Transformers: Ashes of Victory

[Cynical Cat]

Approved Michael.

[rhoenix]

"Don't fight your wars with guns - guns make you stupid. Use energon tape to fight your wars - using energon tape makes you smart."

[Dark Silver]

Name: Shackle
Affliation: None (Temporarily Autobot)
Classification: Bounty Hunter / Triple Changer
Size: 8m

Alternate Mode(s): 1969 Dodge "Super" Charger / Cybertronian Helicoptor


Background:
When war broke forth on Cybertron, most Cybertronian aligned with either the Autobots or the Decepticons out of a need for survival. Some others joined neither faction, swearing alligience to neither Optimus Prime nor Megatron.

Shackle was one such Mech. He worked in the High Security Block of the Decagon Prison, holding some of the most deranged and dangerous Mechanoids on Cybertron, and he relished the chance to "discipline" his wards. He took a particular delight in hunting down those who attempted escape from his prison even more so.

When Megatron's minions came to the Decagon, looking to raid for more recruits, Shackle sold the Decepticons some of the worst offenders and thugs under his ward, pocketing the energon chips with a smile of his faceplate. He decided at that point, with war breaking out all over the planet, he'd be better off making his own way, then being apart of any army. He has spent the entire war as a mercenary for hire, with occassional bits of bounty hunting - not caring what the job is, or who it is for, as long as the price (in Energon and Upgrades) was right.

That was until the Decepticons decided it was best if Shackle worked for them. A team of Seekers were sent on Megatron's orders to "persuade" the Mercenary to join the cause, by any means necessary. Shackle took offense to the tools of persuasion used by the Cons, and took great pleasure in showing them exactly what happens when you place a Vocal Actuator in a waste disposal port... Since then, Shackle has offered his assistance to the Autobots, as a free agent, lowering his standard fee to simply being allowed to plunder the fallen Decepticon's for spares and upgrades as he sees fit.

Personality:
Amoral is the best term to describe Shackle. He is vicious, mean spirited and takes delight in causing immense suffering....when the oppurtunity arises. Despite these things, he's a consummate professional, once he gives his word, it's as good as any other Mech's. Once upon a time, he worked for either side as they paid him, and didn't care about the politics of the war - though it left him untrusted by many on both sides - but now his ire is pointed at the Decepticons, and he works as a "unattached Agent" for the Autobots - with a consummately high price on his head from the Decepticons.



Special Systems:
Triple Changer - Capable of swapping between two alternate modes, and his primary Mech mode at twice the speed of a normal Transformer.

Afterburner - a afterburner capable for short bursts of additional speed in both car and helo modes.

Flight - Shackle is Capable of self-propelled flight in Mech mode, thanks to upgrades he's obtained from Decepticons.

Weaponry:
Energo Sword - a Cybertronian broadsword whose blade can be charged with energon to increased the effectiveness against armor, and increase damage to exposed systems it strikes.

1x Ion Rifle - standard Cybertronian anti-infantry ion-laser rifles. The gun becomes a under-slung blaster in his helo-mode, giving it a limited firing arc (15° off axis from which way he is pointing). In his car mode, the gun can be exposed through a panel on the passenger side.

1x "Black Light" Laser - a Decepticon weapon he salvaged, and taken a great liking to, is a moderately powered Anti-Infantry weapon that has a secondary effect of briefly interrupting the Visual Sensors of the target it hits. Length of the disability varies depending on placement of the shot, and how well it penetrates armor or enters into exposed systems. This weapon joins with the Ion Rifle in Helo mode as a under slung blaster, and can be exposed via a panel in the driver's side section for use in car mode.

Missile Pods (Helo Mode only) - slung under his out riding wings in helo mode, these rapid fire missile pods are only usable in his helicoptor alt-mode, and can fire unguided rockets which can be equipped with various warheads (EMP, Napalm, Conventional, Chemical, etc). The pods have a 20 missile capacity, and Shackle holds a additional 40 in subspace reserve.


V3.0

[Cynical Cat]

No 60 missile reserve. Other than that approved.

[rhoenix]

So DS, I have to ask - if a group of "non-aligned" Transformers paid your character a huge amount of energon credits to bring the PC group into a trap, what compelling reason would you have to tell them no?

[Hotfoot]

Hey, it's cool, I needed something to hit the guards with, I'm sure Hornet's relieved.

[General Havoc]

Hornet is not a melee weapon, dammit!

[Dark Silver]

Attempt to use Shackle as such, at your own peril.

[Charon]

Well if Hornet wasn't so small and chirpy we wouldn't keep confusing him with a melee weapon...

[General Havoc]

Do your melee weapons often talk to you, Charon? This is something you might want to seek help with.

[Cynical Cat]

Since questions are coming up I will answer them.

No, I don't think Dark Silver's character is a good idea but as someone who has played more than one fringe character in his time and knows how to make them work I'm giving him the rope to prove himself or hang himself. I even tweaked his character a little so that he has the option of having good relations with another character starting off so he has a better chance of fitting in.

That said, DS has a blindspot the size of Unicron when it comes to his characters. He seems incapable of recognizing when they're being total assholes and attempts to defend little things like mass murder. DS, I suggest you play nice because your backstory dug yourself a deep, deep hole.

I am not forcing this character into the company. If you want to ditch him at the end of your escape, that's your option.

I am not going to protect his life by GM fiat.

If you ditch him or kill him then he's gone from the game.

DS, you have a fair shot. Escaping from horrible fates is a bonding kind of moment and your baggage is the baggage you chose to run with. Good luck.

[General Havoc]

Well Hornet, at the least, knows nothing of DS' backstory, and is unlikely to look kindly upon a summary execution of another bot who helped them all escape.

On the other hand, Hornet is not the person you're probably the most worried about.

[LadyTevar]

Shimmer and Shackle are going to be former lovers, from waaaaaaaaay back. It will be good and bad.

[rhoenix]

Oh, this should be interesting. Apparently Novawing and Shackle also have a past.

Heh.

[LadyTevar]

I am not forcing this character into the company. If you want to ditch him at the end of your escape, that's your option.

I am not going to protect his life by GM fiat.

If you ditch him or kill him then he's gone from the game.

I don't think it's fair to dump that on just one character. Mine has done some nasty tricks to get her info as well. So... no protection for Shimmer either.

[Cynical Cat]

I am not forcing this character into the company. If you want to ditch him at the end of your escape, that's your option.

I am not going to protect his life by GM fiat.

If you ditch him or kill him then he's gone from the game.

I don't think it's fair to dump that on just one character. Mine has done some nasty tricks to get her info as well. So... no protection for Shimmer either.

I'm not protecting anyone. Shimmer is, on the other hand, not a sadistic slaver, amoral mercenary, and traitor. I don't know why DS thinks such a character is suitable to play in a group that contains Autobots, but I'm not going to pretend that it isn't a problem. I'm not going to force frigidmagi, to name just one person, to mutilate his character because DS wants to play a sociopath.

DS doesn't have to convince me to stay around. I've already said I'll give him the shot. He has to convince everyone else. You want to go to bat for him? Do it in character to the other characters.

[Hotfoot]

This isn't about some sort of vendetta or unnaturally high bar I've set because I'm being an asshole. DS made a character that is, by most reasonable definitions, a psychopath. One that has tortured, murdered, and enslaved his own people for pleasure and profit.

This is a being who is responsible for war crimes, pure and simple, and moreover, is unrepentant in the face of those crimes. He did not join the Autobot cause out of some moral outrage against Decepticon cruelty, he is hiding under them because he felt the Decepticons would limit his own ability to inflict suffering on others.

When you make Starscream look trustworthy, don't be surprised when I don't trust you. When you make Galvatron look sane, don't be surprised when I don't like you. It's that simple. There's no moral ambiguity here, there's no anti-hero in waiting, this is an exercise in sociopathy and should be treated as such. If DS wants to rewrite his character's backstory to one less blatantly evil, by all means, I can adjust my post, but I will not apologize for my posts, actions, nor shall I unreasonably limit my character's actions to allow someone else to play theirs.

Tev, if you want to attach yourself to DS's character, that's your right, but I think it's a damn shame because Shimmer has a lot of promise. There's a large difference between not being as moral as Prime and sharing qualities with Jeffery Dahmer.

I'll be clear. I'm not opposed to DS playing. I am opposed to his character and have informed him as to what my character's logical reaction to his presence would be, which is not an unreasonable reaction one should have given the circumstances. I'm pretty sure that if any of us were locked in a room with a man responsible for human trafficking and torture who sold his services to the highest bidder, we'd not say, "oh, he's really okay, we should bring him with us and put our lives in his hands."

Certainly, nobody would say "well, he's a PC, so let's work with him for the sake of the game."

So if it needs to come to blows in-game, so be it, let's see how this goes.

[SirNitram]

This 'enslavement' charge is new. Wonder where that came from.

Hotfoot, congratulations. We all realize you don't like it. Now being bitchy about it OOC has reached the point where frankly, I think you're going to make my choice to boot Overhaul, just because it'd get you out of the game and stop the incessant ranting.

[LadyTevar]

I think somehow the bit where he was paid to let the Decepticons have prisoners from the jail became slavery.


But yeah... the OOC shit is getting too deep. It's getting me upset, and I don't play well when I'm upset.

[rhoenix]

I will wait and see how Shackle is played. He doesn't have a promising past, but efforts can be made to overcome that.

[Cynical Cat]

Settle down. Everyone.

The fault lies in two places.

One is with DS for sticking with this character idea.

The second is with me for okaying it.

Thirdly, the people who are complaining about character drama manage to generate their fair share in other games. So everyone chill and let dice fall where they may.

[Charon]

If Shackle's not being able to see was meant to be a more serious condition that would require proper equipment to fix I will edit my post in accordance with that.

[Cynical Cat]

Shackle's vision is repairable.

[LadyTevar]

Cyncat, sir... Can Shimmer access the ship's computer via the security monitor, and if so, how hard will it be.

[frigidmagi]

For those wondering a Vorn is 83 years. 120.48 Vorns is 9,999.84 years. Silver do you need Breakout's rules posted?