❝ Love isn't a necessity for life. It's what makes life worth living. ❞
The Time of Your Life
A Bug's Life
Nicknames
He prefers shortening his name to Jo, because in his opinion Johann sounds way too fancy. Since "Johann" is pronounced "YO-hahn," some of his siblings have picked up the habit of affectionately calling him Yo-Yo.
❝ Dunno what possessed my parents to give me such a fancy-schmancy name. Maybe they hoped I'd turn out to be some sort of musical prodigy? Huh. Guess it's too bad, since I can't carry a tune to save my life. ❞
Role
Makota Sibling 4
Age
17
❝ Going to be eighteen in a few months…oh man, that's only a year younger than old Paul, isn't it? Gosh, I feel so ancient. ❞
Gender
Male
❝ What, you can't tell? Well, then. Excuse me while I go mourn my masculinity. ❞
Physical Description
He's actually really short for his age, standing at an unimpressive height of 5'2". Seriously, even Caroline is taller than him, and she's the baby of the family. This shortness is probably the main reason why he looks more like a fourteen-year-old than the almost eighteen-year-old that he's supposed to be. The slim body structure and the delicate, almost effeminate facial features don't exactly help either. All in all, not very manly.
❝ Hey, I'll have you know I can be very manly when I want to be! ❞
Sure you can. Right, moving on.
As you can see from the picture above, Jo has messy blond hair that hangs all over his face in an annoying curtain. What you can't see is that he's got these big blue eyes that are positively lethal whenever he feels like using his Puppy Dog Stare. Unfortunately, Jo has somehow mistaken the effect of this stare for actual attractiveness, and is quite smug about it. No amount of ribbing from his siblings can deflate his ego.
❝ Ahahaha! Gaze upon these sinful good looks, ye mortals, and despair! ❞
Personality
Although Johann is technically the third eldest sibling, the sad truth is that he's the least mature. He takes the role of "annoying younger brother" and raises it to a veritable art form, even though age-wise he's almost an adult.
❝ Pshh. Maturity is so overrated. ❞
Says you. Anyway, besides being embarrassingly immature, Jo is also irritatingly full of himself, stupidly bold, and distressingly quick to judge. To top it off, he's also an incorrigible kleptomaniac.
❝ Okay, okay, I get the point. I'm a horrible person. Sheesh, make me out to be a monster, will you? ❞
But while he does have flaws (a bit of an understatement there) Jo still has his redeeming qualities. Despite his vanity, he's exceptionally devoted to his family, and can't stand the thought of any one of them getting hurt. And while he may possess painfully small amounts of common sense, he has good instincts and a good heart (it's just that sometimes his heart is bigger than his head). The kleptomaniac tendencies, though, are a bit harder to explain. How to start? Well, he loves the thrill of stealing things, and is especially fond of shiny objects. He's always bringing back excessive amounts of shiny things as little presents for his siblings. To appease his shoulder angel, he rationalizes to himself that he'd never take something from someone if he thought they really needed it. Unless, of course, they were evil. Then he'd just say they had it coming.
❝ Shoulder angels are so annoying sometimes. They're worse than Jiminy Crickets. ❞
Thoughts About the Cure
He hates it, of course. He considers it unnatural—the ultimate crime against nature—and it disturbs him on a very fundamental level. Needless to say, Johann is really not looking forward to the day when he gets his fake scar.
❝ Okay, so maybe the Cure takes away the pain, but it also takes away the humanity. I've seen some of the Cured, and they're like robots. It's freaking creepy. If I had my way, I wouldn't ever get that stupid scar, fake or no fake. It'd feel like I'd be, I dunno, sinking to their level or something. Not cool. ❞
Skill(s)/Abilities
He's of reasonable physical fitness. Strength and speed are relatively good, and he's very agile and stealthy—a result of constantly sneaking around. He's good at thieving, too, with his sharp eyes and sticky fingers.
❝ Thieving? Your harsh words wound me. I prefer calling it 'sleight of hand.' ❞
History
His father's death was a blow, but his mother's death was even worse. He had loved her fiercely—loved the way she'd sit down to tell her children stories; loved her indulgent smile at his crazy half-baked antics; loved her quiet, tranquil wisdom. When she died, Jo withdrew inside himself. For nearly a year he languished in depression and grief, listlessness where there was once vibrancy. Then one day, his sister Annie confronted him. Fed up with his self-pity, she gave him a severe tongue-lashing about how his selfishness wasn't helping anyone, and that he needed to man up and get a grip.
Her harsh words shocked him out of his despondency, and he began to open his eyes to the situation. His brother, Paul, had taken upon himself the role of head of the family, and was desperately trying to keep them afloat. Alva had bravely taken upon the position of mother and was just as dedicated in trying to keep the family together. Everyone was working hard, fighting for survival, while Johann had simply wallowed in his sorrow and made no contribution whatsoever.
Jo was horrified and guilty. Determined to make amends, he adopted the habit of pilfering things, scavenging for materials and supplies that the family so sorely needed. He made an effort to brighten his disposition, and eventually became the soul of the family—cheerful, friendly, light-hearted, always ready to offer a joke to brighten someone's day. He knows, to this day, that he would never truly get over his mother's death, but at least he could live in a way that would make her proud. So he did, and he does.
❝ I was going down a bad road, but Annie was the one who saved me from myself. She's always looking out for me, you know? Sometimes it's a bit of a pain, but most of the time I'm grateful. To know that someone's got your back, no matter what happens—well, it's a pretty amazing feeling. ❞
The Deliria
Skylar | Everett Sibling 4 | ❝ Skylark? Oh, I love skylarks! You know, out of all the birds in the world, skylarks have some of the most beautiful songs? Pity they aren't native to North America, I think I'd like waking up every day to the sound of skylarks singing—huh? Wait, you said skylar, not skylark? Oh. Well, what's a skylar, then? Can you eat it? ❞
Relationships
Paul | Older Brother | ❝ The guy's dedication is amazing, no question, and I really admire him for that. But he seriously needs to lighten up once in a while. That much frowning can't be very healthy. ❞
Alva | Older Sister | ❝ Oh, Al! She's great. I know she tries to act all tough and serious, but she can't fool me. I know her weakness, you see—she's an absolute sucker for all those expensive shinies I bring back from my raids. Also, my ability to bring out her immature side is proof that her sense of humor is intact. Highly relieving, of course—goodness knows the last thing we need are two Pauls. ❞
Annette | Younger Sister | ❝ Annie is, like, my other half. It's kind of funny since we look about as different as night and day, but me and her, we're both pranksters at heart. We're so close, I swear we can practically twin-speak at each other! You know, I bet we we're secretly twins, and everyone's just been hiding this from us to mess with us. ❞
Caroline | Youngest Sister | ❝ Aw, Linny. So cute, and yet half a head taller than I am. Geez, why is it that things work out this way? Hmmph. Well anyway, she's super fun to hang around with, and her stories are amazing. I don't usually like books—dunno what Giz finds so interesting about them—but for Linny I make an exception. ❞
Morgan | Younger Brother | ❝ It's kind of embarrassing, but Gizmo intimidates me. I know I'm supposed to be the older brother and whatever, but can you blame me for not feeling it when he's taller than me by nearly a foot? I mean, I do love him and everything—heaven knows he gives me a heart attack every time he lands himself in trouble—but he's not exactly the type I'd tuck into bed and read bedtime stories to. Also, Tallen scares the crap out of me. ❞
Other
Jo's got this quirk where he refuses to call anyone by their given name, unless they're really close to him or he really respects them. He's given all of his siblings nicknames except for Paul (a sign of respect) and only calls his other brothers and sisters by their actual names when he's very serious.