Siren's Pull -- Application
Player Information
Name: Syrup
Age: 27
AIM SN: SlytherinSyrup
email: purplesyrup14@yahoo.com
Have you played in an LJ based game before? Yes
Currrently Played Characters: None
Conditional: Official Reserve Link: Here.
Character Information
General
Canon Source: Firefly
Canon Format: Television series, movie, and comics; all are part of the same canon.
Character's Name: Simon Tam
Character's Age: 28
What form will your character's NV take? This neat little gadget is from a scene that was cut from Firefly’s pilot episode. It appears to be a futuristic Kindle of some kind, Zoe even calls it a book, and it’s fair to say that Simon uses it as his personal and portable reference library. Adding an NV function would be simple enough.
Abilities
Character's Canon Abilities: Simon has no superhuman abilities, though he is considered to be well above average intelligence (‘gifted’ is the term) and is a very highly talented doctor. He is trained as a trauma surgeon first and foremost, and can practice more general medicine as well. He is bilingual, speaking both English and Mandarin Chinese as this is something that everyone in the Firefly universe is capable of, the languages often mingling together in a single sentence. When it comes to combat, Simon has developed some minor skill with guns by the movie, though he’s worlds away from being considered good with one, meaning his best chance to hit would be at close range and if his target is away from any sort of cover.
Conditional: If your character has no superhuman canon abilities, what dormant ability will you give them? Simon will gain the ability to produce a specific and potent chemical in his body and then release it through his lungs into the air around him. It will be a replica of the G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate or Pax mentioned in the movie. The chemical Simon will be able to produce will have very similar effects to what was described in the movie. It will pacify those who breathe it in (provided they are vulnerable to such an ‘attack’ of course) to the point where the person stops fighting, moving, talking, even eating or drinking. They will simply lie down and wait for death. Fortunately for them once Simon stops using his ability and the Pax dissipates, the effects wear off after a number of hours, depending on the victim’s stamina. Simon would have to park himself next to a person for days if he wanted to seriously hurt or even kill someone with this power, and needless to say he is not that twisted.
Unfortunately, the Pax does not have the same effect on everyone. The original chemical had a 0.1% chance of having the exact opposite effect on an individual, resulting in extreme increases in aggression and turning the person into a Reaver. Simon’s version is an imperfect copy and will have a slightly higher chance of turning someone Reaver, around 5-10% (players of course get the final say whether or not this happens). The effects are still temporary, though it will take longer to wear off, at least a day or more depending on the character (and the player’s wishes).
Finally, Simon will naturally be immune to the version of Pax he produces as well as the original, in the unlikely event that it ever is produced or otherwise brought to the city. Eventually Simon will be able to do this at will, but it will take a lot of practice that Simon's going to be reluctant to do. At first it will only trigger in response to immediate extreme danger in which Simon's own adrenaline levels are rising and the fight or flight response is kicking in. For example if caught outside in the Darkness and under attack by monsters, or having his life threatened by someone to the point that Simon has to take them seriously, his body will start producing the Pax and breathing it out within just seconds all on its own. Ultimately it is a defensive power, allowing Simon to subdue most attackers fairly quickly and make his escape, with a small chance of backfiring horribly and putting Simon in even greater danger than he was previously.
Weapons: None
History/Personality/Plans/etc.
Character History: Here is a wiki.
Point in Canon: After the events of the movie. Serenity saw a number of life-changing events and even one world-changing one for Firefly canon. Shepherd Book and Wash were both killed and the secret origins of the Reavers was not only discovered but made public, though the movie ended before the repercussions of this could be seen. The operative who had been hunting Simon and River reportedly told his superiors in the Alliance that the Tams were no longer a threat, but again we do not see the repercussions of this. Most likely the warrants for their arrests were withdrawn, but it’s doubtful that Simon and River could ever return to their old lives and would have to continue living under the radar if not constantly on the run as they had to before. Serenity the ship had been nearly destroyed by the events, leaving the crew stranded for some time on Mr. Universe’s home world while they did repairs. Simon isn’t much of a mechanic, but we do see him doing what he can to help Kaylee repair the engine and even consummates their relationship at long last. Having the secret of Miranda and the Reavers finally known helped River to stabilize and she began to help co-pilot the ship with Mal after Wash’s passing. This is relevant to Simon as it took a lot of responsibility off of his shoulders for her care, leaving him less uptight about doing things that he wants to do. Simon will be pulled into port after the very last scene, revealing Serenity taking off into the stars once more…primary buffer panel falling off and all.
Character Personality: Simon’s usual first impression is that of a stiffly polite gentleman. Even after the changes we see through the series and movie, at his core Simon is well-bred, well-educated, and well-mannered; an ideal son of the Alliance. His time on Serenity has loosened him up considerably however, for example he’s now more likely to wear more comfortable pullovers and slacks than his almost trademark shiny vests and button-down shirts. His language is more likely to slip, Simon’s ideas of ‘when it is appropriate to swear’ broadening ever so slightly. He also has fewer qualms about throwing a punch at someone who he feels really, really deserves it. This rougher side that Simon has developed will likely serve him well in Siren’s Port, though he will still do his best to keep up the old civilized veneer. It is one of the few things of his old life that he has left, doubly so now that he will be without his sister.
Getting to know him better reveals that Simon’s sense of humor leans heavily towards the sarcastic and he is far from afraid of voicing his disapproval of a person. He also has an unfortunate tendency to give his opinion in brutally honest terms, even when he’s not trying to be insulting. This habit has gotten him smacked in the mouth at least a couple of times, and while he doesn’t go out looking to get himself into trouble Simon seems to have a miraculous talent for alienating people by saying the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. Not even the people he cares about are safe from this. Simon has seen Kaylee give him the cold shoulder for saying something he shouldn’t have too many times to count.
Despite this social awkwardness, Simon wants to do the right thing and be a good person and this desire is easily the second biggest motivation in his life. The most likely source of this selfless part of him is his Alliance upbringing. The Alliance believes strongly in constantly improving the quality of life for people, and a good citizen of the Alliance shares this lofty goal. It seems safe to say that Simon decided he wanted to be a doctor very early in his life, to do some good, and in the comic ‘Better Days’ Simon reveals a fantasy of continuing to be a doctor though on a much grander scale, doing research to improve the lives of many rather than the relative handful he helps as a trauma surgeon. It is worth noting that in this fantasy, the only other recognizable person is his sister River, which brings us to the most important thing and biggest motivation in his life.
Every rule that Simon has, River is the exception to. He has lied, broken laws, and come dangerously close to killing all to keep her safe. Simon sacrificed so much to save River, and while he has his moments of missing what he’s lost he does not regret the choices he made. For the doctor, it was a matter of doing what needed to be done as no one else was going to help her or him, not even their parents. This reveals a darker, more ruthless side to Simon’s personality: his ability to see past his morals and even his own comfort levels in the name of doing what is necessary. His love and loyalty to River trumps everything else, even the things he wants for himself if she needs him enough. After the events of the movie River appears to have stabilized considerably, and we see Simon finally indulge in what he wants, specifically meaning having a real relationship with Kaylee. Being without River in Siren’s Port, Simon will still be able to function but he may regress away from wanting to focus on his own happiness.
Character Plans: Simon seems to function best when he has a goal, even if it’s a far-reaching and very long-term one. During the series that goal was protecting River and in the game Simon will want nothing more than to get back to her. To that end, pushing himself into solving the problem of the malfunctioning Core and getting all the newcomers (including him of course) sent home will be his new goal. SERO will be a natural choice for Simon Tam, and really it will only be a matter of time before he signs up with them. SERO’s idea of fixing the Core rather than AGI’s ‘doing something else though we haven’t figured out what yet because we’re too busy throwing parties’ will appeal strongly to Simon.
It’s also only a matter of time before Simon realizes the SERO he’s signed on with shares far more bad traits with the old Alliance of his home than it does good, and the doctor is left with a choice. Either he can abandon SERO and turn neutral, but in doing so severely lower his chances of helping to fix the Core and go home, or he can see SERO as another necessity and remain, though such a decision will eat at his conscience more than anything else he’s done. If anything, Simon will not be happy about the human experimentation that goes on in SERO and find ways to oppose it, either by becoming neutral and being vocal in his protests or quietly sabotaging the experiments from within, even going so far as to find ways of smuggling the human subjects out.
Finally there is the matter of Simon’s own dormant power. The PAX will more than likely be very appealing to SERO as a potential tool if they ever find out about it, putting Simon at good odds of being experimented on himself. That is, of course, if they find out about it. Being post-movie, Simon is more likely to recognize his power for what it is when he finally starts learning how to use it…and as such will never use it if at all possible and doing his best to keep the ability a secret. This could pan out a number of ways as it’s impossible to keep such a secret forever. Sooner or later Simon will have to use his ability to defend himself or someone else, word will get out, and it will be all over. This could culminate in PAX being pumped through the whole city as a worst-case scenario, or a number of smaller ‘test batches’ involving a random selection of ‘volunteers’ could have the PAX used on them, or Simon simply gets severely unlucky and one of the first times he uses his ability the victim turns Reaver and promptly rips Simon apart.
Appearance/PB: Ahem-hem. There’s also this much more serious and stern promotional photo, with a good example of how Simon dressed early in the series.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample I must admit I’m impressed. Brochures and a ‘welcome package’ would have to be the last thing I’d ever expect upon being whisked through time and space against my will to some strange new destination. But here they are and they’re very…insightful.
[Simon has two of the leaflets in hand, obviously one from AGI and SERO each, and is giving them a healthily skeptical eye.]
The initial greeters were even more helpful. Of course if anyone out there has more practical information, I wouldn’t mind hearing it.
Third Person Sample The organization Siren’s Port had displayed and Simon had at first partially praised upon his initial arrival was now coming back to bite him quite hard. There was plenty of demand for an educated and talented doctor, provided that doctor was able to provide his credentials. It wouldn’t have mattered if Simon had been certified by a medacad no one in the Port had ever heard of so long as he had something remotely authentic to prove that he was licensed to practice medicine. Simon Tam, unfortunately, had no such magical piece of paper and even if he did it would have been a fraud. The day the Alliance scoured the security footage from the Academy and Simon Tam was recognized as the man who had waltzed in and stolen their prized project, his accounts were frozen and his license revoked almost as an afterthought.
Of course, even if his lack of a license had nothing to do with his competence as a doctor, Simon would have been a fool to admit the truth to any potential employers. Which meant Simon was forced to start over almost from the beginning. He ‘volunteered’ at the neutral Newcomer’s clinic, giving immunization shots, supervising quarantines, and struggling to prove his competency when the most difficult thing he ever had to do was handle a needle.
Needless to say, Simon found it frustrating.
He had never considered himself an ambitious man, always more interested in the medical profession for the betterment of society rather than of himself. Yet now he could recognize that he’d never really been hindered like this before. On Serenity, his word was good enough and he had been able very early on to prove that he knew what he was doing. Even before that he had blown through MedAcad and his internship, showing enough promise to find work immediately. But now…
Now all he could do was wait for his chance to come again. To slip needles painlessly under skin, hopefully enough that the lack of pain was some comfort to the more hapless and visibly unsettled Newcomers, and try not to linger too much on the time being wasted, on whether River was all right, on if Kaylee missed him…
It made those SERO leaflets seem more and more tempting the longer he let himself worry…
Name: Syrup
Age: 27
AIM SN: SlytherinSyrup
email: purplesyrup14@yahoo.com
Have you played in an LJ based game before? Yes
Currrently Played Characters: None
Conditional: Official Reserve Link: Here.
Character Information
General
Canon Source: Firefly
Canon Format: Television series, movie, and comics; all are part of the same canon.
Character's Name: Simon Tam
Character's Age: 28
What form will your character's NV take? This neat little gadget is from a scene that was cut from Firefly’s pilot episode. It appears to be a futuristic Kindle of some kind, Zoe even calls it a book, and it’s fair to say that Simon uses it as his personal and portable reference library. Adding an NV function would be simple enough.
Abilities
Character's Canon Abilities: Simon has no superhuman abilities, though he is considered to be well above average intelligence (‘gifted’ is the term) and is a very highly talented doctor. He is trained as a trauma surgeon first and foremost, and can practice more general medicine as well. He is bilingual, speaking both English and Mandarin Chinese as this is something that everyone in the Firefly universe is capable of, the languages often mingling together in a single sentence. When it comes to combat, Simon has developed some minor skill with guns by the movie, though he’s worlds away from being considered good with one, meaning his best chance to hit would be at close range and if his target is away from any sort of cover.
Conditional: If your character has no superhuman canon abilities, what dormant ability will you give them? Simon will gain the ability to produce a specific and potent chemical in his body and then release it through his lungs into the air around him. It will be a replica of the G-23 Paxilon Hydrochlorate or Pax mentioned in the movie. The chemical Simon will be able to produce will have very similar effects to what was described in the movie. It will pacify those who breathe it in (provided they are vulnerable to such an ‘attack’ of course) to the point where the person stops fighting, moving, talking, even eating or drinking. They will simply lie down and wait for death. Fortunately for them once Simon stops using his ability and the Pax dissipates, the effects wear off after a number of hours, depending on the victim’s stamina. Simon would have to park himself next to a person for days if he wanted to seriously hurt or even kill someone with this power, and needless to say he is not that twisted.
Unfortunately, the Pax does not have the same effect on everyone. The original chemical had a 0.1% chance of having the exact opposite effect on an individual, resulting in extreme increases in aggression and turning the person into a Reaver. Simon’s version is an imperfect copy and will have a slightly higher chance of turning someone Reaver, around 5-10% (players of course get the final say whether or not this happens). The effects are still temporary, though it will take longer to wear off, at least a day or more depending on the character (and the player’s wishes).
Finally, Simon will naturally be immune to the version of Pax he produces as well as the original, in the unlikely event that it ever is produced or otherwise brought to the city. Eventually Simon will be able to do this at will, but it will take a lot of practice that Simon's going to be reluctant to do. At first it will only trigger in response to immediate extreme danger in which Simon's own adrenaline levels are rising and the fight or flight response is kicking in. For example if caught outside in the Darkness and under attack by monsters, or having his life threatened by someone to the point that Simon has to take them seriously, his body will start producing the Pax and breathing it out within just seconds all on its own. Ultimately it is a defensive power, allowing Simon to subdue most attackers fairly quickly and make his escape, with a small chance of backfiring horribly and putting Simon in even greater danger than he was previously.
Weapons: None
History/Personality/Plans/etc.
Character History: Here is a wiki.
Point in Canon: After the events of the movie. Serenity saw a number of life-changing events and even one world-changing one for Firefly canon. Shepherd Book and Wash were both killed and the secret origins of the Reavers was not only discovered but made public, though the movie ended before the repercussions of this could be seen. The operative who had been hunting Simon and River reportedly told his superiors in the Alliance that the Tams were no longer a threat, but again we do not see the repercussions of this. Most likely the warrants for their arrests were withdrawn, but it’s doubtful that Simon and River could ever return to their old lives and would have to continue living under the radar if not constantly on the run as they had to before. Serenity the ship had been nearly destroyed by the events, leaving the crew stranded for some time on Mr. Universe’s home world while they did repairs. Simon isn’t much of a mechanic, but we do see him doing what he can to help Kaylee repair the engine and even consummates their relationship at long last. Having the secret of Miranda and the Reavers finally known helped River to stabilize and she began to help co-pilot the ship with Mal after Wash’s passing. This is relevant to Simon as it took a lot of responsibility off of his shoulders for her care, leaving him less uptight about doing things that he wants to do. Simon will be pulled into port after the very last scene, revealing Serenity taking off into the stars once more…primary buffer panel falling off and all.
Character Personality: Simon’s usual first impression is that of a stiffly polite gentleman. Even after the changes we see through the series and movie, at his core Simon is well-bred, well-educated, and well-mannered; an ideal son of the Alliance. His time on Serenity has loosened him up considerably however, for example he’s now more likely to wear more comfortable pullovers and slacks than his almost trademark shiny vests and button-down shirts. His language is more likely to slip, Simon’s ideas of ‘when it is appropriate to swear’ broadening ever so slightly. He also has fewer qualms about throwing a punch at someone who he feels really, really deserves it. This rougher side that Simon has developed will likely serve him well in Siren’s Port, though he will still do his best to keep up the old civilized veneer. It is one of the few things of his old life that he has left, doubly so now that he will be without his sister.
Getting to know him better reveals that Simon’s sense of humor leans heavily towards the sarcastic and he is far from afraid of voicing his disapproval of a person. He also has an unfortunate tendency to give his opinion in brutally honest terms, even when he’s not trying to be insulting. This habit has gotten him smacked in the mouth at least a couple of times, and while he doesn’t go out looking to get himself into trouble Simon seems to have a miraculous talent for alienating people by saying the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. Not even the people he cares about are safe from this. Simon has seen Kaylee give him the cold shoulder for saying something he shouldn’t have too many times to count.
Despite this social awkwardness, Simon wants to do the right thing and be a good person and this desire is easily the second biggest motivation in his life. The most likely source of this selfless part of him is his Alliance upbringing. The Alliance believes strongly in constantly improving the quality of life for people, and a good citizen of the Alliance shares this lofty goal. It seems safe to say that Simon decided he wanted to be a doctor very early in his life, to do some good, and in the comic ‘Better Days’ Simon reveals a fantasy of continuing to be a doctor though on a much grander scale, doing research to improve the lives of many rather than the relative handful he helps as a trauma surgeon. It is worth noting that in this fantasy, the only other recognizable person is his sister River, which brings us to the most important thing and biggest motivation in his life.
Every rule that Simon has, River is the exception to. He has lied, broken laws, and come dangerously close to killing all to keep her safe. Simon sacrificed so much to save River, and while he has his moments of missing what he’s lost he does not regret the choices he made. For the doctor, it was a matter of doing what needed to be done as no one else was going to help her or him, not even their parents. This reveals a darker, more ruthless side to Simon’s personality: his ability to see past his morals and even his own comfort levels in the name of doing what is necessary. His love and loyalty to River trumps everything else, even the things he wants for himself if she needs him enough. After the events of the movie River appears to have stabilized considerably, and we see Simon finally indulge in what he wants, specifically meaning having a real relationship with Kaylee. Being without River in Siren’s Port, Simon will still be able to function but he may regress away from wanting to focus on his own happiness.
Character Plans: Simon seems to function best when he has a goal, even if it’s a far-reaching and very long-term one. During the series that goal was protecting River and in the game Simon will want nothing more than to get back to her. To that end, pushing himself into solving the problem of the malfunctioning Core and getting all the newcomers (including him of course) sent home will be his new goal. SERO will be a natural choice for Simon Tam, and really it will only be a matter of time before he signs up with them. SERO’s idea of fixing the Core rather than AGI’s ‘doing something else though we haven’t figured out what yet because we’re too busy throwing parties’ will appeal strongly to Simon.
It’s also only a matter of time before Simon realizes the SERO he’s signed on with shares far more bad traits with the old Alliance of his home than it does good, and the doctor is left with a choice. Either he can abandon SERO and turn neutral, but in doing so severely lower his chances of helping to fix the Core and go home, or he can see SERO as another necessity and remain, though such a decision will eat at his conscience more than anything else he’s done. If anything, Simon will not be happy about the human experimentation that goes on in SERO and find ways to oppose it, either by becoming neutral and being vocal in his protests or quietly sabotaging the experiments from within, even going so far as to find ways of smuggling the human subjects out.
Finally there is the matter of Simon’s own dormant power. The PAX will more than likely be very appealing to SERO as a potential tool if they ever find out about it, putting Simon at good odds of being experimented on himself. That is, of course, if they find out about it. Being post-movie, Simon is more likely to recognize his power for what it is when he finally starts learning how to use it…and as such will never use it if at all possible and doing his best to keep the ability a secret. This could pan out a number of ways as it’s impossible to keep such a secret forever. Sooner or later Simon will have to use his ability to defend himself or someone else, word will get out, and it will be all over. This could culminate in PAX being pumped through the whole city as a worst-case scenario, or a number of smaller ‘test batches’ involving a random selection of ‘volunteers’ could have the PAX used on them, or Simon simply gets severely unlucky and one of the first times he uses his ability the victim turns Reaver and promptly rips Simon apart.
Appearance/PB: Ahem-hem. There’s also this much more serious and stern promotional photo, with a good example of how Simon dressed early in the series.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample I must admit I’m impressed. Brochures and a ‘welcome package’ would have to be the last thing I’d ever expect upon being whisked through time and space against my will to some strange new destination. But here they are and they’re very…insightful.
[Simon has two of the leaflets in hand, obviously one from AGI and SERO each, and is giving them a healthily skeptical eye.]
The initial greeters were even more helpful. Of course if anyone out there has more practical information, I wouldn’t mind hearing it.
Third Person Sample The organization Siren’s Port had displayed and Simon had at first partially praised upon his initial arrival was now coming back to bite him quite hard. There was plenty of demand for an educated and talented doctor, provided that doctor was able to provide his credentials. It wouldn’t have mattered if Simon had been certified by a medacad no one in the Port had ever heard of so long as he had something remotely authentic to prove that he was licensed to practice medicine. Simon Tam, unfortunately, had no such magical piece of paper and even if he did it would have been a fraud. The day the Alliance scoured the security footage from the Academy and Simon Tam was recognized as the man who had waltzed in and stolen their prized project, his accounts were frozen and his license revoked almost as an afterthought.
Of course, even if his lack of a license had nothing to do with his competence as a doctor, Simon would have been a fool to admit the truth to any potential employers. Which meant Simon was forced to start over almost from the beginning. He ‘volunteered’ at the neutral Newcomer’s clinic, giving immunization shots, supervising quarantines, and struggling to prove his competency when the most difficult thing he ever had to do was handle a needle.
Needless to say, Simon found it frustrating.
He had never considered himself an ambitious man, always more interested in the medical profession for the betterment of society rather than of himself. Yet now he could recognize that he’d never really been hindered like this before. On Serenity, his word was good enough and he had been able very early on to prove that he knew what he was doing. Even before that he had blown through MedAcad and his internship, showing enough promise to find work immediately. But now…
Now all he could do was wait for his chance to come again. To slip needles painlessly under skin, hopefully enough that the lack of pain was some comfort to the more hapless and visibly unsettled Newcomers, and try not to linger too much on the time being wasted, on whether River was all right, on if Kaylee missed him…
It made those SERO leaflets seem more and more tempting the longer he let himself worry…