HENRY WALTON JONES JUNIOR
ALIASES: Indiana; Indy; Junior; Jonesy
FANDOM: Indiana Jones
AGE: 29
CITY NATIVE OR NEW ARRIVAL?: New
SKILLS/POWERS/SPECIAL ABILITIES: Years of globe trotting and prep school education have given him the skills he needs for the jobs he does. While he isn't much of a martial artist, he could actually handle a sword if he needed to thanks to fencing lessons. And, as debonair as he can be, when put in a situation where he needs to fight, Henry is a brawler. Someone might bring years of practice to a fight, but he's completely fine with throwing a chair at them. He's also a pretty good shot, having first learned to shoot with rifles and shot guns, but has had practice with hand guns for practicle reasons in the field.
Henry's real abilities lie in his expansive knowledge shaped by years of travel and advanced, rigorous education. He is fluent in several languages, including modern, archaic, and ancient forms of Latin, Greek, German, Hebrew, and of course, English, while being well versed in several other modern and archaic languages of the Americas and Near East. Having majored in the traditional Classical studies as an undergraduate and focusing much of his field work on world religious centers, Henry is a go to guy in regards to religious occult. As much as he would like to, it's hard for him to deny is father's influence in his education. While Henry Sr is definitely the expert when it comes to the Holy Grail and Christian 'mythology', his son is still an excellent source for world religion. Finally, and completely out of order, Henry is first and foremost, an archaeologist - a well trained and heavily practiced one, at that.
PERSONALITY: Henry has somehow built himself into somewhat of a comic book character. In the time he spends out of the eye of his students and colleagues, he is the unassuming Doctor Henry Jones junior, who recently accepted a junior faculty position at Columbia University in their archaeological studies department. However, he is also Indiana Jones. This is the alter ego hero-like persona he uses when he is in the field, being the risk taking archaeologist that he is. Henry is a charming, clean cut romantic, bent on inspiring his colleagues and pupils. On the other hand, Indiana can be a surly, rugged scoundrel, cynical and more focused on fame and glory than his usual concern of ethics. He created these two personae in an attempt to escape the dullness of being a professor, but it's sort of obvious to mostly everyone but Henry that this duality is childish.
Henry is extremely individualistic, and this is most likely due to the strained relationship he has with his father, as well as the absence of his mother. He has had many intense emotional experiences in his life, and his father is at the center of most of them, usually in a negative light. Henry Sr.'s obsession with the Holy Grail has even led his son to reject the spiritual nature of his studies. He's not at all a skeptic, he knows very well what's out there, but he just finds it hard to hold the same kind of faith that the faithful hold, because he's convinced that it ruined his family. Having hardly grown out of the rebellious teen phase, he often misdirects the anger he holds for his father toward undeserving father figures, which just puts strain on his other relationships. He is also pretty spontaneous, to the chagrin of many of his colleagues. When trouble does, in fact, come their way, he's usually the first one running in, and he rarely has a plan beyond 'follow me'. Even so, his warm, energetic nature manages to get them to follow his lead. For as much of a rogue as he can be, he's got people skills, and he knows how to use them. The friends and the surrogate family that he does have are very dear to him, and he makes an effort to keep the ones he hasn't driven away close.
His observation skills aren't lacking, either. He's most acutely aware of his surroundings, but even sometimes people. He's not exactly intuitive, but body language is no secret to him. As an archaeologist, this is a priceless skill, because there are many people in town and villages surrounding dig sites that don't want you there, nd want to take advantage of you. Being able to read them, or being very aware of his surroundings enables him to be as in control as possible.
As mentioned before, Henry has somewhat of an interest in ethics, but mostly pertaining to archaeology, and what should be done with artifacts or sites when they've been found. He does have a rather expansive collection, but mostly of ancient texts - he would much rather see relics in a museum where they belong. The majority of the excursions he goes on are funded by Columbia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and so the majority of his finds are housed there. The field work is obviously his favorite part of being an archaeologist. While he tends to be slow in excitement, he becomes enthusiastic about things very quickly, especial in regards to things that might contribute to the future of humanity by revealing the past. His enthusiasm has gotten him into trouble a few times, as it often seems as if he is giving orders rather than making suggestions or thinking out loud. This can sometimes be confusing to him, as he tends to be incredibly open to new ideas and possibilities.
strengths intellectually gifted, well traveled, polyglot, cunning, charming, observant
weaknesses commitment to things that aren't his job, arrogant, stubborn, impatient, rougish, an irrational fear of snakes, childish, lascivious
APPEARANCE: Henry is of average height and athletic build, though he doesn't do much to keep himself that way, it's the product of field work. He keeps his dark brown hair short and neat, though it is often hidden by a fedora, and usually stays shaved smooth, unless he's found himself too busy to bother. His eyes are hazel and inviting, and he generally has a kind look about him. He dresses conservatively, usually in tweed of muted colors, and is never mistaken for anything other than an academic. In the field he is hardly seen without his leather bomber jacket, even in inappropriately warm places.
HISTORY: Henry Walton Jones Junior was born in the mid summer of 1899 while his father was on another one of his Grail treks. He had a childhood unlike most children in that he spent a good deal of his time on trains and boats, being dragged along on his father's lecture circuits and book signings. When he was three years old, he experienced the first major loss in his life, but he doesn't remember much about it. Suzie Jones was born a month premature with a congenital heart defect, passing away a week after her birth due to complications. The tension in the Jones house grew after this, but things were kept civil for Henry's sake. From age three, he was home schooled by his mother, who, like his father, was an Oxford graduate, until the family's travels finally took their toll. This was the second loss Henry would face, and it would impact him much more than the first. Mistaking a severe headache for a migraine and a signing her fever off as the sign of the flu, Anna's undiagnosed meningitis took her life when Henry was only thirteen years old. He was convinced that if they'd taken a break and his father had paid more attention to his mother than his obsession, the event could have been prevented. This became a major issue with the Jones boys - his father didn't deal with it too well, and decided to send him off to a British boarding school while he settled and took a faculty position at his alma mater.
Graduating from the preparatory school at age sixteen, Henry left London and his dad behind when he was accepted to The University of Chicago. While he didn't particularly enjoy being forced into learning the subjects he had for the last thirteen years, he had to admit, his father's obsession was kind of interesting. Instead of spending his time focused on medieval lit and religion alone, he instead took on the broader subjects of Classical studies, ancient history, and archaeological studies. After four years of undergraduate work, he received his degrees, but instead of going straight into graduate school - much to his father's chagrin, as if he cared - he took a year off for field school, with a professor and fellow graduates, looking for new archaeological sites to study. It was in this time that his interest in archaeology took a significant turn. The hands on experience changed his focus from being a modest bookworm to craving the excitement of finding the things he would otherwise only read about.
This prompted his application to the University of Chicago's master's programs in archaeology and general humanities. After finishing the year long program, Henry accepted a teaching assistantship at the school while he continued his doctoral work. He became a popular choice among the student body - mostly the female half - despite the fact that he was one of the toughest graders in the department. Alas, the years went by quickly, and Henry finally finished his doctoral work. There was a full time position waiting for him in the department, which he gladly took, but he wasn't there for very long. Henry had only been to New York City twice - both times in passing - and it most certainly didn't look like the place he woke up in one loud, strange morning. Making the best of this odd situation, he has acquired a position as an associate professor of classics at Columbia University.
FANDOM: Indiana Jones
AGE: 29
CITY NATIVE OR NEW ARRIVAL?: New
SKILLS/POWERS/SPECIAL ABILITIES: Years of globe trotting and prep school education have given him the skills he needs for the jobs he does. While he isn't much of a martial artist, he could actually handle a sword if he needed to thanks to fencing lessons. And, as debonair as he can be, when put in a situation where he needs to fight, Henry is a brawler. Someone might bring years of practice to a fight, but he's completely fine with throwing a chair at them. He's also a pretty good shot, having first learned to shoot with rifles and shot guns, but has had practice with hand guns for practicle reasons in the field.
Henry's real abilities lie in his expansive knowledge shaped by years of travel and advanced, rigorous education. He is fluent in several languages, including modern, archaic, and ancient forms of Latin, Greek, German, Hebrew, and of course, English, while being well versed in several other modern and archaic languages of the Americas and Near East. Having majored in the traditional Classical studies as an undergraduate and focusing much of his field work on world religious centers, Henry is a go to guy in regards to religious occult. As much as he would like to, it's hard for him to deny is father's influence in his education. While Henry Sr is definitely the expert when it comes to the Holy Grail and Christian 'mythology', his son is still an excellent source for world religion. Finally, and completely out of order, Henry is first and foremost, an archaeologist - a well trained and heavily practiced one, at that.
PERSONALITY: Henry has somehow built himself into somewhat of a comic book character. In the time he spends out of the eye of his students and colleagues, he is the unassuming Doctor Henry Jones junior, who recently accepted a junior faculty position at Columbia University in their archaeological studies department. However, he is also Indiana Jones. This is the alter ego hero-like persona he uses when he is in the field, being the risk taking archaeologist that he is. Henry is a charming, clean cut romantic, bent on inspiring his colleagues and pupils. On the other hand, Indiana can be a surly, rugged scoundrel, cynical and more focused on fame and glory than his usual concern of ethics. He created these two personae in an attempt to escape the dullness of being a professor, but it's sort of obvious to mostly everyone but Henry that this duality is childish.
Henry is extremely individualistic, and this is most likely due to the strained relationship he has with his father, as well as the absence of his mother. He has had many intense emotional experiences in his life, and his father is at the center of most of them, usually in a negative light. Henry Sr.'s obsession with the Holy Grail has even led his son to reject the spiritual nature of his studies. He's not at all a skeptic, he knows very well what's out there, but he just finds it hard to hold the same kind of faith that the faithful hold, because he's convinced that it ruined his family. Having hardly grown out of the rebellious teen phase, he often misdirects the anger he holds for his father toward undeserving father figures, which just puts strain on his other relationships. He is also pretty spontaneous, to the chagrin of many of his colleagues. When trouble does, in fact, come their way, he's usually the first one running in, and he rarely has a plan beyond 'follow me'. Even so, his warm, energetic nature manages to get them to follow his lead. For as much of a rogue as he can be, he's got people skills, and he knows how to use them. The friends and the surrogate family that he does have are very dear to him, and he makes an effort to keep the ones he hasn't driven away close.
His observation skills aren't lacking, either. He's most acutely aware of his surroundings, but even sometimes people. He's not exactly intuitive, but body language is no secret to him. As an archaeologist, this is a priceless skill, because there are many people in town and villages surrounding dig sites that don't want you there, nd want to take advantage of you. Being able to read them, or being very aware of his surroundings enables him to be as in control as possible.
As mentioned before, Henry has somewhat of an interest in ethics, but mostly pertaining to archaeology, and what should be done with artifacts or sites when they've been found. He does have a rather expansive collection, but mostly of ancient texts - he would much rather see relics in a museum where they belong. The majority of the excursions he goes on are funded by Columbia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and so the majority of his finds are housed there. The field work is obviously his favorite part of being an archaeologist. While he tends to be slow in excitement, he becomes enthusiastic about things very quickly, especial in regards to things that might contribute to the future of humanity by revealing the past. His enthusiasm has gotten him into trouble a few times, as it often seems as if he is giving orders rather than making suggestions or thinking out loud. This can sometimes be confusing to him, as he tends to be incredibly open to new ideas and possibilities.
strengths intellectually gifted, well traveled, polyglot, cunning, charming, observant
weaknesses commitment to things that aren't his job, arrogant, stubborn, impatient, rougish, an irrational fear of snakes, childish, lascivious
APPEARANCE: Henry is of average height and athletic build, though he doesn't do much to keep himself that way, it's the product of field work. He keeps his dark brown hair short and neat, though it is often hidden by a fedora, and usually stays shaved smooth, unless he's found himself too busy to bother. His eyes are hazel and inviting, and he generally has a kind look about him. He dresses conservatively, usually in tweed of muted colors, and is never mistaken for anything other than an academic. In the field he is hardly seen without his leather bomber jacket, even in inappropriately warm places.
HISTORY: Henry Walton Jones Junior was born in the mid summer of 1899 while his father was on another one of his Grail treks. He had a childhood unlike most children in that he spent a good deal of his time on trains and boats, being dragged along on his father's lecture circuits and book signings. When he was three years old, he experienced the first major loss in his life, but he doesn't remember much about it. Suzie Jones was born a month premature with a congenital heart defect, passing away a week after her birth due to complications. The tension in the Jones house grew after this, but things were kept civil for Henry's sake. From age three, he was home schooled by his mother, who, like his father, was an Oxford graduate, until the family's travels finally took their toll. This was the second loss Henry would face, and it would impact him much more than the first. Mistaking a severe headache for a migraine and a signing her fever off as the sign of the flu, Anna's undiagnosed meningitis took her life when Henry was only thirteen years old. He was convinced that if they'd taken a break and his father had paid more attention to his mother than his obsession, the event could have been prevented. This became a major issue with the Jones boys - his father didn't deal with it too well, and decided to send him off to a British boarding school while he settled and took a faculty position at his alma mater.
Graduating from the preparatory school at age sixteen, Henry left London and his dad behind when he was accepted to The University of Chicago. While he didn't particularly enjoy being forced into learning the subjects he had for the last thirteen years, he had to admit, his father's obsession was kind of interesting. Instead of spending his time focused on medieval lit and religion alone, he instead took on the broader subjects of Classical studies, ancient history, and archaeological studies. After four years of undergraduate work, he received his degrees, but instead of going straight into graduate school - much to his father's chagrin, as if he cared - he took a year off for field school, with a professor and fellow graduates, looking for new archaeological sites to study. It was in this time that his interest in archaeology took a significant turn. The hands on experience changed his focus from being a modest bookworm to craving the excitement of finding the things he would otherwise only read about.
This prompted his application to the University of Chicago's master's programs in archaeology and general humanities. After finishing the year long program, Henry accepted a teaching assistantship at the school while he continued his doctoral work. He became a popular choice among the student body - mostly the female half - despite the fact that he was one of the toughest graders in the department. Alas, the years went by quickly, and Henry finally finished his doctoral work. There was a full time position waiting for him in the department, which he gladly took, but he wasn't there for very long. Henry had only been to New York City twice - both times in passing - and it most certainly didn't look like the place he woke up in one loud, strange morning. Making the best of this odd situation, he has acquired a position as an associate professor of classics at Columbia University.