Post by Captain Jack Harkness on Oct 24, 2009 20:02:57 GMT -8
Sorry it took me so long to finish the personality section! I've had everything written for the past two weeks, it was just the personality that was killing me! *wince*
your name | lia
your age | 25
contact information | PM | msn: inthesestones@live.co.uk
characters | none
full name | Jack Harkness[/size][/blockquote]
nicknames & titles | Captain, Oh Captain, My Captain; Captain James Harper; the man who can never die; the Face of Boe; Captain Cheesecake.
age | Age is a rather difficult number when it comes to Jack. He was born during the 51st Century. However it's hard to assign age to a man who has bounced about through time and is unable to die. He looks to be about 35. That's his story and he's sticking to it.
sexuality | Jack is quite sure of his sexuality. He's omnisexual and has had relationships with just about every type of life-form. Seriously.) He will flirt with anything that has two legs. Some even with four. And there was the thing with ten legs and no mouth but that's another story all together.
occupation | leader, Torchwood Three -- though he doesn't spend much time there any more if he can help it. Former Time Agent gone rogue and turned ConMan.
family information | Jack does not want to discuss anything about his family. His parents are both dead, his mother resented him and his brother succeeded in murdering a team member and a half. Yes, half -- Owen was technically dead to start with. There's no need to go into what Jack has worked far too hard to repress.
residence | Now that the Hub has been rebuilt, Jack has reclaimed his residence there. He's turned a bit more nomadic as of late. When he doesn't want to stay at the flat, Jack will either head to Ianto's flat (which he's kept on) or to an undisclosed location where he doesn't have to think any longer about anything.
physical description |Jack is a man who, by his very looks, appears to be stuck in the wrong time period. He stands at roughly six foot, with rougishly good looks and a cleft in his chin that drives most species wild. Or, that could be Jack's over-inflated ego talking. Whatever it is, he's good looking and has the reputation around most galaxies as one hell of a heart breaker. He has piercing blue eyes that tend to say more about a situation than the rest of Jack's already animated face. He has on more than one occasion intimidated any number of persons or aliens from one squinty-eyed glare.
When out, he is rarely seen without his RAF Greatcoat (issue from World War 2) no matter the temperature, and tends to wear dress slacks and button braces with any number of coloured oxford shirts (leaning more to the blue and mint green end of the spectrum) than anything else. Clean shaven, Jack is rarely to be found with even the smallest bit of stubble marring his jaw. There is something about him that has an other worldly look, yet he is completely human (if immortal).
In his appearance, Jack looks about thirty-five years of age -- and stuck at age thirty-five for the past hundred and fifty years (not counting the two millenia he was buried alive, of course). It's when one looks into Jack's eyes that his true age shines through and he appears older than he looks. There is much he has seen and even more that he refuses to speak of. And what he has said? Very possible it's all a lie; one can never be too sure with a con man. He has no scars to speak of and every wound he's ever had has miraculously healed itself due to that little thing known as immortality.
played by | John Barrowman.
personality |
- Natural born-leader.
Jack Harkness is truly larger than life. He lives by his own rules and damn anyone who stands in his way. He's lived too long, seen and done too much, to change anything about himself. In the end, though, it's these aspects that make him a natural born leader. Jack likes being the one people look up to, and he is one who always leads from the front (and not just because he makes decent cannon fodder either), and doesn't expect his team to do anything he wouldn't do. He does, however, expect them to not do most of the things he does. (Do as I say, not as I do tends to be Jack's motto of choice.) It's no surprise that Jack prefers to lead, having taken for his alias a man who was a captain in the Royal Air Force. We'll ignore the fact that when the Doctor met him, his stripes said Wing Commander and now they read Group Captain. He may have given himself his rank, but he still takes the uniform seriously.- Flirt Extraordinaire.
Look, Jack actually put a personality trait ahead of anything sexual! It's because flirting isn't the only thing there is in the Captain, even if most people directly associate sex and flirting with him. Does Jack flirt? Yes. Is it a fault? Probably. But there is so much more to the man than what he does in the bedroom as seen by the other parts of his personality. Does Jack love to flirt, to make some woman or man smile? Of course he does. Jack loves everything about it and will usually insert some sexual innuendo at a rather inappropriate time and place. However, a well placed flirt can usually lend to a break in the tension -- not to mention getting past any sort of security hurdles that he may be presented with. Of course, Jack's tastes aren't always 'human' either. He's a 51st century sort of man -- he's just a little more flexible when it comes to dancing.- Lie, Cheat, Steal.
Jack is a rogue at heart (and will always be one for the record), no matter how he has tried to suppress his old lives, particularly that period of time when he worked as a con man. He has been known to lie, cheat, and steal on more than one occasion to achieve the ends he needs, especially now. There's a reason Torchwood is despised by the WPC and it's because of Jack's tendency to sweep in and push the PCs aside without so much as a 'by your leave'. He'll make anyone believe what he needs them to think in order to get what he wants. The con man, however, is from another life and Jack firmly believes his past is simply that: his past. While he tries to keep his past at arm's length, it's only ever come back to bite him in the arse.- Loyalty above all else.
The one thing Jack is, is loyal -- perhaps to his fault. He has remembered every person (and alien for that matter) he has ever loved, ever killed and ever worked with. His feelings of loyalty are deep seeded and he would die for any member of his team -- figuratively speaking, of course. Jack mentions in the episode 'Adam' in regards to the man who inserted himself into their memories: "All I know is that when I think of my team, I see you there, but I don't feel anything for you. No pride, no warmth ... " For Jack, his team comes first and they always will. He does everything for them and he is more than willing to toss himself in front of a bullet if it would save his team. Granted, it's hard for that to sound like a sacrifice given that he'll come back from it -- but Jack would do it even if it would kill him..- Pleasures of the Flesh.
As Captain John one said to Gwen, 'It's just sex, sex, sex with you people.' That is quite true for Captain Harkness. He loves the act of sex, and every other act that comes along with it. He's never been known to be completely faithful to one partner -- and it's hard to say if it's his 51st century nature that leads him to the multiple partner business or if it's simply Jack. For all anyone knows, it could be typical of those in the 51st century to have multiple partners. Jack has simply been lucky that he's been able to hide his other lovers or that his lovers don't mind the fact that he hops from bed to bed with the frequency of a cheap radio. But it's just how Jack is, for better or for worse and no one is ever going to be able to sway Jack from his course.- Unlimited capacity to love.
Jack's capacity to love can be seen as both a strength and a weakness. As a weakness, it makes him vulnerable (though, how vulnerable can the immortal man be?) and he will sacrifice himself for the safety of his team. He's loyal to a fault and, for him, the team comes first. However, he's also quite bull-headed and often runs off on his own, leaving the team behind. In the end, Torchwood is -his- and though Jack couldn't survive without his team, he is still the one in charge -- for better or for worse. It is, too, a strength. Even through his extended life, Jack remembers those he has loved and lost -- some deaths hitting him harder than others. It is his curse to go on time after time, carrying the sins of his past with him. He has been and will always be a leader. During his time with the Time Agency, he fell into a role as a natural-born leader and it came as no surprise that he chose a captain for his alias. He may not be the best leader, but he knows how to keep his team safe and make sure everyone gets out alive. It's when they don't that Jack mourns -- even if it's in silence.- Being Jack Harkness
Being Jack Harkness is it's own trait, because there's no person quite like him. He's an anomoly, a one of a kind -- and there will never be another person to equal him. Which, is probably a good thing because the world couldn't take two Jack Harknesses running around. We'll ignore the fact that he can regrow his body from being blown up and there aren't thirty Jacks running around right now. Jack is his own man, he lives by his own rules and more often than naught, throws the rule book out the window whenever he's working. He does whatever he has to in order to get the job done, no matter who it hurts in the process. What matters is that the job is done and Cardiff remains safe. However, Jack is starting to move back towards his old self -- the side that doesn't care what happens to others. Besides, look at what's happened. He took so much time, lost so many lives in order to keep Cardiff safe. And in the end, he lost his grandson, his lover and his humanity all on the same day. A man can only take so much.
greatest fear | When you can't die, there isn't much to fear. But if it had to be something -- Daleks. Followed closely by 'the darkness' that accompanies death.
greatest desire | Jack's number one goal is keeping the earth safe from any and all alien threats. After all, the 21st century is when everything changes... though Jack is quickly learning that no, they aren't ready. And frankly, he isn't sure if they ever will be. On a personal note, Jack wants nothing more than to find peace with the gift he's been given. Immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be and he's learned that hard-truth time and time again. In truth, Jack wants to find peace: in both his life and his eventual death. And one of these days he will learn what happened to him in those two missing years the Time Agency stole from him.
personal treasure | To be quite honest, there isn't much Jack treasures anymore. But if it had to be one thing, it would be his Vortex Manipulator. It was pulled from the wreckage and it is probably the one thing that will be with him for the rest of his very long life.
biggest secret | Above all, Jack wants to keep his past right where it is: in the past. He doesn't want others, particularly the rest of the Torchwood crew, to know who he was in his past and he'll do whatever he has to in order to keep that past hidden. His other large secret is the existence of Torchwood, the only ones who know about it are those who need to know. Otherwise, that's what level six retcon is for. Jack's immortality is something he tends to keep hidden, only because it's one of those 'hard to explain' things. Of course, the moment he comes back to life, that secret's out of the bag. Besides, introducing yourself as the immortal man takes the fun out of an amazing second coming.
best memory | In all honesty, Jack doesn't have too many 'good' memories as they all seem to be twinged with a fair amount of 'bad'. But if he had to pick? Meeting the Doctor for the first time.
worst memory | Live as long as Jack has and the number of bad memories begin to pile up. Jack can no longer pick just one; it's a tie between three: 1- letting go of Gray's hand; 2- watching Greg die right before his eyes; 3- holding Ianto as he died. No, there will be no more elaboration than that.
history | To pin down the history of Captain Jack Harkness would be a near impossibility. He's crossed too many timelines, had multiple instances of himself alive at one time... all we can give now is a rough approximation. He never is one to talk about his past either and tends to change the subject away from himself and to anything else. And when you're Jack, it's quite easy to flirt your way out of anything.
Jack (though, what his actual name is remains a mystery) was originally born sometime in the 51st century, growing up on the Boeshane Peninsula an otherwise normal (and mortal) child. His entire life was turned upside down the moment an alien race invaded his homeland. Told by his father to run and keep Gray with him, Jack couldn't even follow that simple order. He accidentally let go of Gray's hand and when he returned home all that faced him was death and destruction. Gray missing and his father dead, Jack was left utterly alone.
Passed around between a few aunts still alive, Jack never really felt at home anywhere. A few years here and a few years there, always seeming to be on the outside looking in. It didn't take much persuasion by a few friends when he reached the age of eighteen to join up with the Time Agency. They were fighting and really, Jack had nothing better to do. The Agency saw something in him and he quickly moved through the ranks, surpassing the friends who had enlisted him to join and giving Jack more and more secretive projects to work on.
During this time, Jack was partnered with another young recruit who exhibited many of the same qualities as Jack. He and John Hart began going on missions and their partnership turned into a different sort all together. Though Jack doesn't remember if the relationship came before the two week time loop or after. Spending five years with one man, there are only two options: lovers or kill the man. Jack chose the former (though he was not the wife, thank you very much). His employment with the Time Agency came to an abrupt end when Jack realised he was missing two years of his life. No memories, no knowledge, no warning -- just two years, gone. To this day, Jack has yet to recover those memories and he wonders just what he did during those two years.
Leaving the Time Agency, Jack took up life as a time traveling con artist. With his knowledge of the future, Jack was able to make a small chunk of change selling items he knew would be destroyed before the buyer could purchase. He lived by his own rules, caring for nothing and no one. Around the time of the second World War, Jack assumed the alias he is known by today, taking the name of a soldier who died in action. Also at this time was Jack's first meeting with the Doctor and Rose. Really, his con would have gone off without a hitch had he not run into the girl hanging in the sky. And damn his latent hero complex that said he had to be the one to save her.
Enter the Doctor and Rose: two people who would end up turning his life upside down and irrevocably change it forever. Selected by a transmat beam, Jack, Rose and the Doctor found themselves aboard Satellite 5 and trapped in a series of deadly television games. They were not without casualties, Jack watching Rose get disintegrated right before his very eyes. It was Jack, however, that realised the trick of Satellite 5. The games were a front, hiding a much larger problem: a fleet of Daleks. Suddenly, the threesome found themselves in the middle of a Dalek invasion, Jack relying on both his military and Agency skills to lead the defence in order to give the Doctor the chance to complete the Delta Wave. He was the last man standing and his sacrifice was enough for the Doctor, even if he chose to be a coward and not destroy the Daleks at the expense of the human race. Facing certain death, Rose fueled by the power of the Time Vortex returned to Satellite 5 in time to save the Doctor. Her actions brought Jack back to life, unbeknownst to her. Hearing the sounds of the TARDIS engine, Jack wasn't fast enough to reach the Doctor before he left, stranding Jack on Satellite 5.
Knowing there wasn't much power left in his Vortex Manipulator, he made one final time jump, aiming for Earth and not caring where he landed. Jack arrived in London, somewhere in 1869 with a burned out and useless manipulator. Not the most ideal time, but at least he made it someplace where he wasn't surrounded by Dalek dust. Jack (somehow) managed to stay out of trouble for the next 25 years and in 1892 he decided to immigrate to America. Jack being Jack managed to provoke another man at Ellis Island (really, some men cannot take a joke when they're called good looking) and was shot in the chest.
The next morning, he woke up.
And that was when Jack knew something wasn't right. He purposefully threw himself into dangerous situations and it took seventeen creative deaths (a note: javelins are not a fun way to die) to learn the horrifying truth: he couldn't die. No matter what happened, within a few minutes (or hours depending on the severity of the death blow) Jack would reawaken with all of his wounds healed. Shortly after, Jack returned to London where he was captured by Torchwood members Alice Guppy and Emily Holroyd in 1899. The agents had discovered his secret of immortality and basically tortured Jack until an agreement was met: they would release him if he would give his life to Torchwood.
Thus began Jack's long involvement with Torchwood. He worked, always in a grunt position, taking assignments that would lead to certain death. Well, when they had an agent who couldn't die, why not use him? Jack never complained (much), slowly working his way through Torchwood and attempting to change the ideals the organization had fostered for so many years to those more in line with the Doctor's. Take-and-study was Jack's motto rather than kill-on-sight.
Jack became the leader of Torchwood 3 on New Year's Day, 2000 when then-current leader Alex Hopkins. Alex (the reason Torchwood has a rule of not using alien artefacts unless Jack is around), using a mysterious necklace-like artefact, saw the future and believed the kindest thing to do was to remove the team from the oncoming storm. As the only one left, Jack was not so subtly appointed to the title of leader. Over the next several years, Jack began to assemble his team, turning Torchwood 3 into what it is today. He was able to completely reshape it into his own group with their own ideals, ones that echoed the Doctor's morality a bit closer. (Even if Jack does subscribe to kill-on-sight with some things, particularly when his team is threatened). Toshiko and Owen were both sought out for their particular brand of skills, but it was Ianto who found Jack. Ianto, a former member of Torchwood 1 had to do quite a bit of persuasion before Jack allowed him onto the team.
All the while, Jack awaited his Doctor's arrival. Armed with a "Doctor Dectector" (which was nothing more than the Doctor's disembodied hand), it was several years before he sensed the Doctor's presence and when he did? Jack stupidly ran to the TARDIS, leaving Torchwood to fend for themselves. He and the Doctor (with the Doctor's new companion Martha Jones) traveled to the end of the universe, the brink of Utopia. Encountering another Time Lord known as the Master, the man stole the TARDIS, leaving the Doctor and his companions to make a jump back in time with Jack's now-working Vortex Manipulator. Their time jump threw them back to the 21st century at the time a man named Harry Saxon was taking over things in Britain. Harry Saxon, alias for the Master. Sent into a hellish year (known affectionately as the Year That Never Was), Jack spent 365 days chained in a steam pipe room, tortured, beaten, and killed repeatedly as befit the Master's whims. Safe to say that, by the end, the Master was off Jack's Christmas card list. Martha was the one to save the day, reverting the world back to how it should be. It was, though, during this time that Jack finally was able to talk to the Doctor about what happened to him and that the Doctor had known of Jack's predicament all along. Jack's worst fears were realised: the Doctor couldn't fix him. But, really, over the course of his life, Jack had come to accept the gift/curse he was given. Though, as he is a man who ages, albeit very slowly, his vanity comes into play a bit, wondering what he will look like millions of years from now.
At this point, Jack has lost track of how many times he's died and has been brought back to life. He returned from the Year that Never Was and ran back to the waiting arms of his team, re-taking the leadership role without so much as a struggle. While he had questions answered when he left to seek out the Doctor, Jack knows that it's with Torchwood that he truly belongs.