Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2017 1:19:25 GMT
Player Alias: Withy
Character Name: Bulkhead (Canon)
Allegiance: Autobot, to the core.
Appearance Description
Bulkhead is just under shoulder height to Optimus Prime, and appears twice as wide in all directions. His heavily armored form is round yet compact. The bulk of his frame is emphasized by massive pauldrons, thick arms, and stout legs. The mech is basically a walking wrecking ball. His form is mostly a rich Army green with a lustre finish, while his pauldrons, inner plating and structures are matte black. His face is gently polished iron in appearance and sports a distinct jaw plate. He has spherical optics the color of raw aquamarine. His helm is unmistakable in profile - like a cross between a construction helmet at the top and the trailing overlapping plates of a knight's armor in the back.
Bulkhead's vehicle mode is a heavy duty SUV, similar in design to a USSV Rhino GX.
Personality
The first impression newcomers get of Bulkhead is Big, Dumb, and Powerful. Their second impression is Gentle Giant. For the most part, Bulkhead fits into these impressions, the latter enforced by the occasional self-deprecating comment, humble response to praise, care with which he physically interacts with his human friends, and clumsiness around Ratchet's medical equipment. That first impression never goes away - Bulkhead is a soldier, a groundpounder, a grunt by his own admission. He's among the first assigned to a mission when something big is going down, and among the few to be called as back up when slag hits the fan. A former member of the Wreckers (who reminisces both fondly and proudly of those good old dark times) backup is his self-proclaimed and proven specialty.
However, Bulkhead's tendency to downplay his intelligence, and the tendency of his teammates to believe it, is an assessment of his mental abilities that isn't entirely correct. Bulkhead possesses acute emotional intelligence, able to sense the mood the around him and respond well to unspoken conversation between teammates. He sees cues in body language, essential to silent field operations, and understands his place in most groups - which is either right up front as a shield or in the back, dealing the finishing blows. Using his size and strength to protect his team, to the point of suffering horrific torture and/or death, or willingness to take the dirty jobs on behalf of those he (accurately) believes should not, speaks to a sense of great responsibility and strong moral character. He has also displayed ability to cleverly improvise when needed, and remarkable stealth when caught behind enemy lines. Overall, he is a soldier, sturdy in both mind and body, and ready to rumble anytime, anywhere.
He likes Heavy Metal, monster trucks, bad scary movies, remembering the good old days, hanging out with friends, and beating the scrap out of Cons. He also secretly enjoys nature shows (because wildlife is both weird and fascinating).
He strongly dislikes anything that looks or sounds like Scraplets.
Strengths + Weaknesses
Bulkhead is a good guy. A genuine nice guy. A take a back seat because someone better than me is in charge guy. But he has rigid opinions about certain things. Humans as a whole, for example, produce good media and entertainment, but that's the extent of the majority of his interaction with them. He knows in theory that there are good people out there, but he also knows there are bad. Very bad. It is difficult for him to open his spark with sympathy or friendship towards someone who proves themselves a jerk or worse, including some humans and all Decepticons, to the point that he's willing to leave an injured 'enemy' in a bad situation when someone like Optimus may not approve. It is also hard for him to imagine putting his life on the line for billions of people who would fear, judge, attack, or otherwise endanger himself or those he cares about. But what Optimus says goes, and he rarely if ever disobeys. If he does anything for humanity, it's for Miko first. If he does anything for a slaghead ally he doesn't like, it's because it's we're both on the same side and at least we have that in common. If he does anything for a Decepticon, it's because Optimus probably told him not to do the other thing.
However, the distance he keeps between himself and today's untrustworthy Unknown (whether it be human, Decepticon, or other) can also be considered a strength. He is open to giving another Autobot a chance at friendship, as long as they're a team player, but just about anyone else is met with suspicion. It keeps him wary, as he's been tricked, betrayed, or hurt before. As friendly as he can be, the moment he smells trouble he compartmentalizes, and immediately prioritizes those he knows he trusts before the subject of his suspicion until the danger passes. This sense of distrust is shared among his friends, and somehow it bonds them together tighter.
Bulkhead, like many Autobots, deals with haunted memories and the occasional flashback. For all he glorifies the Wreckers, he is not blind to the things he witnessed and learned and had to do. He keeps his darkest memories between himself and his fellow surviving Wreckers. He keeps Miko close, to the point of considering her a (Junior? But don't tell her that) Wrecker herself, but on the inside he knows she's too young to understand the true hardships a Wrecker faced, and she should never have to face them herself. Ever.
Abilities
Physical Strength - He is big but also compact, amounting to incredible strength that he focuses into controlled punches with his wrecking ball. He was built to destroy.
Endurance - Bulkhead is heavily armored and built to endure. He can take a lot of damage.
Wrecker Experience - His history in basically full-time Black Ops puts his past experience into a unique niche between Special Operations and ground assault. He understands Spec Ops lingo, moves with surprising stealth for his size when needed (not completely silent but quiet enough), has plenty of experience surviving and being pushed beyond his limits, is alive today because of his ability to improvise in a tight spot, and generally knows how espionage, sabotage, and other covert missions work. At the same time, his position in the Wreckers is the same he has now - assist, destroy, cover fire, charge, and over again.
Group Cohesion - Bulkhead is keenly aware of his place in a group; either by his own assumptions or as told by his superiors. He is muscle - a mash up of support and assault functions. He is a shield when necessary, but usually found in the back, cleaning up.
Weaponry
Bulkhead wields dual modifications in each arm, a canon (ranged) and a wrecking ball (melee) in each.
He also occasionally wields his whole body as a weapon.
Up against Decepticons, and in spars with allies, who possess greater mobility or a wider range of weaponry and abilities, his strength and endurance keep him standing.
History
Bulkhead started life in construction. Or, rather, deconstruction. As part of any building project on Cybertron, something else needed to be destroyed to make room for the new stuff. That's where Bulkhead specialized. Just before the Great War began, exposure to Decepticon crime and ideology via the media and personal experiences convinced him that war was inevitable. The death of a few close friends in a phony 'civilian demolition accident' hit too close to home and forced him to leave what dregs of civilian life existed at the time to join the Autobot cause. Devastated, frustrated, and angry at the state of politics, the Council membership, and the rise of the Decepticon threat he bitterly enlisted and was quickly assigned and transported to a foundary where essential medical supplies, including specialized organ spares and protoforms, were built. It was believed the Decepticons would take the foundary for their cause. Instead, in what became Autobot strategic failure, the Decepticons came and destroyed it. Bulkhead was one of the few to survive this mission, and the carelessness with which the Decepticons treated such an important source of life giving supplies forever imprinted upon Bulkhead the sheer magnitude of Decepticon evil and the unprepared mess that was Autobot command. It only got worse, and he registered word of the newest Prime's tactical efforts and heroics with little more than a shrug.
Despite the failure of that first mission, it also was the start of a series of missions that eventually caught the attention of the Wreckers. When approached, he signed on with little hesitation and never regretted it. He had the opportunity to work in a group outside a chain of command of Autobot politicians he didn't trust to back him up (the 'superiors' he knew liked to command from a plush office chair back then), so he took it. No one watched his back and fought for the cause better than the Wreckers.
Over time, he witnessed those who joined the Decepticon cause out of fear or honest belief in Megatron's political ideals quickly die off. Those were the nice ones. But weeding out the nice ones left only the sneakiest of the most conniving of the slipperiest of the most dangerous of the worst of the worse behind, and both Cybertron and many of his closest friends suffered around him. There were great victories and heartbreaking losses, absolute chaos and unexpected joy. It's the good parts he has clung to since.
Eventually he found himself on the Ark with Optimus Prime and found him to be a true leader, worthy of respect and loyalty. This was the guy the Autobots needed. And after a hectic and trying adventure through space, he found himself on Earth where he officially became a member of the small but talented Team Prime.
Roleplay/Writing Sample
Bulkhead wasn't the fastest of mechs by far, but he could reach the console in time; he was sure of it. Pedes moving quickly, he turned around the corner and dashed for the doorway at the end of the hall. Three Vehicons rounded the corner of the corridor ahead and charged him, cannons blazing. With a roar, he swung a wrecking ball at the one on the left, then the one on the right, sending them both sailing into the walls. The sound of crunching metal told him they were down. Sprinting now at the last one, he shifted his limb back into servo shape, lifted it by the shoulders as he ran, and ripped the mech in two.
"Ratchet," he said over the comms, discarding the Vehicon's remains and shifting his servos back to cannons. No more Vehicons appeared in his sights, but the sound of gunfire was very close. Only a corridor away. "The place is swarming and Bumblebee's too far away. Have him fall back. I'm almost there! I can do it!"
Bulkhead didn't reply, the urgency in Ratchet's voice only spurring him to push himself to move as fast as he possibly could.
When he reached the door he shot through the locking mechanism, then pulled the doors apart. There didn't seem to be anyone inside, but there was no time to check thoroughly. He ran for the console where the display showed the countdown to the ship's self destruct - appropriately in bright red. If he didn't have friends who were red and purple, he'd safely say he hated those colors.
"Alright, Ratchet. I'm here. Walk me through it." He narrowed his optics determinedly at the console before him, servos hovering over the keys.
Character Name: Bulkhead (Canon)
Allegiance: Autobot, to the core.
Appearance Description
Bulkhead is just under shoulder height to Optimus Prime, and appears twice as wide in all directions. His heavily armored form is round yet compact. The bulk of his frame is emphasized by massive pauldrons, thick arms, and stout legs. The mech is basically a walking wrecking ball. His form is mostly a rich Army green with a lustre finish, while his pauldrons, inner plating and structures are matte black. His face is gently polished iron in appearance and sports a distinct jaw plate. He has spherical optics the color of raw aquamarine. His helm is unmistakable in profile - like a cross between a construction helmet at the top and the trailing overlapping plates of a knight's armor in the back.
Bulkhead's vehicle mode is a heavy duty SUV, similar in design to a USSV Rhino GX.
Personality
The first impression newcomers get of Bulkhead is Big, Dumb, and Powerful. Their second impression is Gentle Giant. For the most part, Bulkhead fits into these impressions, the latter enforced by the occasional self-deprecating comment, humble response to praise, care with which he physically interacts with his human friends, and clumsiness around Ratchet's medical equipment. That first impression never goes away - Bulkhead is a soldier, a groundpounder, a grunt by his own admission. He's among the first assigned to a mission when something big is going down, and among the few to be called as back up when slag hits the fan. A former member of the Wreckers (who reminisces both fondly and proudly of those good old dark times) backup is his self-proclaimed and proven specialty.
However, Bulkhead's tendency to downplay his intelligence, and the tendency of his teammates to believe it, is an assessment of his mental abilities that isn't entirely correct. Bulkhead possesses acute emotional intelligence, able to sense the mood the around him and respond well to unspoken conversation between teammates. He sees cues in body language, essential to silent field operations, and understands his place in most groups - which is either right up front as a shield or in the back, dealing the finishing blows. Using his size and strength to protect his team, to the point of suffering horrific torture and/or death, or willingness to take the dirty jobs on behalf of those he (accurately) believes should not, speaks to a sense of great responsibility and strong moral character. He has also displayed ability to cleverly improvise when needed, and remarkable stealth when caught behind enemy lines. Overall, he is a soldier, sturdy in both mind and body, and ready to rumble anytime, anywhere.
He likes Heavy Metal, monster trucks, bad scary movies, remembering the good old days, hanging out with friends, and beating the scrap out of Cons. He also secretly enjoys nature shows (because wildlife is both weird and fascinating).
He strongly dislikes anything that looks or sounds like Scraplets.
Strengths + Weaknesses
Bulkhead is a good guy. A genuine nice guy. A take a back seat because someone better than me is in charge guy. But he has rigid opinions about certain things. Humans as a whole, for example, produce good media and entertainment, but that's the extent of the majority of his interaction with them. He knows in theory that there are good people out there, but he also knows there are bad. Very bad. It is difficult for him to open his spark with sympathy or friendship towards someone who proves themselves a jerk or worse, including some humans and all Decepticons, to the point that he's willing to leave an injured 'enemy' in a bad situation when someone like Optimus may not approve. It is also hard for him to imagine putting his life on the line for billions of people who would fear, judge, attack, or otherwise endanger himself or those he cares about. But what Optimus says goes, and he rarely if ever disobeys. If he does anything for humanity, it's for Miko first. If he does anything for a slaghead ally he doesn't like, it's because it's we're both on the same side and at least we have that in common. If he does anything for a Decepticon, it's because Optimus probably told him not to do the other thing.
However, the distance he keeps between himself and today's untrustworthy Unknown (whether it be human, Decepticon, or other) can also be considered a strength. He is open to giving another Autobot a chance at friendship, as long as they're a team player, but just about anyone else is met with suspicion. It keeps him wary, as he's been tricked, betrayed, or hurt before. As friendly as he can be, the moment he smells trouble he compartmentalizes, and immediately prioritizes those he knows he trusts before the subject of his suspicion until the danger passes. This sense of distrust is shared among his friends, and somehow it bonds them together tighter.
Bulkhead, like many Autobots, deals with haunted memories and the occasional flashback. For all he glorifies the Wreckers, he is not blind to the things he witnessed and learned and had to do. He keeps his darkest memories between himself and his fellow surviving Wreckers. He keeps Miko close, to the point of considering her a (Junior? But don't tell her that) Wrecker herself, but on the inside he knows she's too young to understand the true hardships a Wrecker faced, and she should never have to face them herself. Ever.
Abilities
Physical Strength - He is big but also compact, amounting to incredible strength that he focuses into controlled punches with his wrecking ball. He was built to destroy.
Endurance - Bulkhead is heavily armored and built to endure. He can take a lot of damage.
Wrecker Experience - His history in basically full-time Black Ops puts his past experience into a unique niche between Special Operations and ground assault. He understands Spec Ops lingo, moves with surprising stealth for his size when needed (not completely silent but quiet enough), has plenty of experience surviving and being pushed beyond his limits, is alive today because of his ability to improvise in a tight spot, and generally knows how espionage, sabotage, and other covert missions work. At the same time, his position in the Wreckers is the same he has now - assist, destroy, cover fire, charge, and over again.
Group Cohesion - Bulkhead is keenly aware of his place in a group; either by his own assumptions or as told by his superiors. He is muscle - a mash up of support and assault functions. He is a shield when necessary, but usually found in the back, cleaning up.
Weaponry
Bulkhead wields dual modifications in each arm, a canon (ranged) and a wrecking ball (melee) in each.
He also occasionally wields his whole body as a weapon.
Up against Decepticons, and in spars with allies, who possess greater mobility or a wider range of weaponry and abilities, his strength and endurance keep him standing.
History
Bulkhead started life in construction. Or, rather, deconstruction. As part of any building project on Cybertron, something else needed to be destroyed to make room for the new stuff. That's where Bulkhead specialized. Just before the Great War began, exposure to Decepticon crime and ideology via the media and personal experiences convinced him that war was inevitable. The death of a few close friends in a phony 'civilian demolition accident' hit too close to home and forced him to leave what dregs of civilian life existed at the time to join the Autobot cause. Devastated, frustrated, and angry at the state of politics, the Council membership, and the rise of the Decepticon threat he bitterly enlisted and was quickly assigned and transported to a foundary where essential medical supplies, including specialized organ spares and protoforms, were built. It was believed the Decepticons would take the foundary for their cause. Instead, in what became Autobot strategic failure, the Decepticons came and destroyed it. Bulkhead was one of the few to survive this mission, and the carelessness with which the Decepticons treated such an important source of life giving supplies forever imprinted upon Bulkhead the sheer magnitude of Decepticon evil and the unprepared mess that was Autobot command. It only got worse, and he registered word of the newest Prime's tactical efforts and heroics with little more than a shrug.
Despite the failure of that first mission, it also was the start of a series of missions that eventually caught the attention of the Wreckers. When approached, he signed on with little hesitation and never regretted it. He had the opportunity to work in a group outside a chain of command of Autobot politicians he didn't trust to back him up (the 'superiors' he knew liked to command from a plush office chair back then), so he took it. No one watched his back and fought for the cause better than the Wreckers.
Over time, he witnessed those who joined the Decepticon cause out of fear or honest belief in Megatron's political ideals quickly die off. Those were the nice ones. But weeding out the nice ones left only the sneakiest of the most conniving of the slipperiest of the most dangerous of the worst of the worse behind, and both Cybertron and many of his closest friends suffered around him. There were great victories and heartbreaking losses, absolute chaos and unexpected joy. It's the good parts he has clung to since.
Eventually he found himself on the Ark with Optimus Prime and found him to be a true leader, worthy of respect and loyalty. This was the guy the Autobots needed. And after a hectic and trying adventure through space, he found himself on Earth where he officially became a member of the small but talented Team Prime.
Roleplay/Writing Sample
Bulkhead wasn't the fastest of mechs by far, but he could reach the console in time; he was sure of it. Pedes moving quickly, he turned around the corner and dashed for the doorway at the end of the hall. Three Vehicons rounded the corner of the corridor ahead and charged him, cannons blazing. With a roar, he swung a wrecking ball at the one on the left, then the one on the right, sending them both sailing into the walls. The sound of crunching metal told him they were down. Sprinting now at the last one, he shifted his limb back into servo shape, lifted it by the shoulders as he ran, and ripped the mech in two.
"Ratchet," he said over the comms, discarding the Vehicon's remains and shifting his servos back to cannons. No more Vehicons appeared in his sights, but the sound of gunfire was very close. Only a corridor away. "The place is swarming and Bumblebee's too far away. Have him fall back. I'm almost there! I can do it!"
Ratchet, heretofore ready to implode from the stress of helplessly witnessing a mission go to hell in a handbasket, both flinched and sighed in relief at once when Bulkhead's voice cut through the chaos. Considering the nature of Bulkhead's expertise, though, Ratchet was not yet ready to call it a save. "By the Allspark, Bulkhead, you will need to do exactly what I say, when I say it, with finesse, and if you fail I will smelt any part of you that is left!"
When he reached the door he shot through the locking mechanism, then pulled the doors apart. There didn't seem to be anyone inside, but there was no time to check thoroughly. He ran for the console where the display showed the countdown to the ship's self destruct - appropriately in bright red. If he didn't have friends who were red and purple, he'd safely say he hated those colors.
"Alright, Ratchet. I'm here. Walk me through it." He narrowed his optics determinedly at the console before him, servos hovering over the keys.