Post by Alpha Pancake on Oct 19, 2009 20:50:34 GMT -6
Ssssir Hissssss
Name: Salem Viridis (Try hissing that, bitch! D8<)
God/Demon/Human: Demons
Title: Momma's Little Man (Alternatively, Salem, minor demon, sometimes sexual predator and sarcastic asshole)
Gender: Male
Age: Immortal
Abilities: Most notably, Salem possesses the ability to change forms, an ability not limited to the transformation between his three bodies. Unlike most demons, the amount of sleep Salem gets directly affects his ability to change his physical appearance. He is also capable of drawing on the less savory side of individuals, a gift he affectionately refers to as the power of seduction (though it could be that he's simply a smooth talker).
Salem also possesses abilities that seem rather useless in regards to the plot, like summoning up tiny objects (pens, pencils, Lo Mein, Vodka) from Hell and getting rid of stains on his clothing. He can also switch out the New York apartment (which is pretty ratty) for the apartment in Hell, but that's less due to ability and more due to foresight.
In his serpentine form, his bite is extremely venomous. Also, he has a strange, inexplicable power to gross out most girls and intrigue small children. Something to do with slithering.
Appearance: Salem very comfortably maintains the appearance of a normal human man of thirty, except perhaps for the fact that he remains unusually tidy despite the rigor and hardship presented by certain time periods, such as the lack of shampoo or clothing that does not itch. He has worn his black hair in many styles throughout different periods of his life, though he denies ever having a mullet, and is the proud owner of a goatee, which tends to annoy his partner/companion Marcus. He tends to dress in clean, sophisticated clothing, whatever may be considered as such in the day and age he's hanging around in.
Salem possesses two alternative forms, both far more befitting to his demonic nature than the one he tends to spend most of his time in. He is reluctant to take the first of these forms, as the transformation is taxing and inconveniencing. This body is much less humanoid in appearance, leaning on the side of draconic. It is covered in green scales, with a modified musculature that does not seem like it ought to be attached to the bones that is holding it up. (Note: He cannot actually make modifications to this form the way he can to his human form, e.g. removing inconveniences like wings and horns when the choose to be such, without constant strain for as long as the modification is in effect. This is because unlike taking a completely fabricated form and changing it, he must have the energy and concentration to keep some parts of his body true to their nature as well as keeping the modifications in place). He may only change to and from this form twice before the strain catches up to him and he has to sleep.
The third form is that of a small black snake, only large enough to coil once about a man's neck comfortably. Anyone who has any experience with snakes knows that they are in no danger of strangulation from a snake this size, as one coil does not possess nearly the musculature to squeeze the living daylights out of someone. For the most part, he is purely black, save for a red marking on the crown of his head signifying his status as his mother's heir. This form will grow as time goes by (which is, indeed, what he said), but it will always cost him the same small amount of energy to use.
Personality: Salem's personality covers a wide range of moods, from passive and mellow to whiny and obnoxious to sexual predator to psychotic maniac to—I guess it would be best to give a basic summary of his personality in more intelligent words.
True to his nature as a demon, Salem is a bit of an arrogant pain in the ass who doesn't really like to do anything for anybody who isn't himself, and don't you tell him otherwise or he might have you shot. He tends to be very self-important, and also kind of self-centered. Due to his upbringing, this is often combined with a childish sort of demanding, so that Salem, when he wants to be, is really very annoying (unless you like people like that). He has a tendency to put on different attitudes depending on the situation, and it is very difficult to gage his real mood if you're dealing with him while he's working; more often than not, he approaches his victims wearing a suave, charming sort of personality. Unless he's ordering pizza.
For those who don't pay attention, it seems that Salem takes a back seat in all those relationship decisions he and Marcus don't actually talk about. He tends to allow the much whinier Marcus to get his way a lot, and comes across as a bit of a pushover. We call this "picking your fights" in the real world, however, and it's actually quite clever—Salem feels that if he puts up with Marcus whining, Marcus can't stab him for doing the same.
When Salem is molting (which he does anywhere from every three months to every several years, depending on his living situation and the amount that he's growing), he's very irritable and clingy and generally not much fun to be around. He also doesn't want you to touch him (while he's being clingy), and if you're his mother just randomly showing up on his doorstep, then you are probably the reason he's wibbling.'
All in all, it's hard to describe Salem with more words than "Salem."
History: Once upon a time, there was a very scary mommy snake/demon/thing, and she had already had several little snakeys by way of reproductication (which is how Salem's particular species of demon gives birth). Immediately after throwing up little baby Salem into the sand, Viriia decided that she was going to make an effort to make him her favorite child. And she did, much to his dismay, causing him to go out and create all sorts of nonsense while he was young. She actually grew quite attached to him, and was reluctant to let him out on his own in a Sandlot full of other big, scary baby demons.
But that's a mother for you, what do you want she should do?
Salem spent his early years (after his mother had stopped breathing down his neck all the time) fending for his life in an area of Hell affectionately(/sarcastically) referred to as the Sandlot, where many young demons fight to the death to earn their place in the ranks of Hell. This was a very stressful period for poor Salem, as sleeping meant getting killed while he wasn't paying attention and staying awake too long meant death by exhaustion (or getting offed while he wasn't paying attention, defeating the purpose of staying awake entirely).
A few (dozen) years into the time Salem spent in the Sandlot, he met Marcus, another demon on the rise. The two formed an awkward but convenient partnership, and luckily for the oblivious Salem, Marcus did not actually kill him like he'd planned because really, it wouldn't have been fair (and he actually liked the guy, which sort of sucked for him). After a while, the two developed an even more awkward partnership, which involved sleeping together occasionally, giving a hoot, and very staunchly Not Talking About Their Feelings, because that is not what real men do.
Shortly after that, Salem decided that there was no point trying to climb the ranks of things that could kill you when you could have just as much fun with things that couldn't. He relocated to Earth, which was actually a lot like the Sandlot, just with fouler smelling air, stupider occupants, and eventually better television.
In the past, Salem had been known to inspire vice in both Gods and other Demons, manipulating them with clever words for little more than his own enjoyment. He specialized in turning friends against one another, though he has always enjoyed toying with many other aspects of emotion as well. This ability, while powerful on its own, is furthered by his partnership with Marcus, who lives for much the same purpose.
True to his tendency not to conform with other Demons, Salem did not fight in the war. His reasoning: why fight against one of the few things that can kill you, when there are so many better ways to amuse yourself? It was at this point, just as the war was beginning, that he moved from antagonizing Gods and Demons and turned his attention to the humans the laws had forbidden him to interact with. Whether it was because it was forbidden or some other reason, Salem found that interacting with humans and influencing them was much more satisfying to him than dealing with Demons and Gods, who could remember his tricks more easily and thus spoil his fun.
Even after the war ended, Salem maintained his close interaction with humankind, going so far as to live visibly among them for the sake of his own amusement.
Player: Alpha Pancake
