APP - 15 Strangers

[backuphero]

Player Name: Lee
Player Journal: N/A
Reserve: Right here!
Contact: shapeshifterkid

Name: Jonathan Morris

Canon: Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

Assumed Canon Point: Right after fighting Stella "Brauner" and looking closely at the necklace she dropped, but before asking Wind why the supposed daughter of a vampire had been wearing a locket containing a picture of him, Stella herself, and her sister.

True Canon Point: Just after assisting in returning Stella and Loretta (her sister) to humanity.

History: The fandom wiki is relatively concise where Jonathan himself is concerned, but it also holds a good summary of the game he's from and a more complete game script than the others I've found.

The issue one always runs into with Castlevania characters is that due to the nature of the games, there's less "backstory" than there is a solid framework to build one on.

The things we know for certain about Jonathan's life before canon follow:

-He's from Texas, as his father was, and his father's father.

-He had to have been born in 1926, being as he's eighteen years old in (what appears to be the autumn of) 1944.

-He's the grandson of Quincey Morris, and grew up with the knowledge that not only his father, but his father's father had fought Dracula and won. (Little bit of pressure to measure up, eh?)

-His father died before teaching him all he needed to know about their family's task of killing the night monsters, especially Dracula.

-This had a massive impact on him, to the point where years later he still hates the man, and bitterly refers to him as "selfish".

-Charlotte Aulin has pretty much always been in his life; they grew up together, and she really is his best friend/sanity anchor.

Things I consider reasonable extrapolation from canon, not headcanon:

-He lives with his mother. (As damaged as he is by John's death, I think it'd have been explicitly mentioned if his mother was also deceased.)

-He's left-handed, as his father was - both of their sprites are depicted as such, despite artwork to the contrary.

-He's Catholic... but not the kind of Catholic we have here, exactly. (Don't believe fanwank about how it's the Eastern Orthodox Church that is referred to in the game's script, there's literally no evidence for that outside of where Dracula's Castle usually pops into being. The visible iconography - as in most Japanese media involving Christianity-for-the-aesthetics-and-vampire-killin' - is Catholic.)

Straight-up headcanon:

-His dad's game folded an altered version of Bram Stoker's novel Dracula into canon, so I feel justified in saying that the Harkers have been a sort of extended-family presence in his life, and to a lesser extent so have the Sewards, and Lord Godalming and his wife - I can't see them all not keeping track of Quincey Morris's son and later of his grandson.

-Yes, he was named after Jonathan Harker. (His middle name is Eric because John was a sentimental man.)

-Like his grandfather before him, he can dial up the cowboy slang and drawl if it'll make someone he likes cheer up.

-He really doesn't like wearing tight clothing. (See the link to an illustration of his outfit below, he's never depicted with his jacket closed, and none of that except his boots seems to be fitted tightly.)

-His mother is a doctor (and I swear the parallel to Alucard wasn't intentional, but once it was pointed out I went from "okay, this'd make John's slow death marginally less agonizing" to "oh my god I have to keep this").

-This is NOT something that will come up in casual conversation, but to be blunt: his faith is unshakeable, but he doesn't think he can be redeemed so long as he hates his father. He hasn't partaken of the Eucharist since he was fourteen. It became apparent to him then that no matter how many times he confessed to it and was assigned some penance or other, the hatred he felt for his father wasn't going away. As a result, he doesn't see himself as existing in a state of grace enough to participate in that sacrament. So there's a lovely little feedback loop of self-loathing running there....

Personality:

Jonathan's a pretty easygoing guy... or, at least, he'd like to be. He tries to be, and usually succeeds. With the life he's had, he could be a sullen, bitter, miserable mess - but he's very determined not to be. Where's the fun in being sad all the time, after all?

He's reckless, often only reined in by the presence of his best friend and her reminders to stop and think. He prefers action to planning, and doesn't seem to think that there's much difference between stopping to think through a plan and stopping altogether.

He does not want to stop going towards his goals.

The loss of his father at a young age, coupled with the man's absence leaving him without a teacher, has left him with a bit of a chip on his shoulder about accepting help. Far more of a problem is that merely mentioning John Morris in the wrong context can send him flying into a rage. However, he's aware that isn't rational, and apologizes with evident shame both times that it happens in canon. He doesn't like to bother other people with his problems, and says outright (if the player remembers the "Talk" option is there at the right point) that he'd rather handle things on his own.

Still, the good humor he shows in most situations - even ones where he should be a bit more serious - isn't just a mask. He accepts that there are some things that can't be changed, but not in a passive fashion. Rather, he doesn't see the point in worrying over things that have already happened and can't be undone. His attitude seems to be best summed up as "accept the past, hope for a better future".

Excepting, of course, everything to do with his father and the task his family has been given. The thought of going into Dracula’s Castle to fight didn’t seem to faze him, but his happy-go-lucky mien vanishes quickly when he’s forced to confront the legacy he’s been left holding. While he really is upbeat most of the time, his lows are DEEP lows. Aside from the rage trigger, though, he doesn’t lash out at people for things they had nothing to do with. He seems to struggle with feeling insufficient compared to his ancestors, at points, but this is something that comes out as frustration and baffled frustrated sadness more than anything else.

He’s got a small sarcastic streak - it’s really only obvious twice in canon, but I can’t read responding to essentially “only your family can keep Dracula dead until we hit the point where he can be Killed For Real” with - and this is a direct quote - “...oh, well then. At least now I know the truth about my father and the whip.” and responding to a mention of the Belmont family with “Whoah, no way! They're a legendary family that only exists in myths. Or, rather, I WISH they were.” as anything but evidence of that. He’s not a very sarcastic person overall, though, and at times is painfully sincere.

That isn’t to say he can’t be discreet when he wants to. He’s well aware that Charlotte has a crush on him, and as deeply, vitally important as she is to him, he doesn’t seem to reciprocate her feelings. (Though honestly, anyone who’s seen a movie made between 1910 and now knows what the cliche “She’s like my kid sister” line really means coming from a leading man. He’s a very boyish eighteen and might well just be dodging away from thinking about romance and love because he’s not really sure he’s ready for that stuff just yet!) He dodges things that seem like they could be openings for talk of love either by not directly engaging the subtext (and it’s not the sort of writing where it’s obliviousness badly written) or by jokingly reminding Charlotte that she is, next to him, still “a kid” at sixteen.

Memories:

1. The true, horrific cost of a member of a branch family using the Vampire Killer whip at full strength; the cause of his father's death and "selfishness". With this missing, he is still hanging on to his hatred of his father.

2. The true identity of "Wind", the ghost who has been assisting Jonathan and Charlotte during their marathon castle-storming - his name is Eric Lecarde, he's the true father of Brauner's "daughters", and Jonathan's father was his best friend.

3. Vis a vis the above, that Stella and Loretta aren't actually fully-turned vampires or Brauner's get. (Given this can be recovered on its own - all he'd know is that they're potentially able to be returned to humanity, and they're the daughters of his father's best friend. Would not automatically realize that the local friendly dead guy was said best friend.)

4. How to fight using a spear. I may just want to see him wiggling a lance around like Bloodlines-prototype!Eric Lecarde at some point (...I can provide a link if you really want to see “I am an art student and what the fuck is a spear” Eric in action for context), or I may want to see him go home, somehow get the Alucard Spear shoved at him if he doesn't regain Vampire Killer, and be completely unable to use it effectively because fucking hell I love doomed timeline shit in the CVverse.

5. His best friend's name. (So, he's aware he has a best friend who he trusts and loves - even if it's not necessarily in the way she wishes he did - more than anyone else in the whole entire world. But he can't remember her name.)

Possessions:

1. Vampire Killer. Unawakened and in the hands of anyone not a Belmont, it's just an ordinary 9-foot bullwhip, all but harmless even to undead targets.

2. His clothes: a red-and-black utility tailcoat (for lack of a better name... I mean, just look at this freaking JJBA closet cosplay), a dark gray tank top, matched jodhpurs, and - well, best to be thorough since y'all didn't explain the underwear situation with the spacesuits - a pair of boxers that probably didn't start out the delicate light pink they now are.

3. His boots - knee-high, closely fitted, less cowboy than English-style riding boots... which inexplicably each have an O-ring affixed halfway up the front of the shaft.

4. A bandolier of sorts, shaped to be worn slung around one's hips rather than across one's chest, meant to hold a set of five cross-handled throwing daggers.

5. The aforementioned throwing daggers. Without a witch around to somehow make them return to that bandolier for the sake of a machine-gun effect, they stay where they land. (In the end, only one made it back... and he let Nagisa Shiota hang on to it as a good luck charm.)

6. One very large cream pie, capable of causing psychological harm to anyone struck by it THE ENTIRE DISCORD SERVER, APPARENTLY, to the point of physical damage... at least, within the walls of Dracula's Castle. Here, it might just be a Pie of Unusual Size. (Not regained. It might still be out there... waiting for R4....)

7. An abalone brooch, which he'd recognize instantly as belonging to Charlotte. It probably looks more like this, if the little pixel thumbnail makes it hard to visualize. (Image was blatantly stolen from an etsy listing....) (Regained by Naoya, which provoked a fight... and IRL, I now own the brooch in the photo. #NOREGRETSWHATSOEVER)

8. A one-decade rosary; the beads are of some dark wood that's darker for having been often fidgeted with and passed between fingers, the medal and crucifix are heavily worn silver. (This one's pure headcanon - with that said, am I okay to say it was passed down to him by his father without that taking up the "this was someone else's" slot? I really do want him to have a chance at having something of his partner's with him.)

9. Coffee. Hopefully replenishes itself. Up to the mods whether it's a single cup, a small insulated flask, or literally just roasted beans ground and waiting to be brewed somehow. Brewed coffee can be found in the Castle as a consumable item. Do note that this really is something Jonathan would consider important - he's a year out from coffee rationing having ended, that Roosevelt Brew in the kitchen won't cut it now!

10. A kalasiris - in Dracula’s Castle, this wasn’t just a lovely breezy finely-woven robe that barely felt like clothing, it was also pretty damned impressive armor. Out here, though… it’s probably nothing more than a pretty dress good alternative to having to wear pants.

Physiology:

Baseline human, raised to hunt vampires. Some specialized martial arts training, as one would expect from that. He's in very good physical condition, but can't use magic without his partner's help.

Motives:

Threaten his partner and he will end you. Charlotte can take care of herself, but given he's been yanked out of Dracula's Castle and has no idea where she is, any threat to her is one he'd take very, very seriously. Any threat towards innocent lives will make him act - if he’s truly convinced the only way to save people is to kill one person, he won’t like it, but he’ll make that call.

Also... he’s from 1944. “Kill somebody or the Nazis take over the world” is pretty outlandish, but he was bracing himself to eventually fight Actual Fucking Dracula before he was yanked out of the Dark Lord’s castle and brought here by unknown means. He’d do that, and not just out of jingoistic patriotism - he’s seen firsthand what Nazi occupation did to parts of Europe, now.

Sample:

Test drive toplevel is here.

Killer or Victim Consideration:

Victim. He doesn't want to hurt other humans… and as much as he’d act to protect Charlotte, his world, or innocent lives, he has never killed a human being. I don’t think he’s going to be able to convince himself that the people he’s been living with aren’t human, and even if he could get to the point where he had an opportunity to kill someone, he’d choke at the last minute.

Fabricator Consideration:

I'd like to say no. I really would. But like I said above, if his best friend's life is threatened, he'd do anything to protect her.