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The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind. His haunts are not confined to the valley, but extend at times to the adjacent roads, and especially to the vicinity of a church at no great distance. Indeed, certain of the most authentic historians of those parts, who have been careful in collecting and collating the floating facts concerning this spectre, allege that the body of the trooper having been buried in the churchyard, the ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head, and that the rushing speed with which he sometimes passes along the Hollow, like a midnight blast, is owing to his being belated, and in a hurry to get back to the churchyard before daybreak.

Such is the general purport of this legendary superstition, which has furnished materials for many a wild story in that region of shadows; and the spectre is known at all the country firesides, by the name of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

It is remarkable that the visionary propensity I have mentioned is not confined to the native inhabitants of the valley, but is unconsciously imbibed by every one who resides there for a time. However wide awake they may have been before they entered that sleepy region, they are sure, in a little time, to inhale the witching influence of the air, and begin to grow imaginative, to dream dreams, and see apparitions.

-Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

OOC
Name: Bex
Email: mommyfox@gmail.com
AIM: bextrannen
Other Characters: Luke (Eldest Billy Goat Gruff) at elder_goat and Wes (Merlin) at propheteering

IC
Name: Jonathan Fairbanks
Age/Birthdate: 33; born October 31, 1975. Because I can. HA.
Sign: Scorpio
Occupation: Former army, current racetrack worker at Hawthorn Race Course.
Orientation: Straight.
Appearance: 6' even, slightly dense build, longish dark brown hair, handsome but not overly conscious of it. Tends towards dark or neutral colored clothes, switches between contacts and glasses.
PB: Richard Armitage
Fairytale: The Headless Horseman - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Fairytale Status: Anyone who pays enough attention would know that Jonathan's the Headless Horseman. He doesn't hide it, but it doesn't come up all that often either.

Ability: The Horseman is a ghost. What makes a ghost frightening is not only its unnaturalness, but that it represents the unknown. It's an amorphous, undefined threat, which is always scarier than a monster out in the light with definite qualities. Of course, the greatest unknown is death, and what lies beyond. A ghost is a peek into that abyss.

So Jonathan brings with him that sense of the unknown. He feels "other;" it's as if the person he's with senses something about the other side of the veil in his presence. So the more afraid someone is of death, the more strongly they'd be affected. Other players can decide how their characters will react, if at all. He has some control over how strong this comes across; he calls it "summoning up the Horseman," though this is inaccurate, because he IS the Horseman, all the time.

History:
Jonathan was born to a young woman in her late teens and an unknown father. While Jonathan was small his mother joined the military, which solved their financial problems but introduced several elements that would singularly define the path of his life.

Moving all over the country, he never had a chance to put down roots or make long-lasting friendships. As a result, he learned to entertain himself and not get too attached to people. His own imagination was his most constant playmate, and he developed a keen imagination. When he was little, he made elaborate puppet shows and comic books - often kind of creepy in design and story, which bothered his mother but the army psychiatrist she took him to said he was ok, just a weird kid.

As he grew up he discovered horror movies and books. The grotesque ones weren't that interesting to him, but quiet, disturbing movies really chilled him - things like "Exorcist," "Psycho," "The Ring," "Blair Witch Project" and the like. It wasn't about what happened when the beast caught you - it was about how it felt while it hunted you.

In high school (all three of them) he got involved in theater and art. He was never interested in acting - that was too out-front, too limelight for his reserved nature. He liked the subtle changes in effect that lighting, direction and set had on the tone of the story. He dreamed of going to college and majoring in art or theater, but this never materialized.

When he was fifteen, he was on a Boy Scout camping trip when he got to ride a horse for the first time. As the sun went down the horses began to get nervous, even though they were on their way back to camp. His horse also quivered, but in a strange sense of anticipation. All at once she veered off the path and went bolting through the forest. As the light faded he felt united with her, and stopped trying to pull her back. A strange lack of self and purpose overcame him. They circled around and thundered after the string of Boy Scouts on horseback, all of whose horses were now bolting in a wild panic towards the barn. They crossed the little wooden bridge to the paddock, and here Jonathan and his horse stopped and turned back to the woods.

He and the mare returned the next morning, terrified and confused. He claimed that they'd gotten lost in the woods when the horses panicked, and he'd decided to stay in one spot rather than wander all night. Of course, none of the other boys suspected he'd been the specter that had chased them back to the barn. Fortunately nothing that extreme has ever happened again - it was an effect of coming into the knowledge of his Tale-dom.

As a Modern he didn't have nearly the trouble that other Tales do. He attributed his memories to having watched too many horror movies and getting scared out in the woods. He doesn't have a solid explanation for what happened, but has come to accept that it DID happen and move on without a satisfying explanation. The Tale explanation (once he met Devin and a few others) was hard for him to accept, but it made the most sense (strangely.)

For the last two years of his high school, his mother struggled with an inoperable brain tumor. She died in late September following his graduation. His mother had been the one constant thing in his life, so despite having a lot of warning, her death hit him very hard - especially since it was right before the holiday gauntlet of his birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her death is related to the horseman "losing his head" - he lost his touchstone, and any sense of home he might have had.

He joined the army after that - it was familiar and he needed a job. He spent eight years in the military, from 1993 to 2001. He saw action in the Middle East around Mogadishu (I need to research further to know exactly what happened.) He resigned from enlistment shortly before September 11th, citing burnout. He was angsty for a time that he didn't have it in him to sign back up. He just couldn't do it. He's dealt with those demons though.

After the army he spent a few years in flux, at a loss for what to do with his life without the army. (Again, the Horseman wandering.) He came to Chicago in 2004. He got a job cleaning out stalls at the Hawthorne Race Track, and discovered he had an affinity for horses (as long as he wasn't riding them after dark.) They became eerily attentive to him, like they knew what he was. Strangely, they weren't afraid of him, like other animals usually were. He found he could predict a winner by observing the horses beforehand, "talking" with them. Since as a racetrack employee he couldn't bet, he started betting through someone else. He never bets a whole lot, in case that person scampers off with the winnings. He's not a trusting person. Besides, he doesn't want to be a gambling addict - he's seen firsthand what can happen there. He only bets when he's really, really sure, since a lot can happen on a racetrack, and then only enough to make what he needs.

He still draws some, but he isn't interested in doing it professionally. It's just something he enjoys, that's just for him.

Personality:
Jonathan was very much shaped by the military. He's independent, self-sufficient, introverted, disciplined and capable. At the same time, he's also lonely and drifting, rootless, without much a sense of himself in the past or the future - it's always been about living for the moment.

It bothered him that people thought of him as strange or creepy growing up, because he actually was a pretty decent fellow, even if his tastes ran to the darker end of the spectrum in entertainment. He found he could use this to his advantage to some degree, and to that end he's made peace with having an otherworldly sense about him. Since becoming a Tale this acceptance has grown. He will still act like he expects to be wandering, like he can't really settle down. This is the curse of the horseman - to forever be wandering, to never be home, on an unending quest.

Relationship to the Headless Horseman Tale
The horseman of the Sleepy Hollow legend is a complicated spirit. At the simplest level, he's a figure of terror, chasing after people in the night on a big black horse, without a HEAD. But the underlying ghost is much more complex - he's forever searching for his head, trying to get back to the churchyard where he's buried but unable to rest because of his incompletion. Add to that, he's buried on foreign soil, far away from his homeland. He is not an actively malignant spirit, but if you happen to fall into his path he can be dreadful.

Jonathan captures the latter part of this aspect of the horseman more than the former. He's restless, constantly in pursuit of the unattainable, without a home and without roots. He longs for a family, a real home - in short, completion. Never satisfied, that's the word for him.

He is easily manipulated and used, as Bones used the legend of the Horseman to terrify Crane in the original story. Another thread of a relationship to the horseman is his military background. He's very disciplined and hard-working. He also would rather follow orders than lead himself. He has a sort of pride at being connected to the military, and respects the institution.

Last is the simple air of vague threat and dreariness that tend to accompany the man. It could easily be explained away that his quietly observant attitude produces a slightly uncomfortable feeling among more normal people. A lot of people don't like being watched. But part of it is the Tale magic following him around.

Jonathan's Soundtrack
CCR - "Bad Moon Rising"
Blue Oyster Cult - "Don't Fear the Reaper"
Rolling Stones - "Paint it Black"
Gary Numan - "Dark"
Sarah McLachlan - "Black"

This is a role-playing journal; Jonathan Fairbanks is a fictional character, and I am not Richard Armitage, who I am sure would be appalled.

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