Character Survey

[silverhands]

Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is he heavyset, thin, short, rangy?

Simon is 6'4" and built like a big old slab of brick. He's broad-shouldered, broad-chested, broad-everythinged, with especially muscular thighs from all the walking and horseback riding.

2. How old is he?

33.

3. Describe his posture. Does he carry himself well or does he slouch?

He has great posture when he's outdoors, but indoors and in enclosed spaces, he reverts to a sort of awkward attempt to make himself smaller, a holdover from childhood self-consciousness about always being the biggest kid in any group.

4. How is his health? Is he fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?

Simon is in perfect health. He's in excellent shape, his old war wounds have been healed enough that they don't bother him or slow him down, and like all paladins, he's immune to minor illnesses and strongly resistant to serious ones.

5. How does he move? Is he clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?

He's at his most graceful when he fights, though that's more a matter of brutal efficiency than anything. Simon can look a bit clumsy and shuffling when he doesn't have room to stretch out, but on a battlefield, he's in his element.

6. How attractive is this character physically? How does he perceive himself in the mirror?

He's generally acknowledged as handsome, and he knows it. He would say that humility is a virtue, but he's perfectly aware that he's got a great body and a lot of people want to do sexy things to it.

7. Describe his complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?

Light-to-medium, and he spends enough time outdoors to be tanned and a little sun-damaged.

8. Describe his hair: color, texture, style.

Thick, straight, and jet black. When he has regular access to a barber, it's short and conservatively-parted, but when he's off traveling and fighting, as he is most of the time, it tends to get longish and rather messy. Regardless of whether he has time for regular haircuts or not, he doesn't bother to shave more than once every few days, so the layer of stubble is permanent.

9. What color are his eyes?

Very pale aqua-blue.

10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?

A wide, dark band of a scar all the way across his abdomen, the result of disembowelment that would have killed him without the immediate healing he received.

12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does he have six of the same suit?

He's got his everyday armor (plain unadorned gray with blue accents, the uniform of the Stormwind military) and his ceremonial armor (cobalt and gold and covered with eagle imagery, worn with the tabard of the 7th Legion), but when he's not walking around in a full suit of plate, he dresses like a hipster who takes the 'party like it's 1899' aesthetic a little too seriously--work shirts, either white or plaid flannel, tucked into wool pants and worn with actual suspenders, with scuffed old workboots that have been repaired many times. If he just ditched the suspenders and untucked the shirts, he could blend in on the streets of a modern Earth city without much issue.

13. Do his clothes fit well? Does he seem comfortable in them?

They fit fine, though everything always seems just a little stretched over the muscle of his chest and thighs. He feels vulnerable and exposed without armor, but it's not practical to wear around everywhere he goes.

14. Does he dress the same on the job as he does in his free time? If not, what are the differences?

The armor is for on the job, and the normal clothes are for free time.

15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?

Azerothian underwear defies your Earth categories. But boxers, pretty much. Plain brown cotton shorts that fit like boxers, but a little longer.

Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?

Simon's voice is a clear, resonant baritone. It's pleasant and mellow as a speaking voice, and angelic when he sings.

2. How does he normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does he talk easily, or does he hesitate?

He has one of those voices that simply carries really well whether he means it to or not, and so he's loud without trying to be, unintentionally projecting. His sentences are often sprinkled with pauses, as he tries to find suitably modest and becoming ways of saying whatever it is he wants to say.

3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?

The magical translation convention that makes it possible for Simon to talk to people from other worlds makes him sound like the corn-poniest Wisconsin farm boy that ever there was, don'tcha know.

4. What language/s does he speak, and with how much fluency?

The above-mentioned translation spell makes that a tricky question. His native language, the Common tongue of the Eastern Kingdoms of Azeroth, would sound a bit like a mish-mash of various Scandinavian languages, if anyone could hear it. In the context of his own world, he speaks only Common and a little bit of Orcish, but when he travels outside of Azeroth, he sounds fluent in whatever language the person he's speaking to is speaking in, and they, to him, sound like native speakers of Common.

5. Does he switch languages or dialects in certain situations?

He's not really capable of doing that. He's not sure how he'd even go about subverting the translation spell if he wanted to.

6. Is he a good impromptu speaker, or does he have to think about his words?

He's a better off-the-cuff speaker than he thinks he is. He doesn't have a very high opinion of his own intelligence or eloquence, and it's his own self-consciousness that holds him back, but he's capable of tossing off sharper and wittier remarks than he thinks he can, usually when he's angry.

7. Is he eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?

He's a fairly taciturn guy, under most circumstances, partly because he doesn't think of himself as a good speaker. But as mentioned above, he can be reasonably quick-witted when angry, and he becomes almost a different person when asked to talk about his faith--he's happy to talk about that at length, in terms that are almost poetic.

Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is he book-smart or street-smart?

Simon may worry that people think he's a big dumb brute, but he's no idiot. He's a good military strategist with a fair amount of command experience, and he's got four years of extensive theological education. He's well-read by most Azerothian standards, and well-traveled.

2. Does he think on his feet, or does he need time to deliberate?

He's pretty good at thinking on his feet and adapting quickly.

3. Describe the character's thought process. Is he more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?

He's more intuitive, operating mostly on emotion and gut instinct, but he's not anywhere near as idealistic as he used to be. He's been fighting in one war or another for his entire adult life, like his father and brother before him, which tends to put a damper on idealism.

4. What kind of education has the character had?

The equivalent of an eighth-grade education in math and whatever the hell passes for science on Azeroth, somewhat more extensive training in logic and rhetoric, and a college-level education in theology, philosophy and ethics--though he wouldn't be familiar with any Earth philosophers or religions. At least he's got fantastic handwriting from all that copying out Scripture.

5. What are his areas of expertise? What, if anything, is he interested in learning more about?

He's as much of an expert on his religion as anyone can be, he's a talented enough military strategist to be entrusted with the command of an entire garrison in the recent war with the Iron Horde, and he's fascinated with foreign technology and learning to build and fix and tinker with things. He'd like to learn more languages than just Common, and read more secular books, and he'd really like to learn more about Earth history and cultures so that he doesn't stick out with his ignorance and make people there think he's crazy.

6. Is he an introvert or an extrovert?

More of an introvert, in that he's usually perfectly happy to be by himself, and likes to maintain few enough attachments so that he can go wherever he likes. He does get lonely sometimes, but he doesn't crave constant company.

7. Describe the character's temperament. Is he even-tempered or does he have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?

Simon gets touchy and judgmental about matters of religion, but he doesn't get angry or violent unless a situation really calls for it--the worst he'll be is snippy and rude, unless he's strongly provoked. He's not terribly ambitious or driven, but he doesn't mind assuming authority or responsibility when he's asked to.

8. How does he respond to new people or situations? Is he suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?

Suspicious as a general rule, but good at feigning openness and enthusiasm if it'll help him get information. Paladins swear strict vows of total honesty, but just because Simon can't lie doesn't mean he's not well-practiced at fudging the truth and putting on facades.

9. Is he more likely to act, or to react?

He's more of an action guy, whether or not it's a good idea.

10. Which is his default: fight or flight?

Fight. Always, always fight. He laughs at the idea that discretion is the better part of valor.

11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does he appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?

Simon, like a lot of paladins, gets accused of being a humorless buzzkill a lot. His sense of humor usually takes the form of blink-and-you'll-miss-it dry sarcasm.

12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does he deal with them?

Not really. Some lingering war trauma, but he just deals with that by firmly repressing it.

13. What moments in this character's life have defined him as a person?


14. What does he fear?

He's terrified, always, in the back of his mind, that he isn't pure or good or moral enough to be a paladin, and that he's the only one who struggles with staying chaste and being compassionate. His worst fear is that the Light will eventually judge him unworthy and abandon him.

15. What are his hopes or aspirations?


16. What is something he doesn't want anyone to find out about him?



Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with his parents.

He loved his late father very much, and he loves his mother just as deeply, even though he doesn't come home often and prefers to interact with his family from a distance.

2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?

One older brother, Richard, with whom he has a strained and deeply complicated relationship. They didn't get along all that fabulously even before Richard went and married Simon's fiancee while Simon was off on a mission for the crown, but that was what cemented the fact that Simon doesn't talk to him anymore unless he has to. Richard, for his part, is happier as a homebody with a wife and kids than Simon ever could have been, but he's jealous of Simon's military accolades, and tries to downplay them whenever people in their hometown ask about them.

3. Are there other blood relatives to whom he is close? Are there ones he can't stand?

What relationship Simon does maintain with his brother and sister-in-law, he does for the sake of their kids. He adores his little nieces and nephews, and writes to them more often than he does anyone else, and sends them fun little presents that he's picked up in his travels.

4. Are there other, unrelated people whom he considers part of his family? What are his relationships with them?

Simon doesn't form attachments easily. His knight-errant lifestyle (he thinks that's a much nicer term than 'mercenary,' even if that's just as accurate) makes it hard to get to know people, when either he'll be moving on soon or they will. He considers fellow paladins to be his brothers and sisters in the Light, but just because he'd help any of them without question if they needed it doesn't mean he knows many of them well or could confide in them.

5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?

Simon would say he doesn't have a best friend. A lot of the friends he grew up with and studied with at the abbey are dead now, casualties of one of the many conflicts that have happened since then.

The kind of people he finds himself actually talking to and confiding in are people he can't admit to talking to, and he's not even sure how it came to happen in the first place. The closest friend he's got is someone he staunchly refuses to admit he even likes, not least because fraternizing with the Horde is usually forbidden, even when they do both wear the tabards of neutral organizations. The lines between 'respected adversary' and 'actual friend' can occasionally blur, and when a goblin manages to be honorable enough to earn adversarial respect, it becomes a slippery slope. He can commiserate with Janzik Joltcable, a shaman in the army of the Horde, about how difficult it is to be buffeted about from place to place and responsibility to responsibility with no rest, and have frank conversations with him about the nature of faith and healing without having to worry about being judged for his less orthodox opinions. They've both had occasion to kill each other before, and opted to spare each others' lives instead.

6. Does he have other close friends?

He's close enough with some other members of his order, because with his itinerant lifestyle, they're some of the only people he sees consistently, but he often feels self-conscious around other paladins, as if they're always trying to one-up each other in the purity game and be literally holier-than-thou.

7. Does he make friends easily, or does he have trouble getting along with people?

He could make friends if he had the time or opportunity, but he just really doesn't.

8. Which does he consider more important: family or friends?

Family, even his shitty brother.

9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has he been married more than once?

Single, never married, wouldn't believe in divorce if he were, but he's only ever been engaged, and, well, we know how that worked out. He and his erstwhile fiancee Lindsay met young and had an idealistic whirlwind courtship, both of them convincing themselves they were in love and could be happy raising a family in Lakeshire together while he traveled for military service as necessary, but it wasn't true, for either of them. They tried, though.

10. Is he currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?

Not at the moment.

11. Who was his first crush? Who is his latest?

His first crush was on Martie Jainrose, the daughter of the town florist. She'd given him his first kiss, the night before he left for Northshire Abbey to begin his training.

He doesn't really develop sustained crushes anymore, or tells himself he doesn't, anyway. He meets attractive people in his travels, and sometimes has the willpower not to sleep with the ones who like him back, and sometimes doesn't.

12. What does he look for in a romantic partner?

Someone he can travel with and ideally fight alongside; someone who wouldn't want to settle down in one place for too long any more than he does. Probably not another paladin or a priest, lest they take a dim view of his kinky streak, but someone who respects his faith.

He's also a bit of a xenophile. He certainly won't say no to fellow humans, of course, but he's slept with nearly as many elves as he has his own people, and when pressed, he'll admit to finding goblin ladies alarmingly hot. (It's the accent. And the hips.)

13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does he relate to them? If no, does he want any?

If you were to ask Simon if he had any children, he'd say no, and he wouldn't be lying, because as far as he knows, he doesn't. He wouldn't be right about that, but Richard and Lindsay have done a good job ensuring that nobody knows Simon is their eldest son's biological father, and there's no reason anyone else ever will know, unless they slip.

He doesn't want any of his own. He likes other peoples' kids just fine, but try as he might, he simply can't make himself want to be a father, even though he feels like he should.

14. Does he have any rivals or enemies?

He has far, far more of those than he has friends. Half the population of Azeroth would try to kill him on sight if he ventured into their territory, but hey, they don't call it World of Peacecraft.

15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does he fall on the Kinsey scale?

He leans toward women, but he's done more than his fair share of experimenting with men, so probably about a 2.5. The Light doesn't consider it any more or less of a sin--it's all equally unchaste.

16. How does he feel about sex? How important is it to him?

Simon's relationship with sex is incredibly complicated. The particular branch of the Church he was raised in teaches that sex is an acceptable expression of love even outside of marriage, but that sex as a mere outlet for lust is a sin that paladins especially are obligated to avoid. The vow of chastity is not an obligatory part of becoming a paladin, nor one of the important pillars of a paladin's duty to the Light, but it is a vow Simon swore nonetheless, and therefore he's consigned himself to having to suppress his sexual urges as best he can, and self-flagellate for penance when he slips. It's a sin because he believes it is and swore not to do it, not because his faith inherently considers it sinful.

Because the guidelines regarding sex are subjective and vary from paladin to paladin, Simon's never sure just how seriously he's obligated to take his chastity. He feels like he's in the dark about it, no matter how much he prays for guidance. Whether or not it's something serious enough for the Light to judge him unfaithful and revoke his paladin status over, he truly doesn't know, and that terrifies him--but not enough to help him resist temptation all the time.

17. What are his turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?

Simon hasn't really had a lot of opportunities to explore the specifics of what he likes in bed. The sex he has tends to be quick, fast, discreet, and frequently anonymous or near-anonymous, just for the sake of relieving tension--exactly the way he's not supposed to be doing it.

He likes when others initiate and take charge a little, though he's not into being submissive once he's actually in bed with someone. The only thing that really turns him off is when people remind him that he ought to be feeling guilty, making him rationalize.


Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does he fit type?

Azeroth is a planet with two moons and a completely different star system, so Simon doesn't fit into any kind of Earth-based astrological signs.

2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in his life?

Both, really. He's highly religious, obviously, having dedicated his entire life to worshiping the Holy Light and using it to enforce law and justice, but he's spiritual in the sense that he can find beauty in other religious beliefs even if they're not his own.

His entire identity is wrapped up in being one of the Light's chosen knights, even if he struggles with his faith and its requirements. If the Light ever forsook him, as it does with unfaithful paladins, he'd have nothing.

3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?

A paladin's code of ethics is an incredibly strict one. Chastity is the least of his obligations. Honesty and compassion are non-negotiable--he can't lie, or cheat, or be cruel, or refuse help to someone who needs it. The requirements of his faith clash with the reality of the decades of war he's lived through, but that's an issue every paladin on Azeroth has to struggle with, so at least he's not alone in that.

If he compromised his moral code too much, he wouldn't be a paladin any longer--the Light would abandon him, and he'd have no hope of regaining it. There's nothing that could make him willingly do that.

4. How does he regard beliefs that differ from his? Is he tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?

He used to be much more rigid and less tolerant, a borderline zealot, to the point where he nearly got himself caught up in a dangerous and violent cult called the Scarlet Crusade. After the preparations for initiation nearly killed him, he had a complete change of heart, and realized that if those were the kind of people protecting the purity of the faith, he wanted nothing to do with that entire concept.

Now, he's merely curious about other religious beliefs. He likes to learn about them, and to draw comparisons between other faiths and his own, but he doesn't proselytize. He believes the Light is universal, and still maintains that it's the one true faith and that all other good religions have elements of it, but he sees no reason to push that view on anyone.

5. What prejudices does he hold? Are they irrational or does he have a good reason for them?



Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is he rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?

He's not as wealthy as more dedicated mercenaries are--he's more into that lifestyle for the travel opportunities than for the money, and when he's not traveling, he's doing whatever the Argent Crusade asks of him and usually doing that for free. But he's never too broke for lodging and food and repairs to his armor, so he's happy.

2. What is his social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected him?

He comes from a long line of blacksmiths, for whom "social mobility" entails joining the town guard or the Stormwind army. No matter how high he rises within those ranks, or how much his brother insists that he's putting on airs, Simon will never think of himself as anything but a commoner who's made good. His paladin training was the equivalent of being the first person in his family to go to college--expensive, an unprecedented luxury for the Ashlock family, but one that paid off for him in success far beyond his hopes at the time.

He never knows quite how to feel when people are placed under his command, or otherwise looking up to him in any way. He's not a bad leader, or else nobody would let him keep doing it--he's relentlessly practical, always thinking from the perspective of the grunts he once numbered among, and it makes him popular with those who serve under him--but the further he gets from his origins, the more lost and lonely he feels. He's always uncomfortable when people address him by any title other than a simple religious one, "Brother" or "Crusader." He's come to accept "Commander" by now, but it still prompts some internal squirming.

3. Where does he live? House, apartment, trailer? Is his home his castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does he share it with others?

Whatever inn he happens to stop by, for the most part. The Hearthglen barracks were, until the war on Draenor, the closest thing he had to a permanent address, and then his small spartan quarters in the Lunarfall garrison, and now he's come 'home' to the Eastern Plaguelands again and settled with his fellow paladins in Light's Hope Chapel. Simon wouldn't have a clue what to do with an entire house of his own. He's never had more than a single room to call his at a time, and usually less than that.

The spaces he stays in never really look lived-in, even if he stays for months or years like he did on Draenor. He's always in the mindset that his lodgings are temporary, and there's no sense trying to customize them or getting too comfortable. The most he'll do is set a few books out and leave his clothes draped over a chair.

4. Besides the basic necessities, what does he spend his money on?

All manner of weird gadgets and things to tinker with for fun, and tools to fix them up. He's no engineer, but he likes to hang out with them and watch them work, and he's handy as hell with a wrench when something needs repaired.

5. What does he do for a living? Is he good at it? Does he enjoy it, or would he rather be doing something else?

Being a paladin is a living, technically, when one uses one's judgey magic hammer powers to kill things for money. He's good at killing things for money, within reasonably ethical parameters. He certainly wouldn't want to be anything but a paladin.

6. What are his interests or hobbies? How does he spend his free time?

Building and fixing and tinkering with things, as above, and hanging around people who are much better at it so that he can admire their work. Barring that, he likes fishing. It's pretty much a mandatory pastime in Lakeshire, and while he'd never bother with competitive angling, he can sometimes impress traveling companions by catching more than enough fish to feed them whenever they need.

7. What are his eating habits? Does he skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?

Simon's not much of a drinker. He's not terribly averse to it, and he'll let friends get him drunk on special occasions, but he thinks he has more than enough vices to repent for without being a lush on top of it all. He likes good hearty comfort food the best, but he's got a reasonably adventurous palate and will try pretty much anything once.