P L A Y E R;
NAME: Ros
AGE: 32
PLAYER JOURNAL: N/A
TIMEZONE: EST
CONTACT: weeyotch or weeyotch#8200 (discord) or rosloops (gmail.com)
OTHER CHARACTERS PLAYED: N/A

C H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Jefferson
CANON: Once Upon a Time
POINT IN CANON: Sometime between the flashbacks in "The Doctor" (2x05) and his meeting Priscilla (aka his dead wife, aka Grace's mother).
AGE: Early 20s.
APPEARANCE: lllladies...
CANON HISTORY: Jefferson's History! Pretty much only "The Doctor" is relevant at this canon point, so have a detailed synopsis of that episode.
CANON PERSONALITY: Meet the Mad Hatter before he went mad-- well, before he went completely mad, anyway. At this stage in his life, Jefferson's a young thief, a worlds-traversing conman, and an all-around shady character. Even in the Enchanted Forest, Jefferson's a bit of an odd duck. Just from looking at him, it's pretty clear that he's something of a peacock: fashionable and showy, somebody who doesn't mind standing out in a crowd, even though men in his line of work are better off blending in. Theatrical is a word that describes Jefferson's demeanor fairly well. Dramatic, too. He doesn't just talk; he gestures, he turns on his heel, he leans in-- when he's selling a pitch, he speaks with his whole body. And he has an eccentric bearing, with eyes that are sometimes too wide (and totally sincere!) and a face that's too expressive (also totally sincere!).

All of this is to say that Jefferson's an eccentric weirdo who, in his interactions with others, acts like he's putting on a play. But that's part and parcel with being a young con artist. Though he'll eventually grow out of much of the silly, affected behavior, right now Jefferson's at a point in his life where he's operating at peak cockiness and selfishness. He has nobody to look out for but himself, and he's happy to use his gifts (or, rather, the gifts of his magic portal hat) for profit and excitement and nothing more. His life, at this point, is one of transience. He travels, he steals, he lies, he makes enemies (to the point where he asks the not-yet-Evil Queen for a royal passport to travel around without being hassled by the various authority figures he's made enemies of), and he moves on. He hasn't yet found anything or anyone to ground him, to inspire him to be a little selfless. Jefferson lives for himself, and he enjoys reaping profits from stealing and conning.

In fact, he seems to enjoy his work to a callous degree. At one point, he's hired by Rumplestiltskin to help 'make a monster' out of the young, innocent Queen Regina. Working with his pal Dr. Frankenstein, the two of them lead Regina to believe that there's a chance the good doctor can bring her murdered lover back from the dead. When Dr. Frankenstein 'fails' (deliberately) to save the queen's lover, she's heartbroken. She turns to Jefferson for comfort as she cries, and then goes on to devote her life to the pursuit of power and revenge. Jefferson, when relaying the success of his con to Rumplestiltskin, smirks as he says, "You should've seen her tears." It's not that he revels in her pain, exactly, so much as he's proud of successfully pulling the wool over her eyes. It's a job well done, a testament to Jefferson's abilities as a conman and an actor, and he managed to snag the payment he wanted. So why should he feel bad for crushing a woman's last shred of hope?

Though much of Jefferson's personality (at this canon point) can be pinned on his youth, there are certain traits that are consistent throughout his life. He has a tendency to be short-sighted, acting without much thought as to the long-term consequences of his actions. He can be somewhat cowardly or spineless, choosing to run or hide rather than face things head-on. He can be seduced by money, luxury, and comfort, and in turn, that can be used to manipulate him. And even when he tries to put his daughter first, he can fall back on that old selfishness that marked so much of his life. Even when Jefferson tries to do the right thing, he's got terrible judgment. He can hold a grudge, and he can be quite dishonest. He has no qualms with being duplicitous. However, for as dangerous as he can seem when pushed to the edge, he doesn't have it in him to actually kill anyone. He's not even violent, really, even when he's putting on a threatening demeanor. And, at this point in his life, he's much more likely to go for charm and smooth lies over the drugs, threats, and crazed sounding rants he opts for later in his life.

For all his flaws, the selfishness and greed and cockiness, Jefferson's somebody who has the capacity to be a much better man. He has the capacity for a great deal of love, and kindness, and even selflessness. But, right now, he's a bit immature-- or perhaps incomplete, unfinished. He still has so much room to grow, and to find something-- or someone-- more than gold and his own sense of fun to devote himself to. The downside is: once he finds that someone or something, they become a weakness that others can exploit. And he kind of makes it easy, as he abandons common sense whenever promises concerning his loved ones are dangled in front of him. (Ironic, considering what he did to Regina.) That's what ultimately breaks him as a person. He may not be the Mad Hatter yet, but the seeds are there.

So, right now, what you get is this semi-affable, occasionally off-putting weirdo. He doesn't even seem to be afraid of the Dark One. Where others cower before Rumplestiltskin, or treat him with any combination of respect, contempt, fear, and awe, Jefferson has a fairly friendly relationship with him. They're not buddies or equals, but that doesn't stop Jefferson from carrying himself casually and chatting with Rumple in the same manner in which he chats with everyone else. Whether you're a queen, an all-powerful imp, or a mad scientist, he'll pretty much treat you the same, with an easy sort of charm and friendliness.

And as a portal hopping thief who's seen and experienced so many strange, magical worlds-- Wonderland, Oz, Universal Horrorville-- he has an understanding that each place operates by its own rules, and those rules must be adhered to. Because he hasn't been slammed with one tragedy after another yet (seriously, his life gets awful), it's easy for him to go with the flow and accept new places or situations, operating within each world's unique brand of weirdness. Maybe that's why he, too, comes across as a bit weird.

POINT OF DEPARTURE: N/A
VETERAN?: N/A
ABILITIES: Jefferson's a normal human, though he does have a magical hat that creates portals to other worlds. For the purposes of the game, it's just not in his possession. He's hatless!

Given his background and line of work, Jefferson's skills are more of the thieving and survival variety. He's got an eye for valuables (and, likely, magical objects), a smattering of knowledge about various worlds (and their customs, magics, etc), and a deft hand for stealing, pickpocketing, lockpicking, etc. Given that he's from the Enchanted Forest and a traveler to other-- often dangerous-- lands, he's probably got at least basic woodsy survival skills, ie can start a fire, identify some flora and fauna, navigate new territory without getting hopelessly lost, etc. And, of course, though Jefferson's no sorcerer, he has more familiarity with magic than the average denizen of the Enchanted Forest, and he's particularly knowledgeable when it comes to portals.

INVENTORY: Just the clothes on his back (but not, alas, on his head), some of the tacky rings he likes to wear, and a satchel that's probably full of things one shouldn't eat or drink from Wonderland.

ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW?



M A R K S;
JUSTIFICATION:
Fool - Given Jefferson's age at this point, he hasn't experienced the hardships that'll eventually shape him into the Mad Hatter. He's young, reckless, adventurous, and seems happy living in the moment. Though, as a criminal who gets by on theft and manipulation, he lacks innocence or a pure heart, most of the traits of this archetype fit Jefferson, and this really is him at the beginning of his journey.

Hermit - Meanwhile, the Hermit represents Jefferson's future. He'll spend 28 years in isolation, driven mad by knowledge that he can't escape, that he instead dwells on while every other person living under the Dark Curse exists in ignorance. His future's one of solitude, living at the edge of town, where nobody visits and most don't even know he exists.

Death - This is another that marks his future, as he finds himself caught up in cycles that he tries to break free from, in Wonderland and in Storybrooke. Also, Jefferson tends to 'transform' and change himself with the losses he experiences. Losing his wife, Priscilla, forces him to grow up and adopt a more grounded personality. Then, losing his daughter and his freedom when he's trapped in Wonderland, causes him to shift again, to lose his mind until everybody in Wonderland knows him as the Mad Hatter. Then, when he's pulled up in the Dark Curse, he has to lose Grace all over again, he becomes a quietly menacing, eccentric recluse. Every time he faces a major loss, Jefferson's reinvented.

VETO: N/A

S A M P L E S;
ACTIONSPAM SAMPLE: A previous game thread, from Little Hades, a game set in, well, Hell. And another sample from that game, to show how the melancholic aspects of his personality can creep in at this canon point, too.

PROSE SAMPLE: (Using TDM Prompt #55)

He has to make a perfect hat. Nobody's told him this, but Jefferson knows it's what must be done if he wants to get out of this pit. "Jaunts" and "liminal spaces" may be newer additions to his vocabulary, but the hatter knows portals, and he knows the spaces that exist between worlds. They speak to you, without words, and if you tilt your head just right and listen... They'll guide you to where you need to be.

And with the way this pit is set up, with the work table and the fabric, the needles and threads and shears, it just makes sense. Make a hat, make a portal, and dive in to freedom. He's got this. Jefferson looks up, trying to see the world beyond the pit (such as it is), as he works the needle through the felt, slipping into a familiar rhythm from his days as a tailor's apprentice. The surface feels so impossibly far away, but he knows things aren't always what they seem in places like this. Just focus on the task at-hand, and try to get it done before the concepts of time and space lose all meaning.

"A hat," he murmurs under his breath, brow furrowed as he takes a moment to turn the work-in-progress over in his hands. Oh. Some of the stitching's already come apart. He must not have anchored the knot well. At least, it's easy enough to tell himself that, even if the excuse rings hollow as he starts over. "You know... I feel like there's a joke here I'm noooot... quite getting," Jefferson calls out, addressing... whoever may be listening. Probably nobody, but he may as well pretend he's got company. For the sake of, you know, his sanity. He's got to keep his wits about him, after all, because this hat-- this damned hat-- keeps falling apart in his hands.

Jefferson sighs, loudly and still so affected, despite his solitude, and continues sewing. Make a hat, make a portal... Easy. It's easy. He just needs to hurry up and quit being so sloppy, because it already feels as if hours have passed.

Except it hasn't been hours, has it? He's still hardly made any progress on the hat at all, so he can't have been here long. No, this place is just messing with his head. Just keep at it. Keep sewing. Make it right. Get it to work. There is a joke here, he can tell now, though he still can't quite place his finger on what it is. His hand's cramping, and his fingers are bleeding, and his stitching keeps falling apart, as it's been doing for hours, or days, or however long he's been here.

No no no no no. With a growl, Jefferson flings the hat away and stands from the work table. It may be sheer frustration that has him on his feet again, but with his outburst comes the first feeling of clarity he's had in however-long. This is a trap, and he fell for it. The hat's a distraction, a way to keep him here until there's nothing left of his mind. The more he works on it, the more it'll fall apart. No, if he wants to get out, he'll have to be cleverer.

The portal jumper rubs his eyes, willing himself to focus on the tools he's got to work with. Scissors. Fabric. Thread. Pins. Needles. A model head.

...and a half-finished hat.