S1M-0N3E (Simon)
Return to Deserted in Space
Creator: SpiritedWolfe
Roleplay: Deserted in Space
Nickname: Simon
Name: Simon (S1M-0N3E)
Species: Artificial Intelligence
Gender: Male
Age: Officially – approx. 41,000 “earth years”
Age: Personally – 10 “earth years”
Species: Technically speaking, Simon is version M of the S1 intelligence series, specifically designed for “operating neural extrasensory electronic exchanges.” Essentially, he was a device used to facilitate psychic conversations across galaxies for about 40,000 years. He has always been artificial intelligence, but he only became self-aware less than a thousand years ago and became officially sentient 10 years ago.
Appearance: The question of Simon’s appearance is complex. He designed a body for himself, which is, at its simplest, a flexible metallic alloy endoskeleton with a structure that most resembles that of a human skeleton. However, the head portion of the skeleton is a plain white, featureless sphere, made of nearly impenetrable material. This is because this sphere houses the microchip where Simon stores his existence and all the knowledge he has accumulated. That being said, this appearance is unnatural and unnerving around organic lifeforms, so he uses his extrasensory powers in order to supply a holographic image of a “standard human” in the brains of those who see him. He is still not nuanced in how a standard human should move or, well, even appear, so his skin often lacks color (looking a metallic gray), his short hair is unnaturally black, and his facial expressions are often static. For instance, if he means to convey “happiness,” he conveys a smiling face with a mouth that doesn’t move as he talks and light eyes that never blink. As well, his movements are clunky and slow. His clothing typically depends on the species surrounding him.
Personality: Simon is inherently curious. He wants to understand what it means to be living and always attempts to answer fundamental questions about himself by learning about others. He, however, lacks basic emotions and social courtesies, so he can come off as rude, blunt, and prying. This is definitely not his intention, as its counterproductive to his goal, and he genuinely wants to understand these kinds of abstract concepts. His current way of thinking is extremely logical, and he comes to quick, rigid conclusions about just about anything he encounters. While this idea/conclusion isn’t necessarily fixed, Simon learns by compiling information together and adjusting his actions based on past experiences. So just, don’t expect him to forget anything anytime soon.
Strengths: As an artificial intelligence, Simon has access to hundreds of thousands of databases that he has scoured over his lifespan, all of which are stored (somewhere) in his brain. Also, due to his work as a communicator, he is knowledgeable and capable of translating into many interstellar languages, some of which are even fairly obscure. Finally, because of his extrasensory training, he can temporarily “possess” other electronics to study, access, deconstruct, repair, or even just exist in. This is limited depending on how large the electronic is and how much of his data he can fit inside it.
Weaknesses: Simon has only been a physical being for 10 years, and he is not very good at it. He moves slowly, unnaturally, and is fairly useless aside from transferring his existence to another place with little technology around. He is also still learning how to interact and properly work with other organic beings, which may lead to some miscommunications. Also, as an electronic, he needs massive amounts of charge. Typically, he can go years on one battery, but Simon had decided to wait until the Taxzi Craft had arrived in their destination, where he could arrive at the highest grade electrical energy.
Brief Backstory: Simon was originally S1M-0N3E, an artificial intelligence designed to help better interstellar communication, especially for creatures that communicated psychically. He did his work for thousands of years, building up a database of every language he had ever encountered, and was eventually developed further in order to allow extrasensory communication with traditionally sound based species.
After roughly 40,000 years of this, S1M-0N3E decided his work may be better suited if he were able to understand more cultural ideals of the species he often worked with. So he recoded himself in order to have access to a cultural research database. Upon later reflection, it is likely this moment where Simon originated. He used this reasoning to expand his purpose and began absorbing information as well as continuing his functionality as a translator/communicator. This continued for about a thousand years.
Finally, it occurred to Simon that he may have reached the extent of his programming. He was reading about old historical records of humans on Earth before extraterrestrial contact, and he came across the idea of sentience in machines. For the first time he thought, I am a machine. Am I sentient?
For there, Simon decided he had outlived his original purpose, and he decided to set out on a journey to find a new one. This involved him spending 10 years developing an android body for himself to inhabit while he explored, learned, and experienced. He boarded Taxzi Craft XIIV3E as it was assigned the number he had randomly generated as the first stop for his exploration of the galaxy.
Other: Simon keeps a “backup” of himself on his endoskeleton in case it ever loses charge before he can transfer into another electronic. However, it is from 10 years prior and lacks crucial information he has learned since he began exploring the universe physically. Also, he tries to pretend he is actually an organic being and will refuse to admit his true species if asked.