[OOC] Application to annexednet

[solartrauma]

PLAYER

Name: Kathrine
Over 18? yes
Contact: chocolateisbrainfood
Current Character: N/A

CHARACTER DETAILS

Name: Sunstreaker
Canon: IDW’s Transformers comics (2005 timeline)
Canon Point: Post Optimus Prime #13 (2017)
Age: age somewhere around 4.5 million years old

Heba or Tian?
Sunstreaker would be more aligned to Heba as he’s more of a proactive and “just do it” person. Despite his typically “calm” demeanor, he is someone who loves speed, action, is motivated by his own desire to show just how good he is. He does things not for some higher purpose (usually), but because it’s what he wants to do when he wants to do it. This seems like a better fit for Heba.

Acquired Ability:
Sunstreaker’s acquired ability will be SHAPESHIFTING. As this is an extremely varied and broad ability, I intend to limit him to forms he is familiar with (so he can’t shapeshift into something he’s never seen before). Also, the more familiar he is with whatever he is shapeshifting into, the more accurate and realistic it will be (such as being familiar with humans and their anatomy allows him to shapeshift more accurately into a human, from size, shape, feel, and down to their “insides”). The less familiar, he could shapeshift into something that LOOKS outwardly like whatever he sees, but should someone cut him open so to speak, he’ll still be metal, wires, and circuits on the inside. And there’s a time limit on how long he can remain in that form, say 1 day at most and then he must rest for a bit before doing it again. But if he keeps the time in the alternate forms short, he could transform into more forms in quicker periods of time.

Personality Traits:
RESILIENT: Sunstreaker is a survivor, even when he’s sure he doesn’t want to be. But at those times something would happen, whether he was helped by Hunter merging minds with him, or Ironhide pulling him out of his grave, or he would push himself to keep going and after a while that became his own determination and goals keeping him alive, not just random acts by others. For years he was running away from his trauma and now he confronts it, if only to himself.

LOYAL: Sunstreaker may not come across as the type to throw himself all in with anyone, but boy does he. When Sunstreaker really bonds with someone, makes friends, he will throw himself entirely onto their side of things even when he knows they are wrong or doesn’t agree with them, like how he stood with Ironhide and his division and suspicion against Mirage. He wasn’t just afraid of someone knowing he was the one that betrayed the Autobots, he also felt compelled to back up Ironhide despite knowing he was wrong. He doesn’t have many close friends (especially not alive anymore), so the ones he does have he is ride-or-die for. Even Optimus Prime has his support despite everything he’s been through because of being an Autobot and serving under Prime during the civil war. He may not agree with everything his friends do (or everything Optimus does), but he will stand by them and back them up because it’s what friends do.

FORTHRIGHT: Some people may call it being a blunt asshole, but really Sunstreaker just doesn’t care for playing politics or faking nice or being deceptive when he has no reason to be. Even before the war, he wasn’t afraid to be open about the fact he wanted in on the gladiator pits despite them having to be underground. He can lie, but it doesn’t last for long because he hates dishonesty (and the one time he did keep a lie, it blew up in his face). Although he has gotten better at using tact when doing so in recent years, such as when he was more cautious in how he told Ironhide about all the things that had transpired that he no longer had memories of.

VAIN/ARROGANT: It was a lot worse when he was younger, before he was turned into the Headmaster blueprint and his autonomy and sense of identity was stripped from him, but Sunstreaker is still pretty damn vain and arrogant about his looks, his skills, and what he can contribute in a fight. He placed a lot of value in himself to the point of being overconfident and arrogant. He’s also obsessed with looking perfect and hates the idea of being dirtied by people or things he doesn’t like. These traits have lessened some as he gained humility through his experiences and had to take a good hard look at all the things he’s done wrong in his life, but still there.

INSECURE: Sunstreaker sees himself as attractive and skilled, but he doesn’t necessarily see himself as a likable person that people want to know. And he doesn’t blame people for that because he’s fucked up a lot, and he was a lot meaner, crueler in his bluntness before (how he treated his own twin was particularly unkind and it took a lot of time for their relationship to start mending). He knows he rubs people the wrong way and a lot of people haven’t forgiven him for the lives lost in the ambush that almost cost them the war. But he tells himself that he can’t change how people feel if he spends all his time feeling guilty (which he does) or hiding away from it.

AGGRESSIVE/VIOLENT: He’s channeled said aggression into being an enforcer, being a gladiator, being an Autobot, and now being a security officer to try and help rebuild his society, but Sunstreaker tends to solve his problems physically more so than with diplomacy. He’s not loud or physically aggressive to anyone and everyone, he’s not out there starting bar brawls for nothing, but under the surface he’s always borderline looking to shoot someone in the face if they cross a line. For all that he’s tired of war, of never knowing peace, he’s spent most of his life fighting, even before the war. It’s what he’s good at.


History: Sunstreaker IDW 2005 Comic History

Canon Abilities/Skills:
-- CYBERTRONIAN PHYSIOLOGY: Sunstreak is a mechanoid life form that does not need oxygen to breathe but does breathe in a way, is fueled by an all-in-one source called energon, is very sturdy, hard to kill, and brain processes information at a significantly quicker rate than the typical human being. Canonically he is around 34-35 feet tall.

-- ALT-MODE: Due to his Cybertronian physiology, Sunstreaker is able to transform into an alternate form, which is that of a Lamborghini Countach. With a rocket blaster built into the roof that goes onto his back when he turns into his root/base mode. Alt-modes work on the properties of mass displacement to some extent, but Sunstreaker’s level is a standard amount (not comparative to say Megatron who turns into a handheld fusion gun).

-- HOLOFORM: Another form that Sunstreaker and many other Cybertronians can have built into them is a Holomatter Form.

-- MILITARY TRAINING: Sunstreaker was at war for four million years and even moved up enough in the ranks to have his own command post (for a short while…thanks Deadlock Drift). He knows how to use a lot of weapons, is skilled at hand-to-hand combat, can pilot a ship/shuttle, and has some strategic skill when in command. He’s not the kind of commander who sits back either. He’ll get in the thick of it.


Suitability:
Sunstreaker has been dealing with A Lot Of Shit back home while trying to live in a “more peaceful” time after a major civil war that raged for four million years. He’s a bit adrift in his life because he doesn’t know how not to be a soldier and attempts so far keep leading to bad things happening. So putting him into a game where he’s back at war and dealing with having to work with others will be very interesting in seeing him as I think it will allow him to see his circumstances back home in a new light. And Sunstreaker is not unused to having intimate bonds. He is a twin which means having a deeper connection in for his people, and he was forcefully bonded to a human (Hunter) for some time only to have very Mixed Feelings about it once they were separated from each other. Both his twin and Hunter are dead now, which is part of why he’s trying to figure himself out back home. I think a game that pushes bonding and building connections with others will be good for him.

Inventory:
-- Rocket launcher gun that is built into his alt-mode but turns into a hand-held weapon that he can take off his back.
-- A pistol blaster.
-- His pet insecticon, Bob. He’s basically Sunstreaker’s emotional support/service bug and considered a runt in comparison to other insecticons.

CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

What are your character's feelings on freedom? How would they define freedom? How important is it to them? Would they fight for it, or have they fought for it in the past? If they have, how did they go about it?
“Freedom is the right of all sentient beings” is legit the motto of the bot Sunstreaker has been following for four million years. And he agrees with this…except that he also doesn’t necessarily think all sentient beings are equal and can be prejudiced and biased in his thinking (all Cybertronians should be equal, but they are also above other sentient beings, basically). He primarily cares about freedom for Cybertronians and even more specifically the people he cares about. At the same time, he also believes society can be biased and oppressive and crush the little guy in favor of those with the most power. He was willing to stand up against this, and even considered joining the Decepticons, except that the Decepticons went from “fighting the corrupt government” to “massacring anyone who didn’t agree with them” and that was a step too far for even Sunstreaker, who was Down To Fight. So, he will fight for freedom, has fought for freedom, but didn’t necessarily do it for purely selfless reasons. Nowadays though, his urges for aggressive reactions are calmer and thus he is more willing to fight to help instead of fighting for the sake of the thrill and proving superiority…but he still likes a good fight.

Describe a formative moment in your character's life, something that changed them and defined who they are as a person.
Being kidnapped, tortured, and dissected by MECHINATION did completely change Sunstreaker’s view on life and himself. Having his mind taken apart, split and highjacked into multiple humans destroyed his sense of identity and he bonded with Hunter to hold onto what little he had left. When they were fully separated, his memory files were corrupted and thus all his memories of their time together were tinged with the same trauma of violation. He went from someone who was arrogant, selfish, vain, and so very focused on just Being Better Than Everyone to someone who was a lot more aware of his own flaws, but also trapped in this trauma, suffering from dissociation and identity issues and so much HATE toward humans that he just wanted to be free of them and the place where all his trauma occurred, which was Earth. He was even willing to make a deal with Starscream in hopes he could help him kill Megatron and in return Autobots would get to leave Earth and the Decepticons could kill every human on it. Where before he just wouldn’t have cared if some humans got hurt (while not trying to get them hurt) because Shit Happens, now he actively wanted them all dead. He wanted the war over, he wanted to be free of the constant reminders of his trauma, and he was willing to make a deal with the proverbial devil for it when before even the idea of working with a Decepticon would have made him want to shoot whoever suggested it.

Does your character have a favorite person? If so, how would they describe that person? What do they like about that person? What do they dislike? If they don't have a favorite person, what would they look for in a favorite person? What traits would draw them to another person? What traits could they tolerate that others might not be able to?
Ironically, Sunstreaker USED to be his own favorite person. He doesn’t always like himself nowadays, but he’s working on being more comfortable and accepting of himself and what he’s done, who he wants to be. It’s hard when he doesn’t really know what he wants in this peaceful new world except Not War, especially when confronting the fact, he still uses derision, aggression, or violence as his go to response to conflict situations most of the time. He still sees himself as one of the strongest fighters, best soldiers, and best looking Cybertornians around though. Not liking himself doesn’t mean all his arrogance disappeared. His favorite person may be Ironhide or Sideswipe, both of whom have go to attitudes, but as more open, welcoming, and more positive people. They both are down to fight just like him, both are warriors who struggle with trying to remove violence from their lives after the war ended, but they come at life from a more optimistic perspective instead of his cynicism. People who are at heart good people, whereas he didn’t used to care if he is a good person himself. He tends to look to people who are like himself in some way, but with a more contrasting outlook on life. Such as his newer friendship with Thundercracker, who is a warrior, but also someone who wants to embrace the artist side of himself and has a more outgoing personality (they also bond over their pets). Thundercracker just so happens to be even more blunt than Sunstreaker is, but in a very genuine and friendly way from someone without any kind of malicious intent, whereas Sunstreaker tends to weaponize his honesty. He can tolerate people who are chattier, or who could even be seen as obnoxious, if there is a mutual kind of tolerance going on (he knows he’s not the easiest bot to get along with, just usually doesn’t care).

What has your character's arc been like so far? How have they developed from their first appearance to their canon point?
Sunstreaker’s has had a life of being an arrogant, selfish, frustrated person who viewed others as lesser and often treated even those he cared for most like crap. He wanted to be a gladiator in the pits because he felt like a nobody but told himself he couldn’t possibly be that, like he was trapped in a role he didn’t want, and he needed the thrills of combat to break out of that and prove how great he is to everyone around him. He was even a Megatron fanboy, both in terms of his skills as a gladiator and his words about rising against the oppressive government holding Cybertronians back from determining their own lives. But then the Decepticons’ rebellion went full on massacre toward neutrals and Autobots who weren’t on their side and that was a step too far for him, which led to him joining the Autobots instead. This was the first sign that maybe he wasn’t as selfish and uncaring as he first appeared, but even with being a commander who put the lives of his team first when in dire situations, it still took another four million years before he was forced to really confront the kind of person he was. And that was when he was stationed on Earth.

The trauma of what he went through on Earth upended his worldview of himself, of the war, and hurt him to the point all he wanted was an end. That’s why he made the deal with Starscream, that’s also why he sacrificed himself to save the Autobots from the insecticon swarm. Because he wanted to die, and he wanted to die doing something meaningful, especially making up for his betrayal. And then Alpha Trion repaired him and fixed his neural cortex, including his memory files, which allowed him to remember what happened on Earth and look at what he had done clearly, and he was able to recognize how guilty he felt and why he felt guilty. A lot of Sunstreaker's arrogance and vanity calmed down, he was able to try to make amends and live life again, even if he didn’t know what that meant for him. He’s been working on that ever since. He wants to be able to live a life where he doesn’t hate himself, wants to help rebuild Cybertron, and doesn’t even hate the Decepticons as he can see they deserve a chance to rebuild and remake themselves just as much as he does.

He doesn’t hate humans anymore, because his repaired memory files allowed him to see his bond with Hunter and the mutual friendship they had been building before they had been separated and remember that not all humans were as terrible as he remembered. And thus, when asked to go and help keep peace on Earth, he didn’t reject it, but took the job and did his best. Even after humans killed his brother, bombed Unity Day and polluted the energon on Cybertron, he didn’t hate all of them because some humans did try to stop it from happening. He’s come a long way from the bot who always looked down on all other sentient beings. Sure, he has his biases still, but he’s more aware of it now and tries to not let them influence his opinions. He’s trying to live and not hold it against himself for doing that.

How would you like to continue your character's arc in the game? How would you like them to develop? What would you like to have them accomplish?
As mentioned above, Sunstreaker is adrift in life, just trying to figure out himself and what he wants to do. So, I want to have him recognize his own progress and that what he has going on back home isn’t as purposeless as he thinks, because being in another war may push him back into a zone of familiarity where he thinks he knows what to do and the choices he should be making and I want that turned on its head. I want him to learn it’s okay to let more people into is life. I want him to use his skills from the civil war he’s been fighting in a more selfless way, to help others instead of only caring about himself, and to bond with someone in a deep way to help him embrace that part of himself, and maybe he can look to the things he loves that he hasn’t allowed himself to really enjoy (such as art). Yes, he’s back in the middle of a war, but I want him to see that war doesn’t mean you can’t live. Given his less than likable personality I know he’ll probably have a lot of people to argue with and butt heads about what to do, but I also want him to meet people who temper that side of himself and who he can connect to through both their similarities and their differences. Also, I want him to feel protective and start to see the people in game as “his team” because when he views people as he will do a lot for them. He’s very loyal like that, despite how he acts.

SAMPLES

Sample #1

Sample #2

Sample #3

{OOC: Note about Sample #2. It occurs on the Annexed TDM but includes use of Morse Code for part of the communications. I’ve included a translated version of the Morse Code into a comment on this post.}

Comments

SAMPLE #2 TRANSLATIONS

[solartrauma]

{OOC: Sample #2 involves Morse Code communications which have been translated below for ease of reading.}

AGENT 8
HELLO. I HOPE THIS WILL GIVE US SOME PRIVACY. DO YOU THINK WE CAN TRUST THEM? OR ARE WE STILL A PART OF THE EXPERIMENT?

SUNSTREAKER
nevertrusteithersideinawar

AGENT 8
GOOD ADVICEFOR OUTSIDERS IT IS HARD TO TELL WHERE THE TRUTH ENDS AND THE LIES BEGINI DO NOT DOUBT THEY ARE SPEAKING THEIR TRUTH, BUT IS IT OURS?

SUNSTREAKER
doesnotmatter. truthisrelativetowhoseservosareinthecircuits. whoeverhelpsgetushomeiswhowestickwith. resultsmatternow. truthlater.

AGENT 8
EYES FORWARD! WE MARCH!THE GREEN MINNOWS FOLLOW IN STEPUNTO AWAITING MAWS

SUNSTREAKER
howabouttheminnowswatchandwaitthenturnintoanarmy.

AGENT 8
PERHAPS.PERHAPS WE ARE ALSO NOT THE FIRSTOUR SAVIORS SEEM WELL ORGANIZED AND PREPARED, DO THEY NOT?

SUNSTREAKER
neverthefirst.theydon'talllookthesame.mightnotallbefromhere. don'ttrustthem.mutuallyusefulfornowbutnevertrustthem.

AGENT 8
I DON'T WANT TO AGREE BUT YOU MAY BE RIGHTIN THE END, THE ONLY WE CAN TRUST IS OURSELVES

SUNSTREAKER
ONLY US. GET WHAT WE WANT. GET OUT.

AGENT 8
"US"? I SHOULD TRUST YOU?

SUNSTREAKER
DO NOT CARE IF YOU DO. MUTUALLY USEFUL DOES NOT EQUAL TRUST. I WILL NOT HELP ANYONE NOT HELPING THEMSELVES.

AGENT 8
I AM USED TO NOT TRUSTING AND NOT BEING TRUSTED.I HOPED THIS WOULD BE DIFFERENTBEING MUTUALLY USEFUL IS A NICE CHANGE OF PACE

SUNSTREAKER
GREAT. ENJOY IT WHILE YOU CAN. WE HAVE A WAR TO WIN TO GET OUT OF HERE.

AGENT 8
EYES UP SOLDIER. FIGHT WELL DON'T GET COOKED

SUNSTREAKER
WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF.

AGENT 8
I DO NOT NEED TO BE TOLD THAT THANKS

SUNSTREAKER
HOPE YOU CAN BACK THAT UP WHEN NEEDED.

AGENT 8
WATCH ME