Shimon ben YosefAge16
GenderMale
EthnicityGerman-Moroccan Jewish
HeightVaries; formerly 5’8, now usually around 7’
WeightVaries; formerly 140 lbs, now upwards of 300 lbs
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Mutant's MarkAt this point, Shimon’s “mutant mark” has enveloped his entire body...
AppearanceShimon was once a normal-looking adolescent boy, albeit perhaps a bit on the lanky side. Ever since he started to lose control of his powers, he has begun to take on more and more of a plantlike appearance. The vast majority of his body has been consumed and replaced with plant matter, with massive wooden branches and braided vines now acting as his limbs. He is a hulking mass of green, with his limbs having been completely replaced and most of his torso also having succumb to the rot. What remains of his original form is tainted with green and blanketed by moss.
“Shimon” is still the same entity that he was before all of this took place, and he has not suffered any cognitive decline as a result of his mutation, but even his vital organs are now little more than husks out of which new, plantlike structures grow. Shimon wonders if he will still be the same, if he will still remember all that he is if the plants begin to encroach upon his brain...
PersonalityShimon did not come to the academy of his own free will. In fact, he rather wanted to stay in Bohemia, and as a result bears some resentment towards the academy's staff and institutions for what he perceives as being trapped here. He tends to stay firmly rooted (literally) in the underground garden with a stack of books.
Shimon is not antisocial, but he is incredibly guarded due to past interactions with outsiders. Once someone subverts these expectations of maltreatment, he can be quite the chatterbox, and will gladly open up about his past or rant and rave about his passions to anyone willing to listen. In spite of his dry and occasionally biting sense of humour, he really does just want some friends. He’s been severely starved for affection since he was taken from his home, barring his rapport with the other plant-based mutants.
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Everyday SkillsShimon is an intellectually gifted individual with a near-encyclopedic knowledge on a wide variety of topics including theology, agriculture, plant biology and other disparate fields. Once he gets going on a topic he knows a lot about, it can be difficult to shut him up.
Shimon can speak, read and write six languages (English, German, Yiddish, Czech, Arabic and Hebrew), and boasts a surprisingly comprehensive culinary knowledge, one which his new form sadly does not allow him to take advantage of.
Combat SkillsShimon is... not a fighter. Or at least, not a very good one. Given the nature of his powers, he doesn’t really need to act with much skill on the battlefield; there are few things that can truly take him out, and most enemies can simply be smashed to submission with his massive tree-trunk arms. He can also summon vines from the earth to attack and entangle his opponents, but this is much harder than simply smashing the enemy or extending the vines on his arm.
EquipmentShimon couldn’t wear or make use of equipment even if he wanted to. He owns very little aside from his school supplies and a few keepsakes he had with him when he was taken from his home.
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PowersMore Plant Than Man:
It would be a stretch to call Shimon’s biology “human-like” at this point. Most of his body is now vegetable matter. Bones and blood are a thing of the past for him, and he is perfectly capable of getting all the nutrition he needs from photosynthesis alone. He does not need to sleep so long as he remains rooted, has regenerative capabilities, and is even able to slowly grow back a limb should he be unfortunate enough for one of them to get lopped off. These new appendages are just as functional as any human arm or leg when it comes to locomotion, although fine motor manipulation would require Shimon to employ a cavalcade of writhing vines.
With A Little Help From My Friends:
Shimon has developed symbiotic relationships with several smaller organisms. It is not uncommon to see small birds and squirrels perched on the hulking mutant to help him fight off termites and the like. There are also several different types of fungi on his body that allow him to glean some benefit from decaying organic matter, although this does cause him to smell like a literal compost heap. Even predator animals generally regard him as a plant, and as such will not bother him.
The Whomping Willow:
Shimon’s limbs and skin have the same texture and strength as sturdy tree bark. Not only can he take a beating, but this gives him juggernaut-like strength that he can use to simply smash through all but the hardest of targets. Unless it can stand up to a tree trunk being hurled at it, don’t expect it to stand up to Shimon.
One With Nature (Literally):
Shimon can control the growth of plants and manipulate their movement. Any plant that Shimon has incorporated into his being he can plant and replicate, causing to grow immensely quickly by rapidly drawing on surrounding water and pushing their roots deeper to find more nutrients in previously-untapped soil. Once separated from their roots, these plants thankfully decompose quickly, returning the much-needed nutrients to the earth. Prior to the mutation taking over his body, Shimon used this power to feed entire villages of people.
WeaknessesFirewood:
A tree is hardy, but a sharpened ax can cut through it all the same. Fire is particularly devastating, especially if Shimon has not rejuvenated or replaced his body in a long time. On a particularly hot and dry day, a single spark could set his entire body ablaze like... well, like a tree on a hot and dry summer day.
Pestilence:
Shimon is vulnerable to pests and blights that would plague other plants. Unfortunately, his only options to deal with these blights are to burn or cut away the infected area, or enlist the help of small animals and other mutants.
Taking A Dirt Nap:
Shimon’s natural regenerative ability can take hours or even days to fully run its course. During this time, he typically stays motionless, vulnerable in a near-comatose state. His body must put down roots, and requires all the things that a plant would. Usually in order to facilitate this, Shimon will partially bury himself in soil or soak in murky water. He does not get along well with the academy’s cleaning staff. He can usually mask the smell of rotting organic matter and manure with flowers... somewhat.
He Breathes Through His Skin:
Shimon cannot wear clothes, coverings or armour of any kind, as it would negatively impact his ability to photosynthesize. This effectively rules out the possibility of non-plantoid disguises.
Salad Fingers:
Shimon is simply not dextrous in his current state. Even when his limbs are not overgrown, he has serious difficulty performing simple tasks like picking up small objects and walking through doors. Wielding a weapon would be practically impossible for him, and so he is forced to rely on brute strength.
I Can’t Stop It...:
Perhaps the greatest drawback of Shimon’s powers is the effect they have had on his own body. Gradually, more and more of his flesh and bone were consumed by this vegetable mass, until very little of Shimon remained. Shimon cannot reverse the growth of his own body. He can slow it, to be sure, but the only way he has found to reduce his own size down to something manageable is to have someone manually cut or burn away the excess plant matter. While this ultimately does not harm Shimon, it causes him immense pain. It is possible he may figure out a way to overcome this weakness in the future, but for now, such a cure eludes him...
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Scrawl Banditta
