character info for eachdraidh

[pillager]

( CHARACTER INFORMATION )
- ★ NAME: Killian Jones/Captain Hook
- ★ AGE: Unknown, appears early to mid 30s. He's actually much older, probably hundreds of years old, but due to the way magic works in Neverland, did not age during his stay there.
- ★ CANON & CANON POINT: Once Upon a Time, Season 3 Episode 22
- ★ CANON INFORMATION: OUAT wiki, and a link to his Character page
- ★ PERSONALITY:

The casting call for the character of Hook sums him up as concisely as possible.

"A handsome, fearsome and confident pirate ship captain, Hook relishes every challenge and never backs down from a fight, whether the reward is power, riches or women. He possesses the meticulous style and old-school manners of a proper gentleman, but beneath that veneer lies a vindictive enemy who will not rest until all his enemies have been defeated… and humiliated."


All of the above is completely accurate, but it doesn't begin to cover the type of man Killian Jones is at his core.

For one, he wasn't always the vengeful, smooth-talking pirate captain of the Jolly Roger. Hook's origins were far from criminal-- he served as a lieutenant to his brother (Liam) as a part of his kingdom's navy, and as such, was a model, law-abiding citizen. In stark contrast to the drinking problem he has now, he's shown in a flashback to throw out a crew member's rum flask into the sea, claiming that it led to "bad form". And if there was anything they wouldn't be tolerating on their ship, it would be bad form.

So, what happened? Where did it all go wrong?

His descent began thanks to the deception of his king. The brothers were unknowingly sent to Neverland in search of Dreamshade, a deadly poison capable of wiping out entire armies. The two brothers were under the impression that they'd been deployed for a good cause, believing Dreamshade to be some sort of medicine. It was Peter Pan who warned them of Dreamshade's true purpose. Killian began to doubt their mission, already giving us a glimpse that his devotion isn't as resolute as his brother's. Unable to accept that their king could be so cruel, Liam ends up poisoning himself with the plant.

Long story short, Pan assists a desperate and grieving Killian in finding a cure-- but such a cure only worked if Liam remained in Neverland. As luck would have it, the brothers set sail to return home, only to have Liam die at sea. It can be assumed that Liam was the only family Killian had-- he grew up without a father, and thus, he idolized and adored his older brother.

Killian is so overwhelmed with grief and resentment that he vows never to do another man's bidding. If they hadn't been deceived and deployed to Neverland for the purpose of bringing back a deadly weapon, his brother would still be alive. This moment is a sort of stripping of Killian's idealism and innocence, and marked the birth of a new man. The kind of man that would take anything he wanted by force, and one that would live only for himself. Lieutenant Killian Jones becomes Pirate Captain Killian Jones of the Jolly Roger.

This, however, was only the beginning of Hook's thirst for revenge.

The pirate captain grew to have a fondness for women. One particular lady, Milah, would change his life forever. Milah also happened to be the mother of Baelfire (Neal Cassidy) and more importantly, the wife of not-quite-dark Rumplestiltskin. They fell deeply in love, and Milah ran away from her husband to be with Killian.

Milah would meet a tragic end, thanks to the reappearance of Rumplestiltskin, now dark and corrupt with magic. Rumplestiltskin wanted to punish the both of them-- Milah for leaving him and her son so easily, and Killian for having humiliated him. Killian is forced to watch his love die, and attacks Rumplestiltskin in a fit of rage. He's no match for Rumplestiltskin, and this was the fateful day on which he lost his hand.

The loss of his love is what truly drove him over the edge. Killian, or Captain Hook as he is now known, became obsessed with the idea of "skinning his crocodile", or killing Rumplestiltskin.

From that point onward, Killian's only motivation is revenge. He makes it his life's mission to find a way to kill Rumplestiltskin, and he even returns to Neverland to find a way to do just that.

The first person who affects Hook in a positive manner after the death of both his brother and his beloved Milah is Baelfire, who came to be known as Neal Cassidy. By this point, he's lost everything near and dear to him, and has resigned himself to a life of piracy and self-interest. Before he learns of Baelfire's true identity (son of Milah and Rumplestiltskin), he doesn't hesitate at the concept of handing him over to Peter Pan, even if he's an innocent child. After learning that Baelfire was abandoned by his father, Hook can't help but see a bit of himself in Baelfire. That, along with his love for Milah, motivates him to do a good deed and protect him from capture by the Lost Boys.

Hook grows fond of the boy, and when Baelfire seems surprised that a pirate would care for someone other than himself, he seems determined to prove to him that there's still good left in him. Once again, he has someone to care for, and Hook does the best he can to fill in as a father figure to young Bae. They live peacefully until Baelfire finds out that Hook has been witholding crucical information-- he is the pirate that "broke apart" his family. Feeling betrayed, he leaves the ship, turning down Hook's pleas to stay and live out his mother's dream of becoming a family. Not for the first time, Hook is alone. Losing Baelfire seems to be the "last straw" in terms of cutting ties with the man he once was-- from here on out, he is driven solely by a thirst for revenge. He trusts and serves no one but himself.

Hook's loyalty was only to himself, and he would side with anyone so long as he stood to get something out of the alliance. He was not above doing dirty work for someone like Cora, who very clearly had evil intent. His alliance shifts between her and Emma throughout season 2, depending on which side he thinks will be triumphant at the time. He even sides with Greg and Tamara, as they promised him that Rumplestiltskin would fall as a result of their plan. When he finds out that they're going to sacrifice themselves (and him) to make this plan happen, however, he's quick to switch teams. Apparently, the only thing he valued more than revenge is his own life.

Thus, it makes perfect sense that Pan refers to him as a "survivor". It is Hook's selfish and cutthroat nature that has allowed him to live this long and persevere through so much tragedy. It is heavily implied during interactions with Pan that Hook has worked for him in the past, probably doing unsavory dirty work in order to be able to stay on the island. It is known that Hook spent at least a few years in Neverland, but Neverland is supposed to be just for children, after all.

Ruthlessness aside, Hook actually considers himself a gentleman. He lives by his own honor code, one that isn't clear to others or viewed as honorable at all. Prince Charming may have called him "nothing but a dirty pirate", but Hook considers himself a gentleman and a man of his word. In his eyes, he's a thief, but one with honor, and being a womanizer doesn't mean he doesn't treat women with respect.

For how bitter his experiences have made him, Hook doesn't hold back when it comes to portraying an air of confidence. It's difficult to say whether this confidence is completely a facade-- he does seem truly at ease around most people, and he doesn't hold back his flirting. No reasonably attractive woman within a 10 mile radius was safe from Hook's advances. His speech is littered with double entendres and playful banter when speaking to women.

At the canon point he's being taken from, however, his womanizing ways have all but subsided. He's loyal to only one woman-- Emma Swan. Their relationship was rocky at the beginning (and who can blame Emma, seeing as he was working for her enemy?), but to be quite frank, she's never taken any of his shit, so he's been endeared to her for some time now. He admires her steadfast nature and her dedication to her friends and family. What began as a curiosity evolved into geniune affection by the middle of their Neverland adventure (Season 3a). Emma has given him hope for achieving his own happy ending someday, and it's safe to say he has finally moved on after Milah's passing.

It took a long time for Emma to admit that her feelings for Killian were mutual, and the road was littered with plenty of denial and her shrugging him off, but by his canon point, it seems that he's finally won her over. In his courtship of her, he's shown to be incredibly persistent and optimistic, as it takes an entire two years for Emma to reciprocate and acknowledge that she feels the same. Throughout this time, Hook provides both manpower and emotional support with every problem Emma and her family face.

His support of her endeavors was inspired by a selfish reason, specifically his attraction to her, but over time, he begins to remember what it's like to have people to care for and depend on. Emma's family is initially very distrustful of having a pirate help them, but after he proves himself a worthy ally, he becomes a part of their ragtag hero club.

He and the Charmings are quite different, but he's managed to earn the trust and friendship of David Nolan, Emma's father (better known as Prince Charming) after saving his life from Dreamshade poisoning in Neverland. This event marks the beginning of what can only be described as a beautiful bromance. Their fighting styles mesh incredibly well, and so more often than not, David and Hook have taken to covering each other's backs in a fight. David has even started to refer to Killian as his "mate", and addresses him by his true name rather than by his nickname.

His relationship with Mary Margaret (Snow White) may not be as close, but he certainly respects her. She has the same stubborn personality her daughter has, after all, and he, like the rest of their crew, does his best to protect her unborn child from the Wicked Witch in Season 3b.

Interestingly, Hook was also able to put aside his need for revenge against Rumplestiltskin once he realized there was a far worthier goal (rescuing Emma's son). The two were clearly not happy to be working together, and they're certainly far from friends, but they have come to consider each other as allies and teammates. Hook may have held a grudge for countless years against him, but this change of heart shows that he wasn't entirely blinded by hate. He simply needed to find another reason to live that wasn't achieving revenge.

In short, he is still very much a pirate with a drinking problem, and he will likely always be a proud pirate, but teaming up with Emma and her family has started to bring back bits of the old Killian back. Hook is a ruthless fighter, loyal to no one but himself. Killian is a man of honor-- a man who loves deeply and who will go to great lengths to protect those precious to him.

- ★ COURT ALLIANCE: Unseelie. Hook may not be the scoundrel he once was, and his intentions are certainly good, but his way of doing things definitely falls more in line with the Unseelie court. He's a pirate, for crying out loud. For the majority of his life, he's thrived on chaos and following no orders but his own. He's not keen on obeying royalty simply because of their status, and in fact, became the man he is today because of his rebellion against the king he previously served. He's friends and works with Emma's family, but this is only after they have proven worthy of his respect.
- ★ ABILITIES: No magical abilities. He's simply a very skilled swordsman and sailor.
- ★ INVENTORY: Hook will arrive with:
The clothes on his back
x1 sword + sheath
x1 shiny hook (multipurpose!)
x2 daggers
x4 assorted rings-- gold, silver
x1 small pouch of gold coins
x1 faded drawing of Milah
x1 spyglass
x1 flask, 3/4 full of rum
x1 compass
x1 eyeliner pencil (what? he's gotta maintain his devilishly handsome look!)