Character Meme
I got it from my girl Barbara Wright :)
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy? He is described by characters in more than one episode as 'tall'. He's athletically built.
2. How old is he? Depends on how you count. He was made immortal when he was in his mid-to-late thirties and since then has lived from 1869 to 2009 on 'the slow path' as time travelers refer to it. That would make him just shy of 180 years old. HOWEVER. Sometime in 2008 he was taken back to 27AD by an interstellar criminal calling himself John Hart and was buried alive for nearly 2000 years. So he could be considered over 2000 or just shy of 200.
3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch? Jack carries himself very well. He's brimming with energy and confidence.
4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities? He can't die. He's physically fit and not susceptible to illness. In the face of illness, injury and death, he will always revert to the condition he was in when he was originally brought back to life. Which was excellent. How long that takes depends on how badly he is injured (or how much damage he sustained in dying).
5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid? He's energetic and confident and you can see it in every move he makes.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror? He's gorgeous and he knows it.
7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred? Light, though sometimes a little tan, which he must do on purpose, since he lives and works in an underground base ;)
8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style. Brown hair. Stylish. Would probably be quite soft except it's always quite producty.
9. What color are his eyes? Blue.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features? A big shiny cocky grin.
11. What are his chief tension centers? His face and his hands.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit? His trademark piece of clothing is his World War Two era RAF greatcoat, but his overall dress sense is, as Owen once put it 'period military'. He dresses in a 1940's style contemporary to his coat. He stands out in a crowd and that's how he likes it.
13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them? His clothes fit perfectly. He's exceedingly comfortable both in and out of them.
14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences? He does! Although he used to wear more casual clothes when he traveled with the Doctor. In those days he was known to wear t-shirts and jeans or leather trousers.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando? We have glimpsed boxerbriefs on him but I'm sure he goes commando sometimes.
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse? Not too deep, but manly.
2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate? He doesn't speak TOO fast and he has excellent diction, but he talks loudly and clearly and confidently. He's in command so he walks around giving orders and he can, as he once told Gwen, talk for a long time. He's very social and can chat with anyone. He's been known to tell stories (probably gleaned from his colourful past) and can talk at length.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics? Living in the UK, he speaks with an American accent.
4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency? He speaks English, but he may know smatterings of some alien languages as well.
5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations? Nope. Well, he pretended to be cockney once to get Owen arrested.
6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words? He's an excellent impromptu speaker. He used to be a conman.
7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change? He's very eloquent, in his way. He's pretty good at keeping his head and at his most nervous still managed to say what he wanted to say.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart? He's definitely street-smart, but has his share of book-smarts too. He's more intelligent than he lets on and knows a lot about advanced technology.
2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate? Thinks on his feet and flies by the seat of his pants.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical? Intuitive and fairly practical, though he has a reckless streak that diminishes his practicality to a certain extent.
4. What kind of education has the character had? He was educated in the fifty-first century.
5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about? He's very adept with technology, weapons and sex.
6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert? extrovert in the extreme.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven? He's passionate and gets very worked up when he feels something unjust is happening. He's usually cheerful (or putting on a show of being cheerful) and driven enough to have stayed working with Torchwood for over a hundred years. He has his private melancholy moments, though, and is prone to feeling guilty.
8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic? Enthusiastic and sociable, though he keeps his guard up if he is unsure of the other party's motives. He covers his guardedness well, though. He was, as mentioned, once a conman.
9. Is he more likely to act, or to react? Act.
10. Which is his default: fight or flight? Fight.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks? Yes to all of the above. He's got a great sense of humour and jokes around all the time. To the point that someone who didn't know him might think it inappropriate. But he keeps his team's spirits up!
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them? No.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person? His time spent traveling with the Doctor changed him from a criminal into a hero. That period of his life ended when he sacrificed his life to help the Doctor save the Earth, then was brought permanently back to life by the Doctor's companion Rose Tyler. Sensing that he had become 'wrong', the Doctor abandonned him on the empty Gamestation.
14. What does he fear? Being alone.
15. What are his hopes or aspirations? He's going to live forever. He tries not to think that far ahead.
16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him? He used to hide his immortality, but after his team found out and still accepted him, he has made far less of an effort to keep it to himself. He still hides much of his past, though. There are hints of things he's done that he isn't proud of and won't discuss.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents. He had a loving relationship with both parents until his home colony was attacked. His father was killed and his brother went missing.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like? He has a younger brother named Grey. They had a close relationship in childhood, but Grey was abducted by alien marauders that killed their father. Apparently he grew up being tortured relentlessly before being abandonned by his captors in a sea of dead bodies. He was found and rescued by an old associate of Jack's. Grey blamed Jack for allowing him to be captured (though Jack was only a small boy at the time himself) and for not finding him and rescuing him. Jack had to put Grey into cryogenic stasis to stop his murder spree. He couldn't bear to kill him.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand? None.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them? He considers his team at Torchwood in Cardiff to be his family. His relationships with them are complex and varied. He has a best-friend relationship with Gwen, but with an underlay of sexual tension/attraction. He has a sort of mentor relationship with Owen, but always with a degree of friction. He's big brother to Tosh. Ianto is his lover.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet? Depends on where you are in his timeline. When he traveled with the Doctor and Rose, the three of them were extremely close. After they left him behind, he jumped to Earth and had friends come and go throughout his 180 years. In the present, Tosh and Owen have been killed. Gwen is probably his best friend, if we're talking platonically.
6. Does he have other close friends? Martha Jones - another former companion to the Doctor.
7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people? He gets along with people very easily, but tends to keep a small circle of close friends around him.
8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends? His friends ARE his family.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once? He's been married once before. Around the turn of the century. Widowed, most likely, since he can't die and that was a hundred years ago. He has had other serious relationships since then. He left one to go to WWII and another left him because she couldn't stand that he didn't age and thought being associated with him was too dangerous for their daughter.
10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse? He is in a relationship with Torchwood employee Ianto Jones.
11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest? Hard to answer with a very active omnisexual man.
12. What does he look for in a romantic partner? A pulse? But apart from that (and his reputation for promiscuity, which seems to have mellowed slightly in the last hundred years or so) he seems attracted to people who are both clever and beautiful. He likes someone he's going to actually be exclusive with to have more than just a pretty face. He likes 'em complicated and brave and interesting.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any? He has a daughter named Alice and a grandson named Stephen. Alice has asked him to stay away, but he visits very occasionally. Alice knows Jack's secret, but Stephen thinks Jack is his uncle. Jack sends Alice money. She has echoed her mother's sentiment that knowing him is dangerous.
14. Does he have any rivals or enemies? Captain John Hart is a former lover and former colleague who is obsessed with him and tends to show up now and then to make his life difficult. His brother Grey is now in cryostasis but was obsessed with destroying Jack's life. He murdered Toshiko Sato and was responsible for the (second) death of Owen Harper.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale? Jack is omnisexual. Kinsey doesn't have a space for that.
16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him? He LOVES it. He's a very sensual person.
17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Don't get him started.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type? Unknown. He wasn't even born on Earth.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life? He doesn't seem to be either.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it? He developed his current code of morals and ethics from his time with the Doctor. In fact, when he took over Torchwood, he tried to make it in the Doctor's image. Obviously it began when he met the Doctor. He has been known to compromise it when people he cared about have been in grave danger.
4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent? He is tolerant. He's used to traveling to different times and places and running into all different belief systems.
5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them? Compared to most twenty-first century people, he's remarkably UNprejudiced.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt? He's comfortable. Torchwood is well paid, but he sends a lot of money to his estranged daughter.
2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him? Technically, he doesn't even exist.
3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others? He lives in a small room underneath his office at Torchwood.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on? Besides his daughter? He spends his money on the rare occasions that he has time for fun.
5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else? He defends the Earth from hostile aliens. He's very good at it. He does enjoy it, but I think sometimes, on the bad days, he wishes he was doing something else. It doesn't always go well.
6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time? He doesn't get a lot of free time. He tinkers with alien technology now and then and he likes to stand on very high rooves and brood, but by this time in canon, he's probably spending a lot of his free time with Ianto Jones.
7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods? Junkfood. When he was waiting for the Doctor, he avoided alcohol but this is after that and he has far less aversion. COFFEE. He drinks a lot of coffee. And eats a lot of pizza. He likes doughnuts too. He doesn't have to worry about cholesterol, you know.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is his favorite:
1. Color? Blue
2. Smell? Fifty-First Century pheromones! You people have no idea!
3. Time of day? Late night.
4. Season? Spring
5. Book? The Picture of Dorian Grey
6. Music? Glenn Miller Band
7. Place? Cardiff
8. Substance? Coffee
9. Plant? Poppy
10. Animal? Phoenix
END
{{ Get the HTML here so you can do it yourself. }}