OOC: Depth Charge's App
For reference. Edited.
Character you're applying for: Depth Charge
Series: Beast Wars
Series' Medium: Cartoon/ Comic
Character's age: Unknown- in his human form, he is 33
Character's gender: Male
Character’s “Real Name”: Aaron Price
Please give us a detailed personal history of your character: (NB- Italic= I made an educated guess)
Depth Charge came online on the planet Cybertron into an uneasy post-war truce between the Maximals and Predacons (successors of the Autobots and Decepticons). Due to tensions between the two factions, the Maximal faction set up the Imperial Peace Marshals to, as the name would suggest, keep the peace. After graduating from the Maximal Military Academy he joined the Marshals and was stationed at Colony Omicron, a Maximal colony. His duty was simple- protect it. Here, he established a new life for himself- new friends, a new job, the works, even managing to keep contact with old friends on a nearby base called Starbase Rugby.
However, back on Cybertron, experiments by Maximal scientists were going dangerously awry. In an attempt to produce another ‘immortal’ spark like that of the Decepticon Starscream, they created Protoform X; an unstoppably destructive and insane mutant. Unable to control him, the scientists were helpless to prevent X’s escape and he soon made his way to Colony Omicron. Here, the mutant sabotaged the colony’s communication links and began to pick off its populace, one by one. Depth Charge found himself acting as the colony’s lone defender, but, after an unsuccessful attempt to fight off X in which he was very nearly scrapped, he was forced to try to call for backup. By the time the comm. links were up and running and help had arrived, though, it was too late. X had already massacred the entire colony and escaped into space, leaving Depth Charge as the sole survivor.
The loss was a huge blow. Overwhelmed by guilt and shadowed by the lives that had been lost because of his inability to save them, Depth Charge renounced his position as a Peace Marshal. He turned rogue and dedicated his life to hunting and destroying Protoform X.
The second the Maximal military forces had finished questioning Depth Charge on the incident he began to track X, tracing his path of destruction from planet to planet across the galaxy. Four stellar cycles (years) and countless skirmishes later, the pair faced each other for what should have been the last time on Starbase Rugby, where X had once again slaughtered and eaten its inhabitants- and Depth Charge’s friends. In one fell swoop his entire life had been extinguished. Fuelled by rage and grief, Depth Charge finally brought X down; much to his horror, however, X’s immortal spark denied him his ultimate victory. Depth Charge was instead forced to bring the mutant back to Cybertron in chains.
Things only got worse. Instead of destroying him, the Maximal Council proposed X be forced to lie dormant in a stasis pod and abandoned on a barren planet, where he would be undisturbed. X was removed from Depth Charge’s care and disappeared into a cover-up operation. Depth Charge was horrified- the Council’s verdict had failed him entirely. For the second time, they had robbed him of peace, the first time being when they allowed X to escape in the first place. More than ever, he was determined to find justice. Furthermore, he just knew that the Council would somehow screw it up. They couldn’t be trusted any more, not with X.
He began to search the universe for Protoform X, scanning it for any trace of X’s energy signature from his Starhopper spacecraft as he travelled. His hard work paid off; after months of searching his scanners picked up on a trace of X. Falling on it eagerly, he was promptly pulled through a transwarp anomaly which Transmetalised his body and sent him to another time and place; Earth, circa 70,000 BC. Depth Charge had fallen into the Beast Wars.
It seemed that, several months prior to his arrival, the ship transporting X had been attacked by a Predacon ship under the command of a rogue revolutionary named Megatron. Both had sustained heavy damage and crashed through the transwarp anomaly on Earth, and now the two sides were warring heavily, with the Maximals defending the Ark- the Autobot ship that had crash landed on Earth itself hundreds of years before. Carrying their Autobot ancestors, its destruction would wipe out all present-day Maximals.
On arriving on this strange new planet, he took on the form of a manta ray and was immediately plunged into combat with X, who had joined the Predacon faction under Megatron and given himself a new name: Rampage. Their fight, however, went unresolved, and Depth Charge was brought to meet his ‘fellow Maximals’. To his surprise, they were being led by Optimus Primal, a commander he had known as a small fry in the Maximal ranks years before. At any rate, their request that he help them in their struggles against the Predacons fell on deaf ears; the only thing Depth Charge was interested in was stopping Protoform X. He would join them, certainly, work alongside them, but X’s destruction came before their petty little war.
Depth Charge, headstrong and argumentative, frequently disobeyed Primal’s orders in favour of pursuing his own mission; his refusal to aid their recovery of their defense software from the Predacons cost the Maximals dearly. Occasionally, the two were one: he rescued two of his ‘comrades’, Cheetor and Rattrap, from certain death, even expressing regret at Cheetor’s supposed death. For the most part, though, Depth Charge was a wild card.
The Wars rolled on. Megatron’s plans began to pull together and, aided by a new form, he took control of the Ark’s Decepticon sister, the Nemesis- an enormous warship capable of destroying the Ark and Maximals in one breath. Depth Charge’s priorities changed dramatically; if Megatron wasn’t stopped, X would be the least of his worries. When Optimus Primal commanded him to try and stop Megatron from launching the Nemesis, he sprang into action. The mission, however, was to be his last. As he was racing Megatron to the Nemesis he was waylaid by none other than Protoform X and drawn into a fight. After an epic struggle, Depth Charge managed to pin X down and drive a spike of raw energon through him. At the last second X ceased his struggles, merely cackling madly as the blade pierced his spark. The resulting explosion destroyed them both.
Please give us a detailed description of your character's personality: At his best, Depth Charge is brave, quick-witted and uncompromising. But Depth Charge hasn’t been at his best for years. Since the incident at Colony Omicron, Depth Charge has grown distant and cynical, an empty, joyless husk of the man he used to be. The task of hunting down and destroying X has almost completely consumed him, fuelled by his single-mindedness and complete inability to let go of the past- Primus help anyone who tries to get in the way of his mission. Seldom can he see through the red veil of fury that descends upon him at the mention of Protoform X. In fact, his own quest for ‘justice’ takes priority over virtually everything, and Depth Charge is perfectly willing to ignore orders from his superiors if X is in the vicinity.
This, however, is also due to his utter lack of respect for authority after years of being failed. Not that anyone else can expect to be treated better. When it comes to dealing with others on his team, Depth Charge’s base mode is cold and abrasive; he sees his ‘fellow Maximals’ as ignorant and usually resorts to blunt sarcasm and angry hostility when working with them. Preferring to work alone, he’d claim that the only reason he tolerates them is that, like it or not, they’re on the same side. This attitude has, obviously, earned him few fans among his comrades and he rarely backs down from an argument with them. Deeper down, however, Depth Charge is fully aware of his Maximal principles and his old security chief instincts; as much as he’d hate to admit it, he’d probably give his life for them if they needed protecting and add their number to the body count on his shoulders if he failed them.
Buried even deeper under the layers of detachment and bitterness lies a more troubled center. The guilt from his inability to save Colony Omicron has been eating away at him for years, bringing on an unbearable sense of self-loathing and frustration at his inability to stop X. Depth Charge really is a very angry person, hate-driven and wretched, completely and utterly useless in his own eyes until he can finally defeat X. But then what would he have? X is Depth Charge’s sole reason for existence, the only thing keeping him alive- without that, he has nothing. Once X is dead, he can think of nothing to return to, no life or purpose. In a sense he sees it as punishment for his failure. It is this sense of despair that also drives his self-sacrificing nature; Depth Charge is a man with nothing left to lose, and it is this fact that makes him so very unpredictable and dangerous.
Please give us a detailed physical description of your character:
Depth Charge’s original form has two primary modes: robot mode and beast mode. In beast mode, he is essentially just a large, blue, robotic manta ray with green eyes, a silver tail and purple detailing.
In robot mode he retains the colouring, with a grey-blue chest plate, silver arms and legs and blue armour on his hips, shoulders, arms and helmet, which has yellow fin-like details. His eyes are narrow and red, with an angular yellow face and a mouth piece that resembles a diving mask. On his back are large blue “wings”, supported by his broad shoulders and tall physique.
In his new human form he retains his athletic figure and powerful frame, coming in at about 6’2”. His skin is pale but has a strange yellow tint to it in certain lights. As with his robot mode he has red eyes, but his features have translated into a slender face, with high cheekbones and a very straight nose. More often than not his short blue hair is tousled, as if he’s been running his hands through it. He looks to be in his early thirties, although a tired, haunted look on his face ages him somewhat.
What point in time are you taking your character from when he/she appears at Landel's?: I'd take him from straight after his death at the end of Season 3 (“Nemesis”).
What kinds of magical/special/crazy powers does your character have, if any?: Being a Beast Wars era Transformer, Depth Charge is a) a robot covered in weapons and b) able to transform into a flying manta ray that shoots missiles out of its mouth.
If present, how do you plan to tweak those powers to make him/her appropriately hindered in the setting of Landel's?: The robot issue wouldn’t matter, since Depth Charge would be trapped in a human form without any weapons and would be unable to transform.
Does your character have any other non-magical skills or abilities that we should know about?: After years of chasing Protoform X, Depth Charge is a skilled fighter and tracker. Thanks to his beast mode he also has an affinity for water and is an accomplished swimmer.
How about improbable appendages?: In robotic-manta ray mode his tail becomes a sword when he transforms (god bless Transformers).
Please give us an idea of where you'd like to take your character within the scope of the Landel's Damned RP: Depth Charge’s primary concern will be trying to work out exactly what happened to him and Protoform X, followed closely by escape. Along the way he’ll be forced to make allies and a fair few enemies as well, based on how well he sees them meshing with his ideals. Over time, those he befriends will probably find themselves becoming his new ‘Colony Omicron’.
I’d also like to see him having a personal revelation at some point, though what kind will depend entirely on his experiences. At any rate, finding himself in a life without his life’s obsession will force him to face up to his inner demons, hopefully with interesting results.
What kind of psychological effect do you see Landel's Institute having on your character?: Being at Landel’s would probably throw Depth Charge into a state of pure turmoil; by his logic, if he could survive his own death, so could Protoform X. The idea that X could still be out there alone would be enough to completely unsettle him and leave him feeling extremely vulnerable. These insecurities, coupled with his burning desire for revenge being left unfulfilled, would make him even more angry, frustrated and unwilling to cooperate with anyone than ever before. Over time the urge to break free would probably overwhelm this strong need for solitude, but until then anyone who he perceived as a hindrance would have to be prepared to get nothing more than sarcasm and the cold shoulder.
Learning to get used to his human form would also be a challenge for him psychologically. While gaining a new form is hardly a new experience for him, since Transformers change forms frequently, he would have been used to being able to transform with a word at the first sign of trouble. Without that safety net he’d feel naked. The helplessness of a human form would have a similar effect and he’d probably show little regard for his new body.
Beneath the ‘lone-wolf’ façade, however, Depth Charge would initially become extremely depressed. When he started his mission to destroy X, he abandoned everything he once held dear to him; killing X became his obsession, his raison d’être. Nothing else mattered. But now, with no X in sight and no way to find him, Depth Charge would be forced to face up to the fact that he has nothing to live for beyond his mission. What’s more, the fact that X essentially allowed Depth Charge to kill him would also lead to a lot of self-doubt and panic over his own morality. Over time this could begin to emerge as a fierce need to find another target for his wrath and eventually as a regression into his long-dormant Peace Marshal mentality- he’d try and protect anyone and everyone ‘within his jurisdiction’, just as he failed to do before.
Given that this RP takes place in an unsettling and outright horrific environment, how do you justify your character as being appropriate in both body and mind for this kind of setting?: Depth Charge’s past is far from tame in terms of bloodshed and loss. He’s had to come to terms with the brutal destruction of an entire settlement, possibly thanks to his own failure, and lost many of his friends on Starbase Rugby; he’s even forced himself to leave behind any friends who are alive in favour of revenge. Aside from that, the Beast Wars themselves were often extremely violent, not to mention the fact that he would already have faced his own death.
Third-Person Sample:
Trembling all over, Depth Charge stared at the smoking figure of Protoform X as it fell, motionless, to the ground. The nose of his outstretched gun was still fixed on the mutant; barely a nano-klik before he had pulled the trigger. One shot, spiralling through the air and through X’s chest. Straight through the spark.
Game, set, match.
For a second, he refused to believe it. He remained frozen, stood in watchful inertia for what seemed an eternity, never once taking lowering his weapon. X was still.
Slowly, shakily, Depth Charge let his arms fall to his sides. He was dead. Four stellar cycles of nightmares, of tireless pursuit, of pure exhaustion, all amounted to this moment, and it hit him like a punch to the gearbox. For one blinding moment he was overwhelmed entirely by the revelation, completely unable to comprehend the situation. He was free.
Dust swirled about his ankles, a ghostly parody of manacles. The silence of the desolate wasteland that lay beneath his feet served only to magnify the echoes in his mind- laughter, screams, pleads. Memories given voice. Every day he’d carried it with him as a reminder and a curse; it was both his inspiration and his lifeline in a world that no longer meant anything to him. But, just looking at X’s remains, he thought he felt their presence in his processor fade.
With X gone they could rest. He could rest. He could-
Depth Charge hesitated. What could he do? Go back to Cybertron? With startling clarity he realised just how impossible that would be. The repulsion he felt for Maximal society was completely mutual- after all, he mused contemptuously, he was a rogue. A protector turned vigilante. His return would hardly be welcomed with open arms. Not that it mattered anyway- there was nothing on Cybertron left for him. Everything that had meant anything had been filed under “Omicron” and hidden away like a dirty secret. When he thought of the future, all he felt was numbness- a sense of amputation and oblivion.
This was justice. So be it.
With mercenary efficiency he condemned the thought to the backwaters of his mind and focused on the task at hand- collecting the body. The assurance of his stride as he approached X caught him by surprise. It wasn’t long before he was standing over the body, staring down at it. X lay sprawled at his feet like a broken doll, face rammed into the dirt. An ugly hole in his back was slowly collapsing in on itself. Depth Charge nudged the body with his toe. Nothing. A heavy sigh of relief escaped him. All that was left now was the final stage in his hunt- to look the mutant in the eyes and for nothing at all to look back at him but his own conscience. He only prayed that he was a strong enough man to see it. Bracing himself, he dug the nozzle of his gun under X’s torso and rolled him onto his back.
Gazing up at him, bathed in silvery light, was Rampage’s living spark. The mutant was simply unconscious. It was as if the entire planet had melted away beneath him. Depth Charge stared dumbly at the spark for several kliks as one thousand thoughts ran through his processor all at once.
That had been a perfect shot. Utterly perfect. Any other cybertronian would have been scrapped instantly, but X… X was truly unstoppable. Immortal. Already he felt a surge of anger well up in him at his own powerlessness before the mutant. All that he could do now was bring him to the Maximal Elders and hope to Primus they knew what to do. Doubtless, they would screw it up- they had from the start. X would be free before he could so much as blink.
Wave upon wave of emotion engulfed him as he stood, immobile, over X. He closed his optics and saw a splatter of mech fluid across a grill, a collection of shredded parts arranged in some idle pattern, the sparking wreck of someone too mutilated to recognise. He saw this chain of carnage, link by mangled link, and knew it wasn’t enough. Something shattered inside of him and, with a snarl of rage unlike anything he’d ever heard before, he found himself kicking wildly at the body and utterly unable to stop himself.
“You twisted, depraved, maniacal heap of smelt!” The words erupted from within him uncontrollably at every blow, his kicks getting harder and faster and more frantic with every strike. It was as though he was completely detached from his own body. “Take it, take it all! I hope you can feel this, you sick son-of-an-eight-track, I hope you can feel every last moment!”
His voice cracked and he gasped suddenly, snapping back into focus and staggering backwards. X lay before him, sparking wildly from every joint and hideously dismembered. Fragments of metal from the mutant’s torso clung to his own feet. Depth Charge reeled. Oh, Primus. Sickened to the spark and shaking violently all over, he began to grasp just how much of himself he had sacrificed when he had started this mission. And yet it still wasn’t enough. He wretched emptily. So this was his path.
Eventually the tremors faded and he straightened up. Coldness swept through him; it was time to head back to Cybertron. He turned away from X, and, feeling the world turn under his feet, returned to the starhopper to confront his fate.
First-Person Sample:
Day 54
No response. Enquiries RE unnamed Maximal cargo ship reached dead end.
Having upgraded scanning software- should be more sensitive. Will move on to next quadrant within next solar cycle.
Where are you X????