Personality: One of the first things you have to know about Simon, is that he never gives up on anything, and that his determination, when he feels like he's doing the right thing, knows no bounds. When people are depending on him, he always comes through. Even if the world is against him, Simon the Digger doesn't give up and he doesn't back down. When faced with opposition, he fights to the last breath to protect his friends and comrades.
Simon's got extreme moral obligations to himself—if he fails to do what he feels is right, it takes a heavy toll on him, whether it's visible or not. His biggest insecurity can lead to his greatest strength, though—after failure, Simon comes back with something to prove.
While loyal and generally kind, if prompted, mostly if he's depressed or afraid, Simon can be kind of an ass. This could mean reminding someone of something that they'd rather not be reminded of, or standing up against someone who he really shouldn't be standing up against. This is where he gets in trouble. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
On an unrelated note, going back a bit, Simon's childhood wasn't very stable, causing his terrible problem with security. When he was seven, he lost his parents in a cave in—he watched them crushed before his eyes, and could do nothing to help them. After that, he spent his time digging for the chief and raising himself. He had almost no friends, no one to rely on, except for Kamina—the biggest social outcast ever. Every time another cave-in would happen, Simon's life was shattered in a new way, be it through losing another member of the village or destroying his latest work on a tunnel system. The villagers of Jiha looked down on Simon as creepy, smelly and useless except for digging. This is part of the reason he's so unused to being complimented—it never happened, before. And it's probably the reason he's so nervous and embarrassed around Nia—he's never felt this way about anyone before (despite the brief stint of liking Yoko), and he doesn't know what to do about it.
That said, Simon feels with incredible power. When he's sad, he's heart-wrenchingly depressed, when he's happy he's at the top of the world. His anger is pure fury and his embarrassment is red-faced, make-self-tiny bashful. When he's scared, he's pushed to tears and when he's excited he's unstoppable. Simon is very pure about his feelings, too. There's no mixed messages. If Simon is angry with you, you know it. And if Simon loves you, there will never be a doubt in the world.
Simon has constantly been pushed into things he doesn't feel ready for by Kamina—starting with silly “break through the ceiling” plans, evolving to piloting Lagann, and eventually, being made leader of the Dai-Gurren-dan.
His uncertainty about these jobs lead him to believe that any and every problem occurring with his friends is his fault, despite the actual circumstances. Tying into his determination, Simon's personal values are part of this—his failure to do the right thing, no matter the reason—even if there was no chance of doing said thing—drives another nail into the board of uncertainty. It's honestly his biggest weakness, and he has problems recognizing it, thinking he's right to be uncertain, as he's does “so much wrong.”
That is part of what makes Simon a good leader, at least in the beginning. He's humble enough to check himself. He can admit what he's done wrong, and try to fix it. He cares about the people who depend on him with his whole heart, and their needs come before him. He's a wonderful balance of creativity, passion, logic, humility, trust and pride. He thinks around things in ways no one else does, and has the common sense to go to his friends if he can't figure something out. He will eventually grow into laziness, but that's a very sad part of the story DX.
The two sides of his personality—determination and uncertainty—are two very different qualities. I do not doubt that this is the reason Simon's so emotionally unstable. He doesn't often act like it, but Simon's just a kid, torn up inside by what's right and what's easy. He is this way long into his life... but he always chooses what he believes is right. Other: Additional Links:
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Simon's got extreme moral obligations to himself—if he fails to do what he feels is right, it takes a heavy toll on him, whether it's visible or not. His biggest insecurity can lead to his greatest strength, though—after failure, Simon comes back with something to prove.
While loyal and generally kind, if prompted, mostly if he's depressed or afraid, Simon can be kind of an ass. This could mean reminding someone of something that they'd rather not be reminded of, or standing up against someone who he really shouldn't be standing up against. This is where he gets in trouble. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.
On an unrelated note, going back a bit, Simon's childhood wasn't very stable, causing his terrible problem with security. When he was seven, he lost his parents in a cave in—he watched them crushed before his eyes, and could do nothing to help them. After that, he spent his time digging for the chief and raising himself. He had almost no friends, no one to rely on, except for Kamina—the biggest social outcast ever. Every time another cave-in would happen, Simon's life was shattered in a new way, be it through losing another member of the village or destroying his latest work on a tunnel system. The villagers of Jiha looked down on Simon as creepy, smelly and useless except for digging. This is part of the reason he's so unused to being complimented—it never happened, before. And it's probably the reason he's so nervous and embarrassed around Nia—he's never felt this way about anyone before (despite the brief stint of liking Yoko), and he doesn't know what to do about it.
That said, Simon feels with incredible power. When he's sad, he's heart-wrenchingly depressed, when he's happy he's at the top of the world. His anger is pure fury and his embarrassment is red-faced, make-self-tiny bashful. When he's scared, he's pushed to tears and when he's excited he's unstoppable. Simon is very pure about his feelings, too. There's no mixed messages. If Simon is angry with you, you know it. And if Simon loves you, there will never be a doubt in the world.
Simon has constantly been pushed into things he doesn't feel ready for by Kamina—starting with silly “break through the ceiling” plans, evolving to piloting Lagann, and eventually, being made leader of the Dai-Gurren-dan.
His uncertainty about these jobs lead him to believe that any and every problem occurring with his friends is his fault, despite the actual circumstances. Tying into his determination, Simon's personal values are part of this—his failure to do the right thing, no matter the reason—even if there was no chance of doing said thing—drives another nail into the board of uncertainty. It's honestly his biggest weakness, and he has problems recognizing it, thinking he's right to be uncertain, as he's does “so much wrong.”
That is part of what makes Simon a good leader, at least in the beginning. He's humble enough to check himself. He can admit what he's done wrong, and try to fix it. He cares about the people who depend on him with his whole heart, and their needs come before him. He's a wonderful balance of creativity, passion, logic, humility, trust and pride. He thinks around things in ways no one else does, and has the common sense to go to his friends if he can't figure something out. He will eventually grow into laziness, but that's a very sad part of the story DX.
The two sides of his personality—determination and uncertainty—are two very different qualities. I do not doubt that this is the reason Simon's so emotionally unstable. He doesn't often act like it, but Simon's just a kid, torn up inside by what's right and what's easy. He is this way long into his life... but he always chooses what he believes is right.
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