Subzero - Kismet Loop App
Jul. 26th, 2015 02:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greater_than_zeroCharacter Information
Character Journal:greater_than_zero
Character Name: Subzero, or Zero for short.
Character Canon: IDW G1 Fandom OC
Age: About 3 million or so, give or take.
Race: Cybertronian
Timeline Change Point:
The "change point" is that this is so pre-canon that the war isn't even being thought of, and those who will play the biggest rolls in the great civil war haven't even been sparked yet.
World:
Cybertron is young yet, fields of sparks lighting up under the double moons of the mechanical planet (that's right, Luna 1 is even still around), and the Autobots only starting to gain political running. The planet is currently run by The Counsel, a group of elected officials who keep the planet running. Life is pretty peaceful for the people of Cybertron. Not everything is just peachy of course, but that's to be expected of any culture, especially one just getting started. (Well...as far as they're concerned, do you realize how long they live?!)
The Counsel has its challengers, though, as the Functionist are trying to gain favor among the populous. Under The Counsel slavery is not only possible, but is a big part of society as it stands now. Newly forged bots can be registered as property if they're unlucky, and criminals condemned to a lifetime of servitude. Some lives are just seen as cheap. The Functionists feel this is wrong. They're all Cybertronians, they all were made with the gifts of The Five (the Hand of Primus, the first Cybertronians made in Primus's image), everyone should have their place, their function, to forward the whole of their kind.
It's a good plan, it would end slavery, everyone would have their place in society based on their alt and what they're capable of, and no one would be left out because everyone would be important. In the end the Functionists will take control, but they'll prove to be terrible and controlling leaders. It will eventually be the actions of the Functionists to silence the writings of a miner that will lead to the start of the great civil war. This war will eventually leave Cybertron broken and wild, much of the surface uninhabitable, and so, so many lives lost across the universe.
But for now, the Functionists vie for power against The Counsel, trying to win the sparks of the people, end slavery, and bring everyone to equal footing. Too bad they won't entirely deliver on their promises.
History:
Subzero was a young student at the science academy when the one he looked to as a role model and leader was killed. It was a political move, some high ranking official who saw this meddling protester as a nuisance and decided to have him gotten rid of. Not that Subzero could prove that it was murder, but he knew that it was. He and his two closest friends, Tinbeat and Buzzbreak, stood with Zero, taking up the cause to bring justice to the one who'd murdered Kinetic. Unfortunately, peaceful and legal means couldn't help them. The murderer was too high up, too...untouchable. Police wouldn't touch him, whether because of bribes or because they honestly couldn't get the courts to cooperate in allowing an investigation, Zero never found out, but either way, the result was the same.
And so they took matters into their own hands. They planned and planned, three brilliant students looking at all the possibilities, knowing that if they were caught at what they were about to do they'd never be free again. Zero tried to leave his friends out of it, but they'd hear nothing of it. In the end, the three hunted down Kinetic's murderer and made him pay; they became killers that night. Shocked at what they'd done, but also feeling justified in doing it, they left the scene as carefully as they came. And to their shock...where never even suspected! Oh, they were questioned, but no one every really considered that three undergrads could pull off the work of a trained professional.
As the years passed other things of a similar nature came up, times when the law would just not administer justice to the ones who needed it most, times when the law wouldn't protect the common people from those with power. And so the trio took it upon themselves to bring justice. They made a name for themselves, quickly becoming known as The Ghosts to the media. They soon found people seeking to higher them for their...particular skills, and, against their better judgement, the three young assassins turned mercenary. In the course of their work one more was added to the team, Ironshade, a rescued slave from one of the missions. The Ghosts were feared, The Ghosts were sought after, The Ghosts lost sight of why they were killing.
It took a terrible accident that ended with an innocent dead and Ironshade nearly killed to slap some sense into the four mechs. They had lost sight of their cause, focusing only on the great amounts of money they could get from taking these jobs, and had even come to enjoy the killing. As a group they agreed that it was time The Ghosts died. Ghost Cipher (Zero), Ghost Shadow (Ironshade), Ghost Runner (Tinbeat), and Ghost Gauge (Buzzbreak) officially retired that day. They went their separate ways.
Zero returned to school, to finish what he'd left behind so many years ago when Kinitic was killed. He loved science, and engineering, and trying to make new things. He still loved it, and so he turned his passions to science...and his great wealth to helping those he could in other ways. He started a charity for mechs down on their luck and in need of rehab. He also bought a massive house and snatched up any unfortunate slave he could get his hands on. He didn't want slaves, so much as he wanted to give living people that The Counsel saw as property a safe place where they could live and work as though they were free. Those he could free, he did, but those he couldn't knew they were in a good place.
Doing this was Zero's way of atoning for all the lives he'd taken. He doesn't regret many of his decisions, but in those later years he knows the people The Ghosts targeted did not always deserve their fate. And what of the others not directly involved? The death of one can affect so, so many after all, in both positive and negative ways. Zero feels he had become...evil, felt he'd had to for a time, but now that's past and he's trying to make up for it, do what's right. Some of his patented inventions bring in plenty of money to allow him to keep up this expensive lifestyle and so that's how his life is now.
This peace for him will end when the war stars...eventually. But we're nowhere near that, so I'll leave things there. Zero will be coming in just after an explosion in his lab. What?! He is a scientist and inventor, things happen...not often, but they happen. Oh, don't worry, he'll be fine.
Personality:
Subzero is charming and charismatic. He smiles often and is very friendly and helpful. Truth is, all the smiling and helpfulness is all to cover up just how he really feels about himself. It's not low self-esteem, on the contrary, Zero is very confident, borderline arrogant, regarding what he "knows" he can do, but he also sees himself as a bad guy. He'll be the first to admit that he's not a good person, but he's trying to be. And so he slaps on a smile and does his best to not only put people at ease, but to help them in any way he can. He really does care! But his reasons for being so...helpful, he views as being rather selfish.
He also has a dangerous side. I'm sorry, but you don't spend near a million years as an assassin and mercenary without developing a dangerous side. When he's angry he's cold and dangerous, and it's clear just how dangerous he is. He has...well...he doesn't shy from doing "the dirty work", even if that dirty work involves torture or murder. He doesn't like it, he hates doing it even, but he will do it, if only to spare another from having to.
He's also an inventor at spark. He gets excited about his projects and if someone shows even a little interest he just might go off on a tangent that could leave them gaping and not understanding a word he just said. Ah well, he does so love his work now and enjoys sharing it with those who think they'd like to hear him ramble various scientific jargon at them. He'll stop, if it's clear he's lost someone or us boring them, but if they seem genuinely interested he'll definitely get going.
This also means he's a curious thing. He likes to learn, and find new things, and see new things, and try and do and experience new things! So finding himself on a Cybertron even younger than the one he came from, and covered in organic life?! Yeah, this is going to fry his processor a bit and make him both extremely happy and extremely worried all at once. Happy for the new, and worried about his household back home (if he's gone...many of them could end up in horrible places...).
All-in-all, despite what he believes about himself, Zero really is a good guy. He's smart, he's friendly, and is always looking for ways to help people. And he's there to take care of the messy situations so other people don't have to. He's a good guy. Good luck convincing him of that.
Powers/Abilities:
As a Cybertronian Subzero has the ability to transform into a sleek hover craft. His alt kind of looks something like an elongated "flying saucer" of sorts. He's decently fast, though wouldn't bet on himself in a professional race.
He's also got a brilliant mind for science, building, and strategy. As a Ghost he was the planner of the missions, working everyone's strengths and weaknesses into the mission like puzzle pieces so that everyone played the part that was perfect for them. As a scientist he uses this ability to think of not only what might work best where on a new device, but how that device might best be used once completed. He gets a little over ambitious at times, but when he gets it right, he gets it right.
He's stealthy and a rather amazing fighter. He...kinda had to be if he was going to sneak past trained bodyguards to reach his targets. He was lucky in his early years, but he wasn't arrogant enough to think he'd remain lucky. He and his friends trained often to make sure they were as prepared as possible for anything they might find themslves up against.
Inventory:
Just a few tools he keeps on him always and a gun. He's just plain learned not to go unarmed, just because he retired, doesn't mean there are those who can't/won't figure out who he used to be. He doesn't take any chances in that area.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample:
[Feed clicks on to show a red and white face looking around. Yellow optics taking in his surroundings. He looks back at the feed and gives any viewer watching a big, friendly grin.]
Hello. I was hoping someone might be able to tell me where I am. I'm having a hard time reconciling my coordinates with places I know, and...well, I'm not entirely sure how I got here either.
Oh, and ah...is there a medic near here? I could...use a bit of a hand getting to the clinic.
Thank you, in advance, for any assistance you can offer.
Third Person Sample:
Subzero watched the smaller bot as he took a sip of fuel. He held back a laugh, but couldn't quite cover a smile at the way he sputtered, looking shocked as he gaped at he cube in his hands. This was one of the delights of his life now, watching a bot who'd been a slave all their life getting their first try of some decent fuel. It was a sad thing, and yet it was just another gift he could offer these poor sparks who'd gotten the short end of the shaft.
"Easy, you'll get used to it in time."
The bot glanced at him, nervous still, and trying to hide his shock. Zero just gave him a reassuring grin. "Happens to a lot of bots who've never had a good standard grade of fuel. You'll get used to it," he said, keeping his tone upbeat. It wasn't hard. He loved watching the newest additions to his household find themselves, explore things they were never allowed to before. He would make sure they had an education, were given plenty of fuel, and found work in or out of the house that would give them a sense of pride that slaves very seldom had.
He loved helping people like this.
Helping people made him feel better about himself. He'd spent so long as a coldsparked monster, that being able to do good by the world by not hurting people was refreshing no matter how many times he did it. He did not believe he would ever make up for the crimes he'd committed, and he was okay with that, so long as he was allowed to try. His smile grew a bit as the bot tried another sip, optics bright as he enjoyed the quality fuel. Yes, Subzero was a monster, but even monsters enjoyed doing good sometimes.
Final Notes: I'm insane for doing this. Just thought I'd put that out there.
Character Journal:
greater_than_zero Character Name: Subzero, or Zero for short.
Character Canon: IDW G1 Fandom OC
Age: About 3 million or so, give or take.
Race: Cybertronian
Timeline Change Point:
The "change point" is that this is so pre-canon that the war isn't even being thought of, and those who will play the biggest rolls in the great civil war haven't even been sparked yet.
World:
Cybertron is young yet, fields of sparks lighting up under the double moons of the mechanical planet (that's right, Luna 1 is even still around), and the Autobots only starting to gain political running. The planet is currently run by The Counsel, a group of elected officials who keep the planet running. Life is pretty peaceful for the people of Cybertron. Not everything is just peachy of course, but that's to be expected of any culture, especially one just getting started. (Well...as far as they're concerned, do you realize how long they live?!)
The Counsel has its challengers, though, as the Functionist are trying to gain favor among the populous. Under The Counsel slavery is not only possible, but is a big part of society as it stands now. Newly forged bots can be registered as property if they're unlucky, and criminals condemned to a lifetime of servitude. Some lives are just seen as cheap. The Functionists feel this is wrong. They're all Cybertronians, they all were made with the gifts of The Five (the Hand of Primus, the first Cybertronians made in Primus's image), everyone should have their place, their function, to forward the whole of their kind.
It's a good plan, it would end slavery, everyone would have their place in society based on their alt and what they're capable of, and no one would be left out because everyone would be important. In the end the Functionists will take control, but they'll prove to be terrible and controlling leaders. It will eventually be the actions of the Functionists to silence the writings of a miner that will lead to the start of the great civil war. This war will eventually leave Cybertron broken and wild, much of the surface uninhabitable, and so, so many lives lost across the universe.
But for now, the Functionists vie for power against The Counsel, trying to win the sparks of the people, end slavery, and bring everyone to equal footing. Too bad they won't entirely deliver on their promises.
History:
Subzero was a young student at the science academy when the one he looked to as a role model and leader was killed. It was a political move, some high ranking official who saw this meddling protester as a nuisance and decided to have him gotten rid of. Not that Subzero could prove that it was murder, but he knew that it was. He and his two closest friends, Tinbeat and Buzzbreak, stood with Zero, taking up the cause to bring justice to the one who'd murdered Kinetic. Unfortunately, peaceful and legal means couldn't help them. The murderer was too high up, too...untouchable. Police wouldn't touch him, whether because of bribes or because they honestly couldn't get the courts to cooperate in allowing an investigation, Zero never found out, but either way, the result was the same.
And so they took matters into their own hands. They planned and planned, three brilliant students looking at all the possibilities, knowing that if they were caught at what they were about to do they'd never be free again. Zero tried to leave his friends out of it, but they'd hear nothing of it. In the end, the three hunted down Kinetic's murderer and made him pay; they became killers that night. Shocked at what they'd done, but also feeling justified in doing it, they left the scene as carefully as they came. And to their shock...where never even suspected! Oh, they were questioned, but no one every really considered that three undergrads could pull off the work of a trained professional.
As the years passed other things of a similar nature came up, times when the law would just not administer justice to the ones who needed it most, times when the law wouldn't protect the common people from those with power. And so the trio took it upon themselves to bring justice. They made a name for themselves, quickly becoming known as The Ghosts to the media. They soon found people seeking to higher them for their...particular skills, and, against their better judgement, the three young assassins turned mercenary. In the course of their work one more was added to the team, Ironshade, a rescued slave from one of the missions. The Ghosts were feared, The Ghosts were sought after, The Ghosts lost sight of why they were killing.
It took a terrible accident that ended with an innocent dead and Ironshade nearly killed to slap some sense into the four mechs. They had lost sight of their cause, focusing only on the great amounts of money they could get from taking these jobs, and had even come to enjoy the killing. As a group they agreed that it was time The Ghosts died. Ghost Cipher (Zero), Ghost Shadow (Ironshade), Ghost Runner (Tinbeat), and Ghost Gauge (Buzzbreak) officially retired that day. They went their separate ways.
Zero returned to school, to finish what he'd left behind so many years ago when Kinitic was killed. He loved science, and engineering, and trying to make new things. He still loved it, and so he turned his passions to science...and his great wealth to helping those he could in other ways. He started a charity for mechs down on their luck and in need of rehab. He also bought a massive house and snatched up any unfortunate slave he could get his hands on. He didn't want slaves, so much as he wanted to give living people that The Counsel saw as property a safe place where they could live and work as though they were free. Those he could free, he did, but those he couldn't knew they were in a good place.
Doing this was Zero's way of atoning for all the lives he'd taken. He doesn't regret many of his decisions, but in those later years he knows the people The Ghosts targeted did not always deserve their fate. And what of the others not directly involved? The death of one can affect so, so many after all, in both positive and negative ways. Zero feels he had become...evil, felt he'd had to for a time, but now that's past and he's trying to make up for it, do what's right. Some of his patented inventions bring in plenty of money to allow him to keep up this expensive lifestyle and so that's how his life is now.
This peace for him will end when the war stars...eventually. But we're nowhere near that, so I'll leave things there. Zero will be coming in just after an explosion in his lab. What?! He is a scientist and inventor, things happen...not often, but they happen. Oh, don't worry, he'll be fine.
Personality:
Subzero is charming and charismatic. He smiles often and is very friendly and helpful. Truth is, all the smiling and helpfulness is all to cover up just how he really feels about himself. It's not low self-esteem, on the contrary, Zero is very confident, borderline arrogant, regarding what he "knows" he can do, but he also sees himself as a bad guy. He'll be the first to admit that he's not a good person, but he's trying to be. And so he slaps on a smile and does his best to not only put people at ease, but to help them in any way he can. He really does care! But his reasons for being so...helpful, he views as being rather selfish.
He also has a dangerous side. I'm sorry, but you don't spend near a million years as an assassin and mercenary without developing a dangerous side. When he's angry he's cold and dangerous, and it's clear just how dangerous he is. He has...well...he doesn't shy from doing "the dirty work", even if that dirty work involves torture or murder. He doesn't like it, he hates doing it even, but he will do it, if only to spare another from having to.
He's also an inventor at spark. He gets excited about his projects and if someone shows even a little interest he just might go off on a tangent that could leave them gaping and not understanding a word he just said. Ah well, he does so love his work now and enjoys sharing it with those who think they'd like to hear him ramble various scientific jargon at them. He'll stop, if it's clear he's lost someone or us boring them, but if they seem genuinely interested he'll definitely get going.
This also means he's a curious thing. He likes to learn, and find new things, and see new things, and try and do and experience new things! So finding himself on a Cybertron even younger than the one he came from, and covered in organic life?! Yeah, this is going to fry his processor a bit and make him both extremely happy and extremely worried all at once. Happy for the new, and worried about his household back home (if he's gone...many of them could end up in horrible places...).
All-in-all, despite what he believes about himself, Zero really is a good guy. He's smart, he's friendly, and is always looking for ways to help people. And he's there to take care of the messy situations so other people don't have to. He's a good guy. Good luck convincing him of that.
Powers/Abilities:
As a Cybertronian Subzero has the ability to transform into a sleek hover craft. His alt kind of looks something like an elongated "flying saucer" of sorts. He's decently fast, though wouldn't bet on himself in a professional race.
He's also got a brilliant mind for science, building, and strategy. As a Ghost he was the planner of the missions, working everyone's strengths and weaknesses into the mission like puzzle pieces so that everyone played the part that was perfect for them. As a scientist he uses this ability to think of not only what might work best where on a new device, but how that device might best be used once completed. He gets a little over ambitious at times, but when he gets it right, he gets it right.
He's stealthy and a rather amazing fighter. He...kinda had to be if he was going to sneak past trained bodyguards to reach his targets. He was lucky in his early years, but he wasn't arrogant enough to think he'd remain lucky. He and his friends trained often to make sure they were as prepared as possible for anything they might find themslves up against.
Inventory:
Just a few tools he keeps on him always and a gun. He's just plain learned not to go unarmed, just because he retired, doesn't mean there are those who can't/won't figure out who he used to be. He doesn't take any chances in that area.
Writing Samples
First Person Sample:
[Feed clicks on to show a red and white face looking around. Yellow optics taking in his surroundings. He looks back at the feed and gives any viewer watching a big, friendly grin.]
Hello. I was hoping someone might be able to tell me where I am. I'm having a hard time reconciling my coordinates with places I know, and...well, I'm not entirely sure how I got here either.
Oh, and ah...is there a medic near here? I could...use a bit of a hand getting to the clinic.
Thank you, in advance, for any assistance you can offer.
Third Person Sample:
Subzero watched the smaller bot as he took a sip of fuel. He held back a laugh, but couldn't quite cover a smile at the way he sputtered, looking shocked as he gaped at he cube in his hands. This was one of the delights of his life now, watching a bot who'd been a slave all their life getting their first try of some decent fuel. It was a sad thing, and yet it was just another gift he could offer these poor sparks who'd gotten the short end of the shaft.
"Easy, you'll get used to it in time."
The bot glanced at him, nervous still, and trying to hide his shock. Zero just gave him a reassuring grin. "Happens to a lot of bots who've never had a good standard grade of fuel. You'll get used to it," he said, keeping his tone upbeat. It wasn't hard. He loved watching the newest additions to his household find themselves, explore things they were never allowed to before. He would make sure they had an education, were given plenty of fuel, and found work in or out of the house that would give them a sense of pride that slaves very seldom had.
He loved helping people like this.
Helping people made him feel better about himself. He'd spent so long as a coldsparked monster, that being able to do good by the world by not hurting people was refreshing no matter how many times he did it. He did not believe he would ever make up for the crimes he'd committed, and he was okay with that, so long as he was allowed to try. His smile grew a bit as the bot tried another sip, optics bright as he enjoyed the quality fuel. Yes, Subzero was a monster, but even monsters enjoyed doing good sometimes.
Final Notes: I'm insane for doing this. Just thought I'd put that out there.
