Jack

Jack is an entity of unknown origins, it’s described as a tall humanoid with pale skin, long arms, a face whose only features are long black hair and two large black orb-like eyes. It is said to wear clothing that consists of a large black cloak, shirt, and pants. All of which are black. It hides its inhuman hands and feet by wrapping them completely with strips of cloth.

History
Nothing is known about the origins of the entity known as The Black Eyed Man or, more famously, Jack. What is known is known is that it has been here since the very early ages of the world and is possibly immortal, the earliest evidence of its existence is found in a single cave painting that has long since been destroyed. Many mysteries surround the creature known as Jack, what does he eat, where did he come from, what are his origins, and thousands of other questions. There have been thousands of recordings of its runs with humans throughout the world that suggest that it is nomadic. Jack’s actions and habits suggest that it is extremely intelligent, as in some accounts it is able to understand and communicate with humans.

Though there have been many accounts of Jack’s attacks on humans one of the most famous is its killing spree in Whitechapel, London which is famously known as the Jack the Ripper murders hence the creature’s name. Though most people have attributed the murders as the work of a serial killer they were in fact committed by Jack. The reason being most of Jack’s previous attacks on humans have been mistaken by professionals as the work of a killer or madman, this is due to the fact that the wounds that are inflicted by Jack’s claws are often mistaken for knife wounds as they are almost indistinguishable in their infliction. Eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen the women’s killer following behind them, the suspect was described as a pale man with a disheveled appearance with long black hair, a large black cape which was common at the time, gloves, worn down clothes and a scarf that almost completely covered his face. Eyewitnesses also described being overcome with the feeling that there was something wrong with him, something sinister, these feelings were mixed with a sense of dread about the figure. Even though police tried to find the mysterious man that was seen with all of the victims before their death they were never able to find him.

Years after the Whitechapel murders, Jack later appeared in America, though how and when he got there is a mystery. Throughout the 1800’s Jack was never seen or heard of, though it is more than likely that Jack was responsible for the many disappearances that occurred throughout the old west, though it has never been proven. However countless disappearances of people, ranging from children to adults suggest that Jack is still alive and continues to stalk and kill humans, some of them have reportedly complained that they were being stalked by a pale figure with a hidden face and large black overcoat. Only time will tell if another killing spree form this deadly and violent entity is forthcoming.

Description
Jack appears in two forms, a human guise, and his true form.

Descriptions of his human form tend to vary depending on the individual, however, all human forms tend to share common characteristics such as pale skin, and an emotionless face. This form also retains hints of his true nature, namely pure black eyes, long black hair, and longer than normal arms. In both forms, however, he retains his long black hair and, long arms. While in this form, Jack's height, age, and ethnicity vary depending on the people that surround him in order to blend in more with the human race throughout his wanderings.

Very few people have seen Jack's true form and lived to tell about it. Those that have described him as a tall humanoid, with pale grayish skin, disproportionately long arms, and long bony hands ending in black, razor-sharp talons. The wounds left by these talons tend to resemble those inflicted by a knife and have been easily mistaken as such. His face is almost devoid of any features with the exception of the previously mentioned long black hair, and two large black ovular shaped eyes resembling those of an insect. More horrifically is the mouth that, when in use, stretches and tears the skin covering it in a gory fashion. The mouth itself has long, needle-like teeth approximately two and a half to three inches in length, and a prehensile tongue 8 inches in total length. When not in use, the mouth is absorbed back into the face, leaving no scars or evidence of its existence.

The rest of his body is covered with tattered darkly-colored clothes that obscure the rest of his features. Although the type and style of clothing vary depending on the era and place he visits, it usually contains features taken from trench coats, overcoats, and cloaks from different eras of time. Other items of clothing include dark pants and large black boots.

Personality
Jack’s actions and habits suggest that he is extremely intelligent, having been shown to be able to understand and communicate with humans in a variety of languages, even write letters. Interactions with potential victims show him to be completely devoid of emotion, speaking in a cold, monotone voice that rarely betrays any emotion. Extremely sadistic, Jack prefers to psychologically torture his victims over an extended period of time before finally killing them. With the exception of the Ripper murders, this form of psychological torture can take place for years, sometimes starting when the victims is a young child and continuing into adulthood.

Every once in a while, Jack has been known to take an interest in a particular victim to the point of obsession as with the case of Mary Jane Kelly. For reasons unknown, Jack has become obsessed with recreating his Ripper murders, especially Kelly's. Every 25 years he "recreates" these murders in a possible attempt to relive them. At one point Jack took an interest in a private investigator who was investigating one of these recreation murders. In a conversation with the investigator, Jack stated that he was amused by the man's blind determination to uncover the truth behind the murders, even going so far as to give him pieces of information about himself. In the end, Jack murdered the investigator and framed him for those murders.

Modus Operandi


Very little information exists outside that known on the infamous Whitechapel murders committed by Jack in the 1880s. The modus operandi used during the murders generally consisted of the slashing of the victim's throat with his claws, which nearly severed the head from the torso. The slashing of the neck was always the first action Jack took and the killing blow. Once the victim was deceased, mutilation of the abdominal and genital area of the victim and in some cases, the victim's organs were removed. The face of the victim was also mutilated, the severity of the facial mutilation increased with each victim with the exception of Elizabeth Stride with whom Jack might have been interrupted before he could mutilate her.

Every 50 years, Jack recreates the infamous murders in some fashion although never quite the same. The main difference between the original murders and the recreations is the fact that not all the victims are prostitutes, but possibly engage in promiscuous behavior. In all cases of these recreations, they are committed in cities of high low income/homeless population, have degenerated neighborhoods, and medium to high-level crime rate.

Jack is known to psychologically torture his victims over extended periods of time which, in some cases, spanning all the way to the victim's childhood. The climax of this psychological torture always ends in their murder by unknown means. Victims are either murdered at a location and left there, murdered and then taken to The Plain of Sorrows, or even murdered in The Plain of Sorrows. In most cases, the bodies of the victims are almost never found. The victim pool in these instances are wide-ranging, and not strictly limited to any one victim type. Proof of this can be seen during the events of The Nightmare of Samuel Ward where the mutilated corpses of men, women, and children were found in The Plain of Sorrows.

Powers and Abilities
Throughout the centuries, Jack has displayed a wide variety of abilities during his encounters with humanity. The exact spans of these abilities, like Jack’s origins, are unknown. However, the following abilities have been displayed over the years. Immortality/Invulnerability - Jack is not strictly a physical entity. As such he is not affected by age, disease, physical harm or the need for air. He has withstood being shot multiple times by various firearms at point-blank range with no signs of physical damage, stayed inside a burning building and walked out with no signs of burn damage, and has wandered within the deadly radioactive wastelands of Chernobyl without any indication of being affected. He is also shown to be virtually immortal, being alive since the dawn of recorded human history and amassing an untold amount of knowledge since then.  Presence - Jack's very presence seems to have vast psychological effects on living organisms nearby. Animals senses are higher than humans and can perceive things that they cannot. As such, Jack's presence causes them to be overcome with intense fear much like animal’s reactions to spirits. Face to face encounters as well as physical contact with Jack is capable of inducing madness to even the strongest of wills, although there are few that have been able to resist these effects.  Shapeshifting - Jack is capable of shapeshifting into a more human form in order to get closer to his human prey. The height, weight, and ethnicity can be altered depending on the location and era he is in. However, in all cases, he retains characteristics such as dark colored hair, pale skin, and black eyes (hence why some call him The Black-Eyed Man).  Spiritual/Physical Access - As both a spiritual and physical entity, Jack is able to interact with both physical and spiritual planes of existence and the inhabitants of both plains. Using this access, Jack is able to detect intimate details of those he comes across such as their personal history, thoughts, and even able to detect whether or not an individual is dying, or diseased. Jack is also shown to be aware whenever someone mentions his name, instantly knowing their location and identify the moment his name is mentioned. He also is capable of communicating through white noise, and other abilities associated with the spiritual realm.  Superhuman Abilities - Being inhuman, Jack has displayed a number of natural abilities that far exceed that of a normal human being. He is capable of single-handedly lifting a full-grown man with no apparent effort and tossing them over 50 feet. He is also shown to be able to move at extremely fast speeds that barely register to the human eye.  Telepathy - Jack is capable of communicating telepathically with individuals, speaking to them in their native language. It appears Jack is either incapable or chooses not to communicate through normal means, thus only converses with individuals telepathically. He is also capable of perfectly mimicking the voices of those familiar to his victims that only they can hear, sometimes using this ability on multiple people at the same time.

Plain of Sorrows Abilities
Through access to his home realm of The Plane of Sorrows, Jack is able to use this alternate plane of existence for a variety of purposes. These include some of the following: Consciousness Transportation -   In the presence of an unconscious or sleeping victim, Jack is able to transport the victim's consciousness into his home realm of the Plane of Sorrows. Once their consciousness inhabits the Plane of Sorrows, they are completely powerless to Jack's manipulation of this world. During this time, events unfold like that of a dream or nightmare, giving rise to the mistaken belief that Jack was manipulating their dreams much like famed horror villain Freddy Krueger. However, this is not the case, as several notable differences between Jack's and Freddy's abilities exist. These include the fact that none of the events that transpire carry on to the real world, coupled with the fact that the victims aren’t actually dreaming, merely transported to a different plane of existence.  Bleeding Effect - Although he doesn't use this ability often, Jack is capable of accessing both his home realm of The Plain of Sorrows and other forms of reality simultaneously that induces a "bleeding effect" in the reality accessed known as "Dimensional Bleeding". Through this bleeding effect both realities, including Jack's home realm, the accessed realities become a distorted/disrupted combination of each respective reality at the site of access. The bleeding effect also causes pieces of the accessed real to be leached off into The Plain of Sorrows, if done on a leaving behind a listless place where no plants grow or animals wander. Those that wander into these areas note an absolute stillness and feeling of dread that permeates from the very area itself.  Reality Manipulation - The Plane of Sorrows deeply connected with Jack himself, always changing to fit Jack’s will. While inside The Plane of Sorrows, Jack has near-god-like control over every aspect of its structure, warping reality, generating weather and generating physical constructs of his previous victims.  Teleportation - Jack is capable of teleporting to any location, no matter the distance. This is accomplished through the access of a dimension known as the Plain of Sorrows, Jack's home realm. Through the access to this realm, Jack is able to teleport to any location instantly. Entering and exiting this realm appears as though Jack appears and fades like a mirage. While in his home dimension, he has complete control over every aspect of it and can warp it to his will. He is also capable of teleporting to alternate realities, dimensions and, planes of existence through his home realm.

In Legend and Culture
There have been many creatures like Jack reported throughout history, whether or not these are actual sightings of Jack is debatable. These creatures have not only been found in myth and legend but in literature as well.

Main Page: Jack in Legend and Culture

In Popular Culture
Main Page: Legend of Jack