Scorched Application

[maccabeus]

Out of Character Information

Player Name: Mel
Player Journal: theangstmonkey
Playing Here: N/A
Where did you find us? Referred by Momo (Isabelle and Draco mun)
Are you 16 years of age or older? Yes!

In Character Information

Character Name: Simon Lewis
Canon: The Mortal Instruments (book series)
Timeline: From Chapter 18 of City of Lost Souls, right as Simon is summoning the angel. Basically, there's an intense pressure and heat around him during the spell, just at the point that the angel appears is when Simon will suddenly be falling into the game instead of dealing with the angel himself. At first, he might think that coming here is is punishment for daring to do such a thing.
Character's Age: Physically 16. He was turned into a vampire at this age and will always appear 16. He's very put out by that because it means he'll be gangly forever. Mentally, he's still around that age. It hasn't been very long at all since he was turned.

Powers, Skills, Pets and Equipment: Simon is a vampire. Clare's vampires are pretty standard for vampires (ie no sparkles). They're undead, immortal and beautiful. Simon possesses super human strength, speed, night vision and has improved senses (scent, sight, hearing) and healing. He also has the ability to defy physics at times and had done things like climb straight up a smooth column. He hasn't really trained any of his abilities, but the times that he has had to get into a fight he's been able to hold his own. Simon is a special vampire in the series due to his ability to walk during the day. He gained this by drinking Jace Lightwood's blood. The experiments done on Jace made the angel blood in him stronger and drinking that blood gave Simon the ability to withstand sunlight. This does make him a pretty strange creature, as he insists on retaining as much of his humanity as he can despite other vampires encouraging him to embrace his darker nature.

In an effort to protect her best friend Clary gave Simon a Mark on his forehead. This part is the first rune, the Mark of Cain. This means that Simon is cursed to be the Wanderer, though he doesn't know what that means yet. It also means that people who try to hurt him are paid back seven fold. This mark does serve as an instant kill in the books--Lilith accidentally tries to kill him and is turned into a pillar of salt--so this will be one of those powers that gets limited for the game (it will just knock people out rather than making them go the way of Lot's wife).

There are no pets/equipment to worry about. Unlike his Shadowhunter friends, Simon doesn't have weapons he identifies with. The only thing I can think of is his bass, but that's not a lot of use against monsters. Unless of course it's a monster that's weakness is subpar music.

Canon History: Here is his page on the Shadowhunter Wiki. That's not really complete to the newer books so you might need to check out their pages on the wiki too. Here is one of CoLS which is the latest book I'm taking Simon from.

Personality: Simon is, at his very core, an extremely loyal person. His loyalty started with his family and Clary but has recently been extended to the Lightwoods, specifically Alec, Isabelle and--though it would be hard to make him admit it--Jace. Simon can be very brave when he needs to be and is willing to do anything for the people he loves. When Clary needs a weapon to do the impossible, Simon comes up with the idea to summon an angel despite the great personal danger that put him in. When he was imprisoned by the Inquisitor and threatened with starvation until he lies about the Lightwoods and testifies that they are traitors, he refuses and expects to starve. He doesn't even let them break him out of jail because it would endanger them. He will also do what he thinks is best for the people cares about, even when he thinks it might be dangerous. In City of Glass, he ignores Jace's plan to lie to Clary to prevent her from going to Alicante, insisting that if she is left out she'll just do something stupid to get there on her own (which, by the way, is exactly what happens). In City of Lost Souls, Simon lets Clary leave with a brainwashed Jace knowing the danger she'll face because he knows she'll do it anyway and by at least being in on the plan he keeps the ability to communicate with her. Even when plans or ideas seem really, really dangerous he wants to make sure his friends are taken care of as best as he can.

It doesn't mean he just blindly goes along with bad ideas. Even when he can't think of a better plan, he's always the type to point out all of the stupid or dangerous points of whatever his friends are planning to go with. He at least wants to make sure the worst case scenario is addressed before he and the Shadowhunters in his life rush forward to attack. His comments tend to be tinged with his on type of humor, even when the situation is extremely dire.

Speaking of his humor, Simon tends towards snark and sarcasm and often uses references to pop-culture to make his point. This is even better with Shadowhunters because he knows they have no idea what he's talking about. This will be done very carefully in game, of course, to prevent fourth-walling or canon puncturing, but the point stands that Simon is a bit of a nerd and uses fandom to confuse people like Jace without them realizing what he's doing. He also used Star Wars to comfort Izzy when she needed to be told a story she hadn't heard before. (Which might have to be turned into something like 'Space Wars' to prevent the puncturing issues)

Simon is the bassist in a band with an ever changing name. His band mates also tend to be pretty nerdy, and names they've had for them band tend towards the ironic or puns. He really enjoys his music and his band mates are some of the few mundane people who know what he is. They aren't very successful and Simon seems okay with that fact. It's about doing what he loves, not getting signed to a record label and making a ton of money. He wouldn't say no to a chance like that, but he's okay knowing that his band isn't that great. The people he plays with are his friends and it gives him something to do that isn't saving the world with a bunch of demon hunters.

Not that Simon really minds his role in the lives of the Shadowhunters he knows. He does like knowing that his life has some sort of meaning, even is that meaning includes an intense amount of terror and violence. Simon also likes being the one to help the people he knows. Sometimes he thinks that he doesn't have a lot to offer, but then Clary needs his friendship or Isabelle needs his comfort and he's okay with his place.

That doesn't mean that he's 100% okay with being a vampire though. At first he tried to keep everything the same, and even lived with his mom for a while after he turned. Once he realized what he was, though, she called him a monster and refused to let him back into their home. Simon has been dealing with the idea of damnation. He is rather proud of his Jewish heritage and had a lot of faith when he was human. Now he can't even say the word 'God' and the way at the attempts to do so choke him stand as a reminder that he is no longer one of the Chosen People. It's been a lot for him to handle. When he's by himself it can make him really introspective and the moments when he's honest about his inner turmoil can be really raw for him. He doesn't spend his time whining about it though and instead covers up his own issues with humor. He tries to limit exposing that inner angst to moments of brutal and painful honesty.

Why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting? Simon has faced demons and hangs out with Shadowhunters. He also took part in their battle against Valentine and survived. He's a vampire and generally okay with dealing with very messed up situations. Pretty much after everything he's been through he's capable of handling more. He'll just deal with it by sharing his particular brand of snark.

Writing Samples

Network Post Sample:

[Simon's face comes on the network. His hair is combed to cover his forehead, but someone who knows what they are looking for will notice the Mark of Cain under his bangs.]

So a guy can't even summon an Angel without ending up in a parallel universe. I see how it is.

[He looks around the room he's in and then back to the communicator.]

I would like to lodge a couple complaints about the accommodations here. While I'm grateful that food has been provided, it doesn't really help me much. I have dietary concerns that can't be satisfied through normal rations. Is this some kind of twisted discrimination? I get it, but I'll need to be in touch with a butcher pronto.

If anyone is running low on their supplies they're welcome to the food here. Honestly, it's grossing me out.

Second, as much as I like being given a fancy steampunk looking iPhone, would it have killed you guys to put at least one game on here? How exactly am I supposed to be passing my time?

[Clearly, someone needs to get in touch with someone who does have games on their Forge.]

Third Person Sample:

Simon felt the hunger tugging at his stomach and through his entire being. It was so unlike the hunger he had felt when he was human. He had been learning to manage and deal with it since he had turned. Now though, he needed to take care of it right away. He couldn't risk attacking another innocent person. Maureen's face still haunted him when he thought about it. She had done nothing but like him and he had let himself given into his bloodlust by attacking her.

He couldn't do that again, so he left the room he had been given and focused on moving away from people. There were monsters and animals out there. Isabelle hunted them sometimes, so he could too. He wondered what their blood would taste like and if it would sustain him or hurt him. Feeding from demons burned his throat like acid, maybe theirs would too.

Simon shook off the thought, desperation prompting him to keep moving. He didn't usually like hunting. It made him feel too much like an animal. He probably should ask Isabelle to help him come up with another arrangement, but it was weird to talk to her about this. The last human he had fed from had been her, in a moment that was too intimate to think about without an ache in his chest, and she couldn't even remember it. Hadn't even experienced it yet.

It was weird to think about. If this had been fiction and not his life he'd likely enjoy arguing about time travel and pocket dimensions and how they'd have to work through paradoxes. It was pretty much the same way he felt about demons now. Demons were no longer a laughing matter. When he was feeling better and satisfied he'd have to focus on pretending like this was. There as no way he was going to ruin his friendship with Isabelle the same way he almost had his relationship with Clary by wanting more than she was willing to give.

This he would handle on his own. Come on Lewis, he told himself. You're going to have to take care of yourself sometime. Might as well be while you're in an alternate reality.

He could do this. He didn't think anyone would be around to watch him give into the demon virus inside of him so he could give into the hunt.

He should have known that things rarely went the way he wanted them to.


Anything else? I think we're good.