Jowy Atreides Blight
[character history / background]:
A member and firstborn of the noble Atreides Family, Jowy was born into the privileged life. However, that was where his fortune ended. Having been conceived before his mother's marriage into the Atreides Family, his father and half-brother openly despised him, treating him as nothing more than a liability, and when the opportunity arose to discard him, they did so willingly. With the rest of the Kyaro children naturally being off-put by the mere fact that he was a member of nobility, Jowy found friendship, and a second family, in the other outcasts of Kyaro; Riou, Nanami, and their adoptive father, the fallen hero of the City States of Jowston: Genkaku.
His life up to the enlisting to the Highland Unicorn Youth Brigade was fairly normal, spent enjoying the innocence of youth training and growing up with both Riou and Nanami. It was only after the deliberate massacre of the Unicorn Brigade by the Highland Prince, Luca Blight, that his life began to divert from the path he'd shared with Riou and Nanami.
He receives and becomes the bearer of the Black Sword Rune, a rune that makes half of the True Rune of the Beginning, and one that is also destined to oppose the Bright Shield Rune, which Riou receives, shortly after the events with the Unicorn Brigade. At that point, Jowy makes a decision to use all within his power to protect those he loved and cared for, and this decision inavertedly leads him to commit a series of atrocities in the name of his beliefs; Anabelle's massacre, the poisoning of King Agares, the defeat of Luca Blight, and the end of the Blight family line, amongst other things.
[ essays and profiles providing a more in-depth character exploration: gensopedia :: suikosource :: wikipedia ]
[character abilities]:
| ★ | the bearer of the Black Sword Rune | |||
| ☆ | Flash Judgement :: single enemy attack :: | |||
| ☆ | Twinkling Blade :: all enemy attack :: | |||
| ☆ | Piercing One :: single enemy attack :: | |||
| ☆ | Hungry Fiend :: all enemy attack :: | |||
★ a pretty high tolerance against poisons
★ competent skills with the sword
★ expertise in quarter-staff handling
[character personality]:
Jowy is a gentle person, someone who is willing to go to many lengths for and, to protect, the people he loves. His devotion can sometimes cause him to commit frightening things, no matter how morally incorrect they are, so long as he knows it will lead to the best possible outcome. The fact that he was willing to assassinate Anabelle to protect his family (his mother, alone), to endanger his own life just so he could poison King Agares and therefore win Luca Blight's trust, to kill his own friends - the very people whom he originally sought to make many sacrifices for - for the better of Highland and the City State of Jowston, are just a several proofs of the lengths Jowy is willing to go to for his beliefs.
Having long lived under the scorn of his own father, half-brother, and many people in Kyaro, Jowy cares very little for what other people think of him. Of what family and friends, people important to him, think, he does care, but when it comes to people he knows know little of him, he doesn't mind letting them think the worst of him. This is proven by his unflinching decision to let the people of Highland believe him to be a heartless tyrant willing to sacrifice his own wife to the Beast Rune to ensure his army's success in the final battle. (He does this to allow Jillia an escape, from both Highland and the Blight family name.)
Despite all these though, Jowy remains to be a rather emotionally-driven person. While he makes rational decisions most of the time, he sometimes falters and lets his own weaknesses get the best of him. This tendency to succumb to his weaknesses, emotional weaknesses, eventually led to the destruction of the Highland Kingdom, something Jowy and his subordinates had not planned before but eventually accepted to be the best option given the circumstances.
Finally, Jowy is a self-sacrificing, and very guilt-driven, person, someone who is all too aware of his many faults and who is also ready to accept the consequences left for him. Even if it means death.
[point in timeline you're picking your character from]: During the Final Battle; wherein Jowy is busy suppressing the Beast Rune to buy time for Riou and Co.
[journal post]:
This is all new to me, but nevertheless, I need instructions on how to return to my world. I know this cannot be death
[third person / log sample]:
It hurt. Burning, hissing, sucking out his life slowly; the Black Sword Rune was most definitely going to be the death of him. Still, Jowy refused to falter now, of all times, especially when he knew he'd compromised enough already. Highland had been more than capable of crushing the rebellion from the rag-tag mercenary armies of the City State of Jowston and yet, his tiny failures, his human weaknesses, lead to them having no other option but to allow the complete and utter defeat of the Highland Kingdom.
"In the end, it's only acceptable," he'd told himself. The Highland people, those who'd enlisted and willingly followed Luca Blight, were twisted, broken, and ugly, not caring for the carnage Luca Blight left in his wake. It was only right for him to lead them to their demise, right? And yet, he knew, there had to have been a better way for Highland. If only he'd had the courage to order Riou and Nanami's deaths back at that sham of a peace conference -- but would his sacrificing of his friends, the further besmirching of Pilika's innocence, have been worth it?
"Your Highness."
Jowy was interrupted from his musings by the sound of footsteps behind of him. He acknowledged them with a brief nod, but did not turn to meet their gazes. He was afraid they'd see him for what he was; a weakling who was slowly being crushed by the weight of it all, responsibilities, choices he should have never thought he would be capable of carrying.
"Seed, Culgan," he said quietly, knowing it could only be those two. "Are the preparations ready?"
"They are," Culgan affirmed.
Jowy nodded in satisfaction. "Good... is that all?"
"That's all," Culgan again. Jowy prepared to be left alone again, to mentally prepare for what little he had left to do before openly welcoming death. But the two did not leave as soon as Jowy hoped they would.
"Your Highness... kid," that was Seed, the only person out there who thought he could get away with something so cheeky. "We promised our allegiance to you, you know? And I'd like to remind you that we're still right behind you. We'd die gladly for our homeland."
"That's all," Seed finished and then those footsteps were moving away, growing faint-- until the sound of heavy doors closing silenced them completely.
Jowy collapsed to his knees, covering his eyes, even though they were impossibly dry. No, he could not cry anymore, but he so wanted to apologize to them, for failing them. The rune on his right hand had not helped in the end; it had lent him power but he had failed to acknowledge his own glaring weaknesses.
There was a hand on his shoulder suddenly; old and weary. It was Leon Silverberg. That gesture calmed him reasonably.
No, he told himself. He couldn't regret; he shouldn't be allowed to regret. This was the path he had taken, and he had sworn to follow through this. He still had an objective, didn't he? If Highland fell completely, then it would allow the complete and absolute rule of the remnant of the City State of Jowston. The two countries could start anew, under the reign of the one person he trusted the most in this world no less, under Riou.
"If..." Jowy said quietly as he picked himself off from the ground and brushed the dirt from his kingly attire. "...if I were to be given a choice to change anything in the past. I... I've decided I wouldn't change anything."
He turned to the veteran strategist and managed to make a small smile. "I wanted to thank you for your support, Lord Silverberg, I suppose... I wouldn't get any other chance otherwise. Please make sure Pilika and Jillia reach Harmonia safely, at least. I know it's asking too much..." No, this hesitance had to end here. There was no place for that anymore. He ammended himself, "I would like you to fulfill this for me, Lord Silverberg."
Leon nodded. "You had better escape too."
Jowy's shoulder slumped slightly, and he looked ahead, towards the doors that lead to the throne room, where the Beast Rune lay in wait. He thought about whether he had anything else to do afterwards, and then he remembered a certain rock beside a raging set of waterfalls. An "X" sign that was created in what seemed like an eternity ago. The smile on his lips turned wistful. "I suppose... I had better."
At the very least, he wanted to ask for Riou's forgiveness personally.
He placed his left hand over the back of his right and closed his eyes, and prayed to the Black Sword Rune.
"O, Rune, preserve my life until that time... at least! I want to... I need to see him one last time."
