▐ too many words about robots

[tomemyoutliers]

Player Information:
Name: ammay
Age: 24
Contact: pm this account
Game Cast: soranik natu ( onefouroneseven )

Character Information:
Name: Shockwave
Canon: Transformers IDW
Canon Point: the end of shadowplay part 3 - right before empurata is performed on him ( issue 11 of more than meets the eye ) - these issues 'flash back' to a time roughly four million years into the past from the current storyline
Age: at least two million years, probably three million at the oldest
Reference: wow ammay 70% of that is not what you're apping

Setting:

A very, very, very long time ago, life first appeared on a planet in the constellation of Scorpio - silicon based life. After that things get confusing - is the creation story that Cybertronians know actual fact or simply a legend with no real truth and no real substance? No one knows and therefore we're going to consider it unimportant. What is known is that somehow Cybertronians realized that they could change shape into an alternative form (henceforth known as an 'alt-mode') - be it a car or a plane or even a goddamn particle accelerator.

Your average transformer is formed in two different ways - forging or constructed cold. The first is perceived as the 'natural' way among those less forward thinking robots - you find and harvest a 'spark', nurture it, and voila, a new robot. Constructed cold means that someone has donated a sliver of said 'spark' to a manufactured body and the transformer is created that way. Sparks are considered to be the 'soul' of a Cybertronian and one of the three essential components to a robot's continued existence - the other two being the brain module and the transformation cog. But, adding another layer on top of this, is the existence of what are referred to as 'point one percenters' - sparks that produce 'above par' transformers. As someone so eloquently put it - it's the difference between being born Steve Rogers and being born Captain America. Shockwave is passingly mentioned as being one, and whether or not this is true or just an assumption on the part of an unreliable source is unknown. For the purposes of this app, he is but is unaware of the fact.

As for the 'alt-modes' - those are normally determined by the spark before creation, or whatever the body built for housing the spiced spark turns into. Changing your alt-mode involves intensive physical reconstruction that is normally reserved for the upper class elite of Cybertronian society. And, unless someone petitions to be reclassified as a member of the intellectual class, the alt-mode determines one's job and life (how one goes about doing such a thing is unknown - but it wouldn't be unlikely that it's a very biased process). If a bot changes into a projector, that's what they'll be doing for a very long time - and it comes with all the rights (or lack of them) that being a member of the lower class comes with. There are very rare instances where a Cybertronian will develop 'powers' utterly unrelated to their alt-modes; they're called outliers and are hated and feared by some of society for that fact.

( Luckily for them a kind individual created a school where they could live in safety and learn to control their powers among their non-powered peers. Where, you ask? Well Xavier's The Jean Grey School the Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology, run by Shockwave, of course! )

WHAT IS ALL THE POINT OF THIS, YOU ASK?

Because Cybertronian society is fucked up, that's why, and it's important to know the basics to understand just how fucked up it is. Shockwave comes from a world that 1) is entrenched in a rigid caste system based upon what your alt-mode is, 2) has a history of institutional discrimination against those Cybertronians who were constructed cold, and 3) has a government that is not only corrupt but actively encourages ritual amputation (empurata) as a form of criminal punishment (mostly towards those who were constructed cold, but make the right enemies and it doesn't matter) so that society will know to shun them. Not to mention the practice termed 'Shadowplay' which involves completely rewriting the personality of an individual - it's considered to be an 'urban legend' of sorts but is entirely factual. It bears mentioning that all of this is accepted and encouraged by the government.

WAIT WHAT?

Cybertronian government functions like this - there's a Prime who holds this semi-mystical crystal orb thing called the Matrix. It's a repository of knowledge and heavily tied to their religion-history and hugely symbolic. The Prime serves primarily (haha) as a military leader for the entire planet and everyone generally respects him. Then comes the Senate - and while the details are unclear, it's implied that in order to even qualify for a position in the Senate you have to meet certain standards (there are vague mentions of being related to someone, however since transformers don't have biological parents it's anyone's guess). How the political system actually works is unknown as well - but the Senate (or Grand Imperium) is the clear law making body of Cybertron.

It is also, in case you missed the memo, exceedingly corrupt. Most of the members of the Senate seek to further their own interests and continue to repress the lower classes, ignoring the mounting pressure and dissatisfaction among them.

OKAY…

In short, Cybertronian society is on a knife's edge.

A miner from the city-state of Tarn named Megatron created the term Decepticon - you are being deceived - in his political writings about his own dissatisfaction with the government and its obvious corruption and disregard for pretty much everyone else. The movement gains popularity among the disenfranchised and, believe it or not, some high profile senators as well. Some people are concerned and scared of this uprising, other people see it as transitory, and others still hope it will be able to usher in a better era for all of Cybertron.

But it's not just a simple matter of the Senate resisting this sudden change in popular opinion. Oh no, because that would be too easy. There's a faction in the Senate that wants to control the Matrix - going so far as to assassinate the current Prime in hopes to get their hands on it. Unfortunately they've found that the Matrix is a fake but it still allowed them to implement a clampdown on Cybertron to help 'root out' the perpetuators of the attack. Of course it just increased paranoia, involved curfews, and just about anything negative you could associate with the words 'clampdown'.

But there's another individual who's no longer turning a blind eye to the actions of the Senate. A police captain named Orion Pax from Icaon (but working in Rodion) is becoming more and more aware of the corrupt nature of the government, and while he's distrustful of the Decepticon movement, was partly inspired the writings of Megatron to look beneath the gold facade of his society. But unlike the 'bot who inspired him, Orion isn't looking for a forceful takeover of the Senate.

All three sides have their own agendas for good or for ill, and it's only a matter of time before everything erupts into war.

Four million years of it.

SO WHERE DOES SHOCKWAVE FIT INTO ALL OF THIS?

Shockwave is one of the most progressive thinkers on all of Cybertron - outstripped only by Megatron himself (in theory, at any rate) and possibly tied with Dai Atlas (albeit in a different way) - and a prominent member of the Senate that governs all of Cybertron. Arguably the most brilliant scientist since the departure of his teacher Jhiaxus, Shockwave is more than aware of the corruption and overall rampant injustice in his society and is vocal in how much he dislikes it all and considers it reprehensible. His voting record is one progressive streak (too progressive, according to many) and he's even taken a shine to one or two individuals he personally feels are qualified to become Prime, going so far as to modify them in order to carry the Matrix (Zeta and Orion Pax - both who would eventually carry the title as Zeta Prime and Optimus Prime).

Unfortunately for him, being a decent individual looks pretty bad in the eyes of the Senate. And, since they've been gunning for a reason to fix the problem of Shockwave for a very long time, they grab a chance once they've found out about his team of Outliers.

Remember that bit about ritualized amputation and Shadowplay? That's what awaits Shockwave. Luckily for him, he'll be brought to the turtle right before they remove his head.

Personality:

The most basic summary of Shockwave is this - he is, at his core, a decent individual in a society that has long been something distinctly less than anything approaching acceptable. Altruistic to a fault and the best scientist on Cybertron as well as a successful politician, and the founder (and dean) of an academy, Shockwave constantly puts his skills to use helping others.

Despite being popular enough to have a significant amount of political capital and at least a surface amount of respect from others, Shockwave's reputation is anything but sterling. He's been suspended from the Senate five times for 'emotional outbursts unbecoming of a Senator' and admits that his own temper has gotten him in trouble in the past and he actively needs to keep himself in check. But his reputation extends past that - he hangs about with unsavory reactionaries, talks to other lifeforms who don't traditionally talk, votes in favor of highly controversial policies (mostly decent policies), and generally makes a name for himself by going against the grain of society.

For the most part, except for the aforementioned temper problems, Shockwave is incredibly friendly and cheerful. Expressive and enthusiastic about those things he's passionate about, it's certainly hard to miss him when he really gets going about anything that catches his interest. Which is… pretty much anything, but he does have a marked interest in the finding and recovery of lost things beyond his general interest in science, education, and politics. But the core motivation is that Shockwave wants the best for Cybertron as a whole - everything else flows from that. That doesn't mean he doesn't care about the causes he picks up or simply abandons his morals for an end goal, just that it's his prime concern.

It's debatable on how good a judge of character he is - while he absolutely pegs Orion to be a good choice for Prime, Zeta turns out to be an exceedingly bad decision. He tends to take those he trusts at their word, and assumes that his status will give him protection against anyone gunning for him. And as he tends to gravitate towards those who have similar morals and ethics, he feels his own ability to judge character is decent enough. Even if it's not always true.

Shockwave is also concerned about his personal appearance to a level that isn't common amongst other Cybertronians. Claiming that he wishes to be known for his 'beauty and brains' he changes paint jobs often - whenever he's inspired to do so. For a society that normally keeps one color scheme for most of their lives, it's highly unusual but nothing off-putting. And he's certainly not going let his concern for appearances stop him from doing what he has to do.

It should be mentioned that Shockwave is never ashamed about his actions - nor does he regret any of it. They are all decisions, all choices he has made and would take again if given the option. Dedicated beyond belief to every cause he picks up, Shockwave is a robot of sincere conviction.

His one main failing, however, is that he makes grand assumptions that may, in fact, lead to his downfall. As an example, he thinks - or rather thought - that he was untouchable in terms of political ramifications for his actions. While the Senate could go after those underprivileged individuals without repercussions, there's no small amount of arrogance in Shockwave's assumptions that he was too high profile to go after. It both encouraged him to do things that common Cybertronians could not, as well as blind him to the fact that consequences were coming very, very quickly. It's a huge blind spot, and one that proved to be his undoing. He's also known to be a bit of an enthusiastic show off, but it's hard to tell if he's doing it for the ego boost or for the fact that he's simply eager to share what he knows.

While Shockwave post-Shadowplay isn't relevant for this app, it should be mentioned that it only stripped away his capacity to feel - the things he's capable of as feared member of the Deceptions are still things he's capable of doing pre-empurata, amoral science and all. He just chooses not to, because the ends absolutely don't justify the means in Shockwave's mind.

As for arriving on the turtle and being informed that this is the land between 'life and death', Shockwave will be surprised if only because he wasn't to actually find himself anywhere again as he was. He'll immediately fall back on protocols for dealing with organics - using a holoavatar - until the situation resolves itself or he can walk around without accidentally stepping on someone. And then proceed to go about getting into trouble by poking in places where he probably shouldn't be.

Appearance:

something like this

Abilities:

+ insanely smart - like top tier big two genius level only without the level of extreme arrogance that seems standard in them
+ jet alt-mode because what else are the arm wings for
+ being a giant robot at 30 feet, will be capped at that height
+ ability to project a 'holomatter avatar' or 'holoavatar'/'holoform' - a hard light projection that can double as a 'human' and interact with their surroundings - they can't seem to get hair right, but other than that it's indistinguishable from a regular old human ( pb will be cate blanchett - while the agender society of cybertron defaults to male pronouns, holoforms can be any gender. canon examples of autobots choosing a female avatar include bumblebee, sunstreaker, whirl, and ultra magnus. )
+ whatever the assumed strength is by nature of being, you know, god knows how many tons of metal

Inventory:

Nothing!

Suite:

Three story building in metal, please.

Metal because it'll feel a fair bit more like home to Shockwave, and the fact that he's a scientist with a keen interest in continuing doing science-y things means most of the stuff he'd need would be easier for him to get ahold of in this sector. Also he's a robot, c'mon.

Three stories because he'll want to eventually make room for his alt-form so he doesn't have to continually keep it on the roof. Rust is a documented killer, okay.

In-Character Samples:
Third Person:

The first thing Shockwave notices is that everything is so incredibly small. Small and organic and while new and exciting, yes, caution overrides the urge to simply pull one aside and start bombarding it with questions. And, furthermore, as much as Shockwave had accepted his fate at the hands of the Senate he can't help but be relieved that what awaited him was, at least for the moment, put on hold. Cleansed and controlled, Krona had said, and there were only so many things that meant - none of them even remotely desirable.

But he wouldn't change it, wouldn't take back his surrender if it meant Roller would live. Orion could manage without him, that Shockwave is certain about, now that the seeds were planted. But his dear outliers -- his school. Of course the Senate would attempt to wipe all trace of him from the surface of Cybertron, but how dare they make his students suffer for it.

Long seconds pass before Shockwave can calm his anger enough to focus on the problem at hand. Find his quarters - which will doubtless be too small - and set up a holomatter avatar. He takes a step and before his foot hits the ground again he's already transforming into his alt-form. The locals can't haul him to the city, and he'd been eager to leave the Palace as soon as possible after the brief introduction. The cogs and mechanisms within him groan in protest - he doesn't detest his alt-form but prefers not to use it if at all possible. Here, however, he knows he has to be cautious. So jet it is, and even when he finds his quarters and lands on the roof, refrains from instantly transforming back.

Time for the holoavatar if he wants a look around and it flickers into existence at his side - all very small and organic looking. Perfect.

Only very not, as Shockwave finds that it resembles the native population more than it does others who've found themselves here unwillingly. And while normally he'd be unconcerned with that development - it was what the holoavatars were for, after all - the language doesn't translate. He'd have to work on that.

Time to observe, then, and come up with something more fitting. Most of the organics that didn't clearly belong seemed to be the same species - and using that as a base, Shockwave built up. Hair was a novelty that he wanted plenty of - although there seemed to be a correlation between amount and body shape and, not wanting to make some unknown error, picks the one that appears more often with most of it. (To say nothing of the fact that, at least in his estimation, this same body shape had access to a wider variety of fashion options among the population he wished to blend in with and if he was going to be stuck using it for long periods of time he certainly wasn't going to be limited in expressing himself.) As for the coverings - something red and blue seemed appropriate.

There. More appropriate and suited for his needs. Now to look over his assigned quarters and a better, more successful, run amongst the natives.

Network:

( the face that appears on the screen is open and friendly - framed by blonde hair. she's dressed in a blue and red outfit that serves to put one in mind of a police force or military without obviously being a member of such.

there's also something off about the woman in general, although it's hard to pin down what. )

Is this really what you've all been using to communicate with? It's-- well I'm sure I can make a few changes to my own within the next few days to make it less primitive and easier to interface with.

( caution is still overruling shockwave's intense desire to ask all of the questions and explain all of the things, especially since everyone here is so small. )

My name is Shockwave, and I am one of the new arrivals. ( that was probably pretty obvious. ) I'll be the first one to admit that this place isn't what I was expecting when I woke up, but that's certainly not a reason to complain. That said, should anyone require someone with a mind for science, teaching, or politics - I am more than qualified.

( finding oneself on a turtle is significantly better than being cleansed and controlled as far as shockwave's concerned. so that caution? lessons slightly because shockwave just can't help it. )

So come! Tell me something about yourselves or the worlds you're from - I've never had the chance to interact with such a varied population before.

( as for that something off -- it's probably the hair. nothing anyone could ever put a name on, and really only noticeable if you stare at it long enough. shockwave will have to work on that too. )