Hi! I literally did not know anyone sent prompts for this meme, at this point idk if it’s Tumblr or if I’m doing something wrong dkfjshdg. But I can’t NOT answer it now bc Jaqen is... so much fun. In general, I don't tend to have ironclad headcanons, I way prefer a flexible approach and playing with multiple interpretations, but having said that -
Sexuality HC: My instinct is to literally always imagine everyone as bi, so I have to like, really think about what works best for the character. I think if you want to lean into the Jaqen-as-Arya’s-mentor thing, having him be a gay man, maybe older than he initially looks, meshes really well, just giving them more ground for relating to one another as two people on the outside, seen as different than other men/women respectively. Of course, I love anything that gives Arya another love interest, and when I lean more into the young-handsome-and-fascinated-by-Arya aspect of his persona, I tend to imagine him as bi (shocker).
Gender HC: Honestly, I could see him as either male or agender. I don’t mind either, because I think both could work so well. As a man, I lean towards thinking he’s cis - although, I do think it'd be interesting to explore a trans Faceless Man or acolyte, how that intersects with 'faces', 'identities', what it means to be 'A Man' or 'A Girl', etc.
A ship with said character: Arya/Jaqen, obviously. I’d ship anyone with her, given the right framework, both because she’s so deserving of love, and because she’s an interesting and nuanced character I feel naturally brings complexity to any written dynamic. Their interactions make for compelling stuff.
A BROTP with said character: If we go with the following-Arya AU, I could see Bran and Jaqen really gelling, after a stint of wariness regarding each other’s powers. In canon, I’d love to see Sam break down a few walls of his, lol, I think his character has so much potential, even if I don’t believe he’ll end up more of a character-character as opposed to a plot-character.
A NOTP with said character: I mean, I don’t think there are too many ships with him, which is nice. I’m fine with any crackship so long as it’s not presented obnoxiously.
A random HC: First, here's one for the Faceless Men in general - that may play into my ideas for NHAT a bit in the future: that being, I don't think its acolytes are nearly as void and fluid as they are portrayed. By my reading, ASOIAF's magics are chaotic but exacting forces of nature, and people are nearly always flawed conduits for their power. In trying to exact control over it, it becomes entangled with one's personal identity and perspective - intentions affect prophetic visions, the reason you die defines what you become when you're brought back to life, and I suspect that something similar is true for the Faceless Men, though I'm not going to speculate the particulars as it affects canon. That being said, I like to interpret Jaqen’s choice to help Arya as reflecting both a stringent code of personal honor, and a fierce will to survive. I like to think this is a retained aspect of his core identity he tries to deny exists, but that Arya was able to both recognize and manipulate, and that it was the observation skills that penetrated his performance as much as her cunning which prompted him to give her the coin and invite her to join the HoBW.
General Opinion: Underutilized and underappreciated, bucketloads of potential for both canon development and transformative experimentation, and a fun little addition to the Arya harem when I’m in the mood. Gold star supporting character 🌟
