Miss Jessamine Lovelace (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
halfthelady) wrote2012-05-31 12:59 am
halfthelady) wrote2012-05-31 12:59 am
Entry tags:
character survey of doom ღ AKA: TL;DR
Body and Appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
Jessamine is at first glance a slim, petite girl standing at only about 5'6". She looks the part of an ideal Victorian girl and has the looks to boot. Of course her shape is usually shoved into a corset but hey - anything for beauty. Even without the corset on, her body is still slim and nicely shaped. Beneath her slim little figure though are lethal muscles thanks to her Angel blood and reluctant Shadowhunter training. She hasn't kept up with her training as vigorously as she should have but she's still in shape to a certain extent.
2. How old is she?
Seventeen.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
Jessamine carries herself with a straight back and proper posture. She never slouches...and if she does no one is around to see it. She'll only do it when she's feeling absolutely miserable. Ladies are supposed to be graceful and having a good posture is the beginning of that.
Lately these days though, she doesn't seem much of a point in keeping appearances if only to let people believe that nothing is wrong with her. There isn't as much pride in taking care of her appearance anymore as there used to be so when she's alone she's more prone to slouching than anything else.
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
If we were talking in terms of Shadowhunter fitness not in the least bit. She's no where near as fit as she could be if she had been keeping up with training and basically stopped being so stubborn. In human terms, she's quite fit actually. Well...as fit as a lady needs to be and really, all that means is being fit enough to bear children soooo ya know. Other than that, she's in perfect health!
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
Jessamine carries herself with a sense of grace that is expected of all ladies. It only seems enhanced because of how short and delicate she looks. There's hardly a time when she's clumsy, but headcanon says she would fumble and what not if she's embarrassed and caught off guard. Even when she's fighting even though there's a manic sort of air about her, her motions are still fluid and easy. She's the master of walking in heels.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
Headcanon says that she's a mix of both her mother and father. When she's described in the book, Tessa calls her, "...ridiculously pretty," and, "...an English rose." So yeah, Jessamine's a pretty little thing and she sure as hell knows it. She considers it a shame that while she's stuck in the Institute away from the balls that she so dearly wants to go to, there are girls there who aren't as pretty as her catching husbands. Since her parents died, she's been determined to became a proper lady and getting husbands in the Victorian times practically depended on how good you looked (or how much money you had and status but, details). She knows how to dress herself up and show off her assets. Basically for the most part she knows she looks good and the whole innocent act certainly helps. Now if she could only change the size of her nose...
She knows she's pretty and before, she was under the perfect delusion that her personality was good too. Jessamine thought that she was the perfect package - at least until after Clockwork Prince. Now she can barely stand to look at herself in the mirror.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
Creamy, light and clear of any blemishes or scars...at least on her face. A Shadowhunter usually has marks and runes all over their bodies that leave behind faint silver scars if not drawn over for a long period of time. It's a good thing that Jessamine's time calls for ladies covering up a lot of their skin. Most of her marks have faded to silver and if she didn't wear long sleeved clothing, they would show granted that she's not using glamour to cover them up. While the glamour is up, her skin is absolutely flawless to those who can't see past it.
Not very many marks are permanent, save for the one(s) that Shadowhunter children are given when they're ready to begin training. It's usually in the shape of an eye which is basically the mark for Sight which goes on the hand and sometimes a mark is given to give the Shadowhunter greater weapon wielding abilities. Jessamine has such marks, the eye on her left hand and the other mark for weapons on her right. Since ladies are supposed to cover their hands, they're usually not something she worries about as she wears gloves when she's in public places. Head canon says that even though Jessamine probably was dragged to training kicking and screaming, she was still forced to have marks drawn on her body, hence the scars on her arms, legs and neck. There are a few sparse ones on her back but they're relatively rare since that was the one place she absolutely refused to have any simply because of the nature of them.
The only mark she draws now on a regular basis is the one for glamour which hides her scars in front of those that are not Nephilim or Downwolders.
8. Describe her hair: color, texture, style.
It's described as silvery fair hair, but I'm just going with blonde cause it's easier. Knowing Jessamine and her probably rigorous beauty regime, her hair is soft to the touch and she prefers never to have knots in it. It's probably not styled very much because her hair falls in soft ringlets. Depending what she does with it though, it can sometimes turn out straight. Most of the time it's in an up do, but before she goes to bed at night it's down and tumbles over her shoulders. It's rather long and she gets Sophie to trim it whenever the ends become split.
As of late though? Tangled and dirty. A girl can only do so much in a prison cell, okay?
9. What color are her eyes?
She received her father's eyes and secretly, she's really jealous of her mother's blue eyes and anyone else who has blue eyes. She thought that they set off the blonde of her mother's hair perfectly. Jessamine doesn't hate the colour of her eyes per say - at least they're not a boring brown. They're a nice light hazel colour instead.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
...She thinks her nose is big? I don't know. If you want to call her marks noteworthy features then there are those. It'll be rare to see her ever sporting them. Marking ones body, especially a young lady's body was terribly frowned upon in the past and Jessamine is likely to keep to that rule, hence the whole glamour thing. Only other Shadowhunters and Downwolders would be able to see past that. But again, this is all assuming that Jessamine would wear clothes that don't cover her arms or ankles.
11. What are her chief tension centers?
Her chief tensions probably lie in her shoulders. It isn't that they're tense all the time, it's just that whenever she's stressed out, she tends to stand a little bit straighter and try to keep herself calm. It's worked for her okay? And besides, that corset isn't exactly forgiving on letting someone slouch. The small of her back is also a bit of a tension center as are her neck and nose because it gets cold ever so easily.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit?
Elegant, full of lace, silk and the most expensive materials you could ever find. Everything in the Victorian times was about splendor. If you had the money, you were going to use that money and show it off in the form of clothing. Back in London, Jessamine pretty much went shopping almost every day in order to get out of the Institute. That doesn't mean that she's bought something every time she goes out, but she does certainly know her way in and out of London's fashion scene in the 19th century. Her wardrobe is huge and head canon says that she probably didn't even touch half of the dresses she bought, but the ones she has, she has worn more than once. Jessamine rarely wears red unless it's tasteful because the colour makes her look sallow and she doesn't wear a lot of yellow because it washes her out. She looks especially pretty in white, but that's the colour of death in the Nephilim world.
Her fingers are usually adorned with tasteful rings or bracelets and it is seldom that she wears necklaces save for the one that headcanon says is another thing that the Nephilim were able to salvage from the fire: two wedding bands, her mother's and her father's hanging from a delicate silver chain. The rings themselves are made of silver goblin metal - the only reminder of her parents own Shadowhunter past that they kept - that has marks etched into the inside bands. A girl's gotta have accessories and you can never own too many. Speaking of which, the one that people will mostly see her with is her white lace parasol made for her by Henry. I wouldn't suggest getting too close though - it has electrum wire in it that causes it to be razor sharp. A handy little tool just in case she needs to defend herself, not that she'd ever admit it. She had several other parasols, but the electrum wired one is clearly her favourite.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Everything that Jessamine owns fits her perfectly. She has every single dress that she owns is tailored to her little body and it's only the best. Jessamine wears her clothing very well and she knows what works for her. She looks lovely in blue, green, black and white but looks sallow in red and can't wear yellow beacuse of her hair. I don't know how comfortable that you can be in a corset but Jessamine is trained to look like she can actually breathe in the thing.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
Jessamine doesn't have a job. I mean, if she wasn't actually as stubborn, and she actually was a Shadowhunter, she would dress very differently than she would in her free time. Victorian era Shadowhunters, both men and women, dressed very much alike.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
You don't ask a lady about her undergarments! Don't you have any manners?
Speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Jessamine's voice is very melodic and sweet. There's an air of maturity to it, although it can easily slip when she begins to whine or moan about something or other.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
Her speech usually varies on who she speaks to. Jsesamine is a quick thinker so it's rare that she'll not have anything to say, and even if she doesn't say something, she's usually coming up with some sort of quick retort in her head. When she's speaking to people that she's not very familiar with or at least trying to put a show on for, it'll be soft, even and refined. If she's speaking to someone that's she's more familiar with and probably a lot more comfortable with, her volume will increase and her words will be less careful.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Being from London, it's only natural that Jessamine would have a British accent. She's from the upper crust of London, however, so her accent is very clipped and to the point. Each and every letter is enunciated - there will be no, 'nufings' coming from her pretty little mouth, thank you very much. Even if she weren't from the upper crust society, Jessamine probably would have had no trouble adjusting it since that is the kind of society she wants to live in. When she's angry, her clipped accent comes out even more so and is very sharp.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
Jessamine speaks French to a certain extent. She had a tutor when she lived with her parents and whatever little French that she learned from him still stays with her. Even though she had expressed her wish to continue learning French like a proper lady should, Charlotte hadn't listened to her and had instead had her learn Demon languages and Latin with the other two boys. Jessamine was not pleased and has instead taken it upon herself to learn the language on the side. She's a quick learner though, despite her protests, and knows how to identify Demon languages and understand it rather easily. Jessamine doesn't see the point of it because she doesn't use it and she would still much rather learn French, but it's definitely a hidden talent that she has. She also knows her fair share of Latin but again, it's not a talent that she's inclined to share.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
Not...really. I doubt that even if Jessamine were to become super angry that she would switch in Demon language, whatever that sounds like. It isn't becoming first of all, and she thinks it's a horribly ugly language to begin with.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
Jessamine has always been taught to think before she speaks. While she does try to adhere to this, her impulsive nature kind of hinders this. She has no problem playing the part of a lady in front of other people who aren't Shadowhunters or Downwolders but to people that do know what she truly is, she lets her guard down ever so slightly. There are moments when, if she's really emotional or passionate about something, that she'll speak before she thinks. She's very emotionally driven and this can get her in trouble.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
Ladies were meant to be seen and not heard, but of course, when they're spoken to they have to be eloquent. Jessamine is and usually has something to say to most things. There are times though where she can be at a loss of words but it's rare.
Mental and Emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
This one is a bit iffy. Although Jessamine has claimed that ladies shouldn't read anything but the society and arts pages, I think that she knows more than she lets on. She's a smart girl, don't get me wrong, but I think she's more street, or in this case, socially oriented than book smart, so maybe we should touch on that first.
Jessamine knows every single thing that anyone could want to know about London society. She knows who is who and what's currently the latest gossip. She knows the right people and if she were to leave the Institute, she would be more than prepared to rub shoulders and dance the night away with London's best. For about six years of her life, she was learning how to do that, among other lady-like sorts of things. Head canon says that she did have a governess and learned whatever her governess taught her, but she was more interested in becoming a lady than anything else and there was a lot to learn about becoming a lady. One day she would be expected to be able to love, honor and obey her husband, tend to him and his property and properly raise her children according to Victorian customs. Jessamine would have to learn how to organize and keep track of household expenses not to mention keep track of the servants. It was stressed to her from a very young age that her place would be in the household and she had no problem with this whatsoever.
When she arrived at the Institute, however, the whole learning dynamic changed. It was no longer how to embroidery lovely images, or how to run a household, but How to Kill a Demon 101. She's learned in anything Shadowhunter, and although she doesn't admit it, she retained a lot of the information that their tutor taught them about Nephilim history despite Charlotte's impression that she's completely ignorant. She's a quick learner and she has an excellent memory even though she may not admit certain things and claim to forget them if it's not advantageous to her situation. She's also been learning French on the side and it was one thing that she refuses to give up on. I'd say that she may not know as much about Shadowhunter life like Will and Jem do, but she lived nine years of her life in the Institute. She is by no means stupid.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
Jessamine thinks fast on her feet for sure. Even though some may view her as an airheaded, albeit stubborn, Victorian girl, in order to get anywhere in that society, one had to think on their feet. Her situation being slightly unique, drove her to learn how to do that even more so. She's good at coming up with stories on the spot, and she's probably a pretty decent actress when it comes to spinning things in favour of her when she and Will are having a fight. As a result she may have a flair for the dramatics, but you can't fault her for that. Jessamine has a sharp tongue and can come up with a quick response if the situation calls for it.
That being said...even if Jessamine is also quick on her feet, she's also horribly impulsive and can quickly become consumed by her own emotions. When she and Tessa stumbled upon the goblin in the park, she immediately sprang into action, slashing away at the Downwolder. Once she started though, she couldn't, or wouldn't stop - it's kind of unclear. Tessa tried to make her stop but it was very difficult to do so when she was so consumed by anger. Another example was when she was confessing to Charlotte and Tessa that she had been spying for Nate. Jessamine was incredibly angry, not only at being for being caught and tied up like some animal, but also because they were accusing Nate, the man she loved, her supposed 'husband', was a liar. She can be just as self destructive to herself as she can to other people and things around her. The two are really a deadly combination when it comes to Jessamine.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Jessamine thinks with her emotions and is more impulsive than anything else. The thing with Jessamine is that she knows what she wants and that's freedom. She doesn't want to live her life around demons and fighting and blood, but it is where she's grown up despite her parent's best efforts to try and get her out of it. Whether or not she wants to admit it, growing up in that environment where it comes down to being killed or be killed, Jessamine knows that the only person to look out for is herself because really, that's all she has at the moment. There are times when her thought process gives into instinct and she has shown moments of bravery like saving Tessa from the clockwork automatrons, but usually, she's very self centered.
Her thought process gave up to her end goal when she met Nate. She knew that being with him was bad and that he was a bad person, but she gave into her emotions because she was needy and desperate. Jem phrased it the best, she's always been so wanting of something. It wasn't like she didn't try to resist and tell Nate to go away because she did. She wanted to believe that Nate really did feel bad about hurting her and her selfishness got her into the position that she's in now. I don't think she wanted to betray the Institute or the Clave, but a scared, lonely seventeen year old girl will do anything if it means being loved and getting out of the Shadowhunter lifestyle. She's bitter about being sent to a place where no one understands her and she doesn't want to get close to anyone there because then she's going to get attached and then leaving will become impossible. Jessamine had set herself up to have all these walls the moment she stepped into the Institute for that very reason. Her betrayal and her actions are a reflection of her trying to cope with that; she doesn't know what she wants anymore and that's the bottom line.
She's not a bad person. Self centered, yes, but not a bad person. Jessamine looks out for herself and when she was fed all these plans about how the Shadowhunters were going to fall, she chose the side that she thought she would be safe one. Sure, she fell for Nate's fake declaration of love, but she really thought that she was going to escape the world that she had always wanted to leave. And now, sitting in jail, she's left alone because of actions she chose to do on her own accord. Jessamine isn't dumb and knows that what she did was wrong, especially after finding out that everyone that really could have love her had been right about Nate, and now she has to pay the price. She's scared she's going to be sentenced to death or hunted down by Mortman, she's angry at herself for being stupid and believing Nate's lies, she's upset because she's lost everyone that truly loved her and she doesn't see a way to redeem herself now and she's jaded because she can't believe that love is ever truly going to exist for her again. Jessie is at this point where she really has to reevaluate the things she wants in life because I don't think she's even sure whether or not being a lady is something that she truly wants anymore.
Everything has been forced on her: her parents, although good intentioned, told her that being a lady was the only life and the only good thing that mattered. Since she loved her parents so much and wanted to please them like any child would, she adopted that dream as her own. Society said she had to be a good, loving, caring, charming, intelligent etc. etc. wife for her future husband and since there was virtually no other option, that's what she aimed to be. There was no other choice for her because society and her parents chose for her. And then when her parents died, she was sent to a place where any kind of mundane societal expectations were thrown out the window. In the Shadowhunter world, she was expected to fight demons and be strong and live and die by the Angel; a lady was secondary to any of that. It was only natural that Jessamine would latch onto the only thing that she had left of her parents and rebel the hell against what Charlotte was trying to teach her. Choices were forced upon her and Jessamine has never really had the chance or freedom to choose what she wants and I think she's starting to realize that. Or at least a very small part of her is starting to figure it out.
Everything about her from here on out is going to be so fragile. The life she thought she was going to get slipped out of her fingers all by her own fault and she believes that everything her parents wanted for her, everything she dreamed of, is never going to happen. She's angry, she's jaded and she's emotional to the point where she may be self destructive.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
Jessamine is pretty even tempered as they come depending on the person and situation. For the most part though, she's pretty hard to deal with if she doesn't like you. She can be charming one minute and then completely sarcastic the next. She's a driven girl and she knows what she wants for the most part. Jessie is driven by her emotions to the point where it can get dangerous if she's pushed too far; she knows what she wants and that's a normal life, although lately, it's been something that she isn't sure of anymore.
Post Clockwork Prince, Jessamine's emotions have kind of been sent for a loop. She's recently lost her so called 'husband' but still someone that she loved and she's realizing how bad her choices really were. Needless to say, she's a bundle of emotions right now and it's kind of difficult to say what will set her off. She's trying really hard not to let other people know how fragile and messed up she is right now.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
She's good at reading situations. Since the Victorian times was all about reading the social scene and acting accordingly to it, Jessamine has prided herself on honing that skill. When it comes to new people, she's relaxed as can be on the outside. The hold that she has over her composure is one of her skills and for the most part she is rather good at it. It also helps that her ability to perceive relationships and people come hand in hand with that composure (eg: She noticed Tessa's conflicted affection for Jem and Will almost immediately). When it comes to environments however...well that really depends on what sort of environment we're talking about. If it's a new place that isn't normal, mundane London, Jessamine is tense as can be. She hates any sort of place that reminds her of the Downworld or the Shadowhunter world and it's one of the few things that can draw a frightened reaction out of her. It's a reflex that has been implanted in her since birth.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
Act. She's impulsive and has a one track mind for the most part. This will drive Jessie to take whatever course of action that she thinks will most benefit her. There are moments when she will react to certain situations without thought as well though. She's an emotionally driven person.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Surprisingly enough to hear, Jessamine's first default is definitely fight. She's too stubborn to back down from something and run away without at least getting a word in or two. As odd and ironic as it sounds, I kind of seeing her fighting as a metaphor for her life. She was raised not to associate or ever return to the Nephilim and Shadowhunter world and she's been trying so hard to fight it off ever since she arrived. To simply give in to her background and disrespect everything her parents had worked so hard far would be failure in her eyes.
So when she comes face to face with confrontation, she has no choice but to fight. She's fiercely loyal of people she believes that have her best intentions in mind...but clearly she was blinded by the thought of being loved by Nate that she didn't realize her loyalties and choices were wrong.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
Jessamine is pretty strict when it comes to humor. She doesn't appreciate vulgar jokes although depending on who it is and her state at the time, she may actually splutter a bit of a laugh. She's much more into the sarcastic jokes but not if they come from Will and her sense of humor is there it's just a little subdued and refined. One could say that her sense of humor is actually kind of cruel...although she's one that is still a sucker for cute little kids and their adorable antics.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
None.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
There are several moments that were significant in Jessamine's life that have helped shape the kind of person she is presently. HEADCANON AHOY!
The first one would have been her sixth birthday. Her parents had told her so much about how evil the Shadowhunter world was and how dangerous it was and how it was not the place for a young girl at all. That was the reason that they had left. They didn't want to live in the constant danger and pass that sort of environment onto their child. Living that way warps your way of thinking and it didn't seem right to them. To tell her all this though, they had to be sure to tell her everything about her background as well. Even though Jessamine did retain all this information, she never really understood it at that age. It was a fact that was there but she never really processed or bothered to get it. Jessamine thought that the idea of fighting Angels and Demons was noble and kind of exciting - she was six years old after all and in love with fairy tales. When she received her first of three visits from the Clave though, she finally began to understand it. Her parents tales finally hit home. This world was real and it was something that her parents sacrificed a lot for her to grow up as a regular child. This was when it really started to sink in that this world was something that she shouldn't want.
Her parents dying in a fire was probably the next most significant moment. That fire didn't only destroy the home that she had grown up in, it had also taken away the two people in the world that Jessamine loved the most. Being rather young (I'd say six or seven), she was devastated. All in one fell swoop she was an orphan with no other family, save for the ones that didn't want to have anything to do with her because her parents had broken from the Clave. That was what brought her to the Institute and into the care of Charlotte and Henry. Being at the Institute is probably more or less the thing that defined what she is now.
The next most significant moment in her life is a rather large one and that was betraying the Clave. Jessamine never hated anyone in the Institute (Will was debatable but even then I'm pretty sure it was just a really, really, big dislike for him) but to them, they represented everything that her parents did not want for her. These people there told her over and over again for nine odd years that she was not a lady and that she was a Shadowhunter first and a lady second. Normally, telling someone that they aren't something that they truly believe and want, it isn't going to go over well and that is basically what happened here. She would often find herself slipping into periods of comfortableness and tolerance of everyone around her and she probably could have made it out of the Institute once her 18th birthday hit, but Nate came along before that. He was the first mundane, the first normal person, that she had seen and Jessie basically imprinted her image of the perfect, loving, husband onto him. Obviously this was a mistake as she found out in Clockwork Angel, but Nate knew how to play girls and came back in CoP in order to pry on that affection and attraction for him. He gave her the illusion of everything her parents and taught her to want and that's why she so easily gave up the Institute. It's only after being found out and spending time in the Silent City how blind sighted she was by him and her dreams. This experience is definitely beginning putting things in perspective for her and she'd like to fix them or at the very least try to redeem herself but she isn't certain she'll get out of there alive to do that.
14. What does she fear?
Failing her parents. It's not so much people finding out what she is, because while it is, it's not really as big as this one. Her parents and their wish for her to become a lady is basically the only thing really keeping her going at this point. If she fails that, she's not sure what she'll do because the people she loved the most told her not to trust the Nephilim world and the things there.
She's also scared of being alone. Ending up in a good marriage is essential to every young girl in Victorian London whether or not love is involved. Jessamine wants to be loved though; she craves it as much as she craves freedom. She feels like everyone in the house doesn't care about her or understand her reasoning at all, and as a result she isolates herself by choice which doesn't really help her situation. If she let her walls down enough for people to understand her and she stopped being so vicious and self-centered, she'd find that people may actually be able to care about her. Jessamine doesn't want to end up alone or unloved and she's pushed all her expectations on some future husband. She really believes that only her parents loved her, but now after realizing that Nate's love was all a lie, she sees that the people she betrayed - those at the Institute - were the ones that really did love her.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
Initially, it was to be come a lady. A large part of her is still very conflicted with who she is, but becoming a lady is still the thing that she wants most in life since it's what her parents wanted. I think, once she manages to get over that whole idea of it being her parents' wishes and not hers directly, then she'll be able to see that all she wants is to come to a happy medium of the two worlds that she belongs in: the mundane and the Nephilim world. At this point though, that sort of aspiration isn't what she wants and she'd love nothing more than to find a husband, get married, settle down and live a peaceful life rid of demons and Downwolders.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
That she's a lot more insecure about herself than she lets on. It isn't about her looks or anything like that - it's more her identity. She can go off forever and claim that she is Nephilim but she refuses to fight and that she's a lady first and Nephilim second, but in reality, she really isn't sure. She's so scared about disappointing her parents and about all these weird, unladylike feelings that she may actually kind of like when she fights, that Jessamine was even more determined to hold onto that image of herself becoming a lady just for her parents that she'd simply push herself further into denial. Also that she's terrified about ending up alone and not be able to gain that freedom that she wants. It's partly why she was so determined and hopeful when Nate came back to tell her that he was sorry and that he really did love her. She was desperate and blinded by the prospect of marriage and being loved again.
Relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
Non-existent presently. Her parents died in a fire when she was about six or seven and after that she was taken into care by the Clave at the Institute where she was brought up by Charlotte and Henry.
Before the fire though, Jessamine's relationship with her parents was excellent. She adored them to the ends of the earth and in turn, they adored her. She was the whole reason that they had left the Clave and her safety and well being was the most important thing to them. If they had been still alive today, she would have had a very good relationship with her parents still.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
None at all. Jessamine is an only child and was her parent's complete joy. She was very used to being adored and the center of attention, and after the two died and she was shuttled to the Institute, she felt a bit lost. Jessamine would have loved a little sister or little brother, but that's something that she keeps to herself. It hurts to think about that sort of happy family that they could have had if the fire hadn't destroyed her family.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
Jessamine's grandparents on both sides are still very much alive. She hasn't met them of course, nor have they ever met her or ever had the intention of seeing their granddaughter. When her parents broke from the Clave, that meant sacrificing all of their relations with the people in their lives and never speaking to them again. Jessamine has heard bits and pieces of her grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles, but while she did yearn for the interaction of her extended family, as she grew older she quelled that wanting. If they had wanted to speak to her, they would have come and sought her out - not that she wanted to see them of course. Nope. Don't ever mistake this as her wanting that.
She claims that she doesn't care, but really, a part of her does want to meet them. On the occasion that they have to go to Idris, Jessamine has glimpsed people who have paused to give her second glances that look very much like her mother or her father, but she doesn't return the favour and keeps her gaze steady. A large part of her is still very bitter towards them. This doesn't stop her from casually asking Charlotte and Henry about random tidbits about them though. Head canon says that Charlotte suspects that Jessamine does miss them and keeps an ear to the ground for their names, but she doesn't let on knowing that Jessamine's pride would be hurt if she asked outright about her true intentions.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Although Jessamine would never be caught dead admitting it, a part of her does kind of identity Will and Jem as her brothers. Only in a sense though.
Let's start with Jem. Jessamine thinks that Jem, even though he's a foreigner and probably has an opium addiction, actually isn't that half bad. He's polite and kind to her even when she's completely nasty to him and he often tries to stop the bickering between she and Will. Jessamine gets along better with Jem much better than how she gets along with Will, but I think that's a bit of a given to anybody who looks at their relationship. If she knew what Jem's condition truly was, she would probably think very differently about him and probably act differently towards him as a result. Everyone seems to be keeping their lips shut about his condition though, so there obviously has to be a reason as to why they wouldn't tell her. Ever since he and Tessa came to visit her in her cell at the Silent City, she's regretted some of the things she said about him being terrible. She still thinks Jem is one of the kindest people at the Institute, but she can't very well apologize to him now and she may never get the chance.
And Will. Oh, Will. This one is a doozy, so shall we start? Head canon says that he was her first crush for perhaps a day until she found out about his less-than-gentleman-like attitude. If you put Will and Jessamine a room together, it would honestly be a battle to the death. The two can't stand each other - Jessamine probably because she needs someone to take out her bottled up anger on and Will because it ticks him off that she denies what she is. Whatever the reason, the two can't exchange pleasant words with each other, and if they do, they're usually laced with so much sarcasm that you couldn't consider them nice anyway. They're basically like a cat and a dog and it's unlikely the two will ever be pleasant to each other. Jessamine doesn't seem to care for Will's well being and the same goes for him, but I think that they both have some sort of family-like bond that holds them together. Jessie was the first one to get to the Institute shortly followed by Wil basically meaning that the two grew up together. No matter how much they may bicker and yell, the two probably know more of each other than they'd care to know and it's call because growing up in such close proximity will do that to you. She and Will don't get along because they can see so much of themselves in the other and they both know that both of them have problems and issues that they don't even want to touch. Seeing that basically displayed and walking around in front of you isn't what you'd want if you're trying to pretend that you're fine and nothing is wrong.
Both Will and Jessie are lonely and messed up and they both know it. They both want things that they can't have and it's outside of the life they currently live. Neither knows how to go about getting it - they think they do, but they're doing it in two completely different ways that somehow meet at the same end point. Neither of them think that they have anything else to lose and so they act on what they think is going to get them to their end goal. Even though they both don't like each other, they certainly don't hate each other. If anything, they're both very aware that if they both had something more stable in their lives they may even get along, but that isn't the case. They're both too hell bent on getting out of this life. That being said, Jessie is somewhat protective of Will in her own way: no one else is allowed to dislike Will as much as she does. He's her not!brother. The one she grew up with and had to suffer through Charlotte's rantings and lessons with. The one who had grew up with explosions and small fires starting in the Institute because Henry's inventions had a habit of doing that. Growing up they may have fought and bickered, but they were all they had and in that sense, they did have their odd, tender moments of childhood where they did get along.
The bottom line is, all three of them know what it's like to go without parents and that's something that they all have in common. Again, most of their relationship problems stem from Jessamine's reluctance to deal with the two of them in first place.
If we're talking parental figures as well, I guess that you could very loosely call Charlotte and Henry her adoptive parents. They raised her and they took her in when no one else would (not that they had a choice, BUT DETAILS). She's too stubborn to really ever admit that there may be some affection for them under all her grumbling. Jessie tried her best to distance herself and not make any lasting relationships in the Institute because that would only become complicated when she had to leave, but living nine years there under the same roof...she did develop some feelings whether or not she wants to admit it.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Jessamine doesn't have a best friend. The only person that I think she's revealed a lot of herself to is Tessa. While she has over the years, done the same to Charlotte, the woman is more of a mother figure to her than anything else. Jessamine was rather quick to latch onto Tessa when she arrived at the Institute and after their little encounter in the woods, it seemed as if there were little point in keeping up a charade in front of the Downwolder anymore. She admitted freely her hatred of the Institute and the world she currently lived in, and many of her feelings are true when she speaks to Tessa. They're not best friends, but I do think that Tessa is probably the closest thing that she has to a friend at the moment. She doesn't seem to mind at all that she's a Downwolder as well. I think this might have more to do with the fact that Tessa doesn't look like a Downwolder and that's why Jessamine is a bit warmer to her than others.
6. Does she have other close friends?
Jessamine is a loner, oh god, such a loner. Jessamine has problems trusting people and I think that is partially where the whole attitude problem stems from in the first place. She's so concentrated on trying to defy whatever parts of her she doesn't like and because of that, that's really the only thing that is occupying her mind right now. She's too focused on herself to really be emotionally close to anyone else and even if she wanted to, the other part of her, that lady part of her, would turn her nose to them. She knows deep down that she should would very much like people that she can speak to freely, but she's so scared of breaking the image that she's tried so hard to build up for herself.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
It's not that she's socially inept because she's not. She's actually very good at interesting with people assuming that they're not, you know, Shadowhunters or Downwolders. Jessamine can make friends so fast that they may have been strangers one second and best friends the next. It's how she navigates the social circle when she's at the few balls that she's allowed to attend. If you're human, and you're a girl then she has no problem befriending you. Jessamine is a bit of a social chameleon that way; she can easily read a person and gauge what sorts of thinks would work in order to gain their favor.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
Family, hands down. Jessamine doesn't have
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Single, single, single. Jessamine does eventually wish to be married but for now she's more concerned about getting out the Institute and into the regular London society. I know that she considers herself 'Jessamine Gray' but headcanon says that she's had enough time to be more angry at Nate and get rid of his last name since it wasn't a true marriage anyway.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Nope and she probably won't for a while. Jessamine may be angry at Nate, but she's a passionate girl and when she loves something, she really does love something; there isn't an in between for her. It'll take some time for her feelings for Nate to fade and she continually tells herself that he used her as a pawn and saw her as disposable in an effort to get rid of the feelings.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
Her latest crush is probably the easiest to start with and that would Tessa's brother, Nathanial Gray. I think that the crush was really more of her hoping that with his presence there, there was the hope that he would be the one to take her away from the whole Institute life and she could live a happy, normal, human life. His looks certainly helped because Jessamine became somewhat determined to make him fall in love with her. She didn't even care about the fact that he was poor or that he had a gambling problem because really, all she wanted to do was get the heck out of there and he was her only possible ticket out. Needless to say, this infatuation ended rather badly and she found out that Nate had been lying to her the whole time. Her response? Smashing a vase over his head.
I don't think she ever truly liked Nate. It was merely Jessamine's desperation to get out of the Institute that drove her to maybe throw herself at him and in the process was blinded from his other numerous faults. Since then though, she's nursing a broken heart because she really did end up falling in love with Nate when her convinced her that he had feelings for her. She doesn't know what else to do, because she knows that what happened between the two of them was a lie, and yes, she's angry about that and unlikely to ever trust anyone again, but that doesn't change the fact that she still really did love him. It's going to take her a while to get rid of the perfect image she had in her head of being loved.
And onto her first crush. I'm going to go on my head canon for this one because I can see it happening canonly. Will was probably one of Jessamine's first crushes. When he arrived at the Institute, she was probably rather relieved to see that there was another child. Even if he was a boy, at least he was company. She was probably rather captivated by his good looks too and that's probably what started her little crush on him in the first place. It was probably quickly over though when she saw how barbaric his behavior was. It's something that she would never admit to anyone - she'd rather die before doing that - and would like to keep it that way. It's probably a reason why she's so hostile towards him even though she doesn't have any sort of feelings like that for Will whatsoever any longer.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
Jessamine has always had a thing for the whole knight in shining armor guy. She was read fairy tales ever since she was little and probably enjoyed the idea of meeting a prince one day and living happily ever after. It was, after all, every little girl's ideal at one point in life. After her parents died and she was brought to the Institute though, it was something that perhaps became something of a must for her. She wanted to get out of the Institute and to do that, she would have to find someone who could do that for her. That's probably the reason she's so attracted to the princely type. Or basically anyone that is the picture perfect of an English gentleman. That works too. Just...not Shadowhunters. So basically, nice, nothing out of the ordinary guys.
That being said though, Jessamine is a seventeen year old girl. Looks are going to matter because Jessamine is a little vain that way and lol hormones. Throw a few compliments, manners and a charming smile her way and you'll get smiling right back. Right now though, that's kind of harder to get at. Jessie will still flirt sure, but she's not going to really have her heart in it, you know? She also kind of has a thing for older guys? Only because I think, growing up in the Institute proved to her that boys her age (AKA: William Herondale) were nothing but immature. Hence the older guys and back then, age gaps were totally okay.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
Oh god no. Having a child before getting married is another one of those taboo things that was social suicide in Victorian London. 'Ideal' woman were only ever supposed to have sex with their husbands, but the guys were allowed to have as many sexual partners as they wanted. Fun, right? That isn't to say that Jessamine doesn't know of girls who may have gone a bit too far with certain gentlemen and got over their heads and had to have the child disposed of, but that's just dirty gossip that every Victorian girl knows of. She also knows of girls who are about her age or younger and are with child through legitimate means.
Jessamine would want children in the future, but only once she's married and properly settled down. Having children is basically a wife's job and duty to her husband so that they can carry on the family name and tradition. Not only that though, she really does want kids. Family is what makes her feel safe and I think kids really do make her happy.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
The only person that Jessamine truly dislikes and finds irritating is Will. That being said, I wouldn't classify him as an enemy of hers - maybe more like a really irritating brother. She'll be the first to voice her opinions about how she does not like Will at all but, no, I doubt she hates him that much to consider him an enemy. The two are too alike for either of their tastes when it comes down to their problems and they're both too proud to admit that they have something in common. The last thing they'd want is to comfort each other either; that would just be a disaster in the making.
If we were talking about rivals though, I'd say that there's always friendly competition whenever she attends balls between her and the other girls to see which one can get the most gentlemen to dance with them. It's nothing major. Just petty girl flaunting really.
Moving onto things that Jessamine may consider an actual enemy: demons. If there's one thing in the world she hates the most, it has to be demons. I think she projects this whole idea that if they didn't exist in the first place, the Angel Raziel would never have risen from Lake Lynn and made Shadowhunter race. If he had never done that, she would still have her parents and they would have been blissfully unaware of demons or marks or angel blades. Funnily enough, Shadowhunters are sworn to rid the world of demons and that means that Jessamine and her kind share a common enemy but for different reasons.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
Being homosexual in the Victorian era was a capital offense up until 1861, but even afterward during Jessamine's time, it's still looked down upon and considered something of an abomination. So, honestly (this is no way reflects my opinions on homosexuality), Jessamine would find the thought mind boggling; she's never had to encounter homosexuality so she's kind of unversed on the subject. She was brought up thinking it was a bad thing so if she runs across it, she's probably going to be uncomfortable speaking about it.
That being said, Jessamine is probably a 0. She can tell when girls are pretty and will go as far to acknowledge that but probably nothing more. After all, everything about the Victorian girl's life was to pop out babies for her future husband.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
Sex is something that Jessamine and the girls that she attended balls with only spoke about behind their fans and in corners while resting their feet. It's a scandalous topic, especially in those times, but even though Jessamine does try her hardest to turn her nose to speaking about those kinds of things (a lady doesn't speak or listen to things about that actively), she can't help but think about it sometimes. Being a seventeen year old girl, she can't help but be curious about it but as far as she's concerned it's supposed to be saved for marriage and when someone wants to produce babies.
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
Jessamine hasn't really had a chance to explore any of that. I see her enjoying the power to be in control of someone and her partner would probably have to be comfortable with power as well. A quick tongue and the ability to be quick with their words as well as their mind is probably something she'd find really attractive too. She'd probably play to whatever tastes her husband has and go from that though. Personally though, a well groomed man never hurt anyone. Knights in shining armor types do her in as well.
Beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
She doesn't really believe in any of that. Jessamine honestly prefers to lead her own life the way she sees fit and doesn't need the stars telling her how to do so.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
I'm going to hesitantly say that Jessamine was raised Anglican. Her family attended church every Sunday and said grace at every meal but that sort of dedication has more or less gone down since she left her parent's care. I don't think she's as religious as she should be even though she has Angel blood running through her. Just because you're Nephilim hardly means that you believe in God. I think that Jessamine does to a certain extent...but she's not happy with him. She doesn't understand why someone apparently so good would take away the two people in her life that meant the world to her and dropped her in a situation that she doesn't want to be in. Jessamine isn't really sure about where she stands spiritually but she does believe that there's something out there dictating the good and the bad. She has a strong sense of justice and believes that anybody bad should immediately go to hell.
There are times though, when I think that she takes the whole idea of it as a joke, as shown when she first met Tessa and asked her if she thought she was going to hell.
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?
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
That all Downwolders are terrible, dirty things. She doesn't trust them simply because she was raised to believe that that whole world was nothing but trouble. Any sort of interactions with Downwolders usually end bad for Jessamine, but I think that more often than not, it's because of her prejudice against them. If she didn't have the attitude problem towards them, she'd probably be able to co-exist peacefully with them. But then again, she wouldn't be Jessamine if she didn't.
When she interacts with Tessa though, those sort of hostile feelings don't really crop up. I think this more or less has to do with the fact that Tessa doesn't have the sign of a warlock on her and therefore looks more or less like a regular human girl. As long as Downwolders aren't attacking her, Jessamine has little problem with them and acts like they aren't there.
Daily Life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Jessamine is rather well off. When her parents died, everything they had money wise was left to her. I'm guessing she can't use it until she becomes of age, but the bottom line is, Jessamine is rich and is more than capable of living the rest of her life without having to lift one pretty little finger to do any work. She isn't as rich as the queen - though that's a bit of a given, but yeah, you could consider her one of the upper class people in London. She has enough money to buy herself gorgeous gowns and perfumes which in turn allow her to attend the various balls and dances in London.
I wouldn't say that she has enough to live the rest of her life without working, but she has more than enough to find a suitable husband and giving them a pretty good start up.
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
Both her mother and father came from two very rich, very well off Nephilim families. Even though they left, they had both by that time come of age and had received their fortune. So even after they had broken away, Jessamine had been born into a very high class family with a rich history. Because of that, she's always had the best and never really had to experience any of the hardships that other people in London during the Victorian era had to deal with. It's very much the only life she's known and when her family died and was forced to live at the Institute, it was no secret that it was a hard transition.
While the Institute isn't poor, there are certain things that they can't afford because their budget is divided into other matters. Jessamine does have her own fortune but it's useless to her until she turns eighteen. While her status hasn't changed in the eyes of regular London society per say, she's very much looked down on by the other Shadowhunters in Alicante simply because her family chose the life of a mundane. In Jessamine's mind, she probably figures that she's lost her high social status as well.
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
Jessamine lives in the Institute which is basically a grand old church run by the London Conclave. The outside is glamoured so only Shadowhunters and Downwolders can see past it. She has her own room and her own kind of maid but she thinks her room is too small and that Sophie is less than adequate. Despite her obvious dislike of her living conditions, Jessamine knows not to complain too much. It's the only home she has for the time being. Her room is kept rather meticulously and all her little trinkets have their own place. As much as she doesn't want to live in the Institute, Jessamine's room looks lived in and she's even had her old model house moved there to remind her of the past. She shares the Institute with Will, Jem, Charlotte, Henry, Sophie and now Tessa.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
Clothing mostly. Jessamine has plenty of money tucked away thanks to her parents but she can't touch it until she becomes of age. As a result, the Institute allocates an allowance for she, Jem and Will respectively. Despite popular belief, Jessie is rather frugal and smart with her money. She knows how to save up and not spend every single shilling that she's given. She can shop smart and still be fashionable. Her charms usually allow her to get a good price for the things she buys.
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
Jessamine does nothing for a living and she's damn good at it too. During Victorian times, even though women could be governesses and what not, their main 'job' in life was still to become perfect little house wives that would carry and support their household, not step over their husband's toes and pop out babies. This is the fate and apparent future that Jessamine wants for herself.
I think that as much as she tells herself that that's the sort of future she wants, there's a part of her that really does question it. If someone were so adament about becoming a lady and having a normal life, she would hardly hack away at a gremlin and then not care about the blood on her dress after. There's something that is holding her back from really committing to that goal that her parents wanted for her and it's her Angel blood.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
Shopping, shopping, shopping. Jessamine would probably have many more hobbies, but being stuck in the Institute only allows her to do so much with her time. Half the time, she's trying to dodge Charlotte's efforts to get her to train so she finds excuses to get out of the place even if that means creating reasons for her to go out. Other than shopping, Jessamine enjoys hand sewing, embroidery and dancing. She claims that ladies don't read but head canon says that she has fairy tale books stashed away in her room that she enjoys reading. They're some of the few possessions that the Shadowhunters managed to salvage from the fire. If she actually didn't mind getting dirty, she probably would have loved gardening.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
Jessamine actually has a sweet tooth. She knows eating sweets all the time is bad for you and really, if she ate them all the time she wouldn't have the body she has now, would she? She indulges every once in a while but it's not even to really effect her shape. The meals at the Institute are really good regardless of whether or not she'd admit it.
She's partaken in a few glasses of champagne and maybe a sip of whiskey but shh, no one knows about that last one. Victorian girls are bit more wicked than you'd actually think. Jessamine can actually hold her liqour really well but when she gets drunk she tends to get flirtier than usual and there is always a lot of giggling.
Associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character, or which is her favorite:
1. Color? White and this is more my opinion and what I associate her with. I'm not really sure why, but whenever I think about Jessamine she's in white dresses. Okay, so she also looks absolutely adorable in pink but I don't think that it's a colour she would wear often and I don't think that she's a complete girly girly that would wear it 24/7. Her favorite colour would probably be blue though. It sets off her hair and eyes rather nicely and head canon says that it reminds her of her mother's eyes.
2. Smell? Her favorite smell would probably be roses or lilies...something flowery. A lot of what I play Jessamine on is head canon since her background is super vague at this point in time. Her mother would usually adorn the house with bouquets of flowers before they died and it was rare not to have a fresh bunch somewhere in the house on a day to day basis. Needless to say, the scents that Jessamine holds dear are those of flowers. She'd never get tired of them either.
3. Time of day? Mid-afternoon or morning.
4. Season? Spring time.
5. Book? She secretly still loves her fairy tales. Even though they have magic attached to them, it's not the kind of magic that's involved in the Shadowhunter world. Even though she condemns the reading of books for ladies, Jessamine does have a few hidden books stashed in her room that not even Sophie can find. They mostly have to do with romance.
6. Music? Classical.
7. Place? Her old house on Curzon street, but after that, the public flower garden has to be her next favourite place.
8. Substance? Tea.
9. Plant? Casablanca lilies - or really any sort of lily. There's a certain quality about them that Jessamine really likes about them and they smell absolutely gorgeous. If she ever gets married, she'd like her bouquet to be made up of lilies.
10. Animal? Doves.
END
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