(no subject)

[totalpacifist]

〈 PLAYER INFO 〉
NAME: Trace
AGE: 28
JOURNAL: N/A
IM / EMAIL: manicalpha@gmail.com
PLURK: gonewithouta
RETURNING: AYE
Wally West runningstart
Sheriff Stilinski sonhobbler

〈 CHARACTER INFO 〉
CHARACTER NAME: X (Full name is Mega Man X)
CHARACTER AGE: Technically, more than 100 years. The Mega Man X timeline is very vague, but it's implied that X has been conscious for quite a while. He went through thirty years of unconscious morality testing before being activated and both looks like and seems to have the maturity of someone in their twenties.
SERIES: Mega Man X
CHRONOLOGY: Immediately post Mega Man X8
CLASS: Hero
HOUSING: Wherever is fine!

BACKGROUND:

Here is a link to the X games timeline.
Here is a link to X's specific history.

In April of the year 21XX, Dr. Cain -a robotics expert and archaeologist- unearthed a capsule containing the final and greatest creation of the genius of robotics, Dr. Light. Dr. Light created X to act as a bridge between the human race and robots, and thus gave him the ability to think, worry and decide for himself without being constrained by specific morality parameters in programming. Dr. Cain thought this was just bully and decided to make a trillion more just like him.

All of the robots that came after X were based on his specs and programming blueprints, with a few changes here and there since Dr. Cain apparently couldn't figure all of it out. Part of that might be because X had just spend 30 years having his morality tested and another 70 in stasis, but eh. Details. All of the robots built on X's specs are called “reploids,” a combination of “replica android.” X helps out with the building since he's a helper and really doesn't have anything better to do with his time, and he and Dr. Cain become good friends.

It's only a matter of weeks before reploids become a common sight. They are assembled in factories with specific positions in mind, but they are very much their own people. Reploids seem to meld seamlessly with the human population, laws are created and modified to accommodate this new race and everything seems to be going well...until the first instance of reploid violence against a human.

As the reploid population increases, so do the occurrences of reploids involved in criminal activity. The term "Maverick" is coined for reploids who perform acts of violence against humans and other reploids. That fall, the organization known as "Maverick Hunters" is put into affect to deal specifically with Maverick incidents and uprisings. Dr. Cain assigns Sigma as the Commander of the Hunters, and the group grows in size (largely with reploid forces). Things get real once Sigma goes Maverick and takes most of the elite Hunters with him. That starts the first uprising, and what persuades X to join the Maverick Hunters, despite his extreme distaste for violence.

Everything goes downhill from there. In an effort to quell the initial Maverick uprising, X and Zero set out to bring down Sigma's generals and then the man himself. Vile, a Hunter who went Maverick alongside Sigma, gets in the way a lot because he's a shithead and hates X for some reason. Probably because X acts like a weenie and people still think he's so great and cool and has awesome potential or whatever.

X manages to bring Sigma down, but loses his best friend Zero in the process. The fighting doesn't stop there, either; every few weeks or months, there's another Maverick uprising with periods of somewhat tenuous calm in between, and it always seems to be Sigma behind everything. Shortly after the first uprising, X finds out that Zero's body has been dismantled and is in circulation among a group of Mavericks who specifically put themselves together to kill X. Dr. Cain says he still has Zero's personality matrix and can rebuild him, so X is all like "yeah I'll revive my dead bro."

After that, a hacker is manipulated by Sigma to infiltrate the Hunter HQ; X heads into robot brain land to take him out, kills him by accident and ends up killing his twin brother in the process. And after that, there's some doctor who said he made a Maverick virus cure but that's BS and turns out it's Sigma again- really, it never ends. It never, ever ends.

The Repliforce is created to assist the Maverick Hunters; they get manipulated and turn against the Hunters and surprise, Sigma's behind it.

The space colony Eurasia is infiltrated by the Sigma virus and set to crash into the Earth, which will not only kill a whole buttload of humans but will spread the virus further to more reploids (including and especially Zero). They try to blow it up; doesn't work. Their next best idea is to pilot a shuttle into it, which seems to do the trick. Zero does that because he likes being a Big Damn Hero, but when he fails to report back, X goes to investigate. Shit gets even realer when X finds out Zero was the one who first spread the Maverick virus to Sigma, and that he was originally a really, really awful person. But he got better. They fight, Zero dies and saves the day (not quite in that order but really close) and X is left to carry on without his best friend, again. In case you were wondering, Sigma is behind everything again.

Next game, Sigma is surprisingly not behind everything, though he's the point behind everything. Some doctor puts together a Zero clone to fuck with people, and X kicks it in the butt. Zero shows up like it's NBD and X falls over himself trying to get back with his bro lifemate. There's a new virus called the Nightmare Virus, which is apparently just as bad as every other form of the Maverick Virus. They beat up the doctor, beat up the clones, beat up the half-baked Sigma the doctor was putting together; errybody gets beat up. Sigma was peripherally involved.

Apparently that's the nail in the coffin of X's doubt on whether or not he should be fighting, because he retires between the Nightmare crisis and the next uprising. Of course, the word "Maverick" is getting slung around like "commie" did during the Cold War. A vigilante group with less than pristine methods called Red Alert is being accused of being Mavericks, mostly because they're dicks and sorta because they operate outside the law. X is behind a desk and doing basically nothing but whining and complaining all live long day, and Zero is tired of all this shit happening so he apprehends a new generation reploid named Axl who was on the run from the Red Alert group. RA wanted the kid back, Zero doesn't like to give back things he takes so they butt heads for a while and during this X is doing absolutely jack. The fighting gets super intense so X is like "hey y'know what more people die when I don't step in" so finally he nuts up and joins back in the fight. Surprise surprise, Red Alert actually is Maverick and Sigma is behind everything. X says Axl can join the Hunters but he's all pissy about it.

The humans have finally had enough of all this reploid drama and slaughter, and the Jakob Project is initiated where they build -wait for it- an orbital elevator to take them to the moon, which can now sustain human life. Seems legit. There's an explosion at the lift and X meets Lumine, the director of the project, in the worst possible way. He and all the other newgen reploids can shape shift (like Axl) and they change into Sigma, probably for the sole purpose of giving X a heart attack. He says it's cool though because they have immunity to all viruses, which is...okay sure, dick move still, and they continue on their way. There's another Maverick uprising, Vile shows up and kidnaps Lumine, X and Zero and Axl beat the tar out of a bunch of Mavericks and then find out OH MY GOD, it's Sigma, again. So they rip him a new one and then find out that Lumine was actually behind it this time (WHAT A TWEEST) and that he says going Maverick isn't a malfunction, but a necessary evolutionary step for reploids to throw off the shackles of human oppression. Okay. Zero and Axl call him out, X starts worrying AGAIN (the boy is a broken record) and they beat the tar out of Lumine too and go home. Axl gets hurt but eh whatever the kid is fine.

WHEW. Awful lot of fighting for a guy who hates to fight.


PERSONALITY:

X is, first and foremost, a pacifist. He despises fighting, so much so that one of the games actually begins with him having retired from the battlefield in protest despite the fact that he's in perfect shape (and one of the best Hunters out there). He thinks violence is a very lowbrow way of communicating and that if people would just talk, every and any conflict could be easily resolved with absolutely no bloodshed or loss of life. He's even strolled up to Mavericks attempting to flatten his blue ass into the ground and pleaded with them to stop fighting and change their ways; most of the time, if he's the one you approach the boss with, he gives some tired old speech about wanting destruction and such being insane and asks people to change, or offers them protection, or tells them he doesn't want to fight. It doesn't work.

That being said, X was designed as a combat unit by Dr. Light and given unique, adaptable and powerful armor and weaponry with which he was expected to protect the world and the human race. While X understands that this is the purpose given to him by his "father" and sometimes even feels proud of it, he frequently laments the fact that in many of the situations in which he's placed, there's no other choice but to take up arms. However, his inherent sense of justice doesn't allow him to walk away from a fight when he knows that innocent lives are on the line, and if necessary he will take the life of a fellow reploid in order to save civilians. By this time X has been through eight skirmishes and/or wars, and his distaste for battle has been dulled to the point where he's come to view fighting as a necessary evil on his part, though he will always be the first to lay down his weapons if the opportunity for compromise presents itself.

Despite his experience and intelligence -his brain is a top-of-the-line super computer and all- X has a habit of worrying and letting his emotions get the best of him, most often trepidation, sorrow and empathy. He's naturally acclimated toward being the party healer but is often shunted into a leadership position just because he's so damn good at it. X can usually keep his head in tense situations, but he has a habit of sputtering at the injustices of the world when he should have been used to this as of six games back, and is still too naive in many cases. He has deep, involved love affairs with the words "hope" and "justice" and is a stickler for the rules. There is no good reason to hurt an innocent person; not to prove a point, not to further your political goals, none. He can be very stubborn when it comes to this, but at the same time X is also easily deceived into believing the best of people who clearly don't mean well just because he wants so badly to give everyone a chance. He's very idealistic and trusting, and sometimes very stupid because of it. He can also seem wishy-washy, because the world isn't nearly as black-and-white as he likes to pretend it is and when he has to choose between the lesser of two evils, X often stalls and stammers and finds himself unable to pick. Usually the choice is made for him, and usually it's for the worst. He has two very decisive companions that usually help him to keep to his path, but there's no denying that X is an easily influenced person.

Even if X can bounce back and forth between decisions and sides of an argument, that doesn't make him any less passionate. When he really gets going he's like the little engine that could, and then some. His steam carries him a long way, and he gives speeches and shouts and tears down evil empires, etc etc. He needs a lot of support and some help with being pointed in the right direction, but X is absolutely capable of finishing any fight he ends up in. He has bouts of determination that usually last two or three skirmishes before trickling off into self-doubt, weariness and worry, but once that bright burning fire of justice gets revived again he's ready and raring to go.

Unfortunately, because of all the hardships in his life X tends to be way too serious. He's always been a fairly reserved person and something of a worrier, but all of the tragedy in his past has really exacerbated his quieter traits, brought out a side of him that can get very aggressive in battle and beaten down his fun-loving side. It's not that he's incapable of laughing, enjoying himself and having a good time, it's just that it's very rare that he's had the chance to do those things since joining the Maverick Hunters. As a result his personality has evolved to set "serious and ready for any threat" as his default. It takes a little bit of work to get him to loosen up, but once X grows comfortable he's surprisingly bright and chipper. The settings of the games don't give the player a lot of opportunity to see X outside of a crisis, but all the aspects of his personality suggest that in a peaceful society, X would either flourish or experience a midlife crisis. While X abhors fighting, he doesn't really do anything but and while he preaches and prays for a day where violence will no longer be necessary it's very likely that he wouldn't know quite what to do with himself without it.


POWER:

ANDROID PHYSIOLOGY: As a machine in a human image, X is much more durable and capable of withstanding a lot more punishment. He doesn't suffer from illness or disease, can't be affected by poisons, venom or toxins, doesn't need to eat or sleep (beyond a few hours to defrag/recharge now and then) and can survive wounds that would otherwise be fatal to a human being. Since his brain is a super computer he's not susceptible to mind control or psychic attacks, but if there were a computer powerful enough to override his antivirus software and firewalls, he could be controlled and overwritten that way.

X BUSTER: X has the unique ability among reploids to copy the powers of other reploids. It's not specified whether or not he has to actually destroy his opponent to obtain their powers, but since he usually doesn't get it until he does it's likely that in order for his weapon to adapt he needs a component that is otherwise vital to functionality. So he probably has to cannibalize the other machine in order to get the adaptation.

TIE DYE MIDAS: X can turn things he touches tie-dye. Anything. The power is sporadic and really only kicks in when he's feeling particularly peace-loving.


〈 CHARACTER SAMPLES 〉
COMMUNITY POST (VOICE) SAMPLE:

TDM thread!


LOGS POST (PROSE) SAMPLE:

It took a little while after he was first activated for X to start categorizing things differently. At first whenever he saw a color, he saw light components and numbers; CYMK, RGB, visible spectrum, infrared, ultraviolet. When he heard a noise, he logged the decibels. When he touched glass, he consciously monitored the pounds of pressure per square inch so it wouldn't shatter. Everything was clinical, everything was mechanical, for lack of a better word.

That didn't last long.

Soon X was looking at artwork and seeing not congruent shapes, but the struggle of a man trying to make sense of the world around him. Blues and greens and reds and yellows became flowers, a child's novelty t-shirt, the brilliant and beautiful armor of reploids expressing their individuality. Dr. Cain's laugh made him smile and nothing else. And the doctor would comment on it, the changes he saw; Zero would too, though without the same tone of wonder and more a confused sort of incredulity. How human X seemed, like he didn't even think in numbers anymore, like he didn't have to calculate the necessary force to avoid cracking bones when he picked up a child to reach a kitten in a tree. "Natural," Dr. Cain had said when he'd taken X grocery shopping with him one day. He'd taught X how to pick the best produce, even though most of it was synthesized to be flawless anyway, and he'd watched X flick the rind of a melon and listen to the sound it made. Just like a human being.

X doesn't do much of that, anymore. When he thinks back to those blissfully calm days, when he remembers how restless he'd been just accompanying Dr. Cain, how he'd searched for a purpose- he was so naive. He should have cherished those days before the wars, the fighting. Before Mavericks and Hunters and Sigma. Those days had been his childhood and he'd squandered them on dissatisfaction and higher purpose. Higher purpose is overrated.

Looking out over the crowds, the families- there are so many humans together in one place, unafraid of a Maverick attack. Parents held the hands of their children and street vendors passed out ice cream, balloons, novelty toys. Little girls and boys ran up to him and begged for a ride on his shoulders or a picture. X supposed he was something of a spectacle in his bright blue armor, human enough to be approachable but alien enough to be interesting, and as far as he can tell there aren't very many artificial life forms here.

It's...nice. Peaceful. Maybe it's a betrayal to think that a world without reploids is a safer one, but with the evidence so glaringly obvious X can't help himself. A little girl eagerly presses a pink notebook and a flower pen into his hand (and the pen turns tie dye before he can help himself) and he sinks down into a crouch with a smile, bracing the notebook against his knee to sign it for her, two lines with a flourish. She asks if that's really his name, just a letter of the alphabet and he asks her back, “What's yours?”

Her name is Jenna, and she's five and a half. X wonders if the world really has stopped in his departure and if it has, how horrible it would be of him to want to stay here forever.


FINAL NOTES: X looks pretty much like a human in armor, but it's obvious after interacting with him that he's a machine since his footsteps are very loud and heavy and removing any pieces of his armor shows just circuitry and machine guts. Would he need a human form?